The impression I had was one of softness, a rich fertility. A more stark contrast to the harsh settlement of opportunistic treasure hunters was hard to envision. But what would happen if the barrier, whatever it was, dissolved or if somehow those men could see this? Would they be content to farm it, to harvest what they needed and no more, to leave the stands of trees alone except for the timber they needed?
I found the men I had worked with to be simple, direct, and single-minded — all virtues of a sort — but at the time greedy, opportunistic, and not above trickery, even violence, in the pursuit of their quests. While I respected their work ethic and their commitment, I questioned — not for the first time — the commitment itself. The value they placed on the materials they hunted for were not set by them, but by the buyers, far off in the cities they claimed to loathe. The conflicts were almost too much to keep in mind.
I looked down the bank to find a place to dip for a drink, and Therian pointed to a line of larger boulders that lined up like stepping stones. I pushed through the tough stalks and found a small landing where the stones met the bank, with a matching one on the far side. I stepped down the bank and stepped in the water at the edge. I could feel the cold through my boots, and crouched down to take a drink in my cupped hands.
My thirst quenched, I straightened up and looked for my companion. To my surprise, he was on the other bank, looking at the ground with an intense expression. I had no idea how he got across, but nothing surprised me about him so I carefully picked my way across the stream and climbed the bank to see what he was looking at.
As expected, he was dry, so he plainly hadn’t walked across. He looked up at the sound of my approach and looked out across the grasslands at nothing I could see.
“What do we do now? Are we walking on? Or do we need to head back?”
“I don’t know. If it was up to me, I would strike out and see what there is out there. Something draws me out there and I feel some questions being formed that I can neither hear yet nor even guess at what the answers might be.”
I pondered this. I realized I was the reason he had to even consider options. If not for his responsibility for me, he would be off in what physical form I could only guess. A bird, perhaps a soaring raptor, or speedy swallow? Or a fleet four-footed creature, a horse again?
“I can find my own way back, if something bids you go out there.” I meant it, but wasn’t convinced. I would certainly try but I had no idea what I would do if I were lost. The harshness of the canyonlands was known, but I could see myself starving in the midst of this fertile land. The irony of the situation, contrasted with the hardscrabble life I was used to seeing, was not lost.
“No, that will not answer. I’ll see you back to the wise men, as they fancy themselves. Perhaps they’ll have come out of their shared trance by now.” With one last look across the prairie, we turned and headed back the way we had come. I could see nothing that looked familiar but the path led away from where we were and that was something.
We made our way at a good pace and I made my best effort to keep up with Therian’s long strides. He was only half-conscious of me, it seemed, and was intent on getting back for his own purposes. He stopped atop one of the rises we had crossed before and looked back, while I caught my breath. His eyes raked the horizon with a fierce concentration, drawn into tight slits, his browed furrowed, everything else motionless. He seemed not even to be breathing. I looked as best I could but saw nothing to draw my attention. It was all different and yet all the same to me, unfamiliar and undifferentiated all at once.
He glanced down at me, smiled a rueful smile at my struggle to share his concerns, and led us on down the hillock to the path. We strode on and before long the smell of cooking fires and distant sounds reached us. We continued on without stopping again, and found the spot where we had left Erst and Reckter empty. Therian muttered something with a snort and we walked on to the village. A quick look around found them walking toward us, in conversation. They looked up, as if they had sensed our return, and hastened toward us.
“We are glad you have come back. We wondered if our friend Angstrom was going to join you on a quest of some sort.” Erst’s expression showed the ghost of a smile, as he met Therian’s eyes.
“I dare not drag him out there, and you know it, you old blusterer. I’ve a mind to take you some time, though.”
This seemed to be largely good-natured banter, but Reckter’s face lost a good bit of its color, and Therian let out a quick booming laugh at the sight of it.
“I do need to explore some things out on the prairie. Something seeks my attention but I don’t know what it is. So if I can trust you to include your guest in your conclave, I’ll be off.”
This barbed comment was not lost on either of them and their faces registered a split-second of shame. Erst was the one to break the spell.
“Yes, we realize we are forgetting our manners and perhaps even our purpose in bringing you here. We will do better, I promise you. Habits are no less binding for us than they are for you. Come, let us review what we have been considering and ask you where we might be mistaken.”
With that, we three walked off to the hut where we had broken our fast and Therian turned and walked off on his errand.
“What do think he expects to find?”
“I was going to ask you the same question, Angstrom. You can never tell with our shape-shifting friend. He keeps his counsel some of the time, though he’s generally an open book. He has been around so long and seen so much, he sometimes forgets that not everyone has his memories and experiences to draw on.”
“It seemed to affect him quite strongly. I wasn’t aware of anything and I know that having to escort me back here was a hindrance. Is it something we need to be concerned with? Could it affect your people here?”
“We don’t know yet, but I am sure he’ll regale us with some tale, embellished with lots of color and suspense.”
“Come, we need to try to explain what we know about why we wanted you to join us.” Reckter spoke quietly, but urgently. The older man was almost garrulous, for some reason, while his younger peer seemed reticent and subdued. The dynamic was hard to follow. For now, I attributed it to Erst’s greater facility with spoken speech. He understood how to add nuance and color to his words, while a younger speaker for whom speech was a distant second language lacked those skills. But perhaps it was more complicated than that. Most of what I was seeing seemed more intricate than it appeared at first glance.
We made our way into their hut and took our places at the low table again. It was again set with some refreshments, including a brewed infusion of some herbs or grasses. Soothing but without a lot of flavor, it was a good accompaniment to some small flat breads, sour to the taste but with a chewy texture. How long had it been since I had tasted food that had recently been growing in a field? We were resigned to canned or preserved foods that had all their goodness aged out of them. There was only so much a resourceful cook could do but heat, grease, and some dried herbs and spices, and I think I had experienced the full range of ideas.
Anatha and the boy who had served us before made an appearance, but it was obviously a formality. They had arranged everything some time before and were merely waiting dutifully. I looked at the girl’s face to see if there was anything to be read there, but she never met my gaze. I turned my attention to my table-mates and let the matter drop.
“The chief question you must have is why we brought you here, and perhaps why we did it the the way we did. I will begin at what we will call the beginning for now, though I cannot say if there is a true beginning.