The Fog of Forgetting (18 page)

The guard ahead stopped, waiting for them. Chase pulled Teddy to his feet. Calla stood, too, fussing over each of them in turn, correcting the way Knox had stowed his knives, smoothing Evelyn's hood, lacing Teddy's boot, and finally, adjusting Chase's sword hilt on his belt. No words were exchanged, but the older children seemed to know, in the way Melorians had known things about them without asking, that this was the only good-bye they would have.

“Will you be all right?” asked Evelyn.

Calla assented with a nod and turned to her horse, watching them from the corner of her eye as she pretended to work a burr out of the horse's mane. She saw them clad in the clothes she and her mother had prepared, carrying weapons made by her father, and walking toward the Metrian guard in the long, silent ground-covering strides of a Melorian. She did not turn to face them as they descended to the shore; nor when they walked out onto the makeshift pier to the ship; nor when they gained the ship's deck; nor when each of the small heads looked over in her direction. But she saw them.

She mounted, clucked to the other horses to follow, and rode away. Within minutes, she had reentered the dry riverbed. Axl and Tar howled long, baying cries that echoed up and across the striated walls of the canyon. The sun glinted sharply across the bleached stones lining the riverbed, burning her eyes and making them leak water.

T
hat night, Evelyn, Chase, Knox, and Teddy slept in a cabin in the bow of a ship, which was outfitted with matching berths covered with soft sheets and blankets. The boat rocked back and forth lightly with the river's subtle swell, and they slept deeply until pale pink morning light filtered through the cabin and woke Evelyn. She sat up and smacked her head on the bottom of Knox's bunk overhead.

“Wake up, everyone,” she said, reeling a little and rubbing her forehead from the impact.

“Calla!” Teddy yelled. “She'th waiting for uth!”

“No, she's not Tedders,” Knox said sadly. “She had to—uh—get back to her mom.”

“She didn't thay good-bye!” Teddy sniffed. “And I didn't get to thay good-bye to Axthl and Tar!”

Knox shrugged. “They don't say good-bye in Melor, remember, Ted? They just go.”

“But what about Theaborne? And Mara?” Teddy's lower lip quivered.

“I don't know,” Knox said to the ceiling. He rubbed the hilt of one of his throwing knives. “I'm sick of all the things I don't know.”

Evelyn twisted her legs over the side of her berth and stood up. Her head was even with Knox's, who was lying flat on his pillow.

“So am I. We're just being sent around to whoever will have us. I know a little something about that, and it hardly
ever
works out.” She chewed on her lip for a moment and added, “Rothermel says his sister is Dankar's biggest threat. We should try to see her as soon as possible and figure out how to find Frankie. After that, we'll ask her if we can borrow one of these boats to go home. It's about time we started taking control of our own lives, not leaving them up to everybody else.”

Chase rolled over in his bunk on the other side of cabin, listening, feeling a shift almost back to normal. Evelyn was sounding a lot more like her old self, which was a relief.

“I wonder what they eat in Metria?” asked Knox, sounding happier. He swung off his bunk and vaulted down over the edge, landing on his feet next to Evelyn.

It wasn't long before they found out. In the adjoining cabin, a long table had been set for them with fruit, fresh juice, eggs, butter, and honey. Sun streamed through four oval portholes recessed along each side of the boat.

“Now
this
is breakfast,” Knox said, settling down at once and helping himself to a huge serving of eggs. Chase sat next to him, taking it all in. When he looked up, Evelyn caught his eye.

“It's a lot of food, isn't it?” she said, pulling an orange from one of the piles.

“Enough to feed an army,” he said, and pushed his plate away with a hollow feeling in his stomach. He wondered what Seaborne, Calla, and Mara would be eating today.

“Or at least me,” said Knox, with his mouth full.

A delicious smell wafted through the cabin quickly followed by a woman in purple robes carrying a tray piled high with freshly baked bread. She had a wide, pale face and blue eyes that peered out from a curtain of sand-colored hair. As she walked, her bare toes poked out from beneath the hem of her robes. She lowered the tray onto the table, smiled, and then retreated out of sight without a word.

“That was weird,” said Knox, picking up a piece of warm bread and smelling it appreciatively.

Evelyn shrugged. “She probably thinks
we're
weird.”

“Knoxth ith weird,” Teddy said.

Chase and Evelyn looked at each other and said in unison, “Definitely.”

“Ha-ha, very funny,” said Knox, helping himself to seconds. “Just see if I come running the next time you need someone to chuck a knife.”

“That won't be necessary here,” interrupted an unfamiliar voice. It came from a helmeted figure dressed in chain mail, descending the ladder into their cabin. Standing, the helmet knocked lightly on the ceiling. A swift hand removed it to reveal the oval face and light hair of another Metrian. Like the woman who had served them bread, her eyes were a startling, clear blue.

“I see you have enjoyed your rest, and”—she eyed the table littered with crumbs—“your breakfast. That is good. You have been through a great ordeal and we wish only for your comfort. My name is Hesam. This is my vessel.” She raised her palm in the traditional greeting. “Soon I will take you to our Keeper, who wishes to see you with her own eyes. But first, you must—ah—wash.”

Evelyn raised her arm to her nose to smell herself, then sniffed at Knox's hair. None of them had bathed since they'd arrived on Ayda, how many weeks ago? The Melorians never washed, and it didn't seem to matter, but it was a different story inside the closed quarters of the ship.

Knox's eyes were fixed on the shiny helmet that Hesam had in her hand—it had a small point at the top that ended in a mushroom-shaped cap. Hesam noticed, and placed it in front of Knox, allowing him to examine it more closely. It was made of hammered bronze and decorated with gold engraving. At the center, a gold medallion embossed like a sand dollar was affixed to the nose guard, and intricate curtains of mail fell loosely from the sides and back.

“They don't have these in Melor,” said Knox.

Hesam laughed. “Of course they don't.”

“There'th a lot that you don't have, I bet,” cried Teddy, defensively. “Like thky crothingth!”

“The gifts of Ayda are many and varied to be sure,” agreed Hesam, easily understanding Teddy despite his lisp. “The people of the stone of Melor are much advantaged. There are none braver, nor wiser in the growing, nurturing, and harvesting of living things. But this one,” she pointed at Knox, “is right. Nowhere else on Ayda can be found better craftsmanship of such things. In Metria, we take pleasure in taking that which is whole and good and using our arts to make it more beautiful. If you would follow me, you will soon see for yourselves.”

Evelyn and the boys rose from the table and politely began to gather their dishes. Hesam stopped them.

“That will be taken care of. On my ship, each person has an assigned duty. If it is not your duty, then you must leave it be, or confusion will ensue. Come with me.” She gestured up the ladder.

“I like that,” crowed Knox, putting down his plate.

“Just wait until you're on dish duty,” replied Evelyn.

On deck, a steady breeze filled the sails as they headed downriver. Evelyn peeked over the edge of the ship; the water flowed deep blue and green and extraordinarily clear. Her eyes swept over the rest of the ship, noting Hesam's impressive armor and that of her crew: the curved swords at their hips, their swift, efficient movements, and the billowing sails that kept the ship moving fast, every minute taking them farther and farther away from Frankie. Evelyn chewed her lip, wishing the water flowing past the ship could give her answers. Where was her sister now? Was she hurt? Afraid? Was she alive? As the ship sped southeast, Evelyn couldn't help feeling that she was headed in the opposite direction of where she should be going.

By afternoon, the ship had reached a peninsula of rock where the river split in two. Hesam gave the order to tack right, westward, and they sailed into a broad cove, at the back of which stood the mouth of a cavern. The crew lowered the sails as two small skiffs issued forth, manned by rowers with long oars.

“Ith thith Metria?” asked Teddy, as he climbed down a ladder into one of the skiffs, followed by Evelyn. Chase and Knox lowered themselves into the other. Hesam peered over the rail of her ship.

“All that you see is guarded by the great Keeper Rysta, but this is merely a waystation on your journey. We are to stop here until plans are made for your transport to the city,” she answered.

Evelyn frowned. “Why can't you take us all the way there? We need to see Rysta.”

“She will see you here. If all is well, you will proceed to the city soon enough.”

“What do you mean, if all is well?” asked Chase. “Does Rysta think we've come to cause trouble?”

“My orders were to bring you here, and here I have brought you. That is all I know,” answered Hesam, with an air of finality.

“They don't trust us,” said Evelyn in a low voice.

“Can you blame them?” replied Chase, thinking of the damage they had left behind them in Melor.

The rowers dipped their oars rhythmically into the green water, smoothly gliding away from Hesam's ship and into the mouth of a tunnel. They emerged from the other side into a small, underground lagoon. Long stalactites of sand-colored stone hung from the roof and light poured through various openings in the rockface, glancing off the water and catching tiny flecks of quartz embedded in the walls. The effect was dazzling—like paddling across a sparkling snow globe. The sound of gently falling water filled the cavern. Chase swiveled his head, looking for the source of the sound.

“Teddy, look!” he gasped, pointing toward the far wall of the cavern. A sheet of water cascaded down from some unseen height, splashing into the lagoon and making a small rainbow. The skiffs pulled up to a shallow beach where several Metrians awaited them. Strong hands grabbed the skiffs and hauled them ashore.

Back on land, Evelyn and the boys followed their hosts deeper into the cavern. It was impossible to know how far underground they were, but there was no lack of light. It came pouring in through small and large apertures bored through the walls of the tunnels, and everywhere the sound of water running, trickling, and rushing surrounded them. After a few more twists and turns, they were shown into a comfortable room outfitted with stacks of pillows and long cushions, a low table, and rows of bright candles nestled into the rock. At the far end of the room stood an open archway partially obscured by mist.

A woman not much taller than Evelyn approached.

“You must come with us,” she whispered, gingerly touching Evelyn's shoulder.

“No way, she stays with us,” said Chase.

Evelyn gave him a quick, grateful smile.

The woman, flustered, consulted the others. When she returned, she spoke so quietly that Chase had to lean in to hear her words.

“It is for the bath,” she explained. “She will return later to the gathering room, unless it is custom in your country for boys and girls to bathe together?”

Chase's lips twitched into a nervous smile. He raised an eyebrow at Evelyn.

“I'll be okay,” she assured him, and gave a little wave before disappearing with her guides into the dim light of the tunnel.

The boys' bathroom turned out to be another low-ceilinged room with an enormous steaming pool of water in the center. An open window looked out on the river flowing not a hundred yards away. Their guides withdrew. Teddy and Knox peeled off their soiled Melorian clothing and dropped their weapons to the floor. Chase took his poncho off, but hesitated when it came to removing his sword.

With a loud whoop, Teddy cannonballed into the pool.

“Hurry up, Chase!” cried Knox, jumping in.

Chase unstrapped his belt and untied the drawstring to his leggings. His sword clattered to the ground. He quickly lowered himself into the bath, relaxing as his muscles hit the warm water.

“It's deep!” he said. “And hot!”

A few Metrians returned with a pile of brown sponges and a shell full of sweet-scented soap. They picked up the piles of discarded clothing as well as their weapons.

“Hey, we'll be needing those back!” shouted Chase at the retreating back of the Metrians, but before he could say anything else, a wet sponge hit him full in the face.

“Monkey in the middle!” yelled Teddy.

Knox chucked another sponge at Chase, then dove under, resurfacing next to Teddy.

“Who's the monkey now?” he grinned, hoisting Teddy up and tossing him lightly into the center of the pool. Teddy shrieked happily. Through the window, the afternoon sun slowly melted and the river became a ribbon of gold. As the boys cavorted in and out of the pool, chucking wet sponges at each other, heavy memories of the battle and Tinator's death began to lift. Safe in Metria, in this clean, gold-lit room, the events of the past few days seemed like another life, strangely unreal.

“I loooove Metria,” Knox groaned.

“Me too,” said Teddy, floating on his back, his arms and legs extended, starfish-like.

“It won't love you if you don't get out of the bath soon!” Evelyn's voice came from the archway. “You've been in there forever. I bet you're prunes.”

The boys reluctantly hauled themselves out of the pool. Towels of thin linen, along with an assortment of new, clean clothing in the loose, flowing style of the Metrians had mysteriously appeared in a stack by the door. The boys quickly donned the pajama-like pants, long shirts, and colorful scarves.

“Where do you think they took our weapons?” asked Knox, looking down at his knee-length tunic. Weapons might help counteract the feeling that he was wearing a dress.

“I knew we shouldn't have let them go,” replied Chase, frowning. “There's nothing we can do about it now.”