Healing Wounds in Arabarb
By Charles Matthias
April 8, 708 CR
They found Pharcellus's northern garments folded up on the kitchen
table. The dragon returned an hour later with a fresh mountain goat's
carcass in his jaws. This they cooked and ate together that evening.
But of what upset him so about seeing the egg shells Pharcellus
wouldn't say and neither Lindsey nor Quoddy asked.
They slept in Lindsey's old home now mostly cleaned that night.
Lindsey expected to dream of his childhood or to wake thinking it was
twenty years ago as some of the others whom the Curses had made
children sometimes mentioned happened to them, but his dreams were
mere vapors that vanished with the first flick of his eyelids and his
fears were dispelled by the almost complete silence draped over the
house. As a child, there was always the sounds of at least the
animals if not his father and mother beginning their morning tasks
even before their children showed their faces. Not so anymore.
After a quick meal of grains the trio began the long hike back to
Gerhard's home. They spoke only when necessary, each leaving the
others alone with their thoughts. Lindsey only cast a single glance
back at his old home before it was lost amidst the trees, but his
thoughts ran that way for most of the next few hours. He worried over
his family a third of the time, the next third he spent reminiscing
on the many happy days of his childhood. The rest was spent
ruminating on Zhypar.
Lindsey had managed for the most part to put the kangaroo out of his
thoughts ever since he'd become a man again. It was impossible to
completely extricate him, but once they'd returned to Metamor and
he'd settled down into the life amongst the timber crews, it had been
possible to not be reminded of the kangaroo's absence by every little
thing he'd seen. Flying north to Arabarb had provided welcome relief
there too. But seeing that figurine of Habakkuk when a man had
brought all the pain back.
And with a child's body, he'd been unable to hold it back.
As Lindsey made his way through the trees and underbrush, feeling
small even compared to the now human Pharcellus, he wondered if that
wasn't for the best. He'd shed tears and wept in a way he hadn't been
able to since he'd become human and male again. There was no denying
it now; he still loved and dearly missed Zhypar.
Once they crested the ridge that overlooked Lindsey's old home, their
path took a generally downward slope that made for a much quick
return hike. The sun was warming the trees and the air by the time
the little clearing and Gerhard's cabin came into view again. The
hound Tash began baying as soon as he saw the three of them. The
grizzled northerner shouted his dog into silence as he secured a few
barrels in an open-faced wagon. A single horse was yoked to the
wagon, and the burly mare contented herself with the wildflowers near
the hardscrabble road through the woods.
"Good, you made it back safe," Gerhard said when they approached.
"We're going into Vaar tonight. There a few of the members of the
resistance will meet with you and hear your plan. If they think it
worthwhile, they'll help."
"Thank you," Lindsey replied with a deep breath. "Now comes the hard
part; convincing them that this can work. How long will it take us to
get to Vaar? Is the bridge still standing?"
Gerhard shook his head. "Not the old bridge. Calephas's troops burned
that a few years back. But there is a newer, smaller one nearby that
we can use. It's safe enough. It should only take a few hours to reach Vaar."
Quoddy stretched his wings as he eyed the wagon. "It's probably best
that I fly. You'll take less notice that way."
"Stay close though," Lindsey suggested. The boy turned back to their
contact and asked, "How long before we can leave?"
Gerhard stroked his longest beard braid and sucked on his lip before
replying, "About an hour. I have to see to my animals. I expect to
return tomorrow or the day after, but there is none to care for them
but me and I won't risk wolves or bears seeing them as easy meals."
While they waited, Pharcellus and Quoddy debated the merits of this
or that alternate name that the dragon in disguise could use on their
journey into Arabarb's populated regions; some of the names they
discussed were even more ludicrous than his given name, but they
eventually settled on a few promising possibilities that the dragon
vowed to contemplate on their ride to Vaar.
Lindsey indulged the boyish whim that had struck him two night's past
when he'd first met the three eager dogs and played with them, both
games of fetch and some good-natured wrestling. They barked and ran
around him in circles, moving with exuberance and the sort of joie de
vivre only found in young dogs. It made him laugh and for a little
while forget about his troubles. Neither his friends nor Gerhard said
aught to discourage them.
By the time their contact and his wagon were ready, Lindsey and the
dogs had worn themselves out. This pleased Gerhard immensely because
it meant his dogs would keep still during the trip. He brought all
five of them with him, making sure to tie them securely to the wagon
so they wouldn't decide to jump and chase a squirrel or chipmunk.
Lindsey collapsed between two casks while Pharcellus sat up across
from him and just behind Gerhard. Quoddy promised to keep them in
sight before shrinking into his animal shape and flying into the sky.
Gerhard gave a gentle flick to the reins and the strapping mare
pushed hard on the ground with her hooves. A sudden lurch and the
wagon followed her, crunching and bumping over the old track through
the woods. They were lost beneath the canopy of pine, fir, and alder,
listening to the groaning wheels, the mare's hooves, and the chirping
of birds delighting in the return of Spring. Lindsey was grateful
that the weather was pleasant; it could often be filled with bitter
storms during April.
The dogs yawned and laid down during the journey, all nuzzling up
together, even the guard dog Tash seemed content to lie and wait. He
perked his head up and turned his floppy ears from time to time at
some strange sound that only he could hear. He would listen and stare
at the arbors all about, a dense thicket of trees, pine needles,
moss, and some scrub where the pines hadn't killed them.
Lindsey rested his head against the wagon sideboard, curled his knees
up to his chest and stared up at the sky. Branches spread over their
heads in layer after layer of pine and the occasional leaf bud.
Through them he could see a deep blue sky and sometimes even snatches
of a lone gull winging through the air. He half wished he could fly
as he watched his new friend sailing with the body the Curses had given him.
The road continued down through the hills, past rocky outcroppings,
and eventually began to parallel a small stream swollen with
snow-melt. Lindsey sat up when they first heard it and stared all
about wondering where the water was until Pharcellus pointed ahead
and to the right. A few minutes later Lindsey recognized the brighter
line of trees for a break in the canopy. The stream poured through an
assortment of granite boulders, wending past tree roots desperately
clutching their soil, and driving a cleft in the land that the wagon
could not cross. The road stayed a good ten paces or more from the
edge of the river, but Lindsey could tell from the way the sun
glistened off the rocks, that they had no choice but to wait for a bridge.
"There's the old bridge," Gerhard said, pointing to where the road
turned to gallop across the cleft. On either bank the remnants of
stone markers could be seen, as well as the first steps of the
bridge. Nothing remained between. What stone they could see was
scarred black at the edges.
Lindsey frowned and asked, "What happened here?"
"One of Calephas's pet mages was offended when one of the girls of
Vaar didn't return his advances quickly enough. The bridge is just
one of many things he destroyed in and around Vaar."
"And the girl?" Pharcellus asked with a darkness brewing in his eyes.
"Dragged off to Fjellvidden. Her father chased after them, but we
never learned what happened to either of them." Gerhard spat at the
ground as they rode past the ruined bridge.
On the other side of the bridge on a stone promontory perched Quoddy.
The gull looked at them across the impassable expanse, cawed, and
vaulted into the sky again. Lindsey smiled once at the bird but
frowned a moment later. "What happened to the mage?"
Gerhard shook his head. "Cabalan. That's the mage's name. And I'm not
really sure what's become of him. No one is. He came back with
Calephas from the attack on Metamor, but after Gmork arrived no one's
heard from him. I've heard a few say that Cabalan returned to Nasoj
in hopes to gain more power. Others say Gmork killed him. And others
say he's still in Fjellvidden making something for Calephas." The
burly man shrugged his shoulders again. "But nobody knows for sure.
Ah, here's the new bridge."
About a hundred yards down stream from the ruined stone bridge was a
new one fashioned from wood. Anchored into either side of the cleft
in the rocks framing the snow-swelled river, the bridge appeared
sturdy, with railings on either side sealed with pitch, and with
thick structural beams buried into pits carved into the rocks. The
sides of the wagon almost scraped against the railing as they
crossed, and the wood beneath them groaned. The three young dogs
stuck their heads over the side to look. Lindsey pet the nearest and
scratched his ear.
"A simple fire could ruin that bridge," Pharcellus pointed out after
they were across and moving through the woods again.
"Then don't breathe fire on it," Gerhard snapped angrily. "There's
not much one can do under Calephas's boot."
"I would never do such a thing," the dragon assured him. He lowered
his eyes and after a quick glance at Lindsey, asked, "How much
further until we reach Vaar?"
"Not quite an hour," Gerhard replied. "As long as the road is empty."
The road continued to slope down through the hills, straying from the
river when bluffs forced it aside, but always returning to follow it
as closely as possible. Not long after they passed the first of these
bluffs they began to encounter small bridges laid over marshy bogs
that were teeming with insects, and for the rest of their ride they
were slapping their arms, legs, necks, and ears to drive the nuisances off.
Eventually the forest gave way to a broad field with farms. A central
town with spiked walls huddled on the point of a promontory
overlooking the river. Watchtowers lined bluff, providing very few
points from which the town could come under siege. Defensive access
points to the river were also established in little chimneys
descending from within the walls.
All this Lindsey remembered from the few times he'd visited the
village as a child. There were two others closer to home and he knew
them much better. But Vaar, from his memories, was little different
from any other village in Arabarb. The townsfolk would have frequent
visits from the many trappers and traders who lived nearby; Gerhard
being one, they should not be met with much scrutiny.
The wagon plodded up a gentle incline between fields ready to be
turned for planting. Grains and potatoes were about all that could
grow easily this far north, and would make the common staple of their
diet. Coupled with fish, fowl, and the plentiful bounty of the woods,
there was little risk of going hungry if a little care was taken. But
it wouldn't take much to drive out the herds and slaughter the beasts
to leave everyone to starve either.
Gerhard pointed to the gatehouse and the soldiers standing on the
battlements above. "Vaar soldiers. Not Calephas's men. We shouldn't
have any trouble. Still, say nothing but your names." He glanced back
at Pharcellus and narrowed his eyes. "Just what are you going to call
yourself?"
The dragon smiled , blue eyes brightening considerably. "Chellag.
Quoddy suggested it, and it sounds like my real name a little."
"Chellag. That's a good name," Gerhard nodded and turned back to the
road. They were only twenty feet from the gatehouse and a pair of
soldiers came out with wicked spears, horned helmets, and broad
circular shields.
"Call me Andrig," Lindsey piped up. "No sense using a girl's name for me."
"Right," Gerhard grunted as the soldiers approached. He pulled the
mare to a stop and doffed his bear-skin hat. "Good afternoon, men. I
plan to stay the night and no more."
"Weren't you here last night, Gerhard?" one of the two asks a little
suspiciously. Lindsey noted him, strong of shoulder and unremitting
in countenance, with a youthful vigor in his frame; mid-twenties he
guessed. The other soldier was even younger and while broad, he was
also shorter, giving him more the suggestion of a fabled dwarf than a
grown man.
"Aye, but I had some unexpected visitors this morning," He jerked a
thumb over his shoulder at the two of them. "They were in need of
travel north and so I'm bringing them this far. They can make their
own way from here."
The second soldier glared at Pharcellus while tightening his grip on
his shield. "Who are you?"
"I am Chellag and this is my younger brother Andrig," the dragon
replied. "Our mother succumbed last month and we are on our way to her family."
Both soldiers frowned, not sympathetically, but from an understanding
of their duty to family. Lindsey was impressed that his friend could
devise so compelling a story that could be conveyed in so few words.
"Carry on then," the soldiers waved them past and Gerhard gave the
mare a little encouragement. She pulled the wagon through the gates,
plodding along as contentedly as she could. The roads were a mix of
dirt and natural stone, while the houses hunched close with communal
chimneys belching smoke. They could hear the sounds of a smithy and
the boisterous haggling of midwives over fish a few streets over.
Lindsey smiled even as his nose objected to the stink of human offal.
That was one thing he didn't miss about Arabarb; Metamor's sewage
system had become a welcome relief and luxury, even with the variety
of pungent odors the beastly Keepers carried with them.
They traveled only thirty feet down the main road before turning down
a side street. The houses were pressed close together so that there
was only enough room for a single man to walk beside them in the
street. The dogs growled at anyone nearby but stayed huddled together
in the bed of the wagon. Pharcellus and Lindsey both sat up looking
around as casually as they could.
A swarthy man whose beard was black leaned against one of the larger
buildings, puffing a pipe and blowing smoke rings. He saw them,
nodded to Gerhard, and then walked into a little stable off the main
building. Gerhard turned the wagon inside and the black bearded man
closed the gates behind them. His voice was deep and gravelly, "Usual
room. The pallet's big enough for all three of you. After dinner."
Gerhard thanked him briefly, then climbed down and handed him the
reins. He went around the back of the wagon and untied his dogs one
by one. He said nothing more.
Lindsey glanced around and saw that they were in a small stables.
There was only enough room for a dozen horses at best, and there was
almost no room for anything else. Tack and feed were stacked in every
conceivable corner and some in the middle of the floor; and that with
only a few of the stalls occupied. Pharcellus put a hand on Lindsey's
shoulder to steady him while they waited and the boy smiled in appreciation.
Gerhard finished untying his dogs from the wagon and gripped their
leashes in one hand. "All right. This way." The dos all attempted to
run ahead of them, but his hold was firm and their leashes short.
Passing through a door at the back end of the stables, they briefly
saw one of the backrooms at what must be an Inn before turning to
their right and climbing an old set of stairs that stank of ale and a
little bit of mildew. The dogs pulled at their leashes ahead of them,
their claws ripping into the wood with unsettling ease.
But the stairs held them and at the top they found a modest room with
a single wide window and sill, a pallet large enough for two men to
share, a chamberpot in the far corner, and another door that opened
out onto the main second floor hall. When Gerhard closed the door to
the stairs they could see that it looked just like any other part of
the wall. Cheap furs hung from the walls, including one over the hidden door.
Gerhard let the dogs run loose and they scampered around, sniffing
the floor, the sleeping pallet, the chamber pot, and the door
outside. He stretched, sighed heavily, and then in a whisper, said,
"Brigsne is my contact. I've stayed here before. He'll bring us down
to the meeting room in little while and nobody in Inn will be the wiser."
"Even if the dogs make a racket?" Lindsey asked.
"I always bring my dogs," Gerhard reminded him in a firm, almost
fatherly voice. "And you are a boy, Andrig. Act like it when others
can see us. There are rewards for anyone who turns in a Metamorian."
Lindsey swallowed air and nodded. Indulging his new-found childish
side would not be difficult. It yearned to play and make mischief.
But knowing when it was appropriate or not seemed the most difficult
challenge. And judging by the secret nature of their entrance, he
suspect now was not the time.
He sat down on the pallet and curled his knees to his chest again.
Pharcellus opened the window and left it that way. He joined Lindsey
on the couch and sat next to him, smiling and making a little
counting game with his fingers. It was simple enough and occupied
them while Gerhard went to collect their gear from the wagon. The
dogs began jostling and growling as they played together ignoring the
two humans.
While Gerhard was on his second trip down to the stables, Quoddy
alighted on their sill and then hopped down to the ground where he
was immediately set upon by the dogs. He grew in size just enough to
discourage their excitement, but waited until Pharcellus had shut the
window to grow to his full size and shape. "That was easy enough," he
said in as quiet a voice as he could manage. "So what are we waiting for now?"
"I think he's the Innkeeper," Pharcellus replied. "Brigsne. He'll let
us know when to come and meet the others. Until then, we'll we wait."
Quoddy bobbed his head up and down as he settled against the wall,
with Lindsey and Pharcellus between him and the exuberant canines.
"I'm very good at waiting."
----------
May He bless you and keep you in His grace and love,
Charles Matthias
!DSPAM:4da9e206214041804284693!
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