Chapter 4

The Captain of the guard yawned. He was not unhappy, just tired, and disinterested. He followed his man out where the two hysterical boys finally calmed enough to catch minimally coherent information.

“You were outside the city perimeters at night,” the Captain said. “Beyond the Circle of Elders?”

“We were fishing,” Mino said.

“With our brother when the tree ghost took him,” Lint said.

The guard laughed. The Captain looked at them and they hid their amusement.

“Where is your father?” the Captain asked.

“He took a shipment of lavender west,” Mino said. “He will be back in ten days.”

One of the guards volunteered to walk the lake. The Captain shook his head, looking out at the forest shaped silhouette made prominent by rising Mother.

“No,” the Captain asked.

“But our brother is out there!” Lint said.

“Maybe,” the Captain said. “Secure these boys. Three guards. Keep a light on them. Keep eyes on them.”

“Seriously?” one of the guards said.

“Did I stutter?” the Captain asked. “Give them food, drink, and blankets.”

“You can’t…” Mino began to protest.

“Son, you will stay in the protection of my guard, here, or I will have you in a cell,” the Captain said.

Lint took Mino’s hand. Mino stared at the Captain, but cooperated. When they were out of ear shot, the Lt. made himself available.

“You sure you don’t want me to take some men and…”

“No one leaves the watch,” the Captain said. “Wake up the spare shift, double our visible presence.”

“You’re a believer,” the Lt. Said.

“And you’re not,” the Captain said. “And that is why you’re still a Lt. Secure a corpse wagon. Have my horse ready to go for a morning outing. And stir up some coffee, I think I will wait up for Mother.”

निर्मित

The Captain was on a horse. The corpse wagon had a horse and a driver. The boys walked. The guard walked in front of the horses in a line. They topped the hill first and one shouted out. The Captain shouted for them to halt and rode out ahead. He took a few moments ascertain the truth of it and came back.

“Sars,” the Captain said, addressing his lieutenant. “Take the wagon and three of your steadiest men down to the boy. You will find him holding a stick. Under no circumstances touch that stick, but get him in the wagon. Am I clear?”

“He’s dead,” Lint cried. “I told you he was dead!”

“He’s not dead,” Mino said.

“He is to you,” the Captain said. “It’s best you just forget you had a brother.”

“What?!” Mino asked.

The Captain climbed off his horse. He knelt down and looked Mino in the eye. “You no longer have a brother. You never had a brother. Am I clear? You will stay with my guard until you father arrives to take custody of you. Nolen, take these kids back and keep them safe and in light. Keep eyes on them until I have spoken to their father. Am I clear?”

Nolen actually seemed scared, but he didn’t pose his questions at this time. He and his shadows collected the boys and headed back.

The captain tied his horse to a shrub and walked down to where the boy was now loaded into the corpse wagon. The Captain removed a ring and handed it to the driver. He instructed the driver where to go and what to do. The driver nodded, got the cart going, and turned the horse around. The Captain surveyed the area and decided, based on pure guess, which was the tree stump from the children’s story. The stump was visible from the lake were two of the poles were. There was a pole floating in the water, likely drawn out when a fish took it. The stump was nowhere as large as the children had made it, but that wasn’t unexpected. It did seem to have a bit of a stubby arm. The stump was taller than the smallest child, Lint.

“Sars, go to the Elders, secure volunteers. I want this stump in a wagon, with as much roots as they can ferret out of the ground. I want every piece of it in a wagon. I don’t want to find a splinter left on the ground or in anyone’s hand, am I clear. Ask for Elder Gates to supervise. He will understand.”

It was clear Sars wanted to protest. All of this for a dead kid gripping a stick and stories of a tree ghost. He said the right thing. The Captain went to retrieve his horse and the two of them walked the perimeter of the lake. Once out of ear shot of his mean, he spoke to the horse as if it were a fellow human.

निर्मित

Telmar heard the wagon approaching and was there to greet it. He was an older man, balding, a thin beard that was more white than black, but not absent of color. He didn’t recognize the driver. His dog barked at the wagon until he told the dog to be quiet. The dog, part blue healer and something not recognized, sat and breathed easy, tongue hanging.

“Where do you want the corpse?” the driver asked.

“Why would I want a corpse?” Telmar asked.

The driver tossed him a ring.

“Stay,” Telmar told the dog. The driver stayed, too.

Telmar came around the wagon, took inventory of its contents, and came back around to where the driver could see him. No words were exchanged. He went towards the house. A log cabin in the woods. He returned, four women accompanying him. One was older than him, her face wrinkled, her hair full white. The next was his age, plump, her hair still holding color. The other two were close in age, likely in their twenties. They were all wearing trousers and loose fitting, flannel shirts. The eldest viewed the contents of the wagon and she and Telmar had a private conversation. When that was done, the women fetched the body out of the wagon and took it away. Telmar handed the ring back to the driver.

“Was there anything else found with or near the boy?”

“I was just told to bring the corpse,” the driver said.

“Maybe a fallen tree?” Telmar asked.

“I saw no fallen tree. I just saw the corpse,” the driver said.

“Tell the Captain, I expect fucking better from him. Don’t soften my words,” Telmar said.

The driver got the cart going and turned it about. Telmar went around back. He was halfway to the house when he remembered his dog. “Come!” The dog flew to his side. He found the women attending the boy. He lay on a white marble slab of a stone table, supported by marble spheres, half of which were buried. The dog stopped at an invisible barrier and lay down.

A child, female came at Telmar. She greeted the dog first. “What’s wrong with him, Papa?” she asked.

“Nothing. He is just sleeping. Stay out of the circle,” Telmar said. “If it interests you, feel free to watch. Your mother will quiz you later on your understanding of things.”

“Are you going to kill him?” she asked.

Telmar gave her the most incredulous look she had ever seen. “Fuck, child. What is wrong with you? We don’t kill people.”

“Soldiers kill people,” the girl said.

“We are not soldiers,” Telmar said. “What are we?”

“We are watchers,” the girl said.

“Go play. And take the dog. I am irritated,” Telmar said.

The girl ran off, the dog in tow. The eldest stopped beside him on her way back to the house.

“I am going to take a nap,” she said. “Keep your wives off his wood.”

“He’s still dreaming?” Telmar asked.

“As hard as a rock,” she said.

“Hards are wasted on the youth and dreamers,” Telmar said.

“Yours works just fine, son,” she said. “When you’re asleep.”

“I am robbed, nightly,” Telmar said.

“The price for dancing with ghosts,” she said. “Don’t wake me. I’ll get up when I get up.”

Telmar nodded. Mother headed inside and Telmar went to the circle, walked about the line, and entered at North Entrance. The boy’s clothes had been removed and he was sponged wash with water only. Water dripped off the table. He still clutched the stick.

“Withdraw from the circle,” Telmar said. “I want the canopy erected, so he doesn’t sunburned.”

“We could just throw a tent over him,” the plump one said.

“Go, now,” Telmar said.

They departed by south exit and orbited the circle before departing. Stone pillars arranged around the table were either chairs to dine on the table, or points on a compass. Only the pillars at the head and the feet of the table were close enough to actually dine on the table comfortably. He sat at the head of the table, closed his eyes, and silently prayed.