Chapter 15

Mato turned back to the bridge, and when he looked over his shoulder, Ezhno was walking toward the trees.

This wasn’t something Ezhno had prepared him for. Would they do as they said? Or would they attack Ezhno as soon as he was out of sight? Perhaps Mato’s message was simply intended to save him from the ambush. Ezhno had that kind of heart.

He picked his way along the bridge, careful to hang on and place his feet correctly.

Was that a scream he heard behind him? The bridge drooped in the middle, and now that he was lower than the edge, he couldn’t see the treeline anymore.

Who should he speak with? The lead seeker was just another boy like himself, but if he went all the way to Poplar the priest might forbid him to return. That part of the decision was easy then. Talk to the seeker, then go back.

Hand over hand, one foot in front of the other. At least the swaying wasn’t so bad.

“What happened?” the seeker asked when Mato approached.

“There are thema with axes and horns. They are angry that someone attacked their people. Ezhno is negotiating passage with them. He said you should return to the far side and wait for news.”

The seeker nodded. “Come. You can deliver this message to Tupi.”

Mato shook his head. “Ezhno ordered me to deliver these words and then return to him. Go back to the priests and explain what is happening. I will return with more news as soon as I can.”

He made his way back to the tower, and a guard stepped into view when they were a few paces apart.

“I am Mato Stone Foot. I am to join Ezhno.” He pointed toward the treeline.

“Follow.”

The thema had darker hair than the first two, and a tail that displayed a bit of white as he ran. Even though it was clearly just a jog, Mato found himself sprinting to keep up.

They slowed once they entered the forest, moving around rocks and over logs. There was a trail of sorts, but the thema clearly didn’t mind obstructions.

Ezhno was in a clearing about four hundred paces beyond the tree line. He was sitting on a log, and a female thema paced back and forth in front of him.

“Ah! The young one,” she said. Her voice wasn’t pretty, exactly, but it had a musical quality that Mato liked.

She was a head shorter than the males, and had no horns. She had six perky breasts, with nipples that peaked through her hair. Mato blushed and looked at his feet.

“You said this one is called Mato?” she asked Ezhno.

“Yes, Mato Stone Foot.”

“I am Leelee. This family is mine.”

“Well met, Leelee,” Mato said. He picked a seat beside Ezhno and folded his hands in his lap.

“Look at me, Mato. Dishonesty is in the eyes.”

Mato met her gaze, and found it both gentle and intense.

“Your teacher is not to be trusted,” Leelee said. “Are you?”

“Probably not,” Mato said. “I trust Ezhno with my life, so if you don’t trust him, I can’t see how you would trust me.”

She smiled, which was a little creepy on her inhuman face. “Well said, young one. Would you like to go to my tent?”

Mato’s eyes widened. “With you?”

“Of course with me. It wouldn’t be very interesting by yourself.”

“N… N… No, thank you.”

She tilted her head. “Why not?”

Mato’s head spun. Why wasn’t Ezhno helping him out? What was he supposed to say?

“Because I have never been to anyone’s tent. When I do, I wish it to be with someone I love.”

Her smile widened and she flicked her ears.

“Well said. Is it true that you are forbidden to lay with us?”

Mato glanced at Ezhno, who motioned for him to answer. “Yes. Our king forbids it.”

“Your teacher would like to lay with me.”

It wasn’t a question. Mato glanced sideways and saw Ezhno clench his fists. The guards around them stiffened.

Mato licked his lips. “He has told me of his struggles with lust, but it has been a long time since he lost one of those struggles.”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

She took a hopping step back. “He told you this?”

“Yes.”

“Why would he tell you this? Is that not inappropriate for a teacher to share with a student?”

Mato shrugged. “Perhaps. I was grateful for it. Ezhno has never lied to me. You can see right now how valuable such honesty can be.”

She turned to Ezhno. “Never?”

“Never.”

“So this boy knows all there is to know of you?”

Ezhno chuckled. “Of course not. There are many things I have not had time to say yet.”

She bowed her head. “Reasonable. Also an excellent excuse to carry secrets. ‘I simply haven’t had time to tell you yet.’”

“That is true,” Ezhno said. “It is also something I cannot change. Time is a cage for us all.”

She clapped her hands twice. “Deedee, come here, please.”

Another female ducked out of shelter Mato hadn’t noticed in the nearby trees. Her belly was swollen, and her breasts were more prominent.

“This is my daughter. Her husband was killed several months ago. This child is from Elki. He did not ask if she wanted a child.”

Mato swallowed hard. Ezhno let out a soft groan.

“Did Elki kill her husband?” Ezhno asked softly.

“Yes,” Deedee said.

“I am so very sorry,” Ezhno said.

“So am I,” Mato said.

Leelee kissed her daughter’s cheek, and the young woman returned to her shelter. Even though he knew where it was, Mato could not see it directly. There was just a shape in the undergrowth that could have been a pile of sticks or a boulder.

“Your sympathy is small credit to you, and no credit to your people,” Leelee said. “What will become of this child? My people do not want it. Do yours?”

Ezhno shook his head. “My people would kill it the first time they saw it.”

“My people are not quite so violent, but this child has no home, no people, and no future. Elki’s seed is strong. The few ways we know to stop a pregnancy have failed.”

“Did you try arrowleaf tincture?” Ezhno asked.

“What is that?”

He pointed to a leafy nearby plant with palm-size, roughly arrow shaped leaves.

“That is deadly to us,” Leelee said.

“To us as well,” Ezhno said. “But the child is more fragile than the mother. I can give her a dose that will do what you wish.”

Leelee’s ears laid back and her eyes flicked back and forth between them.

“Have you heard of this, Mato?”

“No. This is new to me, but Ezhno is a superb trail master. His goal is to negotiate travel for our cohort. He would not poison Deedee intentionally, and with his skills, I doubt he would do it by accident.”

Leelee nodded, then went to her daughter’s shelter. After a few moments she returned.

“She will take the risk. Will you brew this tincture?”

“Of course.”

Ezhno set out his field kit, got some leaves, and talked Mato through the process. Leelee hovered over them, watching every move.

“You want good leaves, bright green, not old. Old leaves may have stronger toxins, and it is impossible to get the dose correct. Make certain there is no red hop fungus around the roots of the plant. Those can have side effects like cramps, vomiting, and shortness of breath. Delivering the child will cause many of those symptoms, and any extra strain is dangerous.

“Normally we would set these in the sun and let them dry, but here we are pressed for time. Drying them over the fire is possible, you just need patience. Make certain you do not introduce any roasting. This will reduce the effectiveness. The last thing we wish to do is deliver a living, but maimed, child.”

The fire he built was small, and he sat next to it, carefully monitoring the leaves as they dried.

“They are coming across the bridge,” a guard said from the trees.

“Mato, go to them and tell them negotiations are proceeding, but it may take another day. Tell them I said to wait on the other side of the gorge.”

“What if they will not listen to you?” Leelee asked.

Ezhno shook his head. “I hope that will not happen. We have enough trouble already.”

The guard led Mato back to the bridge. Sure enough, the cohort was strung out along the structure. Worse yet, Poplar and Tupi were already on their side, swords drawn.

“Wait here,” Mato said. “I will try to talk to them.”

He walked toward the wisdoms with a heavy feeling in his gut. What were the odds of them listening to an apprentice? Ezhno had to walk carefully around them most of the time.

“Mato Stone Foot, what transpires?” Tupi asked as he approached.

The seekers gathering at the end of the bridge were clearly interested. Mato’s head swirled. Perhaps he could run. Perhaps he could shove them into the gorge… If only he had a good idea.

“We have a sensitive complication, Wisdom,” Mato said softly. “Please step to the side where I can inform you in private.”

Tupi opened his mouth, and Poplar spoke quickly to cut him off. “I assume it is important?”

“Yes, Wisdom.”

Poplar led them a couple of dozen paces away. “What do you have to tell us, apprentice?”

Mato made a show of swallowing hard and failing to meet their eyes. “The thema have a horrid tale, Wisdom. They say that someone named Elki, from a prior cohort, raped one of their females, and now the female is with child.”

“Heresy,” Tupi hissed.

“Wait, Tupi. This tale is very sensitive. Whether it is true or not, much rides on how it is handled. What is Ezhno doing?” Poplar asked.

“He is making a tincture to end the pregnancy,” Mato said.

“That is wise,” Poplar said. “We will be able to inspect the child and see if there is any truth to it.”

“There is not,” Tupi said. “We will bury these lies here, and no one will ever hear them.”

“How many anathema did you see?” Poplar asked.

Mato closed his eyes and thought back on his visit to the village.

“Only five males and two females, Wisdom, but I heard others.”

“We should kill them,” Tupi said.

“Perhaps,” Poplar said. “We do not know how many there are. Ezhno is a skilled fighter, and Mato showed promise with the demon haired. You and I can certainly hold our own.” He glanced at the cohort, now fully across the bridge. “If we could get them to come to us, I think we could do it, but if we have to chase them into the trees the seekers will be worse than useless.”

“The cowards will not come out and fight in the open,” Tupi said.

Poplar nodded. “That was my thought as well.”