Sky Child (11 page)

"I am sure that no harm will come to you now that this unfortunate situation has been cleared up," says Chaff. "Oh, and may my cousin have his knife back?"

"Yes," I say.

"Good," says Chaff.

"When he pries it from my cold, dead fingers."

"I hope it does not come to that," says Chaff. "But however you would like things to be."

Chaff helps his cousin up, and unties his hands and feet. They walk off together, down the same tunnel Chaff came from.

"You handled that well," says Vault.

I just shake my head. I toss the knife in the Great Fire and start walking back to my room. I hear Ebb running to catch up to me.

"Vault was right, you did the right thing," says Ebb.

"Did I? Chaff thinks he has even more power now, since I didn't kill his cousin. He thinks he can send people to attack me and I won't fight back. If anything, I showed him I was weak," I say.

"Not weak, smart."

"Sometimes the smart thing is the weak thing. I don't want to be weak."

"You aren't. It would have been easy to kill Chaff, but you didn't. You controlled yourself."

"I wish I hadn't. I wish I'd stabbed him. Made him realize that he's not as powerful as he thinks," I say.

"But then everyone in the Crag would have suffered for it."

"Maybe it would be worth it."

"You know that isn't true."

I don't respond to her. I just keep walking back to my room. I go inside, and both Flot and Jet are already asleep. I put out the glowing stick, curl up with my blanket, and try to forget that when I wake up, it may be to my last sunrise.

18

The next morning I wake up tired. I had a hard time sleeping, because I kept thinking about the man who attacked me, and the trials I haven't yet faced.

As I move around, I hear footsteps. They seem to be walking away from our room. I wonder if it's Ebb, who was standing watch over us. She may have left, now that I am awake. I was not kind to her last night, and I hope I can apologize. If I die today, I don't want my last thought to be sad, because I never told her I was sorry.

I walk to the mouth of the Crag and I see that it's still dark out. I head back into the tunnels, until I reach the loud waters. No one else is there. I take off my clothes and leave them in a pile on the ground. The water is colder than normal, and it shocks me awake.

I get out of the water as quickly as I can, pick up my clothes and walk to the Great Fire. I can feel bumps on my skin, telling me that I'm cold.

The warmth of the Great Fire is better. It takes me a while to break the chill. As I dry off, I heat my clothes, which will help keep me warm when I collect breakfast.

I pick up one of the pans and carry it with me. It is not normal to take a pan with you outside the Crag, but I wanted a weapon in case I am attacked again.

The sun is starting to rise, just enough to turn the sky from black to dark blue. I can barely see, but my eyes adjust as I make my way to the chickens. I collect some eggs then make my way back to the Crag.

Normally, I make breakfast and eat it with Flot and Jet. Today, though, I make breakfast at the Great Fire, and eat there too. The eggs have little flavor, but with my stomach already aching, it is nice to eat something that won't make it worse.

I take what is left of my breakfast and return to our room. Flot and Jet are still both asleep. All that I care about is that they are still safe. I set the pan down on the ground between them. It has cooled enough that I'm not worried they will burn themselves on it.

I leave my sleeping brothers and head toward Ebb's room. I have a hard time remembering where it is, because I have only been there once. It is not far from our room though, which makes it easier.

Some of the rooms I pass by have glowing sticks that are burning brightly. Ebb's room is dark. I stand just outside of it, and I can smell the wildflowers inside. I whisper into the darkness, so that I do not wake Ebb if she is already asleep.

"I'm sorry Ebb. I wish you peace and happiness."

I turn away from her room, and start my walk back to the mouth of the Crag. As I leave, I think I can hear someone whisper back, but I cannot tell what they said. I wait a moment, listening for another sound, but it does not come. I'm sure that if it was important they would have said it louder.

When I get outside, Helm and Mast are already waiting for me. They are both wearing their armor, although I do not see why. They are not the ones who will be fighting for their lives.

I am wearing my normal clothes, and I start to wonder if that was a mistake. I guess it's too late now. If I'm attacked by another hunter, the armor would do little to protect me anyway.

"Follow us," says Helm.

We walk back into the Crag. Helm and Mast bring me down some tunnels I have never seen before. The walls are smooth, and there are no other rooms that connect to it. It looks as if something dug into the walls, carving out this new tunnel. I can tell from the dust and crawler webs that it was done a long time ago.

At the end of the tunnel is a wooden door. It is odd, because I don't remember seeing any other wooden doors in the Crag. Many people hang cloth across their entrances to prevent people from looking in. This is different, and it worries me. Mast opens up the door and waves me inside.

There isn't much in this room, although it appears that another room is connected to it. The walls have been carved, just like the tunnel. There is only one dim torch lighting the room, and it makes it difficult to see.

"What is back there?" I ask, pointing to the other room.

"That is not for you to worry about. Worry about your first trial. It will begin now," says Helm.

A small, very old looking man comes out from the other room carrying a stack of metal buckets. He also carries a pair of glowing sticks that aren't burning, and another stick that is. He sits down on the smooth floor and motions me to sit down too.

The old man sets the glowing sticks apart from each other, with the burning one in the middle. He then places the buckets upside-down, one on top of each of the glowing sticks. Before I realize what he is doing, he moves the buckets around. I get confused, and I cannot remember which one contains the glowing stick that is on fire. The old man stops moving the buckets then looks up at me.

"Choose," says the old man, in a voice that comes from my nightmares.

"Choose what?" I ask.

"CHOOOOOOSE."

"Do you want me to choose which one is still on fire?" I ask.

"Yesssss."

I look at the buckets then I look around. I realize that Mast is aiming a spear at me. I reach my hand out to touch the buckets. If I can feel which bucket is warm, then I will know which one contains the fire.

"NO," warns the old man.

Mast moves his spear close to my head. I pull my hand away from the buckets. I wish there was some way to tell which bucket had the burning stick inside. I look for smoke, but there is none.

I start to panic. I try to remember how the buckets were moved. No matter how hard I try, I cannot remember. I take in a deep breath and think. How can I figure out which one has the fire inside of it?

"Chooooooooose."

I look at the old man, hoping that I can tell by what he is looking at which bucket has the fire in it. But he is just looking straight at me.

Come on, Sam. Think!

After a long moment, I think I've it figured out.

I smile at the old man.

"Chooooooooose."

I just keep smiling. The old man looks angry.

"CHOOOOOOOSE."

He startles me, but I won't choose.

"CHOOSE NOOOOOW."

I don't choose.

"CHOOSE NOW OR DIE."

Mast raises the spear until the point just touches my head.

"None of them," I say.

The old man looks puzzled by my response. Then he looks at me and smiles. He lifts the bucket to my right. The glowing stick is not on fire.

The old man grows angry. His thin lips twist into an evil line of rage. He lifts another bucket, and again the glowing stick is not on fire. He throws both buckets away, and lifts the last bucket. No fire.

The old man throws the bucket at me. I put my arms up, and it bounces off.

"You cheated!" says the old man.

Mast lowers the spear. I look up at him, and he stares back at me. I look over at Helm, and he looks surprised, but relieved. I have passed the first test.

The old man stands up, spits on me, then goes back into the other room.

"How did you do that?" asks Helm. "Can you control fire?"

"No. It is something I figured out on my own. When I put out glowing sticks, instead of smashing them into the floor, or soaking them in a bucket of water, I set a bowl on top of them. After a while they go out on their own. I am not sure why. If I were to guess, I would say that fire is like people. It needs to breathe. If it can't breathe, it dies."

"That was supposed to be a test of your ability to focus," says Mast.

"Well, Sam passed, which is all that matters. Sam, you will be given time to rest outside before we begin the next trial," says Helm.

"Before we go, who is the old man?" I ask.

"It does not matter," says Mast.

"It matters to me," I say.

"Yes, but your knowing does not matter to us," says Mast.

I start to walk toward the other room, but Mast grabs me and pulls me back.

"No," is all he says.

Mast shoves me back toward the tunnel then points the spear at me. I decide to give up for now. But I want to know who that was. I turn around and head back through the long, carved out tunnel. Mast follows me, but Helm stays behind.

I make my way outside, and I'm happy to breathe fresh air again. I feel better now that I have passed my first test. I know that there are still more trials though, and I cannot be overconfident.

I lay down in a dry patch of clover and look up at the sky. Only a few clouds hang in the endless blue above me. I stare at one as it passes slowly overhead. I close my eyes and feel the cool wind move against my skin.

After I have calmed down, I sit up.

"I am ready for the next trial," I say.

"Then run," says Mast. "Before I kill you."

19

I
get up from the clover patch and run as fast as I can away from Mast. He waits a moment before chasing after me. I think it's to give me a chance to hide before he hunts me down and kills me.

Mast is bigger and stronger than me, but he has also seen many more snows than me. He is not young like I am, and he may not be able to run as far as me. He is also carrying a spear, and wearing armor, and they are slowing him down.

I head toward the field where we killed the wolves only a few days ago. I look behind me, and Mast is so far back that he is difficult to see. I do not have any weapons, and there is no place to hide. Once I am sure Mast won't catch me for a long while, I look for the spot where we killed the wolves.

When I finally find the place where we last hunted, I see mostly blood stained grass. The birds and smaller animals have already picked apart most of what was left of the deer. But there may still be something I can use here.

I look at one of the deer skeletons, and find a bone that a wolf bit in half. It has a sharp edge to it. I take the bone and cut what is left of the deer's skin. Very carefully, but very quickly, I cut as long of a strip as I can. The piece is only as long as my arm is, but it will have to do.

I also grab the antlers and try to pry them from the skull, but I am not strong enough. I stomp on the skull a number of times until finally the antlers break free. I put the sharp bone in a pocket on my chest, and I twist it to make sure it won't cut me. I also look around for small, loose stones. I find a few and try out my deer-skin sling.

The sling does not work as well as the one I normally use. I can't get the stones to fly as fast or as true as I can with my own, and this one spins much faster. After a few tries, I am used to the sling.

I look up and Mast is getting close. I use the sling to launch a rock at him. The first rock I send misses him by a great distance, but he stops coming after me. I send another rock flying at him, and this one misses as well. I can only guess that he wonders how I found a sling out here.

Mast raises his spear and continues walking toward me. I shoot one more rock at him, and it finds its target, but he deflects it with the spear. He is able to use it almost like a shield, protecting the parts of him that would take the most damage. I send another rock flying toward him, but he blocks that one just as easily.

I drop the sling, because I realize it will not do what I need it to. I pick up the antlers and hold one in each hand, with the branches aiming up and away from me.

Mast starts moving faster toward me, realizing that I have no way to attack him from a distance. I bend my knees, a little more than Ebb taught me, but I want to make myself a small target.

I yell as loud as I can, hoping to scare Mast. Startled, he slows down, but then runs even faster, yelling back at me.

He is now very near. It seems like everything slows down, as my heart beats fiercely inside my chest. The point of the spear cuts through the air, aimed straight at my stomach. I use the antlers to deflect the attack to my side, and the spear passes by me.

I can see Mast's face now, and he seems surprised by my weapons. The antlers won't work very well for stabbing, but they will protect me from the spear.

I kick at Mast with my foot, while holding the point of his spear to the ground. The spear is too long and I miss. Mast pulls the spear back, and easily slides away from the antlers.

Mast strikes again, but this time instead of moving the spear to my side with the antlers, I use them to push it upward into the air. I take a step, then another toward him, until the spear is pointing almost straight up. That is when I knee him in the groin.

The leather protects him some, but not enough. Mast lets go of the spear and bends over in pain. I hold the spear between the antlers then toss the spear away from us.

Mast is still folded over in pain. He sees me move in to attack again, and he puts a hand up, telling me to stop. I ignore it. I knee him in the face while he is bent over. Mast grabs his nose and falls to the ground.

I pull the small bone knife out of my pocket. I move in close to his face, punch it again to get my point across then hold the knife to his throat. He looks at me, wondering if I will actually kill him.

"Why shouldn't I kill you?" I ask.

He stares at me in silence.

"TELL ME!" I yell.

He doesn't even blink.

I take off his helmet and throw it on the ground. I grab him by the hair then punch his face as hard as I can. It makes him fall asleep.

I pocket the knife and pick up the spear. I realize that if I leave him here alone, the wolves will tear him apart as he sleeps. So instead of going back to the Crag, I stand guard. Both against the wolves, and against him.

It feels like it takes forever for Mast to wake up again. When he finally starts moving around, I tap his chest with the point of the spear.

"Try to attack me again, and I will kill you," I say.

Mast nods his head in understanding.

"We are heading back to the Crag now, so get up," I say.

Mast slowly gets up from the ground, picks up his helmet, and puts it back on his head. We walk back together. He keeps his arms at his sides. I keep the point of the spear pushed against his back.

"Why didn't you kill me?" asks Mast.

"Because I didn't want to kill you," I say.

"But I tried to kill you," says Mast.

"And you failed."

"I still tried."

"Did you really think you would be able to kill the Sky Child so easily?" I ask.

"So, you are finally starting to believe that you're the Sky Child?"

"No. I meant it as a joke. I beat you because I outsmarted you, and not because I am stronger, or faster, or a better fighter."

Mast does not respond.

"So why did you try to kill me?" I ask.

"It was part of the trials," says Mast. "If it matters to you, I did not want to kill you. I was hoping that you would kill me."

"Do you want to die?" I ask.

"No, but you were supposed to kill me if you won. It was my duty to attack you, to try and kill you, and I have fulfilled that duty. But I hoped that you would win."

"There is no way for me to 'win' these trials. Only in games are there winners. Trying to kill someone isn't a game. Games are meant to protect us from real war, real death. I either survive the trials, or I do not. But there is no winning. We all lose when someone tries to take a life."

When we get to the mouth of the Crag, Helm is waiting outside for us.

"Mast, I see that Sam has your spear. I knew I shouldn't have worried," says Helm.

"I am done with your trials," I say.

"There is still one more trial left," says Helm.

"Then I give up and you win," I say.

"Sam, you are so close to succeeding. You know we have to kill you if you do not finish the trials," says Helm.

"You can try. I am the one with the spear. How much longer will it be before I have the point of a spear in your back?" I ask.

"Sam, you know why we must do this, why you must go through the trials. It is to protect the hunters. We do not want to see you fail. Mast and I have both prayed to the Sky Gods that you succeed. He knew that he might die in that trial. In fact, he prayed to the Sky Gods for just that. He wanted to die, so that you might live and bring peace to the Crag," says Helm.

I really don't know how to feel. I start to wonder who has been telling Helm and Mast what their duties are. Are they just doing what has always been done, or is someone telling them what to do here and now? Is it the old man? And who is he?

"Fine. I will do the last trial," I say.

I only agree because I want to know who the old man is. If I am Leader of the Hunt, they will be forced to tell me.

"Then follow me, Sam," says Helm. "And you do not need to hold Mast captive anymore. You have succeeded in the trial, and he means you no more harm."

I look at the end of the spear. I move the point of it away from Mast's back then drop it on the ground. He picks it up off the ground. My arms are tired and sore, and I shake them some to get them working again. I may need them soon, because I do not know what I will face next.