Moons' Dreaming (Children of the Rock) (21 page)

For the past few days, Doron had been intending to remind him that he had better things to do with his time than to mend
fences and chop wood. A little
fun on the bath house floor didn
’
t change that. Certainly there was no reason to resent a man being true to his vows. She said,
“
Don
’
t forget the Abstainers.
”

Pirse glanced at her, all brisk efficiency.
“
Plenty of time. Trust me.
”

“
Well, if there
’
s no hurry,
”
Savyea said brightly,
“
don
’
t mind me. Just go on with what you were doing. Priorities are everything, you know.
”

A scent of sun-warmed earth and cut clover lingered in the air after the Dreamer disappeared. Doron found herself sharing a bemused, somewhat embarrassed look with the prince. Then she remembered he was leaving.
“
I
’
ll go ahead to Tamik
’
s,
”
she said, turning away.
“
Tell them you
’
re coming.
”

“
Doron.
”
He grabbed her upper arm and tried to peer into her face.
“
What
’
s wrong?
”

“
Don
’
t, Your Highness.
”
She gazed levelly at him.
“
I
’
ve done my part. You
’
re well again.
”

“
There
’
s more between us than that.
”

She pulled firmly out of his grasp.
“
I
’
m no innocent girl to need pretty words and well-meaning reassurances. You
’
ve work to do. Let that be the end of it.
”

Once more she started for the door. His voice behind her was cool, determined.
“
I
’
ll be back.
”

“
The villagers will welcome you, I
’
m sure.
”

“
See that you do,
”
was his parting remark as she escaped from the room.

* * *

There was no evidence of sheep in Tamik
’
s barn, for his flocks had been out on the mountain all summer. Instead, the large structure smelled primarily of the hay stored in its upper reaches and the vegetables in the root cellar below. During the winter, the entire village would be fed out of the surplus put aside in the shepherd
’
s barn. When Pirse entered, a fair number of the Keepers were already present, standing in a loose circle on the bare clay floor, most talking quietly with the people nearest them. In the center of the circle stood Tamik, Doron, and a woman with long, dusty-brown braids who could only be the stranger from Alder.

Pirse tried to slip into the circle, but a few determined hands propelled him into the center beside the barn
’
s owner.

Doron said,
“
Jonna, I think this is everyone. Will you tell us what happened?
”

“
Six Abstainers,
”
the woman replied immediately.
“
We missed a few goats a nineday ago, but Corl thought it was wolves. Then seven days ago the storage cave at the head of the valley was ransacked. Some items stolen, but most destroyed, trampled, casks smashed open. The next day we saw them for the first time. Four men and two women, we think. They fired both farms on the south bank of the creek. You know where I mean, Hanig,
”
she added, directly addressing one of the Juniper Ridge women. Hanig nodded grimly.

“
Was anyone hurt?
”
Tamik asked.

“
Aussol was burned trying to save his chickens. I don
’
t know how serious it is. I left first thing in the morning. That was five days ago. Who knows what
’
s happened since?
”
She looked past Tamik.
“
We
’
re a small village, Highness. Seventeen families scattered the length of a valley.
”

“
I know the place,
”
Pirse replied.
“
I visited five years ago with Captain Cratt and a troop of the Queen
’
s guards.
”

Jonna
’
s expression grew, if anything, more serious.
“
I remember the captain, though I don
’
t remember you. They were following up a report of Abstainers to the south.
”

“
I
’
m afraid we never found them. It
’
s conceivable this is the same group. Or part of that group.
”

“
You have experience with these people.
”
The statement from Tamik was accompanied by one of the shepherd
’
s judicious scowls.

Somewhere in the ring of listening villagers a voice said,
“
If you can call them people.
”

Pirse said solemnly,
“
There has been some discussion on that very point. We say we are all Children of the Rock.
”

“
But they deny that,
”
another voice muttered darkly.

“
They make no vows,
”
Hanig agreed.
“
They recognize no system of cooperation between individuals, since even the simplest cooperation requires the making and keeping of agreements.
”

“
Whatever they are,
”
Jonna interrupted,
“
they have to be stopped.
”

“
Seventeen families,
”
Doron said.
“
Even spread out as Alder is, that
’
s a lot of people for six Abstainers to face. Perhaps they
’
ll have already moved on.
”

“
Possible, but not likely
,” Pirse said.
“
Once they make a successful raid on a given community they keep coming back until there
’
s nothing left. There have been Abstainers at least as far back as Redmother memories and Shaper records go, and we
’
ve yet to find an answer to their violence.
”

“
Short of death,
”
Jonna said softly.

“
Short of death,
”
Pirse agreed. The villagers stirred restlessly. He looked at them, once more feeling out of place. Keepers
’
vows centered on sustaining and maintaining the fabric of the world. Death as part of the natural cycle they accepted without question or discomfort. To consciously choose the death of another person, even so dubious a person as an Abstainer, was almost inconceivable to them. Fortunately, Shapers had a different way of looking at things.

“
I will go to Alder,
”
he continued.
“
I have my sword, but I
’
ll need a horse, and the names of anyone in Alder who might be able to help me. Former guards, perhaps?
”

“
There are a few,
”
Jonna said.

The potter raised his voice.
“
My horse is the closest you
’
ll find to saddle-trained between here and Bronle. Take her, and welcome.
”

Pirse smiled his thanks.
“
I
’
ll send her back as soon as I
’
m able.
”

“
Send her back?
”
Tamik asked.
“
You
’
re leaving us, then?
”

“
I
’
m afraid so.
”

The silence which followed his statement was thoughtful.
“
You
’
re not returning to Bronle,
”
Tamik said, the words more statement than question. If anyone in Juniper Ridge intended to betray Pirse to his uncle, they had not done so yet. Most of the villagers had accepted Pirse without question, on the recommendation of Jordy and Ivey, who were known and respected
—
unlike Palle, the man behind a growing number of unpopular edicts and proclamations that had come south from the capital in the ninedays since Dea
’
s death.

“
No. Not yet.
”

Tamik gave a curt nod.
“
Good.
”

“
What about you, Jonna?
”
Pirse asked.
“
Palle is king, and he has commanded that I stand before the law readers. Do you think I should obey?
”

“
He may be king, but he hasn
’
t kept the Abstainers from our doors.
”

“
No, he hasn
’
t. But I will. Alder needs its prince. After that, there are dragons in the north. That
’
s where my duty lies.
”

“
Go to keep your vows, and the gods go with you.
”
The old platitude, uttered in Hanig
’
s reedy voice, seemed to provide a satisfactory conclusion to the meeting as far as the Keepers were concerned, and they began to leave the barn. Those who had gotten to know Pirse stopped to wish him well and offer their support should he ever return to their village. Tamik urged Pirse to gather his horse and any supplies he needed promptly if he intended to get on the road before nightfall. Pirse looked around for Doron. He wanted her with him, just in case she might have some final, useful advice to add before he left.

But she was gone.

* * *

Summer had turned toward autumn. Jordy leaned against the back rest of his wagon
’
s driver
’
s seat
. One hand on the reins and a fraction of his attention were sufficient to keep Stockings moving along at her usual steady pace. Most of his thoughts were occupied with how best to use the remaining days of the trading season.

He watched the passing scenery. This was lake country, the terrain flat for the most part, heavily forested from their present position all the way back to the village of White Water, three days
’
journey to the south. With the exception of an occasional shepherd or two, no one lived in the mountains beyond White Water anymore. Very few people dwelt anywhere in the region, although Jordy thought it must once have been a beautiful place to live. Every few miles there was a lake, sometimes large, sometimes little more than a pond, always deep and full of fish. After so many ninedays of living on what game Jordy could procure with rock or bow, Tob was enthusiastic about lake fish dinners.

A break in the trees on the eastern side of the road gave Jordy a brief glimpse of flashing sunlight on the lake where he intended to camp on this particular night. Another day
’
s travel and they would reach the small village of Long Pine. If the weather held and they continued north, six more days would bring them straight to Broadford; six days of fallow fields, abandoned farm sites, and lonely, empty village squares whose names even the Redmothers had forgotten. Or, they could take the road that led east out of Long Pine and cross the Broad River just before it fell into the marshes that separated Sitrine from the land of the horse people. He had good customers in Sitrine, and the villages were only one or two days apart. They could work profitably all the way north to Raisal, then back into Rhenlan along the coast. The only drawback was that it would take ninedays to complete that route. By then it would be well into autumn, and they would be lucky to reach home before snow closed the roads for the winter.

Besides, he wanted to see his wife.

In the back of the wagon, Tob sat up.
“
Dad? What
’
s that noise?
”