The Forest at the Edge of the World (46 page)

Tabbit nodded at her husband, got out of her chair, and went over to kiss her niece’s son on the cheek. “You’ll find a way to su
cceed, Perrin. I have complete faith in you. Mahrree, Jaytsy, and the new baby will all be fine.”

“Thank you, Auntie.” He gave her a practiced smile.

After Tabbit left, Hogal said, “Perrin, why did you come to see me? You’re surrounded by far more experienced men than me in matters of battle and Guarders.”

Perrin stared at the table. “About eleven years ago I sat with you talking about things,” he said vaguely.

“I remember,” Hogal smiled. “That was a wonderful time.”

Perrin scoffed. “I was an insufferable eighteen-year-old beast! You’re too kind. Always were.” He paused, then said, “One evening you were teaching me about . . . the Refuser.”

Hogal nodded slowly. “I remember that quite well, too. What did I say to you then?”

Perrin continued to examine the table, yet without fully seeing it. “That he was a son of the Creator who refused to take this test we’re all in, and that many of the Creator’s children followed him into exile. Their spirits are here, in this world. While the Creator gave us this world, the Refuser stole it for himself and has sought to control and destroy those of us willing to take the test. He’s here, with those who followed him, making this existence as miserable as possible.”

“Very good,” Hogal said. “You could teach it for me this Holy Day.”

Perrin didn’t smile.

“But that wasn’t
all
I told you, was it, my boy?”

Perrin shook his head. “No,” he whispered. “You said som
ething else that I’ve chosen to forget over the years, but keeps coming back at the most unexpected moments. It came back again today, when I opened this message.”

“What did I tell you eleven years ago, Perrin?”

After a long pause, Perrin said quietly, “That the Refuser knows me intimately. That while he hates all of us, he feels that hatred even more keenly for me. There are a few he most ardently seeks to destroy, and I am near the top of that list. The world really
is
out to get me.”

Hogal sighed. “Perrin, you have no idea how hard it was for me to say that to an eighteen-year-old boy. But you had to know it. I didn’t know if I would ever get another chance, and I also knew I would never get a decent night’s sleep until I did. For weeks I was plagued with the same dream and the same message that I had to d
eliver to you.”

“Why
me,
Hogal?” Perrin whispered. His chin began to tremble and he pressed his lips together tightly for a moment to regain control. “Why my wife? My children? They’re so innocent.”

“I really don’t know, Perrin.” Hogal’s voice grew husky. “You must have a great future ahead of you. Enormous power, influence, abilities. The Refuser targets those who can do the most damage to him and his plans. You could take it as a great compliment that he hates you so much.”

Perrin rolled his eyes. “I’ve done nothing special, Hogal! Not as if I’ll do anything important, either.”

“What did you tell me you were going to become, the first day of that visit eleven years ago, Perrin? Remember?”

Perrin closed his eyes. “I don’t want to be a general anymore, Hogal,” he said. “I look at what my father does, and who he does it with—I want nothing of that life. But I could never tell him that. I don’t ever want to leave Edge. I
can’t
be the general.”

Hogal put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t think about that right now, Perrin. Much can happen in the next twenty years. Think i
nstead about the next twenty days. Or twenty minutes. You’re not alone in this. When the Refuser targets someone, who steps in to help?”

“The Creator,” Perrin said, his voice breaking.

Hogal slid the note over to him. “Here’s the first bit of assistance. Someone with knowledge,
on their side
, went to extraordinary measures to get this to you.”

“And I wonder why.” Perrin picked it up. “If they’re so evil—”

“Not necessarily, Perrin. Each one of us has tendencies towards good and evil. The test of this existence is to see how often we listen to one side or the other. What do we truly crave, the light or the darkness? Whoever sent this to you has spent much of his life in darkness, but occasionally a spark of light catches his eyes, triggers his conscience, and reminds him of who he truly is—a child of the Creator, not a slave of the Refuser. For one moment the author of that note followed that memory and was seared by a conscience he’s neglected for who knows how long. I’ll pray tonight that he clings to it.”

“Then so will I, as well as pray for many
other
things,” Perrin murmured.

“For what it’s worth, Perrin, I think you would make a fantastic general. The world needs to be led by men like you.”

“Right now, I think I’d do better leading a herd of cattle.”

Hogal smiled faintly. “You need to go, Perrin. I feel that not
hing will happen tonight, but very soon. You need to start preparing immediately.”

“I feel it too. We’ll be up all night working on plans. I refuse to give in to the Refuser. Hogal, pray for me?”

“I always am, my boy.”

---

Mahrree’s mouth moved up and down before she could make any words come out. “But . . . you barely got in! And you have to go out again? All night?!”

“I’m sorry, again,” he said, kissing her on the lips. “But you just said, you haven’t felt any pains since midday meal, right? Maybe the danger has passed.”

She didn’t kiss him back. “But . . . I was really counting on you being here tonight.”

His eyes sparked mischievously. “Mm, so was I! A few things to
argue
about . . .”

Mahrree exhaled in exasperation. “You know what I mean! B
esides that.” She giggled in spite of her frustration. “I need an extra set of hands to help me with her,” she gestured to Jaytsy who was crawling fast to her father.

“I ran into Tabbit this afternoon, and she said she can come over to help tomorrow. She can give Jaytsy a bath in the morning, and I’ll get her tired before I leave,” he said, picking up his daughter. He grunted loudly as he pretended to strain at the effort, and Jaytsy squealed. “You’re so big!” he rubbed noses with her. “Look at my big girl, and those tiny teeth, sharp as knives! I should start feeding you steak.”

Mahrree couldn’t stay mad at him, not when he played with his daughter who adored him.

Jaytsy grabbed at his face and squealed again as he tried to bite her fingers. They always played more aggressively than Mahrree did. She sat and read books to her daughter, which was about all she could handle right now. But Jaytsy didn’t mind; she saved up all her energy for her father. He growled at her, she screamed at him—they were a great combination.

Mahrree plopped on the sofa and grumbled. 

Perrin put Jaytsy on the floor and started crawling and growling after her. Jaytsy growled too, screamed in delighted terror, then turned to bat at her father.

“You’re turning her into a wild animal. You know that, don’t you?” Mahrree accused.

“I’m toughening her up!” Perrin said in a loud growl which Jaytsy matched.

“When do you have to leave?”

“In about ten minutes!” he roared. Jaytsy screamed and laughed.

“And when will you be back?”

“I’m not sure!” he howled in a wolf impersonation. Jaytsy star
ted to chase him back, gnashing her small teeth.

“And your father didn’t tell you about this until now?”

“The message came in the late afternoon.” Perrin scrambled to hide behind a stuffed chair. Jaytsy kept up her pursuit, giggling all the way.

“So for how many nights?”

“Unsure!” he cried in a mock squeal of horror as Jaytsy touched his leg and roared at him.

“Days? Weeks?”

“Maybe!”

“Can you come home during the day? To sleep? For us to see you?”

“I’ll try!” he squealed in a high pitch as he scramble-crawled away from Jaytsy. “Have to get a clean uniform!” Jaytsy was laughing so hard she could barely crawl.

“Yes, Jaytsy’s looking exhausted now. I thank you for that,” Mahrree said, dejected. “It’s so cold outside, too. Full fort night p
atrols? Really, what kind of Guarders will be out now?”

“We’re drilling in case they change their tactics!” he said in the frantic tone of one being pursued by an infant with sharp teeth and a
desire to taste her first meat. He came around the sofa where Mahrree sat, got up on his knees and kissed her belly. Panting, he looked up into her worried face. “I’ll dress warmly, and I’ll be just fine. You stay here and . . . don’t worry.” He kissed her again and this time she returned it.

“I
don’t like the sound of this, Perrin. For some reason I’m feeling very uneasy.”

He waved that off. “That’s just your condition,” he assured her, putting his hand on her belly. Whoever was in there rolled and kicked at his hand. Perrin chuckled as Mahrree grimaced. “Jaytsy never kicked that hard, did she?”

“Not that I remember,” Mahrree said. “But the motion is very much like you at night. I’m guessing Little Perrin is in there this time.”

“That’s why I need to toughen up Jaytsy,” he winked at her, “to handle a little brother. I heard those can be rough—OW!” He’d fo
rgotten about Jaytsy in pursuit.

Mahrree and Perrin looked down at their daughter, her teeth sunk deep into her father’s calf. She released him, his trouser’s leg clearly showing eight small indentations in a circle. She looked up at them with dark brown eyes, enormous with worry.

“Oh, she’s tough all right.” Mahrree giggled. “Jaytsy, don’t cry, sweety. Your father didn’t mean to startle you.”

Perrin twisted to pick her up, gave her kiss, and placed her on the sofa next to Mahrree. “Did I at least taste good?”

Jaytsy giggled.

Perrin sat down on the floor and pulled up his trouser’s leg to inspect the damage. “Look at that. She nearly punctured my flesh! No, she can handle a little brother, all right.” He chuckled and looked up into Mahrree’s face.

Her eyes were filled with tears. “Why am I so worried, Perrin?”

He placed a hand on her belly. “No pains, right?”

“No pains, but . . .”

“Your
condition, my darling wife. Merely your emotions running away with you again. I’ll be fine, all will be secured, and you and Jaytsy will be fine, too.”

“Dress warmly?” she sniffed.

“I’ve got my overcoat and gloves, so don’t worry.”

“Telling me to not worry is like telling Jaytsy to not bite you. Useless.”

“I love you,” he said before giving her one last kiss.

“So much that you leave me?” she moped.

He stood up and put his cap back on. “So much that I
have
to. See you in the morning.”

---

Tuma Hifadhi didn’t feel even a twinge of guilt for knocking loudly on the door so early in the morning. He kept pounding to make sure the message was received. It was.

Hew Gleace yanked opened his door, still blinking the sleep out of his eyes.

“Tuma? Tuma! What’s wrong? Why are you here so early?”

Without waiting for an invitation, the stooped man with faded gray hair and skin stepped quickly into the room so
Hew could shut the door to the outside cold.

“We have very little time, Hew. We need to move men out, immediately.”

Hew blinked several times. “What? Why?”

“It was made known to me very early this morning. We need them readied and on their way within the hour.”

Hew both nodded and shook his head to shake out the sleep and to make sense of Tuma’s words. “Are you sure?”

Tuma didn’t move a muscle.

“I’m sorry,” Hew said. “Of course you’re sure. Who am I to question . . . So, how many do you need?”

“How many do we have?”

-
--

Staff Sergeant Gizzada stood outside the shop trying not to look conspicuous as he waited for it to open. He shifted nervously not because he was cold—his army-issued woolen overcoat kept him quite toasty—but because he never visited this part of the market. He was usually several shops away at one of the bakeries awaiting the fresh goods to come out of the ovens. They even knew his name down there, but no one here was familiar with him.

That was probably why the older woman coming up to her door
regarded him suspiciously. “Is there something wrong, soldier?” she asked, looking him up and down as she pulled out her key for the latch on the door.

“No, no!” he beamed, his dark rosy cheeks nearly purple with the cold and his nervousness. “I just need a . . . coat.”

She unlatched the door. “That overcoat is as fine as anything I have in here.”