Origin (39 page)

“It sounds like we have a lot to discuss on our way to Findara,” Ayron said smiling broadly at Elwyn as she finally gave up attempting to groom a fidgety Keroc, who communicated with them both that he didn’t want the other drakenhawks to think he was a sissy for allowing her to groom him.

“If they had been as sick as you were, they would be letting me groom them too,” she added, with a tone that discouraged any of the other drakenhawks to make a disparaging remark.

Ayron was happy to see that Keroc was strong enough to walk over to where he was and sit by his side. He sensed just how happy and relieved the little drakenhawk was to be with him again. Sometimes Ayron tended to forget just how young Keroc was. It would be another five seasons before he was fully grown physically and emotionally. On the other hand, Ayron felt humbled to be life-bonded to a drakenhawk that was as courageous and intelligent as Keroc. He had proven himself a worthy companion many times during the last ten days. Once Keroc was settled by his side, Ayron struggled to find a point to start his discussions with Elwyn. They had so much ground to cover that his head was swimming. Elwyn made it easy by refilling his tea, handing him some more fresh bread and then asking him to tell her of his journey to the Amarani.

Over the next two hours, Ayron told Elwyn about his experiences getting Rhys and Clayre to safety, leaving out nothing. He felt that since his niece was familiar with the realities of surviving assassination attempts, she deserved and would appreciate hearing an unedited version of his trip.

“We got off to a really good start, leaving not long after you left with Thane. All of your neighbors were very generous and brought us enough supplies to easily last us for most of our journey. Because we had to move slowly though, we decided that after a short rest stop and evening meal, we would travel through the night so that we could get as far away from Tarlon as quickly as possible.

We were doing very well until our wagon broke down. It was a good thing we brought materials with us that we could use for repairs. Unfortunately while we were repairing the wagon, another group of men, similar to the ones that came to Tarlon, attacked us. We successfully defended ourselves though, with only two of my soldiers sustaining minor injuries. After a few hours, the wagon was ready to go again. We were able to travel to Port Strabo without further incident. Once we were there, we were able to purchase a new wagon and the supplies we needed.

At that point we were still feeling optimistic and that is when our problems began. Shortly after our return from the city, Clayre discovered that Rhys was burning up with fever from a severe lung infection. We stayed put over the next two days not sure if he would live or die. Rhys is a fighter though, and he recovered quickly. He was very anxious to move on so that I could leave him and join you.

Not long after we began traveling again, we were attacked by another group of assassins. They were also similar to the groups that attacked us previously. We were prepared this time though and we dispatched them to a man in short order. We left the area immediately and made the decision to travel straight through to Amarni, trying not to make any more stops than absolutely necessary. I did send one of my soldiers ahead to let Hodari, the Amarani leader know we were coming. As we traveled, we again began feeling optimistic because no more attacks occurred and your uncle seemed to be taking the rigors of travel in stride.

Imagine my shock when we were set upon by not one, but three shadow squads as we drew near to the border of Urafiki. I am absolutely sure that if it hadn’t been for the arrival of Hodari and his army of warriors, who rode out to meet us, that we would all be dead right now.”

Ayron also shared with her the pain he felt at losing so many of his soldiers to the assassins and how he hoped that they could strengthen their training program so that, in the future, they would be better able to defend themselves against the attacks of these squads.

“Maybe you and I could pool the information we have about these assassins and come up with some tactics that will help others that come up against them. Kierra said that you have developed some theories about how they move and sense their victims, Elwyn.”

“They are a very elusive enemy because so little is known about them,” Elwyn responded slowly and carefully. “I tried approaching it as a hunter would while we were traveling, but there was so much that Thane’s training didn’t cover, it was almost impossible to formulate either a defensive or offensive plan against them. I almost stopped to examine one of them, but I was afraid that I would poison myself by doing so. I think though, that we need to learn more about these killers, and if pooling information is a way to start the process, than I am certainly willing to help.”

“I believe that if those of us who survived these attacks pool our information, we will, at least, be able to educate our soldiers and hunters, better than we do today,” Ayron replied sadly with the faces of his dead companions still fresh in his mind.”

“We should also gather as much knowledge from Madrigal and her people as we can. They’ve had encounters with the assassins as well.”

“Good idea, I’ll have to leave that part to you though, since she won’t talk to me,” Ayron said while feigning sadness.

“I will do that uncle, and I will also ask her why she won’t talk to you. I know that she talks to the morden and the drakenhawks. Maybe she just didn’t like the way you smelled,” she said with a giggle. “You were pretty ripe when you showed up here last night.”

“Yes, maybe she’ll feel differently now that I’m clean and have fresh clothing on. I think all of us are going through a lot of change right now. I’m not sure why, but you seem to be the catalyst that is triggering it in many different areas. And speaking of change, your uncle and Clayre were certainly stretched over the course of our journey to Urafiki, and I think they will continue to be during the time they are living with the Amarani.”

He then told her about her uncle and Clayre and how they had been affected by the many experiences and changes in their lives.

“Even though I was honest with you when I told you that your uncle was healing well and was hoping to be able to travel to Findara in a few months time, what you don’t know is the challenges that his anxiety gave us while we were trying to get him to safety. One of our biggest challenges with him was when Kierra lost touch with you and couldn’t let us know for sure if you were still alive. He was so full of anxiety that the healers were afraid that it would bring on a heart attack or another illness. One of the main reasons that we kept traveling at the pace we did, was that he insisted that I leave him and go join you. We definitely hit some rough patches in our relationship when I refused.”

“But they are both alright now, aren’t they? And why did you say living with the Amarani would stretch them?”

“Most people find the Amarani very different in both appearance and values than other races. Their appearance is very unique. They are a very tall, and sometimes a very large people. A male Amarani can often reach a height of more than seven feet and the women normally measure well over six feet tall. That is tall, even to elves. They also dress very differently from us. By our standards they wear very little and what they do wear is often made of some sort of animal skin. They also enjoy wearing jewelry made up of objects that have significance to them; a tooth from a fierce predator, a bone from an enemy or an ancestor, or a braid of hair from a defeated foe.

The skin of the Amarani people is also very different. Just like you and I seem strange to others because of our extremely pale skin, the Amarani can seem strange as well because theirs is a rich mahogany. The shade of their skin varies, just like the skin of the people in your village, with some being paler while others are darker in color.

The Amarani view their hair as their crowning glory and would never consider cutting it, on themselves or their morden. Their hair is almost always a light shade of gold, like the winter wheat you see growing in the fields in early summer. The men wear it pulled tightly up in a top knot and it flows loose from there, often to their waist or below. The women fix their hair in varying styles; some wear it up, some wear it in braids, and others wear it loose and flowing. It is an unspoken law among the Amarani to never cut their hair.

The Amarani are not just fierce to behold, they are mighty warriors as well. The first time I met Hodari, it took me quite a while to believe that he wouldn’t turn on me at any moment. At the same time, they are a very loving people who cherish family and friendship. One of the reasons I had no fear in leaving your uncle and Clayre with them was that they will tend to them as one of their own and will guard them with their lives if need be.

The Amarani are a very old race of people and were the original breeders of the morden. They have always kept the breed pure, never inbreeding or over breeding them. Once they realized that the morden were sentient, they encouraged them to establish their own society and have worked hard to learn more about them. My grandfather discovered the Amarani and the morden while out patrolling our side of the border between us. A friendship was established immediately. The chief elder of the Amarani generously gifted my grandfather with a pair of morden, which started the herd that exists in Findara today.”

Hearing the news about her uncle overwhelmed Elwyn with joy, and she had to fight to hold back her tears. She could definitely see how living among the Amarani might be an adjustment for them both, especially for Clayre who had never been away from her village. She had every confidence that Clayre would find some way to make herself useful, and that any strangeness she felt about the Amarani’s appearance and abilities would fade quickly until it had no significance at all. She, herself, was a perfect example of Clayre’s ability to do just that. She was also sure that Rhys would adjust. From reading her mother’s diary she knew that his background lent itself to dealing and adapting to the many different races in the Known Lands. Besides, her uncle was curious, and that curiosity would cause him to want to know everything he could as soon as he was well enough to do so. Elwyn felt a huge sense of relief that Ayron had taken them where he did, and was very grateful to him for getting them there safely.

Elwyn, deciding to give her uncle a break from talking, began to share some of the experiences she had during her journey to Kren with him.

“Our first night was uneventful, but by the second, the woodlands were closing in and neither Thane nor I felt good about stopping.”

“Why did you make the decision to camp if you both felt that uncomfortable?”

“We thought about riding on through the night, but Keroc had not had any food, except for the jerky I fed him earlier that afternoon, since the last time you sent him to hunt. Neither Thane nor I knew much about how to care for a drakenhawk and we were afraid that Keroc would get sick or injure himself if he didn’t eat. I could sense that he was hungry and tired from flying scout and standing watch, so I felt that we should stop and Thane agreed. After all, he was a member of our group and we needed to learn to care for and support each other.”

“I hear what you are saying and I think that, under the circumstances and given the information you had, you made a logical choice. I think that you should learn from this experience though. Sometimes doing the logical thing is not necessarily the right choice. Keroc needs to learn to tap into all of your feelings. If he had and realized how nervous the two of you were about stopping, he would probably have encouraged you to ride on. He also needs to learn to ask if he can travel on the pommel of your saddle when he begins to tire.

As you learn more about drakenhawks, you will come to realize that the young ones do not yet know their own strengths or limitations. When I patrol with Keroc, I make him ride on the pommel of my saddle to rest after each of his scouting flights. That way, I conserve his energy, he requires less food, and gets adequate rest. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to pass all this knowledge along to you or Thane. There was no way for either of you to know how to care for and support him. I feel that part of the tragedy that struck you two has to be laid at my feet, Elwyn. Do not take on the entire burden yourself.

“Oh uncle, I was so unprepared when the first shadow squad struck. I was confused. I heard Gemma acting strangely in the field and went to see what was wrong. I realized we were under attack as an arrow passed within inches of my shoulder. I did my best to help Thane, as did Raffe, Gemma and Keroc, but Thane still died, sacrificing his life for me. I keep going over that battle in my mind wondering if I could have done something to prevent his death. I should have called out to Keroc, I should have made sure the man I shot was really dead, and I shouldn’t have hesitated to take the lives of those hideous killers. I still feel heartsick when I think about Thane’s death.”

“Elwyn, learning to be a soldier is much different than learning to hunt. The difference is that most of the time, the enemy has a face and a life outside of the fight being fought. A soldier has to learn to get past this and not look at the enemy with humane eyes. It is a hard thing to do, so don’t beat yourself up for hesitating. You only met Keroc two days before you were attacked. For someone who didn’t even realize his race existence until recently, you are the quickest study I have ever seen. The fact that you didn’t automatically think to call him was because you are not life-bonded with him, nor was Thane. And when it comes to the assassin’s archers, they fooled us also. I had no idea that they feign injury and even death to be in a position to attack later in the battle, or disappear into the shadows so they can form another team and attack again.

Above all, please remember that Thane was a soldier and the greatest honor a soldier can have is to die for his country or his people. Thane’s mother is dead and his father, who is also a soldier, will be happy to know that his son died courageously and in defense of the next ruler of Silvendil.”