The Troven (Kingdom of Denall Book 1) (20 page)

“You need to look up,” the woman said as she gestured toward a group of people who had gathered nearby. “It is always better to look at the good you have done and not focus on things out of your control. It's always better to look up.” Kaz slowly raised his head and saw for the first time that a group of people was approaching. The throng crowded close and showered Kaz with praise and thanks. It was nice to see that he had helped do some good, but that did not take away the pain and horror that was beginning to register with him, and the responsibility he felt for the welfare of his friends.

Kaz was led by the grandmotherly woman to a large tent where Farin was sitting outside.

“How are you doing?” Kaz asked. Farin flinched slightly, and Kaz continued speaking in a quiet voice. “What’s happening?”

“Bendar is inside,” Farin said slightly above a whisper. “And they are cleaning up Garin’s body,” he paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath before he continued, “they are cleaning him up so I can prepare the body.”

Kaz hugged his friend, “You won’t have to do it alone.”

Chapter 19

After sitting with Farin for a few minutes, Kaz was greeted by the same gray-haired man who had first approached them up on the hill. A tall, solid man with a sincere smile, he made Kaz feel comfortable. “I can’t begin to express my remorse at the loss of your brother,” he said, addressing Farin.

As he spoke, Farin flinched slightly as if in pain, then nodded his head. “Is the body ready?”

“Not yet,” the man replied. “It might take some time to get him ready to be seen, but until then, I would like for you to come with me.” He gestured for Farin and Kaz to stand up.

Kaz looked to his friend. He would go if Farin did, but he was not leaving his friend alone. Slowly, Farin stood up.

“I want to know when the body is ready,” he said to the man.

“Absolutely,” he quickly agreed. “My name is Odon. While we are rounding up some medical supplies and converting some family members’ tents into medical stations, I would like you to meet some of the people who were saved by your bravery,” he paused for a moment, overcome with emotion, “and sacrifice.”

“I don’t feel like meeting new friends,” Farin protested, turning around to sit back down.

Kaz spun his friend around, “It’ll be good to walk for a bit. You don’t need to talk to anyone, just take a walk away from the medical tent.”

Farin nodded his head and began following Kaz and Odon.

On the grass in front of an orange and green striped wagon, an elderly woman was sitting on a rocking chair watching as a group of people worked to disassemble the pieces of a wagon which had been burned beyond repair.

“This is Naida, she is one of the weavers we have here in Algernon’s Caravan. She does some sewing and knitting, but her woven blankets are famous all over Denall.”

When Odon came close she struggled to rise to her feet, but Odon hurried to her side to keep her from exerting herself, and motioned for the boys to come a bit faster. He quickly produced two stools for them to sit on.

“Here are my heroes,” she said, holding her arms out. Farin took one of her hands and Kaz took the other. “My dear, sweet boys,” she said as she squeezed their hands. With emotion in her voice she quietly continued, “I have something I want you to see.”

She released their hands, pushed open a door on the side of her wagon, reached in, and retrieved a large, beautifully woven blanket. The colors were a bright and vibrant mix of yellows, pinks and purples.

“It’s beautiful,” Kaz responded as he looked at the superb craftsmanship. “My Gran does lots of knitting and sewing, and a little weaving, but nothing quite like this. It really is amazing! I can see why it’s famous.”

“Thank you,” she responded. “It’s a gift for your friend.”

“Friend?” Kaz asked, not sure who she was talking about.

She nodded, then clarified, “Tomorrow we will have a ceremony to honor the lives of our family members who have passed on to the after-life. We usually wrap them in some kind of clothing or blanket.”

“A journey blanket,” Farin said as he understood what she was offering. “To help him comfortably get to his final destination. We have the same tradition in our village.” For a moment he was choked with emotion, unable to reply. “It would be an honor to have this blanket for my brother.”

“Oh no,” Naida said, tears instantly in her eyes. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea it was your brother.” She reached out and took Farin’s hand in hers and squeezed tightly. “I’m the one who is honored.” She tenderly placed the blanket into Farin’s arms and patted him on the cheek. “Tomorrow at the ceremony, will you be sharing a few words about him?”

Farin looked to Odon and the older man gave a nod. “It’s entirely up to you, Farin. We’d love for you to pay your respects to him in whatever way you would like.”

“I would like that very much,” Farin replied.

Naida seemed pleased with his answer and pulled on his hand as she moved forward to the edge of her chair. “I will be right by your side through the entire thing,” she added.

“That means a lot, thank you.” Kaz could tell by Farin’s reaction that he was deeply touched by Naida’s compassion. It seemed the older woman had a way of reaching Farin through all his grief. He felt a sense of relief as he realized that there were caring, able adults around to help his friend through this. He would be there to support Farin, but he wouldn’t have to do it alone.

Odon quietly gestured to Kaz to follow him, and leaned over to Naida, touching her gently on the arm as he asked, “Do you think you could keep our young friend company while the healers finish preparing his brother’s body?”  She patted his hand and looked to Farin, who nodded his head in agreement.

Odon led Kaz through the camp where members of the caravan were busy tending to the wounded, repairing damage, and putting items away that had been strewn all about the camp by the bandits. As they approached a bright red wagon with a picture of a cow painted on the side, Odon tilted his head toward Kaz.

“We have another grateful family member here who has asked to meet you. Haylan!” Odon called out when he reached the wagon. He knocked on the side and called again, “Haylan, come on out here.”

A man dressed in a long apron stepped out of the back of the wagon and jumped nimbly to the ground.

“Hello! Welcome to Algernon’s Caravan,” he greeted Kaz. He walked right up to Kaz and grabbed him in a hug. Kaz was shocked by the forwardness and looked at Odon in confusion.

“Haylan’s a hugger,” Odon explained.

“I can see that,” Kaz said over the man’s shoulder. “It’s nice to meet you,” Kaz said when he was released.

“We,” Haylan opened his arms wide in a way that took in everything around them, “cannot express our gratitude for the help you and your friends were to us today. I, myself, was afraid that our little group would not see another day by the time those bandits were finished with us. We’ve encountered plenty of thieves and bandits in our travels, but this was really something else. Our caravan was started by a man named Algernon, and when he passed away we asked Odon to lead us, and in all that time we have never met a problem we weren’t able to handle...” Haylan paused for a moment, puffing his cheeks for a moment as he held in a breath and then letting it out in a burst, looking around at the mess and damage done to their camp. “Well, today, that still held true, as the universe has sent you to us! My butcher’s shop is open to you any time you should ever be hungry.”

Odon indicated the picture on the side of Haylan’s wagon. “He raises cattle, sheep, chickens, and pretty much anything that can be eaten.”

“Indeed!” Haylan rubbed his hands together enthusiastically. “You can find my wagon in this caravan most easily! As a butcher, I think of beautiful, fresh, red meat. So I chose to paint my wagon red. Come to think of it, you can really find any of us easily if you know what to look for. I’ll bet you can figure out our system pretty easily. Look over there,” he said, pointing out across the group of wagons. “The blue wagon belongs to Raven, she deals mainly with foreign and rare items. Items that come from…” he paused in anticipation, waiting for Kaz to answer.

“Across the sea?” Kaz said in more of a question than an answer.

“Yes, exactly! And over there, the bright green wagon, can you guess what he does?”

Kaz shrugged his shoulders and looked back to Odon, hoping he would supply the answer for him to end this game. Finally he ventured, “Green is like grass, or trees. Does that person sell plants?”

“Very close,” Haylan answered. “His family actually works together in their portable cooper shop.”

“What does barrel making have to do with the color green?” Kaz asked.

Haylan smiled from ear to ear and chuckled a little, “Nothing at all, his wife just loves the color green.” He slapped Kaz on the back and started to laugh.

Despite the intense emotions of the day, he was feeling a certain appreciation for Haylan’s friendly manner.

Odon cut in before Haylan could continue the guessing game any longer, “When people come to trade or purchase items, it makes it easier for us to direct them if each wagon is a different color. Some of the colors are connected to the trades, while others are not.”

“What are these boys doing for supper?” Haylan asked Oden.

Kaz was startled for a moment.  He hadn’t given a thought at all to what they would do for the evening meal, or to fill any other practical needs for that matter, and again Kaz felt relief and gratitude wash over him as Odon replied, “That’s why we are here, Haylan, I thought you might have some ideas.”

“Tonight you will eat with me,” Haylan pointed at the small herd of animals he had out behind the wagon. “There’s always extra at mealtime, and I’m happy to share. Especially today. Those crooks killed half a dozen animals, and I need to get them slaughtered properly or we’ll lose all that meat. We’ll probably lose some of the meat anyway.”

“Do you need any help?” Odon offered.

Haylan leapt up to the entrance of his wagon. “I’ve got a couple of Taylon’s older boys on their way soon. I might need some more help later on if you find anyone who’s hungry. Just send them here around supper.” He then turned to Kaz before re-entering his wagon, and stated in a more serious tone, “You are part of our family,” he said, pointing around at the other carts. “Family is always welcome around our fires.” Haylan nodded emphatically to drive the idea home, and then ducked back in the cart.

Odon began leading them to the next wagon. “He’s a good man. He’s almost always busy doing something, but he’ll stop at a moment’s notice to help a friend in need.”

“He seems very friendly,” Kaz remarked, remembering his hug.

Odon chuckled, “Yes, he is.”

On their way back to Naida’s wagon, Kaz saw a blacksmith setting up a temporary forge in front of a wagon that was painted black, preparing to repair some of the pieces that had been salvaged from the burned wagon, while his well-built apprentice hefted the anvil onto a level spot. Several other people were scattering into the woods and returning with greens or lumber. A fairly large group was gathering the bodies of the bandits who had attacked, and some had already begun digging holes for graves.

Farin looked up as they approached and hastily rubbed some tears from his eyes. Naida patted his cheek gently, and indicated to Odon with her head, telling him to go see to his brother.

“Who is that?” Farin asked suddenly as he joined Odon and Kaz. He was pointing across the camp at a man who was holding a longsword, standing in front of two brown wagons.

“That’s Blade,” Odon answered. “Would you like to meet him? He makes weapons that we sell along our way. He works closely with our blacksmith, Rhett. Rhett makes the metal parts and Blade carves the handles, fletches the arrows, and does the leather work for the armor. Their wares sell like crazy around tournament time in Lexingar.” Odon had already started walking toward Blade, but Farin put his hand out and caught Odon’s arm.

“I actually don’t want to meet him,” Farin replied, surprising both Kaz and Odon. “I just wondered why he didn’t do anything to protect you if he has a sword and other weapons.”

Odon stopped at the edge of the open field that lay inside the circle of wagons, and turned to Farin with a serious look. Kaz thought at first that he would react with anger, or at least frustration at Farin’s blunt comment, but instead the older man’s answer came in a calm voice.

“Today’s attack was a tragedy of misunderstandings and greed.”

Farin flinched and covered his ears, “You don’t have to yell!”

Odon raised a quizzical eyebrow, “You have very sensitive ears,” he said in a whisper. “Maybe we’ll look into that later. For now I think it is important that you know what happened. Around twenty well-armed bandits stopped the caravan. They came out from the woods, over there,” he pointed at the thick trees to the north. “They were calling threats and talking nonsense. Before we could respond, Gefion, a new member of our group, decided that he would be a hero. He began fighting with one of the bandits and was able to wrestle the bandit to the ground and take his club. Gefion then killed the bandit using his own club. The mounted archers quickly killed Gefion.” Odon stopped speaking, clearly upset.

“I'm sorry for your loss,” Kaz said. 

“So am I,” Odon replied. “What Gefion never understood is what I hope you and your friend can understand while you are here—I would rather give all my possessions than lose the life of a family member.” He stopped talking and looked around the wagons. “These people are all my family. You saved them, so you too are my family.”

“So why wasn’t anyone doing anything to protect your family?” Farin asked. This time his question was not in a tone of defiance, but confusion.

Kaz winced slightly, hoping Odon was not offended by the remark, and looked apologetically up at the caravan leader.

“I’m sorry,” he mouthed at the older man.

“There’s no reason to apologize,” he answered. “I actually did step forward with my close friend, Blade, over there,” he pointed again to the man with the sword who seemed to be taking reports from other caravan members and directing their clean-up efforts. “We showed that we were unarmed and wanted to speak.”

“Weren't you scared?” Kaz asked.

“Yes, Kaz, I was terrified,” Odon answered. “But I knew if I did not move to stop them, it would only escalate into a bloodbath.”