Gorinthians (6 page)

Lendel stood looking
startled as Cha'le's small arms pulled him tightly against her,
hesitantly wrapping his uninjured arm around her. "I will have my
mother look at it as soon as I walk in the door,” he promised,
squeezing her tightly.

"I'll make sure that he
doesn't forget,” Li told her, patting her back
reassuringly.

Cha'le released Lendel
before she and Celdic began making their way up the trail that led
to their farm.

"Jen de' le, huh?" Cha'le
said with a raised eyebrow. "You know, I did a study on the Jen de'
le and I don't think you are one. What you described doesn't sound
like anything we have been taught and from the reactions of the
Elders, it doesn't sound like anything they have seen before
either."

"I agree,” Celdic said
quietly. "It just doesn't fit. It seems to me as if they are
grasping for something they are familiar with and trying to make it
fit into that mold."

"Do you remember what this
stranger from your vision looked like?" Cha'le asked
curiously.

"Yes,” Celdic replied,
frowning slightly. "He was taller than average and had
light-colored hair with blue eyes. I remember the eyes, because I
had made contact with them right before the vision ended and I
found myself back staring in the washbasin. They were as intense as
Tarya Selindria's eyes, but they were not shaped like cat eyes.
They seemed to radiate power. He was wearing normal looking
clothes, but they were all black. I didn't see any color on
him."

"What did his face look
like?" she probed, studying Celdic's features as he retold the
account. Deep concentration creased his face as he recalled the odd
experience.

"I don't know, just a face,”
Celdic shrugged. "I have never been good at describing the way
people look."

"I will bet you could
describe Li fairly well," she said archly. Cha'le had never seen
Celdic so out of countenance as he had been for the last few months
around Li. Li had always been beautiful, but Celdic had thought of
her as a friend for so long he had not realized just how beautiful
she was until Cha'le had asked him if he thought Li was pretty.
Once the thought had entered his head, he seemed unable to notice
anything else about her anymore.

"Well, that's a whole
different story," Celdic said dryly. "I enjoy looking at Li. I
didn't particularly enjoy looking at this person."

"Just out of curiosity, are
you ever going to make her an offering?” Cha'le was watching him
sideways, a hint of a smile on her generous lips.

"Every time I work myself up
to it, I get these huge butterflies in my stomach and I lose my
nerve,” Celdic laughed sheepishly. "It doesn't make any sense. I
mean I have known her all of my life."

Cha'le nodded her head
knowingly. "It is uncharted territory for both of you, so it is
only natural for you to be nervous. You do know she is completely
besotted with you, don't you?"

"Really?" Celdic asked,
grinning broadly. "Do you think I should give her an offering? I am
going to feel like the biggest fool in the world if she turns me
down."

"Trust me," Cha'le said with
a mysterious smile.

---

The two of them reached the
top of the rise where their house sat solidly on a rock foundation.
Opening the gate to the front yard, Celdic walked across the
grass-covered ground where chickens wandered around pecking at
seeds and made his way to the front door. He could see his mother
working in the kitchen. The dull thud of the axe coming from the
other side of the house meant his dad was in the back yard chopping
the firewood for the kitchen; Celdic’s nightly job. Trying to think
of the best way to describe why they were so late, Celdic walked
through the front door. He wished that he had spent some of the
time walking home trying to work on his explanation.

"We're home," Celdic
announced, as he walked through the sitting room to the
kitchen.

His mother looked up at him,
a searching expression in her dark eyes. She was wearing a plain
apron and had her long dark brown hair braided behind her back. She
was a slender woman with a youthful face that could convey a wide
range of emotions. She did not get angry like many of the other
women he knew. She had always let them know what her expectations
were. When you fell short of them, her expressive face would
communicate all of the disappointment she felt. All in all, Celdic
would have preferred her to scold him. His father was also a strong
believer in allowing a person's own guilt to punish them. He would
never say a word of reproach, but he did not need to. His
expression said it all.

Tonight was different
though. Instead of the cursory glance followed by the question of
where they had been he had expected, his mother pulled him and
Cha’le into a close embrace, and then called for their father to
come in for dinner.

Celdic glanced at Cha'le who
stood looking dumbstruck at the unexpected welcoming.

"Is everything all right,
Mother?" Celdic asked nervously, sharing a look with
Cha'le.

"Yes, I suppose things are
as well as it could be,” she said, sounding resigned. "We will talk
more about it when your father is with us. Help me set the table
while we are waiting for him please. Wash your hands
first."

Moving to the washbasin,
Celdic looked down, half expecting to go into another trance. His
reflection stared back at him, wavering slightly. He washed his
hands and began setting out the plates and cups while Cha'le set
out the silverware. Their father came in through the back door with
an armload of firewood he set in the basket under the baking oven.
As he straightened, he looked Celdic in the face for several
moments, as if he were trying to memorize his features.

"Let's all sit down, shall
we?" their father suggested.

Starting to feel slightly
alarmed, Celdic pulled a chair out from the table and sat down.
Cha'le sat down across from him, looking just as
puzzled.

"I will just cut to the meat
of this," their father said briskly. "The Elders were down to visit
earlier. They told us about some of your eventful day. They also
said that they spoke with the Chasel. The Chasel told them you and
your sister are going to be leaving soon. They do not know when,
where, or why. They just know that it will be very
soon."

Celdic was stunned. "Leave?
For how long?"

His father looked like he
was struggling with himself. Clearing his throat, he said, "They
were told you wouldn’t be coming back. Ever."

Cha'le slowly shook her head
in disbelief. "They must have misunderstood. Where would we go?
This is our home!"

"We don't know any of the
details," their father replied, "but the Elders think that soon
means within the next couple of days."

"Does this have anything to
do with what happened this afternoon," Celdic demanded, looking
back and forth between his parents, "with the stranger that
breached the boundary?"

Their parents shared a quick
look and then his mother answered, "It might. The Chasel has never
spoken to the Elders like this before. It told them that you and
your sister would be leaving as well as five others."

"Which others?" Cha'le cut
in before Celdic could ask.

"It only named you two. They
just referred to the others as the other chosen ones that would be
required to leave. Your father and I have prepared travel packs for
you that will be ready at all times if you have to leave in a
hurry."

Cha'le stared at her parents
suspiciously. Why was their mother so ready to let them leave when
she thought they would never return? Did she have that much faith
in what the Chasel could see?

"What else did the Chasel
tell them?" Cha'le asked directly. "You are leaving something out I
think we have a right to know."

Their parents shared another
quick glance. Their mother gave a small nod of her head and their
father let out a sigh. "There is going to be a war," he said with a
sigh. "Not for a couple of months, but we are supposed to finish
training everyone before it starts."

Cha'le was beginning to feel
numb with all of the shocks of the day. "Why would anyone want to
attack us? What have we done to make them so angry?"

"It has nothing to do with
that," their mother said. "Somehow they have found out about the
Chasel. Our people have only used it for choosing who will lead us
and for warning us of things that will affect our home. It is
capable of much more though. We do not understand it or know what
else it can do. We suspect that the people that will be attacking
the city know of other uses for it. Our people have sworn to
protect the Chasel since we were brought to the mountain country.
Now we will get our chance."

"I want to stay and help,"
Celdic announced firmly. "I am not just going to leave when our
people will need us the most."

"Me too," Cha'le added
resolutely. "I have certain investments here that I won't be
leaving."

"You two will be doing more
for us by leaving than you could do here or I am sure the Chasel
wouldn't have shown you leaving," their mother said just as
determinedly.

"Besides,” their father
said, "the Chasel predicts the future. It does not suggest or
command. It has seen that you two will leave. That is what will
happen."

They both looked at their
father helplessly. He cleared his throat again.

"You are both the most
gifted of your age. Rely on each other for help and work together.
If you do, no obstacles can stand in your way. Come here, both of
you," he said, opening his arms wide. They both went over and
embraced him. Cha'le had tears in her eyes that she tried to hold
back. Suddenly their mother was there, joining their embrace. First
one tear and then another began to trickle down Cha'le's cheeks.
They stood there for some time, knowing this might be their last
chance to show their love for each other. Outside, the nearly full
moon rose over the tops of the mountains to illuminate the mountain
city of Chasel Ri’ Aven.

Chapter 5

The morning air was cold and
crisp, with the sun still hiding behind the eastern horizon. The
morning seemed to be holding its breath and even the crickets had
quieted their evening serenade. Several leagues outside the city, a
covey of quail launched themselves into the air, as they were
startled out of their roosting. Near the cottage where Celdic and
his family lived, the roosters were beginning to crow into the
still air. It was time to wake up. A few groans from within the
house made it clear that some of the inhabitants did not
agree.

Celdic seriously considered
not getting out of bed. The morning noise interrupted his dream and
he was trying to recall it. He thought that it had involved Li and
they were in one of the meadows located in the small forest outside
the city. She had said something to him that had brought a warm
flush to his skin. He was just getting ready to respond when
another rooster crowed right outside his window, demanding he
arise. Then he remembered what had happened the previous day and he
jumped out of bed. He heard a small yell and immediately jumped
back in the bed.

"Watch where you're putting
those boats, human!” a small voice threatened. "Next time you try
to stomp me like that, I'll bite them off!"

Celdic looked down at the
floor in amazement and then shook his head several times. Looking
down at the floor, he still saw what appeared to be a three-inch
high human, except that this human had fangs and clawed hands. It
was wearing a loincloth and sandals that looked homemade. Its hair
was shoulder-length and looked like he had not combed it in a year.
Its bare upper torso and legs were mud-stained and dirty. Sure that
he must still be dreaming, Celdic went over to the washbasin on his
nightstand and splashed some water onto his face. He turned around
to see the odd creature blinking at him curiously.

"Are you real?” Celdic
asked, only half expecting an answer.

"I could bite you,” the
creature offered with a feral grin. "If you bleed then we can agree
that I am real."

"Wha-, I mean, who are you?”
Celdic caught himself trying not to be rude.

"What am I or who am I?” The
creature asked sounding amused.

"Either, I guess," Celdic
said stupidly, "or both."

The creature looked very
amused at Celdic's reaction. "My name is Thistledown and I am a
descendant of the Tree Gnomes. I seem to have changed a lot,
though, from what my parents were. I suppose that you have to
expect that living next to the Rajan Gardens."

"Wait a minute,” Celdic
contended. "Tree Gnomes don't look anything at all like you. They
are just rodents."

"Rodents, eh?” Thistledown
said, scratching his head thoughtfully. "Well I guess that they
would look like rodents if I were as big as you are. Like I said, I
seem to have changed quite a bit."

He seemed somewhat saddened
about the change and Celdic wondered what it must have been like
for him to be so different from all of the rest of his people.
Suddenly feeling a kinship to the little man because of his own
oddities, Celdic was unexpectedly pleased to have met
Thistledown.