CHAPTER 11 Drowning in truths, Pleading with raindrops, Swims the idiot, in the sea of Obstinacy.
Methrayear festivities were only a few days away and Aefry’s sixteenth birthday loomed on the horizon. Her birthday was on the Methraday of the holiday; an auspicious number to be sure, especially when she did the math herself and came up with her age. She had a shiver for some reason and put it down to an over active imagination. Aefry felt nervous about being 16 for several reasons. Lots of things would change, she would be able to apply for regular military service if she wanted, could go to a tavern, vote and pay tax because she would be recognized by the state as an adult. She could even get married for that reason, but to whom, she often wondered? Aefry sat on the edge of her bed willing herself to shake off the remnant of sleep.
Training with Tink again, on Sethraday. Early morning to greet the sun, she didn’t mind getting up and training with Tink, she enjoyed it very much. Her mind had been racing over the last few weeks and she could not concentrate or shut out the internal dialogue, the more she tried to ignore it the more mass it gained. So much so that her sleep had been interrupted. She had found some solace and focused on her torsion training evoke glyphs manifesting the exercises in her mind; this gave her a much needed respite.
After readying herself, showering, eating breakfast and dressing in dark loose fitting trousers, soft hooded green shirt and black canvas jerkin, Aefry sat in the kitchen nursing a cup of tea, and as she did she recalled last weeks lesson – and theological discussion.
Aefry crouched down next to Tink watching him repack the contents of his travel bag; she noticed again that Tink had a tattoo with the state emblem on his wrists. Previously never thinking to ask, but now curious, more so than ever before, she inquired with a smile.
“Tink why the ink?”
“Oh this, our order use to mark us when we became holders of knowledge. Most folk believe that the mark is just the state emblem and think nothing more of it. In truth, the emblem is just as important as any of the old writings. It is used as a way to remind a person of what it means to be a human being”
“Human being, I thought I was one?” Aefry smiled.
“Just because you walk round upright, can read and be all educated, don’t mean that you are human – by definition a human is not just a de-furred ape, us humans are more than that”
“Like what?” said Aefry, looking frustrated and slightly crestfallen.
“I will educate you, all in good time. Mind you, you are nearly human and without much direction. Your parents did good with you, educating you in the old ways I mean.”
“So, what about the emblem then?”
“Right you are then. First of all there is the definition of the blade, the blade itself is a metaphor for leading a proactive life. Firstly the back of the blade refers to strength of character, to maintain a clear purpose, the drive. Secondly, the belly of the blade refers to the flexibility needed to deal with life on the physical and emotional planes and thirdly the edge of the blade refers to the keenness of the mind to focus on the deed at hand. Then you have two blades crossed, which signify the two paths and the nexus where we stand. The path of dexter and the path of sinister, one path travelled in light and one in darkness, we stand in the grey.
“Dexter and sinister?” quizzed Aefry.
“Romanus for right and left,’ explained Tink. “Now this here,” Tink Pointed to the circle “Is where we see the circle and the T. The circle represents the flow of cause and effect and the T, well that can mean many things. Such as Torqueadia, named after the first High Chief of all the clans for example. However, it is said to be a reminder of the footwork, which is integral to all of the exercises, which keep an individual healthy in body, mind and spirit to support their fellow human.”
“Will you teach me the footwork?”
“Are you doing the Torsion Training that you learnt as a youth”?
“Yes I am,” replied Aefry with an air of boredom.
“Then you are already doing the fundamental footwork, I will give you more information to focus on as you master the exercises I teach you”.
Still concerned about the previous statement, Aefry pressed on. She gave Tink a quizzical look, “So being a human is considered to be a responsible person?”
“Yes accountability is one aspect of it, being a human is also about taking the initiative, to assist another, to be vigilant. In times gone past it was considered to be an insult to another person if you did not train in the physical arts. It was perceived that you were relying on another person to protect your personal health, as if you were a child – that’s what the rites of passage are for.”
“Its certainly not like that now Tink, “ said Aefry “Most folks don’t give a care about their health, they’re too busy sinking those Emperor teas down their gullets, if it ain’t that it’s the smoke or the ale and I see more and more on the streets begging.”
“The Empire Philanthropic Homes are being closed down to save a penny or two. It’s false economy. Many of the wounded from factories or the battlefront would have been healed and trained with skills. Now they are turfed out on the streets with tea vouchers to be used for sustenance, accommodation and elixirs. Aev? When the church disbanded the Grey Branch, a lot of the healer knowledge was passed over to the Ministry of Healing. They are a capable bunch but not trained in all of the arts, it is segregated by their methodology. You see when a skill is quantified on paper, nuances are lost and so is the totality of a situation. Not only that new levels of bureaucracy have taken over. Now all the funding goes to the management and none to the practitioners or the injured. Individuals slip the through the gap, if they are lucky they are arrested for self-medicating by abuse of elixir’s or drink and what not. Others are found dead. This is no way to look after or unify the tribe.”
“Which tribe Tink, I heard you say that before?”
“Because Aefry, even though we are millions in number, we are still governed by the same regulations that allowed our society to survive and rebuild after each fall. Like it or not, we are still a tribe – with a lot less humans now granted, but still a tribe. A tribe of millions.”
Her ambulator rang, Aefry recognized the familiar cypher numbers, “Wotcha’ Tink, Yeah, I can do that, I will be out front waiting for you”. Aefry poured the rest of the tea away, picked up her training bag and headed out of the kitchen, through the back yard and walked up the alley towards the front door of the shop. She put her bag down and sat on it. Within a few slices Tink pulled up in his velociquad, “Jump in then,”
Aefry opened the door and sat in the passenger seat. Tink shifted the vehicle into ‘ahead,’ and joined the traffic, “Today Aev, we are going to see a friend of mine after training. Is that alright with you?”
“No problem, my day is pretty much free”, Aefry sat in silence for a few moments enumerating on how to frame her question without giving away the nature of her discomfort regarding her lack of sleep. She settled for the following gambit “Tink, I have this friend?”
Tink looked sideways, “Go on?”
“Well, she can’t sleep because her mind keeps racing about a certain boy she thinks is quite nice. I keep telling her that she is stupid to worry about whether or not if he asks her to walk out with him or not”
“Sage advice Aev, so who’s’ the boy you fancy then?”
Aefry’s face flushed, she giggled.
“Listen, Aev lass. Any fella worth his salt would be lucky to walk out with you, so listen to that advice you conjured, it is sound. If you can’t sleep, apply the principles that you know from developing your Tranquilblade forms. If you concentrate on all the attributes you associate with relaxation and sleep and organize them in an evoke memory you will be able to spend less time on trying to sleep and more time sleeping”.
“I’m also having dreams of fighting monsters Tink, but I justified those as being over tired”
Tink drove in silence for a few moments while he thought about Aefry’s statement, “Do you win, the fights, do you win them?”
“At first I struggle, you know like you are in mud, you want to move faster but your body can’t catch up with your thoughts. Then I figure out how to move in the mud and I win. It seems real Tink, though the creatures are odd? They are a cross between people and animals.”
“Really, like the Veho?”
“Yeah, that’s a good description as any, but not like in the nursery stories, more fearsome.”
Tink let out a loud guffaw that ended in a snort, “Aefry lass, I dunno who recited the stories to you but the ones I heard as a young’en scared the gods out of me”
“Have a think about those stories again Aev and this time take the story at face value and not as a flight of fancy.”
“You’re trying to tell me that the riders, the flesh wearers are all real”, it was Aefry’s turn to laugh. She giggled and shook her head.
Tink smiled and shrugged his shoulders.
Tink slowed and stopped the vehicle; they had arrived at their training area. Tink was still smiling as they started to train.
On completion of the training for the day, Tink shared some of his food with her on the way back to town. A small tin with a rubber lid filled with carrots, hazelnuts and two apples were offered. Aefry took a handful of hazelnuts, and nothing more. Tink munching on a carrot motioned the tin toward her again. “Mmmpf, take a carrot.”
“Don’t like them,” Aefry replied.
“Why not?”
“I dunno? They’re, well, not like my mums, they’re too crunchy.”
“Spoken like a child, ha! Are you going to compare everything to your childhood sanctuary?”
“No” said Aefry pouting.
“Alright then, have a carrot”, said Tink smiling.
Aefry picked up a carrot and started to munch, although begrudgingly. “It’s alright, I suppose. Tink why do you eat all this – raw stuff?”
“More nutrients, more taste and better for you. Also, keeps me young”.
“Oh-Alright, give me another one then?”
“Quantity does not increase the benefit Aev, mix it up a bit lass, get as many veg as you can eat without cooking. Nuts, then fruit and meat. Just like the cave dwellers, before we learnt how to farm, right?”
“Why not, what’s wrong with wheat and oats and all that stuff?”
“Nothing really, unless you are actually growing and grinding the flour and making the bread yourself, you ain’t doing yourself any favours. In a pinch, eat bread, but only when foods are scarce not for regular meals.”
“Pass me the apple, please”.
“Ha!” said Tink.
The conversation slowed, hampered by the announcer Tinks radio as he regaled listeners with news across the Empire. After commentary regarding the Methrayear festivities the reporter followed up with, “This morning an accident in Thameston left several individuals injured including a pregnant lady who is now with the healers. It seems that local gangs were responsible as they took the opportunity to empty the contents of a government apothecary transport injuring the driver.”
Before either could comment, Tink slowed the vehicle and stopped in front of the Antiques and Curios store named “Cutlass and Curios”.
“Come on inside I want you to meet a friend,” said Tink as he left the vehicle.
Before Tink could grasp the handle, a tall well-dressed man opened the door of the curios store causing a bell to chime, as it swung open. The man excused himself and passed by. Aefry rushed by saying excuse me, and Tink nodded at the gentleman.
Aefry smelled comfortable dankness, if that was a legitimate smell. A mixture of mothballs, furniture polish, old leather, metal polish and beeswax, she walked round the store peering into jars, lifting lids off boxes and general rummaging. Spying a helmet from an older time, Aefry rushed over and placed it on her head, nearly knocking over several spears, bow staves and umbrellas stuffed into a half a cubit diameter brass shell cartridge of a Nautili Imperial Cannon. She caught the teetering tower and turned to face Tink with the helmet askew.
Tink rolled his eyes. “Hey Tiny, you here?”
From the back of the store came a muffled voice, “Be right with you!”
Walking through a beaded curtain from a backroom came Tiny. Due to the diametric dynamics of comedy, Tiny was actually four and half cubits tall.
“Hello brother”, Tiny walked briskly forward and hugging Tink, he stood back and folded his arms, “Who’s the warrior princes then?”
“This is Aefry, my protégé.”
“Oh really? I have heard great things about you Aefry, is my old friend teaching you fun things wittle wady?” Asked Tiny in a childish voice.
Tink turned to Aefry expecting a fervid rebuttal, but before Tink could say “Be nice”, Aefry answered; “Don’t let my girlish looks fool you old man, look at my hat. Clearly I am a warrior bold” and with that she pulled out the umbrella and made a figure eight with the end and then placed the tip of it by her foot with the handle in her hand arm out stretched by her side.”
Tiny laughed and held his hands in an expression of surrender “Alright I’ll behave. Glad to meet you Aefry bane of the storm”.
“Glad to meet you Tiny”, and then she bowed.
“You have some great stuff here, do you mind if I browse around” Aefry asked believing that both men had something to talk about.
Tiny replied, “I don’t have much in the way old armour, I do have uniforms from the wars before the unification of the empires in the back room there.” Pointing to the direction from whence he came “Only on display for the serious collector, not to be handled to much – so no dress up alright?”
“Right you are Mr. Tiny,” said Aefry as she disappeared into the other room.
As soon as Aefry had gone, Tiny’s face became solemn and due to his normal demeanour of pleasant humour, the look of solemnity bore more foreboding than on other people. “I have the walking staff you asked for,” Tink was about to speak, but Tiny put his hand up to halt the query, “I have been contacted by Dinas Llew”.
“And?”
“What no shock? You could at least act surprised, I haven’t heard from Alan for years.”
“Nor I. Don’t mistake the apparent lack of excitement charging across my face for apathy.
"This is my surprised face”.
Ignoring his friend Tiny continued, “Alan say’s that there is rumour that a Veho is in the church council”,
“There is always a rumour of some such. Whether it be directed at the Imperial government and any corporation of who holds a monopoly or not, where is the proof? And more to the point, which one do we suspect?”
“You want proof? When has there ever been proof? And as to which Veho, which one do you want to pick from? The Irulian, Eresh–Ki, Romanus, Renastic, Sancrecia, does it matter?”
“It might do, which host is accused then?”
Tiny lowered his voice, “Trepadaius Jack.”
Tink hung his head, “Well if anybody is a candidate it would be that one. A right twisted bastard he is, eh?”
“Is that all you can say? We know he was the one swayed the other two branches. He purged the Grey! He took the life of your wife and our sisters dammit!”
Tinks head snapped up and starred intensely into Tiny’s face. Tiny fell silent as he looked at the placid features of his friend. Tink spoke quietly “I know, and one day we shall have a discussion he and I”.