The Missing Traveller

Alister walked west for half an hour before he reached the Falls of Silon. The roar of the major waterfall had been quiet in the distance before, but he didn’t comprehend just how loud it was until he arrived. The biggest waterfall he’d seen was Pillian Falls, a trickle compared to the Falls of Silon.

The Mount was steep next to Wenmire, so the water rushed down and crashed along the cliff, hard enough that watery mist surrounded the whole area. Alister set his pack down behind a lone tree to keep it from getting wet, but embraced the droplets which landed on his face. Mist merged with the ever-present fog in a field of grey and blue, obscuring the other side of the waterfall.

Alister sat cross legged on the dirt and watched the falls. How was he to live the rest of his life in light of the destruction he left in Rindor? Eugene’s words ate away at him. If nothing he did could bring Morgana back to life, what would be the point of accepting it? If I forgive myself, then I’m no better than a murderer. Alister scrunched his eyes shut and buried his face in his hands. The last nine days he’d wrestled with his mind. He’d known himself for sixteen years, but he didn’t know the Alister he’d become in the last week.

He lifted his head and screamed into the Falls of Silon. “What now?” He punched the rocky ground. “What am I supposed to do now?” His knuckles beat with pain, but he embraced it.

His hair dripped and his clothes clung to his skin. He shook from what could’ve been cold or anger. When the wind blew from the west and brought the mist and a sharp shiver, Alister stood. No matter how he felt, it was no excuse for speaking to Eugene the way he did. And then there’s Ronan… He might as well have forgotten about Lark’s message, though he stared at the note every night before he went to sleep.

He drew a deep breath, followed by another…and another. His mother’s technique for releasing anger or pain. When he could no longer feel the hammer of his heart in his chest, he turned, swung his pack onto his shoulders, and strode back to Wenmire, his face as hard as carved stone. The food he bought earlier had grown cold.

When he reached the streets which approached the town square, he was certain, this time, the local people gave him disdainful looks. Alister dismissed it and found the building Eugene described. It appeared to have five stories, but he found it difficult to determine where one building became another. The huge lacquered wooden door must have taken a week to finish off. Alister pushed it open.

His eyes passed right over the intricate decorations of the inn, and over the crowds of drunken men winding down after a day’s work. He walked straight to the front counter and arranged his room. The girl who stood behind the desk eyed his huge hiking pack with pursed lips, and handed him a key with a sniff. What was it about people in this town? Did they treat everyone with such disgust? Even as he stood by the desk, at least four people in the inn stared him down.

“Why by the Divine are you dripping wet?”

Eugene sat with a group of men playing cards. Alister’s remorse rose to the surface and he gave a small bow.

“I’m sorry for what I said. You’ve been nothing but kind and generous to me, and I was out of line. I didn’t mean to offend you.” He cast his eyes away from Eugene’s. “Please accept my apology. I acted like a fool.”

Eugene’s eyes widened and a grin plastered itself on his face. “Why, Ali, I’ve never heard such a speech from you!” He laughed and turned to the men at his table. “I’ll bet that’s more than he’s ever said in his lifetime.”

An empty jug of ale sat next to Eugene’s hand, and a stack of coins on his corner of the table. Both explained Eugene’s cheer.

“I’ll try and be more civil from now on.” Alister offered the pack of grilled fish. “They’ve gone cold, but hopefully—”

“Not a problem.” Eugene waved his hand. “They’re delicious at any temperature.”

Alister hesitated. “I really am sorry for what I said.”

“I’m more concerned about you freezing to death.” Eugene’s brow knitted together. “Don’t you realise you’re shaking? Sit down with us.” Alister obeyed and Eugene threw his woollen cloak around Alister’s shoulders. “Why are you wet?”

Alister eyed the other men at the table, who stared at him with blatant curiosity. “I went to the Falls of Silon,” he said to Eugene, grateful for the cloak. Its warmth made him realise how cold he was.

Eugene laughed. “Are you mad? Winter isn’t far away, and you’re out near dark, wet and cold.” He followed Alister’s eyes. “Ah, of course. This is Arden, Miles, and Seymour. Take no mind to the stares some of these folk give us. They don’t like travellers much, do they? Good thing you stayed with my family in Materon, some shopkeepers will turn a traveller down rather than serve him fairly.”

“That’s because they don’t want no cliff-crawlers taking their stock!” A stout man boomed. It was impossible to know if he were joking or not; judging by the attitudes of other people in Wenmire, he could be dead serious.

“Don’t give me that, Arden!” Eugene threw a piece of fish into his mouth. “You practically drool over anything from out of town I bring.”

“I don’t! It’s only interesting, is all. Besides, oftentimes travellers take any part time work they can get. I was turned down a job at the store in favour of a crawler.”

A taller and thinner man laughed. “Only because you asked for the job after having an entire bottle of wine. Who would hire that mess?”

Arden slapped the tall man’s back, and he winced. “Shut it, Miles. I wasn’t that bad.”

“Sure you weren’t.” Miles grinned, and winked at Alister. “He just about slapped the visitor from Deemstun.”

Arden crossed his arms. “That’s because there wasn’t any reason for him to be here in the first place. Asking us the properties of the glow caves. We use it for fishing, not mining. Bharals.”

Alister raised his eyebrows. Besides Lark, he’d never heard anyone slander Deemstun. Eugene and his family were friendly to Defender Lysander back in Materon. Alister trusted Lark’s aversion, but Miles…his words came across as no more than prejudice.

“So you’re telling me after two years of those Deemstun men coming to our caves—and helping us to build the mining network, no less—it was only this year you decided to pick a fight?” Miles raised an eyebrow. “And it’d nothing to do with wine? I don’t know about you, but I like paying only half the marks for my jadar. If you keep antagonising the Defenders, I doubt that’ll last.”

The men laughed among themselves and boasted their stories, and their cards.

“I know you’re going through something, Ali.” Eugene’s voice was quiet enough the others wouldn’t hear. “I won’t hold anything against you. It’s difficult to think of others when you’re having a hard time with yourself, isn’t it? I’ll stop asking you why you’re travelling.”

“Will you still train me in Elin-tor?”

“Absolutely.” Eugene smiled. “First thing tomorrow morning. I hope you remember your stances.”

Alister watched the game of cards for the rest of the night, and joined in. Instead of betting coins, the men agreed to let him bet the grilled fish he’d brought. If he’d bet his coin, he’d have lost it all, fast. As it was, he only managed to taste a couple of the grilled fish he bought. Eugene was right; they tasted far better than he imagined. Not slimy at all, but crispy and light.

“We appreciate your kind donation.” The bearded man, Seymour, sent him a wide grin. “Grilled shrimp is my favourite.”

“For a game of luck, I seem to be losing much more than expected.” A small smile twitched at Alister’s mouth. “How’s that?”

Miles threw his hands up. “You’re betting with food! You take too many risks with your bets. If you bet with coins, you’d be much safer.”

“Hmm. But I’d still lose the amount I did bet.”

The men exchanged amused looks, and then burst into laughter.

“You’ve got that right!” Seymour grinned. “So is dinner on you again tomorrow night, Ali? I might just tell Helen she doesn’t need to cook. If my wife wants grilled fish and vegetables, she can just bet against you!”

As much as Seymour and Miles joked around with Alister, Arden sat with his arms folded and just stared. The man didn’t like travellers much, despite what Eugene said. He wasn’t as bad as some of the hawkers and locals Alister ran into earlier, but his frown was far from friendly.

“So, Ali, did you come to Wenmire for a job?”

Miles and Seymour stopped their conversation at Arden’s demanding tone and stared at him.

“No, I’m only passing through.” Something about that man disconcerted him enough to add to his answer. “I’m just travelling.”

“And why did you decide to start travelling?” Arden’s face was no friendlier.

Alister couldn’t answer without lying, so he glanced to Eugene, whose expression was darker than he’d ever seen.

“In search of a job?”

Alister shifted in his seat.

“Just to see the Union? Or to run away from something?” He grinned when Alister’s jaw tightened, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ve met a few cliff-crawlers who travel to run away.”

Would it be rude or too strange if I just left? The last person he would ever talk to about his reason for leaving Rindor was this prejudiced stranger from the inn. Alister’s eyes fell on the empty mug in front of Arden. How many refills had he taken?

Eugene leaned forward. “That’s enough.” Alister couldn’t have been more grateful for the older man.

Arden turned his smile onto Eugene. “What? I’m only messing with the fellow.”

“If Ali doesn’t want to talk about his past or reasons for travelling, he doesn’t have to.” Eugene’s voice was a warning. “Now let’s move on, shall we?”

Arden scowled, but Miles and Seymour were more than happy to return to their conversation. Alister stared at his hands around his own mug. How would Arden react if he knew the truth? The thought of the other man’s horrified expression almost brought a cynical smile to Alister’s mouth. He glanced up. Arden’s eyes still burned into Alister’s.

Alister pushed his seat back. “I’m going to call it a night.”

Eugene’s eyes tightened. “I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning.”

Alister nodded and left, with another nod to Miles and Seymour. He averted his eyes from Arden, but a glimpse told him the man wore a satisfied smile.

It was late in the night when he finally quietened his thoughts enough to sleep, and early in the morning when Alister dragged his tired limbs outside with Eugene.

“Boulder.”

Alister sighed in relief. He’d been about to topple over after a minute of Yena.

“Stay completely silent. Nothing but you and your breath.”

He tried hard to do nothing but breathe, but soon enough, a shiver slid by his concentration. Practising Elin-tor not long after the sunrise in the passageways of Wenmire forced him to embrace any way of warming himself. The passages—tunnels cut out from the Mount—were the perfect design for harsh wind to roar though his solid stances. Even Boulder was a challenge.

“Keep your feet flat on the ground. Toes slightly turned in, yes?”

Alister fought the desires of his body and focused on his mind. His breath. In. Out.

“Wyvern. Don’t tense your left leg.”

“How do you do this every day?”

“Everything’s easier the more you practise it.”

And so Alister kept practising. He went through the rest of the stances, from Jaguar to the graciously easier stances of Bel and Rain. When Eugene announced they finished with the stances, Alister had to suppress a sigh of relief, but he went on to teach him the eight strikes and kicks.

“Hopefully you won’t need it in a real fight, right Ali?” He winked and nodded at Alister, who allowed himself a half-smile in return. “Alright, let’s go through the strikes together.”

It wasn’t just the positions of Alister’s arms and legs that needed to be perfect, but the force for each strike or kick. Some required his fingers to be curled, some with an open palm, and others in a fist. Eugene shook his head in disapproval when he saw Alister’s thumb tucked into his fist.

“You don’t want a broken hand, do you?” He laughed that monkey laugh. “No, of course not! You never put your thumb in your fist.”

“How was I supposed to know that?” Alister grumbled. “I didn’t go around punching my friends when I was a child.”

“Of course not.” Eugene waved a dismissive hand. “Now let’s see that fist.”

The kicks were a challenge. Alister had enough trouble with the precision of the strikes, but it seemed almost impossible to manoeuvre his legs the way Eugene demanded.

“Higher!”

“My leg doesn’t go that high!” Alister protested.

Eugene sighed. “We’ll have to add stretching exercises to our sessions.”

Alister grimaced at the thought. How’s that old man so burning flexible? He didn’t need to ask Eugene to know the answer. Practice, Ali. It all comes in time.

Eugene worked patiently with Alister until they moulded his messy blows into precise strikes, even if he could only perform them at half speed.

By the time they finished, sweat replaced Alister’s shiver. They walked back to the centre of Wenmire as Alister drank from Eugene’s water flask.

“Listen, about Arden…I’m sorry for the way he acted. He’s usually not so standoffish, even with travellers. I suppose he had a bad day, and the alcohol wouldn’t have helped…” Eugene shook his head. “No, there’s really no excuse for treating someone that way. I just want to make sure you know I won’t pressure you to talk about the past anymore. You’re a man of few words. I can respect that.”

A man, am I? What kind of man runs away like I did? He kept his thoughts to himself. “I appreciate it. And I suppose I’ll have to get used to people like him if I keep travelling.”

“Unfortunately, that’s true.” Eugene sighed. “Some places aren’t so bad, and others are ten times worse than here. If it’s a larger town, you could blend in more easily.”

Alister nodded, and hesitated. Defender Lysander had been on his mind since Arden’s comment about Deemstun. “What do you think of the Defenders?”

Eugene raised an eyebrow. “Hmm. They’re helpful, now. But they didn’t used to be. I don’t trust them entirely, but I’ll accept their help.” He frowned for a moment. “Would you like to go and see the glow-worm caves before we leave? Any traveller would be lucky so see something so spectacular, isn’t that right?”

Alister agreed, and Eugene talked about the caves amongst countless other topics on their way back to the inn. It was rare for Eugene to not be willing to talk about something. We’ve days of travel ahead of us, Alister reminded himself.

Miles, one of the men from the bar, lent them his boat. At least he didn’t seem to mind cliff-crawlers. The last time Alister heard that expression was from his father. He frowned at the thought of home. What were his parents doing now? What did they think of him? Did they miss him, or had they figured out what he’d done?

Alister had never seen a bigger pool of water than a bathtub, and yet these caverns held lakes of fresh water. Some of the local children swam in the shallows, as if staying afloat in such a vast blackness was as easy as breathing. Alister’s heart quickened just watching them.

He was more apprehensive about being in a tiny wooden boat over the expanse of water, but Eugene insisted it was worth it. It sank slightly when the two of them stepped into it, but still somehow managed to stay afloat.

They glided across the smooth water, creating ripples which fanned out to the corners of the cavern. The light on their boat didn’t reach into the depths of the shadowy cavern, but Alister caught a glimpse of some large fish swimming beneath them. They turned a corner at the edge of the cavern, and the light of day disappeared around the rocky wall.

“This is incredible. There’s so much water!” Alister leaned out of the boat to stare at the lake. For the first time since he left Rindor, he felt a sense of wonder.

Eugene snorted a laugh. “That’s nothing.” He reached over to the lamp and pushed a slab to snuff the flame, and blackness surrounded them. “Now be silent and still.”

Alister obeyed. His eyes strained for the tiniest glimpse of light, and found none. Water clapped against the wooden boat, and Eugene made no noise other than his steady breathing.

Alister let out a stifled gasp as pinpricks of cerulean light appeared on the roof, one by one. They scattered over the entire expanse. Thousands or hundreds of thousands of tiny creatures illuminated the Mount’s caverns, until the roof was as Eugene described. It was how night sky must look if it were free of the dense fog.

In the light, he could see the whole boat and Eugene again, who looked up at the glow-worms with gleaming eyes.

They sat and stared for a long while. I could look at this forever.

One of the children from around the corner squealed, and a loud splash of water echoed through the cavern.

The glow-worms retreated into their darkness, faster than they’d emerged, and Alister and Eugene were in the dark once more.

Eugene struck a flint to light the lamp again. “They don’t like noise or other lights.”

“That was amazing.”

“They’re really something, aren’t they?”

Alister found a smile on his face.