His practice with Nalia was sharpening his fighting skills, and his study with Dr. Walt was helping him understand the unique languages and culture of this world. He loved learning everything he could from all of his teachers, but he felt deep inside that what Rindu could teach him was the most important thing. If he could master the rohw, he could get home. He could challenge the Gray Man. He could keep his friends safe and could get home safely himself, to his mother.
He helped with the foraging also. Edible roots, fruit, and vegetables were abundant and the path through the forest seemed well-traveled, so they made good time. They had not seen anyone else on the path—he hesitated to call it a road—but it was clear that it was used because otherwise the vegetation would have reclaimed it.
When they were two days from Bayton, according to Dr. Walt’s estimate, they came upon the first sign of human presence since they had left Raihar.
Several large logs had been placed directly across the path as it went through a particularly congested part of the forest. They were large enough and spread out enough that they would be difficult for the rakkeben to jump over even if the wolves were running. When Sam, saw the men coming out of the trees, he realized trying to flee was out of the question. Several of the bandits had bows in their hands, arrows nocked and ready. The party got down off their rakkeben, looking around. They were surrounded.
One of the men jumped up on one of the larger logs. He was dressed in dirty clothes that did not fit him, obviously being made for a thicker man. Or maybe they were his but hard living had whittled away any spare weight he had previously. He was scarecrow thin and the clothes hung off his stick-like frame. His long face was dominated by a long, sharp nose and his tiny little rat eyes scanned the party. Shaking his greasy black hair from his face, he finally settled his gaze on Rindu.
“This here is our road, and as such, you have to pay tribute to pass through. It's a fair price. We just want those fancy beasts you're riding.”
“No.” Rindu's short response hung in the air and slowly drifted over the men and toward the forest floor.
Blinking twice and then shaking his head, the man looked back over each shoulder as if to make sure his men were in place, then looked back to Rindu. “You don't seem to understand. You don't have no choice, here, old man. You will pay up or we will take the payment from your corpses.”
The Zouy did not move, did not blink, and the expression on his face remained neutral, not changing at all. “You will let us pass or we will be forced to pass through you. We have no time for your foolishness. Move aside.”
Sam watched the man as his face went from incredulity to anger to rage. Blood rushed upward from the man's neck until the skin from neck to forehead was flushed and reddened. He opened his mouth to speak, but didn’t have a chance to utter a word.
With lightning speed, Rindu was in motion, but not to attack. He spun as he dodged an arrow that was shot at him, bringing his hand up at the last possible moment and catching the shaft as it passed by his body. Then, he stopped in the same relaxed position he was in a moment before, holding the arrow loosely in his hand.
The man, mouth agape, shouted to his men: “Stand down. Who shot that arrow?”
One of the men from the trees off to Sam's left came out, raising his hand. “Uh, I did Tem. It was an accident. My fingers slipped and it got away from me.”
Tem glared at him. “I will deal with you later. I don't want any more accidents. Our friends here were just about to pay the toll and be on their way. It's bad business to kill everyone who comes through like we killed that last group.”
Rindu still had not moved. “You have seen a small sample of what I can do. I say to you again, let us pass.”
“You can catch one arrow. I'm impressed. Can you catch three dozen at one time? Can all the rest of your friends do so? No, you're not in any position to demand anything from us. I’ll give you one more chance to pay up. If you still refuse, I'm afraid there will be many more arrows than you can catch coming at you.”
Rindu whispered to the party: “When I move, you must take cover.”
Sam was looking right at Rindu, but still he couldn't tell exactly what he did. He moved so fast, it was just a blur. The arrow in his hand shot forward at blinding speed, traveling as fast as if from a bow. It flew straight and true and struck Tem's shoulder, spinning him around and making him fall off his log. Sam saw that a half a foot of arrow was protruding from the back of the man’s shoulder. He had no doubt that where it struck was exactly where Rindu intended it to strike. He could have killed the man easily, but he only wounded him.
Suddenly, everything was motion. Nalia physically threw Dr. Walt into a bush behind a tree and then rolled off the path into the forest herself. After throwing the arrow, Rindu had darted off the path to the other side. The rakkeben, sensing the situation and the mood of their bond-mates, leapt into the forest as well. Everyone had gotten off the path. Except Sam.
Unsure of what was going on, he had frozen for just a moment and now he was facing the mob, most of them with bows drawn and ready to fire. Time slowed and the seconds seemed like minutes.
He watched the man Tem spin off the log and disappear behind it. He heard indistinct yelling, though several men seemed to have used the word “kill” in whatever they had said. He watched the archers swivel their bows to try to follow the escaping party members, only to see them disappear. He watched as they turned their bows toward him. He knew he was going to die.
Just as he saw the first arrow begin to leave the bow, he drew a sharp breath, screamed, and pushed. Later, he would think that word “pushed” was wholly inadequate, somewhat like calling a lightning bolt the glow from a firefly. He did the same thing he did with his seed pod balls to juggle them, but magnified. Magnified many times over. He felt the rohw flowing through him, being sucked from the surroundings, from the trees and living things and from the air itself, and being channeled through his body and out of his palms. It flowed in a great arc in front of him. And then everything went black.
A moment later—at least, he thought it was only a moment—his eyes opened to see Nalia's mask inches from his face. She had a damp towel and was wiping his face with it. “Are you well, Sam?” she asked. He sensed concern in her voice. He was flat on his back on the ground.
“I don't know. What happened?” He sat up carefully.
Rindu came over to him. “You used your rohw, Sam. You used it powerfully.” He stepped aside to let Sam see what was behind him, on the path.
Sam rubbed his eyes and widened, and then narrowed, them to focus. The path, where the massive logs were spread across the trail, was clear. More than that, though, the logs look to have been picked up and thrown, crushing brush and smaller trees a dozen feet on either side of the path. For a good twenty feet ahead, the path had been turned into a clearing thirty feet wide.
“Wh...wh...what happened? How did those logs move like that?”
Nalia answered. “You pushed them, Sam. With your rohw.”
“I pushed...I pushed them? With my rohw? Did it kill anyone? Did I hurt any of us?”
“No, though men were thrown a dozen feet. Some were injured, but they all fled as quickly as they could. I do not think they will be trying to block travelers again. As for us, we were behind you and so were not affected at all. You pushed forward.”
Sam let out a breath. “That's good. But how did I do that? I've never shown that much power.”
Rindu squatted down beside him. “In times of emergency, sometimes ability does not wait for belief. I have told you that you are capable of much, but you do not believe. When your belief was suspended because of the danger, your abilities manifested their full strength. Or maybe just a fraction of your strength. It is as the storm said to the breeze, ‘little brother, you do not know the power you will have when time and circumstance conspire to quicken your strength.’” Sam’s aching head refused to try to figure out what the Zouy was saying.
“We will
discuss this further later on. Are you well enough to travel? We should leave this place in case the men regain their courage and come back.”
They mounted their rakkeben and traveled for several more hours before leaving the path to find a clearing in which to camp. Still weakened by what he did, Sam didn’t train that night but instead went straight to sleep, still confused and unable to remember clearly what he had done.
Chapter 29
For several days, Sam was grateful for the heavy trees surrounding their path. As close as he could tell, it was late summer, and it was hot. The shade of the trees were a welcome relief from the merciless sun beating down upon them.
“Consider the weather fortuitous, Sam,” Dr. Walt told him. “When we get further north, we will have rain to deal with. You’ll wish for the sunshine then.”
The morning of the day they were to arrive at the next town, the weather was milder. When Sam woke up and poked his head outside the tent, he felt the cool air and smiled. There were thin wisps of morning mist that hung over the ground, but it wasn’t thick enough to obscure his vision. He hoped the change in the weather boded well for their visit to the city.
He had just enough time to shave his four-day beard with the ceramic knife Dr. Walt had given him before the others emerged from their tents. Soon, they were eating breakfast and talking about what the day would hold. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood, as Sam was.
“We should reach Bayton within a few hours after starting off,” Dr. Walt said. “We will need to resupply, but perhaps we should stay the night in one of the inns. I would not object to sleeping in a bed after traveling for so long.”
The others discussed it enthusiastically. “We must be careful,” Rindu cautioned. “There are many more people in Bayton than in Raihar, and we had trouble there. We must be wary at all times.”
“Of course, of course,” Dr. Walt said. “So then, it’s decided. We will allow the rakkeben to go off into the outlying areas to hunt and then meet up with us again in the morning. Well, there we have it. Let's get started. The sooner we get to Bayton, the sooner we can enjoy a bed in a shaded room.”
Two and a half hours later, the party left the last trees on the outskirts of Bayton and Sam got his first look at what passed as a city in this world. It was different than a town, he had to admit. Sitting alongside what in Telani would be the San Francisco Bay, the city spread out along the shoreline, crooked yet graceful, like a stretching cat. It was the largest group of buildings Sam had seen since he arrived in Gythe.
It was surreal, looking at the mouth of the bay and not seeing the famous bridge. Did the people of this world build a bridge connecting the fingers of land when their civilization and technology was still advanced, before the cataclysm? If so, he could see no sign of anything that remained of the support structures.
The city itself, housing more than three thousaqnd people according to Dr. Walt, was an eclectic mix of buildings. Most of them were made of wood, which was reasonable considering the forests surrounding the area. There were some that were built of stone as well, in addition to a handful that appeared to be built with some type of concrete or adobe.
Sam scanned the cityscape as they walked toward it, already separated from the rakkeben. None of the structures were more than three stories, and there were precious few with more than one floor. Smoke wandered lazily up from chimneys, giving the city a homey feel. Everywhere he looked, people were moving about the streets, most of which were dirt, but some of which were paved with flat stones carefully placed together to make a relatively smooth surface.
The clothing of the Baytonites was drab and functional. It may have been a large city on Gythe, but people still seemed to make their living by the sweat of their brow. Sam smiled to think about a city with several thousand people and no class distinction. He wondered if it was really so.
This is a city? Skitter's voice interrupted Sam's thoughts. The hapaki wanted to stay with the humans, being more than a little uncomfortable with a pack of rakkeben. Sam was able to carry him in a large backpack, the others cooperating to split up and carry some of his items in their own packs. Most of their supplies were still strapped to the rakkeben. With their permission, of course.
Yes, Sam sent back.
I didn’t know there were that many humans in the world. It’s...impressive. That last bit was probably closer to “intimidating” but he knew that Skitter would never admit being intimidated by anything.
You should see the structures and cities in my world, Sam said in response. He sent images from his memory of when he visited Los Angeles and then New York. Skitter’s frightened mental jump amused Sam. His surprise was elevated even more as Sam shared images of the San Francisco Bay and its famous bridge, while they were looking at the same bay in this world.
“Right,” Dr. Walt said. “Let's be cautious. We don't know who are spies or agents for the Gray Man. Let's keep to ourselves, not stand out, and pass through peacefully. Sam, please make sure Skitter is hidden at all times. It wouldn't do for him to be seen.”
The party made their way down the main street of the city. An occasional glance was directed at Rindu's robes or at Nalia's mask, but people in general didn’t seem to be too concerned with their presence. Strangers passed through the city often for trade.
They wended their way through several smaller streets until they stopped in front of what appeared to be an inn. There was no sign on the front of it, but the eaves of the building and the door was painted bright green. Looking around, Sam saw two more buildings with doors painted the same color.
Dr. Walt saw Sam's head swivel and spoke before Sam could ask about it. “Signs are not really used on Gythe. Instead, murals, painted walls, or specific colors of doors are used to distinguish the different businesses. As you no doubt have guessed, the green doors mean an inn.”
Sam nodded, considering.
Leading the others, Rindu opened the door and entered. Inside, the common room looked just as Sam would have expected from the fiction books he had read. A large fireplace dominated the corner of the room furthest from the door. There were tables spread throughout the room, though in no apparent order. Most were square, but there were a few larger round tables interspersed.
There were people sitting at only four of the tables. It was early afternoon, and apparently the slow time of day. Three of the tables each had two men and the fourth had a woman and two men. All were engaged in soft conversation and did not look up as the party entered. So far so good.
Rindu went up to the innkeeper behind the bar that dominated the wall directly across from the door. On either side of the bar, there were doorways into what appeared to be halls, and there was a doorway behind the bar as well, no doubt leading to storage areas and the kitchen.
“We would like three rooms, please,” the Zouy said to the man.
The man, a rather short and well-fed man in rough brown trousers and a light blue shirt that buttoned up the front with wooden toggles, eyed Rindu and then each of the others in turn. As he swiveled his pudgy body, the buttons on his shirt strained and threatened to pop. The sour look on his face seemed to indicate that one of the many things he had eaten recently had not agreed with him.
Before the man was able to say anything, Rindu produced a small stack of metal squares. They appeared to be made of iron. The man's face lit up.
“Of course, fine sir, of course. Phano Bleep, at your service. Finest inn in the entirety of Bayton, yessir. You will be comfortable here, good sirs. That will be one ounce per night. How many nights will you be staying.”
“Just one.” Rindu handed one of the iron squares to the man. As if by magic, the man had a simple scale in his hand and was comparing the weight to a standard he had produced from somewhere.
“Almost one and a half ounces. The remainder should cover dinner and baths for all of you. Would that be acceptable?”
Rindu nodded. Phano showed them to three rooms that were next to each other down the hall to th
e left of the bar and explained where the two private bath rooms were. “Unfortunately, we only have the two, so you will have to take turns. The water boys will bring heated water for you. Feel free to use them at your leisure. Dinner will be ready in two hours and you can eat anytime after that. Would you need anything else for now?”
“No, thank you,” Dr. Walt said as the man headed back toward the bar.
As Sam watched the man’s large back disappear back into the common room, he turned to Dr. Walt. “Is that iron?”
“What? Oh, yes, the coins. Iron, yes. We have discussed how iron is softer here on Gythe than on Telani, how it is too soft to make adequate weapons. It is also not as common for some reason, perhaps because of Gythe’s vibrational frequency. In any case, here, it is used much like gold was back home. Small coins are made and used as currency, it all being based on weight, as you no doubt noticed with Phano and his scale.”
“I see,” Sam said. He hadn’t thought about it before and didn’t notice when they bought their supplies in Raihar.
After everyone had their chance at the bathtubs, they met back in the common room. With the evening approaching and the smell of food drifting through the air, the room was filling up. Sam left Skitter in the room, with strict orders not to destroy anything. He was the last to arrive at the table where everyone else had settled in.
No sooner had Sam sat down than the food arrived. Three large birds—turkeys Sam guessed—bowls of some type of stew, and three large loaves of bread were brought and deposited on the table. The barmaids dropped off the food, along with mugs of some type of alcoholic beverage and a pitcher of water without stopping, appearing simply to be in one place one second and then in another the next. Sam was impressed.
He was also impressed with the food. After eating nothing but travel rations in the last few weeks, he dug in with fervor and before he knew it, he was pleasantly full, leaning back against the wall toward which the table was situated. His first priority fulfilled, he took the time to scan the room and to listen to little snatches of conversation.
Harmonic Magic Series Boxed Set Page 21
