The Forest at the Edge of the World (21 page)

All the light dimmed from his eyes.

“Guarders. You’re asking me about Guarders.”

“Yes, Guarders,” she repeated, not understanding his reticence.
“I’ve lived here all my life and have heard of only two people who supposedly ever saw Guarders, and one of the witnesses had been drinking old grape juice. Guarder activity hasn’t been close to Edge since Querul the First’s soldiers chased them to the forest.
Perhaps
they’re still there, but they never come into the village. I’ve even walked along the forest edge to see the bubbling mud and have never seen anyone!”

“You also didn’t notice when one hundred men plus
twenty-five complement, a dozen full wagons, and twenty-five horses moved in less than a quarter mile away from your home,” Perrin countered.

Mahrree paused. “You make a good argument,” she murmured. Mahrree was never one to look too far beyond her books. She was a woman of the
word
, not of the world.

“Still,” she continued, “doesn’t one hundred soldiers, or rather, one hundred-twenty-five
seem excessive?”

The previous brightness in his eyes still didn’t returned. “If you knew what I knew . . . but I can’t tell you all of it.” He sat up straight and looked like a soldier at attention.

Mahrree assumed it was an instinctive stance.

“The Administrators, when they came to power, initially a
ttempted to send out scouts to look for new lands to settle.” Perrin’s voice was careful and calculated. “They were headed to the ruins King Querul’s soldiers had visited many years ago, hoping to discover if the area was still poisoned—”

Mahrree sat up eagerly at the mention of Terryp’s ruins, but had the wisdom to not interrupt.

“—Their findings were most disappointing. They never reached the ruins. All of the forests surrounding the world on the north and west show evidence of increased Guarder activity. One of their spies was apprehended and brought to the High General for questioning. There’s no doubt: they
are
moving closer to the smaller villages. We have every reason to believe they’re planning to raid places even like Edge, thus we’ve implemented a presence to discourage such activity.”

Mahrree sat at attention, trying not to show her disappointment that the scouts never reached Terryp’s land, or that he provided an army-issued explanation that sounded rather rehearsed.

In her most official voice she said, “I thank you for your report, Captain.”

Perrin’s lips parted in surprise but he quickly closed them.

“Uh, old soldier’s habit, to make reports. Sorry.”

“And how old a soldier are you?” Mahrree prodded with a smile, even though she already knew from that one interesting fact in the back of the history book.

“As old as you,” he smiled back.

Mahrree wondered how he knew her age.

He leaned back in his chair and studied her, resting his head on his fingers.

But Mahrree didn’t notice. She had to try one more time now that the official report was out of the way.

“Do you
really
think these mysterious peoples of violent tendencies, whom we’ve heard very little from for one hundred nineteen years, are suddenly coming to invade us here in Edge?”

His studied look vanished and he shrugged. “Sounds a little far-fetched when you put it
that
way, but yes, I suspect they may.”

“‘Suspect’ and ‘may,’” Mahrree jumped on his hesitation. “Yes, you really
are
convinced. Is there not any other reason those men, I mean
your men
, are here?”

He leaned forward. “For what other reason could there be?”

“I really don’t know,” Mahrree admitted, suddenly feeling chilled, “but as you spoke even the air seemed to change. Didn't you feel it?”

Perrin sighed. “Conflict always brings an odd feeling. Even preparing for a conflict that never comes changes the air around it. I don’t like it, Mahrree, but I like even less what a full battle would mean to this village. Or to you.”

Mahrree swallowed. Something in the way he said her name, then said “you,” felt very intimate.

Then she remembered something.

“Ruins! You mentioned something about ruins, Captain. Will they be sending another scouting mission? Once the Guarder threat is put down again?”

Perrin looked a little annoyed and Mahrree didn’t know why.

“The ruins. That’s what you want to talk about now? The ruins.”

“Oh, yes!” Mahrree exclaimed. “I’ve always been fascinated by those who lived here before we did. Just imagine—they’ve already gone through and completed The Test! Terryp had spent so much time—”

“Terryp?” he interrupted her and squinted in surprise. “I remember you mentioned him at the fourth debate, but just how much do you know about Terryp?”

Mahrree rolled her eyes. “The greatest historian of the Middle Age? The one who studied the great ruins beyond the deserts west of Sands? I think I know all there is to know about Terryp! More than just his stories, his
discoveries!
When I was a girl I used to fantasize about his expedition after the Great War. My father and I would hypothesize about what he discovered, what might have been on his map, and why Querul didn’t want that information known—”

She stopped in worry, realizing she was saying too much in front of a man who swore to serve the king until the regime change just two years ago.

The corner of Perrin’s mouth went up.

“As a girl you
fantasized
about a
historian
who’s been
dead
for a hundred years?” He chuckled. “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”

Mahrree relaxed at his changed demeanor.

“I found Terryp far more interesting than the stories of girls in distress awaiting rescue. Where’s the adventure in that? Sitting around in a tree hoping some dashing soldier would look up and see her cowering in fear from Guarders?” She scoffed. “But ruins—ah! Now there’s something worthwhile—”

“Mahrree!” he said abruptly, then pressed his lips together.

She stared at him, startled by his outburst. “What?”

“Can we discuss ruins at another time?” He winced.

“I suppose so, but what would we discuss instead?” She was mystified, and a bit put off.

“I have been thinking about the debates—”

“So have I!” Mahrree grinned. “I was thinking, when we have time maybe we can start them again. I have some new arguments for Mrs. Arky to counter Mr. Arky with about eating anywhere in the house. The number one reason has to do with ants. Oh, but I shouldn’t tell you that. Don’t want to give away—”

“
Mahrree!
”

The solemnity in his voice startled her. He looked at her with such intensity that he clearly wasn’t thinking about the
Arkys.

Or ants.

“Just . . . let me say this, all right? No more interruptions?”

By the way his jaw clenched, she decided she best just listen. She gave him a brief nod to continue.

He took a deep breath.

“I haven’t been able to get the debates out of my mind. Or
you
out of my mind.”

Mahrree bit her lower lip.

“I didn’t know what I would find in Edge, but I was really hoping to find . . .” He paused, stared at this hands, and shook his head.

Mahrree was completely bewildered by his behavior. She
really
didn’t know men.

“Honestly, Mahrree, it was only a little ways into that very first debate that I thought to myself, ‘I could, I could . . .’”

He could
what?!

“Icouldloveawomanlikeyou,” he rushed. He slowly looked up into her face with something like anguish.

Mahrree sat stunned as she ran the words, or rather
word
, over in her head to break apart the syllables. I
think
he said it, she mused. It was too much to hope for, but she hoped anyway. She smiled encouragingly.

“So you could, could you?”

“Mahrree, what are you doing to me!?” He stood up abruptly, then sat back down again.

She’d never seen him like this. The captain was nowhere to be found. Instead sat, stood, then sat yet again an agitated—and now almost pathetic—man.

“I’m sorry, what am I doing?” she asked sweetly, but not innocently. She thought briefly that her teenage students would be proud of her composed reaction to this most unexpected conversation.

He put his hands together and rested his elbows on knees. One leg began to bounce nervously.

“I feel like
I
can no longer create a coherent sentence. Maybe we need an audience.” He stood again, walked around the chair, and used it as a buffer to stand behind. He put on a look of resolution and blurted, “Mahrree, I don’t want to get married—”

Definitely unexpected.

Her heart dropped through the floor.

“—to a woman who cannot think or take a challenge. The only kind of woman I could ever marry—”

Her heart lifted back up to just above her belly.

“—is a thoughtful woman who can hold her own in a conflict. I
need someone who believes just as strongly as I do.”

Her heart hovered. He meant
her
, right? He was talking about
marrying
. . . and suggesting
her
. . . in the same sentences?

How did they get
here!?

But another thought struck her and she knew what she had to say, but couldn’t believe she’d utter the words until she did.

“But Perrin, I don’t think I believe the same as you,” she said miserably. “So many things we debated, we were on opposite sides, except for the fourth debate. Rector Densal gave you
my
position. Otherwise—”

“No, no, no!” he cried and came around the chair to sit back down to face Mahrree. He leaned forward earnestly and was so close she could breathe in his earthy sweet scent.

She struggled to concentrate.

“Don’t you remember?” he pleaded. “I’ve told you twice now, your mind is closer to mine that you realize. We’re so alike! You defended every argument the way I would. I argued ideas, but not always
my
ideas. I’ve never believed the sky is
only
blue! In fact, the more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that it truly is black, and that the blue is an illusion. And that fourth debate, that’s when you finally heard how I
really
feel. I told Hogal I wanted that position so that I could try to prove to you that I do believe in The Writings. I agree with you on everything. Except dogs. Dogs are far better than cats.”

Sometime during his speech Mahrree’s heart leaped to her throat making it very difficult for her to breathe. So she just hoped for what might come next. And hoped she wouldn’t lose consciou
sness waiting.

Perrin gathered her small soft hands into his large rough ones.

The effect caused Mahrree to lose all ability to speak, had she been able to breathe.

“Mahrree, what I want to say is,” he began, staring at their hands together, “why I am here is . . .” He looked up into her face. “You can see the direction all of this is going, right?”

Mahrree was sure she could, but she didn’t feel it was her place to make this any easier. She smiled and shook her head. Besides, her lungs still couldn’t function and everything was starting to go gray.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and said, “Mahrree, may we continue our debates forever as husband and wife?” He peeked to
gauge her response.

At least, she thought he did. Her eyes were too full of asto
nished tears to see him clearly. She nodded vigorously.

“Really?!” Perrin asked, immense relief in his voice. “You don’t want to have time to think about it?”

She thought briefly. She
didn’t
want to think about it? Inexplicably, she felt no reservations—none at all. Instead she felt a great surge of peace and thought of how her father would approve. Somehow he was behind all of this, she was sure. Mahrree shook her head just as vigorously as she had nodded it.

“So I’ve actually rendered you speechless?!” Perrin grinned.

“Yes! Yes, you have!” Mahrree shouted.

“No, no, I haven’t, I see!” Perrin laughed. “But I think I know a way to keep you from speaking.” He stood up and pulled her up too. He released her hands and moved his up to hold her face.

Mahrree panicked. She’d never kissed a man before, besides her father. And judging by the spark she saw in Perrin’s eyes, she was fairly confident he was
not
expecting a quick peck on the cheek. As he bent closer to her, she trembled.

“WAIT!” she exclaimed. “Wait, I don’t know what I’m doing!”