Separation

by James Axler

  There was much about Markos that was similar and Mildred was beginning to look at him in a different way. He was handsome, there was little doubt; and, despite his brusque manner, he burned with a passion for his world that bespoke of much hidden beneath the surface, perhaps reined in because of his brother. For she had learned that Chan was always the weaker, and their mother had died giving birth to him, leaving only their father to raise them. He himself had been chilled when the boys were still young, leaving the older, stronger Markos to provide for himself and his sickly brother. Chan was smarter, and he used this to dominate his older, stronger brother. Markos was smart enough to know that, but also felt an obligation that constrained him.

  It was this constraint that Mildred was sure she felt now. There was an attraction between herself and Markos, and a man such as he would be unable to hold his peace when his reserve was exhausted. For her part, she was unwilling to examine this attraction too closely when she thought of J.B. sitting in jail. Was part of the attraction to Markos because he was black and they were both in this ville? Was it part of a dream of belonging?

  Right now, she really didn’t want to think about that too much. It was going to be difficult enough to obtain a release for the companions, without Markos interfering on personal or sec grounds.

  Sineta led them into the baronial quarters, acknowledging the greetings of the sec guard with a regal nod as they passed. Outside, it was warm and bright, but within the building it was dark and cool, with the shades drawn over the windows and only candlelight to illuminate the room. For, as all the houses in the village, the baronial quarters consisted of one room, with separated areas for kitchen, latrine and ablutions. These small areas didn’t take away from the richly textured decorations and hangings on the walls of the main area, nor from the beautifully hand-carved furniture and ornamentation that stood on the rush matting. As with Sineta’s abode, there were signs of status within the community, but no sense of ostentation.

  A healer stood in attendance a short distance from the baron’s bedside, close enough to respond to his call, but not close enough to be a hindrance on either his guests or himself in speaking freely. Markos was seated on a chair by the side of the bed; the baron was propped up on pillows.

  It was Mildred’s first sight of the baron, although she had heard much of him from his daughter. Her first thought was that Barras was dying. There was nothing she would be able to do, except make his decline easier. He was stick-thin as he lay on the bed, naked from the waist up, his lower half covered with a thin sheet. She could see his ribs sticking painfully through dry skin that held a gray pallor. His cheeks were sunken, almost as much as his eyes. His hair was white, with the odd streak of gray to remind people that once it had been more than the current sparse covering. His arms had lost all flesh, all muscle. He moved while talking to the sec boss, and his movements were stiff and painful, as though any movement at all was an effort. It looked to Mildred, even at first glance, as though the baron were suffering from a cancer that had eaten away at him and was now ready to claim that last spark that kept him alive.

  And yet, when he looked away from the sec boss to see his daughter and Mildred enter the room, the sunken eyes blazed with life once more and in the gaunt, drawn face Mildred could see echoes of the man he had once been. Echoes of the fine-boned structure this once-handsome man had passed down to his daughter.

  “Sineta, it is early. Even though the light pains me to watch now, I can tell from the lightness of the air itself that it is still the day. You do not usually come until the darkness has fallen and the shadows of imagining fill the room. There must be good reason to change the routine of one who, like her father, lives by the habits of the hunter.”

  Sineta smiled, ignoring the barely disguised scowl that crossed Markos’s face. She leaned over her father and kissed him gently on the cheek.

  “Sineta, I would bid you leave to wait until I have finished my business with your father,” the sec boss said with a barely held politeness. “I am making my report and there is little to interest you.”

  “I hope you will not feel this way if you have your wish and attain my hand in marriage. The consort of a female baron should not be so disrespectful….”

  Markos gritted his teeth and looked away. Sineta’s barb had hit home. Without looking at her, he rose to leave. As he did so, his eye caught Mildred’s and she could see within a discomfort at his position.

  “I would only marry for the sake of the people, to give them a baron who would try to do the right thing,” he stated, looking at Mildred all the while. “There would be no disrespect to you, as that would be likening to spit in the eye of Pilatu.”

  Sineta softened, placing a hand on his arm. “I know you only wish to do that which you think is best. But perhaps you should be open to other ways and ideas…and perhaps you should remain, as you will want to hear what I have to say.”

  Markos nodded and regained his seat. “I suspect that I have some notion of your business. And it will be no hardship to stay in such a presence.”

  Mildred frowned slightly. He had been speaking in response to Sineta, but all the while his eyes had been fixed on her. More to the point, although she knew he would soon be objecting to what he would hear, she wasn’t upset that he had been studying her as he spoke.

  Barras looked up at his daughter and the ghost of a smile played across his lips. “I have known you since before you were born, as you have always been like your mother. I know that whatever you are about to say, I probably shall not like it.”

  “Perhaps not, but it is something that I would wish you to give some thought. Since I have known Mildred, although it is but a few days, I have come to trust what she says. She is truthful and glad to find our society, but…” Sineta paused, trying to find a way to phrase her request so that Markos couldn’t explode with anger before her father had a chance to speak. “The whitelanders who arrived with Mildred are not her masters, are not her enemy. They are her friends, and she wishes you to grant them their freedom, for which they undertake to help and work in the ville until such time as they can leave.”

  This wasn’t exactly what Mildred and Sineta had discussed, but there were reasons for the baron’s daughter to deceive her father in such a manner.

  Sineta continued, holding up her hand to silence Markos who had risen angrily to his feet, eyes flashing fire at Mildred as though she had betrayed him in some way. “I know that the albino—Jak—led Markos to believe that he was their slave in order to attain freedom, a deception the one-eyed man encouraged and reinforced. But this was so that at least one more of them may go free. It was a small untruth, nothing more.”

  “Nothing more, woman?” Markos roared. “By the Lord, the albino lied to myself, to my brother and to the whole island. He could have made any amount of sabotage while he was free—”

  “And has he?” Mildred asked calmly.

  Markos stared at her, fury tightening the muscles on his face, eyes narrowing. “No, he has not. But that is not the issue—”

  “Then what is? That a man should tell an untruth to attain freedom? That his companions should collaborate to grant him this even at their own expense? Surely that speaks of a greater nobility?” Sineta queried.

  Barras chuckled. “The girl has you there, my friend. Your hot temper lets you lead with your mouth rather than your brain. You have learned over the years to control this, but intense feeling lets you down, as ever. What makes you feel so strongly this time?”

  Markos shook his head. “Nothing…it is nothing.”

  But the old man was still sharp in mind and noticed the quick glance his sec boss gave Mildred. Barras appraised her, then spoke.

  “Why did you not mention this before?”

  “I needed time to recover from my own injuries,” Mildred replied. “I also needed time to gain the trust of your daughter. I had to explain things to her, try to show her how I am. I couldn’t expect her to take me on face value.”

&nb
sp; Barras nodded thoughtfully. “My daughter is a fair woman, and a good judge of character. But,” he added shrewdly, “why now and not tomorrow, or even yesterday?”

  Mildred looked at Sineta. How could she tell him the truth? That they had chosen today because they had only struck their bargain in the morning?

  SINCE THAT FIRST NIGHT, when the baron’s daughter had told Mildred about the island and her position, and how she wished to be free of the obligations of marriage and be the baron herself, Mildred had wondered if the woman was reaching out to her to be an ally. In return, once she had decided that she had to try to strike a balance between her companions and the almost idyllic society in which she found herself, and get them released, Mildred knew that she would need the assistance of Sineta in trying to persuade her father to authorize this release in the face of the strong opposition she expected from Markos.

  It had come to a head that morning when Mildred had explained to Sineta her decision. The woman had considered Mildred’s words carefully before answering.

  “We must leave this island, that much you know. And the fact that you and the whitelanders have such a close bond should show all but the most intractable of the islanders that it is possible for us to live in peace on the whitelands, and that not all pale ones are the demons and ogres of legend. If they were to be released, and the islanders were to meet them and exist behind them for a short while, then it would perhaps help to reinforce this.”

  “But there will be those who will disagree—”

  “There have always been people like that, in any situation,” Mildred interrupted. “If they’re not the majority, then their objections can be answered and overruled by the majority.”

  “It is perhaps not that easy,” Sineta argued. “There are those who have gotten to know you who will consider you a traitor to your skin for suggesting such action, wondering why you have chosen to do this after seemingly settling in with us, and these people will perhaps turn against me if I back you.”

  Mildred shrugged. “That’s a risk I’ll have to take—you, too. If you help me, then I can help you. I’ll support you as you need when the time comes to make your stand. I know that’s what you want—shit, anyone would. You’re going to take a lot of crap about your decision to assume the leadership yourself and maybe, me being an outsider, I can help you more than anyone caught up in the politics of the situation. I figure I would have done it anyway, because I feel you’re doing the right thing. But just maybe having the others free will help for the reasons you say—it’ll show your willingness to lead well by showing how ‘pale ones’ and the brothers and sisters can coexist.” Mildred smiled deprecatingly. “I know I’ve got my own agenda, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t mean it, right?”

  Sineta came forward and embraced her. “I believe you, and I believe in you, Mildred Wyeth. You have your bargain. There is only one thing I would wish to know—why has it taken you so long to talk of this?”

  ALWAYS THE SAME question. Mildred had no idea how it could be answered, but the moment was saved by the sudden explosion of Markos, the sec boss being no longer able to contain his anger.

  “Barras, you cannot seriously contemplate such a ridiculous move,” he yelled, springing to his feet. “Surely you can see that this would cause nothing but discord and disharmony—”

  The baron silenced him with a raised hand. The sec boss’s respect for the baron was such that he ceased speaking immediately, although his staring eyes and heaving chest told of the emotion he fought to contain.

  “Do not tell me what I may or may not do for my own people. Until—if—you take the hand of my daughter, you are not the baron nor the heir to the responsibility. So do no presume to tell me my duty.”

  “I’m…I’m sorry,” the sec boss stammered. “I did not wish…I wanted merely to—”

  “That is immaterial. The fact remains that you dare to speak across and against.”

  “But what is your decision, Father?” Sineta pressed.

  The ailing baron beckoned Mildred to approach. Keeping an eye on the sec boss and noticing the way he stared at her as she moved near—a mixture of whipped-dog disbelief and anger—she approached the baron’s bedside.

  “Mildred Wyeth,” Barras began, as though it were a statement in itself, “I have heard much about you from my daughter. She says you are a medicine woman, and that you carry much with you. Is this so?”

  “It is,” Mildred answered simply. “I carry what supplies I can find in my travels, and I know how to use them. But if you’re going to ask—”

  “I am not,” he interrupted. “I know that I am on the long walk to join the lands where my ancestors dwell, and I realize that the road is not long anymore. My end is drawing near, I only ask that I have peace along the way.”

  Mildred nodded. “If that’s what you want, I have medicine to ease your pain. And,” she added with a glance at the sec boss, “I can instruct your healer, so that she can administer it. Just to make sure.”

  The ghost of a grin crossed the old man’s lips. “That is not necessary, but a revealing gesture. You should not distrust Markos. He is a good man, if headstrong. But he will learn the truth about your comrades soon enough, if they are free to show him.”

  “You’ll release them?”

  Barras nodded, then inclined his head toward the sec chief. “You will take Mildred and Sineta to the jail and release the prisoners. They are under the charge of my daughter. Also, find the albino and make sure he understands the situation.”

  Markos breathed in heavily and slowly, as though suppressing the urge to comment, contenting himself with, “Your wishes will be complied with.”

  Barras leaned back on the pillows supporting him, closing his eyes. When he spoke again, his voice seemed somehow smaller, weaker.

  “Now go, all of you. I will expect to hear from you later today, Mildred.”

  “You will,” Mildred affirmed.

  Sineta, Mildred and Markos turned to leave, the sec boss allowing the women to precede him out the door. However, when they were outside he pushed brusquely past Mildred, muttering, “Follow me now and we will get this madness over and done with.”

  Letting him move on a few paces, Mildred stayed Sineta with a hand on her arm.

  “You’ve done your bit—lady, the deal is on.”

  INSIDE THE JAIL, the air was no longer fresh. Even the adobe walls and the lack of windows couldn’t keep the inside of the building cool. The most crushing element was boredom. The five inhabitants found their conversation moving in ever-decreasing circles until it reached the point where all they could discuss was when Mildred or Jak would attempt to break them out. It was that or try to sleep. Even thinking was impossible. Monotonously, the subject would always return to the subject of escape. What had happened to Mildred and Jak, and why had they heard nothing from either?

  The air was still and humid, the latrine in the corner of the room imbuing the atmosphere with a dankness. Their bedding was hard and made good sleep impossible and, although they had been fed and watered well, there had been little opportunity to bathe. They felt sweaty, itchy and in some discomfort.

  “Four people approaching,” Dean said to no one in particular.

  “They’re heading straight for here, and I’m sure I just heard Jak’s voice!” Krysty exclaimed, sitting upright. Her red hair, lank with dirt, still waved around her head to indicate there was no danger in the approach.

  “Jak? With others? What the fireblasted hell is this all about?” Ryan questioned rhetorically, lifting himself up into a sitting position.

  They heard the footsteps and voices draw near, exchanging only the odd word, but enough to identify the sec boss Markos, Jak, and Mildred, along with a voice that none recognized.

  “Millie? With Jak and the sec chief?” J.B. queried. “This is going to be interesting, if nothing else.”

  They heard the lock on the door turn and click after a few barked words from the sec boss. The door was flung open.
At first the sudden sharp light of the midafternoon sun was blinding and it took the companions eyes a few moments to adjust. But when their vision cleared, they could see the doorway blocked by Markos’s tall, muscular figure. Behind him, it was possible to see the confused sec guard standing with Mildred, Jak and a fine-boned, dark-skinned woman.

  “You are free to go,” the sec chief said sharply.

  “Say that again?” Ryan muttered.

  “You are free to go. You are no longer to be held captive, but are to be freed into the care of Sineta and the sister Mildred.” He stepped back to allow them to leave.

  As they stepped out into the light, Markos added, “I do not approve of this—she knows that. And I will watch you as the stooping bird watches the mouse. I am ready, should you choose to overstep any boundaries that are set for you.” With which the sec boss turned on his heel and walked off, leaving the companions alone together for the first time since their landing, and in the company of Sineta.

  After a joyful reunion, Mildred introduced Sineta. When they learned that she was the daughter of the baron, it became clear to the prisoners why they had been granted release. At the behest of Sineta, the companions then walked the short distance to her home, where they bathed and changed into clean clothes Sineta had brought to them by women from the ville. Their own clothes were taken to be cleaned. The women returned immediately with food and drink.

  “You will be given quarters later, so that you may rest. But first you must eat and we will explain to you what has occurred.”