A Leaf and Pebble

by Andrew Monroe

  Leave. Quiet, Volant flicked at me. His hands were urgent.

  I made an encompassing gesture at the camp. We don’t know anything. Can’t leave, my fingers pleaded back.

  No response. Volant crouched there for a moment, thinking. A decision came to him and he shook his head at me. Knowing I would follow, he began to stealth back to where the sleeping sentry was. She was still there deep in slumber. We slipped by again and shortly after made a quick dash until far out of sight.

  Once far enough way, Volant pulled the cheap compass back out, and found the general direction we needed to go. It wouldn’t be until nightfall and the stars were out that we could be sure the absolute direction of where we needed to be headed. The most prudent thing would have been to rest until then, under normal circumstances. But with those monstrous borgislings out there, possibly looking for trespassers such as us, there was no way we would do anything but continue forward until finding civilization.

  “With everything else going on, it can’t be coincidence that we found that. I highly doubt the first community of Slithers and warrior wannabes in the middle of some rather inhospitable and incredibly large forest are looking to start their lives over as farmers,” I said.

  “But what was it?” Volant looked about as concerned as I felt, but at this point fear was becoming a tiresome companion we were both beginning to ignore.

  “I’m not sure. Those definitely didn’t look like peaceable people. And of the three nomad tribes, the Slithers hate Learners as much as my fellow leafers in Erset do.” The idea that the Slithers were so close to Erset gnawed at me. They were dangerous. Solitary. They almost universally had pure white or gray hair from birth, an anomaly in Erset’s people, despite our close lineage. It wasn’t that they were really any different physically, but their thirst for violence was unrivaled by anything but their lizard mounts. They had no concern for their own well being. Only for sating their blood lust.

  “This is just such an odd place to put forces, if it was an army,” Volant whispered. Even though we’d gotten a long way away from the road, we hadn’t let our guard down. “And that wasn’t really a large enough group to make an army, right?”

  “We could have stayed and tried to find out,” I muttered back.

  His knuckles rapped against my chest, hard enough to get my attention, but gentle enough to not hurt. “No, we got lucky as it is. Those creatures have an incredible sense of smell.” Volant shivered involuntarily. “Whatever they were doing there, I doubt they were forgiving of people who didn’t belong.”

  Stars filtered through the forest canopy as the sun set. I found the Eastern Star floating only a little off course from us. We made camp there, laying out a series of sticks all pointing directly at the star. By lunch tomorrow, I hoped to be home. A real bed sounded quite nice.

  After the gentle rocking of the boat, I was having trouble getting a full night’s rest on hard earth. Stars still faintly twinkled and the sun hadn’t yet painted the sky when I woke. “Volant,” I hissed around a dry mouth. “If I don’t get to sleep in, neither do you.” I finished most of the water in the skin I’d brought. I considered pouring the rest on my sleeping friend, but decided against it. Instead, I kicked his foot.

  Blonde hair stuck out in every direction as he sat up, one eye cracked open, the other shut tight in the hope of falling back asleep. “Left hand,” he spit out sleepily, “it’s still dark out, Nil.”

  “Eh, only for a little while longer,” I stretched. “I’m hungry and you sleep too much anyways.”

  Along the way, we munched on the various fruits that peppered Erset’s forest for those who knew where to look. I prided myself on being able to find the best. They could be found hidden in the darker spots of tree’s roots and in hollows of earth. Volant’s love of gardens came in handy as he also had an eye for foraging, and by the time the sun was fully in the sky, my belly had all it could want, and more.

  Soon the trees began to show subtle signs of age. A little thicker. A bit darker. Sunlight filtered through less easily as the forest closed in even though the sun was directly above us. Lunch came and went, and still the trees were becoming larger and more numerous. Mid way through the afternoon, we finally reached the edge of Erset’s true perimeter. Hidden hand holds could be found on trees, and there was even the soft whisper of people’s day to day bustle high above us.

  “When can we head up?” Volant asked when I explained the rustling sounds high above us.

  “Not for a bit longer. I was thinking we’d spend as short a time as possible up on the paths until after we find my family. I don’t know how the entrance Guard would react to seeing us, and I haven’t been back since leaving to become a Learner.” I breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of home. “It’s best to be cautious I think.”

  “Backward leafers,” Volant said. “In Wydvis, people who go to be Learners are celebrated.”

  I gestured calmingly. “It’s not as bad as it used to be. They’re more accepting than the stereotypical backwoods conservative that most everyone thinks of. But yes, I doubt many would be happy to see me, though the whole dismembering or burning at the stake activities were phased out long before I was born.”

  “Ridiculous,” Volant mumbled, eyes aimed at the canopy above us.

  I brought us to an improbably wide tree that rivaled the one we saw with Qaewin in the Tryst plains. This one though housed my family, along with hundreds more. I touched the hard bark with a loving hand, motioning Volant over. “Right here,” I said pointing at a conspicuous knot at waist level. “That is a door knob, essentially.”

  Volant gave a puzzled look at the knot. “A door knob?”

  “More or less,” I replied. “You place your hand in it. Inside, you’d feel another series of holes one for each finger. Turn it twice, and the door unlocks.” As he was reaching in to try it, I slapped his hand away from the knot.

  “Ow!” he hissed.

  “Shh!” I smiled. “And no using the knots. They open up a staircase carved into the tree. But they also alert a Guard at the first level that someone is coming up. If he doesn’t recognize you, or just dislikes you, he’ll make you come in for inspection.”

  “Fine.” He rolled his eyes. “How do we get up then?”

  “Climb, of course!” I pointed towards an intimidating tree that was studded with knots.

  Most of the trees that could be climbed had been so much there were hand and footholds worn in. We spent some time going over them until I deemed Volant ready. We would have to climb all the way up to the canopy, and though it was easy enough, a fall would be bad, if not fatal. Up the tree we went, hands finding the deep grooves while our feet followed on thick ridges.

  Dozens of these rose up the tree in a spiral, some obviously created by Naturals. In Erset, it was a mark of pride to create a hard but not impossible trail to climb up one of the trees. Foliage thick enough to be impenetrable blocked our way near the top of the route.

  “Now we just need to find the hole to let us in,” I mused.

  We skirted about the tree’s circumference until I found the first break in foliage. These changed every so often, and sometimes proved difficult to find, especially after so many years away. Our first step was a “soft spot”, as we called it. A break in what is normally an impenetrable mesh of branches that weave together just below the first level. At about a grown man’s height through this break, it became a “hard spot.” These secondary access points were almost exclusively the creation of Naturals employed by the local council.

  These hard spots were an actual pathway through the tree, making an unnatural passage that warped the tree itself. Usually these were very small and gated on one end or another. Here the climbing was easier as an actual tunnel formed in this tree, a slight slant that actually moved past the city’s first level a bit. It emptied out above the walkway, the gate not being a problem for a Learner willing to break things.

  Erset’s Naturals were almost universally earth oriented and w
ere encouraged to maintain the trees and hard spots, but by the left hand of god, you’d better not tamper with existing holes, or create new ones. And definitely never, ever get caught.

  A thick branch jutted out above the hole, spanning the immediate area and leaving us walking on the first level as casually as we pleased. Sunlight rippled across the ground out from underneath the branch. Friendly and inviting shade constantly shifted across the tangled branch and leaf floor that represented the first level of Erset. The effect created a kaleidoscope pattern through the natural city.

  “Beautiful,” Volant said with a tone of awe.

  “So very much so,” I agreed.

  Trees stretched up far above us, so much further than the impressive distance we’d climbed. Homes could be seen embedded all over the place in about chaotic a pattern as possible. We headed forward, following the trees gentle curve until coming upon the ornate stair that grew as a series of crooked branches.

  From the top of the landing, which was still considered to be the first level or floor, I could gaze up and see my old home. The door was open, which meant my family was there, and the homesickness I had been feeling since my first trip with Jax to Kalaran seemed to throb unbearably for a moment. I turned to rush up the next flight of dark brown steps when a gangly, tall figure appeared, a book in one hand.

  We took each other in. My gaze drifted to the one leg which ended in a wooden stump instead of a foot, then back up to the perpetually gaunt face. Mismatched and dirty clothes hung over the man’s skeletal frame, and the top of his head sported an unruly black mess of hair. If it wasn’t for his pale skin and light brown eyes, you wouldn’t know him for a citizen of Erset. In turn, he saw the hatchet and throwing knives strapped to me, the buzzed hair, and nearly dismissed me. Nearly.

  Twenty-six

  Hunta. The name came to me unbidden. We had spent the early years together, learning and playing. I’d have forgotten him if it wasn’t for the day he lost his foot. A small, inconsequential looking spider had bitten him, right at the tip of his toe. A few days later they were amputating it before the necrosis took his leg and then the rest of him if it hadn’t been stopped. He’d been intolerable after that.

  “Nil?” he asked hesitantly, hunched over his book. “What are you doing here?”

  “Umm, hey there Hunta!” I tried jovially, stepping closer in the hopes he would stop staring at the bandolier I wore.

  “You went to be a Learner?” he asked, though not seeming to actually want an answer. “You can’t be here. Learners don’t come back to Erset.” His eyes flicked down to the knife again. Open carry of weapons wasn’t exactly encouraged.

  “Well, not normally, true. But it doesn’t mean I can’t,” I said cheerily.

  “Those aren’t allowed,” he said staring at the weapons Volant and I had.

  “Again, not strictly true, more of discouraged.” I turned to Volant. “What do you think? It’s not like the Guard actually said we couldn’t have them, right? Hunta here, he’s just being a bit literal.”

  We both laughed, trying to play off the attention. We both stopped when Hunta’s eyes grew small and hard.

  “I don’t li-li-lie!” he sputtered furiously.

  “Huh?” His reaction seemed a bit extreme.

  “No one said you were lying,” Volant said bemused. “What does that have to do with anything anyways?”

  Ignoring both of us, Hunta continued to grow red in the face. “You have a vile tongue! Le-le-Learner!” His eyes blazed, and I realized things were getting ugly. “I-I-I only speak truth. Unlike you. N-n-n-no one makes fun of me!”

  Utterly perplexed, Volant edged away from the stuttering boy. This had gone rather poorly rather quickly. “Your friend is strange,” Volant mouthed at me.

  “More li-li-lies!” Hunta screamed, dropping his books. “You are a he-he-heathen!”

  “Hunta, calm down,” I growled. People where peering out of their various windows and doors. A few had even shown up following the noise. Too late, a pair of heavy, pike axe wielding Guard came jogging towards us, eyes alert.

  “God’s below!” Volant groaned. “I give up! Before all this, I used to think I was a people person. Couldn’t get enough of them. But this is the last straw. People suck.” He turned to me as the Guard closed in. “I know you said not to get used to killing, but I’m going to despite that.”

  I grabbed his wrist as he touched the hilt of his rapier, which only hastened the two over. Volant looked near tears as another pair of the Guard rounded the corner, heading towards us as well.

  “Nil!” said a high, squeaky voice from above us. Instantly, I recognized my mother’s voice and was filled with a tinge of embarrassment. I looked up and saw her gazing down at us, and waved merrily, before turning to the Guard who had now climbed the stairs and were glaring at Volant’s rapier.

  “Gentleman,” I started, hands spread wide in what I hoped was a charming manner. “It’s so good to see you. We were just having a discussion with Hunta here about the technicalities of carrying a weapon in Erset.”

  “Can’t,” said the first Guard.

  “Can’t?” I echoed.

  “New laws,” said the other, a darker skinned, and far younger man. “No weapons to be carried in the cities, and any weaponizable tools have to be registered, and may only be on one’s person during daylight hours.”

  My eyes widened with shock. “Since when?”

  Both shrugged.

  “The gatekeepers should have t-t-told you that,” Hunta chimed in. Now everyone was staring at us, many with open hostility.

  “So much for being home sick,” I mused when the second pair of Guard appeared. These two had their signature pole axes slung behind them, and were holding heavy, polished cudgels.

  “Nil, is that you?” Asked one of the new arrivals, her voice was quite decidedly a woman’s despite the stocky build.

  I rolled my eyes. “Hello, Clarice,” I said, no longer feigning any sort of amusement. “I see you guys have turned Erset over to some unimaginable horror, eh?”

  Yet again, my words were ignored. “Aren’t you a Learner now?” Her eyes narrowed with the question, and the other two men gripped their axes more tightly.

  When I looked up to my parent’s window, I saw they were both watching us with concerned expressions. “Yes,” I replied, a feeling of dread in my stomach. “That illegal too, now?”

  “Very much so,” Hunta said. “You sh-sh-should have prayed to the gods more.”

  This time, I was too slow and Volant had sent a devastating left hook into Hunta’s nose before anyone knew what was happening. A triumphant laugh left my friends lips, as the four peacekeepers tackled us down into a pile of swarming limbs.

  A pale skinned figure with white hair approached. Sauntered, really. Next to him was one of those accursed Slithers. A tingle ran up my spine at the sight of the huge, predatory reptile. A hiss came out of one of them. Whether from the creature or the man, I couldn’t tell. Vines began to crawl across my arms and legs, seemingly of their own volition.

  “Earth workers,” Volant grunted, staring at the space behind me.

  Sure enough, I turned to look on my other side, and four similarly dressed people stood, green on green clothing, two men, two women, all manipulating their fingers ever so slightly. I could almost feel the vines and branches around me slowly reacting to the moving fingers.

  “No, not this time,” I growled. Every injustice I’d felt recently at the hands of others burst forward in a hot wave from somewhere deep inside me. A painful amount of Skill pulsed through my body with the anger. I sliced through the unnaturally moving vines. Jumping to my feet, I made a pair of fists, hands buzzing with concentrated Skill. I lashed out at the earth Naturals, a good impression of shadow boxing but with each punch sending a fist size ball of invisible Skill out.

  They weren’t ready for it. The first two men were knocked back, doubling over from the force. The other two stood dumbfounded as I sent bursts thei
r way. Not as accurate, but it was enough to spin them about, freeing Volant. With the obvious change in pace, Volant waded in, rapier now in hand, a vortex of compressed wind spiraling in the other. I put my back to him, fists still up, though at the edge of my reserves. Instead of the expected throw down, everyone scattered. Within moments it was just Volant and I, looking like a pair of crazed bandits that’d been out in the wilderness too long.

  “So, I’m a bit confused,” I admitted. “There’s no way Slithers would be allowed free reign in Erset. Nor would any Naturals be working with them. And a no weapons rule? That’s really odd.” I scanned our surroundings to puzzle out where everyone ran off to. Slithers weren’t known for running from anything. Quite the opposite.

  Volant blinked, and took a moment before carefully responding. “Are you sure? You leafers are known for being quite eccentric.”

  I shook my head. “We need to follow them.”

  With a resigned sigh, he sheathed the rapier and gestured towards the direction the reptile fled. The borgisling and its rider left a surprisingly easy to follow trail. Claw marks cut into the soft wood and if that wasn’t clear enough, a giant lizard sized path of debris followed everywhere it had been. The broken branches and crushed tree flowers seemed to be upsetting Volant more than me though, as he was growing a dark as we continued. No one seemed to want to stop us either, as not another Guard was seen as we tracked the fleeing creature through some less populated areas before ending up back on the forest floor rather close to where we’d come up.

  “It amazes me no one has killed us yet,” I mused.

  “Yup,” Volant’s tired voice replied. We’d yet to rest, and he was not thrilled with the amount of climbing we’d been doing chasing the Slither.