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Authors: Maxwell Alexander Drake
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just—” Arderi let out a sigh. “I do not know any more, Riln.” He hopped onto the wagon and sat down hard next to his friend. “I have thought a few times of doing that here recently. Jumping on one, you know. Going wherever it takes me.”
“You got a lot of nerve, Arderi Cor!” Riln threatened him with a half-eaten piece of dried beef as if it were a knife. “I ought to sock you one right here and now.” He turned and gestured toward the trees. “It is a shame that cat did not whack you a good one!”
The anger in Riln’s voice took Arderi by surprise. Arderi did not try to keep the heat from his own. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“You! That is what it means.” Riln slammed the remainder of his flatbread down into his food bundle. “Look, I may not know much about things, due to me being a fielder and all, yet you!” He poked Arderi’s chest with the knife-of-beef for added punctuation. “You are special! We all know it. We knew it about Alant and we know it about you. This is just you being scared of being Tested soon, huh?”
Arderi rubbed his chest where Riln had jabbed him. “Mayhaps. I am a man grown now. I should be Tested soon. Yet, so what?”
“So what?” Riln looked as though his head was about to explode. “Alant has been taken to Hath’oolan! By the Twelve, Arderi, Hath’oolan!” He flung his arms into the air. “That is incredible! I do not think our stead has ever produced a Shaper who has been taken there. Ever! And you are next, Arderi! I only wish I had that opportunity.”
Shaking his head, Arderi ran a hand through his brown hair. “You act as if I have already been Tested, Riln. Remember, Siln Tested and was found to have nothing. No ability with the Essence. There is no guarantee that I will be any different.”
“Siln!” Riln snorted to show what he thought of that. “You think you are like your brother? No one expected anything different of him.” He cocked his head and gave an inquisitive look. “Did you?”
Arderi hated thinking negatively about his brother. Despite all of Siln’s faults, Arderi loved him. Of all his siblings, they were the closest in age as well as spirit. He paused before answering, guilt welling inside. “Well, no, not really.” He was only being honest. Looking over at the other fielders eating a few wagons away, he eyed his brother, shame at feeling the way he did getting the better of him. “Alas, it does not work that way, Riln. The Essence owns its will, as the saying goes. You cannot possibly believe I will have any ability with the Essence just because Alant is my brother.”
“Why not? You do.” Accusation filled Riln’s words. Arderi shook his head in protest as Riln continued. “Really? You have always believed. You have always known!”
“Nix! That is the problem. I have always wanted to be different, to get away from this stead. I am terrified of growing to be nothing more than a fielder—like my Papa before me, and his before him. I lay awake sometimes and ache. Ache with the desire to run. Escape what I am going to become. What I am becoming.” Letting his head droop to his chest, Arderi stared at the tilled dirt around him.
“You think we all have not dreamed those dreams—dreamt of the adventure, the excitement? Aye! I have! Yet you, you are going to do it, Arderi. We all have known that, not just from what happened to Alant, either. I have known since we became house mates. You are special, Arderi, and once they Test you, the whole Plane will know it.”
“What if I do not pass? What if I am not special? I do not think I can live life knowing I will never be more than a fielder.”
Arderi flew from the wagon and found himself lying in the dirt for the second time this day. He looked up at Riln who stood over him staring down with fists clenched.
“And what is wrong with being a fielder, Arderi?” Riln looked as angry as Arderi had ever seen. “You love to sit there and feel sorry for
“You got a lot of nerve, Arderi Cor!” Riln threatened him with a half-eaten piece of dried beef as if it were a knife. “I ought to sock you one right here and now.” He turned and gestured toward the trees. “It is a shame that cat did not whack you a good one!”
The anger in Riln’s voice took Arderi by surprise. Arderi did not try to keep the heat from his own. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“You! That is what it means.” Riln slammed the remainder of his flatbread down into his food bundle. “Look, I may not know much about things, due to me being a fielder and all, yet you!” He poked Arderi’s chest with the knife-of-beef for added punctuation. “You are special! We all know it. We knew it about Alant and we know it about you. This is just you being scared of being Tested soon, huh?”
Arderi rubbed his chest where Riln had jabbed him. “Mayhaps. I am a man grown now. I should be Tested soon. Yet, so what?”
“So what?” Riln looked as though his head was about to explode. “Alant has been taken to Hath’oolan! By the Twelve, Arderi, Hath’oolan!” He flung his arms into the air. “That is incredible! I do not think our stead has ever produced a Shaper who has been taken there. Ever! And you are next, Arderi! I only wish I had that opportunity.”
Shaking his head, Arderi ran a hand through his brown hair. “You act as if I have already been Tested, Riln. Remember, Siln Tested and was found to have nothing. No ability with the Essence. There is no guarantee that I will be any different.”
“Siln!” Riln snorted to show what he thought of that. “You think you are like your brother? No one expected anything different of him.” He cocked his head and gave an inquisitive look. “Did you?”
Arderi hated thinking negatively about his brother. Despite all of Siln’s faults, Arderi loved him. Of all his siblings, they were the closest in age as well as spirit. He paused before answering, guilt welling inside. “Well, no, not really.” He was only being honest. Looking over at the other fielders eating a few wagons away, he eyed his brother, shame at feeling the way he did getting the better of him. “Alas, it does not work that way, Riln. The Essence owns its will, as the saying goes. You cannot possibly believe I will have any ability with the Essence just because Alant is my brother.”
“Why not? You do.” Accusation filled Riln’s words. Arderi shook his head in protest as Riln continued. “Really? You have always believed. You have always known!”
“Nix! That is the problem. I have always wanted to be different, to get away from this stead. I am terrified of growing to be nothing more than a fielder—like my Papa before me, and his before him. I lay awake sometimes and ache. Ache with the desire to run. Escape what I am going to become. What I am becoming.” Letting his head droop to his chest, Arderi stared at the tilled dirt around him.
“You think we all have not dreamed those dreams—dreamt of the adventure, the excitement? Aye! I have! Yet you, you are going to do it, Arderi. We all have known that, not just from what happened to Alant, either. I have known since we became house mates. You are special, Arderi, and once they Test you, the whole Plane will know it.”
“What if I do not pass? What if I am not special? I do not think I can live life knowing I will never be more than a fielder.”
Arderi flew from the wagon and found himself lying in the dirt for the second time this day. He looked up at Riln who stood over him staring down with fists clenched.
“And what is wrong with being a fielder, Arderi?” Riln looked as angry as Arderi had ever seen. “You love to sit there and feel sorry for
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