Acrabha Stone: Blessing and Curse
Acrabha Stone: Blessing and Curse: By J. Elias Epp Chapter 3 The blue morning sky slowly warmed as Rylen exercised on the third floor of his father’s Inn. He moved slowly but surely, keeping his footing wide as he’d been taught, striking, and then following with a kick. He felt the chill air bite as he practiced, as if it were upset he was moving this early in the morning. He had removed the wall panels on three sides of the room so he could watch the rising sun. The air had chilled him at first, but his body had heated quickly and the cool air became a welcome feeling. The burn of his muscle and the chill of the breeze on his skin woke his sleepy senses. The morning was just bright enough to see the vague shape of things. The towers of the wealthy stood black against the morning sky, yet were dwarfed by the dark mountains on both sides of the valley. The snowy peaks were barely visible. Kick, strike, strike, knee, elbow, elbow. He let his body move into what felt most natural and smooth. He carried the momentum of his attacks, pressing forward across the floor until he reached the cool balcony railing. Then, he would turn and strike back towards the stone center of the Inn. The chimney warmed him as he neared it. Rylen stopped his strikes and started drilling with a wood replica of his father’s sword. It felt heavy after his exercises but its balance tamed his fatigue. The sword made a quiet swishing sound as he swung it through the air. He switched hands, from his right to his left, and drilled with that arm too. He wasn’t quite as deft with his left, but the repetition of the drills was smoothing out the awkwardness. The light grew in the sky. The blue of morning was soon replaced with the purples and oranges of the rising sun. The Inn was situated on the western side of a gently sloping hill. At the top of the hill was a small temple for the King. Even with the sun not fully risen, its gilded roof reflected the dark sky. The gardens surrounding the temple extended all along the ridge of the hill, from almost one side of the valley to the other. The Inn was just high enough that Rylen could see the tops of some of the buildings on the east side of the hill. The gold leaf upon those rooftops stood out from among the shadows of morning. Beyond these buildings, a few hundred yards beyond the foot of the hill, the valley ended abruptly in a cliff. From the third story where Rylen was at, he could see the first rays of sun outlining the horizon and blazing the clouds with color. Rylen could remember when he could look out from the Inn and see the dawn-lit horizon unbroken. Now, the tower of a wealthy merchant shadowed half of the Inn from the light. Any building not over three stories high was usually steeped in shadow on the hill’s west side until an hour after dawn. Other towers had been built near the summit as if competing with each other for height and sunlight. Rylen struck, slashed and jabbed with his sword back and forth across the floor. He felt the movements that needed improvement and moved slower until he got them right before speeding up again. He repeated each drill at least ten times before moving to the next. The first drills were easy. He could perform them the quickest, but he had to pay attention to their forms the most. Back and forth from the railing to chimney he went. Upon reaching the railing for the hundredth time, he saw the first ray of sun strike the top of Night’s Eye, the massive watchtower that stood upon the easternmost mountain. This would be the only time its dull grey stone would be colored so brightly the whole day. The tower was so tall that some nights Rylen swore he’d be able to touch the moon if he stood atop that tower. That, or he’d be skewered on it. Compared to the broad mountain it was perched on, the tower looked skinny and frail. The sun striking Night’s Eye was Rylen’s signal to cease for the morning. As if on cue, there was the click and a clack as Pahanna unlocked the Inn’s side door to begin prepping food for breakfast. Rylen let out a controlled breath and relaxed himself. He quickly put the wall panels back up and the chill in the room soon vanished. Once he had finished, he made his way downstairs. The stone center of the Inn had the chimney leading up one side of it but also housed the stairs from one floor to another. Rylen took the stairs quietly and paused for just a moment by the second floor door where the Inn’s sleeping quarters were. It was still quiet there. He smiled to himself. I didn’t wake anyone this time while doing my exercises. Usually, if he did, he would pass it off as part of preparing the Inn for the morning. He stepped down to the first floor just as Pahanna started chopping vegetables. “Hey Rylie!” Pahanna said cheerfully as Rylen entered the room. Pahanna was standing on a chair near the counter, throwing what he cut into a pot set over the fire. Rylen went over to the wash basin and splashed his face with water, then he quickly tied back his black hair with a string. “How are you this morning?” He asked the younger boy. He peeked into the pot of stew Pahanna was making on his way past and smelled its aroma. Pahanna smiled at Rylen. “I got an extra potato from Canta today.” Rylen stopped and backtracked. He narrowed his eyes and pinched Pahanna’s check. “You didn’t steal it this time, did you? I don’t want to feed customers stolen loot like last time.” Pahanna smiled a loopy smile with Rylen pulling at his cheek. “Sthat was a pirate stew sthat time.” Rylen raised an eyebrow. “And what is our stew today?” Pahanna laughed and pulled away from Rylen’s grasp. Rylen let him go and Pahanna turned back to the pot and started stirring it. “I haven’t decided yet.” Rylen tousled Pahanna’s ash-brown hair. “No bugs this time.” He turned to go. “Rylie.” “Yes?” “Your daddy wrote today’s notes in Temaman again and I can’t read it.” “Oh, so that’s why you’re making your special stew today. And that’s Telamian, not Temaman.” Pahanna smiled. “Qasee and Jak like my special stews.” Rylen shook his head and went over to where Pahanna had taken out the notes. “I’d like to see the food Qasee and Jak would turn down.” His father’s notes had been quickly scribbled down in the Telamian language. For breakfast on Falday the notes had actually called for fresh bread, tea and cream. Of course, if customers requested beer, they could have that too. Preparing the cream and bread would have taken some time to prepare, much more so than a simple stew. Rylen could still make the bread and cream, but this could give Rylen some time to do some final work on their stores instead. Besides, Leyla should be in this morning. He reached up and pulled another book off the shelf above the kitchen counter. He flipped to the back and looked over the list of stores. He checked off those items he had already made room for in the cupboards, pantry and cellar. A rapid clopping of hooves grew in loudness then quickly passed. That would be the morning messenger from Night’s Eye. Honestly, Rylen didn’t know why they were always in a hurry. If they needed to get to the capital by a certain time, they should leave earlier instead of scaring and waking the townspeople. However, he would be curious to know what kind of things they had to report. Rylen double-checked the list, then set about opening cupboards and rearranging the spices to make more room for the new ones that would be coming back with his father. He descended into the cellar that had been hewn out of the rock the Inn was built on. When his father had built the Inn, he laid its foundation on the only rock showing itself above the topsoil of the hill. He’d had the liberty of such a choice because the Inn had been the first building built in the valley after the last town had been devastated by Ara-Era’s attempt to invade. The Inn was the only building of its kind in the town of Edge. Most of the buildings surrounding it were one-story and made of large logs. The Inn’s base and inner core was made of stone. Its walls and roof had been fashioned with cut and shaped timber. The Inn’s first floor was larger than the second, and the second was larger than the third. Each floor had a balcony around its edge and a roof to cover it. The first floor had solid walls that made up its rooms, but the second and third’s walls were made of lightweight removable panels. The layout of the top two floors could be changed with just a little work. Rylen grunted as he moved a bag of flour, then turned around in the small space of the cellar to move the jars of honey into a line. A trilling whistle caught Rylen’s ear and he stopped what he was doing. Its sound was as light and clear as the song of birds yet carried the softness of flutes. Rylen grinned and jumped back up the cellar steps. He still had to reorganize the grain, corn, onions, dried meats, beans, squash, dried tomato, and peppers. He didn’t like messing with the dried peppers, they always stung his nose with their scent when he moved them. The trilling song rounded the corner of the Inn and stopped at the back door. The rapity-tapity-tap-tap upon the door punctuated the song’s final notes. Rylen set the ledger down and threw the latch. “Gooooood morning!” Leyla said, her smile as bright as midday. She hugged Rylen lightly but warmly then quickly stepped inside. “I’ve come to help again today. I have till after breakfast before I have to get back to the temple, you’ll be on your own after that.” She untied her copper blonde hair and put an apron over her yellow priestess robes. Rylen picked the ledger up again. “Did your mom get the stain out from yesterday?” “I told you not to worry about that. Its fine, it’ll be fine.” She smiled and waved a hand dismissively at him. She started stirring the coals in the stone oven and added wood, then quickly started to make dough. “I can’t believe you Pan, were you really planning on only serving them stew?!” “They like my stew!” “And bread makes it better! Especially with butter!” Pahanna stuck his tongue out at her. Rylen turned and quietly tried to sneak down the steps. “Ohoho! Don’t think you can sneak away. You’re just as responsible.” Rylen turned halfway down the steps and put a hand to his chest. “Who? Me?” He rapped the ledger with his knuckles and took on a haughty air to his voice as he turned up his nose. “I have to insure the wares you two so carelessly use don’t run out. I’m off to conduct business in the cellar. Be sure not to make a mess.” He turned and stiffly descended the stairs. Leyla smiled, “Hah! That man! Pan, we shan’t let him bully us! We can walk out and leave him! He’s nothing without us! You, you…” she shook her finger ineffectively in Rylen’s direction. Pahanna just grinned. He was enjoying the banter, but didn’t know how to play along. “You’ll be no better than rats without a cellar if you leave me,” Rylen called up the stairs, “you’ll come crawling back for crumbs!” He checked the ledger and moved the bags of beans to one side. He heard a distinct whisper from Leyla, and both she and Pahanna laughed. “Get back to work, cretins!” He yelled. More whispering, this time Pahanna, and they broke into laughter again. Rylen shook his head and set himself to arranging the cellar. He moved all of the ale barrels forward except for two of them. Those two his father was letting age as they were from batches that had tasted exceptionally good. However, Rylen didn’t know why he kept the oldest one. The one that was nearly as old as Rylen was. That crop, the first to be grown since Ara-Era’s invasion into the valley of Edge, was known as “blood grain”. Bodies left from the battles there had to be cleared away before any plowing could be done. Rylen didn’t know of any person who would willingly partake in such ale. It felt like they were hiding something illegal in the cellar. “So, what are you doing exactly?” Rylen jumped and spun around as he stepped backward. However, he stepped right back into the barrel of wine he had been moving and fell over it against the shelving. He winced. Leyla held her hand to her mouth, trying to suppress laughter. “Are, are you ok? I’m sorry. I really do feel bad.” She offered out her hand to Rylen. Rylen felt the back of his throbbing head and took her hand. She had to squat down and use her body weight to pull him up. “Are you really going to be alright?” She patted his arm. “Leyla, you really have to say something when coming up behind someone.” “I know, I know, it’s a bad habit of mine. Um, but I did say something.” “You waited until you were directly behind me.” Leyla clasped her hands. “I really feel bad. You’re going to be alright?” Rylen rolled his head and winced. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.” He turned and pushed the wine barrel into place by shoving it with his foot. Leyla had a bad habit of smiling. Even now, she was smiling as she said she felt bad. It was the same if she was annoyed or angry. She just couldn’t stop smiling. He patted her shoulder with the hand that wasn’t holding his head. “I’m alright, I was almost done anyway.” Together they stepped up the stairs into the kitchen and finished preparing for breakfast. Rylen helped prepare the bread into smaller loaves so it would cook faster, then had to go open the doors. A few farmers were already waiting outside the back door, so he opened that one first. They took their seats as he opened the front door. The Inn’s seating areas were unofficially separated by class. Farmers and general laborers generally entered by the back door and sat in the back of the Inn. In the middle of the Inn was the kitchen and storerooms. There was minimal seating at the sides of the kitchen, then there was the seating at the front of the Inn. This is where travelers, merchants and other “fine folk” would enter the Inn. In all, the Inn could seat about sixty patrons comfortably. “Leyla, could you serve the front of the Inn today?” “Are you sure it isn’t because you don’t want to?” Rylen smiled. “I feel like you deal with those kind of people better.” Leyla smiled and raised an eyebrow. “I deal with all kinds of people better than you. Besides, I always serve the front. I want to serve the fun people today.” Rylen pursed his lip. She wasn’t making it easy today. Sensing her victory, she promptly skipped out of the kitchen to take the farmer’s orders before Rylen could come up with a retort. Pahanna just smiled and stirred his big pot of stew. Rylen glowered at him. “What are you smiling at?” Pahanna glanced at him and shrugged his little shoulders. “Aha!” Cried one of the farmers. “We get Leyla today boys! Rylen stopped hiding her from us with his ugly mug!” “Who said that?!” Rylen yelled. He poked his head out of the kitchen door. “Kaden!” The man in question ducked his head. The others laughed. Rylen couldn’t help smiling. The morning went quickly after that. The guests that were still sleeping upstairs soon woke and came down the stairs through the kitchen. Rylen worked around them as best he could. The rear of the Inn soon grew loud and noisy as all the regular laborers met up for the morning. The front of the Inn was more subdued. Travelers who didn’t know anyone kept to themselves. A few merchants who came every now and then were gathered around a table in the corner. Rylen didn’t know why some of the upper crust of society came at all. The Inn was well known, yes. It had been the first building, served as the first town hall, an infirmary and many other things in the past. Among other buildings it looked unique. They didn’t serve interesting food either. Rylen’s only guess was that the Inn had a certain, “broken in” feeling to it most of the other Inns and bars didn’t have as they were much newer. Most of the town’s growth had only happened in the last ten years. For some reason, it became the next place for the nobles and wealthy to show off their money and power. It also became a place of pilgrimage for those wanting to worship the King. Edge was the only place within the Gwyanian mountains where a person could see the sun rise over the horizon without climbing to a mountaintop. The Inn used to serve the occasional traveler, but now there seemed to be someone new every day. Rylen was walking amongst the tables collecting dishes for Pahanna to wash when a traveler’s story caught his ear. “Yeah, I’ve seen it. A flying city of the Jain. Saw it ten years ago, in fact. Another one is supposed to come real soon if they’re running on time. Rumor is it’s supposed to be one the grandest of them all, like the capital of a country they say. Its beams are gilded with gold leaf and it’ll bring the most treasure for trading that Acrabha has seen in a century!” “What?” Another traveler piped up next to him. “Acrabha sees the treasures of all the nations along the Arnaw. How is one flying ship, even a city of the Jain, going to match that?” “They come through the Blue from beyond the Great Mountains. We hardly see those kind of people, much less their wares. That makes them that much more valuable if you ask me.” “You said one is supposed to be coming soon?” Rylen cut in. The first traveler looked up at Rylen. He was a man who looked like he belonged behind a desk and not on the back of a horse. His clothes were bordered with gold thread. He gave Rylen a guarded look, but answered anyway. “Well, yes. They usually come every ten years or so, which you should know, but Acrabha just received one of their heralds. They shouldn’t be much farther out than a few months. Ever seen one?” Rylen shook his head. “No, but I really hope to someday.” The man smiled and held out his empty mug. “I’m sure you’ll see it one day.” Rylen took the mug and his already full arms of plates and cups to where Pahanna was cleaning them. The way the man had said, “I’m sure you’ll see it one day” was like he was consoling a child with a lie. *** Kali smacked Sada’s arm, making him jump. “What?!” “Quit looking at the woman and not her wares. Besides, we need to be finding Miss Wida.” The woman behind the stand blushed. Sada walked away in a huff and Kali followed. When Kali had caught up, Sada turned to him. “You’re always ruining my fun. I think she was taking a liking to me too.” “More like I saved your sorry arse. You obviously were too busy ogling at her to notice her husband.” “I coulda taken him on.” “He was carrying an anvil in each hand.” Sada rubbed his belly. “He woulda bounced off. Miss Wida’s this way, right?” “We better have something to report to the general. I don’t think he liked us.” Sada patted a sword at his side. “At least we get to carry these.” They arrived at Miss Wida’s Inn and she immediately waved them over to the bar. “Well, how are you honeys?! I don’t get to see you two often enough!” She gave both of them a hug. “Here, have something to drink. You two look famished! Walking all the way from the gate! You two shouldn’t work so hard. Here, have some bread and honey too.” Kali wiped the sweat from his brow. He was big-boned and not as chubby as Sada, but he didn’t see any more exercise than his wider friend. He accepted his drink with a nod and took the sizable piece of bread. “We’ve been working so hard they’ve given us a special task. We have to find the ole’ bumble-dum drunkard. Seems he’s caused a bit of trouble and hurt some folk.” Miss Wida gasped. “No! You don’t say! That sweet thing!” Miss Wida wasn’t much thinner than either of the guards herself. However, she moved about quickly with decades of experience serving every type of ruffian. Sada burped. “Yeah, general seemed quite earnest to find the guy. He –” Kali punched him in the belly, making the flabs jiggle. Sada didn’t even flinch and looked up at Kali questioningly. Realization dawned on him and he clasped his hand over his mouth. Miss Wida deftly sliced another piece of bread and spread a healthy portion of honey on it. “Oh? The general you say? How curious.” She winked at them. “Don’t worry boys, I won’t tell a soul. If you’re looking for ole’ bumble-dum, he ain’t here.” “Well, we coulda guessed that.” Sada said. He eyed the honeyed bread as she took a bite of it. “He doesn’t stick around.” “I’ve heard he’s been seen as far as the outskirts of town,” Miss Wida continued, “on the road up to the northern valleys. All I know is he walks back down the main thoroughfare once he wakes up. You might try asking some more merchants along the way if they know more about him. He doesn’t seem like he’s from the city though.” Sada made a confused face and looked at Kali. “He lives in another town? But, no, he lives in the country? And he comes into town to get drunk?” “No, he leaves town to come back into it so he can go out to come back in.” Kali smacked the back of Sada’s head. Sada blinked as he tried to figure out what Kali had just said. “You know anything else?” Kali asked. Miss Wida shook her head and shrugged. “He talks and mumbles in his sleep. Things about shadows, home, curses…” She shrugged. “So, you were saying something about the general?” Sada opened his mouth. “If that’s all ya know Miss Wida we’ll be going.” Kali cut in. Miss Wida gave them a broad grin. “Come back anytime boys.” Kali turned and sauntered out of the Inn. Sada lingered and reached out a hand to take another slice of honeyed bread. Miss Wida smacked his hand. “Get on you.” Sada held his hand looking hurt and walked out the door with Kali and on down the thoroughfare.
End
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