Chapter 6

Chapter 6
The Earthers

Madeline fidgeted in her seat. It was the seventh day of their trip to the city, and mundane could not even begin to describe it. The once awe-inspiring scenes of the rolling Plains now only made Madeline yawn. Marcus and Halen held an almost identical expression to their faces, which consisted of very little expression at all. After a moment Madeline exclaimed, “I despise grass! Why can’t the ground be made of something more interesting?”

Giving his daughter a look, Marcus replied, “Stop your burstings child, you make me anxious. And stop fidgeting on your seat. Perhaps you would like to walk beside the wagon?” Gram turned his head as if pleased with the idea.

“I am fine here.” She said sulkily.

“I thought as much.”

They traveled near the River Holice, whose smiling arc spans across almost the entirety of the Great Plains. Tall whisper-lilies speckled its length, hiding birds with long legs and beaks. Madeline remembered seeing similar birds at the stream near her home.

“Father, will there be birds in the city?” she asked.

“Only podgees, child. Clumsy creatures scavenging for what’s been dumped in the road. Almost always molting, and their cry is terrible. But they shoo away easily,” he said as he looked up the road, “now who could this be?”

Halen, who was walking a few yards ahead of the wagon, shouted back, “Father! There are wagons up ahead on the road!”

Slowing the horses down with a quick call, Marcus stood in his seat to get a better look. “It looks like Earthers,” he said after a moment.
A few dozen wagons were clustered together tightly and moved down the path towards them. The wagons and their occupants were adorned in greens and browns, leaving a trail of dust behind them as they advanced. Earthers, being a pacifistic group of people, took in all who were for their cause. On their travels, they would sell both common and rare herbs from secret sources, and were also dealers in ornate weavings they produced by means of strange looms.

As the two caravans neared each other, they slowed and eventually stopped. Marcus hopped out of the wagon to greet a man who was walking forward towards them. The man wore a beard like a deranged cat, but there was a kindness in his blue eyes.

“Greetings fellow traveler. I lead this branch of the Great Tree.” The man extended his hand and Marcus shook it.

“Well met, sir. Where is your group headed? We are on our way to the city.” Marcus said turning to show his daughter and son. The children smiled amiably.

The man waved to the pair. “We head for the Green Mountains, and from there to the port city Kreetl. Be warned though, a new violence has occurred in the city, and it gathers sword-mongers like fleas. We would not abide the bloody tournament, so here we are, leaving that pool of anger.” The man spat to show what he thought of the grand city. Madeline grimaced.

Marcus turned to the horizon, where the sun was still in the act of fading out of sight.

“I believe we are going to stop now for the night,” the grizzled man said, “and would be happy to have you around our fire. Also, should you need any supplies, feel free to speak with any of the women here, and I’m sure they’ll accommodate you.”

“You are very kind. We will attend to our horses and then meet with you, sir. May I have your name?”

Bowing slightly, the man replied, “I am Nickalus.”

“Nickalus, I am Marcus, and this is Halen and Madeline. We will return soon.” And with that, the two parted. After watering and feeding Gram and Shiela, the three walked over to the smells of tangy herbs boiling in a cauldron, and meat was being prepared by a few young women who chattered on about nothing, looking at Halen every once and a while giggling. Halen, seeing this unexpected attention, puffed out his chest a little and began to strut. Madeline poked him in the ribs, receiving a very satisfying grunt for her efforts.

The food that the Earthers provided was mostly sweet, seasoned with a similar herb throughout. Still, it was quite delicious, and the entire Brightwill family ate their fill. Afterwards, one of the young women who were staring a Halen passed around a bowl containing what appeared to be smaller versions of fruit, although they were surprisingly bland to the taste. Halen grimaced as he chewed on his, but managed to compose himself enough for a smile at the girl who had passed the bowl. Marcus thanked the girl and put the strange fruit in his pocket. Seeing Madeline watching him he said, “I’d like to get some sleep tonight.”

Not fully understanding what he meant, Madeline looked to see Halen walking away with the girls they had seen earlier. Not wanting her brother to get into too much trouble, she walked over and joined the trio. As she left the fire, Nickalus came over to Marcus and handed him a drink. Then taking a seat across the fire he looked a Madeline as she left saying, “She is a very pretty girl, friend. You must be most proud.”

Also turning to watch his daughter, Marcus answered, “I am. She looks very much like her mother.”

“Ah yes, where is your wife? Does she stay in your wagon?” Nickalus asked, looking towards where Marcus had put his family’s belongings.
Frowning into his cup, Marcus muttered, “She has… passed on.”

Nodding slowly, Nikalus sat in silence.

The four youths went to the girls’ wagon. There, the eldest of the two whose name was Keena, pulled out a pin from side of one of the wheels. She was then able to pull out a very small drawer. Within the cleverly concealed box laid a small tangle of red strings, which Keena handed to the other girl to untie.

“We make these in our free time.” Keena said smiling at Halen. She fairly ignored Madeline. “We try and sell them to those we pass by, but I think I’ll give you one for free!” She then pulled the now untangled strands from the other girl, who frowned at Keena but then returned her gaze to Halen, who was enjoying himself immensely. Putting it on Halen grinned. “Thank you Keena, I think I will never take it off.” Then, grabbing her hand he said, “You’ve got to come see the view from that hill, the one just past our wagon! I know you’ll like it!” Keena nodded and the two ran off for the hill. The other girl sighed as they left.

“Oh, she always gets to play with the boys! I wish I were older…” Not seeming to realize that she said this aloud or that Madeline was still there, she jumped as she came to herself. “Oh, goodness, I’m sorry. Did you want a bracelet too? I’ll give you a good buy, I will.”

Slightly vexed by having to buy her bracelet, Madeline gave the girl some change and walked away holding her bracelet in her hand. It was very pretty, but she was too annoyed with the whole lot to bother putting it on. Getting a slight chill she decided to return to the fire.

Marcus had finished his drink and Nickalus was smoking a long pipe. Sitting next to her father, Madeline looked into the fire, thinking. Such rude girls. Hardly even noticed me there. I wonder if all Earthers are so rude. Mr. Nickalus seemed nice enough. Then Madeline realized that she knew nothing about the Earthers at all, really. Sitting up straight she asked Nickalus, “Why do you call yourselves Earthers?”

This seemed to jar Nickalus from a stupor, and he laughed. “Well, that was unexpected! Most inquisitive people hum and haw about that before really asking what we believe. But as I see you are very straightforward, I will be so also. We believe that the dealings of the world should emulate the ways of nature. If a bad thing happens, such as a death, it is like a fire in a forest started by lightning. Bad things happen, and these things allow us to appreciate the good things more.” He paused to take a puff of his pipe. He continued, “We call ourselves Earthers because when a man dies, he becomes dust, and the dust stirs into the earth. From the earth springs all life. Trees, streams, mountains, all things come from the ground. As such it makes sense, at least to us, to follow the ways of nature. We do not fight. We believe in diplomacy always. It is the best and truest way to live. This is how we combat the world’s evil, for evil is a struggle against nature.”

Mulling this over in her mind, Madeline sat quietly. Then she said, “How do you combat evil if you do not fight?” This only made Nickalus laugh again.

“Aha, I misspoke. This is how we struggle against evil—“

“And when evil comes to your doorstep and takes what is dearest to you, do you sit idly by and watch?” Marcus muttered quietly. “Do you send an ambassador of goodwill to a murderer? How pleasant are your embraces with a black heart?” By now he was becoming louder, and he finished in an almost moan, “Do you know what evil really is?”
Madeline had never felt the air get quite so heavy so quickly. A grim silence held space as the fire crackled away. Halen blessedly chose this time to return with Keena.

Running up to Marcus with Keena still latched on his arm he said, “Father, look at this wonderful bracelet Keena gave to me! Aren’t the Earthers wonderful people?”

Marcus looked at Nickalus, who held his stare. He then turned and walked back to the Brightwill wagon.

“Madeline, Halen, come along. We leave tomorrow morning.”

Halen smirked at Keena who pouted but let him go. The two children walked back with their father, leaving the warmth of the fire. Madeline turned around to glance at the Earther campsite again. Nickalus watched them walk away, and Keena went to her wagon with her friend. She then looked at her father. His grimace was very stern, and there was bleakness in his eyes. She was sorry they had ever laid eyes on these people.