The boot, of some strange, shiny material, made a sucking sound as it pulled free of the sticky mud. One step farther along, water spiders skipped away as the boot plunged back into the swamp.
After several more strides through the watery black ooze, the light-haired young man looked ahead. Bushes and willowy trees covered the higher ground, still many steps away. Green eyes sparkling with curiosity, his face revealed about two decades of life, perhaps a little more.
He teetered for a moment, regained his balance, and wiped the sweat from his brow with a sleeve. Glancing back to where his tracks began, he watched as the large bulge in the swamp sank lower and lower. Shivering, he groped for the wide, dark metal bracelet on his left arm. After fingering it thoughtfully for a moment, he relaxed, took a deep breath, and turned back to his path.
Finally, with only one muddy step remaining, he tossed his shoulder bag onto the grassy bank and reached for a small tree. As he pulled himself onto higher ground, the swamp sucked at his boots one last time, inviting him to join the many creatures whose bones rotted in its murky depths.
As soon as the young man stood up, three large four-legged animals grazing nearby raised their heads and made throaty sounds. After a moment of thought, he whispered, “Horse.” They shifted positions and returned to
grazing, all three female, one close to giving birth.
Suddenly a large, dark-brown stallion bolted from behind a bush, called a threatening high-pitched challenge, and began stomping the ground and moving forward.
The young man stood with his back to the swamp as the huge male animal approached and towered over him. The man’s right hand moved toward his bracelet, but the stallion thrashed its head violently and sliced the air with powerful hooves.
The young man lowered his hands and focused on breathing evenly.
After more ear-piercing calls, the stallion began to relax, but did not retreat. Snorting, the horse took in the scent of the puny human it could easily butt right into the treacherous swamp.
The young man began to hum a simple melody while keeping his hands at his sides.
The stallion twitched its ears to catch the new sound, then suddenly opened its mouth and gripped the man’s shoulder with powerful teeth. For several heartbeats the teeth lingered, threatening to crush muscle and bone while the young man hummed softly.
With a jerk of its head, the stallion released its grip and leapt away, knocking the man off his feet. The three mares bolted. The stallion paused a stone’s throw away, looked back, and finally galloped after the mares into the grasslands that spread out northward, toward the snowcapped mountains on the horizon.
The young man swallowed, let out a long shaking sigh, and closed his eyes as he listened to his throbbing heart.
A minute later, he slowly stood up, and gradually a look of contentment appeared as he scanned his environment. The land everywhere was full of light green shoots and new leaves. From overhead came the cries of winged creatures. Looking up, he saw them circle, dark feathers stretched out to catch the rising air. With few clouds in a blue sky, the new spring day promised sunshine and gentle warmth.
The young man’s eyes and ears told him he was otherwise alone. Touching and moving his shoulder carefully, he found it merely bruised and tender. He
stood in silence for another moment, just looking around at the plants and listening to the birds and insects. Finally, after taking up his shoulder bag, he put one foot in front of the other toward the grassy hills in the west.
He had only been walking through the damp grass a few minutes when a path offered itself, and he gladly accepted its guidance. A little farther along, the trail skirted a small lake where he paused to rinse the mud from his boots.
As he sat on the grass at the edge of the still water, he noticed shy, careful movement among the rocks and plants nearby. He remained silent and waited, and soon a small furry creature came into view with hops of its hind legs between nibbles of greenery.
“Hello, little . . . rabbit,” the young man said softly and haltingly in a language clearly not his own.
The rabbit twitched its nose and kept one bright eye on the newcomer, but continued eating.
“My name is Ilika, and I just arrived in your beautiful land from a place called Satamia, in the greater region of Nebador.”
The little creature’s long ears turned to the sound as it continued to demonstrate which plants were delicious, and which were not.
“You are my first contact in this land.”
The rabbit raised its head for a moment, then went back to eating.
“Well . . . I did meet someone earlier, but the situation was a bit emotional
. . . and we didn’t get a chance to talk.”
Suddenly the piercing cry of a bird of prey filled the sky, and the rabbit vanished into the rocks with one leap.
“Be well, little one. I must continue my journey.”
Half an hour later, with deep breaths of the crisp air, the young man strode to the top of the highest hill. Standing tall, he looked west. In the small valley below nestled simple farms, little thatched cottages, and people beginning their work in gardens, fields, and animal pens.
Beyond the farms, on a gentle rise of open grass, stood the medieval walled city, its gray stonework glowing in the morning light.
Deep Learning Notes
Although they are not talked about until chapter 35, the map uses very common symbols. Can you see where the first chapter takes place? Hint: the small lake where Ilika rinsed his boots is almost exactly in the center of the map.
There are many hints in the first chapter that Ilika is from somewhere far away, and has never been in this place before. How many can you find?
Ilika’s way of dealing with the angry stallion is unusual. How would most people react? How would YOU react? What does Ilika’s response tell us about him?
What is Ilika’s “state of mind” soon after the stallion leaves? How long would it take most people to get to that state of mind?
What assumptions does Ilika NOT make when talking to the rabbit, assumptions that most people would make?
This chapter clearly shows that the story is going outside the usual boundaries of human behavior. A “normal” person, in the medieval culture portrayed, or ours, would experience great fear in Ilika’s situation with the stallion, flight or aggression to solve the problem, and then face-saving behaviors. Later, with the rabbit, most people would display some form of disrespect, perhaps capturing or killing the rabbit, or at least talking down to it. Ilika’s non-typical reactions set the stage for his unusual origin.
NEBADOR Book One: The Test 5
