Arik let the sword go and Garth turnedto Tedi and took his sword, as well. Kalina emerged from the wagonwith several blankets, which she draped over the boys like a caringmother. “Slip out of your wet clothes and I will dry them over thefire,” Kalina added as she turned to prepare plates of dinner forGarth and the boys.
Tedi could smell the turkey andrealized that it had been some time since he and Arik had eaten ameal. The boys managed to wiggle out of their clothes and Kalinacollected them as she handed the boys mugs of hot coffee. Both boysshivered slightly as their skin finally realized that it was coldand wet. They pulled the blankets close around themselves as theysipped their coffee. After a short period of time, Garth came overand sat by the fire just as Kalina was bringing plates of food.Tedi tore into the turkey, turnips and some kind of green, leafyvegetable that he had never seen. The boys cleaned their platesquickly and Kalina gave them another serving ofeverything.
Arik could not believe it, but by thetime they had finished dinner, the boys' clothes were dry and warm.They wiggled into their clothes under the blankets and eventuallylet the blankets drop from their shoulders. Garth finished mendingthe scabbards and returned the swords to the boys. “Tomorrow wewill begin instruction on how to use those,” hecommented.
“What about the Dark Riders?”inquired Arik. “Won’t they track us to here? Shouldn’t we be movingon?”
“They will first assess thedamage that has been done to them,” smiled Garth as he stripped offhis scabbard straps and shirt and refastened the sword to his back.“Then they will suspect that a large group ambushed their men andthey will send for reinforcements. If we leave in the morning, wewill be well ahead of them. As for them tracking us to here, itwill not be as easy as they are used to. There are tricks tocovering your path that I can explain to you when the time isright.”
Arik looked around the campsite and sawKalina doing something at the back of the wagon, safely outside therange of hearing. “Garth,” he began, “you seem to be quite capableof taking care of yourself and you don’t seem to be too fond ofTedi and me. Why would you risk your life to save us and then offerto teach us your tricks? Surely, it is not just because Kalinathinks we are destined for greatness, whatever thatmeans.”
Garth smiled grimly and stared at Arik.“Kalina is a great woman,” he said quietly. “If she sees somethingspecial in you two, then there is something special. Frankly, I seenothing but two fisherboys who have run away from home and wish toplay at the games of men as if they knew the rules.”
“Your compassion isheartwarming,” snipped Tedi. “Perhaps, if you looked, you would seetwo young boys whose mothers were stolen from them and forced toleave their fathers because Dark Riders and bandits won't let themlive in peace. Perhaps if you lost something or someone you love,you wouldn’t be so damn aloof about other people’stroubles.”
Garth’s face grew visibly taut and theveins of his temples and neck bulged considerably. He rose silentlyand walked across the campsite to a clear area well away fromKalina and the boys and whipped his sword out of the sheath on hisback. Slowly he began moving his sword back and forth as iffighting some invisible foe. His arms and feet moved surely likethe fine steps of a choreographed dance. The sword moved high andlow, varying from sweeps to lunges, from checks to severs, slowlypicking up speed until the blade became hard to focuson.
Kalina came out of the wagon with atray of small, dried sweet cakes, which she brought to the boys.She looked over at Garth and sat next to the boys. “What were youtalking about?” she asked.
“I get the feeling that Garthis not real happy about us being here,” remarked Tedi. “I told himthat he should have more compassion for other people instead ofonly thinking about himself.”
Garth was moving faster now. His armsand feet began moving so fast that it appeared he was just jumpingaround at random, but closer inspection revealed that each strokeof his sword was centered on the same invisible foe. At a speedthat Arik thought would make most people dizzy, Garth’s everymovement was sure-footed and precise. While the hit with his swordmight be high, low or in between, they all would have hit theinvisible foe.
“You truly do not understandGarth,” Kalina said softly. “He has lost more than any man I knowand he bears the responsibility for each and every loss. He doesnot dwell long on his own problems because the weight of them wouldcrush him. Instead, he devotes his life to other people’s problems.He helps those who are incapable of helping themselves. Sometimesthey are grateful, sometimes they are not, but always they thinkthat their problems are the worst in the world. None of them haveever thought to ask about his problems, not that he would discussthem if anyone did ask.”
Kalina sighed and looked back at Garth.He was now fighting a circle of invisible foes, twirling round andround and varying the stroke so that no opponent could foretell thestroke that would be aimed at him. Sweat poured down his body inrivers, yet his breath appeared even and measured. Arik and Tedistared at his rippling muscles and sure steps and were amazed atthe variety of strokes he could deliver with the sword. Kalina roseand went back to the wagon.
“Perhaps, you spoke hastily,”Arik chided. “It did not appear to me that the man who killed tenDark Riders that were after us was thinking only ofhimself.”
“He got me mad,” respondedTedi sheepishly. “He was treating us like little boys that hadstolen some candy and gotten caught.”
“Maybe that is how we appear,”commented Arik. “What does he know of us? You tried to sneak intohis camp and he scared you off. One sight of him in town and weboth ran into the woods. Then he overheard me bragging about howquiet I was and I didn’t even know he was there. Finally, we getourselves caught in a trap with no way out and we just ran,mindless of how we were going to escape. Maybe that is what we are,a couple of kids who think we know more than we do. Maybe ourproblems are not so bad after all. It might be that we just don’tknow how to handle them.”
Garth was now fighting an ever biggerforce of imaginary foes. One that was spread out farther apart.Garth would slash and leap towards another member of the attackersor roll across the intervening ground and strike out with his feetas he swung at yet another. It was hard to determine how many foesGarth was facing, but however many there were, Arik would not liketo be one of them.
“I guess I was hasty,”admitted Tedi. “The man did save our lives no matter how ill I feeltowards him. I would have said that he could have died saving ourlives, but in watching him, I don’t think those Dark Riders had achance.”
“It only takes one slash orone arrow to kill the best warrior, Tedi,” Arik reminded. “Any timeyou go into battle, there is a chance you won’t come out. He may bequite capable, but he risked his life to save ours. Not only do weowe him a chance to explain, I want to learn some of what he canteach me. I’m going to stick around for a while, at least until Ifeel a little more comfortable about defending myself.”
“I won’t say that I like thethought of staying,” declared Tedi, “but I will agree to stay ifyou are not stubborn when it comes time to go.”
“Agreed,” Arik stated andturned to watch Garth, who was now using the terrain to aid him indefeating his foes, from backing his foe into stumbling over a rockto swinging from a low hanging branch to disable one foe whileslashing at another. It was a marvelous display to watch until yourealized that it was the dance of a man dealing out death to othermen.
Garth continued on for over half anhour before Kalina emerged from the wagon with a towel and a cleanshirt for Garth. Arik rose and intercepted her before she reachedGarth. “Would it be all right if I took it to him?” Arikasked.
Kalina looked at the boy and finallysmiled. “I think that would be a good idea, Arik. Let him see youapproach, though.”
Arik nodded and took the towel andshirt from Kalina. Slowly, he walked towards Garth and stoodoutside the circle of imaginary foes. Garth gave no indication ofhaving seen Arik, but ended up rolling directly to the boy’s feetwhile sheathing his sword as he rose. Silently he
stripped off thesheath strapping and reached for the towel. Arik had expected theman to be gasping for breath after the workout, but Garth was onlypanting slightly. After a quick wipe down, Garth wrapped the towelaround his head and took the shirt from Arik and put it on. Withoutthought, he strapped the sword to his back. “Thank you, fisherboy.That was thoughtful.”
“I would prefer that you callme Arik,” the boy responded, “and I would be pleased if you wouldteach me some things that will help me survive.”
Garth nodded thoughtfully. “I would bepleased to teach you what I can in the time you allot to stay withus, Arik. We will begin in the morning.”
Garth walked past the fire and squattednext to Tedi. “I owe you an apology,” Garth declared. “I should bemore sensitive about other people’s feelings. I sometimes believethat acknowledging a problem as being severe is giving an edge toyour enemies. I refuse to do so with my own problems, but I shouldnot expect others to feel the same way. Still, do not think thatyour problems are so bad that you have no say in your future. Youractions will determine what becomes of you, not the actions ofothers. Always keep faith in yourself and always strive to betteryourself.”
Tedi sat stunned by Garth’s comments asthe man got up and strode out of the campsite. Arik came over andsat next to his friend. Tedi turned to him and shook his head. “Iwonder if he is playing with my mind,” Tedi mumbled to himself.“First, he’s a bad guy, then good, then bad again. Why can’tanything be simple? Why can’t he be one or the other?”
“He is who he is,”philosophized Arik. “Neither of us is a simple creature, why shouldhe be?”
The boys sat quietly gazing at thecampfire. After an hour had passed Garth returned to the campsitelooking refreshed. “There is a stream out that way about a quarterof a mile in case you are in the mind for refreshing in themorning,” Garth said. “Now it is time for us to retire. Tomorrowwill be a hard day for you. I assume that Tedi will be receivinglessons as well. We will begin in the morning with learning to ridea horse properly. After breakfast, you will get a chance topractice on the trail as we move south from here. Tomorrow eveningwe focus on caring for the horses and simple self-defense. Goodnight.”
“Shouldn’t we set a sentry?”Arik asked. “The Dark Riders are not that far away.”
“It won’t be necessarytonight,” assured Garth and then he disappeared behind the wagon.The boys were tired enough to have no problems fallingasleep.
The boys woke at early light and lookedaround the campsite. Nothing seemed to be moving and they rose andgathered their blankets into a roll. Tedi was startled when Garthwalked in from the woods without making a sound.
“Good morning,” Garthannounced. “I hope you are ready for your lessons.
Arik stifled a yawn and seemed to belooking around for something to eat. Garth gathered the two horsesthe boys had rode in on and led them towards the pile of saddles.For two hours the boys learned the rudimentary facts of horsecaring and how to properly mount and guide the horses, beforeKalina called that breakfast was ready.
Kalina served a bountiful breakfast ofsome kind of eggs, too large for chicken eggs, and bacon that wassaltier than any Arik had ever tasted. Only the bread was adisappointment, being hard and crusty. Coffee was served with ahalf lemon and Arik watched how Garth devoured this beforeattempting it himself. Biting into the lemon was like a shock tohis nervous system, but the taste of the coffee afterwards wassuperb. Arik couldn’t help comparing it to the wonderful relief youfelt after pulling out a hook that was stuck in yourhand.
After breakfast everyone helped toclean up the campsite and Garth hitched two horses to the wagon. Healso tied two horses to the rear of the wagon, a beautiful whitemare and the dun stallion he had acquired from the Dark Riders. Theboys rode the geldings that Garth had given them to escape on.Arik’s was solid black and Tedi’s was black with a white blaze.Garth, of course, rode his black stallion.
There wasn’t much of a trail at first,but Garth led them slightly southwest until they hit a seldom usedbut decent path southward. For hours they rode mostly in silencewith only the sounds of the birds or an occasional word from Garthon their riding skills. Kalina passed out some dried beef andcrusty bread and they ate lunch while riding. Just as the sky beganto darken, Garth shot forward without explanation. Ten minuteslater, he returned and spoke with Kalina and then announced thatthey would be stopping for the night.
Garth led them to a clearing alongsidea brook and motioned for the boys to follow him as Kalinapositioned the wagon where she wanted it. Garth dismounted andinstructed the boys on their duties in caring for the horses andthen jogged off to collect firewood. After the fire was started andthe animals tended to, Garth produced a couple of wooden lathswords and started instructing the boys in the basics ofswordsmanship. He worked the boys for an hour before Kalinaindicated that dinner was ready.
The dinner consisted of fried rivertrout and turnips and some more of that leafy green vegetable. WhenKalina saw the boys examining the trout, she laughed.
She nodded towards the brook andchuckled. “You didn’t think I was darning socks while you menplayed with your swords, did you? They are probably a bit smallerthan your typical salt water fish, but I assure you they are quitetasty.”
After dinner Garth lit a pipe andleaned his back against a large rock. “We’ll rest a bit before westart instructions again,” Garth announced. When the boys stifledsmall groans, Garth looked at them with an arched eyebrow. “If youwish me to make warriors out of you before you leave, we do nothave much time to spare. Why, you already spent most of the dayjust sitting.”
Tedi actually chuckled until he triedto change his sitting position and the pain shot through histhighs. “I’m not sure what is worse,” he said, “being killedoutright by the Dark Riders or being killed slowly byyou.”
Garth just smiled and leaned his headback against the tree. “The first few days are the worst,” heoffered softly. “You’d be surprised at how quick the body adjuststo accept pain. You’re not going through anything that your fathersdidn’t go through.”
“My father never had to ride ahorse or swing a sword,” laughed Arik.
Garth leaned forward and looked at theboys. “Your fathers did both and I’m sure they did itwell.”
Both boys looked in amazement at Garth,but it was Tedi who took the bait. “What do you know about ourfathers that we don’t?” he asked.
“I know that they were bothsoldiers before they took up fishing,” Garth stated. “And from thecourage they both exhibited, I would think they were very goodsoldiers.”
“How do you know that?”inquired Arik. “And what courage are you talking about?”
“And now I can tell that theyare not boastful men,” Garth laughed. “As for them being soldiers,it is obvious. When a man enters an army, the army breaks the mandown to subservience and when he has learned to obey, they bringhim up to leadership so he knows how to command. This conditioningmarks a man for life. He will never slouch again. He will neverwalk down a street in a daze oblivious to his surroundings. Hiseyes will learn to evaluate without conscious thought. Both of yourfathers learned their lessons well. As far as their courage, notmany men would mess with the likes of me, yet Master Markelshadowed me for an entire day. He knew that I knew he was watchingme, yet he refused to be scared away. Very admirable andcourageous. Master Clava walked into the Fisherman’s Inn and sat ina seat that no one else in the entire town would sit in. The seatright across from me.”
Garth was amused at the shock on theboys’ faces. Their fathers were good men and the boys were so closeto them that they did not see it as other men saw it. “Oh,” Garthcontinued, “did I forget to mention that Master Clava threatened tokill me if I harmed his son or his son’s friend?”
The boys’ jaws dropped and their eyesgrew wide. They knew that Arik’s father went to talk to the bandit,but threatening to kill him? Had he really done that?
“Don’t look so surprised,boys,” Garth said seriously. “Your fathers l
ove you very much andthey would die to protect you. You should be proud to be theirsons.” Garth’s eyes clouded over and he looked away.
Kalina suddenly came over and enteredthe conversation. “Garth said that Master Clava recounted theincident with the bandits and that your mothers were taken away.When did that happen?”
Arik looked from Garth to Kalinawondering what open sore Garth was trying to hide. “It was aboutthree years ago,” he replied absently. “The four of us were outfishing at the time. When we returned to port, our fathers left usat the inn and went out to find them. They returned weeks laterwith no news.”
“You have my sympathies,”Kalina assured them. “The loss of a loved one is a very bitterfruit to swallow. Do you think they still livesomewhere?”
Arik’s own eyes started to water andTedi rose and walked away towards the horses. “I don’t know,” Arikconceded. “I hope they are and that they are well, but I reallydon’t ever expect to see them again.”
Kalina nodded sympathetically. “Yourfathers must have been devastated as well as you. To lose your wifeand have to work all day and still look after a young boy is noeasy task. How old were you when it happened?”
Tears were forming in Arik’s eyes now.“It was hard on them. Probably even harder than on us although wedidn’t realize it at the time. Taking care of us probably wasn’tthat bad on them, though. Even though we were only fourteen, wewere still able to help with the fishing, but Tedi’s father took itespecially hard. It was only this last week that he finally cameout of it.”
Kalina smiled now that she knew she hadtwo children who were born in the year of the Collapse. “Well, ifyou could give me descriptions of your mothers, we may be able toask some questions. I don’t want to get your hopes up falsely, butit never hurts to keep an eye out.”
“I would appreciate that,”Arik said thankfully. “I don’t expect to find them, but I willnever stop looking.”
Garth seemed to have regained hiscomposure and knocked his pipe out. “Enough talk for now,” he saidgruffly. “It is time you boys started to learn your skills. Grabyour practice swords and we’ll see how that trout affected yourbalance.”
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