The next morning Terius visit Malo in his room, “Tomas tells me you’d like to become a Defender. Did you know that I am one?”
“Yeah, he told me that,” Malo sticks to his policy of being direct. “Did you really have to punch me out, to save everyone? I’m not mad or anything, I’m glad everyone is safe, but what was I doing?”
“I was hoping you would know so you could tell me how you were doing it.”
“Sorry, but the last thing I remember before waking up in the Lady Terara’s lap was walking home and smelling a fire.”
Terius nods at those words as he reconciles the previous story with this new information. “I did render you unconscious. I’d do it again if the situation repeats itself. As to what you were doing, I have a hard time grasping what I experienced.
We gifted have these incredible powers, but they are focused internally and for the most part only apply to us. When I want to alter gravity to fast travel or fly, I use my spirit to push the flow of time out of alignment. The interaction of mass across time creates gravity. When I alter the direction of time, I alter the direction of gravity. The flow of time is massive, if I were to push in direct opposition it would roll right over me.
You were pushing hard enough to slow down time, if not stopped you may have halted it entirely. But more incredibly this was not localized only to you. I can’t make you fast travel, these things are internal, remember. You slowed time for everyone within a few hundred yards, that is not something the gift allows. Until now.”
Malo tries to follow the master’s explanation, he grasped most of it. The interaction between time and gravity sounds contrived, but who can argue with results. “I wish I could tell you how I did that, but other than running without getting tired and seeing in the dark, I don’t think I’m all that gifted.”
Terius in his most series tone, “Malo, I saw your spirit. You are the most gifted individual alive today. Don’t ask me to describe what I saw. All I will say is it had a depth that is unimaginable. You shouldn’t try to examine it to closely either, it could drive you mad.”
Changing the subject, Terius asks, “You smelled a fire. Was that the house fire that Bahter was telling us of?”
“I guess,” Malo shrugs his shoulders, glad for the topic change.
“He tried to tell us that you started it. That doesn’t add up if you first noticed it by smell.”
“No surprise there, Bahter has never liked me. It’s the same with many other people.”
“About that, Tomas said you think you are cursed and it’s worsening?”
“Way worsened. The way that girl behaved. It was like she was afraid for her life. Usually, people just frown at me a lot and call me names.”
“What about the people that don’t automatically hate you?”
“You mean all the normal people? They’re just like regular people and are nice to me.”
“Do they go out of their way to help you?”
“No more than anyone else. I get some special treatment from the feltworks vendors because my papa and brothers run, err ran the works. But that’s because of them, not me.”
Terius frames this next question carefully, “Is there anything someone does for you that makes things better?”
“Just my Auntie Ge’get and her spirit cloaks.”
Terius, think to himself, “Of course he knows about spirit cloaks,” but says out loud, “Tell me about that.”
“Every year before my birthday, she renews my cloaks, that’s what she calls them. She said it’s for my protection from ancient horrors like her old Master.”
Terius doesn’t react externally, but inside he rages when he hears those words. This boy has been helped by a Hedge-Witch, there is now no doubt. One that has turned on her master, that Master would be a Power Lord. If she could be located, she could lead Terius to him, and the world could be rid of that filth forever. If not for the boy he’d leave at once for this Feltworks Hedge Witch that isn’t a witch, but that will have to wait until he can secure the boy.
“Malo, I’ve cloaked your spirit the same as I cloak mine? My cloak is much more powerful than any previous cloak used on you. It won’t need renewing every year, and I can teach you to make your own. There must be something subtle about your aunt’s cloak that also tempered your spirits effect on people. Do you have any idea what that may be?”
“I can’t think of one,” after a pause Malo continues. “You say your cloak is more powerful, maybe a weaker cloak is needed to mask the other part. My Auntie didn’t know how to make a stronger one, so she always made two.”
“I saw the multiple cloaks, there were barely three left when I arrived. There were several unnecessary layers that did nothing to hide your spirit, I assumed they were crude attempts to improve the cloak that didn’t work out. I think I underestimated your auntie’s abilities. A Hedge Witch needs to hide her spirit and her aspect. They need to be liked, seen as trustworthy. Maybe that element tempered people’s reaction to you.”
Malo only shrugged his shoulders.
“I’ll need to do some research. We should bring you back to Mammatus Study where more scholarly minds can be applied.”
“I guess that would be ok. What about Lady Terara, she wants me to stay here?”
“I’ve discussed this with Lord and Lady Brust. They agree you should accompany me to the Study. I had to concede to bring you back here for three months each summer for you to be trained as a gentleman of Brusk Valley. I don’t care for that provision but couldn’t get them to budge. It was with great reluctance, but I conceded to that demand.”
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“I can come back, here? That’s bang-up! Can I go see my auntie and brothers before we leave?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. We need to leave today and hide you. Your display of power the other day will attract the attention of some powerful creatures. It would be safest if you were observed leaving. The sooner we leave, the better for those that live here.”
Malo takes in the new direction his life is moving in stride like he does everything else. He doesn’t want to bring more trouble to these people than he already has, “I understand. I’m ready to leave right now.”
Terius realizes the boy has nothing to pack, nor does he. He’d fly back immediately if it were just him. On foot, walking, it will take the better part of two months to reach Mammatus Plateau and the Study, which is why he arranged to borrow a riding steed for Malo. A riding inu will cut that time by a third or more.
“Malo, have you ever ridden an inu?”
“No, but I’d like too.”
“Good, let’s head down to the kennel and pick one out.”
Malo stands up promptly and waits for Terius to lead the way.
They move quickly to the stairs and go down to the first floor. Malo notices there’s nobody in sight, it’s like they are alone in the keep. “Where did everybody go?”
“Staff meetings. I had asked Lord Brust to lock everyone in their quarters when we moved you so as to not trigger anyone like that poor servant Milldy. His advisor Horace instead directed the Master of the guard and Master of the house to hold staff meetings while we departed. We have 45 minutes before anyone will be about.”
That sounded like a good plan to Malo. This is the first time he’s been out of his room past the first hall and didn’t realize how big this place was. They cut through several huge rooms, one was for banquets, the other must have been for combat training, as there were training weapons and protective gear everywhere. After the training room they came to a hall that led to the back of a kitchen. Inside were two packs with provisions. Terius picked up one and slung it on his shoulders and tossed the other to Malo. On his way through the kitchen, Malo covertly, grabs a half dozen links of dry aging sausage from a hook, and drops the last of his silver on the counter. They exit the kitchen through a mud room leading outside, delivering them near the kennel.
“Wait here, I’ll fetch your steed.”
Malo suddenly felt very alone as Terius disappeared forty yards away into the kennel. The distant echoes of screeching ravtor’s are the only sound cutting the silence. Malo has never been truly alone. There’s always been someone he knew somewhere nearby.
Now he’s about to leave the few people he can count on behind to go to a Study he’s never heard of. One that can finally answer the questions he dared not ask himself. Questions about his nature; like why is he alive? Why is he different from everyone? Is he good or evil? The reactions people have to him make him wonder if he deserves their disdain and fear. Did the servant girl fear him for good reason? Is he really human or something else? He looked up the definition of human once and by all accounts he met the definition, but something rang hollow to him. Something was missing from the definition or missing from him.
Terius emerges from the kennel with a riding inu in tow. It was magnificent, calico patches of black, grey, and brown decorated its coat. Patches of white highlighted its feet, and forehead. All five hundred pounds were made for running. It trotted next to Terius like it was leading him, until it reached Malo, where it proceeded to lick his left cheek like it was trying to heal his burnt skin.
“She likes you, that’s a good start.”
“I’ve never been this close to an inu. Hachi, I mean Mr. Hikmat, the owner of our general store has a pair of draft inu. They are nowhere near as friendly as this one.”
“Her name is Chloe, and she’ll be carrying you for the next two weeks.”
Terius tosses a bundle of stuff at Malo’s feet.” Have you ever dressed an inu for riding?”
Malo, ever direct, “No, never. Can you teach me?”
“Malo, it’s my vocation to teach you. Let’s get started.”
Terius proceeded to teach Malo how to attach the tack and harness to an inu. Then he showed him how to balance their gear evenly to least impede the inu’s gait.
When finished, Malo wondered how he was to mount the energetic beast.
“If you’re wondering how you’ll mount Chloe, you won’t. At least not right away. We’ll be walking through Brust City, until we reach the gate. We don’t need you falling off and drawing more attention to us. I want us to be seen leaving, but mostly only by whoever is watching out for us. I don’t need half the city chasing us with pitchforks and torches because you crash Chloe into a cabbage stall. There’s a riding cloak in your pack. Put it on with the hood up. I want it to look like I’m trying to hide your face.”
Malo can’t argue with that logic and doesn’t want to look foolish in front of the whole city. He dons the cloak and takes Chloe’s lead and follows Master Terius around the keep to the main entrance. Two guards were stationed there, both had been in Malo’s presence the day he arrived, and both had favorable attitudes towards him, making them exempt from the mandatory staff meeting.
One of them calls out, “Safe Travels, Master Terius,” as they pass through the gate.
Chloe was practically dancing from excitement, at the prospect of running, the entire trip through the city. Malo felt the same way, he’s been stuck in a bedroom for two days worrying about his future, mourning his papa, and missing his home that was reduced to a pile of ash from all accounts. Being free to run and feel the wind in his face is just what he needs to regenerate his spirit. That must have been what Auntie Ge’get was talking about with her gardens. Thinking of her made him sad, he wants to see her again, but doesn’t want to expose her to danger either.
Wind, running, forgetting, that’s what he needs.
The walk through the city took 40 minutes, it seemed much shorter as Malo desperately tried remembering how he arrived. He can picture himself in the back of a wagon. The angry voice of Bahter chastising him for miles until his voice became a background noise playing counter point to the squeak of the axles, and clatter of metal shod wheels over the brick laden highway leading to Brusk.
Malo’s thoughts return to the present as Terius abruptly hops over the shallow ditch running parallel to the road. His inu, Chloe follows, dragging Malo off road and into the field of grass that seems to go on forever to the west.
“Isn’t Mammatus to the east?”
“It is, but we don’t want to be seen going straight there. There’s no safer place for you to be, it’s our obvious destination. I don’t want the watchers to know for sure how aware I am that I’m being watched. Call it a double bluff. We’re taking a fake route, and everybody knows it. To do different might force a move on their part. I want you to be safe at the Study before that happens. For now, we stay predictable, it’s for your safety.”
Malo pulls on Chloe’s leader and stops, “Safe from who, and what would anyone want with me?”
Terius turns, “Malo, there are people in this world who see you as food. You are nothing but a rare meal that bestows power to whoever eats the most. Those ancient horrors your aunt mentioned used to hunt in packs and tear the flesh and spirit from the gifted and gorge themselves, expanding their own gift. But now, someone like you is so rare they can’t afford to waste a drop of your blood or a thread of spirit. There will be alliances, betrayals, and infighting to see who gets to hunt you. We need to get you protected, prepared, and trained before they are ready to move.”
Terius stops talking to gage his young companion’s state of mind.
Malo’s eyes harden at the thought of being reduced to food. He’s more than that, nobody should be relegated to less than others. A feeling he hadn’t felt in years, since the day he was attacked by a leaper burned in his stomach.
Malo’s riding cloak mostly hid his eyes, Terius was certain there was a flicker of light behind them.