Last Wild Boy (15 page)

C
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“Have you ever had yearnings for an insider?” asked Mabon. The deep crimson stains rose up in his cheeks as he spoke.

It was a warm summer's day, and Mabon, Aesop, and Adam were on one of their security patrols just outside the entrance to the valley. Adam was playing with Lucky nearby, but out of earshot.

Aesop sat down on a grassy knoll close to where Mabon was leaning against a tall, tattered paper birch, and laughed his light,
soft laugh. “I'm told that such attractions were once a normal
ambition for outsiders, but that desire was taken from me shortly after I was born. I've always wondered what it feels like.”

“It's a strange and powerful wanting,” Mabon said. “Sometimes I feel a stirring down below my belt. My controllers trained me not to feel things like that. But now that they're gone, the feelings are coming back. Sometimes when I look at Nora, all I can think about is how much I want to lie with her and hold her close. I'm always afraid she'll guess my thoughts.”

Aesop stood up and pulled at his snowy whiskers. “Why are you afraid of her knowing how you feel?” he asked. “Those are the normal feelings of a complete man, even a nearly complete man like yourself. It is the natural yearning of the wild to want to mate.”

“I'm afraid because in my head she's still an insider and I'm still an outsider.”

“Do you wish to be with her, Mabon? To be a real partner to her?”

The young man blushed. “What do you mean ‘be with her'?” he asked.

“Surely you have seen how sheep and goats make their young. You've seen them breeding.”

Mabon looked horrified. “I can't make children. I was sterilized as a child, like all rangers. Even if I could, I wouldn't do that with Nora!” He cast his eyes down at the ground in front of him, picked up a pebble, and tossed it from hand to hand.

“Why not?”

“Because I feel too much for her. And I can't give her a baby, anyways.”

“Perhaps she'd
like
you to do such a thing with her, Mabon. Being in love isn't only about having babies. I've seen the way she looks at you. She has feelings for you. Even an old fool like me can see that.”

“I don't think I could do it,” Mabon said, his eyes following the pebble as it bounced from hand to hand. “I've been trained to serve the insider, to protect her. I was taught never to touch her.” He put the pebble down and looked down at Aesop. “Sometimes when Nora and I are sitting close together, I get an urge to reach out and touch her. It feels wrong. It
is
wrong. Those were the sins of my fathers, and I must atone for them.”

“The sins of your fathers?”

“The sins of
our
fathers, Aesop.”

“Don't be foolish, Mabon. What are these sins you speak of?”

“I've been listening to the old history books. The men did terrible things — to themselves, as well, but especially to the women. I understand these sins better now.”

Mabon stooped to pick up his quiver of arrows, slung it over his shoulder, and picked up his long bow. “I'm afraid I can't ever be a real mate to an insider.” He cocked his ear and listened for a moment. It seemed to him that the forest had gone suddenly silent.

“Do you care for Nora?” Aesop asked.

“Of course!” Mabon answered. “More than the world, more
than my freedom. But it doesn't matter. It isn't possible. After what our forefathers did, no insider could ever love an outsider again.” He stepped to the centre of the clearing and listened.

“Perhaps you're right,” said Aesop. “But maybe you should tell Nora your feelings and let her decide what is possible and what is not. You already share a child together. That's a bond that can't be broken.”

“Adam will soon grow to become a man, Aesop. He can't be happy forever here with me and Nora, whether we're together or not. He can't bind us to each other.”

“That's true,” said Aesop. “He'll want a mate of his own, and he should have one. Maybe you can show him how to be a good partner so he can find someone for himself — an Eve for his Adam. He's our future. He and his mate can start up a new world that will not make the same mistakes as the old one.”

“That world is gone, Aesop. It can never come again. You know what happened. You've read the history books, too.” Mabon pulled back the string of his long bow and released it with a loud twang. “You know of the bombs falling on women and children and the old. Even I don't wish for the return of such a world. Our ancestors were evil.”

“They weren't all evil, Mabon. Some of our ancestors were
innocent. Many were good. I know it.”

“How do you know?” asked Mabon.

“Because I have known many who were good, Mabon, and I have come to know you. Your controllers tried to turn you into
something evil, but you're anything but. If you are good, then
there must have been many others who are too. Besides, I don't think the killer is any more evil than the ones who send him to kill. And in the books it is evident that some of the killers were sent by insiders. So it is still today. Are your rangers more evil than their controllers? Are those who rule the controllers less evil than they are?”

“You are wise, Aesop,” said Mabon, scanning the foliage nearby to see if he could catch a glimpse of Adam or Lucky. “Nora told me the same thing — that I was good. I've learned a lot from both of you. I never dreamed that there was a way of living where you could plant seeds in warm soil and watch them grow into something useful or beautiful. There's a lot about this place that's like the heaven many of the old ones speak of — the heaven from the ancient religion. But there's a lot that lies in wait to destroy what's here. I fear for Adam and for Nora. They're not a part of this world or anywhere else. She comes from Aahimsa, and he comes from a world that's lost inside the ancient books. Neither of them can ever go back.”

Suddenly they heard loud male voices shouting “Stop! Stop!” and then the fierce barking of Lucky. For the first time since Mabon had known the dog, he sounded as nasty as the other dogs in his pack had on the day they had attacked Nora and Adam. Mabon tried to move his legs, but terror paralyzed him. His heart was ready to explode. All he could think of was Adam and what might be transpiring beyond the trees.

He felt a tugging on his homespun shirt and heard an anxious voice say, “Let's go, Mabon. We have to hurry!”

Suddenly he was running straight at the sounds of snarling and screams of anger ahead of them. When he reached the edge of the clearing, he stopped abruptly, then swung himself up into a nearby tree.

Mabon grabbed his bow and quickly notched one of his arrows. “I can see the whole clearing,” he whispered down to Aesop. “Adam's stopped and there's a ranger with him. Lucky is running back and forth barking in both directions, so I figure there's at least one more ranger in the trees close by. Adam is trapped between them.”

Mabon could see the silver blade of a machete glinting in the ranger's hand. At the moment, the ranger was far enough away from Adam that the boy wasn't in immediate danger. Mabon felt his panic easing as he focused his arrow on the ranger. He didn't recognize the man, but he looked dangerous.

Mabon watched Lucky move toward the big tree he was hidden in. He must have picked up my scent, he thought. Adam slowly edged his way in that direction, as well, poised to run.

“Stop!” the ranger called. He raised his machete and started running toward the boy. Lucky turned around and lunged at the ranger, who yelled and swatted at the air with his machete. Lucky harried the ranger from side to side until Adam was halfway to the tree. Mabon could see the fear in Adam's dark eyes as the boy bent down, picked up a fist-sized rock, and threw it at the ranger. The ranger blocked it with his arm, crying out angrily in pain.

Just as Mabon drew his arrow and prepared to shoot, the
second ranger stepped out of the trees. Mabon recognized this one as a commander from his days in the squad. He remembered him being particularly cruel and violent. Mabon pulled back on the bow and steadied his arrow. The ranger had a large knife in his hand, and he ran at Adam, knife poised. Mabon didn't hesitate. He released an arrow, which buried itself in the ranger's shoulder. The ranger dropped the knife, fell to his knees, and tugged at the arrow, screaming for help.

The first ranger raised his machete and ran at Adam. Adam stood stark still, frozen. Mabon trained his arrow on the ranger's right thigh and plunged it into its thickest point. The ranger yelled in pain and tumbled to his knees. Adam startled into action and ran in the direction of the tree where Mabon and Aesop waited.

“Over here!” Aesop said. “Let's go home!” he called out loudly enough for the rangers to hear. Then he whispered, “Follow us! We're heading east, away from the valley. After a bit we'll turn around.”

“Why?” asked Adam quietly. “I want to go home.”

“Come on, Adam,” Mabon said, climbing down from the tree. “We'll explain later.”

Behind them they heard the rangers announce to their controllers that they'd found the wild boy, but they'd lost him and that he was heading to the east to get home. Then came the sound of two small explosions. Mabon had heard those sounds before, and he knew the rangers wouldn't be coming after them. They turned for home, and the birds of the wild began to sing once more.

C
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“What's happening today?” asked Nora, sitting down at one of the tables in the dining hall. Mabon and Adam were already there, eating a breakfast of hard-boiled eggs and bacon. “Everything's in an uproar, and everyone's running all over the place. I've never seen the valley so busy.”

“We're having a special visitor,” said Brin, coming up behind her. He took a large bite from a thick, buttered slice of toast as he swayed toward them with a tray for the table.

“Who is it?” Adam asked, taking two slices from the tray Brin offered him and setting them on his plate.

“Mabon and Nora know him,” said Brin. “You do, too, but it was a long time ago when you met him, Adam. You were just a baby. You wouldn't remember.” Brin set the tray down in the middle of the table and sat down beside Adam.

“Dr. Ueland?” asked Mabon, picking up the tray and holding it out to Nora. “Is Dr. Ueland coming here?”

“Yes,” said Brin. “A note came by pigeon last night.”

“When will he get here?” asked Nora as she peeled the shell from her egg.

“Soon,” said Brin.

“Will we get to see him?” asked Mabon.

“I imagine you will. I expect he'll want to see you all again.”

They rushed to finish breakfast and clean up the table and
dishes. When they were done, Nora, Mabon, and Adam headed back up to their rooms to get ready. Nora changed quickly and splashed some water on her face. She hadn't even had a chance to finish combing her hair when Mabon knocked on her door to let her know that Dr. Ueland had arrived. They hurried down to the dining hall to meet him, with Adam following along behind them.

“Mabon!” Dr. Ueland said as they approached the table where he sat. “It's so good to see you again.” He stood up and happily shook the man's hand. “Nora, you look more beautiful than ever,” he said, turning to give her a hug. “The valley life has been good to you.” His eyes fell on Adam, who had been lingering behind
Nora, and he grinned at the boy. “And this must be Adam,” he
said, holding his hand out. Adam took it and shook it gingerly. “You've grown into quite a young man, son.”

Adam nodded and then took a step back, behind Mabon.

“I'm only here for a short visit,” Dr. Ueland continued, looking at Mabon and then Nora. “But I have much to talk to you two about.”

Mabon could sense tension in the doctor's voice. “Adam, why don't you go back and help Brin?” he said. “He's making bread for tonight's dinner.”

Adam ran off in the direction of the kitchen, happy to be freed from the adult conversation.

“I'm afraid I don't have much time,” said Dr. Ueland, sitting down
at one of the tables. “So I'll have to dispense with the pleasantries for now. I'm sorry to say that I don't bring cheerful news.”

Mabon and Nora sat down opposite him.

“I'm guessing the worst,” said Mabon, his strong hands balled in white-knuckled fists.

“You're right to do so,” Dr. Ueland said, shifting around on his bench uncomfortably.

“I'll keep this brief. I'll be telling most of this to the others soon and then I'll be getting as far away from here as fast as I can.” He paused and took a deep breath, then began. “Blanchefleur and her controllers are on to us. Apparently they've known for some time that some of the older outsiders have been escaping termination. I'll be in trouble over that, though I'm not sure whether
Blanchefleur knows I was involved. I'm safe for the moment,
however, since no one else has the training and skill to run the Manuhome — I've seen to that.” A serious look came over his face, and he continued. “They know you two disappeared, and that an unaltered male child left Aahimsa about the same time. They may even believe that you're together, but I have no way of knowing that for certain. I do, however, have reason to believe that they've also very recently discovered the general location of this happy hideaway of yours.”

The blood drained from Nora's face, and her fingers grasped the edge of the table. “How do you know all this?” she asked.

“Our manufacturing branch was asked to produce instruments for locating ancient explosive devices in the ground,” he explained,
“like the ones just outside the valley. It was a rush order, and
the controllers were quite insistent that we have them ready as soon as possible. They also ordered us to make more machetes and knives — lots of them. We actually had several detectors in storage from mine clearances decades ago, and a stash of various weapons, but we're telling the insiders that it will take a several days to make what they need.” He looked at Nora apologetically. “We should have been better prepared for this. I'm sorry.”

“But how could they possibly know?” Nora asked. “How could they have found us?”

“I'm sorry,” Dr. Ueland said. “I don't know.”

“I do,” said Mabon quietly. He told them about the run-in he, Aesop, and Adam had had with the rangers a few days before.
When he finished his story, he looked at Nora abashedly. “I'm
so sorry, Nora,” he said. “I didn't want to tell you until I had to. I didn't want you to worry.”

Nora was silent for a moment, but then she turned on him, her green eyes flashing gold. “How could you, Mabon?” she screamed. “How could you let that happen? And how could you not tell me! Adam is
my
son. I had the right to know!”

Mabon had never seen Nora so angry before. He wasn't quite sure how to respond. “I'm sorry,” he finally said. “But Adam is my son, too. I love him just as much as you do. And you know I will always do everything I can to protect him.”

“And not telling me about this was supposed to
protect
him?” Nora spat.

“No,” Mabon said sadly. “It was supposed to protect you. I just didn't want you to worry if it turned out to be nothing.”

“Look,” Dr. Ueland said, cutting through the tension. “Placing blame isn't going to help anything now. What's done is done. We just have to move on and figure out what to do next.”

“What
can
we do?” asked Nora.

“It may be possible for you to get away from here safely,” Dr. Ueland said, “but I don't know where you can go. There are huge expanses of uninhabited wilds out to the west and south, but no one has any idea what you can expect to find out there. It may not be pretty or safe. But it could be your only hope.” He reached
out and took Nora's hand. Even after all these years of living
amongst the old ones, she still flinched just the tiniest bit at the outsider's touch. “Adam's probably of an age now that I can hide him at the Manuhome for a short time, pretend he's a trainee. I can't promise how long. Some of that will depend on him. He'll have to be a quick study at blending in and learning the ways of the outsider. The rest will depend on whether Blanchefleur discovers that I'm the one who's been letting the old ones go free.”

“When would he have to go?” Nora asked.

“As soon as possible,” Dr. Ueland said. “I'll need a few days
after I return to the Manuhome prepare for his arrival and set up an appropriate cover story, but you'll need to send him as soon as you can after that. The rangers will be here at your doorstep before the week is out.”

“We can't stop them, can we?” asked Mabon.

“I doubt it,” said Dr. Ueland. “But you might be able to slow them down, if you can motivate the old ones to take part. Even with our manufacturing sector working full time, there won't be a lot of weapons for them to use. Thank goodness the Central Council hasn't lifted the ban on guns. That means the rangers will have to use caution and discretion in their attack. Believe me, if they all came armed with guns, the battle would be over before it even began.” He looked at Nora, who was blinking back tears, and patted her hand tenderly. “I'm sorry,” he told her. “I wish there was more I could do.”

“Thank you,” Nora said. “For everything you've already done.”

Dr. Ueland nodded and stood up. “I have to get going now,” he said. “There's lots more to be done yet.” He shook Mabon's hand and patted him on the back. “Good luck, my friends,” he said. And then he left the village as quickly as he'd arrived.