Questions? Comments? I am cuing these days in advance, so if there were comments in earlier parts, they haven’t happened yet, if that makes sense.
“We know something of how people live in the new towns, as you call them, and not many find the wealth they seek. Many give up and return to the cities, after having forsworn those noisome clots of commerce and corruption. Dread of making a return is one of the forces that keeps men here, stronger than the lure of treasure from the ground.
He paused a moment, perhaps to take in some advice from the other.
“If there were many finds of minerals, many wells of clean water, we could understand why you stay. But as best we can learn, there are no lucky finds, no brimming wells. Are you ever able to tell anyone their claim is going to make them rich?”
It occurred to me that I had never had been able to tell anyone what they wanted most to hear.
“So what is it you want?”
I made no answer. I could only stare back at my questioner.
The one I took to be the younger of the two straightened slightly and looked toward the edge of the clearing. At the same time, the two young people I had seen before emerged from a doorway with what looked like trays or platters.
“But we have you at a disadvantage. We know your name, indeed, we know much about you. I am called Reckter, second speaker of our group. Erst is the primary speaker and our leader. We welcome you, as we should have done before. My apologies for our poor reception. We are unused to visitors and even though we expected you, we were unprepared.”
“No apologies needed. Your welcome was sincere if the words were not forthcoming. It is obvious to me that the spoken word is not so common here.”
Reckter’s face brightened and creased with a smile. “You see it exactly right. We are unaccustomed to conducting our business in spoken words. We do speak, when we have a need to, if we speak to a group, but one to another is conducted without the need to speak.”
By now the young people had arrived with the trays, trenchers, and jugs, set them down, and retired. I saw Erst glance up at them and the air almost crackled. The girl returned a few moments later with a smaller jug and quickly retired.
I now knew enough to take my cues from Erst, and touched nothing before he did. He removed the covers from the trays, swiftly dealt some of the contents to each trencher, replaced the covers, and handed trenchers to Reckter and I. Taking his own, I saw them exchange a quick glance. Erst, looking at me with a benevolent a smile as I supposed he could manage, began to eat.
The food was a paste of nuts, dried fruits, and possibly some dried meat. It was both familiar and strange, in that the flavors were almost identifiable while the texture threw me off. I had no idea what exactly was in it, but it was savory and welcome. The melange was served on a carved wooden platter, elliptical in shape, light in color, with some recesses for fingers at one end, making it easy to hold in one hand. There was also a crisp herbal bread of some kind, unleavened, but not dry.
The jug contained a light golden liquid, perhaps a kind of wine. It lacked any any strong flavor, being again familiar but just different enough to be unidentifiable. Judging by the size of the measures being poured, I assumed it was not intoxicating, just refreshing. The cups were made of the same wood, turned to a delicate thinness at the opening with some decorative work at the base.
I tried not to consciously form any thoughts while I ate, just to feel like I was not being involuntarily interrogated.
I looked around while I chewed, taking note of all I could see. There were more of the dwellings like the one I had used. I could just make out some forms and shapes that were obviously not organic. There was no difference in texture or hue that I could detect, just a line or curve that bent the wrong way or at an odd angle.
The food was filling and I had no need of more that my initial helping, though more was offered, and my hosts both refilled their plates and cups. I struggled to hide my feelings of discomfort and restlessness, but what my mind concealed, my body revealed, through my shifting feet and other subtle movements.
My hosts seemed to take no notice of my restiveness, but presently noted a creeping chill as the sun went behind the trees. With that observation, they suggested we retire to a warmer place. Erst was the first to rise, slowly and deliberately, and not with appearing that he might topple over in any direction. It was like watching something being unfolded after a long period of disuse, with gentle but steady pressure forcing the joints and segments to resume their positions.
Reckter and I placed our plates back on the tray, again following Erst’s example, and followed him, with Reckter following me, toward a glow I could just make through the trees. It looked like a fire had been lit, and I wondered what else I would learn. For a moment, I had a vision of myself over or in the fire and heard a sudden intake of breath behind me. I would plainly have to learn to control my thoughts until I learned more about these people or at least how far I needed to be to think freely in safety.
Erst was greeted by a pair of darkened figures bearing glowing brands, not in flame, but providing a dim light. As I looked closer, it looked like a small cage with something glowing within it, like a flame made solid. One of the two figures led us all through the trees and into a small circle rimmed with posts to which more of the caged flames were attached. It was perhaps 30 feet across, with a small fire in the center, and some log benches surrounding the flame. As my eyes grew used to the darkness, I could see there three other entrances to the space, equidistant, and there were other people, hooded, or best obscured by the indirect light, all filing in. Erst took a seat nearest the fire and Reckter and I were directed to sit behind him. The rest of the circle filled from the outer edge to the fire, with everyone else sitting opposite the three of us.
It was quite dark now, and the fire was too low to illuminate anything but itself. Likewise, the lanterns at the rim of the circle shed no light, just marked their presence.
The shuffling of people sitting down, getting comfortable, and arranging themselves ended. One thing about this crowd, there was no chattering or murmuring to deal with. There was a deep silence, like the world was holding its breath. I had the sense there was some kind of shared communication, though I couldn’t feel it. Several minutes passed, it seemed, as the shared silence continued. It was disconcerting: what could they be talking about? Surely, my arrival had been discussed, and no one had seemed surprised at seeing a stranger in their midst. Too late, I realized my unguarded thoughts were likely being listened to as plainly as if I had spoken aloud.
Well, what do you want with me and why don’t you speak? I thought as plainly and forcefully as I could.
It was as if I had shouted at them all. Reckter jumped, and Erst shuddered in front of me, so violently I feared he would fall off his bench. There was a sudden intake of breath, a collective gasp, and I waited to see what the response would be.
Erst rose slowly to his feet, turned to face me, and raised his arms to shoulder height over me as I sat. He pulled back his hood to reveal his face.
“Again, I apologize,” he said with that same creaky, disused voice.
“We are ill-prepared for a guest who cannot truly speak his mind.”
I wasn’t sure I didn’t see a slight smile at a joke he had never before had occasion to use.
“I had wondered if this would be necessary, and I feel it might be the right thing to do. Let Anatha be sent for.”
Before the words had left his mouth, another person came through the gateway we had used and walked up to Erst, arms crossed, hooded head inclined forward.
“I should have guessed you would be close to hand. We had discussed this with you, your acting as a conduit for our guest. Do you feel you can do this?”
There was an affirmative nod from the hooded head, and Erst sighed, with what seemed a mixture of relief and resignation.
“Very well. Take your place next to our guest and make yourself known to him.”