Chapter Three

“Arnan Taddeo Romany! When I catch you I’ll skin your hide off!” Daelia’s voice rang through the forest. Arnan cringed at the pure rage that he heard in her tone. After all it had only been one loaf of bread, and she was always interested in learning new recipes. He wasn’t sure if “grasshopper bread” was in any of their mother’s cookbooks, but Aiden had been teaching him how to survive in the woods and he felt it was his little brotherly duty to inform Daelia that her bread needed a little more “meat.” If nothing else the sheer pleasure of watching his elder sister’s face as she returned to find her latest loaf, cooked with little beady heads and spindly legs sticking out of it in every which way, was worth whatever punishment she could dish out. Arnan stifled as a giggle as she stood beneath the tree he was perched in. He could almost hear the threats she was murmuring under her breath. It was likely going to be several weeks before she allowed him to eat any bread. Daelia stopped her foot and headed back towards the house with angry tears threatening to stream down her cheeks. As far as Arnan was concerned Daelia was far too fussy for her tender age of ten and needed a little bit of fun to lighten her day.

Little specs starting falling on Arnan’s head and as he looked up to see what was disturbing the tree he found himself staring into Wren’s large hazel eyes. She was precariously squatting on the branch above his head and slowly crushing early autumn leaves in her fist above his head. Arnan wasn’t terribly surprised to find his little sister above him, but how she managed to climb the tree without him seeing he would never know. The seven year old girl regarded him seriously, but not without a hint of humor sparkling green in her eyes.

“What did you do this time?”

Arnan smiled impishly as an image of the insect-loaded loaf arose in his mind. “I was just trying to experiment in the kitchen a little.”

“You know Daelia doesn’t like bugs.”

Arnan started backwards at his little sister’s statement, at times he seriously wondered if she could read his mind.

“You might as well get the punishment over with.”

“She’s madder then Aiden on a bad day right now!”

Wren smirked at him, “And if you let her stay that way she’ll try to convince Aiden to spank you.”

“Aiden will think it was funny!” Or so Arnan hoped, he didn’t really want to face his eldest brother if Aiden had a mind to punish him. He watched as Wren’s eyes quickly shifted to a rich brown.

“Aiden might, but Duard won’t.” The little girl turned her face away and nimbly descended down the tree leaving Arnan to agonize over the whether to try and seek grace from Daelia or wait for a higher authority to deal him punishment. Somewhere behind him Arnan heard someone calling him he wasn’t sure who but he distinctly heard a voice calling “uncle”

Arnan bolted awake and met Pepper’s concerned gaze. Memories of the dream still lingered in Arnan’s tired mind and he had a hard time determining what was only a memory and what was real. He could almost feel the belt lashes on his rear that the Duard had delt him after word of what took place reached the guardian’s ears. Arnan shook his head to try and clear the cobwebs and realized with certain horror that they were in the middle of the forest with no trail in site. The mare he was seated on was happily making a feast off of the wild grasses growing on the forest floor. Arnan groaned, he wasn’t sure how long he had slept but it would likely take hours to find the path again. He offered his arm down to help Pepper back up onto the horse, but was met with a skeptical eye.

“You’re not going to fall asleep again, are you?”

“No Pepper, and the sooner you get up the sooner we find the path.”

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They had been traveling east for nearly five hours and there was still no sign of the path. Arnan at least knew he was traveling in the right direction as the landscape slowly changed. The mare’s hooves we’re sinking more deeply into the softening mud and no one could deny the suffocating stench that was starting to form. They had already passed the borders and entered the swamps of Negesh.

“Uncle?”

Arnan started at the sound of Pepper’s voice, he had thought the little boy was asleep.

“Yes?”

“Where are we going?”

Arnan sighed and felt as if someone had thrown a dagger into his heart.

“Somewhere I would rather not take you.” A part of him said he shouldn’t bring Pepper back into the swamps, but at this point he had no choice. Both of the weary travelers lapsed into silence and watched as the old trees began to be over taken by sickly green vines that seemed to want to keep out the sun. Arnan heard Pepper gasp and felt the little boy’s grip on his cloak tighten. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the familiar marker. An old tree, that was roughly the size of a small cottage in diameter, stood chared and broken. Pictures and words were carved into the sides of the massive cypress. This was the place he had found Pepper nearly two years ago. Arnan didn’t want to read the words, yet somehow he had to.

“Here lieth the grave of two persons in the service of the evil one who saw fit to bring a plague down on the God-fearing and beloved of Deus. In holy war they met their end in the fire of hell.”

Arnan bit back tears and rage as the horror filled memories assailed his senses. There was fire everywhere, he could almost see it licking it’s way across the chared forest floor. The shouts of the townsfolk still echoed in terrible clarity. All he could see was the little five year old redhead, held back by stone-faced townsmen as the boy’s home went up in flame. Tears spilled over Arnan cheeks as he heard the little boy’s screams, he could not stop the wrenching feeling in his gut as the scene played once more in his mind. Arnan suddenly realized that Pepper had jumped off the mare and was sprinting towards the remains of the burnt home. The screams were not only in his imagination, once again the boy’s cries filled the clearing.

“Momma, Papa, Momma!”

“Pepper come back!” Arnan couldn't disguise the panic in his out voice.

He jumped off the horse and ran as fast as he could to grab the little boy. He was halfway across the burnt clearing before he could wrestle Pepper to the ground. The boy was hysterically fighting and trying to get into the house.

“I have to save them! I have to save them! Momma!”

Arnan grabbed Pepper’s face and forced him to look into his eyes. Pepper’s eyes were wild with panic and he was still trying to push Arnan away.

“It’s too late, Pepper.” Arnan whispered in the hope that it would soften the blow. At the sound of the words Pepper crumpled and began to sob. Arnan picked the little boy up and let Pepper bury his face into the dark green traveling cloak. It was hard to bear the shaking sobs that wracked the seven year old’s body. Arnan took long strides across the clearing in the direction of the only safe haven he knew of. If Little Mother was still alive, she would know what to do.

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The little old blind woman was kneeling in her garden taking care of herbs when Arnan strode through her gate. Pepper, it seemed, was nearly unconscious, and now was only weeping. Little Mother turned and regarded Arnan with her unseeing eyes.

“I was hoping Deus would bring me my little Pepper back.” The woman flashed a toothless grin at him and Arnan found himself speechless. “The ground itself still groans with the cries of this little boy, Arnan Romany, he has seen such horror that no matter how many rains fall the earth will not be cleansed of his sorrow. Go, I will do what I can.”

Arnan watched silently as Little Mother came and took the numb boy from his arms and carried him into her cottage. He turned and slowly made his way back to the terrible clearing. Bitter words silently assailed his mind as he went. He was an idiot for bringing the boy back. Mauria was right, he would likely be responsible for Pepper’s death. Whether it be from the life he had been teaching the boy to live, or grief. Arnan flicked away angry tears as the house came into sight. He remembered clearly meeting Little Mother at the very spot he stood. She had been watching from the shadows with tears streaming down her dark weathered face. He remembered so very well the words she had whispered over and over again.

“All they wanted was to tell you about Christus”

Her words where not heard by the townspeople that night. Arnan wasn’t even sure it would have mattered if they had. He didn’t care what his siblings believed, or even Little Mother. If Deus or Christus really existed they would have never let anything so terrifying happen to Pepper or his parents. Martyrs; the word left a bitter taste in his mouth. No, Deus didn’t exist, and if he did he didn’t care. Arnan pushed open the burnt door and watched as little rats scurried away from him and into the dark corners of the one room home. It had once been Pepper’s home, but it seemed that “home” had rejected both of them. Arnan slowly knelt and began lifting up broken boards hoping to retrieve what he had buried in the house that haunted both of their pasts. He let out a sigh of relief as he saw the sack right where he had left it, completely undisturbed. Just as he began to reach for the bag Arnan froze at the unmistakable feeling of a cold knife point pressing against the back of his skull.

Chapter Two:

Arnan and Pepper sat in one of the many booths lining the back wall of Simon’s Pub. The place was overflowing with more characters then Arnan could keep track of; travelers and city folk all drowning their woes in ale and stew. He smiled at one particular sailor who seemed to have drunk one too many mugs of Mauria’s home brew.

“That ‘un will have an aching head tomorrow,” Pepper dryly observed of the weeping shipmate.

“And how would you know, Pepper?” The redhead imp smiled wryly and handed Arnan’s mug of untouched ale to him. Arnan shook his head as he realized that the cup he held was empty. He almost admired Pepper’s impertinence in drinking it out from underneath his nose. The boy was already sitting on his hands as punishment for attempting to pick a patron’s pocket, only a few minutes after entering the room. Arnan sighed inwardly as he realized he was teaching Pepper he would only be punished if he got caught, not for the deed itself. It was something his parents and siblings would have hated, but something that Arnan had no control over. They had to survive, and Pepper had quickly learned that morals were for people whose pockets were bulging with gold. Arnan swatted the little boy across the back of his head.

“Go on, git. If you can’t keep your hands to yourself in here then go outside and wait for me. I have business to talk with Simon. And no stealing!” The boy ran along happily and barely responded as Arnan yelled after him. Arnan heard a deep-throated chuckle behind him and turned to find Simon placing a fresh mug of ale in front of him.

“You know, boy, you might as well tell a bird not to fly,” Simon eyes were brightly shining with humor.

Arnan smiled as he realized the absurdity of it all, “ I guess there is still a part of me that wants Pepper to have a proper upbringing like I did.”

Simon stared at him for a moment and then let out a sudden roar of laughter, “Lot of good it did you, Romany!”

Arnan smirked and took a swig of the ale before he realized what he was doing. The terrible taste suddenly overwhelmed his senses and he remembered why it was that he never drank. Suddenly he realized that Simon was watching him. Doing his best to swallow, Arnan pasted a smile back onto his face and tried to squeak out a couple words.

“Good ale…” Simon slapped him across the back and Arnan had all he could do to keep his stomach where it belonged.

“Mauria’s newest brew, you like?” Arnan gulped down the ale that was rising up the back of his throat and slowly nodded. Simon smiled and sat down across the table from him.

“I was followed today.”

“You are followed many day, my friend. Most men who have as sizable a bounty over their heads are stalked by hunters.”

“Aye. But I was followed, and I was found.” Arnan watched calmly as fear started rising in Simon’s eyes. “They knew where I lived, it seems I’ve been too careless”

“That’s impossible, you’re the most invisible man I’ve ever met.”

“And yet they found me. This place is no longer safe.”

“Where will you go?” Simon’s eyes were defeated. They both knew the danger of being found. This meant that whoever was looking for him was no small time bounty hunter looking for hard cash. Whoever was looking him meant serious business. Usually this meant the criminals head, not necessarily connected to his body.

“To the Swamps of Negesh to take care of business…”

A woman’s voice broke into their conversation with barely concealed panic, “You’re not taking the boy back there!”

Arnan looked up to find Mauria staring down at him with tight-lipped determination. He knew his face matched hers but inwardly he smiled. Mauria had an indefinable protective quality about her that very much reminded him of his elder sister Daelia. He had often seen the same determination cross Daelia’s face over his latest dangerous exploit when they were children. Arnan pulled himself back to the situation and sighed.

“Pepper will go with me to Negesh and then we will make refuge in An Toan.” Arnan met Simon’s shocked stare at the mention of the deeply religious island, out of the corner of his eye he also saw Mauria’s shoulders drop in defeat. The silence between them was chilling, yet he knew that neither of the couple would try and talk him out of it. This was a matter of survival. Finally, Mauria slammed the mug she had carried over down on the table and spat out a few words.

“You’ll be the death of that little boy, Arnan Romany.” She twirled on her heel with a swish of her skirts and headed back towards the kitchen. Arnan turned his attention back to Simon ‘s piercing gaze only to find his dear friend also standing.

“I guess that’s it then,” said Simon quietly. Arnan caught the larger man’s arm as he began to turn away and placed a linen envelope into his hand.

“You and Mauria have been the only family I have known over the past three years and I can’t take everything I own were we are going.” Arnan paused as he searched for the right words, “ I know the swamps of Negesh are an unpleasant place for even the average man to wander into, but should you ever be in need that envelope will tell you where to find help.”

Simon nodded his thanks and grabbed Arnan in a bear hug before turning to take care of the needy customers lining the booths of the pub. Arnan looked around the familiar pub once more before shouldering his pack, in an attempt to burn the image into his mind. It was heartbreaking to leave the only home he had known since leaving his siblings, but the last thing he would have ever done is let himself bring danger to the beautiful couple he loved so well. Pepper would be outside, likely attempting to pickpocket a poor soul, and it was time to collect him. Arnan looked back over his shoulder as he stepped over the threshold of the back door, just in time to see Simon toss an overly inebriated patron out of the pub. He squared his shoulders and, with a prayer that Mauria would forgive him, he walked away knowing he would never again return.