Chapter 9: Departing from The Horse Hearth

Solis

Granye and I walk in thoughtful silence toward the horse hearth. The cave, though beautiful, is full of sadness. She stops and studies the two moons in the sky. The wandering moon is already moving away to its spring home. Granye’s body casts a long blue shadow on the ground.

“When we entered the horse hearth, that old man bowed to you.” She says.

I returned here with a heavy heart. Many Drakdarekam died here, their Vahgen and their bodies lost to us forever. It pains me to think of these friends, some of them I knew as children.

“Battle is a terrible thing, Granye. Some horse hearth minders remember me because I survived.”

Granye waits. I don’t know how much to tell her. My years on the road and in battle are all distant memories. My scarred body and joints ache in the mornings. I’m reluctant to get out of bed. I see Granye’s path, but my own is less clear.

I say, “There was a battle here.”

“Did you fight dragons?”

People always want a simple answer. They want a victim, a culprit, and a savior, but real life is often more complicated.

“The high dragon of the west took and held the land all around this hearth. For many years, the horse hearth minders lived in the bitter cold. They relied heavily on the horses so they could travel to gather food. Their men did not wander because the work of the winter world required many hands. Some other hearths thought they were odd and insular, but they were mostly trying to survive. They accepted the rule of the ice dragon as part of the balance, but we, the Drakdarekam, weren’t sure."

"We came here and studied the dragons. We were here for an entire cycle of the moons. We argued among ourselves. Some thought the ice dragons were creating balance. Some thought they were lazy, selfish dragons. We couldn’t decide if we should accept their rule or try to remove them."

"Before we came to any conclusion, the high dragon of the east attacked. We attempted to protect the people here from the warring dragons. While the dragons battled, the combination of fire and ice created sudden massive floods. I saved as many as I could, but many died."

Unwillingly, I remember the terrified face of a child who slipped from my grip and was swept into the maelstrom. She wasn’t the only one I lost.

I can’t see Granye’s face in the dark when she speaks. “But the dragons killed people, so doesn’t that prove they were bad dragons?” 

“The dragons didn’t intend to kill them, the people were…” I stop short considering the moral dimension of what I want to say. “They were bystanders. They weren’t part of battle. They just happened to live where the battle happened.”

“But that’s wrong.”

“I doubt the dragons would see it that way.”

“How would they see it?”

“I don’t know exactly. Dragons aren’t immoral, they’re just sort of amoral.”

“If you have that much power, shouldn’t it be governed by some sort of morality?”

“Is a storm moral? Can raindrops fall on one hearth minder and not another? Our world is a thousand interlocking systems. One thing causes another. It’s far too complex for any of us to comprehend.”

“But a bad dragon that took my son.”

I rub my chin, trying to decide how to answer. Svaart is neither enemy nor ally. Dragons are a thing apart, but I’m not sure how to explain this to Granye. The moons set behind the trees and the first rays of the morning sun cast a violet hue.

“Tomorrow we’ll pack. It is time for us to leave the horse hearth.”

##

There is a slogan among the Drakdarekam, “Knowledge does not preclude danger.”

I have been asleep for what only feels like moments when Mixa shakes me awake.

“Solis! There’s something wrong with Taiye. Can you come?”

I rise slowly, reluctant to leave the warmth of my bedroll. The air is crisp and the small hearth fire isn’t much defense against the winter cold outside.

Taiye has her bedding pulled up around her neck. She stares at me unfocused. When I call her name, she rolls from side to side, but it’s almost like she isn’t there. I touch her forehead, which is moist and cool.

“How long has she been like this?”

Mixa says, “I just woke up.”

This is the challenge of travel. Hearth minders often contract illnesses when they enter a new hearth. Hearth minders withstand local diseases, but on entering a new place, they may succumb to a fever that is indigenous to that area. For this reason, many Drakdarekam return to familiar hearths when they travel. Wanderers sleep and eat outdoors as they make their circuit to distant hearths for the same reason. I knew it was a risk when we entered the hearth.

“Mixa, go quickly and find the hearth healer.”

I gently awaken Granye. She rolls over and groans.

“Do you have herbs for a fever?”

She sits up and rubs her eyes. She rummages through her bag. 

Sarvastiah and Astiah stir. Astiah sits up.

“What’s wrong?”

“Taiye has a fever.”

Her lips tighten. She’s anxious to get on the road. She is restless to bring Hanasorsha home. I don’t blame her. Our trip has already had too many delays.

Sarvastiah sits up and runs his fingers through his hair. He stands and stokes the fire.

Granye pours a packet of powder into a cup of hot water. She hasn’t spoken. She looks rumpled and tired. I prop Taiye into a sitting position and Granye gently brings the cup to her lips. Taiye seems like she is in another realm. I suspect she won’t be able to travel for days.

Mixa returns with the hearth healer who stoops and looks at Taiye’s eyes, inspects her tongue, and checks her pulse.

Mixa says hurriedly, “She seemed normal last night, but she didn’t eat much for dinner.”

We stand in half circle looking down Taiye.

Sharna joins us and says, “She is far away. I can’t reach her at all.”

Everyone expects me to know what to do. The weight of the responsibility is like an anchor pulling me down. This isn’t a moment for me to give in, but my aging body, my weary heart, my scarred knuckles want rest.

##

After considerable discussion with the Hearth Keeper and our band of travelers, we decide that Astiah, Granye, Sarvastiah, and I will proceed to the dragon’s keep. Sharna, Taiye, and Mixa will stay in the horse hearth until Taiye recovers. This will give Sharna a few more days of rest. Once recovered, they will ride for the Heartland Hearth, which is the largest and most central hearth in our land. They will purchase provisions and ride to meet us in the valley of the Drakdarekam.

Because Sharna is the only one to communicate with the children, it is a loss to our party to leave her behind. I, of course, know the way to Svaart’s lair, and don’t need her guidance. I will count on her skills to reunite our party later.

We stand in a half circle, the damp earth sending a chill up our legs. The Hearth Keeper offers us each a sip of twig tea from a communal bowl. Stacia, a horse hearth minder and our instructor, will ride with us to help care for the horses and act as a guide at least as far as the Mountain Hearth. The Hearth Keeper snaps a twig in half, Stacia takes it and places it in a pouch around her neck. She has no way of knowing when she will return to her hearth. I wonder how she feels about leaving her hearth to travel with strangers.

Astiah, as though she’s done it all her life, asks her horse’s permission and leaps lightly onto its back. Granye struggles to mount but looks confident enough once seated. The Hearth Keeper offers me a bag that contains gifts we will need for the road. She bows deeply to me. I nod.

I’m reluctant to split up our party, but I’m equally reluctant to delay our trip. Astiah, impatient, adjusts her seat and turns her horse to face the road. I can’t know if I’m doing the right thing, but I have no one to consult. Ahead of me is my old enemy Svaart lies in wait, for he certainly knows I am coming. But I doubt even that. Is Svaart an enemy? Why has he taken the children? What is he doing with them?

Involuntarily, the slogan from my Drakdarekam training floats up into my mind, Befriend your enemies.

But what does it mean? And what am I supposed to do next?