After witnessing the humans put an animal to sleep, the fox followed at a greater distance and did not allow herself to be seen again. As the group approached the town, they believed the fox was gone for good. Some of them turned and said good-bye out loud just in case it could hear them.
The day became quite warm as Ilika and Buna picked their way downhill through the trees. Their cross-country direction first joined an animal track, which then crossed a path, which finally met a cart road.
The dusty town of wooden buildings nestled in a ravine completely surrounded by the great forest. Trees marched right down to the back doors of the houses and shops. A creek tumbled through the town, flowing westward to the ocean, sometimes behind the buildings on one side of the ravine, sometimes the other side, and sometimes right beside the main road, requiring little bridges to get to the shops.
Many of the buildings boasted sturdy logs and shake roofs, but the poorer houses were nothing but rough, weathered boards. Buna spotted the large inn, on the north side of the ravine, and Ilika noticed the stables right next door. The money changer was just down the road, as well as the baker, fish seller, produce cart, cheese maker, and dry goods store. At least three mills surrounded the town, with the constant sound of saws going back and forth.
No visible presence of guards or priests was to be seen anywhere. Ilika and Buna both smiled.
Before returning to their companions, the scouts purchased a fresh loaf and a crock of soft cheese.
“I think our best defense against those who would like to arrest me for my evil deeds . . .” Ilika paused to let the laughter die down. “. . . is to continue to avoid the public appearance of a large group. So we’ll make three small groups. We can all get together in our rooms at the inn, but the three groups will pretend to not know each other in the common room and in public.”
“You think they’re still looking for you?” Toli asked.
“I can’t think of any way to find out . . . except the hard way. But if we all keep our ears open, maybe we’ll learn something.”
Several nodded agreement.
“Let me see . . . Buna, Mati, and Rini are with me. Miko and Neti are with Kibi. Toli and Sata are with Boro.”
Kibi smiled at Boro, who had become the trusted third leader of the group.
“I have a little question,” Sata said hesitantly.
Ilika gave her his attention.
“In your country . . . or on Transport Service ships . . . do you ever have . . .
birthday parties?”
Ilika smiled. “Is someone I know turning eleven?”
“Um . . . yeah . . . a few days ago . . . but it didn’t seem like a good time to say anything.”
Ilika started clapping and everyone joined him.
Sata looked delightfully embarrassed.
“In my country, most people choose a special day to celebrate their life.
Sometimes it’s a birthday, sometimes it’s a holiday that’s special to them.
Shall we have a birthday party for Sata?”
“Yeah!” everyone cheered.
“But if we do that, I want to do it for everyone. Who’s had birthdays since we’ve been together?”
Buna was obviously squirming.
“Buna?”
“Mine’s sometime in the spring, but I don’t know exactly when. I’m fifteen now.”
Everyone clapped and she blushed.
No one else volunteered, so Ilika asked each. Kibi would turn seventeen in early fall. Rini and Neti were born in the winter. The rest had no idea.
“Okay, we’ll have parties for Sata, Buna, and . . . Miko while we’re here, and Kibi and someone else when we get to Cattle Town in the northeastern part of the kingdom. What are your traditions for a birthday party?”
None of them, other than Sata, had the slightest idea.
“Um . . . some good food,” she began, “with dessert of course, and the person gets little gifts from everyone!”
Kibi smiled. “So I need to shop for three birthday gifts!”
“Remember to keep them small . . . or edible,” Ilika reminded them.
The stable master was not used to feeding a donkey as well as he would a high-ranking soldier’s horse, but the crippled girl was very clear that this donkey got grain and molasses every day, and she had the copper to back it up.
“She’s a fine looking animal,” he said to make conversation. “Not too stubborn?”
“She helped me fend off a timber wolf this morning,” Mati said with a very straight face.
The stable master looked at them both with wide eyes and deepened respect.
Next door at the inn, the innkeeper was amazed at the good business he was having. Within an hour, three different groups of young travelers, rather well-off by their speech, had rented rooms for several days. The group of four
had even taken a room that would hold eight, saying they liked lots of space.
He was not a man to pass up good silver.
The remainder of that afternoon and evening was dedicated to recovering and relaxing. The birthday trio reserved bathtubs at the inn. Before Kibi went into her bathing stall, Ilika opened his shoulder bag and handed her the lice treatment bottle, now almost empty. She grinned, and pretended to pick something out of her hair. Ilika and the rest went to the public bath house, where the water was not very warm, but at least it was clean.
Back at the inn, as dinnertime approached, Ilika assigned Toli to treat Miko and Rini with fresh ointment. Toli’s hands shook as he doctored Rini.
At three separate tables, they partook of a hearty dinner of fried fish, stewed greens, and fresh bread and butter. Being so near the ocean, fish was plentiful, the innkeeper explained, but much less red meat was available than in the capital city.
“But for a few extra coppers, if you tell me ahead of time, I can get good mutton!”
Ilika shriveled his nose, but noticed Miko at another table listening and licking his lips.
“You folks are quite lucky, you know.”
“How so?” Ilika inquired.
“There’s talk of a band of sorcerers coming up the road from Port Town.
People say they used a spell to put the whole town to sleep. Had a beast with them too, three times the size of a man. Dragon, maybe.”
Ilika had a slight smile on his face. He could see Rini trying hard not to laugh. Mati’s eyes were sparkling, and Buna seemed to be putting the pieces together also.
“Lucky for us we didn’t come up that road!” Ilika said loudly to cover up any temptations his students might be feeling.
With a wrinkled brow, the innkeeper agreed and went back to the kitchen.
After finishing their dinners, each group took leave of the common room at a slightly different time, then all of them gathered in the largest sleeping room.
“We had a close call today,” Ilika began. “Several people had to make
important decisions quickly. Tonight, we relax. Tomorrow, we’ll write about our experiences in the forest.”
Some of the students took on thoughtful looks as they pondered what to write. Others moaned slightly, hoping their teacher didn’t hear.
“I went by the money changer,” Ilika continued. “He also sells paper and pencils, and I stocked up, but he doesn’t like breaking great gold pieces, and charges two tenths.”
They all emptied out their coin pouches, and Ilika made sure they were supplied with coppers and a few small silvers, in addition to their emergency gold.
“It looks like the options for birthday dinners are fish or mutton here at the inn,” Kibi announced, “or we buy stuff and make our own.”
As darkness began to cloak the town, no one had energy for lessons or conversation. They didn’t even bother to get candles from the innkeeper.
Instead, as the light faded, they went to their separate rooms, crawled into clean sheets on real beds for the first time in several weeks, and were soon fast asleep.
Deep Learning Notes
Why would some of them not know when their birthdays were? Hint: other than Sata, they had no idea how to celebrate a birthday.
A map shows the main buildings and bridges of Lumber Town in its forest ravine. Many houses and small foot-bridges are not shown.
What do you think could cause a rumor about a band of sorcerers who put everyone in Port Town to sleep, and had a huge beast with them?
When Ilika had them open their money pouches, he never took back the gold pieces he entrusted them with. What did this communicate to his students?
What would probably have happened if he took them back?