Early Narsel 1007
Tlinie burst in from the fields. “The root vegetables are all moldy.”
“How will we ever have enough food for the winter? What is the cause of this bad luck?” The older women asked.
“My mother said there was a poor year when she was young,” one of my aunts offered up. “Queen Aeroresa made several sacrifices. The following years were better.”
I wondered what kind of sacrifices those might be. Burnt grass, maybe. Or a shell pile to the waves. Maybe a young male Qosarla.
“Tika, will you help me with the next water run?” Alina asked.
We walked to the stream with our pails. Alina was only carrying one pail. I was carrying four. The sun was setting, the brilliant reds of the sky brighter than I could ever remember them being.
“Tika, Eled expressed interest to me in being our village runner.”
I should have seen that coming. Eled had turned twelve last New Year’s.
“Your family could probably use the extra hands, especially since this year’s harvest is going to be very poor. I now last year, people had to help your family out. There is a lot of pressure on me to kick your family out of the village. People still remember a decade ago, when they had to build the house for your mother. Other people’s families are growing and they’d like your house.”
Why me? I might be the matriarch by law, but I was the youngest in my family. “My older brother will also leave to explore the world in a couple years,” I reminded Alina.
“You would still need somewhere to live, even if your father went back to his family’s house or took a new wife,” Alina said.
I would be happy living as a runner and sleeping under the stars, but I didn’t say that. It was foolish, anyways. What would I do during winter?
Nar Lrines 1007
The special bell tolled, the one calling the men to war, but we didn’t answer it. Noln rang our bell to let the other villages know, but that was all. The Chiefdom of Aza would not be backing a Queen that had failed to provide us with a harvest. The gods must not approve of her, to allow such a poor harvest to happen.
The children were having their merry night of fun that is Nar Lrines: laughing, shouting, and throwing rocks. Torvin approached our father. “I want to join the battle.”
“The one outside?” The merriment did sound like a war, I had to agree with my father.
“No. The one in Yahvsii Isvar. My Queen needs protection.”
“We have been forbidden to by our village chief, who was forbidden to by the chiefdom council.”
Torvin spat. “And what have they ever done for us, other than build a small house and curse us forever for that? Tika won’t be a runner anymore, even. You think she can bake bread? You think she can cook meat and stew? We’ll be eating her cooking instead of the village’s now.”
“Don’t bring me into this,” I said. “I’ll have time now to learn.” I knew that was a lie, but what did it matter when I was keeping my brother from harm?
It didn’t matter. He left. He never came back. I imagine he was one of the hundreds of men slaughtered when Queen Kristiana stormed the mountain palace.
Harvest Week 1007
“If Torvin doesn’t come back to help, you won’t be getting his share of the food,” I heard Alina telling my father. We had lied and said he had gone out to do some exploring. I wasn’t sure that the other villagers bought such an obvious lie, but they pretended to.
“He planted and weeded all year. And dug out the irrigation chambers,” Father reminded her. “Surely, we should get something.”
Tlinie’s father snorted. “The harvest will be poor enough. Save yourself some trouble and go find a new village. The girl won’t be able to provide for you.”
I was kin to his wife and daughters, but in hard times, that didn’t matter. Now that I was no longer a runner, I was a liability to the village. I was too young to marry and bring in another worker. I didn’t have talents that could help other villagers. I thought I might be strong enough to work in the fields or to hunt, but those weren’t things Aza girls did.
“I’m not leaving because of what Kiro said,” Father said after they’d left. “You move in with your aunts and grandmothers. They’ll take care of you. I’ve heard there’s a need for men to help with the harvest on the crown lands. They’ll pay me fair wages. I’ll be sure to send you news.”
I didn’t want to move in with others. Instead, I came up with a plan. I told Alina that my father and brother weren’t coming back, but I would help with the harvest in return for my share. It was creepy to live alone in the house. I still slept up on the loft. If anyone came in, I would hear them sooner.
My share of food was meager. Even though no one got enough to last them until Aarae, I suspected I had been cheated of my share despite my hard work. No matter. It would be easier to carry less. I baked a loaf of bread and set off that night.
Richenda 