A Dreamer

Falcon reached for the apple, just out of reach. His fingers brushed the bottom of it as he jumped; the afternoon sun browned his skin like potatoes in the oven. The tutors allowed them more free time since summer had started. Or was is something else? The idea of pity, from other, and for himself occurred to Falcon. It vanished again as he strained for the apple. He had never seen this orchard before but it was his, it was all his.

“Jasha! Lift me up, would you?” Falcon asked.

That he hadn’t seen Jasha in months didn’t occur to him; it didn’t strike Falcon as odd that Jasha stepped out from behind a sapling only as thick as his wrist.

“Sure,” Jasha said smiling.

Jasha interlocked his fingers and when Falcon stepped onto them Jasha lifted Falcon quickly above his head, throwing him. Falcon flew, he plucked the apples off the stems easily but as he tried to drop them down to Jasha, they floated like him. Some of the fruit looked even better than what he could see from on the ground. He reached and strained and floated towards it.

Jasha laughed, “Would you share please?”

But when he looked down to Jasha, a full twenty feet down it was the most natural thing.

He pushed apples in that direction and they went exactly to Jasha’s hands. But Falcon rose. He seemed to remember this once before, almost a deja vu, but more like familiarity, like rowing in a canoe and matching your strokes with the waves, or the way his father would hit the red hot metal to make perfect objects. Falcon looked around him, Jasha now only being a dot in the orchard. At Falcon’s level there was waves of heat and red speeding towards him. Falcon put up his hands to stop them and they diverted around. An enormous swath was cut in the red heat as they went around, joining back up along the horizon on the other side.

Falcon tried to look into the distance from above the city, Elminark, but nothing looked the same, but all still familiar. He didn’t know what he was searching for, only that he hadn’t found it.

Falcon woke up.

His room was large enough for the bed and to walk around. Closed shutters and curtains blocked out the morning sun. He couldn’t remember when it had happened, the weeks after mom died, the months since, it was all a blur.

But no one woke him up anymore.

Plaster walls kept the heat from overwhelming the house in the summer and thick woven rugs were rolled out in the winter. Falcon went to the summer bath outside, a metal tub where the cold of the night still held on, stripped down and plunged in.

Every time, his breath caught.

While sloshing around, he quickly grabbed the wood scraper and drug it across his skin to get yesterday’s dirt off. His teeth started chattered and he knew that if he was anything like Darvor, his lips were purpling. It only took a minute but when he toweled off his skin burnt with numbness. Ranere called him from the front room.

“Coming,” Falcon called back. “What are you doing! There’s the execution. You’re going to have to get dressed on the way. I’ve sent Fed up to grab your clothes.” “I forgot.” “Quickly,” Ranere huffed.

They got in the carriage and Falcon had to dress himself without any help from Fed, which was hard, especially as they bumped over the streets of Elminark with dad, Ranere, and Darvor in the carriage.

The market din stopped their conversation. Falcon looked out as they passed pools and fountains, mostly dedicated to Emperor Ka’de, some to his predecessors. A painted statue of Ka’de looked over a park of combed sand, dotted with huge boulders, people rested in the bath at the center. It was supposed to represent the desert to the south.

They were not yet to the Circle where the execution was being held, but they stopped.

“What’s going on?” Dad asked. “There’s some kind of traffic, sir,” the driver said. “Come on boys, we’re going to be on time.” As they got out of the carriage Darvor held out his hand. “I’m not a baby, I’m thirteen Darvor,” Falcon said. “Calm down, baby Falcon,” Darvor said and rolled his eyes. They walked quickly and Falcon got a little tired and was momentarily distracted by a shop selling books. “Come on baby Falcon, fly faster.” Darvor said.

Falcon grimmaced at him. They were through the loudest part of the city but there were still people with carts and buskers that weren’t good enough, or strong enough to fight for a spot in the main market.

They entered the Circle’s ground and three hundred people, most if not all of the nobles and merchants sat under a rafters that were cloaked in climbing plants. Fat white, pink, and blue flowers hung in bunches from the frame. Water bubbled up from fountains between some of the tables as a cooling feature whenever a breeze would breathe their way. Some of the families had servants attending them and had fully settled, conversations between heads of house and the smaller children were in packs, mostly cousins of a kind, in any case ones that had shared tutors, Falcon’s tutors anyway.

They started to make their way through the tables towards the only one that was empty, but was reserved for them. “Falling on hard times are we?” A man’s voice arrested them as they walked near him. He was a lean man, tall, but had been in some of the recent wars. His hair, slicked back and stance was like a lion. Relaxed, but not so relaxed that he couldn’t spring to fight. “Anayco, how it is to see you,” Dad said. “And you,” Anayco paused, “Lucky they haven’t started yet. It would be you next, demeaning the Queen. See your wife again, I suppose,” he sucked on his teeth at Dad.

Falcon flushed. Ranere tensed but Dad put his hand on Ranere’s shoulder before he moved and nodded to Anayco.

Anayco stared at him over a nearly empty cup of wine and then turned his attention to his wife, who sat across the table and resumed whatever conversation that they had before as they all walked away.

They both wore white clothes with a shock of red sash. As Falcon glanced over the nobles he saw the same blooms of red on everyone. There was a section for commoners as well, which he now guessed was the traffic they ran into, and saw ripped red cloth tied around people’s arms and around their heads. It was everywhere.

Falcon wanted Anayco dead. No one should talk about his mom like that; Ranere looked foul. Dad was the only one who wasn’t scowling.

“Father, how are you not enraged?” Ranere demanded. “Because Anayco is trying to bait me, and generally an ass. Your mother taught me,” his voice caught, “your mother taught me that this is a game they play here in Elminark.” “But he doesn’t have a right to say anything about mom!” Ranere whisper shouted. “He doesn’t. But he also doesn’t have a right to make me angry, not right now. Do you want to give Anayco more power? Then give in to your anger. You’ll be completely in his control. Every Family is here, look around.” Ranere cursed under his breath but Dad didn’t say anything in response.

The Queen was in Falcon’s line of sight. She was beautiful, even from here he could see that she had no blemishes on her face or arms. She wore a white dress with a red thin scarf around her shoulders. The heat didn’t affect her. The way she held herself was perfectly at ease. Her laugh carried over the other conversations to his ears. It was a free and easy laugh that was jarring to Falcon.

These were the same grounds that held races, bow competitions, and javelin throwing. The oldest and luckiest commoners sat in stands, the rest stood. A city crier stood in front of the nobles, the conversations among the nobles stopped and the commoners were told roughly to be quiet. After the crier explained the men’s crimes, the treasons and blasphemies against Ka’de, he stepped aside for a priest.

“The sins that these men committed results in their death. Beware that the path you are not does not lead the same way. Let all be in the light, only do not hide your deeds, do not hide your neighbor’s deeds, all is known in the end,” the large priest said and then motioned to the crier.

The first man was given a plate. His hands shook as he brought it to his mouth. He had a last moment to be submissive, but could not between shaking hands and urging of the priest and crier who were with him. The crowd hissed at him and shouted. A block was brought out an an axe split his head from his shoulders. It rolled a few feet and blood spilled.

Two young men, not much older than Ranere picked up the head by the hair and threw the body into a rolling cart. They were not disgusted; death was their trade.

“Dad, why do we have to be here?” Falcon asked. “Because the queen commanded it. No more Falcon, not now.” Falcon nodded.

After they had watched five more men die, one ate what was offered on the plate at then climbed into the cart and shook as death took him and the crowd hissed and roared at the deaths in front of them, there was entertainment of a lighter nature. Jugglers, acrobats, minstrels, hawkers brought food to the masses while chefs managed to keep their meals beautiful to bring to the nobles.

Darvor sat and watched, staring.

There were plenty of people Falcon knew. That he could talk with; Anria and Av’lan, both Falcon’s age sat at a nearby table. But he didn’t want to. Except those affiliated with the temple, marked by their white clothes and something garishly red.

A table neighbor, Bames was talking with Dad, another head of household.

Falcon drifted off until Queen Barra silenced everyone by standing. Waiting only a moment, Falcon looked at her fully. Grey fabric, embedded with lace and something crystalline, wrapped her except her arms, which were bare. A diadem of silver encircled her dark, done up hair.

Unlike the crier, she hardly spoke up. Her voice carried over that silent assemblage, “Emperor Ka’de is visiting in a month’s time. I will be meeting with each of your families between now and then. There is concern about the faithfulness of the city. You my children, I know you will not disappoint. I know that if there is any unfaithfulness, you will root it out. That your lives support your Queen Mother. If there is any concern, please bring it to my attention. Go, cleanse yourselves if necessary, only do not hide what you have done, or what your neighbors have done.” She waved and sat down.

The performers who had started before the city crier resumed and music floated on the heat of the afternoon. After another quarter of an hour Dad stood to exit as to not be the first.

As they boarded their carriage, Falcon looked at the nobles still gathered. It was fiercely beautiful, gardens stark in a barren land. The waters they had to bring for just the hanging baskets was an immense work, besides the care and cultivation of all the plants in the ground.

“Dad, what’s happening?” Falcon asked. “Wait until we get home.” Dad looked at Falcon. Falcon watched the city roll by on wheels over stones. Ranere looked at him and gave him an understanding look that said they’d talk at home. At home Dad disappeared into his workshop. The forge had been kept on for him and despite the heat Falcon heard the furnace kick up. Ranere took him aside and asked, “Is everything alright?” “Everything’s fine. I just, I had a dream about Jasha again.” “Oh.” Ranere tried to smile, but it was strained. “Why don’t you go do something?” “Nothing sounds exciting.” “Well, then sit and do nothing, see if that helps.” “Ranere, why did you ask if you didn’t want to hear?” “I’m sorry Falcon. It’s hard. You’re right he’s gone, but sometimes you just have to be strong. You can’t always look back, you’ve got to move on.” Falcon had tears brim in his eyes but he looked away and when Ranere reached out he hit his hand away and stalked off. “Falcon, come back,” Ranere called after him but let him go.

Falcon walked out of the house and left the grounds. The gates of steel were surrounded by the same stone that the roads were made of, a beige flat stone that broke apart in flakes when it was struck.

The city, in the heat, was quiet. Only the baths would be busy now. He wrapped a scarf around over his head to keep the heat off and his eyes from getting tired of the brightness. Sweat dried faster than it could cool him; he stopped sweating. The cool of the shade from palm trees surprised him as he went from each one to the next, switching sides of the street to hit them.

He was still in the upper district, but he didn’t recognize any of the houses. The anger for Ranere had burned off and finally he was anxious to be home, no matter how stupid Ranere was. Finally, the gate in front of a house seemed familiar. It was Gralia’s home. She was one of the girls that he had tutored with under master Plet.

Before he could decide what to do Gralia called his name, “Falcon?” “Hello.” Falcon said. “What are you doing in the heat?” She called to him and gestured for him to come through the gate. A verdant garden inside the gates with a pool of water for the plants to drink from. Next to her, in the shade, was a pitcher with water. “You look thirsty, do you want some?” Gralia gestured, and poured him a glass when he nodded. The dryness of his throat finally abated, he could feel the coolness in his belly. He had a second cup, greedily.

Ampo walked up from the house, and three others, looking at him. Ampo smiled, “Falcon, welcome.” It was not a kind smile. Falcon realized in the disappointment in his stomach that he wanted to spend time alone with Gralia, “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I can leave,” Falcon hesitated, starting to turn, “Thank you for the water.” “No interruption,” Ampo said looking down at Falcon, “We were just going to play a game.” “What game?” “Snake.” “What’s that?” Gralia laughed when he asked, “No Ampo, come on.” It seemed so sweet, Falcon didn’t recognize it for the same smile as Ampo had given him. “It’s super easy. Do you want to play?” “Maybe I can watch you guys play,” Falcon said, starting to turn around. “No, that kind of defeats the purpose, you’ll catch on really quick. Promise,” Ampo said and grabbed his shoulder. Ampo was a full head taller and his muscles had developed more than Falcon’s. “Here’s what we do, we find a hole and then you pretend your a snake, you just wriggle your way through, sound fun?” “No, Ampo. I didn’t mean anything, I was just lost. I’ll go now,” Falcon said and started to walk off, back into the sun. “We should find a small hole because you’re small. Very small,” Ampo said looking at Falcon closely. He grabbed Falcon and picked him up, on the other side of the fence in the back there was a dry well. Falcon yelled as Ampo and another kid threw him in. He grabbed a rope as he fell and righted himself, but still scraped down the walls. The dust settled and he looked up into the light above, a perfect circle. Blood oozed out of his knees and elbows. Falcon picked rocks out of the pads of his hands, tears leaking but he wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of hearing him cry.

Burn them till they’re ash.

“Fly out of the hole, little birdie,” Ampo called, laughing. “Let me out!” He couldn’t keep his voice from shaking. “Maybe later,” Ampo said and then it was quiet. Falcon felt his heart beat in his chest. He was sweating again but compared to the heat of the afternoon, this was cool. Falcon sat and just breathed.

As his eyes adjusted he found why the the well was dry. There was a crack in the wall, and the rocks had split, revealing a cave. A poor place to dig a well, it may have never been used that way. He strained his eyes and could see, but barely. The light from above was still enough for Falcon do get through the crack. The scrapes burned for another minute as he let himself get distracted.

Won’t leave without a knife again. Falcon thought as he squeezed himself through the cave. It was even cooler and as he strained his eyes further there was still a way to move forward. The cave opened up into a large cavern., that eventually led to a stream. It smelled almost of mold, but the relief from the heat was immense. As he walked further from the crack, even though he could not discern any light source, he still saw everything in shades of grey.

After wandering for an hour in one long lava tube, the greys resolved into browns and the cave’s opening was ahead.

The heat of the afternoon had lessened with the sun out of it’s zenith and as Falcon approached Elminark, he was in its shadows. The streets grew in busyness as people left the baths and resumed their work, some were home for dinner and more than once kids stopped playing when he approached to stare at him. He was wearing very different clothes than they, who had hardly more than rags.

Inside his home’s grounds, he saw a litter in the front and two carriages. Someone important was at the house and Falcon had no patience for it. He snuck around to the back and grabbed some fruit and a water-skin from the servants entrance without the cook seeing him and went to the garden in the shade.

When he walked inside Ranere confronted him, “Where have you been?” “Around,” Falcon stepped to the side to go upstairs but Ranere mirrored him. “Queen Baurra requested to see you.” “What?” Falcon said stopping. “You were the only one gone, she said she was meeting with all the noble homes.” “Why are you joking!” “I’m not joking, come on,” Ranere grabbed Falcon’s hand and led him to the sitting room where there were a three attendants and the Queen sitting their. Falcon had never been at an event where the Queen was, though Dad and Mom had, before… “Ah, my Queen Mother. This is my youngest son who I spoke of.” She looked at him and smiled, “How good to meet you, Falcon is it?” Falcon nodded and hesitantly bowed and then decided to kneel halfway through, “I’m hon–thank you, yes.” Queen Barra laughed a little, “A young lord indeed. Falcon, what do you think is the worst, a merchant who doesn’t pay proper taxes, or his friend who hides it?” “The one who doesn’t pay his taxes?” “No. It is the one who doesn’t speak up. There will always be those who do what they ought not, they are always found out eventually. It is the one who doesn’t say anything because they are never found out for their transgression,” she said.

She looked away and dismissed Falcon as well as Ranere. The attendants and Father spoke for another hour into the evening and drank cooled wine as the sun set, just before true darkness settled, the men in the litter carried the Queen away and the carriages clattered off.