to practice throwing in front of anyone, it’d be too embarrassing.
They filled their water skins and resumed their journey back to Cold Springs. As they traveled, Pell’s mind kept going back to the fish quickly gobbling his little piece of jerky. Maybe if I dropped a piece of jerky right in front of a noose that I’d put in the water? When it swam into the noose, I could jerk it out of the water. He didn’t think it’d work though. Since fish didn’t appear to have a neck for the noose to catch on he thought the fish would escape. Maybe it’d catch on their fins?
He decided he’d just have to try it.
***
Yadin first encountered an Aldan when the trail he was following rounded a small copse and he saw a young man crouching in front of a thicket. Curious, Yadin silently stopped and watched. The young man appeared to be tying some knotted leather thongs into the thicket, though for what purpose Yadin couldn’t imagine. Having positioned the thongs, he rubbed them with some substance, then plucked a few leaves of grass and twisted them over the thongs.
Yadin was still wondering about this strange ritual, when the young man stood up. Not wanting the young man to turn and see him standing there unannounced, Yadin said, “Hello.”
Startled, the young man spun around at Yadin’s strange voice and stared at him wide-eyed. Yadin saw the young man hadn’t been eating well. He was thin like Pont and Fellax. Yadin assumed this meant that the young man was a member of the Aldans tribe and thought to himself that if all the Aldans were as thin as the three he’d met, it boded ill for their survival this winter.
As the young man had said nothing, Yadin thought he should continue. “I’m Yadin, a member of the Oppo tribe. I’m trying to find the Aldans. Do they live near here?”
“Um, yes,” the young man said. “I’m Exen, one of the Aldans.” He narrowed his eyes and lifted his chin interrogatively, “Why are you trying to find us?”
“I’ve heard that a stranger recently came among you. A man named Pell?”
Exen shrugged, “He’s no stranger. He grew up amongst us.”
“But he’s been gone for some time, yes?”
Exen shrugged again, “Only for the summer.”
“And he’s the same as ever?” Yadin asked.
“Hah!” Exen exclaimed, apparently quite amused. “No, he’s really different.”
“What’s changed?”
“He grew . A lot! And… well, it’s hard to explain, but he’s… not the same.”
Yadin wasn’t sure what to say next. He didn’t want to come right out and ask if an evil spirit had invaded either the boy or the tribe. Finally, “Are you on your way back to where the Aldans live?”
Exen nodded.
“Can I walk with you?”
Exen thought for a moment, everyone knew that strangers could be interesting… or sometimes dangerous. He nodded, and started along the path that Yadin had already been following. His eyes tracked to the spears Yadin was carrying and widened a little. “Who made those spearheads?”
Yadin shrugged, “I made them. I’m a flint knapper.”
After a moment, Exen pulled his eyes away from the spearheads. “Why are you interested in Pell?”
“I’ve heard… strange things about him.”
Exen turned to look at Yadin with a frown, “Who would have told you about Pell?”
Yadin tugged at his ear while he thought. He wasn’t sure he should mention Pont, but he did need to have some reason to have come all this way. Truth telling seemed safest, “A man who called himself Pont came to the Oppos. Claimed to be a medicine man. He was telling us about Pell.”
Exen laughed, “Telling you bad things I’d imagine?”
Yadin paused, but decided that this Exen didn’t look like he’d been ensorcelled. He shrugged, “Pont says that Pell’s been taken over by an evil spirit. He says that Pell’s been enchanting the Aldans. Is that true? Do you Aldans need help?”
Exen laughed again, “You might say that, if feeding us counts as
They filled their water skins and resumed their journey back to Cold Springs. As they traveled, Pell’s mind kept going back to the fish quickly gobbling his little piece of jerky. Maybe if I dropped a piece of jerky right in front of a noose that I’d put in the water? When it swam into the noose, I could jerk it out of the water. He didn’t think it’d work though. Since fish didn’t appear to have a neck for the noose to catch on he thought the fish would escape. Maybe it’d catch on their fins?
He decided he’d just have to try it.
***
Yadin first encountered an Aldan when the trail he was following rounded a small copse and he saw a young man crouching in front of a thicket. Curious, Yadin silently stopped and watched. The young man appeared to be tying some knotted leather thongs into the thicket, though for what purpose Yadin couldn’t imagine. Having positioned the thongs, he rubbed them with some substance, then plucked a few leaves of grass and twisted them over the thongs.
Yadin was still wondering about this strange ritual, when the young man stood up. Not wanting the young man to turn and see him standing there unannounced, Yadin said, “Hello.”
Startled, the young man spun around at Yadin’s strange voice and stared at him wide-eyed. Yadin saw the young man hadn’t been eating well. He was thin like Pont and Fellax. Yadin assumed this meant that the young man was a member of the Aldans tribe and thought to himself that if all the Aldans were as thin as the three he’d met, it boded ill for their survival this winter.
As the young man had said nothing, Yadin thought he should continue. “I’m Yadin, a member of the Oppo tribe. I’m trying to find the Aldans. Do they live near here?”
“Um, yes,” the young man said. “I’m Exen, one of the Aldans.” He narrowed his eyes and lifted his chin interrogatively, “Why are you trying to find us?”
“I’ve heard that a stranger recently came among you. A man named Pell?”
Exen shrugged, “He’s no stranger. He grew up amongst us.”
“But he’s been gone for some time, yes?”
Exen shrugged again, “Only for the summer.”
“And he’s the same as ever?” Yadin asked.
“Hah!” Exen exclaimed, apparently quite amused. “No, he’s really different.”
“What’s changed?”
“He grew . A lot! And… well, it’s hard to explain, but he’s… not the same.”
Yadin wasn’t sure what to say next. He didn’t want to come right out and ask if an evil spirit had invaded either the boy or the tribe. Finally, “Are you on your way back to where the Aldans live?”
Exen nodded.
“Can I walk with you?”
Exen thought for a moment, everyone knew that strangers could be interesting… or sometimes dangerous. He nodded, and started along the path that Yadin had already been following. His eyes tracked to the spears Yadin was carrying and widened a little. “Who made those spearheads?”
Yadin shrugged, “I made them. I’m a flint knapper.”
After a moment, Exen pulled his eyes away from the spearheads. “Why are you interested in Pell?”
“I’ve heard… strange things about him.”
Exen turned to look at Yadin with a frown, “Who would have told you about Pell?”
Yadin tugged at his ear while he thought. He wasn’t sure he should mention Pont, but he did need to have some reason to have come all this way. Truth telling seemed safest, “A man who called himself Pont came to the Oppos. Claimed to be a medicine man. He was telling us about Pell.”
Exen laughed, “Telling you bad things I’d imagine?”
Yadin paused, but decided that this Exen didn’t look like he’d been ensorcelled. He shrugged, “Pont says that Pell’s been taken over by an evil spirit. He says that Pell’s been enchanting the Aldans. Is that true? Do you Aldans need help?”
Exen laughed again, “You might say that, if feeding us counts as
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