Read Online Young Warriors by Tamora Pierce - Free Book Online

blushed at the thought of lying to her, who’d already been through so much that day. Instead, he pulled her close and whispered, “Leah, I was terrified . . . but I couldn’t let her have you.”
    They went back to the path, and Eli gathered up his wood. Then, with her arm through his, they walked toward the little village, Leah braiding her hair and straightening her clothing as best she could. And the farther they walked, the further the details slipped from their minds, until Eli looked at Leah’s tousled hair and dusty blouse and said, “Wow. That must have been quite a fall you took!”
    And Leah looked at Eli’s unkempt yarmulke and dusty shoes and said, “It must have been! I hit my head so hard I barely remember a thing! I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come along.”
    And in that manner they entered Eli’s home, where both sets of parents waited with anxious expressions. Seeing them, Leah’s mother jumped up with a start, exclaiming over her daughter’s appearance. “What, did you fall? Whatever happened here? Are you all right?”
    â€œYes, Mother, I’m all right,” Leah replied, watching Eli place the wood in the tiny hearth. “I fell, so badly I can’t remember a thing, but Eli found me and saved me.”
    Eli’s mother looked at him in consternation, taking in his torn pants and dirty shoes. “A fine thing, out there romping around like a hooligan, probably playing soldier with those filthy Cossacks again while we wait and worry. A fine thing indeed, Eli!”
    Eli opened his mouth to protest, but his mother continued, now looking at Leah.
    â€œAnd you, young lady! Running around like a boy, of all things. Look at your hair, look at your blouse! What will the neighbors say? You couldn’t at least stop at your home to change?”
    Leah prepared to explain—although she really had no explanation—but before she could say a word, Eli placed his finger over her lips to silence her. Slowly he took her hands in his. He led her to his mother, then said, “Mama. That’s no way to speak to my future wife, is it? Come, let us share the Sabbath meal, and you can begin planning the wedding.”
    And the parents, not understanding what had provoked this sudden turnabout, could only weep with joy as they welcomed the young couple to the Sabbath table.
    That is how, in one short afternoon, young Eli left his dreams of soldiering behind and became a true man.
    Years later, walking with his firstborn son, Eli tried to explain why some men were soldiers and others scholars. “You see, my son, sometimes to
know
is a more powerful tool than to
do.
For those who
do
are forever bound by their actions, and those they act upon are bound as well. Whereas those who
know
can be more flexible, for knowledge occupies no space and knows no limits.”
    He could see that his son was losing interest, and thought perhaps this was all a bit abstract for a child who hadn’t even reached puberty. He wondered how to regain the boy’s attention. As they walked, Eli suddenly had a vague memory of a riddle he’d asked someone years ago. He slowed his steps, trying to recall the exact puzzle.
    When it came to him, he smiled at the boy and said, “Joachim, here is a riddle for you. If you answer correctly, I will give you a sweet tonight after dinner. Listen. What is it that everything has?”
    The child thought for a long moment, then lit up with anticipation of the sweet. “Oh, Papa, of course, the answer is ‘A name’! Because if it doesn’t have a name, how can we know it exists?”
    And Eli laughed aloud and lifted the boy to his shoulders, and together they ran home to Leah, who did not know the answer to the riddle and did not need to know. For so long as there were Elis and Joachims in this world she would be forever safe, and no darkness would inhabit her soul.
    JANIS