Sky Child (7 page)

"I have not," says Ebb.

I smile and shake hands with her.

"Ebb, we need you to do something for us tonight," says Helm.

"What do you need?"

"We need you to protect Sam. There could be killers hiding in the shadows, and someone needs to act as Sam's guardian. Can you do that?"

"Yes. Yes of course," says Ebb.

Ebb seemed genuinely honored to be asked.

"Thank you Ebb. I owe you a debt for this," I say.

"It is nothing. And you can thank me tomorrow, if we survive."

"Ebb, I am heading to Charm's room first then back to my room. Are you up for that?" I ask.

"I will protect you with my life," says Ebb.

I place a hand on her shoulder and bow my head to her as a sign of thanks.

"Oh, and Sam, may I put my armor on first?" asks Ebb.

"Yes, of course."

I honestly hope she doesn't need the armor, but she will make a much more dangerous looking guard than if she just dressed in her normal clothes. I am glad that I have someone looking out for me, but I also don't want anyone to get hurt. Especially if it's to save my life.

12

I
walk with Ebb to her room so that she can change into her armor. She decides to go first, checking down side-tunnels, making sure that no one is waiting to attack us. It takes much longer to get to her room, but it's worth it to be safe. I would rather wait than die; it's a simple choice.

Ebb invites me into her room while she changes, just to make sure no one passing by will see me. Her room has the same red floor as ours, which makes me sad. I don't like looking at the red floor in our room. Here it feels so... wrong. Ebb seems strong though, like she can handle it. Maybe it doesn't bother her as much as it bothers me.

Something else I notice about Ebb's room is that it smells like wildflowers. Our room doesn't smell like flowers, and I had never thought to do that. It makes Ebb's room feel less like a place to sleep, and more like a place where you can just... be.

Ebb takes off her shirt and pants then puts on her armor. I help her tie the straps together so that her armor will stay on. It doesn't take very long, and I don't mind helping.

"Thanks, Sam. You know, I can put the armor on myself, but it's nice to have help," says Ebb.

"You're welcome, and I am the same way. I can get my armor on by myself, but with help it goes much faster. Flot and Jet usually help me put it on," I say.

"Those are your brothers, right?" asks Ebb.

"Yes, although I guess they aren't really my brothers. We don't come from the same parents. I just watch over them and make sure that they are safe. But I call them my brothers."

"Well then since I'm watching over you, I guess you have a new big sister," says Ebb.

"I don't know if I would say you were my big sister, because I think we've seen the same amount of snows," I mention.

"It definitely seems like it, or at least close. Fine then, I will just be your sister," says Ebb, smiling.

I smile back, but inside it kind of hurts. I have spent so long trying to survive, that I haven't really tried to make friends with anyone. I don't know Ebb well enough yet to know if I can trust her, and especially not enough to call her a friend. But I hope that someday I will.

I wonder if I scare people away so that they can't hurt me, either by hurting me with their fists and weapons, or by hurting me inside, in my heart. I realize that Ebb is looking at me, waiting, while I am lost in my thoughts.

"I don't have any friends," I admit.

"I doubt that's true, Sam. I'm sure you have many friends," says Ebb.

"I am friends with a few gray ones, but no one that was a new one when I was."

Her smile fades.

"I could imagine it would be difficult for you to make friends, Sam, when people think that you are the Sky Child."

"I think that people only started believing that because of what happened today," I say.

"Actually, there are a few of us who have believed it for a long time, or at least thought it might be true," says Ebb.

"So you think I might be the Sky Child?"

"It's possible, but you seem like a normal person to me. I would think that the Sky Child would be covered in flames like a glowing stick, and could fly like a bird, and things like that."

"Yeah, I can't do any of those, but I'm pretty good with my sling," I say.

"I know. I've seen you use it during the hunt. You have very good aim, when you aren't purposely missing," says Ebb.

"Um, what do you mean?" I ask.

"I know that you miss on purpose, so that the other hunters won't know you're as good as you are," says Ebb.

"Why do you think that?"

"Because I've seen you use your sling when you really need to, and you never miss. And some of the rocks that you've thrown with it have struck very small targets. When you hit an animal, you almost always hit them in the head. Why is that?"

It takes me a moment to think.

"Because I don't want them to suffer. If you hit them in the head, it will either kill them or make them go to sleep. They won't feel any pain," I say.

"That is very kind of you, Sam," says Ebb.

"I don't like killing things. I only do it because I must, so that we can all live and have food to eat. I really only think about surviving," I say.

"That makes me a little sad. There is more to life than just surviving. But I imagine it would be even harder to do more than just survive when you're taking care of a pair of brothers."

I just nod.

"I'm ready to visit Charm now, if you are," says Ebb.

"I'm ready too," I say.

It takes us a while to walk to Charm's room, because it's down some long tunnels, tucked into the very back of the Crag. Ebb makes sure to check every corner again before I walk past.

I look forward to seeing Charm, because she's the closest thing to a parent I've ever had. I never knew my real parents. I don't know who they were, and no one in the Crag seems to know either. I have asked many, but all that they remember was that I was very young when I was found outside the cave. I was left out in the rain, and several of the women that were unjoined, and women that were gray ones took care of me.

Charm is the one I remember taking care of me more than any of my other mothers. She has always been so good of heart, and has always treated me well. But instead of caring for me until I was no longer a new one, like how I've protected Flot and Jet, after a few snows I was left to grow up on my own. I was still allowed to talk to Charm, but I was given my own room, and told not to see her much.

I still wonder why things changed, if I had done something wrong, or if one of the leaders decided to keep me from her. Maybe I had grown too close to her, or relied on her too much.

Being strong enough to take care of yourself is important, because everyone must help the Crag. How can people help the Crag if they cannot even help themselves? It's possible that someone decided to change my life so I'd grow up strong. So that I could someday fight, and someday lead.

Maybe that's what it was all about. Maybe the leaders had been planning for me to lead the hunt all along. It would explain why Lagan wanted me to replace him. Maybe even as a new one I showed skills that they would want in a leader.

I may never know, because the one man I would ask, Lagan, has been covered in grass and clover. Maybe Charm knows why I was taken from her.

We finally reach her room. I pull Charm's curtain back and put my head inside.

"Charm, it's Sam and Ebb. Can we come in?"

"Yes, of course you can come in," says Charm.

We step inside. There is just enough room for Charm's bed, her clothes, and the stumps that she uses as chairs. Ebb and I both sit down. Charm's long white hair touches the bed that she's sitting on. It's so straight and beautiful that it seems out of place in the Crag. She is knitting something out of yarn.

Charm is one of the best in the Crag at knitting. Each snow she knits me a new shirt or pair of pants. The clothes that she makes are very strong and last a long time.

"So why have you come to visit, Sam? Is it because of the dragon you fought?" asks Charm.

"You heard about that?"

"Of course I did. What, do you think an old woman like me wouldn't talk to people, wouldn't hear things?" asks Charm, smiling at me.

I can tell that Charm isn't upset at me, that she's just teasing. That has always been Charm's way. Thankfully, she is very good at knowing who is safe to tease, and who is not.

"No, it's not that at all Charm," I say.

"Good. Just because I am a gray one doesn't mean that I'm useless."

"I know!"

"Yes, well now that I know that you know, what have you come for, if not to tell me about killing a dragon?" asks Charm.

"I have been wondering why I was taken from you when I was still a new one," I say.

Charm's face shows loss and sadness, and I think I even see some anger in it. I feel bad for asking, because it makes her unhappy to think about it.

"I've been wondering when you would get around to asking me that," says Charm. "You see, when you were first found, you couldn't walk or talk, or even eat without help. There were a few of us that hadn't yet had any new ones, so we took turns feeding you, cleaning you and watching over you. As the snows came and left, most of those that helped take care of you found other people to join with, and they started having new ones of their own."

"But you never had any new ones," I say.

"No, I never did. Until I met you, I never really wanted to have new ones. But by then, I couldn't have new ones anymore."

"I'm sorry, Charm."

"Oh, don't be. I loved you as if you were my own new one. Once I saw you, something inside me changed. You were so small, and so pink, and your eyes were always wide open, looking at things. I could tell that you would grow up smart. That someday you would do great things," says Charm.

"I haven't done anything great," I say.

"Yes you have. You saved the hunters today. At least, that is what people are saying."

"People are also saying that I am the Sky Child."

Charm looks at me for a moment, smiling.

"That's because you are," says Charm.

I look over at Ebb, who seems surprised by Charm's words, but she smiles at me and nods. I turn back to Charm.

"I can't be the Sky Child. I'm not special," I say.

"You are to me," says Charm.

"Then why was I taken from you? Why did you let that happen?" I ask.

Charm looks very hurt. I know it wasn't her decision, but I have always felt like maybe Charm didn't try very hard to keep me. That's why it's difficult to be around her sometimes. I feel like she gave up on me.

"I did everything I could to keep you Sam. I pray to the Sky Gods you know that. Chaff was the one that suggested you be on your own. He told Hammer that since you were the Sky Child, that you should be raised to be strong, and not rely on anyone. Hammer wasn't sure that it was a good idea at such a young age. Chaff came to me and said that if I didn't agree to let you go, that he would have you killed."

"Why? Why would Chaff want me dead?" I ask.

"Because, just like everyone else, he believes the stories. He worried that you were the Sky Child."

"I still don't understand why people think I'm the Sky Child."

"Because you weren't born in the Crag. You are the only person we have ever seen from outside the cave. Most people believe we are the only ones that survived the End War. So how else could you be here? Only the Sky Gods could have given you to us."

"Even if I was the Sky Child, why would he want to kill me? The Sky Child is supposed to bring peace, and food, and happiness to everyone."

"Not to Chaff. You see, if everyone has plenty of food, then Chaff has no control anymore. He loses the one thing that makes him powerful and feared in the Crag. Chaff threatened me so that I would agree to give you up. I talked to Hammer and said that I thought it was a good idea for you to be on your own," says Charm.

"But if I were such a threat to Chaff, why didn't he just kill me?" I ask.

"Because he's a coward. If people knew he was behind your death, they would kill him, too. There are people that believe very strongly that you are the Sky Child, Sam, and they would do anything to protect you."

"Why didn't he send someone else to kill me then?"

"Because he didn't trust anyone, and no one trusted him. He knows that everyone hates him. So why would someone want to help Chaff kill the one person that might get rid of him? I think he hoped that someone would do it for him. That someone would get jealous of you and kill you. Maybe even someone who has lived as many snows as you have," says Charm.

I think for a moment. I start to realize that maybe Chaff had told Sickle and Scythe to bully me when I was a new one. He may even send one of them to kill me someday. Knowing that Chaff would use his own sons that way makes me hate him even more.

"I am sorry Charm for hurting you with my questions. I know that you did what you had to. I didn't know why until now, but thank you for telling me the truth," I say.