Sir Quinlan and the Swords of Valor (4 page)

“Mirya would love this little guy,” Tav said. “How much is he?”

“The paytha’s not for sale,” the merchant said.

Tav and Twitch looked straight at the merchant for the first time. His dark eyes and pleasant smile gave the impression you could tell him anything, just like a real friend.

“What do you mean?” Tav said, disappointed. “I thought you said the paytha would be gone first thing in the morning.”

“I did and it will, but it’s not for sale,” the merchant said. “My trade agreement with the supplier won’t allow a monetary exchange.” Then a broad smile crossed his lips. “But I can trade for it.”

Tav smiled back and reached for a pocket in his doublet, but the merchant held up a hand.

“Keep in mind, sir, this is a rare creature. Its worth is significant.”

Tav stopped, then reached for the gold necklace that hung about his neck. He removed it and held it out to the merchant, who examined it and handed it back.

“That looks like a fine piece, indeed, but I’m afraid I cannot accept it.” The merchant slowly shook his head and pointed toward the back wall of his tiny shop. “My specialty is armor and weaponry.”

Along the back wall hung a variety of highly polished pieces—breastplates, helmets, shields, vambraces, gauntlets, and swords.

“In this region of the kingdom, especially in Burkfield, there’s really not much of a market for the extra armor, so I export these pieces to other regions of the kingdom to those who truly need them. Now, if you were to have something along this line, we could talk. Otherwise”—the man yawned—“I am quickly tiring and must get some sleep soon.”

The merchant put his hand on the table and tapped. The paytha jumped from Tav’s palm and ran to the merchant’s hand, then scurried up his arm.

Tav pushed his hair back, thinking quickly. “I have my leather vambraces. Would they do?”

“I’m afraid not, sir. Tomorrow I am certain I’ll have a dozen offers for excellent shields, helmets, and even swords.”

The merchant reached for the shutters to close up the shop window. The paytha looked sadly at Tav, dropping its chin on the merchant’s shoulder much as a sad puppy would do.

“Wait.” Tav held up his hand. He took off his vambraces and set them on the table. “Consider this a down payment—and I’ll be here tomorrow morning with my shield.”

Twitch looked at Tav. Tav looked back at his friend. “I haven’t used it for months, not even in training.”

Twitch stayed silent.

“How do I know it isn’t some rusted-out chunk of iron?” The merchant picked up the vambraces and examined them.

“It isn’t. I’m a Knight of the Prince.”

The merchant stared at Tav and finally nodded. “Very well, then.” He held out his hand.

“How do we know this little guy won’t run away the first day he has him?” Twitch asked.

The merchant looked at Twitch with a sparkle in his eye. “Because I’ll guarantee the deal. I’ll keep the shield here in my shop on the back wall. If you aren’t completely satisfied with your critter for any reason, bring him back, and I’ll return your shield to you.”

Tav looked at Twitch and raised an eyebrow, then smiled at the merchant and shook his hand.

They left the merchant’s shop and mounted up to ride home, eager to return the next morning and finish the deal.

DISTY AND BLI

Tav had fully intended to give the cute little paytha to Mirya, but after two days with the animal, he just couldn’t give it up.

“What’s his name?” Twitch asked one evening as Tav tried to teach the paytha how to fetch a nail for him. They were in Tav’s father’s carpentry shop, putting tools away for the day. Tav tapped the shop bench, and the paytha scurried down his arm onto the hard surface. Tav held the nail in front of the little creature.

“I think I’ll call him Disty.”

Twitch laughed. “That’s a strange name, but it sure fits him.”

“Nail,” Tav said, and gave it to Disty. Disty held the nail in his little hands and sniffed it. He turned it over a couple of times, then set it down, looked up, and chortled as if to say, “I get it.”

Tav grabbed the nail, walked to the end of the bench, and put the nail into the proper bin. He came back, stood by Twitch, and commanded, “Disty, get the nail.”

Disty tilted his head to one side, chortled, and scurried down the bench. He hunted about for a few seconds, found the bin, grabbed the nail, and scurried back to Tav. He set the nail down, then scampered up Tav’s arm to sit on his shoulder.

Twitch’s mouth dropped open. “That’s impossible!”

Tav smiled broadly. He quickly set to work teaching Disty to fetch other tools, but the paytha was too small to carry most of them.

That night Tav fed Disty a delicious supper of corn cakes and carrot greens. The next morning, they were almost certain he was a little bigger. And within two weeks Disty had doubled in size. He was able to carry some of the heavier tools that he couldn’t carry before. And he proved every bit as intelligent as the merchant had said, and more so.

“That animal is scary smart,” Twitch said as he and Tav rode to the haven one day. Disty perched high on Tav’s shoulder enjoying the excursion. It had been a full week of work at the family carpentry shop where Tav and Twitch worked, and this was their first chance to resume their training.

“We should see if the merchant has any more paythas for trade,” Tav said. “You ought to get one, chum. As soon as this one gets a little bigger, I’m going to teach him how to hunt.”

Twitch laughed. “Teach him to fish … Then I’ll consider it.”

Tav raised an eyebrow. “Now that’s not a bad idea.”

Disty was a big hit at the haven. Some of the knights teased Tav at first—until he showed them how smart the animal was. Then training all but came to a halt, and Disty entertained the entire haven for most of the evening. When it came time for Tav to train some of the newer knights in sword, he commanded Disty to wait on a nearby fencepost, but Disty whimpered until Tav allowed him to perch on his shoulder. This hindered Tav’s swordsmanship to a degree, but the trainees didn’t mind. They were completely enamored with Disty. Each took turns petting the paytha and enjoying the creature’s antics.

By the middle of the next week, two other knights had paythas. When Sir Edmund, the haven leader, saw the animals were becoming a distraction, he restricted their presence at the haven. Tav and the other knights argued that the paythas could be useful and promised not to let them interrupt the training, but Sir Edmund did not yield.

One morning after the fourth week, Tav woke up to quite a surprise.

“Twitch, quick, come here!”

Twitch entered Tav’s room to see him kneeling on the floor beside Disty’s blanket. Right beside Disty was a thumb-sized paytha curled up in a little ball. Disty looked up proudly at Tav and Twitch, then turned and licked the little creature.

Twitch blinked and shook his head. “I thought Disty was a male.”

“So did I,” Tav said. “I think we need to pay a visit to that merchant.”

“I never said the paytha was either a male or a female,” the merchant said as he straightened a few items on a shelf. “The fact is, it’s both.”

“What?” Tav and Twitch said simultaneously. Both wore a look of disgust.

The merchant looked over his shoulder at them. “Paythas are both male and female—or neither, however you want to look at it.”

“So he … she … it was pregnant when you sold it to me?” Tav said.

“No, of course not.” The merchant came over and rested his elbows on the counter. “And I didn’t sell it to you.” He held up a finger. “I traded with you, and I never trade a pregnant paytha. That could be dangerous.”

Tav squinted at the man with a pained look. “Look, mister, I’ve only had the critter a little over four weeks. How can it reproduce that quickly?”

The merchant folded his hands and brought two fingers up to his lips, seemingly pondering the question. “That is quite remarkable, I must say, but not unheard of. You see, once paythas reach a certain size they can reproduce, especially if they sense other people are enjoying them too. Have you taken yours to be with other people?”

Tav and Twitch stared at each other.

“Look.” The merchant pointed to Tav’s shield on the wall. “There is your shield, just as I promised. You can exchange your paytha for the shield right now if you like. But the way I see it, you just doubled your investment.”

The corner of Tav’s mouth curled up. “It’s all right. I’ll keep the paytha. I just wanted to know what had happened.”

“Very well, then.” The merchant winked. “You gentlemen have a great day.”

Tav and Twitch left the shop and continued on their way to the haven.

“Twitch, the little one is yours if you want him—er, it,” Tav said.

“Are you sure?” Twitch asked. “I thought you might give it to Mirya.”

“I think you would enjoy it more, if it’s as smart as Disty.” Tav grinned. “I can’t wait to see what Disty can do on a hunting trip.”

Twitch smiled as he thought of it. “Fresh game every night … Thanks, Tav.”

A few days later, the new paytha, now grown to palm size, was perched on Twitch’s shoulder, making high-pitched chortles.

Tav chuckled as Disty talked back to the little creature from Tav’s shoulder. Disty’s sounds were deeper, but still every bit as comforting to hear.

“What are you going to call it?” Tav asked.

“His name’s Bli.” Twitch stroked the back of the paytha’s little head.

Tav laughed. “That’s a strange name, but it sure fits.”

Within a month, Bli was big enough to keep up with Disty. Tav and Twitch taught the two paythas how to hunt, and they seemed bred for the task, with keen eyesight and an uncanny sense of smell. The little animals made every activity outside the haven twice as enjoyable as before. They also continued to reproduce. Before long, in fact, nearly all the younger trainees and many of the older knights at the haven owned paythas, and those who didn’t envied those who did. Sir Edmund was at a loss as to what to do, even though the quality of the training declined.

“Hey, Twitch, what do you say we take Disty and Bli fishing after work to see what they can do?” Tav said one day during their noon meal.

“But we have a training session at the haven tonight,” Twitch half protested.

Tav swallowed a bite of food and nodded.

“Sure would be nice to have some fresh fish for dinner,” Tav’s mother said as she sat down at the table.

“Aren’t you going to be commissioned soon anyway?” Tav’s father put a succulent piece of venison into his mouth. “I’m ready for you two
to be done with your training so we can get on with business. I’ve given up far too many jobs because of that haven.”

“I get commissioned next month,” Tav said. “Sir Edmund has asked what my plans are.”

Tav’s parents quit chewing their food and stared at him.

“Don’t tell me you’re planning on running off on some wild nonsense adventure.” Tav’s father said. “Your uncle Baylor did that, and we’ve barely heard from him since.”

“I knew this was a bad idea from the beginning,” Tav’s mother added.

Tav glanced over at Twitch, both remembering their decision to become knights. It had actually been Tav’s idea to join, but both boys had accepted the Prince’s story gladly. Back then, the prospect of serving the King on grand missions had seemed exciting and appealing.