Gift of Gold (The Year of Churning Bloods)

by Leone, Hudson

  “Would you have been better off dying?” I asked, causing the both of us to laugh quite powerfully.

  “Had their singing been any worse... Probably,” my captor conceded, raising his hands apologetically. “Regardless, it was nice of them to spare some time. Anyways, the last night the clowns stayed... Sorry: The last night the bards stayed--” The captor elaborated, as If I might care about the difference between bards and clowns. “--Was the night that I was given a packet of this,” he said, holding the powder up to the light. “One of the bards came up to me on the last evening they stayed. He gave me the powder, smiled and left without another word.”

  “So you ended up using it? How?”

  The man shifted his jaw to one side and broke eye contact briefly. “I spread the powder around a stump near the river that night. I wasn't sure what it would do to make my miracle but I was confident something would happen. So I waited there on the spot, cold and still slightly injured with nothing much to occupy myself. Out of boredom alone, I decided to talk to the stump, telling it my story much like I’m telling you now.”

  “That seems like a rather one sided conversation,” I said, wondering why anyone would do such a thing.

  “It passed the time and gave me a sense of what I needed,” the captor admitted, looking me over with a mixture of amusement and annoyance. “You seem to have quite a bit to say. Do you have anything else you want to ask before I carry on?”

  “What's your name?” I asked politely. It seemed strange to be asking such a simple question so late into such a story.

  The man didn’t seem to notice or care. “My name is Totara.”

  “Isn't that an insect?” I asked uncertainly.

  “Its a tree,” Totara replied flatly. “The members of our clan are usually named after trees due to an old legend about our ancestors. Happy?” Totara continued speaking without waiting for a reply reply. “I talked myself to sleep and was shivering throughout the night, when I felt something rather peculiar scrape against my injured arm. I yelped in pain and woke up to something more fantastic than any dream I had ever had in my life!” Totara had become progressively more intricate with his gestures and was now using them so violently that he accidentally knocked a vase over. Despite the room being suddenly filled with dust and pieces of broken pottery, Totara spoke on, completely engorged in every word he was saying.

  “The tree stump was growing again! Only, it wasn't growing into a tree. I couldn't tell what it doing at first but I knew this had something to do with my miracle. I rushed into my hut and gathered all my things as quickly as possible. Dawn was approaching and whatever the tree was doing I wanted to make sure it was finished before anyone could wake up and see for themselves. I watched in awe for the next hour or two as the stump grew and grew.” As Totara continued his tale, I had to bite my tongue to stop the barricade of questions that wanted to shoot out of my head.”

  “The stump was now far too wide to be just a regular old tree. The leaves that were growing were all arranging themselves in a very precise manner to form something that resembled a thick pine needle blanket. In that moment, I realized what the tree was growing into.” Totara paused for added suspense although he couldn’t contain his childlike excitement for more than a few seconds. “It was growing into an actual boat! It had sails made from nothing but pine needles and a hull made of tough buoyant tree bark. It was even large enough to sleep five! This simple little stump I had barely noticed was now giving me everything I needed to find Rimu.”

  Totara stood rather unexpectedly and began to mime everything as if it was impossible for me to understand with words alone. “I got an axe as quickly as I could and cut down the stump holding the sailboat in place. After that I left a note to my people explaining I was going to be back soon.” Totara’s giddiness suddenly faltered as he blinked and looked around his hut as if seeing it for the first time.

  I felt a strange sinking sensation as I began to realize this story was not going to end well. Despite myself I continued to listen.

  “I set sail immediately and travelled for three days before finally making it out to the ocean.” Totara shook his head wistfully. “From there, I sailed for a whole month, not really sure myself about where I was going. Every day my hope faltered, as the endless gray waters suggested I would never again find Rimu.”

  “How did you eat and drink?” I blurted rather unexpectedly. Suddenly remembering I wasn’t supposed to ask any more questions, I covered my mouth with my hands and motioned for him to continue.

  “That’s actually a good question,” he admitted. “Just before I went to sea, I found empty pockets of space along the sides of the boat. I simply filled them up with river water and never ran out after that. To get food, I fished for just about all hours of the day, and cooked them aboard the ship. I was never in short supply of firewood, as every part of the boat I ripped off would grow back within hours. Unfortunately, on the day of the last month I was ambushed by the Storm Striders.”

  “The who?” I said, interrupting for a second time.

  Totara started at me in amazement. “You’ve never heard of the Storm Striders?”

  I shook my head sadly.

  “The Storm Striders are the largest criminal organization in the world. They’re a group of pirates responsable for establishing a black market in just about every city to date.” Totara sighed and brought a hand to his forehead. “By some cruel twist of fate, I was ambushed by their main fleet and taken prisoner.”

  “How did you escape?” I asked in breathless awe. Totara smirked and folded his arms triumphantly.

  “The way they acted, they’d have you believe that escape was just about impossible. In truth, all I had to do was pick a lock and sneak down to where my boat was being stowed. So I ended up sailing off again, however this time I was without any supplies. I was forced to stop when I landed in the port city Euphradis. Totara shook his head limply and tried to grasp his head, however it was like his limbs were slowly being filled with sand. “I ended up selling my miracle ship to a collector of oddities. I took the funds from that and built this hut, hoping to work as a lumberjack until I could but another boat and sail back home. Totara glared at the half buried stumps outside his window with a spite so heavy it was as if he was blaming them for everything. “Seven years passed without me even saying her name and now, I’m telling my story to an intruder.” Totara slumped against a wall and sighed.

  “So where does that leave us?” I asked with a brooding feeling of uncertainty.

  “I'm not a thief for taking this,” Totara clarified, sliding the miracle powder into his coat pocket. You’re obviously seeking refuge but you’ve heard too much about me to be a mere stranger anymore.” The man cleared his throat and stood up, suddenly looking highly official. “I offer you the miracle powder as well as my hospitality and knowledge. All I ask is that you stay a month with me to apprentice in lumber-jacking. I could always use a spare hand or two around these woods.”

  “What makes that yours to bargain for if it was mine in the first place?” I asked in outrage.

  “Breaking and entering is a crime. Hearing a man's life story only to leave and forget about that man is also crime. That’s two unlawful things so far. Surprisingly, I'm generous enough to make your sentence optional. You either work for a month to reclaim what you now desire, or you leave in the morning.”

  Umber instantly flared into my view with his eyes radiating hot fury. “Your companion also has a satchel of that powder in his own bag! What makes you think you need more?

  “I need an answer now,” Totara warned sharply. In one moment of clarity I managed to answer both questions simultaneously.

  “We need all the luck we can get.”

  Umber's light blinded my surroundings as rage engulfed him. In the short time that I knew him, I don’t think I’d ever seen him this mad. “An entire month Jacob! Wasted!” Umber scoffed! “Do you honestly think you're helping anyone here?”

  “Exce
llent,” Totara breathed, trying to contain his relief. “I'll prepare your sleeping arrangements. You should probably attend to your companion. Give him my apologies for the bruise on the head and tell him I’ve got something for that.”

  I sidled over to Gregor with no enthusiasm and found myself unsure how to wake up my worst nemesis. I prodded him with my pointer finger before backing away as if he would explode. I repeated this method with much greater force and was shocked to see his eyes shoot open. His pupils darted around in neurotic confusion. I nervously chuckled in the silence that followed and began to explain everything that just happened.

  “Cut to the chase Sunshine. How long do we have here?”

  “Well, you see... Umm... How do I say this?”

  “Oh believe me I'm all ears,” he explained, sitting up and looking intently at me.

  “We have to work for one month,” I stated in a tender voice.

  Gregor slowly smiled, showing far more teeth any normal person would have. He began to chuckle. It was quite a funny sound and before I knew it, I was giggling as well, trying to ignore just how scared I was. The laughter stopped suddenly and I wondered if Gregor was going to start shouting.

  “One month,” he echoed, still smiling in that disgustingly broad way. “That’s one twelfth of our time limit. Did you know that?” As he spoke his voice became increasingly higher pitched until it was just a disturbing squawk.

  I was sensing a mental breakdown on his part, something I did not want to be involved in. I considered running however, my limbs seemed to have rusted in an awkward half sitting half crouching position against the hut wall. The entire world around me went black, as Gregor's eyes met mine.

  “ONE MONTH!” bellowed a voice that could fire cannonballs.

  My hands flew to my ears, but in a single shocking moment, I realized my fingers were now sharp metal spears that tried to stab their way into my skull.

  As Gregor’s kinetic anti-magic lessened, everything within the hut came zooming back into reality.

  I tentatively reached up for my ears and was relieved to discover they were still intact and safe.

  Oblivious to Gregor’s feat of kinetic anti-magic, Totara continued to shuffle around while looking for some spare blankets. Once he had assembled a small makeshift bed, Gregor stood up without another word and marched over to claim the spot. I felt Totara hoist me onto my feet and maneuver me to a cozy location right next to a mantle filled with the warmth of dormant coals.

  I couldn't help but wonder as I drifted off to sleep if I made the right decision.

  Chapter twenty-two

  Confession of the innocent

  “Take a time of all you’ve ever done,

  but do it again now faster.”

  “But why?” You say, looking right around confused.

  “Surely you could do it faster,

  Now I’m just not amused.”

  “Child, my fingers fray, my mind goes numb

  I’m not having much fun,

  but it gives me hope to know that

  all my work is not yet done.

  For I’ve a small apprentice,

  He stands about ‘yay’ high,

  I teach him all I know each day

  filling wonder in his eyes.”

  363 days remaining

  The pungent smell of bitter tea lifted me off the floor and into a comfortable wooden chair where I wearily accepted a mug of tepid liquid. Leaning in to take a sip, I felt my face become engulfed by the thick mist of boiling water which stunk of pine needles. Totara patted me gruffly on the shoulder and took a seat beside me, stretching slightly. “Rise and shine Jacob, we’ve got a lot to do today.” I blinked at the sound of my own name and cocked my head to one side.

  “Had I told him my name?” I thought to myself, rubbing the remaining sleep out of my eyes. Hallucinations from last nights dreams were too swampy to pick apart from the memories made just yesterday. I looked up to Totara and frowned, noticing that he looked slightly out of place when he stood in direct sunlight. He seemed to take in light like a sponge, leaving me to stare at a man that resembled an upright shadow more than anything else. I was just considering this when Totara suddenly stood up and gestured for both Gregor and I to follow him outside.

  Gregor threw his chair off to one side and glared at me as we simultaneously sidled outside into the crisp morning air.

  Once in the forest clearing, Totara eagerly clasped his hands together and nervously bit his lower lip. “I’d like to welcome both of you to your first official lumberjacking lesson,” he said, nodding to us.

  Gregor coughed loudly and threw his head to one side in immense disinterest.

  I was tempted to hit him, but fortunately for me I managed to contain myself.

  Totara lead both Gregor and I around the swarm of tree stumps while pointing to a small indentation on each one. “Both of you might have noticed that each of these stumps has a small section where the wood juts upward like a step on a staircase. We call this a hinge, and it is the hinge that determines precisely how and where the tree falls.”

  Gregor yawned and kicked the back of my heel out of boredom.

  “This is going to be a long month,” I thought to Umber, who nodded in agreement. Totara bent down to the stump and began to observe it very carefully

  “These hinges are affected by even the smallest of elements. Look here at this one.” He said gesturing down to where he knelt. “Had this hinge been just an inch or two to the right, the tree would have smashed into my hut.” Totara clapped his hands together for emphasis before standing upright and pointing at me. “The main thing you need to worry about however is what direction the tree is leaning.”

  As Totara explained these things to me I could see a curious gleam open up in his eyes like the moon cutting through a foggy night sky Something as deceptively simple as cutting down trees had an entire wealth of knowledge behind it which this man seemed to posses an effortless command over. The way in which Totara would let his fingers gloss over the stump of a tree, made me wonder if he was playing an elaborate instrument which only he could hear.

  “We look at a tree like this and we see that the trunk is perfectly straight. Instinctively, you might think that there was nothing wrong with a tree like this, however you look up and see that the branches are all mostly off to the right hand side.” Totara brought a hand to his head as if he had just said something idiotic. “Now obviously that would mean that we would need to reposition the hinge proportional to this lean--” The lumberjack had hardly been speaking for an hour, yet my mental capacity seemed to be filled to the brim. I felt giddy with fear at the prospect that within a week or two, I would be falling trees all by myself.

  Gregor on the other hand couldn't look any less interested. It became apparent fairly quickly that Totara was not one to lecture for hours on end. Soon enough, he had me on my toes, recalling the different species of trees in the pavilion, their properties, value and even how well they burn. Admittedly I was never one to pick up facts very quickly, and I constantly fumbled with the information Totara was throwing at me.

  “Look, I know you can remember,” the lumberjack insisted forcefully. “What did I tell you about the leaves of this tree?”

  “Umm...” I began uncertainty. “You said something about the leaves of this tree being pointed.”

  “Yes!” Totara exclaimed suddenly. “Yes I did! And that means?”

  I scratched the back of my head and broke eye contact as my face flushed red. “I... I don’t...” My lower lip began to quiver.

  Noticing the change in my voice, Totara suddenly softened. “Hey, hey, none of that now,” he said, putting a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “I know it’s difficult but that’s just a part of life.” Still unsatisfied with the look on my face, Totara folded his arms and smiled slightly. “I’ll tell you what, we can go to the fun part early because you two have been really good to me today, how does that sound?”

  “Fun part?” Gregor as
ked, looking suddenly suspicious.

  “Well I consider it to be fun anyways,” Totara said enthusiastically. “Come on, this way.” Leading us around his hut and past the vast field of snow which reflected the afternoon sun, Totara guided us to a shabby looking side hut which looked so fragile, it made the building beside it look like a palace. The side hut had only three walls, all of which were completely covered in saw blades and other dangerous looking things. The leather tarp which was stretched over the entire structure sagged slightly under the weight of last night's snowfall. Inside were a couple of workbenches, piles of firewood and a large upright object concealed by a thick woolen blanket.