NexLord: Dark Prophecies (29 page)

Katek faced Lor and bowed, "I thank you for
the lesson.  Perhaps I can return the favor one day."

Lor laughed at the double-edged
apology.  "You know, Katek, if we don't kill each other;
eventually I think I'm going to get to like you."

"It will be a long and bruising road," Katek
agreed, "but one I believe will be worth the trip."

Lor grinned at him.

Katek picked up the leather ball that had
been his downfall and tossed it to Lor, "Where did you get that
from anyway?"

As the ball arrived there were suddenly six
of them in the air in a swirling pattern before Lor.

"What ball?” she asked.

"Juggling leather balls," Katek said in
disbelief, "what good is that?"

Dono laughed, "They helped him to kick your
butt."

Katek smiled ruefully, "Point taken."

"Besides," Lor stated, "I can juggle other
things as well... I've been practicing."

With
that,
she added a dagger to the pattern of balls.  A moment
later, Lor spun toward the wall targets and launched one of the
leather bags in a high arc.  Before it could land, she
snatched the dagger out of the juggling pattern and whipped it
underhanded at the target.  Flying in a straight blurred
line, it struck the falling leather bag and pinned it to the center
of the target.

"Applause is not necessary, but appreciated,"
Lor noted.

Dono and Aerin actually did applaud, and even
Katek joined in after a moment.  Gandarel only smiled and
said, "Showoff."

Mara nodded, in a businesslike manner,
"Nicely done, Lor.  I'm glad you like the throwing dagger
I gave you.  Speaking of juggling other things, I had
Tocor make you a ‘coming back’ present."

The large man stepped up to Lor and handed
her a black
soft leather
bag.  When she opened it five highly polished steel balls
rolled out into her palm.  They were all about the size
of a plum, the same as her leather juggling balls

Mara watched intently.  "Do you
think you can juggle those?  They are a lot heavier than
those
sand-filled
leather balls of
yours."

Lor instantly put them up into a complex
pattern and she was not even watching her hands.

Mara nodded in acceptance of the
answer.  "And throw them?"

Lor spun and one of the balls flew toward the
wood pillar support for the balcony.  It embedded itself
into the wood half way on impact from the hard throw.

"Ouch," Aerin said, picturing a person in
place of the wood pole.

"I like them!  Thank you, Mara,"
Lor said with a genuine smile.  Lor glanced at Katek,
"Care for another round?"

Katek smiled, "If you agree to just
quarterstaffs this time," then he preceded Lor onto the sand.

A few minutes later Aerin winced at the hard
impact as one of his friends hit the sand.

This time,
it was Lor's turn to nurse a bruised arm and a bruised ego.

As weeks turned into months the friends
practiced under Mara's tutelage.  Katek was ahead of the
other students in pure weapon's
skill
but had much to make up in areas of movement,
tactics and combined attacks involving multiple skills and
non-traditional weapons.  But the gap closed as all of
them thrived under Mara's instruction.

Katek's ponytail was now three inches longer,
though barely reaching the collar of his tunic.

Aerin noticed that Lor's clothing had changed
over the months.  She still hid her gender from the
others, but due to the changes of puberty, she had to wear thick
baggy sweaters that went past her hips.  Aerin couldn't
imagine how the others missed the
changes
but decided that part of it being obvious was
that he already knew the answer.

Everything seemed to be going on as normal,
and Aerin didn't think anything could change his happy
existence
until the day came that tragedy
struck.

 Aerin stepped out of the door from his
room headed for the morning warm-ups in the practice
yard
when he saw Lor leading Mara out into the
street.  This was not in itself all that remarkable, but
Aerin caught the trails of tears on Lor's face, and he had never
seen her cry in all the time he had known his proud friend.

Aerin hurried to catch up.

Two streets later he neared the swiftly
moving pair.  Aerin had never seen Mara moving with such
energy, it was as if she had dropped away some veil, along with her
cane, and ran down the streets with the
fleet-footed
Lor.

Aerin sprinted at full pace to keep pace.

"What's wrong?” he
called
when he was near enough.

Lor looked back in concern, but it melted
away when she saw Aerin alone.  She hesitated, but then
said, "It's my mother, she's sick."

Aerin realized that he should have guessed
the answer; he knew the way to Lor's mother's house quite
well.  Over the
months,
he had continued to visit her and purchase
flowers
so that she had money to see
doctors.  Lor had never found out.

The three of them ran on toward the
house.

When they arrived Mara spoke to Aerin, "You
wait here."

Lor and Mara went in leaving Aerin out on the
front steps.

Aerin waited a few minutes, but he was
concerned about his friend. Over the time he had gotten to know
Lor’s mother, Aerin had become friends with Renda.  He
moved up the stairs and slipped in the door quietly.

Lor knelt by her mother's side and held her
old hand.  Lor's head was bowed and she was crying
softly.

Mara stood back a step.  It was
obvious to Aerin what had happened, Mara had been too late.

But then Renda's eyes opened, and she spoke,
"Who has come in?"

Lor looked up through her teary eyes and saw
Aerin.

"It is my friend, Aerin, mother."

"Aerin, come here, boy," Renda said.

Lor looked puzzled as Aerin came
forward.  Mara said
nothing
but just watched.

As Aerin passed his teacher he asked her
softly, "Is there nothing we can do?"

Mara shook her head sadly, but it was Renda
that spoke, "It is my time, Aerin, such is the way of things, but
in this time of passing I find something to rejoice. I did not know
you knew my daughter, let alone that she calls you
friend.  In the
months
that
you have been buying my flowers, and helping me pass
the lonely days with
simple
chat,
I have come to find you a worthy boy.  It eases the fear
I have for my daughter when I have gone.  Will you be the
friend to her that you have been to me?"

Aerin stood on the other side of the bed and
looked up at Lor, who knelt with wide confused eyes at the things
her mother was saying.

"I am already her friend, and will always be,
Renda.  It is through her that I came to know you."

Renda's voice was weak, "Take care of
Loretta, Aerin, for me."

"I will be with her and be there for her
anytime
she needs me, I swear,"
Aerin promised.

Renda smiled,
"Good! A
nd an old woman
thanks
you once again for your kindness."

"It is not kindness Renda, it is
love.  Lor is my closest friend in the world."

"Loretta, my daughter, I ask you to take care
of Aerin as well.  I always knew what the boy was up to
when he bought all those flowers from me.  Aerin is a
kind soul and this world does not treat his sort
well.  You are a strong girl, and he will need you."

Lor's tears fell on her mother's arm and she
spoke through her tears, "I will take care of him, mother, but I
think he is stronger than you think, and even more of a friend than
even I ever realized."

"That is good daughter," Renda paused and her
breathing became more difficult.

"Rest, mother," Lor enjoined her. 

Renda regained her breath and then held her
daughter's hand.  "I have one other matter I wish to
discuss, I know you have been hiding behind the cloak of a boy to
protect yourself, but the time where that was possible is coming to
an end.  I want you to be yourself, not playing the part
of someone else.  You are my daughter, be proud of who
you are, and know that I will be watching over you.  I
love you."

Her last words came out in a whisper as her
life slipped away.

Lor stiffened with the realization that her
mother was gone, and tried to hold onto her emotions.

Aerin set Renda's hand down on the worn sheet
of the bed and moved around to the other side near
Lor.  His light touch on her shoulder broke the dam, and
his friend fell into his arms and wept outright for the first time
in her life.

After giving Lor some time to recover from
her tears, they covered Renda’s body and prepared to
leave.  It was understood that Lor would be moving her
things to one of the rooms at Mara's place.  Mara assured
Lor that she would take care of the funeral
arrangements
and that her mother would be placed in one
of the graveyards outside of town.  Lor still wept on
Aerin's shoulder as they left the building, and so she didn't see
Dono as he backed into an alley out of sight.  Aerin saw
him
but made no mention of their
friend's presence.

When they arrived back at the villa, Mara
took Lor up to her room.  Aerin decided to go and find
Dono.  The
red-headed
youth was not in his normal haunts, so Aerin went to the
roofs.  It took him two hours, but he finally found Dono
on a high church roof overlooking the city.

Dono was a little startled when Aerin
arrived
and tried to hide his
red-rimmed eyes from his friend.

"What's wrong with you?" Aerin inquired,
sitting down next to him.

Dono looked away across the rooftops.
"Nothing."

Aerin sighed, he knew Dono better than
that.  "Come on, spill it.  I saw you watching
from the alley at Lor's place."

"I followed you guys there," he admitted.
"What happened?"

"Lor's mother died," Aerin explained
softly.

"Oh," Dono
said
as if understanding something.

Aerin waited but Dono didn't add anything, he
finally asked, "So, is that what has you upset?"

Dono looked down at his hands, wringing his
fingers together.

"I don't know what is bothering
me
if you really want to know."

Aerin nodded, "I do want to
know.  When did this start?"

"After I saw you and Lor come out of that
building.  Lor was leaning on you and I knew that Lor is
your best friend and… well, and you are Lor's best friend."

"Yes, that's true," admitted
Aerin.  "What's that got to do with anything?"

Dono looked back at his hands, "Well, you
have Mara, and Lor has you and, well, I am just sort of a tag
along.  Nobody really cares about me.  I don't
have any family and..." he just trailed off.

Aerin considered what Dono was saying and the
answers started to come to him.  "Lor was your best
friend, and now you feel I've taken him away from you," he stated
to Dono.

Dono looked uncomfortable, and then sniffed
and wiped his nose on his left sleeve.  "That's part of
it, I guess."

"Dono, there is something you have to
understand.  Being someone's best friend doesn't have to
be exclusive.  You are my best friend, too."

Dono looked up at Aerin, "But best means that
one is above the other."

"True, and you and Lor and Gandarel are above
all others to me, you are my best friends."

"You mean that?" 

Aerin shoved him, nearly toppling his friend
to the roof.  "
Of
course,
I mean it!  Hey, have you ever known me to
lie, even to save my skin?"

Dono thought about it, "No, but I could teach
you."

Aerin laughed, "No doubt, you are one of the
best liars I have ever met."

"Damn straight," Dono agreed, like it was a
compliment.

Aerin grinned.  "But there is more
to this, Dono."

His friend's smile slipped.  "What
do you mean?"

Aerin face was now serious as well, "Mara is
also your friend, and more than that, we are all
family.  When Lor lost his mother today Mara was
there.  She is taking care of
things.  Why?  Lor is part of our
family.  And when you hurt your foot, Mara bandaged you,
because you are part of our family."

Dono's face lit with an understanding and
emotion he had been searching for since he was old enough to know
he was abandoned.  "Really, you think of me as
family
?"

"You are my brother and always will be,"
Aerin promised, putting a friend's arm around him.

"I feel better," Dono admitted simply.

"Good, I can't have all my friends down
dragging in the mud today. Come on, we need to get back and be
strong for Lor.  I think that today's shocks aren't quite
over yet."

Dono stood with him, but his face was
puzzled, "What do you mean?"

"You'll see," he answered with a sly
smile.

When Dono and Aerin arrived back at the
house, Gandarel was there with Katek, though neither of the boys
were
practicing.

"What's up?" Gandarel asked when Aerin
dropped down from the roofs with Dono.

"Have you heard about Lor already?" Aerin
asked.

Gandarel shrugged, "Only what Katek told me,
Lor's mother passed away."

"Has Mara come out since she took Lor into
her room?"

"No, and I'm thinking that I better go back
to the Seat soon," Gandarel informed him.

Katek looked up, and motioned with a nod of
his head toward the upper balcony, "Here they come."

Mara and Tocor, preceded by a subdued Lor,
came down the stairs to the practice grounds.  Their
teachers stood back as Lor approached her friends.