Moons' Dreaming (Children of the Rock) (48 page)

“
That
’
s right. Now, let me go on. A time came when people noticed that fire bears were beginning to change. From one summer to the next, Keepers and Shapers all through the kingdoms found hundreds and hundreds of dead bodies of old fire bears, and tracks of a new, smaller sort of fire bear. At first, the Shapers and Keepers who usually had to fight them thought this was a good idea. But the Dreamers warned that it wasn
’
t right. Some evil magic was working, and the gods were displeased.
”

“
Who was working the evil magic?
”
Pepper asked.

“
The Dreamers say we have enemies outside the world who are always trying to find a way in.
”

“
Everybody knows that,
”
Matti complained.

Pepper was not satisfied.
“
How can there be anything outside the world? The world is the world.
”

“
I don
’
t understand it either,
”
Vray said.
“
But monsters aren
’
t like other animals, are they? The wind demons don
’
t even have bodies.
”

“
Maybe they
’
re just bad weather,
”
Pepper suggested.

“
You wouldn
’
t think so if you felt one,
”
Vray told her.

“
I want to hear the story,
”
Matti said.

Pepper remained silent, so Vray continued,
“
Soon Shapers and Keepers, children and adults, began to die. The medicines that Brownmothers could use had no effect. All of the Greenmothers spent days and days trying to heal people. Then the Dreamers began to die, too. Finally the wizard Herfin realized that a new sickness had come into the world.
”

“
I
’
ve heard this,
”
Pepper interrupted excitedly.
“
Wizard Herfin is the one who discovered the plague, and Greenmother Gavea is the one who cured it.
”

“
That
’
s basically right,
”
Vray said.
“
But I
’
m telling you a more complicated version. Should I keep going? Or isn
’
t it interesting?
”

“
Keep going,
”
Matti said.
“
I want to know what happened to the fire bears.
”

“
The new sickness came from the fire bears. Many, many of the Children died before Herfin discovered that the droppings of the fire bear could put the illness into the soil or the water, and from there into us. Not everyone who had the illness, the plague, died. Some became very sick. Some didn
’
t become sick at all. But very often, when it was time for them to have children, the children died.
”

“
Not all the children,
”
Pepper said.
“
Otherwise we wouldn
’
t be here.
”

“
That
’
s right. But in many cases, a husband and wife watched four or five or six children die before they finally had one who survived. Most of the Greenmothers were concentrating on helping those who fell sick to recover. It was Gavea who saw that the only way to remove the threat from the Children was to completely eliminate the fire bears.
”

“
Is that why people like Herri don
’
t have any brothers or sisters?
”
Pepper asked.

“
Probably.
”

“
Did the wizards kill the fire bears?
”
Matti wanted to know.

“
The wizards helped, but there weren
’
t very many of them left. It was time for a new generation of Dreamers, but few children of any kind were being born. With so many Keepers dying, many places in Rhenlan and central Dherrica could no longer produce enough food to feed their own people. Some Keeper families moved south, away from the fire bears
’
influence, only to die of the cold. Whole Shaper families disappeared. Those that remained began to fight over who would rule certain areas. But Gavea went to Sitrine and told the newest of the Dreamers, Aage, what needed to be done. Aage took the best of the kings
’
guards and they went from village to village all along the great sea, across the plains north of Edian, through the forests surrounding Long Pine, in and out of the foothills of every range of the Dherrican mountains, finding and killing fire bears.
”

“
How long did it take?
”
Matti
asked solemnly.

“
Sixty years,
”
Vray replied just as solemnly.

“
Not with the same guards!
”
Pepper
protested.

“
No. Of course not. It took many, many people, and all of Aage
’
s magic, to do such a thing. But finally, Gavea and Aage knew that only one fire bear remained
.
It lived in the ruins of an empty village on the edge of a great marsh. Aage took two archers and a swordsman named Hion, and they sailed west along the coast, because it was the height of summer and the northern swamps were impassable. Twice they were almost swallowed by sea monsters. Once they had to go ashore so that Hion could slay a dragon, which had been flying after them. When they finally reached the fire bear
’
s lair, Hion coaxed it out, using himself as bait. Its claws scratched him and he was sick for a very long time. But while he was fighting it, the archers were able to shoot it with arrow after arrow until finally one of the arrows pierced its eye and brain and killed it. That was in the year that Prince Damon was born. It marked the beginning of the end of the plague.
”

“
What does that mean?
”
Pepper asked.
“
Beginning of the end?
”

“
Anything that doesn
’
t end all at once has to start ending somewhere. The plague was spread by the bears; spread very far. Sickness appeared in some villages years after a bear had been nearby. But once Hion had killed that last bear, the Dreamers knew the plague would die out, too. Does that tell you enough about fire bears, Matti?
”

Her bed shifted slightly. Pepper whispered,
“
She
’
s asleep.
”

“
I guess that tells me what kind of storyteller I am.
”

“
Oh, no, you were wonderful. Matti
’
s just too little to be up so late.
”

“
We
’
d better put her back on your bed.
”
After a brief fumble, Vray lifted the small child and cradled her against her shoulder. She found herself wondering if the prince who
’
d been born in the year of the last fire bear had ever been this little and curious, and fallen asleep when told of his father
’
s exploits. Pepper led her to the other bed, and together they tucked Matti under the blanket.

“
Go to sleep, now, Pepper.
”

“
I will. Do you know more stories?
”

Vray smiled into the dark.
“
A few.
”
She climbed back into her own bed and closed her eyes.

“
Good,
”
was Pepper
’
s final comment for the night.

Jordy followed the porter up the stairs to the law reader
’
s room. The white-haired Shaper behind the table identified himself as Reader Oskin. Beside him stood an old woman in Redmother
’
s robes
—
the witness. The captain of the king
’
s guard, the man Jordy had come to challenge, stood just in front of the dark wooden table, arms folded over his chest, aquiline features impassive. He gave no sign that he recognized Jordy.
So much,
Jordy thought bitterly,
for fine words spoken around a summer campfire.

At the law reader
’
s command he made his statement. The witness listened attentively, her mouth a small
‘
o
’
of sympathy as he described torches falling among the children in the inn yard. Reader Oskin scratched lines in a book with a feather. Captain Dael saved his response until Jordy had finished.

“
It seems the guards let their enthusiasm get the better of them,
”
he said.

Oskin raised his white eyebrows.
“
Enthusiasm for an action that was in itself of dubious legality.
”

Dael flipped his long blond hair back over his shoulder with an impatient movement of his head.
“
They
’
d found a suitable candidate for the guard. They didn
’
t want to lose him.
”

“
They took him forcibly from his family and village. Twice,
”
Jordy stated.

“
It is an honor to serve the king.
”

“
A voluntary honor.
”

“
One to be encouraged. The guards were simply doing their duty.
”

Oskin interrupted the rapid exchange of words.
“
What action am I expected to take in this matter?
”
he demanded.

Jordy had his reply ready.
“
Return Pross to his family. Discipline the guards. Reimburse the innkeeper and the smith for their lost property.
”

“
Guard discipline is my concern,
”
Dael replied.
“
Even if I could identify that troop from your description, which is doubtful, you can
’
t expect me to tell them not to protect themselves from an angry mob.
”

“
Mob? A village at its spring festival is not a mob!
”

The captain spoke over his objection.
“
The boy is probably enjoying himself by now. He could be anywhere in Rhenlan. If I encounter news of him, I
’
ll see that he knows he
’
s been missed at home. As to the property damage you mentioned, what was it? A door? A few tables? That
’
s a matter for the treasury, not for me.
”

With an effort, Jordy held his temper. The law reader said,
“
Prince Damon administers the treasury. You can tell your village that its claim will be considered. But I warn you, the prince it not likely to trouble himself with such an insignificant amount.
”

“
His attention is on larger affairs,
”
Dael added.

“
That
’
s all, then.
”
Oskin raised his voice.
“
Next.
”
The porter opened the door.

Jordy left the law reader
’
s house and returned to the marketplace in a haze of bitter fury. At the wagon, he answered Tob in monosyllables until the boy wisely vanished. He worked off his anger by giving the already clean Stockings a vigorous grooming. He hadn
’
t really expected anything better of the law reader. It had been foolishness to think that his single, chance encounter with Hion
’
s guard captain three years earlier would influence the man
’
s present behavior. Jordy knew his anger was the result of disillusionment. More foolishness. He should know better than to harbor illusions about anyone as close to Rhenlan
’
s prince as Captain Dael must be.

Jordy allowed the horse to go back to her grazing. He circled the marketplace, arranging for his next load of goods, taking requests for the return trip. Tob caught up with him late in the afternoon, in time to share flaky fish pastries from a market stall.