Under a Starless Sky

Lakewood was official name of the province by the lake, and it was easier to go here from his first campsite than it was to go Midelay. He was going to go to West Midelay, but he encountered a party on their way to the province, and both his sisters were in attendance. He saw them coming and waited on the road until the party arrived at his position on the path. It was worn enough to be a road, but they didn’t call it that. The sky was overcast and the road was muddy after a rain. The party saw him, too, and though they were pretty sure it was him, their formation changed. Three females came to the front of the group and hastened their pace. They were to first to meet him. These three had risen to the rank of Torchbearers- they held staffs, and likely could light them up, if not produce magic.

Tian was lead, followed by her peers. Chelle, and Mar.

“Shen,” Tian said. “You travel more than anyone I know.”

“In circles,” Chelle said. Mar laughed.

Tian frowned at them. They were peers and she couldn’t correct them.

“May I accompany you?” Shen asked.

“You appear to be going the other way,” Tian said.

“I have changed my mind,” Shen said.

“Umph, circles,” Chelle said. “Just like boy, no direction. No vision.”

Tian was aware of Shen’s clenching of teeth. “The road is free. You may join us.”

“You may trail us,” Mar said. “I forbid you to have conversations with Tama or Candace.”

“That’s harsh,” Tian said.

“I second that,” Chelle said.

Shen bowed. “I have changed my mind again. Would you be willing to carry letters?”

“Does she look like a courier?” Mar snapped.

“Everyone who travels is a courier,” Shen said. “By law. One of these is addressed to N’Ma. Who better to carry them than Tian?”

Mar gave a signal for the group to hold, not catch up.

“I accept,” Tian said.

Shen brought forth the courier bag and retrieved the letters from it. This wasn’t a trade of courier bags.

Chelle took them from him. She found them appropriately addressed, and she knew the intended recipients well. She was puzzled by the stamp.

“There is no symbol here,” Chelle said. “Who produced these?”

“I am just a dumb boy. How would I know such things?” Shen offered.

Chelle bought that. Tian knew it was from him, but didn’t give it away.

“The script is decent, do you recognize it?” Chelle asked Mar and Tian. They denied. “Who gave these to you?”

“I simply agreed to carry for bread,” Shen said.

“Maybe it’s an apprentice, and they’ve not earned their mark. Even we don’t have marks yet,” Tian said. “I’ll carry them.”

“We should open the seal,” Mar asked.

“You would open something not addressed to you?” Tian said, collecting the letters. “Do you want to be drummed out of the Sisterhood?”

“Hold on,” Chelle said. “What else do you have?”

“Just trade,” Shen said.

“Gift it to us, in exchange for carrying your obligation,” Chelle said.

“Give me my obligation back,” Shen said.

“No, we’ve accepted,” Chelle said.

“Without first negotiating a trade,” Shen said. “Carry it without.”

“This is not a negotiation. You gift us the stuff, or we take the stuff,” Chelle said.

Tian said. “This

it,” Mar said. “That’s the

is not a gift. This is

permission to join us. It was granted. Gifting is expected,”

road is free…” Shen reminded

didn’t ask for the road,” Mar said. “You asked for company. That has value. You chose this path by not participating. This conversation

“I will not…”

“Rule of two, you will go

his bag of

or go your

along. We’ve

but he sat there as the others past. He didn’t meet their eyes and he had no auditory information that they were concerned. The men and adolescents who trailed didn’t look at

were out of eye sight when he recovered emotionally and made a decision to go to Lakewood. There was an orchard there, and he harvested for the elderly woman in charge. Without a bag, he took only the fruit he could carry. He went to the lake, waded in against all instinct, as it was freezing cold, and bathed the mud off himself, his clothes, and his fruit. He collected his courier bag and went to Lakewood’s Tower, and warmed himself by the fire pit. Even with the fire, he found himself shivering. He suspected it was due to having spent so much emotions. Tian brought him an empty bag and departed without speaking.

give you a stick of five,”

can gift my

the Sea Gypsies, but he had no idea how they could tolerate the cold. Adults swam, too. Men and women were swimming. There were three canoes that were now sufficiently packed that they seemed unstable to him, but the owners were preparing for their journey ‘in.’ Across the lake was ‘in’ and towards the mountains ‘out.’ He noticed one of the boat captains had his bag, and was likely still filled with the stuff he had collected. Had he known there were floaters here, he would have come straight way as he might have

high, floppy neck. He had no idea how they navigated. The only artifact that might help was the sun, traveling East to West. With the

drawing boats from memory, wondering if he could improve their shipping technology. The simplest upgrade would be to turn a canoe into a catamaran. A sail would likely improve things, too.

“You’re drawing things wrong.”

of his drawing. There was a thin boy, about his age, and clearly the descendent

they send you to

a girl,” he said. “They want me to provoke a fight and

fight, they can come taunt

sat down. “May I

afraid

He brought it back and forth until he could make sense of it. “Mom tried to

“Or blind,” Shen said.

am not blind,”

on that stump by

and said ‘five.’ There were no apples on

up,” Shen said, giving him

The boy clicked. “Two.”

clicker,” Shen

you,” he said, giving

“What’s your name?”

“Endel,” he said.

hand. The boy didn’t take

his hand back. They didn’t shake

don’t know,”

do,” Shen

for myself,” Endel

odd thing to say, that requires explanation,” Shen

different, ridiculed, but not giving up,” Endel said. “Also, I have seen you being courageous. I would like

said. “Anyone can

fire huggers. I was ridiculed for doing that. They said I am too

“Bento?”

Endel said. “He

father?” Shen

full brunt of the attack. While they attacked him she was able to retrieve her sword,” Endel said. “She took down four irks. I saw it with my own eyes. I was crying the whole time. It’s why she left me at Lakewood. She wanted the men to toughen me

Shen said.

up and fell back behind the boys, who

need for that,”

this,

to fight, pick on someone your

with a closed fist, and then kicked him, pushing him

really your size,”

and knocked to the

stay down,”

can do this till

hit him until he was down, but didn’t stop, just pummeled on him until an

“Stop,” Shen said. “Please.”