Beyond the Draak’s Teeth

by Marcia J. Bennett

  “Simpleminded and lackwit. You two make a good pair, ” Theon growled softly as he picked up a bucket and started for the door. “Garv, I’m going for some water. Do you need any more wood for the fire?”

  “There’s some stacked around the corner of the house, ” Garv replied calmly, as if he had completely forgotten his show of temper only moments ago.

  Theon returned with the water and firewood and washed for supper. Garv set the table for himself and Theon, then fixed Bhaldavin’s plate and placed it on the floor near the bed. Taking Bhaldavin by the arm, he pulled him down to sit beside the plate.

  “You let him feed himself now?” Theon asked, surprised.

  “He’s messy, ” Garv said, returning to the table, “but I can always sweep the floor, and he eats better if I leave him alone.”

  Bhaldavin noticed that Garv spoke differently now that his brother was there, and he questioned his first assessment of the man’s faculties. Perhaps Garv was not the complete simpleton he had first appeared to be.

  He picked up his plate and held it on his lap. He glanced up, but the two men were busy with their own food. He sampled the spice bread and cooked fish, then proceeded to devour the nabob roots.

  “Garv, he’s going to make himself sick gulping food like that, ” Theon observed.

  Garv turned to look just as Bhaldavin put several fronds of grass in his mouth.

  “What’s he eating now?” Theon asked.

  “He likes seaweed, ” Garv said. He watched Bhaldavin a moment, then returned to his own food.

  Bhaldavin watched the two men while he finished the slab of bread on his plate. The nabob roots and gravy were oversalted this time, making him thirsty.

  Theon caught Bhaldavin watching Garv drain the last swallow of water from his cup. “Thirsty, Little Fish?” He poured another dipper of water into his own cup and took it to Bhaldavin.

  Garv turned in his seat. “Don’t let him have the cup, Theon. He’s broken all the others I have. These are my last two.”

  Theon knelt and placed the cup to Bhaldavin’s lips. Bhaldavin leaned away, wary of the man’s closeness even though he realized that he had little to fear from Theon as long as Garv was around.

  “Come on, Little Fish, drink if you’re thirsty, or I’ll take it away, ” Theon warned.

  Bhaldavin looked at the cup. The need to wash the saltiness from his mouth drove him to take a chance. His hand closed over Theon’s as he pulled the cup to his mouth.

  “You want more, Little Fish?” Theon asked after Bhaldavin had emptied the cup.

  Bhaldavin locked glances with Theon, and for a moment they both stared. Startled by the strange look that suddenly crossed Theon’s face, Bhaldavin dropped his glance to his plate.

  “You know, Garv, ” Theon said, “for a moment there it was almost as if he understood me.”

  Garv stood up and began clearing the table. “Little Fish understands sometimes.”

  Theon caught Bhaldavin by the chin and forced his head up. “Garv, come over here.”

  “Why?”

  “Never mind why. Just come look. There is a difference in his eyes.”

  Garv came and bent over Bhaldavin. “I see no difference.”

  “I do. Look! He’s watching us.”

  Bhaldavin pushed Theon’s hand away, disliking the man’s touch.

  “And look at that. He doesn’t want to be touched. That’s new too!”

  “He’s afraid of you, ” Garv said.

  “No. It’s more than that. It’s not fear I’m seeing, it’s more like hate. ” Theon turned on his brother. “Have you been mean to him lately?”

  Garv frowned. “You know I wouldn’t hurt Little Fish.”

  “Not intentionally, but… ” Theon looked at Bhaldavin again. “Then what’s happened to him? He has changed. I can see it in his eyes.”

  Bhaldavin heard the suppressed excitement in Theon’s voice and wondered what would happen if he spoke to the man. Would escape be easier or harder if they realized he was not the fool they thought him?

  “Garv, how long have you had Little Fish? Fifteen years now, isn’t it?” Theon said. “Remember, you brought him back from Port Cestar the same year that I started working with Hansa on his boat.”

  Garv nodded.

  “I remember how surprised everyone was to see you that morning, getting out of the boat carrying one of the Green Ones, ” Theon continued. “Hansa had his eyes on him from the minute you entered town, but once he realized Little Fish had no mind left, how quickly he lost interest.”

  Theon continued to talk, but Bhaldavin wasn’t listening. He had realized that a number of years had passed— but fifteen? He was stunned. How could he have lived so long without knowing, without being aware of his surroundings? It seemed impossible. Yet the truth was there for him to see, his unclothed body testimony to the years he couldn’t remember.

  He leaned back against the bed, sick with the knowledge that so much time had elapsed. Where were his parents? His sister and brother? Had they survived the war?

  A worried frown appeared on Garv’s face. “Shut up, Theon, ” he said. “Something’s wrong with Little Fish.”

  Garv leaned down and laid a hand across Bhaldavin’s forehead. “Head hurt again, Little Fish? Garv has something to make it feel better.”

  As the big man went to the kist across the room, Theon pushed his face close to Bhaldavin’s, his brown eyes searching the crystal-gray ones before him. “Little Fish? Do you understand what we’re saying? Gods! It doesn’t seem possible after all this time, but… If you understand me, Little Fish, nod your head. Come on, I know you understand. I can see it in your eyes.”

  Bhaldavin felt confused, and for a moment he forgot the part he had been playing. He almost nodded; then suddenly Garv was there, pushing the spout of a wineskin toward his mouth.

  “Drink this, Little Fish. It’ll make your headache go away.”

  Bhaldavin turned his head, the sickness that churned in his stomach pushing upward.

  A large hand closed on the back of his neck. “Drink, Little Fish!” Garv commanded.

  “Garv, maybe he’s not thirsty, ” Theon said. “Why don’t you let me talk to him a little longer. If he—”

  “No! You can talk to him tomorrow. He’s going to sleep now.”

  “Garv, I’m not going to do anything to him,” Theon protested. “I just want to talk to—”

  Bhaldavin folded over and began retching, spewing pieces of nabob root and fish into Theon’s lap. Theon cursed and jumped away as Garv knelt beside Bhaldavin and held him until the retching spasms passed. The seizures were so violent that Bhaldavin also lost control of his bowels.

  “Gods, what a mess!” Theon cursed as Garv picked Bhaldavin up and carried him toward the door.

  “It’s your fault, ” Garv growled. “You upset him. You clean up the mess here while I wash him off. There’s water in that bucket over there.”

  Theon had the mess on the floor cleaned up by the time Garv returned with Bhaldavin. Garv snatched a blanket from one of the beds, wrapped it around Bhaldavin, and led him over to the hearth, where he made him lie down; he fastened the rope at Bhaldavin’s ankle to one of the table legs.

  “Garv, may I stay the night?” Theon asked quietly.

  “I guess so. ” He pointed to Bhaldavin’s bed. “You can use that bunk.”

  Theon looked at his brother a moment, then went over to the pile of grass strewn on the floor.

  “What’re you doing?” Garv asked, as Theon began to pick up the grass.

  “Throwing this stuff away. It’s probably what made him sick. You’ll have to begin to watch what he eats, Garv.”

  “I watch, ” Garv said defensively.

  “I know you do, Garv. I just meant that if Little Fish is more alert now, you’ll have to keep a closer eye on him. Are you going fishing tomorrow?”

  Garv nodded and returned to the task of cleaning the supper dishes.

  “Mind if I come alo
ng?”

  “You talk too much. You scare all the fish away.”

  Theon smiled. “I’ll be quiet, Garv. I promise.”

  “What about Hansa? Won’t he look for you?”

  “He’s doing some repair work on the boat. He said it would be three or four days until he’s ready to go out again.”

  The heat from the coals soon warmed Bhaldavin. He closed his eyes and listened to the men talk, their voices blurring into a soothing rumble of sound. In the back of his mind he knew he should remain awake and make plans for an escape while the men slept, but exhaustion won out and he fell asleep.

  Chapter 3

  BHALDAVIN WOKE HUNGRY THE NEXT MORNING, BUT Garv gave him only one piece of bread and a fresh kansa for breakfast. The yellow fruit was ripe and juicy, and Bhaldavin looked longingly at the bowl of fruit sitting on a nearby shelf.

  Garv untied Bhaldavin’s ankle rope and began coiling it up. When finished, he set the rope on the table and went for his net and pole.

  Bhaldavin cautiously sidled toward the bowl on the shelf, but as he reached for a second fruit, Garv turned, saw what he was doing, and came over to slap his hand away.

  “No, Little Fish, no more this morning. Garv doesn’t want you getting sick again.”

  Theon appeared in the doorway. “Oh, let him have another, Garv. It won’t hurt him. ” He pulled his tunic over his head and tucked it into his pants, then sat down to put on his sandals. “You about ready, Garv?”

  After Garv and Bhaldavin went out, Theon took several fruits from the bowl and stuffed them into his tunic pocket, then hurried to catch up with the other two.

  Beyond the stockade gate, they followed the narrow trail that led along the river. The overhanging vines and bushes that enclosed the path on both sides made the trail dark with shadows. When the trail widened slightly, Theon moved up beside Bhaldavin.

  “Here, Little Fish, ” he called, tossing one of the kansa he had brought from the cabin. “Catch.”

  Bhaldavin caught the yellow globe, and before Garv could interfere, he took a large bite.

  Garv glared at his brother, but Theon had eyes only for Bhaldavin, who was busy making the fruit disappear as fast as possible.

  Theon reached out and grabbed ahold of green Ni-lach hair, forcing Bhaldavin to look him in the face. “So I wasn’t dreaming last night. Our little fish has awakened. You know that I’m talking to you, don’t you, Little Fish? How long have you been fooling Garv? And why?”

  Garv caught Theon’s wrist. “Let him go, Theon! You’ll frighten him.”

  “I doubt that!” Theon snapped, twisting out of Garv’s hold. “Little Fish isn’t afraid of me. Look at him. Look into his eyes, Garv. He’s watching us and he understands. Damn it, I said look!”

  The sudden snap and crackle of underbrush put an end to the argument. All three turned just as the head of a large blue draak appeared over the top of the bushes alongside the trail. Wakened from sleep by the angry voices, the large reptile lunged to its feet, its long neck outstretched, its flat head weaving back and forth.

  Though land draak were lighter in build than their water cousins, each of their four legs was the equal of three men locked breast to back, and though ungainly looking, they could move quickly.

  Garv and Theon thought of no one but themselves as they ran downtrail, diving for safety among the trees and bushes. Neither man saw Bhaldavin fall, entangled in the rope Garv had dropped.

  The draak was upon Bhaldavin before he could kick free of the rope.

  The song that came to Bhaldavin’s lips was one of the first he had learned; at first his voice cracked, but then the high trilling notes rose clear and true above the angry hissing of the draak.

  The draak’s head dipped down as if to scoop Bhaldavin up, then the open jaws closed and the draak straightened to its full height and stood quietly listening.

  Bhaldavin hurriedly began to untangle the rope about his legs; he worked quickly, unsure how long he could hold the draak. The mesmerizing notes of the song known as “Ara-vol” flowed sweetly on the air… ten seconds… fifteen…

  He stood up and began backing away, the coil of rope caught in his hand. Suddenly his voice broke and the song was destroyed. He turned and ran down the dirt pathway. The draak shook its head and gave chase.

  Draak were known to have poor eyesight, but their hearing was keen, and as Bhaldavin sought safety in the heavy underbrush along the trail, the draak followed, crashing through the bushes as easily as Bhaldavin might have waded through grass.

  Using all the skills he had learned in the Deep, Bhaldavin searched for a place to go to ground. Climbing a tree was out of the question because the draak was too close behind.

  Suddenly the rope he carried caught around a branch and tore out of his hand; he ran only a few more steps before he was brought up short. He dove for cover under the branches of a kansa bush and crouched motionless as the draak lumbered closer. It took a few more steps, then stopped, confused by Bhaldavin’s sudden disappearance. Its head wove back and forth as it waited for its quarry to make another noise.

  Bhaldavin flinched as something brushed his shoulder. He turned to find Garv lying beside a fallen tree. There was a narrow culvert beneath the tree that led down to the edge of the river, and Garv, motioning to Bhaldavin to follow, edged back into the culvert. Bhaldavin came up against the rope and shook his head, pointing to the problem. Garv quickly drew his knife. Carefully he moved up beside Bhaldavin and began to cut the rope.

  The draak moved a step closer and pushed its head down among the bushes, its long tongue snaking in and out as it snuffled the air.

  Bhaldavin held his breath, waiting for the draak’s head to swing in his direction. He could smell it now, the mud and grass that clung to its thick scaly hide carrying the odor of rotten dewbird eggs.

  Garv sawed frantically on the rope, his harsh breathing audible in the morning silence. Suddenly the rope snapped, throwing Garv back against several branches.

  Alerted by that small sound, the draak thrust its head down farther still and finally saw its prey.

  Garv scooted backward, pulling Bhaldavin headfirst into the culvert.

  Unable to take his eyes from the gaping mouth and sharp teeth snapping at his legs, Bhaldavin felt himself slide, then his head struck something hard and he fell into darkness.

  “… believe me or not, Gringers. I swear, I heard him. He was singing the draak!”

  “Are you sure, Theon?”

  “Yes, damn it! I was there. I heard him.”

  “But how? You told me he wasn’t trained.”

  “I didn’t think he was, ” Theon said fiercely.

  Gringers raised his hand in a placating gesture. “Easy, Theon. Relax. Losing your temper isn’t going to—”

  “I’m not losing my temper, ” Theon grumbled, lowering his voice slightly. “I’m just trying to tell you that since the last time I saw him, Little Fish has changed!”

  “Changed how?”

  “It’s his eyes. Before it was like looking into twin pieces of gray glass, but now there’s a feeling of presence there, as if he’s really aware of what goes on around him. When he wakes up, look into his eyes and you’ll understand what I’m trying to say.”

  “If he wakes up, ” Gringers said softly.

  “Let’s think positive, all right?”

  “Sorry. Theon, is there a possibility that your little fish has been faking all this time?”

  “For fifteen years?” Theon snorted. “Impossible!”

  “How do you explain the changes in him then?”

  “I can’t explain it, unless…”

  “Unless what?”

  “Last night I noticed that he had a bruise under one eye. If Garv had hit him hard enough, perhaps such a blow would knock him back to his senses.”

  “It’s a possibility, but you told me that Garv would never do anything to hurt him.”

  “Not intentionally. Garv treats Little Fish with a gentleness you w
ouldn’t believe. Oh, I’ve seen him slap the Ni a couple of times, but only as one would slap an erring child. The only time I really ever saw Garv angry with him was that time he wandered away from the cabin and ended up in town walking around stark naked. Garv hit him with a stick a couple of times and made sure he wouldn’t wander off again by putting that rope at his ankle; the same rope that nearly cost him his life this morning.”

  “Tell me again what happened, ” Gringers prompted.

  “Garv and I were arguing, not paying attention to how loud we were getting and where we were. Suddenly a draak appeared. It must have been sleeping by the riverbank. We were caught off guard and we ran. I was halfway back to the stockade when I heard Little Fish start to sing. I stopped to look back and saw him facing the draak in the middle of the path and singing it to a standstill. For a minute I thought he was going to be able to control it, send it away or something. I was so shocked by what was happening that all I could do was stand and stare. Then he stopped singing and the draak turned on him.

  “He made a run for the bushes just like we had, but the rope Garv had tied at his ankle got tangled around a bush. If Garv hadn’t cut him free, the draak would’ve had our little fish for dinner.”

  Bhaldavin lay quietly, listening to the two men talk. He had wakened to their voices and the smell of meat cooking. He cautiously opened his eyes. The shadowed room was small; the only exit was the open doorway to his right. He was not in Garv’s cabin.

  There was soft padding beneath him and a light blanket covering him. He pushed the blanket aside and sat up. A sharp pain exploded in his head and he dropped back.

  As the darting pain gradually receded, he opened his eyes once more and slowly let his glance wander the confines of the dark room. There was a single stool on the other side of the room and a small table near the bed. Pieces of clothing hung from wall pegs near the door.

  Bhaldavin prepared himself against a return of pain and carefully rolled to his side so he could see out through the doorway. The room beyond was lighted with an oil lamp sitting in the middle of a table; a window showed that it was dark outside.