Chapter 7: Archery, Pears & An Unexpected Arrival
The party headed out early the next morning, walking several hours through the broadleaf forest, which was beginning to thin out and transition to a more meadowlike environment dotted with cliffs. When they stopped for their midday meal, David noticed several of the Nisse youngers staring up at a tree growing on a ridgeline, far above them, separated from them by a rocky cliff. Faelina ran over to him and said “there’s a pear tree up there. Pears are really yummy in the fall, too bad we can’t get to them.”
David squinted, looking up at the tree. He could just barely make out the warm yellow of the ripe fruits. “Yeah, it’s a shame” he said to the Nisse child. “I think I could climb that cliff, I’ve done rock climbing before, but it might be too dangerous without safety gear, and it looks like the camp steward wants to get going soon. Maybe you can get some fruit when we get to Saltswreath.”
“The youngers need not go without a treat today” said a familiar voice. Caelen had appeared beside David, his strung bow in one hand, a broadhead arrow in the other. “Please step back, young ones, and stand behind David, so you don’t get hurt.” They obeyed, curious what Caelen was going to do and not wanting to miss it.
Caelen nocked the arrow, then took aim, the shaft pointing nearly straight up at the sky, and fired. The arrow flew past the pears, turned at the peak of its flight, and on the way down, the sharp broadhead severed the stem of one of the fruits. The pear and the arrow fell nearly parallel to each other. Caelen caught the pear in his free hand, and then, with a deft flick of his wrist, snatched the arrow out of the air before it hit the ground.
The children laughed and applauded. Caelen bowed playfully, telling them, “I will ask the cook to make something special for you tonight. Go play until we are ready to get moving again." As they scattered, returning to their usual occupations, David and Kessa, who had wandered over to see what the children were looking at, stood with open mouths. David was the first to recover. “Oh come on…now you’re just showing off.” From nearby, a soft scoff came from one the sentries watching over the party as they ate. Caelen turned his head to see who had made the sound, then smiled widely.
“Maybe a little.” He pulled more arrows from his quiver and proceeded to knock the remaining fruits down from the tree, not missing a single shot, not bothering to catch the arrows this time, though he was careful to retrieve them and return them to his quiver. He packed the pears carefully into a basket and delivered them to the cook, who beamed at seeing them and thanked Caelen.
That night, Caelen again asked to join them for their meal. As they finished the main course, the same sentry who had scoffed earlier in the day approached them, holding three wood plates containing a compound of pears, nuts, grains and forest honey. After greeting them, he said “the cook asked me to bring these to you. The young ones were…enthusiastic in their appreciation, and she wanted to ensure our guests, and of course the one responsible for gathering the pears, were not left out. Though I don’t blame the younglings; the pears were at the perfect ripeness and the compote is delicious."
“Thank you” said Caelen. “Please, join us.” As the newcomer settled himself on the log, Kessa noticed that had the same brown hair as Caelen, though he wore it longer. His eyes were an amber brown rather than blue. Caelen, turning to Kessa and David, said “this is Arthan, the son of my mother’s brother. We played together as young ones.” Caelen put on a look of mock severity, though humor twinkled in his eyes. “You may have noticed it was he who scoffed my attempts at archery earlier today, rudely disrespecting my station.”
Caelen’s cousin, with equally playful mock seriousness, responded with “You surely cannot expect me to maintain a properly deferential stance when my revered healing master kinsman, youngest level 8 in 12 generations, exhibits one of the few skills in which he is genuinely my inferior. You may be able to mumble away a broken bone, but you always were clumsy with arrow and string.” Caelen chuckled. “Fair enough. One person should not have too much glory, I shall leave the title of champion sharpshooter to you."
David's eyes widened. “Wait…what you did this morning, knocking down the pear and then catching the arrow…you call that a…clumsy shot?”
“Indeed” said Arthan. “He showed remarkably amateurish technique for one of our years.” “Wow” responded David. “I better be careful not to get on your bad side then. If what Caelen did was amateurish, I’d hate to see what a Nisse marksman is capable of.” Arthan smiled, then, using the same teasing tone of voice with which he had addressed his cousin, said "have no fear, David. I would not waste an arrow on a human, unless they gave me a very good reason. Hunting broadheads are quite valuable, after all." David grinned.
Soon after, Arthan was called away to take his place as a sentry, watching over the camp for the first half of the night. Later, after everyone was in their bedrolls, and sometime after the moons had risen, Kessa and David were abruptly awakened by a male voice shouting “who goes there?!" And then "stop, stay where you are!", followed by the sounds of a brief scuffle. They kicked off their bedrolls, grabbed their shoes and cloaks, and hurried to an edge of the camp where several of the sentries stood with lit torches. As they entered the circle of light, they saw Arthan holding a skinny adolescent human by the upper arms. The teenage boy struggled a few times, but Arthan's Nisse strength made his grip inescapable. The youth was dressed in nothing but a long sleeved nightshift. His eyes were wide and he was trembling with cold as well as fear. A Nisse cloak and some herbed bread loaves laid on the ground near his feet.
One of the older Nisse, a dark-skinned woman whose black hair was streaked with gray and seemed to be a person of some authority, stepped forward. She spoke to the youngster. “Stay where you are, child. No harm will come to you if you remain still.” Then she turned to Arthan. “He is unarmed, release him.” Arthan obeyed, stepping back several paces, but also keeping a sharp eye on the intruder. The rest of the travelers were gathered around, watching silently.
The youngster stood rooted to the spot, breathing hard. Kessa noticed how thin his face was; not just angular, like the Nisse, but almost haggard. “Master Caelen, come” called the elder. "Your sight is required." Caelen stepped forward and looked at the youngster, his eyes holding the same look as when he examined David. He turned and spoke to the elder. “He is uninjured, but deprivation and exposure have weakened his frame."
The elder nodded. “Follow me to the central fire.” The youngster gulped and did as he was bidden, two of the sentries following close behind him. She bid him sit on the fallen long, while one of the Nisse added fuel, so that everyone could see clearly. The elder nodded to the camp steward, who retreated to the storage area, then returned holding several wrapped packages of their travel provisions, a water skin and cup, as well as a warm cloak. The steward handed the packages to the youngster, poured him some water, and draped the cloak around his shoulders. The youth’s trembling quieted as he rapidly devoured the food he'd been given.
When he had finished, the elder spoke to him again. "What is your name, young one? What is your age? And why do you attempt to steal from us? Speak truthfully. You may not have encountered our kind before, and may not be aware of it, but we can sense deception. Truth will serve you far better than lies.”
The youngster took a deep breath. When he spoke, his voice was higher in pitch than Kessa expected, and sounded strained, almost ragged. “I am Rowan Ashwell, son of Travien and Minya. I’m 15…I’m…I’m so sorry. I wasn’t brought up to steal things. It’s just…I didn't know if you'd help me if I asked and...I was so hungry.” The elder assessed him silently for a moment, then nodded. “I am called Elyndra. I am one of the elders of this group. I sense no dishonesty from you. Sentries, you may return to your posts. Your service is noted and appreciated.” The Nisse archers retreated, glancing back occasionally.
She turned again to the young man, her tone softening. “Where are your people, Rowan? Why do they not provide for you?”
“I’m from Stoneford. It’s a small city, five days travel up the Hollowrun River. I was at the village of Briar Hallow to be introduced to a master, so he could try me out, and see if I would be a good match to take on as an apprentice. My uncle brought me, but he had to depart for home soon after I arrived.” The youngster shuddered, took a drink of water, then went on.
“There was…there was a fire. I don’t know what started it. I woke up and one side of the guest hut was burning. I was…lucky. The guest hut was furthest from the center of the village. When I got outside, all I could see was that every other dwelling had collapsed. I know I should have looked for survivors, but I was so scared. I just…ran into the woods. I…I don’t know if anyone else made it out. I’ve been looking for the river, for anything really, any other human settlement, for two days.” His shoulders slumped. He was obviously ashamed of what he’d just said.
“And you haven’t eaten in all that time, have you?" David asked softly. Rowan shook his head, then, despite his efforts not to, started to cry, his tears cutting through the smoke and dirt on his face. Elyndra’s gaze softened and she spoke gently. “Peace, child. We do not judge harshly. Your actions were born of hunger and cold, not malice or greed. You are safe among us. The Nisse will see that you want for nothing — food, clothing, or comfort. We are travelling to Saltswreath. Are you familiar with that habitation?” Rowan nodded. “When we reach it, we will send word to your kin. Until then, be at ease. You are no longer alone.”
She spoke to the camp steward. “Please arrange a sleeping place for our new guest, somewhere near Master Caelen as well as Kessa and David, so our healer may watch over him, and the companionship of his own kind cheer him.” The steward nodded, and led Rowan to the sleeping area, getting him a bedroll from their provisions. Elyndra stood and addressed the rest of the camp. “Return to your bedrolls, everyone. We will rise early tomorrow.” The Nisse dispersed, exchanging a few soft words with each other. Kessa, listening to the snatches of conversation, noted that she didn't hear a single murmur disputing what the elder had just done.
Rowan’s bedroll was placed a few feet from where Kessa, David, and Caelen were. Kessa offered him a wet cloth to wash some of the dirt and grime from his face, for which he thanked her, but didn’t say anything else. She felt her heart going out to the unfortunate youth. “Rowan, I’m…I’m so sorry about what happened, what you’ve been through. David and I, we’re also strangers here. But what Elyndra said was true. You’re safe now. Have you ever been around the Nisse before?” He shook his head. “The Nisse, they’re…well…to say they’re generous doesn’t even cover it. They’ve fed us, taken care of us, given us everything we needed. They'll make sure you're ok until your parents can come get you.”
Rowan looked at her, his distress seeming to lessen. "Thank you. I...I will try to be worthy of it."
At that moment, Caelen approached. Kessa told Rowan how he’d found them in the forest and emphasized how he had saved her life. Caelen knelt beside the young man and spoke softly to him. “You have undergone a severe shock, not only your experiences in the flaming village, but in travelling alone and without support. I would like to give you an herbal infusion to steady your nerves and help you sleep. Will you allow me to do so?” The young man nodded, then said “yes…thank you. I’ve…heard of the skill of healers of your kind before now.” Caelen smiled, then, using some of the herbs from his satchel, prepared a blend that smelled delicious, warm and with a hint of grassiness. The youth drank it, crawled into the bed roll, and within a few minutes was sleeping soundly.
Kessa and David dropped off soon after, as did their healer friend, but not before the two college students exchanged a few whispered words between themselves about what they’d just seen. They knew the Nisse were kind, that they valued hospitality, but neither had expected that they would extend care to a being they had just caught stealing from them. They had acted with wisdom and compassion, not out of vengeance. It only deepened their respect for their gracious hosts.
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