Servants and Followers (The Legends of Arria, Volume 2) (6 page)

“
The
wolves
…
” Basha said, turning around. “The wolves, Oaka. I think they
were
Black Wolves, Hyena
Wolves.”

“
The
wolves
? T
hey can’t be Black Wolves.” Oaka said, shaking his head.
“Those are Doomba’s wolves, why would Doomba’s wolves be chasing
after us?”

“
The Black
Wolves
,
they were hunting us, but not for food.” Basha said, still
looking back the way they had come. “I think they were chasing us
for sport, or something like that, why else would they want to
leave us alive? And the rats
,
and the
gruelmoff
,
” He gasped, turning back around to Oaka. “Do you remember
the gruelmoff, Oaka? The one that nearly chased us when we were
children, 8 years old or so, and then
the
Old Man appeared to save us
!
”

“
He
wasn’t
…
” Oaka said, his brain rattling as he shook his head
furiously. “No, no, that did not happen, that was just a story you
told
,
and
it got
confused
…
”

“
Wake up, Oaka, it
did happen
,
just like this!” Basha cried as he wondered why
any of it had happened. “And
maybe
…
”

“
Maybe they have had
their fill,” Oaka said, and then stopped as he realized what he was
talking about. “I mean, I don’t think they
would have left us
…
” He said, wishing that he had
not opened his mouth as Basha stared at him
in horror. How could he be so callous and
cruel?

“
You fellows really
are fools! They weren’t after you, they were after me!” A voice
yelped. The two young men stopped, and turned their heads, looking
up
…

“
Holy Sitha,” Oaka
said, shuddering. “That bird
,
it really did talk, did it not?”
He asked Basha.

“
I told you so.”
Basha said.

“
My name is Fato,”
The bird on the branch said, “And I happen to be a falcon, you
disrespectful idiot with balnor in your brain!”

“
I am not an idiot,
you foul-mouthed falcon!” Oaka cried, striding up to the tree. “You
are the one that got us into this mess?” He asked, grasping the
trunk and trying to climb it.

“
Those wolves would
have torn us to pieces, if
poor old Sir
Nickleby had not stopped to fight, and our horses had not nearly
run themselves to death!” Oaka trembled, as he slid down the trunk.
“At least you had the advantage of being able to fly ahead, while
we were left to fend for ourselves!” He cried, still trembling, as
he looked down towards the ground.
Why couldn’t he have summoned up that fire?

“
Oaka, calm down.”
Basha said. “He did warn us, Oaka,” Basha said, coming up to him.
“Or at least he warned me.”

“
I am sorry for what
happened,” Fato said, clearing his throat. “To
Sir Nickleby, especially,” He said, hesitantly. “I suppose
you are right about all of that, but the rest of
us
…
we’re fine enough, though, aren’t we?” He asked. “And
I think you two need some help. If I were to come
along with you two
…
”

“
Help? We don’t need
any help from you!” Oaka said, shaking his head and turning away
from the bird. “We can handle ourselves, thank you very much. And
we especially do not need help from the likes of you, who would fly
away at the first sign of trouble. No thanks.” Oaka muttered,
crossing his arms.

“
I’m sorry, okay?
That’s the best I can do.” Fato said. “I’m a falcon, but I’ve got
some experience in traveling, and I can see things farther away
than any of you can. I’ve flown countless miles, and I know
that
…
a bird is a bird, and a human is just a human,” Fato said,
about ready to turn and fly away.

“
Wait a minute,”
Basha said, holding up his hand as he turned towards Fato.
“We’re
…
I’m sorry for the way Oaka talks.” Oaka gasped;
how dare
Basha apologi
ze
for
…
“It’s just that
we’ve suffered a loss.” Basha continued. “Our
mentor, Sir Nickleby was the most experienced person we’ve ever
known, especially when it came to traveling and fighting,
and
we’ve known him for years,” Basha
said, looking up at the bird. “It’s just a shock. I know that, if
you could have, you would have faced those wolves
yourself.”

“
What are you doing?”
Oaka asked Basha.

Fato slowly nodded.
“Yes, it’s true, if I could have fought, I would
have
,
but I just could not stand up against those wolves myself,”
Fato said, looking down at himself. “All I’ve got to defend myself,
and attack, are these beak and talons, and
I’m no match against them. No match against them whatsoever,
all I could do was fly away.” He said, looking down at the boys.
“But I’ve got my mind, and that’s as sharp as ever, sharp enough to
know things, to see things, and to hear things, and I could be
useful enough to make up for
…
” He hesitated.

“
No one can replace
Sir Nickleby!” Oaka insisted.

“
Well, I can’t make
up for your lost mentor, but I can try to be useful if you would
let me come.” Fato huffed.

“
Oaka, listen to
him.” Basha said, dropping his voice. “He’s serious, and I think we
should consider
.
”

“
Are you out of your
mind, Basha?” Oaka said, dropping his voice as well. “He
just
…
you must be crazy after what just happened to Sir
Nickleby!
” Oaka insisted. He
knew that he certainly was. “
And it could
happen to us if
…
”

“
There must be a
reason, Oaka.” Basha said. “There must be a reason why
those wolves were after Fato.” Basha seemed ready
to say something else just then. “And we have to help him,
and
we do need help.” Basha said, as
if
…
no,
Basha
was not ready to believe it then. The creatures
were not after him, not the crows, not the gruelmoff, not the rats
and not even the Black Wolves. “We don’t know the first thing about
traveling through this country, and
…
”

“
He’s a bird! What
can he know about what humans
…”
Oaka flapped his mouth a bit,
flabbergasted, and then grunted. “Besides, what would be the
reason?” He asked.

“
Royal messenger
bird!” The falcon called, and the two young men turned around to
face Fato just as he started to sing, “Fato the falcon, Fato the
falcon, royal messenger bird extraordinaire! Who is the one bird
you can depend on to deliver the message that will save the day?”
His song hit the high and low octaves, a noble tune that seemed
familiar to them even though they had never heard it before. He
apparently had been listening to their conversation, and seemed
desperate to prove himself.

“
This
is
…
”
Oaka said, confused and furious once more.

“
Wait a minute, Oaka,
I think it might be true.” Basha said. “I think
…
Battle of Weasel Fall,
in the War of the 3
^rd
Ascension, do you remember that story in school?”
He said, “King Vivolan the 2
^nd
wanted a message sent, and
so they got
…
”

“
Wait a minute, that
was
…
wasn’t that almost 2,000 years ago?” Oaka asked, interrupting
Basha, “And
I think I would have heard
if
…
”
Oaka hesitated, trying to recall his school lessons, or if he had
read this in a book somewhere. “Royal messenger bird?” He repeated,
turning around to stare at Fato. “They’ve got the spell to make
animals talk?” He asked, remembering now that was the big deal
about Weasel Fall.

“
Point of fact, it
was a spell for birds to learn and speak human language,” Fato
said, “They found it again about 15 years ago, after it had been
lost for all of these centuries. Personally, I think it was passed
down from the god Dalan to all you humans so that you could
understand what we animals were complaining about.” Fato said the
last half to himself.

Oaka gasped. “This
is
…
”
He said again, he could not believe this balnor. He shook his head.
“I don’t think we should have him along with us, Basha.”

“
I am delivering a
very important message to King Sonnagh himself!” Fato said,
preening himself slightly. “Relaying it, to be precise, by memory.
I’m very good at memorization,” He added, and then said, “If you
two are going towards Coe Kiki, I will come along with you. By
royal rules, I am not allowed to travel in flocks, but this
probably doesn’t count. However, I feel compelled to warn you two
that those wolves chasing us
weren’t
ordinary wolves. They were Black Wolves, Servants of
Doomba.”

Oaka gulped as Basha told him, “I told
you they weren’t ordinary wolves!”

Oaka shook his head.
“All the more reason why
…
”

“
We should let him
travel with us!” Basha exclaimed.

“
Are you out of your
mind?” Oaka said again.

“
Think of the message
he’s carrying, Oaka! And I know what Sir Nickleby would have done,
he would have protected that royal messenger bird from those Black
Wolves! Just like
…
”

Oaka groaned. “How
can you say such a thing like that?” He said, “Using Sir Nickleby
to justify
…
that falcon is the reason
why
…
” He grumbled, “Sir Nickleby would not have stood up for such
a condescending, loud-mouthed
…
”

“
Oaka
,
we cannot risk that message being lost, if it’s
so important, and being delivered to King Sonnagh himself. Fato may
be a pest, but give him some credit for
…
we’re all a little tense,
angry, lost and upset today,” Basha said. “His temper may be a
temporary result of that.” He hoped that it was true. that the real
reason why the Wolves were after them was not because of
him.

“
Basha
.
”

“
Don’t worry, we’ll
only let him travel with us for a little while.” Basha said. “And
if he pushes his luck, or causes any more trouble, then I will let
you shoo him away. Does that sound fair?” Basha asked.

“
Basha
…
” Oaka sighed. “Fine, deal.” He
said, holding out his hand for Basha to shake.

Basha turned around. “Fato! Great
news!” He said, walking over towards the bird without even
hand-shaking. Oaka sighed, and took his hand back. Basha seemed
ready to put past problems behind him, with this whole quest-thing
he had to look forward to and achieve, but Oaka could not let these
issues go.

Chapter
3: Walking Duck Inn

To the undiscerning traveler, the wonders

And perils of Arria might readily be
discerned in

The market town of Coe Anji, where
people sing:

‘
Oh, we got it all,
right here in Coe Anji!’

--
Travel book, Angora

Habala walked back into the inn that
afternoon, a little weary and sore after having been interrogated
and probed by both the constable, who wanted to know her
involvement in the fire that had started and ended in her shed, and
the local barber-surgeon, who was called upon to examine her for
any damage caused by the fire and smoke. The barber-surgeon served
as Coe Baba’s only doctor if one did not count the midwife, the
veterinarian, and the healer Mirari who visited Coe Baba during the
Reda, Plig, and Suma months, especially when the barber-surgeon had
a permanent place of operation while the other three traveled
around the territory.

Habala had thought
that it was all unnecessary, especially when she felt the mood
which had possessed her to somehow cause the fire had passed for
now, and she felt slightly better, as if she had released some
tension within her in the course of this event. She was physically
well, the fire had not burned her and the smoke had not clouded her
lungs, so she had not damaged herself. The only thing that had been
harmed were all of the clocks that she had mended and created, and
the shed where she had built them, burned to the ground with the
fire extinguished. Geda had gone up and told her the bad news, or
so he thought, that nothing had been salvageable from the ruins,
and while she had remained silent for a moment, contemplating what
this meant for her, he had told her that perhaps she could start
over, with a new shed and new supplies
.