Dark Days, page 10
part #1 of The Albatar Chronicles Series
“Mum!” Sendar came to an abrupt halt, and Kazari saw his head move rapidly as he took in the rows of ropes. “But how?”
“Jalax,” replied Wanda simply. “Alexando arranged an apprenticeship for her, and she’s been teaching us everything she learns. Of course, we had the racks and the knowledge of plants required, so it’s just the drying, the preparation and the weaving we’ve needed to learn. Her maven is a generous man who’s very happy with her progress, and has no problems with her passing on the knowledge at home, because he is now being supplied with quality raw supplies, prepared just as he wishes.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Your choice has been a blessing to us in more ways than one.”
Kazari smiled as she saw Sendar’s shoulder lift, as if he were setting down a burden he hadn’t realised he was carrying. Wanda hurried towards him, as Kazari saw his shoulders lift again, and realised that he was almost crying. She withdrew quietly, leaving him alone with his mother, and went back to the house to put the kettle on again.
Chapter Twelve: Thinking
Alexando smiled at Sendar, patting him on the shoulder.
“It was nothing, Sendar. Only a thing that anyone might do for a friend. And be certain, Sendar, your family are my friends, and they deserve better than they’ve had. It seemed like a perfect match – Jalax has always been good with her hands, and your parents have the plant knowledge required to match Roper Dudgeon’s exacting standards.” He shrugged, leaning on his crutch, and cocked his head. “And one day they’ll have a better income. Small steps, but steady ones. That’s the way.”
They’d found Alexando in the chapel gardens, swinging along on his crutch. Due to their late arrival, they hadn’t had a chance to look around the day before, and Kazari was surprised at the extent of the grounds. A flat grassed area sat behind a high hedge, with a tall spreading tree standing in one corner, spilling shade in a deep pool around itself. There were carved wooden seats set around the edges, made of weathered wood.
The seat under the tree was more decorative, with elaborate carving on the backrest, and a well-worn cushion on the solid wooden seat.
“We call this the outdoor chapel,” Alexando said quietly, as Kazari looked distractedly around the area. “And of course, visiting Hunters are welcome to use this area to train.” He smiled at them both. “It always reminds me of the Grove at the Abbey. I’ve spent many hours here in meditation and contemplation, and in working the forms. So, now, I’d like the two of you to show me where you’re up to in your training. And I will critique.” He waved a crutch expressively, and Kazari’s eyes suddenly blurred. She enjoyed her training – most of the time – and she had a small inkling of the loss that Alexando must feel every day.
“It would be our pleasure, Alexando,” replied Sendar. “Kaz, shall we step through from the beginning?”
“The beginning?” she blurted. Did Sendar mean that they would work through all of training katas from the beginning to the end? She didn’t know them all yet, but the number that she did know would take several hours at least. She could feel her knees quivering with exhaustion before they even began.
“The beginning,” said Sendar firmly. “Andiss told me that Alexando was one of our most skilled before his injury. It will be an honour to have his feedback. We’ll stop when you run out of things you know.”
An honour it may have been, thought Kazari wryly, several hours later as she staggered to a halt, her ears ringing with Alexando’s comments, but it had been a very sweaty honour. She wiped her hand across her brow, feeling thirsty, and wishing she’d thought to drink more earlier in the day.
“Here, both of you, sit on the grass and stretch. Mendis will bring us drinks,” said Alexando said. He turned and pulled a rope dangling from the tree above his seat.
Kazari heaved a sigh of relief and let herself down onto the ground to stretch. The sweat dried slowly, leaving her feeling sticky, and thirstier by the second. A Hunter was meant to meditate while she stretched, using the slow movements to focus her thoughts, but this time Kazari’s thoughts were scattered. Alexando’s critiques had been to the point, and more exacting than even Javon’s or the Abbot’s. She was exhausted. He’d had her tighten her forms a fair bit, adjusting hands and feet at his urging – by what seemed like millimetres – until he was satisfied with her stance and her balance.
He had a point, she was forced to concede, but she’d really thought she’d mastered at least the beginner’s katas. Even Sendar came in for his fair share of criticism. Apparently he had a lazy arm. Unfortunately, it seemed Kazari had two of them.
She changed her position, guiltily trying to place her focus on the Lady, where it belonged. Sorry, Lady, she thought as she leaned forward a little further. I’m just feeling tired and scatterbrained. Her amethyst warmed briefly, and she nearly let go of her ankles in surprise. She had the brief impression of amusement, and then the feeling passed, and she looked up and repositioned herself properly, meeting Alexando’s smile.
“The Lady reminds us of her presence when we least expect it, Kaz.” She realised he must have seen the glow of her amethyst and smiled back at him, blushing. “While you stretch, meditate on this: The Lady’s Hunters hear her voice in the darkness. They hear and do not give in, for she walks by their side for all time.” Kazari moved smoothly to another position and tried to keep her attention on the words he’d quoted. They came from The Book of Hunters. She’d now read it from cover to cover several times, but much of its meaning still escaped her. She rolled the words through her mind repeatedly, committing them to memory, and then realised with some embarrassment that she’d have to ask for the reference when they’d finished.
Peace sank deep into her bones as the stretching continued in the shade of the tree, and just as they finished, Mendis arrived with a wooden tray on which sat a tall jug and three cups. She was so thirsty that her hand almost trembled as she took the cup he offered her. The first sip felt as if it was evaporating before it even hit her stomach. The taste was tart, and sweet, and more refreshing than anything Kazari ever remembered drinking.
“It’s a cold tea, mixed with juice from the lemons behind the house,” said Alexando as she sipped. “Now, let’s get down to business. You both have some very good skills, but Sendar, that arm!” He waved a finger at the young man, who ducked his head and made a face, “And both of yours Kaz! Let’s work on the finer points one by one.”
As he began to talk, Kazari found herself able to focus on his words, understanding them all the better for having heard him say the same things while she moved. But this time, he elaborated on why it was so important. And all the while Kazari wondered why a man with Alexando’s obvious talents in instruction was mouldering away in Chator. Surely there were others less skilled in teaching who could be spared from the Abbey? It seemed that the day was a day of questions, but she sighed inwardly, and tucked them away to ponder on later, and applied herself to understanding what Alexando was saying right now. If she were one day to rove as half of a Hunter pair, she needed to be better than she was now – much better.
She heaved a real sigh, as Alexando worked his way through another kata’s issues, and he raised an eyebrow.
“Kaz?”
“Sorry. I was just wondering how…how long it might take me to become useful, if I have so many flaws? Like, how long does it usually take?” She realised as she said it that she really had no idea how long it took to train a Hunter.
“Was I that hard on you?” he asked.
“No, not really, it’s just….” She faltered and then recovered. “I’ve just never really known how long training will be – actually I don’t think I’ve ever asked. Or maybe no-one’s told me.”
Sendar laughed, and the sound was freer than Kazari had heard for some time.
“Kaz, training finishes when it finishes. It takes most of us years. And Javon once told me that she’s still learning new things.”
Alexando nodded. “Exactly, Sendar. Your training will finish when you’re ready. But you’re still useful when you’re training, of course. Think about Suborden, Kaz. You both did well there – in fact, it was due to the two of you that we’ve discovered this incursion as early as we have.” His face darkened. “Although we still have to repel it somehow. And that’s what our work here is about. Wherever a Hunter is, he or she is the Abbot’s eyes and ears. Of course, the Lady knows what we’re about, and we are, above all, her avenging sword.”
Kazari had never really heard anyone else speak like Alexando did. Her avenging sword? The Book of Hunters did mention the term once or twice, but she’d always just skipped over it, because it seemed a bit dramatic. Perhaps she should go back and have another look – read through the relevant texts, and see what the context was. She wondered a bit though – the Lady saw everything, knew everything – why didn’t she just intervene? She’d had the thought previously, but had buried it as too hard to think about or answer.
She opened her mouth to ask, but Alexando held up another hand and went on.
“And your next question, Kaz, is about the Lady, isn’t it? Why doesn’t she just put paid to the gorgone threat and be done with it?” She nodded mutely. How did he know what was going on inside her head? Was there a Gift no-one had mentioned? “Kaz, every novice asks those questions. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be worth having in the sept. A Hunter needs to question, needs to think, and to strive to understand the harder questions.” He paused for a moment, and took a sip from his glass. Belatedly, Kazari realised that she’d stopped stretching, and moved into the next position as Alexando spoke again. “Tell, me, either of you – would you be a puppet?”
A puppet? Kazari’s mind sprouted a picture of herself, wooden, and with strings attached to each limb, moving and bouncing as her handler twitched. What did Alexando mean? And then understanding dawned, just as Sendar spoke.
“I wouldn’t want to be a puppet. But what does that have to do with this discussion?”
“Kazari?” asked Alexando.
“I wouldn’t want to be one either, but you’re talking about how much or how little the Lady chooses to intervene in our affairs, aren’t you?”
Alexando nodded. “It’s one of the hardest things to comprehend. This world could be perfect, if the Lady chose to use her power to make us do as she wishes. She isn’t lacking in power, but she allows humanity to take its own path, because not one of us would choose to be a puppet. Of course, that means that those who court evil, are allowed to take their own paths too. And those of us who declare for the Lady must then oppose them. Not without help, of course. Still, the cost is high.” Kazari looked at his leg, or rather where his leg used to be.
“Do you regret it, Alexando?” she whispered into the sudden silence.
“Regret losing it?” he asked, waving a hand at his missing leg. “Of course – I’m human, and like anyone else would, I miss my leg. When I watched the two of you, I could feel it twitching.” And at their raised eyebrows, he went on. “Remember how I told you about my phantom limb, Kaz, and how it itches? But regret doing the Lady’s work? Never. I told you yesterday that one day I might tell you the story of what happened…but now is not that day.” Then he smiled at them mischievously. “I’m saving it up for the right moment.”
Kazari swallowed her disappointment. Knowing why Alexando thought it was worthwhile to lose a leg for the Lady might help her to understand things a bit better, but Javon had said she was to be patient, and Alexando wasn’t going to tell her until he wanted to, so she finished her last stretch, silently admonishing herself to be quiet.
A few moments later, Sendar voiced another query. “If we’re not puppets – none of us – then why do some choose to follow evil? I mean, why would you?” The topic seemed to be a recurring one in their conversations, Kazari thought.
“There are many reasons, Sendar. Some are about greed, others selfishness, and yet others because they’re feeling envious, or because they feel they’ve been slighted in some way. You might as well ask yourself why you’re petty, or mean, or even silly sometimes. The answers might surprise you if you’re honest with yourself.” He wriggled on the bench seat. “And now it’s time for me to be gone. I have things to do. As have the two of you. Go and wash, and be ready to report back this evening.”
He unfolded himself, arranged his crutches to his liking, and swung off towards the chapel. Kazari looked at Sendar. Sweat still glistened on his dark skin as he sat cross-legged on the grass. His expression was contemplative, dark eyes looking off into the distance. She wriggled a bit, and then pushed herself onto her feet.
“Want to share them?” she asked.
“Share what?” he replied.
“Whatever those thoughts are that you’re chasing around inside that skull of yours,” said Kazari.
“I was just thinking over the stuff Alexando said. I suppose it’ll take me a while to sort it all out. Sometimes it seems as if everything I think I know I don’t know. You know?”
Kazari laughed.
“Exactly!”
She held out a hand to pull him off the ground. “Make sure you grab with the good arm.”
“But you don’t have a good arm – what if you let go?” he asked mock seriously.
“Ha!”
But he grasped her hand, and she pulled him up, momentarily forgetting that he was much taller and heavier, so that she was pulled into him as he rose. She ended up with her face buried in his chest. It was sweaty, but he smelled nice in a funny kind of way, and her momentum made them both stagger, so that Sendar was forced to put his free arm around her, holding her close as they both struggled not to fall over.
“Sorry,” she managed at last. He was still holding her close, and suddenly, Kazari was aware of just how close. She blushed. “Sorry,” she said again. For a moment, he left his arm around her, and for another moment, she wished he’d leave it there forever. Then it was gone, and Sendar was laughing down at her. He was still holding her hand.
“What was it that Alexando was saying about arms? I reckon there’s an issue with your legs too.”
He let go of her hand and turned away from her, leaving her feeling warm and very aware of him. They’d trained together for months, in close physical contact much of the time, so why was she feeling like this now? Confused, she followed him back to the house to clean up, still trying to understand what had just changed inside her.
Chapter Thirteen: Uneasy
Kazari woke gasping. The nightmare was slow to release her, and she felt as if it were trying to drag her back down into its terrifying grasp. Once again, the gorgone’s voice echoed in her dreams, threatening her family. She was sweating, shaking, and trying desperately not to sob as she slid quietly out of her bed, and found her way to the bathroom.
As she splashed cold water onto her face, her breathing calmed, but her mind spun into turmoil again. She squeezed her eyelids shut, trying to still her racing thoughts, but the images of her family dying in the grip of a gorgone threatened to overwhelm her. This time the dream had been slightly different. This time, the viper gorgone had been a part of it.
She clenched her fists on the basin as her memory replayed the image of Jaden, held in the coils of the monster while it sprayed a fine mist of venom towards him. She’d woken just as he’d begun to scream, with the memory of the gorgone’s words splattered across her mind. ‘And I will come for them. And you will not save them.’ She straightened, trying to blot out the image by replacing it with her own in the mirror above the basin, but it was still too early in the morning for her to be able to see her reflection.
She splashed another handful of water on her face and then dabbed it off with the rough towel hung to one side. The chill of the water centred her a bit, and she let a shuddering breath ease its way past her lips. When she’d regained some composure, she crept back to her bed and slipped under the covers again.
For an hour she lay unsleeping. At last she gave up and crept out of bed again, slipping into her clothing, and making her way down the hallway to the stairs. It was almost dawn, and Kazari could see a faint lightening on the horizon through the windows of the stairwell. Her socked feet made no noise on the wooden stairs. Crouching to put on her boots, she decided to go to the outdoor chapel and try to meditate her way to calmness.
It was cool outside, which felt good on her too-warm face. Taking deep breaths, she walked through the gardens and sat herself on the chair under the tree and watched the dawn light creep over the horizon. In her mind, she repeated the phrase Alexando had encouraged her to meditate upon the day before.
“The Lady’s Hunters hear her voice in the darkness. They hear and do not give in, for she walks by their side for all time.” She spoke the phrase quietly in the semidarkness, repeating it again and again until she could hear herself saying it with conviction. Then, feeling more in control, she began to work through the first kata again, paying careful attention to her arm placement. Her muscles hurt, but as she moved, she realised that the changes Alexando had made heightened her precision.
Already confident in the movements, she moved more smoothly than she could ever have imagined, and she almost felt as if she were dancing her way through the forms. She paused and checked – she wasn’t. It was at last the total control that comes with perfection. She felt lighter than she ever had before, placing her arms and legs precisely where they should be, each tiny movement perfectly controlled. When at last she finished, along with sweat she found release and relaxation.
The images of the nightmare still lingered, but Kazari felt as if she were able to step away from them, at least for now and function in the waking world. She stretched, and then decided to walk down to the town.
Chator had different sounds to the Abbey, and even Athos. The Abbey woke with a combination of daytime activity sounds and music, and Athos greeted the day with the cheery sounds of traders and birdsong. Chator, with a base more in industry than agriculture, rumbled. Carts and wagons rolled on the cobbled streets, and the sounds of the early morning sellers sounded harshly on the air.
