Season of Hytalia

by Jennifer Arntson

  Calish held me tighter. His arms filled me with warmth, relieving the burden of my truth. Telling him made it easier for me to accept. No longer mine alone, we shared the same fear—fear of the Authority and, more so, fear of Blue and his power over us. Our situation was bleak at best, and it would take a miracle to improve it. Still, I had faith Calish would see an outcome I couldn’t. Smart and resourceful, if anyone were able to protect us, it was him.

  “We can hope you’ll have a vision that will give us some direction.” He caressed my arm with his fingertips. “I wish we could go somewhere to hide.”

  I thought again of the Resistance. “Maybe I should tell you everything about what happened while I was detained.” I sighed.

  “Una, you don’t have to if you’re not ready.”

  “It might help, but you have to promise me that you won’t say a word about it to anyone.”

  “I don’t care what paperwork Blue has or what the Authority says; you’re carrying my child.” He shook his head in disbelief. “My child. You are the only thing that matters in my life. I will protect you, provide for you; I’d die for you if it ever came to that. If there’s a way for us to be together, I’ll never utter another word to another living soul as long as I live. Well, other than you, of course.”

  There wasn’t a way to tell him about the Resistance without mentioning Paw. I started at the beginning, starting with our parents’ arrangement of my marriage to Blue, and why they were so eager to see it through.

  “It’s because of that unpaid debt of Blue’s healing that the families are so motivated for us to be together,” I said.

  “Does he really want to marry you, or is it because of Pantis’s influence?”

  “He has options, I’m sure, but honestly, I think the idea of owning his wife is quite attractive to him.”

  Calish shook his head in disgust. “I didn’t mean to stop you. Please go on.”

  I told him about meeting our grandfather, Reinick, and our uncle, Hawk. I recounted the night that we learned about our relation, the murder of his wife, and the threat made to leave him in prison. I purposefully left out the part about the whipping I received, assuming it wouldn’t be helpful information.

  When I mentioned the Priest suggesting the reinstatement of our father’s birthright, Calish interrupted. “Is that an option?”

  “Father would never accept it. Based on Reinick’s response the night of their discussion, I doubt he’d offer. He hates us, Cal. All of us.”

  “Status sure would help us out, though.”

  “But the Petition has been approved. It’s done,” I argued.

  “So what was the point of telling me all of this?”

  “Here’s where things get a little strange.” I took in a deep breath.

  “That’s not the strange part? I’m sorry. Continue, please.”

  I told him about meeting Paw by intervening in the pack’s mission to find and kill Hawk.

  His eyes widened. “You did what?”

  “Wait, wait.” I laughed. “Like I said, it’s weird.” He raised his eyebrows and listened intently as I went on. I told him the parts about the wolf attack I’d omitted before, and Paw’s explanation of the spirit inside me.

  “That seems a little impossible, Una.”

  “And me being a Seer and Mother being a Healer isn’t?”

  He bobbed his head around and sighed. “That would explain why you were surrounded by wolves that night.”

  “The wolf pup was a gift from its mother. He’s here to protect me, and I’m to raise him. As a matter of fact, it was his mother that told me I was pregnant in the first place.”

  “Wow,” he replied, bewildered by the prospect and proof.

  I took his hand. “But there’s more. Paw belongs to a group called the Resistance.”

  “Resistance?”

  I nodded. “They have a camp, an army of sorts. They invited me to go with them.”

  He breathed in slowly, considering the invitation. “Where is this place?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “And how are you supposed to get there?”

  “The pup will call Paw.”

  “So they’re close?”

  I shrugged. “They walked there, so it cannot be too far.”

  Interested, although not completely sold on the idea of joining a renegade group of Citizen deserters, he asked, “How many people are part of this ‘Resistance?’”

  “I didn’t ask.” I picked nervously at my fingertips. “I didn’t think to ask any questions. Until now, I didn’t consider going there. I wanted to come home to be with you.”

  “I don’t know.” He pushed his curl back into place. “Do you think it might be a trap set by the Authority? I wouldn’t put it past them to lead you on like that. I mean, how do you know this Paw character told you the truth?”

  “He taught me to do this thing, to read his thoughts. He genuinely hates Reinick. He has just as much reason as any of us. I don’t think it’s a trap.”

  “Wait, you told him you were a Seer?”

  “Calish,” I whined.

  “I don’t know him, but I don’t trust him. I would seriously question his motives. How do you know he isn’t trained to fool people like you? He lives with wolves, for god’s sake. People don’t even accept him!”

  “Now you’re sounding paranoid,” I chastised him.

  “Think about it, Una, if this thing was real, I would assume that the Authority would want everyone associated with it destroyed. They don’t tolerate traitors.” He shook his head. “No. There’s got to be another way. This Resistance thing just seems way too convenient. We’ll think of something. There’s an answer, and I promise you, I’ll find it.”

  I hoped he was right. Still, deep down I had my doubts that there were any realistic options left for us.

  Chapter 3

  We didn’t make it home until dark. Mother already had dinner prepared, not that it was much different from lunch. She had added some dried vegetables and rabbit to the thistle soup, making it thick like stew, but our pantry was not as full as it was a season ago. Unlike the Citizens, we never threw things out; we just found alternative ways to use them. If we would have anything left from tonight’s dinner, it would go to the animals. They benefited from the thistle’s nutrients the same way we did, although the smaller breeds required lesser amounts. By ensuring their survival throughout Talium and Hytalia, it would almost guarantee offspring in the seasons to follow. Their young gave us the food we needed to fill our depleted storehouse.

  “I’m glad to see you up and about, sweetheart,” Father toasted during dinner.

  “I feel much better.” I glanced at Calish sitting next to me at the table.

  “So where did you two go, anyway?” Mother asked.

  “Nowhere specific,” he answered. I guess he wanted to keep it our little secret, among other things.

  I ate as much as my stomach allowed and pushed my leftovers to Marsh. “Here, I can’t eat another bite.”

  “Oh, I’ve missed you, little sister!” He smiled as he scooped the remaining contents of my bowl into his.

  “I missed you, too.”

  “Well,” Mother put down her spoon, “I for one would like to name our newest addition.”

  I froze. What was she doing?

  “I call him ‘dog,’” Marsh announced.

  “Well, he’s a wolf,” Mother corrected him. I let out a sigh of relief, and Calish rested his hand on my thigh under the table out of view. He gave it a couple pats to calm my nerves, though he left it there casually.

  “I haven’t thought of naming him,” I confessed.

  “What would you name a wolf?” Father took a sip of his ale as my mother collected the dishes from the table.

  “How about ‘Killer?’” Marsh leaned over to scratch the pup as he begged for table scraps. “I thought they only liked live meat.” He took a piece of the rabbit he saved from the stew and gave it to the wolf.

  “I
s he domesticated?” Mother offered.

  “He’s waiting until Marsh falls asleep,” Father quipped.

  “Ha, ha, very funny,” he replied sarcastically.

  “Do you have any thoughts, Father?” I asked.

  “I have one, but I’d like to hear yours first,” he answered.

  The pup, finished with his scraps, licked Marsh’s face uncontrollably. When he sat up to get a break from the animal’s bath, the wolf hopped up on his lap and dug his little nails into his shoulders to get him to hold still for more affection.

  “Una!” Marsh cried. “Get him off!”

  I clapped my hands twice and yelled a stern warning to the pup. He jumped down and sat, his nose down and his big eyes staring up at me apologetically. One eye was green, the other blue. Together they were heart-melting.

  “Yeah, I’m sticking with Killer.” Marsh wiped his face with his napkin.

  “I don’t want to name him that,” I said in a baby voice, patting the wolf on the head for obeying my command.

  “What’s your idea, Tawl, dear?” Mother asked.

  “It’s not anything exotic.” He shrugged. “What do you think of Rain? It is Hytalia.”

  “I love it,” I said cheerfully.

  My mother got up from her seat, pleased with our decision. “Now, I have something special for you all.” She brought back with her a plate she had hidden in the kitchen. She uncovered a berry pie and displayed it for my wide-eyed father.

  “I should have made this the night you came home, little bird.” She set it down in front of me. “I think tonight is just as worth celebrating.” She kissed me on the cheek. Her eyes glanced down and saw Calish’s hand on my leg as she stood back up. Her expression changed immediately as her eyes darted between us before stopping on her son. She licked her lips nervously and reminded herself to breathe.

  “What’s the matter, dear?” Father asked.

  As if she were shaken from a trance, she recovered well. “Nothing,” she said innocently. “Why do you ask?”

  “You just—” He waved his hand to dismiss his statement. “Never mind, let’s dig into that dessert!”

  “Una said she was full, you all heard it.” Marsh reached for the pie.

  “Nice try.” Calish stood and pulled it back. As he cut portions for all of us, my mother poured herself a cup of tea and silently sat down at the table.

  Serving me first, he then offered one to my mother.

  “No thank you, son.”

  “If you don’t get one now, Marsh won’t leave any for you later.”

  She sipped her tea and shook her head. “I’m not hungry. You eat it; I made it for all of you anyway.”

  Marsh didn’t let the plate touch the table when he shoveled his first bite into his salivating mouth. “Oh, Mother!” His eyes rolled back, and he pushed the crumbs that attempted to escape back into the blackness leading to his stomach. “This is perfection!”

  “Delicious, really, dear.” Father reached out and patted her hand.

  One taste, and I agreed. It was the most amazing thing I’d had in seasons. But the flavor bittered when I noticed my mother’s eyes fixed on me. My jaw slowed, and my throat closed. Her stare was not of a mother basking in the pleasures of her culinary ability. No, her relaxed lips parted with revelation of a mystery solved. She shut them with quick breath, but a twitch of her eyebrows gave away her assumption.

  She knows.

  Her eyes left me for a mere moment to glance at her son next to me then again at me.

  Yes, she knows.

  My fork became heavy, and I rested it on the table. The bite of pie in my mouth had become too big to swallow. It went down hard, lodging in the middle of my chest. The water sat ahead of me, but my arms refused to reach for it.

  “Is something wrong?” Calish whispered.

  I shook my head, avoiding eye contact with anyone lest they’d learn the truth. “It’s rich,” I lied, knowing he didn’t believe me. It didn’t take long to notice who was oblivious to the situation and who was not. He understood in an instant that our mother had figured us out.

  Calish quickly finished his pie and rose from his seat. “I’m going to get more kindling for the fire. Mother, would you like to bring the leftovers out with me? We can share the lantern.”

  “Let your mother rest! She just made this wonderful dinner for us, don’t be rude,” Father grumbled. “Marsh, you help him.”

  “No.” Mother smiled. “Enjoy your dessert. I don’t mind, dear.” She kissed my father, with his mouth full of pie. He wiped her face where a little berry juice had transferred from his lips to hers, and she blushed with gratitude.

  As Calish passed behind me, he gently squeezed my shoulder. He held the door for her as she took the leftovers outside, nodding to me before he closed it behind him.

  The rains held off until late into the night. They were gone for so long my father started to worry, yet opted to give them their privacy instead of investigating. I wasted no time in getting to bed. Marsh lifted Rain up to the loft like he had every evening, reminding me that this arrangement would not last forever.

  “I’m sure it won’t,” I agreed, for a much different reason. I’m sure he was referring to the wolf’s eventual size. I, on the other hand, wasn’t sure that I would be allowed to stay here once Blue found out where I was.

  It seemed like Mother and Calish were outside for three seasons. Just as I expected, once the rains began they were forced to return inside, the conversation paused if not finished.

  “That must have been one hungry pig,” Father commented from his bed.

  “Yeah, right,” Calish replied. He gathered his hook making supplies and took a seat at the kitchen table.

  “Goodnight, honey.” I saw my mother kiss him on the cheek then glance up at me. “Goodnight, Una.” I knew by her tone she was holding back what she wanted to say. To my mother’s credit, she held her tongue and showed great restraint.

  “Goodnight,” I said just above a whisper.

  “Goodnight, Mother!” Marsh sang to get the last bit of the evening’s attention.

  “Is this a new thing we’re doing? Do I need to tell everyone goodnight as well? Just go to sleep!” Father joked. My parents kissed and mumbled something between themselves before she undressed and crawled into bed.

  Calish stayed put, drinking his tea and spinning intricate lures for fishing, until everyone was asleep but me. I lay on my stomach with my chin propped up on my folded arms and watched him as he worked. I never learned how to decorate a hook myself. My enjoyment came from seeing them transform before my eyes. The way he crafted them with such precision was like watching an artist. He made it look easy, and when he finished, the result was beautiful.

  Marsh had given up on the talent a long time ago after poking himself numerous times with the hook end and having them unravel into a ratted pile of string and fuzz. There was no argument about whose lures were best or most efficient. After years of fishing, no one else in the family attempted the task; it was Calish’s job. We had made a number of hooks from the Nobu-wood during Atchem; however, I had fished enough to know that an undecorated hook rarely did anything other than waste time. Now that Talium was over, we’d be able to fish again, and Calish was getting ready for the task.

  After a while, when he was out of tea and was satisfied with his creations, he pushed away from the table without making a sound. Leaving his supplies spread out where he had been working, he checked to see if our parents were sleeping and signaled to me to come down. I did so quietly, assuming if Marsh’s snoring didn’t wake them, my climbing down wouldn’t either. Calish held out my mother’s rain cloak for me, and we slipped out the front door without being noticed.

  The rains of Hytalia were in full force. I barely saw two steps ahead of me with all the water falling from the sky. No one had to tell me where we were headed. The only dry spot other than the house was the animals’ hay barn near the small area used to corral the mud-oxen. Tucked up ag
ainst the rocky hillside, it was slightly bigger than a shed. Since we’d already made it through Talium, it was half empty and provided enough room for us to sit comfortably. Tonight it would serve as a private place for us to talk, somewhere we wouldn’t have to worry about being overheard. Calish lit the lantern as I took off the cloak and draped it over a bale of hay in the corner.

  “Well?”

  “Well, what?” He took off his jacket and tossed it over where I laid mine.

  “Don’t play games with me, Calish! Just tell me what happened,” I barked at him.

  He straddled the bale I sat on to face me. “She knows.”

  My heart stopped for a moment. “You’re sure?”

  “Um, yeah,” he smiled, “I’m sure.” He rubbed the tops of his legs nervously. “She’s not mad, if that’s what you’re afraid of.”

  “It’s not the only thing I’m afraid of.” I rolled my eyes. “I have a long, long list.”

  Calish reached out for my hand and played with my fingertips. “I told her about the night we were together.” He intertwined his fingers into mine.

  “What did you say?”

  “I told her the truth. She knows my love for you is real, and I won’t apologize for it. I can’t.” He scooted closer to me.

  “How can you be so calm about this? Don’t you see how serious this is?”

  Calish huffed. “Of course I do. Do you think I’m not just as worried as you are? I’ve only had you back for a few days, and of them, you’ve only really been here for one.” He released my hand, obviously irritated. “I sat on that porch waiting for you every damn night of Talium, wondering where you were, wondering if you were ever coming back!” It took him a moment to get control of himself. He cupped my face, putting his forehead to mine. “I would like a moment with you that doesn’t have anything to do with Blue, or birthrights, or—” He stopped.

  “Or what, Calish?” I pulled back, challenging him to continue his rant.

  “It kills me to think of you with him.” He released me, closed his eyes, and shook his head. “I watched them take you away from us and to find out that it was that…farmer who took you from me…” He stood and paced small circles around the room like a caged animal. “I swear, if I ever see him again, I’ll kill him for what he did to you.” His knuckles turned white as his fingers curled into his palms, obviously healed by our mother.