Without Rhythm (The Lament)

by P. S. Power

  Pran didn't know and probably wouldn't until it happened. For the time being she had to do her best to pay attention and at least look alert. The night was so very dark, outside the single lantern that Paul had burning on the front seat. She tried to see it all, listening for a hint of change, but she knew that people could be standing next to the road, waiting to hurt them and she'd never see it coming. They were well marked by the light after all.

  Paul was being at least as alert as she was, though he focused on the path in front of them, eyes darting enough that she noticed him doing it. He was tense, but that was probably a good thing. After all, if they were attacked they'd have to run away as fast as possible and being relaxed and happy would slow them down.

  The trip took a while, since wagons, while useful for hauling things, weren't very fast over all. The regular jolts helped to keep her awake, which was a positive thing. Otherwise Pran would have gone out and not noticed the white form in the road ahead of them.

  "Hold." She spoke the word firmly enough that Paul actually pulled up, the wooden transport slowing well before they got to the Judge, her clothing bright in the lamp light. Next to her stood the driver, George. Pran thought that was the name.

  There was no sign of Mara, but given what she'd seen Clark do earlier it was likely that the woman was about to render both of them unconscious if they weren't proven to be friendly pretty fast.

  "Um, it's Paul and Pran. Guardian Clark sent us to get you, if we could. So, you know, don't kill us Mara. We caught the men that stole the carriage and don't know if there are more of them in on it. At least one of them was the rapist's brother." She tried not to sound scared, but it didn't totally work.

  In front of them the Judge smiled, stepping toward them just a bit.

  "It's true. Pran isn't lying, at least not that she's aware of. Hello Paul, so nice to see you. I thank you both for coming to our aid. We were rather stranded. Not accosted however."

  From behind Pran a woman's voice came, not three feet behind her. From the back of the wagon.

  "Excellent. At least someone came armed. I suppose you were told to fight to the death to save us? Heroically doing battle against an army without even a thought of retreat?" The voice was low, but friendly sounding.

  When she turned Pran could only just make out that a person was there at all. She wouldn't have gotten the idea if Mara hadn't spoken.

  "No. Only if Judge Claire needed help. If it was just you or... First Shipman George, we were supposed to run and get help. Maybe yell some helpful hints or something. Well, that part hadn't been added, so it might have just been fleeing."

  "Oh ho!" There was a gentle slap on the back then.

  "Official and everything then. Well, let's take up guard positions while Paul turns this beast around. There's a wide spot a few hundred feet further down that should work."

  Then the woman was gone. Pran had been looking right at her, but she just wasn't there anymore.

  She appeared in front of the lamp, walking quickly. The Judge moved off to the right hand side, apparently just planning on waiting. It seemed sensible from an energy standpoint, since walking the extra distance wouldn't help at all, but even to her, a simple ex-art student, that didn't make much sense. What if there was someone out there... Just waiting to get her?

  True, if that was the case it probably would have happened already, but Pran jumped down from the wagon, which was about the height of her own shoulder, trying not to make the rifle in her right hand fire as she did it. Then she jogged and made a point of standing near the Judge, who didn't seem to be paying much attention to her. It was hard and probably seemed insane, but Pran tried to be a good Guardian, even if she wasn't one, and got the weapon ready, aiming it toward the woods on the right and then the left side of the road, alternating every ten seconds or so.

  After a minute of this, the wagon well out of sight in the dark, except for the glow of the single lamp, George grumped at her a little. It was the kind of thing she'd expect from her older teachers, not someone that must have been about twenty-eight or so. Sour and edgy.

  "No one is coming for us. You can put that thing down and stop acting like the woods are alive."

  Pran smiled at him, trying desperately not to seem like she didn't know what she was doing. It was the truth, but she didn't want this guy to know it. Not if he was going to make a point of being a pain in the ass like he was.

  "The woods are alive. I was, um, assigned this as a lesson, I think. Not because it's really dangerous. Either way I have to try to pay attention and not let anyone kill the Judge, or kidnap her. So, you know, I have to act like a freak right now. It's the job." She wasn't trying to be funny, but the man sighed, and didn't call her a moron, chuckling just a little bit at the end.

  "Right. New fake apprentice. Well, luck to you there. Hard lot our Guardians. Once saw Mara fell a tree with a single blow. Think you can do that?"

  "Oh, sure. Well, it might take me a couple, I'm new and all that. Maybe in a few days, if they don't get rid of me first, I'll do that for you." She could do it too. It would take a little advance work with a saw and a wood wedge, but she knew enough about how to carve wood and misdirection to set it up. That she'd had classes in. Stage magic was an art as well after all.

  "Big words for someone as small as you are. I'll bet you a week of night watch that you can't."

  It was, funnily enough, Judge Claire that spoke then. She was younger than Pran had thought, maybe in her late twenties or early thirties, though it was hard to guess in the dark. Her voice was very calm, contemplative and relaxed.

  "I wouldn't George. She was very serious about being able to do it. Besides, if Clark and Mara are serious about trying to make her a Guardian, there's no way she'll be able to avoid night watches for a long time. In general I wouldn't bet against her however. Odds are very good that you'd lose. She isn't what she seems." The Judge sounded very certain of that herself.

  There was a grunt from the man, and then nothing, as a sound and a single light came from in front of them, the wagon creaking along with the sound of two horses pulling it. There was a thump coming from the ground that she could feel through the soles of her feet. The wind in the trees didn't whistle, but it did make a soft rustling. She fought to pay attention, but was failing. Her mind was just too close to shutting down from lack of sleep and too much excitement.

  From the darkness Mara spoke, her voice not too loud, but carrying anyway. Pran realized that she had good projection skills then, like a singer.

  "George and Paul in the front, Claire in the back with the new girl. I'll run point and counter. This time. Next time the apprentice gets to do it, so try to pay attention to what I get up to out here. What you can see of it." She laughed and vanished again, before anyone could even load up. That took a few minutes, but they were underway shortly with her trying to follow along with the vague glimpses she was getting of Mara. She kept losing her, thinking about being kicked out of school. It was distracting.

  "Empty your thoughts and accept what the world tells you. Don't let your focus stray, don't try to concentrate on Mara yet... Just accept what is. Try it." Claire moved toward her just enough to touch her right arm, the weapon in Pran's arm pointing straight out the back. The wooden end of it held under her arm tightly, the smooth shape of it pushing against her side.

  Focusing she tried to do what she was told, and like Clark had mentioned, keep doing it. Just letting herself be empty and notice what was going on. It didn't sound that hard. It was though, her busy mind complaining about the dark and discomfort already. It took a bit to get rid of those thoughts and even more to track the female Guardian as she ran irregular circles around the wagon. Sometimes it was a quick, almost silent darting thing, at others an easy lope. It made her very hard to track however, because half the time she made her way through the brush on the side of the path. When she did that, Pran lost her every time. It would have been maddening, except that it was also oddly entertaining to try and
follow.

  There was no rhythm to it. No rhyme or meter, just clashing notes that should have collided, but worked to make the woman nearly impossible to see. Sure, the black clothing, silent movement and all that helped, along with the night wrapped all around them. It wasn't just that though. It was something more. The way she moved meant that Mara was never at the place Pran expected her to be. Like a ghost.

  Or a demon.

  She didn't stop trying to pay attention, even as they pulled up to the airship, the small fire in the pit having been put out it looked like. Either to save fuel or so that no one would know too easily where the airship camp was.

  Before Mara could send a signal or anyone else could speak, Claire did it, her voice soft and a little breathy sounding.

  "We're all fine. Had a bit of a walk, but the others found us on the road, so it wasn't too bad. A few miles perhaps."

  Clark started to glow suddenly, a beam light in his hand, a pale blue thing that he shone at them, causing the horses to shy away a little.

  "Whoa. Easy now, it's just the big man that gives you apples." Paul spoke calmly too.

  "That's right, it's me girls. No troubles or attack?"

  Mara answered, having moved up next to Clark silently. Or at least it seemed like that to her. Clark didn't jump or anything though, so maybe he'd been expecting her to do something like that.

  She spoke at nearly conversational tones though.

  "Think we have all the malefactors? The new apprentice said that you two handled that part? She didn't elaborate, used the secret skills to take them down for you, did she?" There was a little chuckle then, but it didn't last too long. Less than five seconds.

  "Don't mock her Mara, not on that score at least. She took down one of the three, an aggravated man much larger than herself, using only words and a single stone. Had him laid out and ready for restraints when I was able to get around to it, after securing the others. What did you do in the first hour you were a full apprentice? I think I was sitting in an empty room and meditating myself."

  "Oh? That is pretty impressive then. I think I was washing socks. Guardian Garlish was a stickler about how his socks were kept. Still, you do know that she can't make it, not having had the training. It's almost cruel to use her like this."

  Claire moved toward the two, her white outfit much more visible in the pale light of the partial moon than the black the others had on.

  "The first Guardians didn't have any training either. They were just people that swore to protect society from itself, no matter what the cost. There is more to a person than schooling." Something seemed to pass between the three then, almost as if using some hidden, secret language. If so it had to be based on touch, because none of them spoke.

  "OK then, but she has to share with the other apprentice. There are two cots in there, aren't there? Roy shouldn't mind. He likes girls doesn't he?" Mara was clearly teasing now. Not about the sleeping arrangements, that part didn't bother her. She'd always shared a room at the Grange and had until the last year at school. Even if he was a boy she didn't have to worry about anything overly, not with Guardians right there.

  Oh, he might look at her while she changed or something, but that wasn't a big deal. She could just watch him right back. Then paint a picture of it. That would probably get him to not be too overt about anything at least.

  Clark moved in next to her so silently she didn't realize he was there until he spoke.

  "Fine, I'll get her settled and we can let her have a few hours sleep before we start."

  It sounded ominous when he said it that way.

  Chapter four

  Pran woke feeling like she'd been beaten and starved. It wasn't all that far from the truth, her eyes cracking open to see a form quickly dressing next to her cot. The boy apprentice. Man, really. He was sixteen at least and while that didn't make you an adult, it certainly meant that a person shouldn't be mocked for being too young by the likes of her. Besides, he was clearly older than she was.

  He had nice abs too. She could tell that even in the dim light, his shirt held over his head while he struggled with it.

  Not really wanting to move at all Pran forced herself to sit up and stretch. It was a skill she'd learned over the years at school. When it was time to get up and face the day, all the good students just did it, no matter how late they'd been up the night before. No one would force you to. You woke yourself up and got to things with energy no matter how you felt, or eventually you fell behind and your life fell apart. It could anyway, of course. Still, she had this chance, even if everyone agreed it wasn't a real thing for her. Everyone except the Judge it seemed. Claire had actually sounded pretty darned hopeful, now that she thought about it. It didn't matter what she could really do, Clark was giving her a shot and she'd die before letting go of it, no matter how much she hurt.

  That decided she stood, just as the man next to her got his clothing around, looking at her in shock.

  "Um, hello. I didn't hear you come in last night..." He wasn't rude about it, but he was staring at her a lot harder than was strictly polite for a stranger.

  "I'm your new roommate it looks like. Pran. I guess 'Apprentice Guardian Pran'. That's kind of tentative, but we'll see. You are?" She shouldn't have had to prompt anyone to give their name, but she was the one that had just showed up in his room while he slept. He had a right to be a little put out by it.

  "Oh, Royce. Everyone calls me Roy though. Um, Apprentice Shipmate Roy. Right now I'm working in engineering, since we're always shorthanded there. I have to go and see to my shift, after breakfast. Do... you need to eat?" It wasn't a real question, just an attempt at being polite. After all, for all he knew she might be going right back to bed after talking to him.

  "Yes, please help me with that. I haven't eaten in... nearly two days now, I'm starving. I need to wash too. I don't have any other clothes than these, but I'd rather reek a little less if possible." It would be great to have a shower and maybe brush her teeth too, but she didn't have any way to do that at the moment, having come in with nothing but what she wore.

  "OK. I'll get you set up from ship's stores. After we eat. We'll need to run unfortunately, I can't be too late to my shift or I'll have to have a beating. Since I'm in charge of myself right now, that's hard to do. I'm sure you see the problem." He grinned, which made him look a little like a picture of a monkey. His ears stuck out goofily and his nose was large, but he seemed affable, which counted for a lot in her book, if they were going to be sharing a room.

  "Lead on then, please. We should all avoid beatings whenever possible."

  As an act of kindness Pran was taken by the restroom first, and allowed to take care of that before Roy did. Then they ran, literally jogging, to the galley which was where they were supposed to eat or the kitchen, it was a little hard to tell. There was a pot of oatmeal set out for the early crew, along with some dried fruit. It wasn't brilliant food, but Roy assured her that was because of the time of day, not that they were singled out for special mistreatment, due to low station.

  "Or... I mean, at least I'm not. I've never seen a Guardian apprentice before. Our two are nice enough, but scary. They never take a break or go into town to just look around. When they aren't guarding the Judge or doing duties for the world, they train and practice. I think that's part of why no one wants to do the job. They never seem to get to just have fun. I mean, I work hard, but the Captain makes sure I get time for hobbies and leave, when we go someplace interesting. They might starve you or expect you to go on half rations at least. I don't know." He wasn't teasing in particular, but the words didn't make Pran worry.

  Half rations would be a full half more than she probably would have gotten on the streets.

  Ten minutes later, bowls washed quickly, but well, in a sink at the back of the tiny room behind the wooden tables. Then they jogged to a storage closet that was very nearly the size of the eating space, but was filled with cabinets. Roy didn't hesitate, opening the door and grabbing t
hings for her, pulling a writing pencil from a front pocket of his own tan outfit.

  "You can get what you need from here, unless told otherwise, but if you do, make sure you log who you got it for and what was taken. Otherwise it's considered theft. You said your name was Pran? Is that your full name or..." He waited, as if there would be more.

  Most people had three names after all. She didn't.

  "Yes. Just Pran." Her voice was a little cool, ready to defend herself with snark or sarcasm if need be, but the man just wrote quickly, handing her things as he went along. Soap, two towels, a single set of black clothing that he held up to her first, grinning.

  "Too big, but the smallest size we have in the right color. It isn't Guardian black, but it should be close enough, I hope. If not I'm sure I'll hear about it."

  Then, being an amazing creature, Pran decided instantly, he handed her a small jar of toothpaste and a brush, obviously having seen that she had nothing. A comb too. She nearly hugged him, but decided to save that for later, because he finished writing and literally ran from the room without calling for her to follow.

  "Now, the showers... I don't have time to show you how to use them personally, but there are rules here, since we can only carry so much water. You get about ten gallons worth per day, and need some of that for other washing and so on. Um... Turn the water on, get yourself wet, then scrub everything really well and rinse. If you resist the temptation to stand under the water and really just knock the soap off then stop... that takes about four gallons. You might need another shower later, so you'll want to be really good about it. No one actually monitors that, but if you go over too often the Captain will yell at everyone and being the new person you'll be the one stared at while she does." Grinning happily he slapped her on the shoulder.

  "On the good side that won't be me anymore! Think you have it?"

  "I think so. No clue what to do after that, but I guess that's up to me anyway, right?"

  "Sounds about correct. Just go outside and talk to whichever Guardian is there. They'll know what you need to do. When in doubt ask someone. It's what I always do at least."