The Cluster by the Woods was drawing out of sight when Arlen realized he hadnât told anyone to come see the Jongleur.
2 (#litres_trial_promo)
If It Was You 319 AR (#litres_trial_promo)
They had just enough time to stow the cart and check the wards before the corelings came. Silvy had little energy for cooking, so they ate a cold meal of bread, cheese, and sausage, chewing with little enthusiasm. The demons came soon after sunset to test the wards, and every time the magic flared to throw them back, Norine cried out. Marea never touched her food. She sat on her pallet with her arms wrapped tightly around her legs, rocking back and forth and whimpering whenever the magic flared. Silvy cleared the plates, but she never returned from the kitchen, and Arlen could hear her crying.
Arlen tried to go to her, but Jeph caught his arm. âCome talk with me, Arlen,â he said.
They went into the small room that housed Arlenâs pallet, his collection of smooth rocks from the brook, and all his feathers and bones. Jeph selected one of these, a brightly coloured feather about ten inches long, and fingered it as he spoke, not looking Arlen in the eye.
Arlen knew the signs. When his father wouldnât look at him, it meant he was uncomfortable with whatever he wanted to talk about.
âWhat you saw on the road with the Messengerââ Jeph began.
âRagen explained it to me,â Arlen said. âUncle Cholie was dead already, he just didnât know it right away. Sometimes people live through an attack, but die anyway.â
Jeph frowned. âNot how I would have put it,â he said. âBut true enough, I suppose. Cholie â¦â
âWas a coward,â Arlen finished.
Jeph looked at him in surprise. âWhat makes you say that?â he asked.
âHe hid in the cellar because he was scared to die, and then killed himself because he was scared to live,â Arlen said. âBetter if he had just picked up an axe and died fighting.â
âI donât want to hear that kind of talk,â Jeph said. âYou canât fight demons, Arlen. No one can. Thereâs nothing to be gained by getting yourself killed.â
Arlen shook his head. âTheyâre like bullies,â he said. âThey attack us because weâre too scared to fight back. I hit Cobie and the others with that stick, and they didnât bother me again.â
âCobie ent a rock demon,â Jeph said. âNo stick is going to scare those off.â
âThereâs got to be a way,â Arlen said. âPeople used to do it. All the old stories say so.â
âThe stories say there were magic wards to fight with,â Jeph said. âThe fighting wards are lost.â
âRagen says they still fight demons in some places. He says it can be done.â
âIâm going to have a talk with that Messenger,â Jeph grumbled. âHe shouldnât be filling your head with such thoughts.â
âWhy not?â Arlen said. âMaybe more people would have survived last night, if all the men had gotten axes and spears â¦â
âThey would be just as dead,â Jeph finished. âThereâs other ways to protect yourself and your family, Arlen. Wisdom. Prudence. Humility. Itâs not brave to fight a battle you canât win.
âWho would care for the women and the children if all the men got themselves cored trying to kill what canât be killed?â he went on. âWho would chop the wood and build the homes? Who would hunt and herd and plant and slaughter? Who would seed the women with children? If all the men die, the corelings win.â
âThe corelings are already winning,â Arlen muttered. âYou keep saying the town gets smaller each year. Bullies keep coming when you donât fight back.â
He looked up at his father. âDonât you feel it? Donât you want to fight sometimes?â
âOf course I do, Arlen,â Jeph said. âBut not for no reason. When it matters, when it really matters, all men are willing to fight. Animals run when they can, and fight when they must, and people are no different. But that spirit should only come out when needed.
âBut if it was you out there with the corelings,â he said, âor your mam, I swear I would fight like mad before I let them get near you. Do you understand the difference?â
Arlen nodded. âI think so.â
âGood man,â Jeph said, squeezing his shoulder.
Arlenâs dreams that night were filled with images of hills that touched the sky, and ponds so big you could put a whole town on the surface. He saw yellow sand stretching as far as his eyes could see, and a walled fortress hidden in the trees.
But he saw it all between a pair of legs that swayed lazily before his eyes. He looked up, and saw his own face turning purple in the noose.
He woke with a start, his pallet damp with sweat. It was still dark, but there was a faint lightening on the horizon, where the indigo sky held a touch of red. He lit a candle stub and pulled on his overalls, stumbling out to the common room. He found a crust to chew on as he took out the egg basket and milk jugs, putting them by the door.
âYouâre up early,â said a voice behind him. He turned, startled, to find Norine staring at him. Marea was still on her pallet, though she tossed in her sleep.
âThe days donât get any longer while you sleep,â Arlen said.
Norine nodded. âSo my husband used to say,â she agreed. ââBaleses and Cutters canât work by candlelight, like the Squares,â heâd say.â
âI have a lot to do,â Arlen said, peeking through the shutter to see how long he had before he could cross the wards. âThe Jongleur is supposed to perform at high sun.â
âOf course,â Norine agreed. âWhen I was your age, the Jongleur was the most important thing in the world to me, too. Iâll help you with your chores.â
âYou donât have to do that,â Arlen said. âDa says you should rest.â
Norine shook her head. âRest just makes me think of things best left unthought,â she said. âIf Iâm to stay with you, I should earn my keep. After chopping wood in the Cluster, how hard could it be to slop pigs and plant corn?â
Arlen shrugged, and handed her the egg basket.
With Norineâs help, the chores went by fast. She was a quick learner, and no stranger to hard work and heavy lifting. By the time the smell of eggs and bacon wafted from the house, the animals were all fed, the eggs collected, and the cows milked.
âStop squirming on the bench,â Silvy told Arlen as they ate.
âYoung Arlen canât wait to go see the Jongleur,â Norine advised.
âMaybe tomorrow,â Jeph said, and Arlenâs face fell.
âWhat!â Arlen cried. âButââ
âNo buts,â Jeph said. âA lot of work went undone yesterday, and I promised Selia Iâd drop by the Cluster in the afternoon to help out.â
Arlen pushed his plate away and stomped into his room.
âLet the boy go,â Norine said when he was gone. âMarea and I will help out here.â Marea looked up at the sound of her name, but went back to playing with her food a moment later.
âArlen had a hard day, yesterday,â Silvy said. She bit her lip. âWe all did. Let the Jongleur put a smile on his face. Surely thereâs nothing that canât wait.â
Jeph nodded after a moment. âArlen!â he called. When the boy showed his sullen face, he asked, âHow much is old Hog charging to see the Jongleur?â