Jay - Ahern's Burden

Deep in the Geraldine Mountains, on the border separating the former Trykin and Koshia kingdoms, the town of Boon sat unchanged for countless generations. High above the Plains of Grabur, an impassable mountain terrain guarded, or imprisoned them, depending on whom you asked. They were not lucky enough to be spared from the recent wars that swept the land. The people had rebounded well though and looked forward to restoring their way of life.

The residents of Boon took great pride in maintaining an ancient bridge that joined the two kingdoms. It provided the lone link for several miles in each direction, joining the two halves of the town. Solid chunks of beautifully constructed stone interlocked in an ingenious fashion to span the Cretus Gorge. Cretus spanned fifty feet at its thinnest distance, vanishing into the mountain deep inside the forest. Down the mountain, the gorge terraced down the countryside until it abruptly ended, and the land joined together.

At the gorge’s base, a continuous river flowed out from the mountain. It ran under where the land joined and surfaced again in Grabur, where it lazily flowed before emptying into Ziden Lake.

The townspeople still employed sophisticated pumps and levers, developed years ago, to bring the river to the surface.

At several points around town, in clear weather, the terraced landscape provided picturesque views beyond Ziden Lake, but the best views came from the bridge. Solid white, with rails the height of a horse, held up by evenly spaced circular ballasts. The builders had enough foresight to construct it wide enough to accommodate two carriages side by side. At its center, two viewing areas, one in each direction, allowed almost a dozen people at a time to feel like they were standing on air. The rails were at hip level and if you leaned over the edge, you could see straight down to the river.

Nuvi and her daughter lived about half a mile from the bridge in the former Trykin kingdom. A native to the old kingdom, she’d lived in the house her great-grandfather built. Nuvi and her daughter were also born in the house. A large one-story cabin with separate rooms and two fireplaces, it once housed more than a dozen family members in its prime. The walls were built entirely out of formed stone except for the roof’s beams and planks. Those were made of pine. Nuvi had inherited some of her grandfather’s skills and built a loft a few years ago. They used the space to be closer to the heat during the colder months.

Nuvi taught Jay how to garden. She had a skill with the soil. Jay would often tease Barclay about it being one of two skills Nuvi performed better. The first being carpentry.

Arina was less than a year younger than Jay. She looked like a mini Nuvi. Her thick auburn hair bordered her thin face and highlighted her hazel eyes. She and Jay had grown close over the years, but an odd wall surrounded Jay when they learned they were not brother and sister.

Jay and Barclay visited a few days before Jay recovered the box from the Hall of Sispo. Since then, the snow had melted, and the mountain grasses were making a strong come back.

When Jay woke from his unavoidable slumber, it took a few blinks before he remembered what had happened. The undeniable aroma of Nuvi’s baked bread helped remind him. He sat up in a sharp motion that startled Arina, seated at the table. He tried to smile an apology but wanted to locate Barclay at the same time. He found him lying in the same place, but with fresh clothing and a blanket and pillow. He looked to be sleeping. The fire burned low and judging by the light from outside, Jay had slept through lunch.

Finding everything in accord, he slowly lay back down and closed his eyes. He tried to recall what he dreamt about but struggled to remember anything.

“Do you want some water?” Arina asked, standing next to the couch with a small cup.

Jay opened his eyes and before he could say “no thank you,” he swallowed. The saliva burned against his dry throat. He nodded once and sat up.

Arina handed him the cup and sat next to him. “Are you well?”

Jay finished the cup and looked at her, and then to Barclay. “I’m not injured,” he said.

“Are you hungry?”

“I don’t feel hungry,” he said, honestly, “but I should eat.”

Arina held out her hand and Jay placed the cup in her open palm.

“Mother said dinner is almost ready. Do you want more water?”

“Yes,” Jay answered, with a nod.

He watched her walk to the table. She looked older to him, though it had only been a few months. While she refilled the small cup he pulled the rest of the covers towards him and tucked them under his legs. Then he pulled his arms behind his head and stretched.

Arina again gave him the cup and again sat next to him.

He only drank half its contents and looked at Barclay.

Arina settled back against the pillow when she saw he wouldn’t finish it right away.

“Has Barclay said anything?”

She shook her head with a slight frown. “He hasn’t moved.”

Jay sighed and sipped on his water.

“Mother took good care of him,” she said. “She told me this is the worst she’s ever seen him.”

Jay nodded in agreement. In all the years he’d known Barclay he’d never seen him injured.

“After dinner, mother wants to give him more comfortable bedding,” Arina continued. “She said you can take her bed if you want. She’s going to stay out here.”

“I don’t want to take your mom’s bed,” Jay said.

“You don’t have to,” Nuvi said, walking into the room, “but I’m going to be out here, and my bed is more comfortable than the one you usually use. I leave it to you.”

Jay had just woken from a deep sleep of some nine plus hours. Finding more or deciding where he was going to stay this evening was far from his mind. He didn’t want to inconvenience anyone. He felt much like an intruder.

“Why don’t you change?” Nuvi said, in more of a command than a question. “Fresh clothes are on the pillow next to Arina.”

Jay looked to the end of the couch and saw a stack of neatly folded clothes. He didn’t remember seeing them when he sat up.

“Dinner’s ready,” Nuvi said. “Hurry if you want to eat it warm.”

Jay changed, washed his hands quickly, and joined them at the table. They cleared their plates with little conversation besides Jay complimenting Nuvi’s cooking.

“This is Barclay’s favorite meal,” she said. “I couldn’t think of anything else to make.”

“How long have you known Barclay?” Jay asked. “He talks about you often and he told me that you were the only person I should trust.”

“I’ve known Barclay since my teenage years,” she said, with a smile, like she was envisioning a memory. “During the war, the bridge was closed on both sides. No one came across, ever. My parents had sent my older brothers to fight in the war. They were all killed. I had no other family but my parents. One winter they caught a strong fever and didn’t survive, and the small amount of food we had didn’t last. In a war, everything goes to the military. One night I walked up the hill above the bridge and watched the guards. They didn’t do much until their replacements came. When the Koshian guards changed, the new guards brought them a small wrapped handkerchief. Don’t ask me how but I knew, they were giving them food. I watched the guards on my side, but they didn’t give them anything. I knew I had to get to the other side and find where they stored their food if I was going to survive.”

She smiled at Arina. They knew the story had a happy ending.

“I walked high into the forest,” she continued, “around the gorge. The next morning, I watched and found where they stored the food. They also made bread in the small house. I slipped in but found the baked goods were gone. I managed to find two bags of flour and one bag of wheat. They were all I could carry,” she said holding her arms out in front of her. “Before I could get back to the trees, I came across guards walking through the forest and I hid until dark. I thought I could stay hidden, but they saw me and chased me to the bridge. That’s when I met Barclay. When he saw me running towards him, he raised his weapon and told me to stop. His voice scared me and being exhausted I fell to my knees. He walked up to me before the other soldiers caught up. He asked me who I was and to state my business. I told him my name and what I did. I told him I wanted to go home. I remember his face softening, even with a half moon, and he lowered his gun. He looked around and brought me to where he stood guard. He told me to crouch down while he checked the bags I carried. When he saw I was telling the truth he threw his overcoat on me before the other guards ran up.”

Nuvi stopped and looked off into space.

“I struggled to keep quiet,” she continued, still looking at nothing. “I was out of breath and I was trying not to cry.” She looked again a Jay. “I heard the men question Barclay and his response that he saw someone run down the hill. He told them the person was too far away for him to give pursuit unless he left his post. He waited a few minutes before he lifted the coat and knelt beside me. He asked me where I needed to go and when I told him, he said I couldn’t go through the forest. He told me I would be executed if they caught me. He handed me some bread and told me to eat and stay quiet while he thought of what to do.

“Usually each side has two guards. The Koshian guards would stand and face each other, and the Trykin side walked back and forth, passing each other. Barclay told me later the other guard was ill that night. He said if he had been there, he would have had to turn me in.

“Before long he knelt down again and asked if I could walk a rope.”

Jay looked at Arina, who nodded, and back to Nuvi.

“There used to be a rope the guards used to communicate. It spanned the bridge and looped at the ends. He told me I had to climb out over the gorge, beside the bridge. Then I had to stand on the lower rope while I held onto the upper one. He would help feed the line through the pulley. I had to move my hands with the rope as it moved.”

She imitated the motion with her hands above her head.

“I thought he was crazy,” she continued. “I asked myself how my odds were better doing this than in the forest. But he convinced me, and after he tied my bags together and put them over my shoulders, I climbed out over the edge. I asked him about the other guards and he said he would distract them. The darkness helped, but I was still terrified. If I didn’t fall I thought for sure the other guards would take the food, but they never saw me. When I reached the other side, I could see the soldiers walking back and forth a few feet away. I heard Barclay yell to get their attention, but they ignored him. Then I saw him throw rocks and confirmed my thoughts about his sanity. Then he hit one and knocked him off his feet. The other guard ran to his side. That gave me a window and I quickly climbed up the side. I ran as fast as I could towards the trees. A soldier shouted for me to stop but I didn’t stop or turn. The second guard yelled out, but I ignored him too. I kept running and made it home safe.”

“Did Barclay shoot them?” Jay asked.

“That much I know,” Nuvi said, looking over to Barclay. “I still don’t know how he did so in the dark, but I’ve never asked. I only know he saved me.”

Jay didn’t know what to say. He finished his last few bites, hoping someone else would talk.

“I came to the bridge often and pretended to talk to the guards but looked for Barclay. I wanted him to notice me. I came every day, but I didn’t see him again until the war ended and he finished his time as a soldier. He came back when he learned the bridge had reopened. We married two weeks after he found me.”

Jay felt an enormous swelling of guilt the more he learned of the sacrifice Barclay and Nuvi were making to keep him safe. “I feel horrible.”

“Why?” Nuvi asked.

“I’m keeping your family apart,” Jay said bluntly.

“You are not keeping our family apart,” Nuvi said. “The Idols are.”

Her words did not make him feel better. Though Nuvi had raised him, he never asked about their relationship. And though his self-inflicted guilt beat hard within, he was curious about what she could or would tell him about his real parents.

“Did you know my parents?”

“We first settled here,” she said, extending her hands, “but moved to Sithern, Koshia’s capital, after your parents requested that Barclay come and work for them. It was there that he met Ahern and your father us asked Barclay to watch you if anything happened to them. Before the Idols attacked, Barclay brought Arina and I back to Boon. We’ve never mentioned your parents to anyone. We’ve decided to keep the relationship a secret. Everyone views you as our son. For now, when neighbors ask what Barclay is doing, I tell them he’s working in Sithern and we plan on going out to be with him when he says its time. That is all anyone knows.”

“My daddy has come for short visits,” Arina said, trying to make Jay feel better.

“He does?”

“Yes.”

“Arina!” interjected Nuvi.

A tense silence filled the air as Jay tried to read mother and daughter.

“It is true,” Nuvi said reluctantly. “Barclay visits us at night when you’re asleep.”

Jay thought about Barclay leaving him alone, but it didn’t bother him.

“He never leaves you unless he knows you are safe,” Nuvi explained.

“You don’t need to defend him,” Jay responded.

Their conversation paused, and Jay kept his eyes on his empty bowl.

Nuvi smiled. “Would you like some more?”

“Yes,” Jay said without hesitation.

Arina received his bowl and filled it full.

No one spoke while Jay polished it clean.

“Would you like another?” Nuvi asked.

“I don’t think I can eat another bite,” Jay responded, patting his stomach.

“Then have a seat on the couch,” Nuvi ordered. “Arina will bring you a drink and then she’ll clean up.”

Jay wanted to help but he knew Nuvi wouldn’t let him. “Thank you for dinner,” he said, rising. He walked to Barclay and squatted next to him. He looked at his face, wanting him to open his eyes. He reached out to touch his shoulder but pulled back before rising and gently settling down on the couch across from him.

Arina handed him a cup of pepper tea. “Careful,” she warned, “it is hot.”

Nuvi brought a chair and set it next to Barclay. Then she carried over a bucket and a few rags to moisten and place across Barclay’s forehead.

Arina sat at the other end of the couch with a book and tea. She opened to a marked page and sipped her liquid.

Jay looked at the steaming cup of tea in his right hand and patted his coat. His mother’s book rested tight to his chest, tucked away in an inner pocket. He looked at the others, then to the room, and then the house. Despite Barclay’s condition, the room was tranquil. Jay sipped on his tea and yanked his head back. “Sorry,” he explained to Arina. “It is hot.”

Arina smiled and sipped her own tea without issue.

Jay smiled back and set his cup down on the end table. He tilted his head back onto the top of the pillow and closed his eyes.

Please wake up Barclay. We miss you.