The Foundling Saga: Revelation (4 page)

Keller sat in the tent watching his Aunt Nerys stir the large pot over the fire. Cormic’s sister, Sara, was seated on a low stool preparing vegetables. In the pot, water was being heated and he watched the smoke rising, firstly as a cloud trying to spread outwards and then into a more defined channel as it was taken by the draught up through the smoke flap above.

Cormic came into the tent and asked to speak with Keller. “Let’s go for a walk,” he indicated, pointing back over his shoulder.

Keller collected his hat and scarf. He silently followed Cormic out of the tent looking back towards his Aunt Nerys, who pretended to be closely examining the contents of the pot, but he caught her eye nevertheless and she gave him a sympathetic smile.

The two walked along the duckboards between the tents that led to the top of the field. They made their way into a small copse nearby, where Cormic sat down on one of a group of rocks near a wide stream.

“Sit down, Keller.”

“Cormic, please tell me what is wrong? Everyone is acting serious and I am worried sick without even being sure why.” He looked distressed. Cormic recognised the signs as soon as Keller started pushing his long hair back, as though irritated that it was clouding his thoughts. This was a habit he had displayed many times during his childhood when in trouble, particularly if he felt there was injustice toward him.

“Keller, we had company behind us all the way back from the Arpo. Two troopers. They kept their distance but we spotted them several times. They were dressed like us but they were definitely troopers. When you left the Arpo there was much activity amongst a small group of the Regents. Several troopers left in a hurry. We can only presume two of them were sent to follow us, however their intentions aren’t totally clear. It was safer to return here as we have many friends here - two troopers cannot watch every field exit. Now we need to help you leave here for a while and we intend to escort you away from here in the morning,” Cormic paused before looking up again at Keller.

“I will be taking you away – the decision has been made for your benefit. It will be for a few weeks, we have to hope that the Regents will believe that they have lost you. They will not interfere too much with the families directly but they will certainly try to separate individuals from us if they can. They will claim innocence but we have known this happen to other families in the region.” He paused again and chewed on his fingers as he watched Keller look of dismay.

Keller was dumbstruck. He shook his head several times as though shaking the events away and then blurted out, “Why should we run? What have I done? Why can’t we talk to their elders?”

“Keller, I have watched you grow up under the careful guidance of my sister Nola. Your mother is devastated but she will not show this and you need to be brave for her sake. Show her that you are not afraid – Tomorrow we must leave with courage in our heart. We will both take a backpack and light bedding and lie low for a week or so.

We will be taking our haz-suits, as we will be entering a town in the north for shelter. It’s always possible that some winds have brought contamination to those areas, albeit unlikely.”

To Keller, the prospect of travelling with Cormic had always been a dream of his, but not under these worrying circumstances.

Cormic looked over at Keller and he could see he was having difficulty taking all of this in, but he pressed on:

“Your mother is packing for you – we both need to check what is going in the backpack as I need you to be fleet of foot. You cannot carry unnecessary items. I will come back and eat with you tonight, and I’ll stay with you and Nola, so that we can leave early together. We will need to travel at first light. Some of the family will be coming by to see you tonight, to wish you well on your first town expedition.”

Keller was silent, watching the stream make its way between the rocks.

“Let’s go back Keller, we have much to do and you need rest – Just be strong for Nola.” He stood up and walked over to Keller putting his arm on his shoulder. “You are very dear to Nola, to all of us, Keller. You may of come to us out of nowhere but we will care for you and look out for you as we have always done. Now let’s go back.”

Keller stood up and followed Cormic; he looked silently at his back as they walked back through the tents with his mind spinning with thoughts. “Are the troopers near our fields now?” He asked Cormic nervously.

“We don’t know. We will need to be careful as some of them are good trackers and not from the same mould as the other Regents – I suspect they are from one of the other families closer to London perhaps. They will sell their souls, I am sure, just to help line their pockets with treasures, but don’t worry about them.” He paused again before adding “You might be interested to know that we will be having some help tomorrow. We aim to confuse any troopers who may be hiding nearby.”

The two Outsiders made their way back to the tent. Nola was back and Keller saw two backpacks nearby with various items of clothing and other travelling necessities. Whilst Aunt Nerys continued with the meal preparation, Nola had roped in Merna and Cormic’s older sister Ida, who were rolling preserves into bundles. They had the food rationed out into separate meal size waterproof wraps. He noticed a long fish-knife next to each backpack, and Ida wrapped these in cloth slipping them into side pockets.

Ida was one of two teachers of Suffolk Road who taught the children how to read, write and draw. He noticed that she was putting some of the smaller cloth maps into both backpacks, presumably as instructed by Cormic. Paper maps, like books, were rare, and generally anything permanent such as ‘family rules’ were often printed onto cloth.

“Ida, Merna,” Keller nodded at them, “Thank you for coming to help us.”

Ida looked at Merna and then back at Keller. “We should,” she said matter-of-factly. Merna nodded and smiled at him, then turned back to continue selecting the preserved food for parcelling up.

They all stopped for food. They ate mainly in silence, exhausted from the days walking. He noticed Merna, Ida and his mother glancing back frequently to the array of items to be neatly packed into the backpacks. They were keen to ensure they didn’t forget anything as Cormic would soon be checking the contents. He would, no doubt, add his comments about why he should have taken care of it all himself. In truth, the women of the family always remembered the essentials when they packed for the men on these trips. They wanted them to come back safely and didn’t trust the packing to the men, who would invariably be thinking of the adventures rather than the practicalities and realities of the journey.

Keller sat with Nola throughout the meal. They managed a light conversation about the trip ahead rather than the cause of it but he could see, as the night drew on, that his mother was indeed concerned.

“Mother, this is fine. I have always wanted to visit the old towns and it’s not for long. We will be careful. I promise you that.”

Nola brushed some crumbs from her lap pausing for a moment as though pondering what to say next. She looked up at Keller. “I know you will be fine with Cormic. I have always been nervous when you go to the Arpo and anywhere for more than a day. I found you. I am bound to feel protective. I do trust you though – so be careful that my trust remains justified!”

To Keller, his mother was a strong person. He noticed now a mixture of sadness and resignation in her face.

Keller felt humbled around his family this evening and especially his mother. It was a rare event for her to remind him of his foundling status. “Like a gift”, she said.

After the meal, Cormic checked the packs, then left for an hour or so to gather some odd bits before returning in time for a sleep. At this point, after finding excuses to remain in the tent, to tidy up and check the packs again, Merna and Ida finally got up to leave for their own tent. They embraced Keller before they left, wishing him a good journey and assuring him they would be waiting for his return soon, to hear of all his adventures. Merna, in particular, held him for a while and he flushed as Cormic surreptitiously winked at him, as he bent to unroll his own bedding mat on the other side of the tent.

Keller was woken by Cormic. It was still dark outside. “Come, it’s time. I have something ready for you to eat and drink and then we must go.” He gestured to the bowls waiting for them.

Within 30 minutes, a still tired Keller had his backpack on and awaited Cormic who had left the tent briefly. His mother had also surfaced and took the opportunity to embrace him, telling him to take good care of Cormic. “Keller, you need to put your hood up and you should keep low until you reach the woodlands edge, lest your height give you away.”

Cormic returned, checked Keller’s straps and boots and then nodded to him that it was time to go. Nola embraced him again.

Keller felt he was about to get emotional, so he gently pulled himself away from his mother. He heard a lot of movement outside the tent on the duckboards. He was startled to see lots of other family members stood around in the dark, including Merna and Ida who sidled up to him to say farewell and both squeezed his hand. All those present were dressed in a similar fashion with backpacks and hoods up.

“Sssshh,” said Cormic, as several of them whispered hellos at the same time. “Keller, these kind people will be helping us. We are going to leave from the top of the field and cut over to the high field and through the camp of our friends in the two fields beyond that, until we reach the small wood.” He paused to gesture a welcome to another couple of family members who had just arrived.

“Our friends here have agreed to act as decoys and are all going on a one hour trek, in pairs, in different directions to each other and us. We are hoping that any watching troopers will not know who on earth to follow.”

“Thank you all, I am really grateful!” Keller whispered to the decoys. Now he did have tears in his eyes. He quickly wipe his eyes and shivered at the chill. He looked over at Merna and saw that here and Ida were dabbing theirs eyes discreetly.

Cormic indicated that they needed to leave now. He whispered them all good luck and vice versa, and then they set off. Some of the pairs followed them towards the high field, they gradually split away towards the various exits.

Keller reflected that in this light it would be impossible for anyone to identify anyone else and this gave him some hope. His visits to the Arpo were so full of new and exciting experiences that the troopers in the background had only ever been of passing interest to him. He hadn’t observed any signs of fear or distrust of them by other family members. Perhaps, he hadn’t been looking hard enough. In the space of less than a day, the troopers had changed from a passing interest to a growing menace in his own mind, not helped by the fact that he had so little information to go on. No doubt he would be able to find out more from Cormic over the coming days.

They silently passed the high field and met with another group of helpers. Cormic thanked them. There were about a dozen pairs, some of whom eyed the foundling with open interest. After a brief discussion with Cormic, the new group of helpers dispersed, nodding at the pair as they passed. They trudged off purposefully through the damp morning grass, to add to the deception necessary for Keller and Cormic.

They traipsed beyond the occupied fields and passed alongside a hedgerow of young hazelnut trees and blackberry bushes. They could see the last of the nearest decoy helpers disperse in the lower part of the field that they had just moved into.

In the dim light, they were now on their own and, despite the exertion, Keller shivered. Cormic, who was now beyond him, was only looking ahead, seemingly confident that their ruse would be successful.

They passed through another gap in the hedge towards a small copse. Cormic looked back from where they came, surveying the scene behind them, looking for any signs of movement. There was nothing to see. He looked satisfied and then turned toward Keller. “Let’s go. We will keep going for about an hour before our first rest point.”

In fact, it was almost two hours later when they finally stopped for a rest. They had paused earlier, to pick some fresh pears, and both decided to continue further before a rest. When they did stop they sat out of sight, within a small clump of trees, eating several of the fresh pears each. They were a hard fruit and Keller chewed as he watched Cormic crunch loudly through the small pear, leaving no waste. They were on a slope above an old highway. The overgrown highway was identifiable by the banking on each side, the consistent width, and for the remains of the occasional bridge on either side of the bank.

Breaking the silence, Keller looked towards Cormic. “I spoke with mother last night and she had no answers, just more mysteries for me. Who are the troopers, who do they work for and why do they sometimes venture out beyond barriers to take away people like me? Where do they take them? Do they ever come back?”

Cormic seemed to ponder on this whilst looking at Keller, as though sizing him up. “Generally they are not interested in us. They leave us alone and find it useful to trade with us. There are not enough of them to leave the cities that they occupy and they certainly don’t look to disturb our co-existence. They look down on us for sure, but in some sense they envy the fact that are not locked down in the city as they are. We provide an abundance of fresh food from approved areas where they know contamination is low enough. Part of the role of the troopers is to scan the produce we bring in. If any food is contaminated, they will not trade with that family for whatever period of time that they so decree.” He paused and tossed the small remains of his pear behind him.

“Trade is necessary for us, as well as for them. They have machines to manufacture many things that we cannot. We can make many herbal remedies but we can’t make the medicines for the more serious ailments. They can, and they fit it all into a tiny pill.”

He paused again, looking down at the old highway. “They built these roads and, no doubt, our ancestors did too - but that was a long time ago and we are too different now. We live off the land and desire only to live peaceful lives with healthy families and to keep warm.” He pointed to the sky. “The Londoners and some of the other cities dwellers around the world are able to travel to the off-world planets and many of the highly placed elders are only working in London for a few years before returning to other worlds. At one time, the occupied planets depended on Earth for both government and supplies but now they just keep a presence here for the necessary supplies. The troopers come from different locations, some are English, some are off-world and some are from the Russian and Canadian cities, and elsewhere. The troopers maintain the peace and protect the cities. They don’t generally have any problems with Outsiders so they have little interest in us.”

“They do now,” Keller said ruefully.

“Yes, well, they do.” Cormic said and then paused in thought, looking at Keller with grim smile.

“It’s a difficult enough existence in the cities but on the off-world planets it’s more tenuous. Colonisation requires people and people are in short supply. The cost of transferring a person from Earth to a colony is high so they don’t just want labourers of temporary use, they want people who can help build the future and also provide offspring to continue the future. Sadly, most Outsiders can’t even do that with the contamination we have suffered and many in London are no different except the wealthier ones. You are a foundling that clearly has come from healthy parents. You have no need of medicines - and I don’t think it’s all because of my sister’s cooking.”

He smiled, and then continued with a more serious look “We don’t know why you were left at our field, but some intrigue or other meant it was clearly safer for someone to bring you to us than let you grow up in London.”

Keller looked glum. “I haven’t troubled myself with my origins. My mother is my mother and my family is my family.”

Cormic looked at him hard, he then shook his and seemed to soften his gaze. With a sigh he said “I know, but you may not always think that. I don’t know how I would be. The problem we have now is that we know from other families that the Regents will sometimes allow their troopers to leave the city on errands. Some young people have disappeared without trace over the years and then there is a wall of silence. It’s a terrible situation for their loved ones. No news, no body, nothing. These disappearances have coincided with rumours of strangers passing through. Strangers asking questions, and pretending to be from families further afield. They aren’t though. They act differently, stand differently. It’s too much of a coincidence that they have been seen. But no-one can get any answers. It’s happened twice in the last five years in this county but I have not known the families. I have met Outsiders near other towns that have similar stories, so it can’t all be rumour. The Regents are disciplined in their dealings with Outsiders; they simply don’t answer certain questions.”

“That sounds awful. No news. Imagine your mother waiting for your return every night,” Keller said and he shuddered visibly, “Just awful.”

Cormic nodded. “Disappearances are of course rare and it’s possible that the missing ones have met with an accident, or some other crime has occurred. I once met some people in an old town called Peterbro. It wasn’t a successful visit, there wasn’t much there for bringing home, but we shared a resting place for the night with a family passing through. They spoke of this disappearing phenomenon; referring to a cousin they lost. The day before she disappeared, she was seen talking to a man and woman who were clearly not Outsiders. However, if you have no proof, and there is certainly doubt, then it’s very difficult to understand what may have happened. If asked, the Regents steadfastly have nothing to report. It’s quite possible that they are kept away from the truth themselves. However, the missing must be somewhere.”

They both sat in silence for some time. Eventually, Cormic stood up and patted himself down to remove the thistle down that had attached itself to his tunic.

“Try to remember this place. Look at the old highway and remember the shape of the old bridge ruins. Look to the hills and how they align, three in a row with the smallest in the middle…the river over there with the ox bow… the clump of trees behind us. In two nights time we will return here and hide away over by the bridge ruins until Ida comes by with some company. The plan is we wait hidden until we are sure who it is. They will be able to tell us if it’s safe back at Suffolk Road. Do you understand that Keller?”

“Yes, okay. So, we wait until we are sure its Aunty Ida. Is this because you think someone else may come?” asked Keller.

“We just need to be very cautious henceforth. You will need your wits about you. We won’t be charging about making a lot of noise on our travels, or on our return. The idea is to be quiet and careful. We won’t be running over hills or around corners - we will check ahead of us as well as behind. Take my lead. I don’t expect you to know how to move silently around the country. I doubt you have done this except perhaps when you’ve played hide and seek. Or possibly when you have taken fruit from trees that don’t belong to us?” He smiled again.

In spite of the seriousness Keller smiled at the reference to fruit trees. He had, indeed, been scolded for this when he was younger. Hungry children will always see an unattended fruit tree as fair game.

“We will be following the old highway, but will cross it at certain points and go by and through the river occasionally. If anyone is following us it will be hard for them to find our trail. Follow behind me. Watch how I move and pause. You’ll see how to move carefully and wisely so that you don’t announce your arrival to everyone within stone-throwing distance.” He was looking directly at Keller to emphasise his point.

They put their packs back on and moved off.

In truth, Cormic was aware that once they were in the vicinity, the troopers probably had tools that would allow them to detect body heat and sound from a distance. However, the further away they moved, the more difficult it would be for the troopers to even know where to use these tools. He chose not discuss this with Keller at this time, as he still seemed to be having difficulty taking in the recent events already. He glanced back to see Keller walking with his head down in thought. “Keller, first lesson – walk with your head up, lad.” He smiled kindly at him.