Eilinland- Through the Wall Read online

Page 2


  She wrinkled her nose. “I like to call it ‘wealth distribution.’”

  “Nobody asked you,” he shot back.

  “If I waited for someone to ask, I would never get a chance to say anything.”

  “And the next word you say will be your last,” he said, clasping chains around her wrists. “We’re going to court.”

  He pushed his way through the crowd, hustling her along beside him. The girl and both officers walked along in sullen silence with the noisy crowd following them. Gillio and Jekka came last. Jekka was protesting all the way, saying that Gillio was always making them late for things, she probably could have finished their errands on her own faster, and next time she planned on just leaving him at the stables if that’s what it took to keep him out of trouble.

  “If you’re so concerned about being on time,” Gillio said with forced composure, “you go ahead without me. These things never take long, and I’ll be back to the stables well before it’s time to leave.”

  She reluctantly agreed and turned back to pick up the packages still piled on the street where she’d dropped them.

  Gillio walked with the crowd to the castle at the very center of the city. The tall towers loomed far above them: so high that the tips were concealed in the atmosphere. It was where the King lived along with all of his messengers. The messengers looked like men but were much taller and always very solemn. They wore exotic clothing of bright colors and gold and their skin and hair were varying dark shades. No one in this era had ever seen the King, so no one knew what he looked like.

  The group walked through the front doors of the castle and bustled towards the far end of the room where seven of the King’s messengers sat in all of their stateliness at a long table. As she was pushed along, the girl looked around the room in awe. There were tapestries in rich colors, the floor was marble, and there were white columns supporting the high ceiling. The table at the end was also white and embellished with golden leaves and vines, twisting around the legs and then swirling across the sides. The room was lit by rows and rows of windows that started higher up the wall than anyone could reach. They were fifty feet tall and almost reached the ceiling. As she was taking all of this in, everyone around her just marched on ahead with a burning sense of justice. Finally, they were all in front of the table.

  “What is the meaning of this?” asked the messenger in the middle, his deep voice echoing through the hall.

  “If you please, sir,” began Trolt, “this girl is guilty of theft. She was just caught this morning stealing from the villagers’ merchandise.”

  The girl pulled her gaze reluctantly from the ceiling where she had been studying a painting.

  “It was a loaf of bread, sir,” she told the messenger. “A small, measly, pathetic loaf of bread. And really,” she continued, “it was only a few bites of bread I stole. The rest I merely… relocated. It’s still out in the street, and I would be happy to find it and return it to the cart where it belongs.”

  There was a murmur from the crowd, which was an odd combination of outrage and laughter.

  “Stealing is stealing, and it’s not the bread we’re concerned about,” Trolt said, shooting the messengers a glance which he hoped would invoke comradery. His look, however, was received by the messengers’ usual stoic expression. He continued anyway. “You were disturbing the peace.”

  “I was disturbing the peace?” she asked with a half-smile that made Trolt furious. “I slipped in and out quietly and didn’t disturb a thing. The bread wouldn’t have even been missed if you hadn’t come running and shouting after me.”

  “Stealing is against the law!” Trolt burst out. “You cannot argue that, and it must be punished!”

  Trolt looked like he might tear the entire castle down in rage if this continued any longer. Gillio had been enjoying the amusement of the exchange so far but finally decided it was time to cut in.

  “Your honors, before you make your judgment,” he said, “I just want to be sure you know the entire story. I was walking by earlier and I saw this girl receive a dreadful blow from the back of a gloved hand, and she would have endured another had I not stepped in. Already you can see a ghastly bruise forming on her head.”

  She reached up and touched it as if previously unaware of this fact.

  “She knew there would be consequences to her actions!” Trolt shouted to Gillio. “Thieves do not belong in the city or in all of Southern Eilin; she should be banished!”

  The messengers had been silent until now, but now the one in the middle stood and spoke, raising his hands for silence though it was unnecessary. His voice was so full and deep that no one would have dared talk over it.

  “There is not one among you who is completely blameless. You only live here because of a great love and sacrifice,” he said. Then he addressed the girl gently. “What is your name?”

  “Rheen.”

  “Just Rheen?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Rheen, I’m going to send you on an assignment,” he said. “I want you to know it is not a punishment. It is something that the King has had planned for you although it would have been better for you to have come by it in his timing. Nevertheless, he has decided, because of this morning’s events, that you must leave now. No one will force you to go, but things will only be more difficult for you if you do not go, just as things have already been made more difficult through your disobedience to the laws this morning. And now, Gillio?”

  Gillio looked up in surprise. He had been thinking about slipping out so that he wouldn’t be late in getting to the stables. He figured he’d already done his part.

  “Yes?” he asked.

  “You are to take her with you,” the messenger said.

  Chapter 2

  Gillio and Rheen walked out of the castle doors and down the steps. There were several people around them. Some smiled at them, some even congratulated Rheen, while others grumbled to each other and hurried on their way. It was considered an honor to ride out on the King’s missions, and some people were unhappy that such an honor would be granted to a thief. The officers had stayed behind to talk to the messengers longer – on that very subject, no doubt.

  Gillio was quite distressed about what Jekka and Bierno would say when they found out, but he was otherwise happy to have more company. Rheen was accustomed to accepting change and things outside of her control, and she was much less shaken by the turn of events than most other people would have been in her situation.

  “I guess I’ve really lucked out,” she said presently as they turned down the road to the left.

  “Well, it didn’t sound like luck from what I heard, but I’m glad things worked out for you the way they did. We’ll be happy to have you.”

  “Who are you travelling with? And where are we going?”

  “We’re going to the north of the wall on a mission for the King. I don’t know if you’ve been there, but it’s really different than here. There are a lot of problems, more than there are here at least, and the King will sometimes send people like us to sort things out if there’s a particularly bad situation.”

  “Oh,” said Rheen. “I hope there aren’t any crazy expectations that I’ll be particularly helpful. I won’t have any idea of what I’m doing.”

  “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” said Gillio. “Bierno’s a good leader, and everyone else is really understanding. Except maybe Jekka.”

  “Was she the one with you earlier today?”

  “Yes,” laughed Gillio. “You’ve picked up on her attitude already?”

  “She just didn’t seem very happy to be there,” said Rheen.

  “Well, she wasn’t, but that’s only because she’s never really happy to be anywhere. I’m sure she’ll get used to you though. She’s not that bad when you get to know her. Except to me… and maybe you, too, and several other people she doesn’t like.”

  They were both laughing by the time they walked into the stable. It was a small stable and very open so that
the horses in the stalls near the street could hang their heads out over the sidewalk to get attention from people passing by. Gillio and Rheen walked through the main entrance and could see four horses in crossties in the aisle.

  On the left, Bierno had tacked up Gillio’s huge bay and was now working on his own dappled gray, Commander. To the right, Aenin had out his horse and Jekka’s. Jekka herself was nowhere to be seen, which was a huge relief to Gillio. He hoped he would have time to explain things before she returned from her errands.

  “I see you managed to lose Jekka,” said Bierno when he saw them, “and you picked up someone else instead.”

  “I think we were all ready for a change,” laughed Gillio.

  “Very funny,” said Bierno blandly. “Now, would you mind introducing us and telling me what’s going on?”

  “Bierno, Rheen. Rheen, Bierno.”

  “Pleased to meet you,” said Bierno, shaking her hand. Then he looked expectantly at Gillio.

  “So, it’s kind of a long story,” said Gillio. “Jekka and I were walking along, and there were some officers causing trouble with Rheen, so I went with them all to the castle to make sure that things were sorted out right, and Jekka went on to finish the errands. Then the messengers said that the King wanted Rheen to come with us.”

  Bierno furrowed his brow. “To the north?”

  “Yes,” said Gillio. “That was how I understood it, anyway.”

  “Alright. I’ll have to see about getting her a horse. And other supplies. Rheen, we’re leaving this afternoon; is there anything you need to take care of here: anyone you need to talk to or things you need to gather?”

  “Not really.”

  “Alright, I’m going to go talk to the stable master; he’s a friend of mine and might be able to loan us a horse on short notice. Gillio, grab some money out of my saddlebag, the front right side, and take her to that place up the road to get travelling clothes and shoes.” With that, he hurried off to find the stable master.

  Gillio retrieved a small bag of coins from the saddlebag, and then they turned to leave just as Jekka was walking in. She stopped short when she saw them.

  “Oh, hi Jekka,” said Gillio. “Aenin will fill you in. We’ve got to run.”

  Then he rushed out the door with Rheen following close behind him.

  “What was that?” Jekka asked, walking over to Aenin and putting her bundles down on a tack box.

  “It sounds like she’s coming with us,” said Aenin as he fastened the throat latch on his bridle.

  Jekka walked over to her horse and started brushing with fast, short strokes. Her horse’s eyes widened, and she stood perfectly still, her neck rigid.

  “It was the King’s orders,” said Aenin. “I don’t know his reasoning for it, but it is certainly a good chance for us all to work on being accepting and adaptable.”

  “You know you can just say it to me directly,” said Jekka. “You are obviously the last person who needs to work on being ‘accepting and adaptable.’”

  Aenin smiled. “Well, I suppose it was mostly for your benefit, but we all have room for improvement.”

  Jekka’s brush strokes slowed a little and her horse lowered its head and relaxed.

  “Did Aenin fill you in?” asked Bierno who had just gotten back from talking to the stable master.

  “Yes,” said Jekka dully.

  “Alright, well, Tallin said there’s a little chestnut mare two stalls from that end on the left that we can take. Her name is Challis. Aenin, could you get her ready when you’re done with Qisk? Here’s her tack.”

  “Of course,” said Aenin, taking the saddle and bridle and setting them aside.

  **********

  Meanwhile, Gillio was talking with the owner of a shop called ‘Bilmore’s Fashions and Footwear.’ Bill Bilmore owned the store and made shoes in a shop in the back, and his wife, Essa, made clothes. All were displayed on shelves and racks that were placed haphazardly around the main room. There was a nice display in the window though, and the business had been quite successful for several years.

  Essa had been at the counter when Rheen and Gillio walked in, and as soon as Gillio explained the situation, Essa had gone right to work getting Rheen outfitted for travelling. They were currently in a small side room trying things on for size, and a pair of leather lace-up boots had already been selected and were sitting on the counter.

  “And how is everything with you?” Bill asked Gillio. He had just finished updating Gillio on his business, family, and other relevant news.

  “Unchanged,” answered Gillio, “except for everything that happened earlier today. I’m still working at the Conwell’s farm in exchange for a room.”

  “And how’s your parents? Talk to them much?”

  “They’re doing well. Business is good. I visit every once in a while when I’m in town.”

  The conversation ended there as Rheen and Essa emerged from the side room. Rheen was wearing a dark green travelling dress, and Essa had a good-sized bundle under one arm. Gillio was astonished at Rheen’s transformation. Not only was she in new clothes instead of the rags she’d been wearing, but Essa had also helped Rheen get her tangled, fawn-brown hair under control. It now lay in a neat braid down her back.

  “She’s all ready,” said Essa. “I had to pull quite a few things from our children’s clothes to fit her, but we found what we needed. I would adjust some things if we had the time, but I suppose it doesn’t always work that way.”

  She plopped the bundle on the counter and handed the boots to Rheen.

  “You can put these on now, dear, and you can sit in this chair to do it. Just wait a minute, and I’ll move these things out of the way.”

  A few minutes later, after endless chattering from Essa and friendly goodbyes all around, Rheen and Gillio were out the door and on their way back to the stables. Aside from the unpleasant feeling of clean clothes on unwashed skin, Rheen felt wonderful. She walked differently as if her inferiority had been thrown away with her tattered clothes. By the time they made it back to the stable, she was smiling to herself.

  **********

  A few hours later, five riders travelled the long, straight road to the wall that separated Northern Eilin from Southern. They had ridden first out of the city, then through miles of farm fields. Then the sparse trees around them had drawn closer and closer together, and now they were in a forest. It was a dense, dark forest, but with deep, rich colors. Sunlight shone through to the forest floor in only a few places, casting golden rays onto dark, rich soil and bright green moss. Every so often the light would flicker as the birds that nested up in the treetops fluttered back and forth. The birds were singing and the horses’ hooves thumped on the ground as the saddles squeaked and bits jingled, but other than that, it was silent. This was due to the fact that Jekka was not speaking to Gillio, Aenin hardly ever spoke, Bierno was lost in thought, and Gillio and Rheen, who had already been talking for several hours, had finally reached a lull in their conversation. This was a relief for everyone because both enjoyed talking and both found the other incredibly amusing. Their laughter had only irritated Jekka further, and things felt a little less tense for everyone now that it had stopped.

  They arrived at the wall near dusk, and it was a pity no one was in the mood to appreciate the view. The wall stretched from east to west farther than anyone had travelled or seen. To the east it stretched out of the forest, across farm fields and then even out into the ocean. No one had ever been able to sail around it or swim under it as it went straight to the bottom of the sea no matter how deep it was. To the west it cut through more forest and then ran up over mountains and down through valleys. As far as the world had been explored in that direction, it was soundly built, even through crevices and over cliffs. It also stretched up into the sky, disappearing into the atmosphere in the same way that the castle in the city did. The only way to get from one side to the other was through the door that the warriors now stood in front of.

  The o
pening was about seventy feet tall in the middle which was the highest point. The doors themselves opened up to either side and looked as if they were made of solid gold. Engravings of legendary scenes were etched across their faces and peeked through the vines and leaves of trees that had grown up around them. They were each three or four feet thick and were also seventy feet at their highest point. They had been open for as long as any man could remember.

  The riders paused only for a moment at the door, and then Bierno led them into the forest on the left.

  “We’ll make camp in the south tonight,” he said. “That way we’ll have daylight to our advantage when we cross over to the north in the morning. Our enemies see better in the dark than the majority of us here.”

  At first it was difficult to make it through the thick underbrush at the edge of the forest, but once they made it about twenty feet in, the forest floor cleared and it was much easier. Between the thick covering of leaves over their heads and the waning sunlight, it was getting difficult to see. They dismounted in a clearing and began unloading the horses and trying to choose the best place to make a fire.

  “This area looks great!” said Gillio who had walked a couple of paces away and now stood on clear, flat ground.

  “If you want to wake up with your back shaped like a pile of rocks,” said Jekka.

  “Well, we would use the rocks to make a fire pit.”

  “You can do what you want, but I’ll be sleeping on the grass over here.”

  “Okay, you can wake up frozen solid if you want to because the fire is going to be over here.”

  “Gillio, I want you and Jekka to go gather some firewood; the three of us will stay here and set up camp,” said Bierno.

  “Yes sir,” said Gillio, and he and Jekka turned and walked into the woods.

  “I told you so,” said Jekka before they were even twenty feet away.

  “If he is sticking us with each other, I can assure you it’s not for punishment. It must be he thinks we work well together or something,” responded Gillio. And then they were too far away for the others to hear Jekka’s response.