53. I Choose (Patreon)

We’d moved from the scrying room to another of the rooms under the village’s pyramid. The room was circular, like the others, with a low round table in the middle. A greenish glass bowl filled with dried flower petals scented the room. A multi-patterned rug covered the floor, and we sat on cushions.

“In two weeks, it will be the lightest day of the year,” Sheedi said. “We go to the glen to thank the Spirit for clean water. I go to talk with the Spirit to give a shrine. A shrine and celebration in the year.”

“We talked before,” Dwilla said, exasperated. “We are not the same as before. Not as rich. The last longest night was hard. We lost much. We lost Woldec and Grunthen. Our earth-ken and soben-ken. We need--”

It felt like an old argument between the two, and I was content to listen at first to get a better sense of the village’s politics and priorities. Billisha was making thunder noises and miming a lightning strike to explain the word soben when I interrupted her. I’d heard something that snagged my attention.

“Woldec? There is a Woldec here?”

The mood around the table dropped, and the adults wore expressions of worry. They looked to Koda to explain.

“Woldec and Grunthen were the most strong hunters of Voorhei. Our village was strong blessed with three ken. Good for hunting. Good for protection.” Koda shook his head in sorrow. “Before the last longest night, they went to hunt, but did not return. We searched, but did not find them.”

“Woldec, he was with three people? With an animal?” I made tusks with my fingers and mimed a javelina goring someone.

Koda’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “With four people: Grunthen, Kiertie, Akbash, and Biaka. You saw Woldec in the forest?”

The adults were apprehensive, as they waited for my response. Even Sima, who’d otherwise been enjoying the argument, looked like he was readying himself to be gut-punched. Clearly, Woldec and Grunthen meant a lot to this village, and they’d had been missing in the forest for months now. That could only mean one thing.

“I am sorry to talk this: Woldec, Kiertie, Akbash, and Biaka are dead.”

Koda sighed. “And Grunthen?”

“I do not know. I did not find.”

“Where did you find Woldec and his Family?” Koda asked. “The bodies and light inside--how were they?”

I wasn’t sure how to answer. I had hopes that the Red Room’s eilesheile might be a valuable resource for our glen. I also didn’t know how the villagers would respond to me taking the silverlight from Woldec’s Family. Bandits were one thing, but the Family were valued members of this village’s community.

Koda noted my hesitation and misunderstood. “A shame--for the Family and for Voorhei--that we let the dark take them. Where are they, so we can rest them? Not good for them to walk after death.”

“Ah, they rest. I rested them. The place is...hidden.”

Koda gaped, and he wasn’t the only one. Several asked at once, “You rested Woldec? And his Family?”

I nodded grimly. It’d been a close call after all. “Yes. Each alone, one after one.”

“Woldec w-was earth-touched,” Musastach said. “Almost Dawn. How did you fight him?”

“Was hard. I needed to go close and fight with my knife.”

“A brave seed,” Sheedi said, shaking her head in amazement. “The World Spirit takes, but returns the light to us.”

“Level 3 is the direction of 5. A good seed for true.” Koda turned back to me. “You took his silverlight, yes?”

The Village Head didn’t look upset at the idea, but again, I hesitated. Culture was a tricky thing.

Koda remembered that I was supposedly a wild child living in the woods. He instructed me on what was right. “Silverlight is for Family, yes. But when a person is lost, taking silverlight is allowed. Most important are the light’s return and the dead’s rest.” Koda’s eyes went to the hunting knife on my belt. I saw him recognize the deer’s antlers engraved into the hilt. “The things are a reward. There is no stealing from the lost dead.”

He closed his eyes, as if to contemplate what he should say next. Surprisingly, the others quieted to wait for him. It gave Billisha a chance to catch up on the words I didn’t immediately understand. I got the gist from context, but it helped to have her translation for a better grasp of the connotations.

Into the silence, a boy of about eleven or twelve came through the door with a tray. He placed a cup of cool water, a small corn cake, and a bowl of boiled peanuts in front of each person. I glanced at his Talents, while listening to Billisha.

Weelo the World Speaker’s Apprentice (Human)

Talents: Wisdom’s Friend, Earnest

Nascent: ???, ???, ???

Huh, two Talents. The adults haying in the meadow also had two. Only those in leadership or defense positions had more.

In the meantime, Koda had opened his eyes and was gazing at me. Nodding to himself, he turned to Dwilla and said, “Voorhei needs Woldec’s light. I ask the Land Knight for this favor--a weak tax for Eight in trade for joining the Hunter’s Lodge.”

“I adul--”

“Yes, yes,” Koda said. “You adult. You choose. Also possible for you to choose the lodge. There is favor there for you: learning of the land, of Skills, of the Paths of the Hunter. Our lodge is weaker than before with Woldec and Gunter gone, but still strong. You want to sell bishkawi hides? They buy. You have trouble in Voorhei? They help. The lodge is another Family. I ask this favor of you, join Voorhei’s Hunter’s Lodge.”

Koda put his hands over his heart and bowed. The air around him was utterly serious and respectful. A thrill of shock ran around the room, but after a moment’s consideration, Dwilla also bowed, quickly followed by Musastacha.

Sheedi drank from her water. She adjusted her hair. Then, with a glance towards Koda and a flicker of smile, she gracefully bowed.

A weak tax--that sounded pretty good. And it was clear that Koda understood my desire to protect our autonomy. If we could do that, while lessening our obligations, that was worth considering. I looked to Billisha and Aluali for their opinions.

“The lodge is another Family,” Billisha said. “They are good for people and good for the village. We give to the lodge, but the lodge gives back more.”

“Family is not always good,” Aluali said. “Meet the Lodge Master first, then choose.”

“What do I give to the lodge if I join?”

“Obligation,” Billisha said. “To train, to protect, to work, to pay. Different for different lodges.”

“You live on the Land Knight’s territory,” Dwilla said, “under Albei’s laws. You have obligations. If you join the Hunter’s Lodge, the obligations move there. They go through the lodge to the Land Knight.”

So, if I join the Hunter’s Lodge, it’d act as an intermediary between me and the local government? I’d owe more because of the middle man, but that would be offset by a reduction in my taxes owed. And the lodge would protect me from being exploited and help me improve my Skills.

“Billisha is wise. Aluali is wise. I will go to the Hunter’s Lodge to see and meet.”

Koda looked pleased and offered to guide us there personally.

-----

The lodge was only one level, but it extended farther than expected; more like a hall than an office. The interior was musty with the smell of old hides and dried blood. Along the walls, animal heads were mounted--deer, elk, bears, and mountain lions. There were a couple stone butchering tables, with gutters running around their edges to collect blood. For larger game, a couple hooks descended from the ceiling. 

There were crafting stations around the hall, as well as an open ring, the kind you’d find in a gladiator’s training hall. Towards the back were three doors, one of which was open to let the breeze flow through. It led to a courtyard. A trap door in the floor was closed and locked.

The hall was presently empty, except for an older man working at a writing desk crammed into the left-hand corner closest to the entrance. His hair was mostly salt, with a dash of pepper, and pulled back into a long tail. His face was lined and weathered, but there was an aliveness to it; the glow of a fire still burning bright.

Inneioleia the Hunter’s Lodge Master (Human, Dawn)

Talents: Wood Wise, Keen-Eyed, Spear Friend, Bear Bane, Survivor

Nascent: ???, ???

Inneioleia stood from his cushion and walked over with a limp. He was also missing his left forearm, from the elbow down. “What’s this?” 

A whole crowd of people had come to visit his lodge--the whole procession, now including Sheedi. Koda took it upon himself to explain the situation, with Billisha filling in relevant bits of information about her Zasha.

They were both too complimentary. Really, these people. Yes, I worked hard, but I was lucky too. If I didn’t have the memories from my previous life, I would’ve been dead on my first day in this world. But I couldn’t say anything about that--I was strange enough as it was--and so all I could do was try not to blush.

Inneioleia’s eyes were shiny and black. They didn’t look like they missed much, and he glanced my way as he listened. There was curiosity in his eyes, but unlike the others, no surprise or shock. He was as steady as the land--I could almost smell it on him--and I was suddenly struck with the feeling of missing mi abuelo.

When Koda and Billisha were done, I took a breath to settle my heart. “My name is Eight. This is my Family: Billisha and Aluali. We live to the west, an eighth-day far. I can--”

As I talked, Inneioleia’s eyes roved over my gear: my spear and knives, the bow carried by Aluali, the chain shirt (Hawaiian style), and the oversized jacket underneath it. “Show me,” he said, interrupting. “Not tell me.”

He gestured for me to follow and took me (and the rest of the procession) through the open door at the back. Behind the lodge was a walled courtyard, about forty yards long. The ground was hard-packed dirt, and there were racks of wooden practice weapons near the door--spears, unstrung bows, axes, and knives. At the far end, four stacks of hay sat. Each had a cloth painted with a bullseye on it. There were more work areas too, but it wasn’t immediately obvious what they were for.

It made sense that he’d want to learn about my Skills, but wasn’t he jumping the gun? Sure, Koda’s offer sounded good, but there were still details to work out. The fine print to read. “Before we start, I have questions.”

Inneioleia nodded. “Questions are good, but slow. You show me. I show you. Then we understand each other. Faster.”

I looked to my guides. Billisha seemed confused, but Aluali nodded. So, this wasn’t typical behavior, but it wasn’t bad either. 

Well, it would be interesting to see someone really Skilled in action. Okay, let’s do it. I can still say no after. “What first?” I asked.

Inneioleia smiled. “Good. Come here.” He led me to a series of paw and hoof prints carved into the courtyard wall. He started at the top left. “What animal is this?” 

It was one I knew well. “A turkey.”

“This?”

And we ran into our first problem. The print was from a coyote, but I didn’t know the diaksh word. I improvised by getting down on all fours and barking. Then I gestured with my hands to show the approximate size. 

After a pause, Inneioleia nodded and kept going. I didn’t get them all right--about sixty percent, a real blow to my ego. I thought I knew my tracks better than that.

Each time, I got one wrong, Inneioleia corrected me. When he saw that I didn’t know the Diaksh word for an animal, he followed my example and pretended to be it. He knew their gestures incredibly well--the way each held their head, the way they walked, the way they called to each other. He had the eerie knack for becoming them.

I made sure to memorize the prints, especially of the animals I didn’t know. Inneioleia agreed to test me on them again, so I could make sure they were committed to memory.

Next came a test for walking silently through the woods. Inneioleia dumped several buckets of forest debris--pine needles, rocks, sticks--onto the ground. There were a bunch available, and the difficulty could be adjusted by changing the mix. It wasn’t too bad at first, but then he kept adding more and more until it was almost impossible to walk quietly across the clutter. I’m pretty sure I growled in frustration at the end.

The next test involved recognizing smaller and smaller shapes at the far end of the courtyard.

The test after that involved me sprinting back and forth as many times as I could. Then I had to walk across the debris field again, while trying to control my breathing.

The test after that had me doing handstands and cartwheels. I also spun in circles for as long as I could. Then, while dizzy and disoriented, I was blindfolded and asked to find him as he hid in the courtyard.

The tests went on and on, but no one seemed to get bored, least of all me. I’d always been competitive, and I found myself more and more invested in doing well at the Lodge Master’s challenges. Each time, he’d ramp up the difficulty until I couldn’t handle it anymore. Then, I’d ask to retest, because I didn’t like not doing well.

Over the course of the hour, Sima, Sheedi, and Musastacha were called away. People stopped by to consult with Koda. He was a busy man, but he found some cushions and had people sit with him to talk business. I saw Billisha and Aluali among them, but there wasn’t much leeway for focusing on anything other than the tests. Some of them were frickin’ hard, including one where I had to identify animals by their night eyes.

Hmph. The third time through that test, I nailed them all. 

I learned a lot from the tests. Not just what a kiath’s eyes look like at night--long, flat, and tinged blue--but what it takes to survive as a hunter in this world. I learned that I had a lot to learn, especially after what came next.

Inneioleia had made me run another set of sprints, and while I was bent over, panting to catch my breath, he threw a practice spear towards me. I caught it and immediately dropped into holding the spear. It was instinct now, burned into my muscle memory.

Inneioleia nodded. “Show me.”

I attacked the air with a thrust. I stepped forward and back, doing my best to move through the exhaustion and match the alignment I’d learned from Spear Arts-Sensei. I kept it simple, because that was all I could do.

“Stop.”

He tossed me a practice knife.. “Show me.”

Ugh. I didn’t know how to hold the knife, so I demonstrated what I’d figured out of the stance, as well as the cuts and thrusts I’d been working on. I took a step--

“Stop.” Inneioleia walked over to Aluali and asked for my bow. He brought it to me, along with five arrows.

“Cast the arrows.” He pointed to the targets downrange.

I grit my teeth and put away my poor performance with the spear and knife. This, at least, I could do. I strung my bow, nocked an arrow, and took a breath to collect my calm. Another breath, and I raised the bow. As I exhaled, I drew the bow.

The target was far for a homemade bow and arrows, but I was determined. The arrow flew straight, but went left off the bullseye. On a modern target, it would’ve been in the eight ring. It was a good shot. A very good shot.

I mentally reviewed the just-completed shot cycle and realized that I’d jerked the release a little. I drew the bow and released again. The second shot was better, but still left, almost in the nine ring. The next one overcompensated and went right, almost in the six ring. The fourth went left again, and the fifth right.

Pleased, I looked over at Inneioleia. His head was quirked, like he’d just seen a three-legged pigeon. “Where did you train to cast arrows? Who trained you in this strange skill?” He shook his head. “No, it is a Skill, but different.”

My draw was a hybrid of what I’d learned from the barebow hunter friends, the classes I took at Portland Community College, and my fifty-dollar an hour instructor. What that made me was an instinctive shooter using modified Olympic form and its Mediterranean draw. I knew it was weird to look at, but it worked. At least for me.

Piqued, I said. “I show. I show. I show. Now, you show.”

Inneioleia grinned, and I noted that the old man had all his teeth. He went inside to retrieve a longbow with a contraption attached made of wood, leather, and steel. His left forearm fit into a padded area at one end, which he then strapped tight.

Once the prosthetic was in place, the Lodge Master casually sent five arrows downrange; each one fast, powerful, and precise. “My hand is gone, so I only right-side cast.” He gestured for Koda to pick up a bow. “Show him right and left.”

Koda bowed with his hands over his heart. He retrieved a bow--this time a horse bow. He shot his five arrows, while alternating between right and left-handed draws. It looked a lot like Ottoman-style archery, including the wrist flick thing those archers do at the end of their shots. Koda wasn’t nearly as precise or fast as Inneioleia, but he was a credible archer.

“Not Archery,” he said, explaining. “Militia Arts. It is a big bucket, like Survival. You train in Militia Arts?”

I shook my head. “No, only Archery.”

“Your village was strange. Here, all train in Militia Arts.” Koda asked Billisha and Aluali. “You train?”

Billisha nodded. “When we were five years old. Both of us.”

Inneioleia took off the harness and put down his bow, in order to give the practice spear to Billisha. “Show him.”

She licked her lips and passed the spear to Aluali. “You are better.”

Alauli blushed. “I do not want to embarrass Zasha.” He tried to pass the spear back to Billisha, but she refused to take it.

“Loyalty is good,” Inneioleia said. “Truth is better. Truth will help your Zasha to live.”

When Aluali continued to hesitate, I said. “Come, it is good. I am happy to train from you.”

It was true too. If I’d known that the kids knew Militia Arts, I would’ve asked for their help from the beginning. While learning from Skill-Sensei was an interesting challenge, I wasn’t a masochist.

Aluali reluctantly got up and took my place. His grip on the spear was similar to mine, except that his forward hand rested under the haft instead of to the side. I didn’t think it was worse, just different. His stance though--somehow it didn’t feel like holding the spear.

He ran through a series of attacking and defending motions. There were stabs, strikes with both the sharp and blunt ends, and parries. The young boy was surprisingly practiced, as expected from someone who trained once a week for four years. In other words, he was much better at the spear than me, and I took mental notes during his demonstration, especially on the footwork and transitions between hand grips.

“You see?” Inneioleia asked. “Your ground is strong, but the house is weak. Even your Archery--yes, it is good at hitting--but what if you need to run and shoot? To shoot quickly? To shoot behind? Archery is precision, yes, but it is also speed, power, and purpose.”

He looked to Koda. “Our Village Head tells me you are strong with the lifeforce. Show me.”

A part of me wanted to refuse; an old voice in my head that took every criticism personally, as if it were a judgement on my value as a person. I loved opportunities to grind that part of me down into the dirt.

I grinned and let qi flood through my body. My muscles hummed with the energy, and I took off sprinting to the far end of the courtyard and back. I snatched up my bow and enchanted it with qi and nature mana. Mindful of the Lodge Master’s advice, I drew and released quickly; trusting my instinctive aim. Dropping the bow, I picked up the practice spear and enchanted it as well. I thrust, pulled back to cast Cold Snap, and thrust again. Winding down, I dropped back into holding the spear and waited.

Inneioleia laughed. “You dare. You have heart. This is good. A deep well too, but you need to train how to draw the water. Let me show you.” His eyes sharpened. It was like looking at a dark night and seeing a glint of moonlight reflected on a knife’s edge. No, not a knife, a spearhead. 

He picked up the practice spear. The movements were spare, efficient, perfect. He thrusted, one-handed, his qi winding together in a tight spiral. The spear snapped forward. The air cracked, but the dust on the ground hardly moved.

It was a work of art, just about the most beautiful I’d ever seen. I wasn’t alone either--Billisha and Aluali were shocked, and Koda wiped away a tear.

The motion was stunning. Just stunning. “How do you do that?” I asked.

Inneioleia smiled, almost coy. “For me to tell, you have to join.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. The Lodge Master read me like a book and knew exactly how to lure me in. Well, it’s not like I was hiding my interest. I just didn’t want to bother with playing cool. Not in front of someone truly skilled. It would’ve just come off as pretentious. I’ve found that passion, enthusiasm, and a willingness to work hard were what truly mattered to those willing to teach.

“What do I need to do to join?”

“Pay the fee to become a novice,” Inneioleia said. “Follow the masters on hunts and train from them. Give from your hunts to the lodge. Join the village’s militia. Add to its strength.”

“And the tax to the Land Knight would be less?”

Inneioleia nodded. “So the Village Head said.”

“How often are the hunts? How often does the militia train? We live far from the village, an eighth-day away.”

“The hunts are two days every other week. Expect another two days when not hunting for lodge training. The militia trains one day a week.”

So, three out of every ten days spent in Voorhei training? That wasn’t too bad. “How much the fee to join?”

Inneioleia grinned. “For you, one antaak.”

Billisha sputtered and halfway stood in surprise. That was over half a year’s wages for a peasant. Should I have played it more coy after all?

“Why so much?” I asked.

“Because you will train the Hunter’s qi and magic Skills.” Inneioleia shrugged. “If you do not want to train, then it is less--five eltaak.”

Swear to the gods, my mouth started salivating. “You can train qi and magic?”

Inneioleia’s eyes sparkled. He had me on the hook and knew it. “If you are able to train them and your hunting is worthy, one rune and one qi method will be given with each step of the Lodge’s path: novice, skilled, and master. More with big contributions.” Inneioleia’s voice became grave. “Each rune and qi method was found, gathered, won, and polished by our ancestors. They are not for the unworthy. The fee is not for barter. This is respect given to the ancestors.”

Three days a week? Money? Even an antaak--it was nothing compared to what was being offered. Magic. Power. The means to survive and protect what was important to me in a difficult world. It was expensive, but I wanted it. Badly.

I looked over to Billisha and Aluali for their guidance.

Aluali nodded. Eventually Billisha did too, although it looked like it pained her to do so. 

“I choose,” I said, grinning. “I choose to join the Hunter’s Lodge.”