Larkspur Mittel: The Lark & Owl Trilogy

33 - The Best Weapon-Gift

The road twisted and climbed higher, and the air grew cool and dry. Hero climbed up from the back of the fen wagon and sat up beside Pa-nush for a while as he drove the ponies. A lone Choma wagon, it's bells tinkling, approached at speed from the opposite direction. The wheels raised a big cloud of dust as it passed. Pa-nush tried to greet the driver with a wave of his hand, but the other band did not slow.

"Ay, some trawlers have no manners these days!" Pa-nush complained to Hero, as they both covered their mouths from the dust. Hero climbed into the back of the wagon at Pa-nush's suggestion to cover herself with blankets as she shivered from the growing cold.

They passed lonely hills and a few dried-up lake beds as they climbed, until they reached the hidden valley where the Choma made their temporary home. They arrived in the late afternoon, the sun's golden fingers of light casting long shadows across the valley.

Several Choma riders had seen them as they approached, and came down quickly from the hills to escort them into the camp. A grove of very tall, slender pine trees stood near a circular, thatched building- a sort of trawler stofa, Pa-nush pointed out- where smoke rose in lazy puffs. Trawlers who'd been rushing about, stopped and watched the Dagan bands as they arrived.

The Choma were the largest group of trawlers and lived in camps such as this on the outskirts of the desert and bog lands. While the Dagan were a much smaller tribe, they were on good terms and spoke a dialect similar to the Choma, or so Pa-nush had explained to the children.

They came to a halt finally, and Pa-nush spoke.

"Mar Haba! Inya beb-salemi yim'alu!"

Hero heard Pa-nush's friendly tone and imagined the kindness of his face. Though she couldn't understand the language, the Choma voices that answered sounded impatient and a little angry.

They were scared.

She listened as Marcus joined in, speaking quickly. She threw off the blankets, pulled her satchel strap across her shoulders and picked up Pancake. Though she was still a little light-headed, she felt better after so much rest. She jumped down from the back of the band and held the small dog close as she found herself in the midst of an agitated trawler camp, and not the peaceful harbor she'd imagined.

"Hero, come!" Marcus called to her.

Ivan and Adelmus stood beside him wondering what was going on. 

The Choma were packing. 

They prepared their ponies, tying them to their bands, and called out to one another in urgent voices. The children of the camp ran about, playing and crying, and were scooped up by older siblings and deposited safely into the back of the bands that had no wheels, and which would remain in the valley. The adults were gathering provisions, and moved quickly as though they hadn't much time to loose. They were were a formidable group, with wide serious faces and weathered skin that spoke of bravery and bold travel across many lands.

Pa-nush meanwhile conferred with a handsome, tall fellow who wore the same wide-brimmed hat as all trawlers, though his was red- most trawlers hats were the light color of the sand in the desert. He had an elegant mustache and long sideburns, Hero noticed, and a black cape fell to his waist, where a knife in a sheath was tied to his side, the same as all the Choma wore.

Upon seeing Hero and the boys, the red-hatted fellow nodded unsmiling, and then walked off.

Pa-nush directed a few men to unload the goods they'd brought to trade.

"They've been waiting for ye," Pa-nush told Hero, his face grim and serious.

"How did they know we were coming? And who was that man you spoke to?" She worried, putting Pancake on the ground.

The dog stayed near Hero and growled at the commotion around them.

"Eh? Oh, Polver Moss of course, leader of the Northern Choma."

Though they didn't know much about trawlers, every lark child had heard of Polver Moss.

"That was Polver Moss?! He's a legend- I didn't think he was even real! They say he fought off deguls with his bare hands and was hero during the peat wars!" Adelmus exclaimed.

They watched Moss as he strode purposefully into the thatched stofa. Though none of them said so, they all felt some glimmer of hope about finding Aggie with Polver Moss by their side.

"So he was. Now lads, all of ye go on. He's waiting," Pa-nush said, nodding towards the stofa.

"Waiting for us?!"

"Indeed. Word has spread quickly it seems about the wee lark children who have outwitted the Bolvekr and their men!"

"We've done no such thing! We've only run off, the same way we would in any game of hide and seek at Wobash Cynders!" protested Adelmus.

"Will you come with us?" Hero tugged at Pa-nush's sleeve. She'd grown accustomed to his wrinkly face and smell of fish oil.

"Nay, I'm afraid this is where we say farewell. We tried to keep ye safe - ye can be sure that Marcus and I will do whatever we can to help find Aggie. Especially seeing that she was lost on our guard!"

"Oh but it wasn't your fault!" Hero glanced at Ivan and Adelmus, and they nodded in agreement.

"We must move on immediately, says Polver, to safer grounds."

"Where will you go?"

"We're trawlers. We've peat to gather from the bogs. It's how we earn our keep. We'll go back to the lode and head to the eastern bogs, far from the Bolvekr and any such rascals."

Hero felt the sting of tears in her eyes. She threw her arms around Pa-nush and hugged him hard, while the boys shook hands with Marcus.

"Look after yerself. Do as they say- go now to see Moss and follow his want," Pa-nush patted Hero gently on the head and then returned to his work.

Marcus grasped Hero's arm just above the claw. He stood tall and proud, and appeared about to make an important speech, when all of a sudden he pulled her close in a big hug.

Hero stiffened and blushed, while Ivan and Adelmus turned away and walked towards the stofa.

"Trust yourself. You've gotten this far on your wits. And take this," Marcus let go of her, and handed over his slane.

"I can't take your slane- you'll need it!"

"Think of it as a gift. Besides, you'll need it again for one thing or another- as a good walking stick or a weapon. A lark warrior like you needs a store of weapons," he smiled.

Hero held the slane and admired the tapered, crescent-moon blade at the end had which had been sharpened and polished. She tossed it from one hand to the other. It felt light and sturdy in her grip.

"Thank you. It's the best weapon-gift I've ever gotten," she said.

Pancake meanwhile turned in circles, growling and barking angrily at Hero.

"Look after Pa-nush and Marcus now- we'll miss you Pankey!"

Hero tried to lift her up to say goodbye, but the dog dodged to and fro barking furiously.

"Why is she so mad?"

Hero tried a few more times to catch her before giving up.

"She doesn't want you to go," Marcus replied, and then called, "here girl!"

Pancake's ears went up and her shining dark eyes and nose turned to Marcus. She leapt up and down at his legs, and together they walked back to their fen bands.