The Land of Broken Roads

The palace interior was extravagant in a way Dirt wasn’t prepared for. Every surface sported bold decoration, from polished tilework floors to frescoes painted into the arched ceilings. Walls of lacquered wood gleamed with light from windows. Golden lamps, lit even during the daytime, illuminated any shadowy corner. Intricately-carved molding shining with gold leaf raced from floor to ceiling, carrying images of people and beasts and flowers.

Dirt stopped a few paces in, having simply forgotten to keep walking, but Socks pushed him forward with his nose and followed in. The big pup had to duck down and bend his spine quite a bit to get through the doorway, but as promised, the ceilings inside were tall enough for his ears.

The Duke led the opulence-dazed party through the entry hall and turned down a hallway to the left, so quickly it felt like Dirt had hardly had time to even understand the beauty unfolding before him. The only sound was Socks’ nails clicking lightly on the hard floor as he walked. It seemed no one but Socks and the Duke even dared breathe in the presence of such extravagance.

-It all looks very complicated. Humans build interesting things,­- said Socks, the first to speak. He sniffed a painting hanging on the wall, showing two men in armor atop horses jabbing a bull with long spears. -Look at this, Dirt. Why did they make this?-

“To look nice, I suppose,” said Dirt quietly. He almost felt a fool to think humans were dying out, if they were still capable of this.

The Duke stepped over to the painting and said, “This is my great-grandfather in red, and this is my grandfather in white. The painting was made to commemorate their first hunt together, when my grandfather was only fourteen. This bull had wandered into the hunting grounds and was not happy to see the hunting party. It charged, and in the foolishness of youth, my grandfather lowered his lance and charged it right back. That’s why he’s in front here. He didn’t even lose the horse; he caught the bull in just the right part of the shoulder to turn its horns aside. It made him quite popular with everyone, except the farmer who owned the bull.”

Dirt’s people had had paintings, of course, although not in this style. Prisca had taken an academic interest in them at one point in her career, although she herself had moved on and forgotten much even before Dirt found her. He wished he had one of her paintings to compare this to, to see if the craft had gotten better or worse since his people’s time.

-It smells like many things, but looks like something else. Very clever,- said Socks, a bit of excited appreciation showing in his voice.

The Duke paused and raised an eyebrow. “Ah, yes, that’ll be the paint. Each color is made from different materials.”

-You carve wood and stone to look like people, and mix minerals and eggs and oil and wax to look like horses and bulls. Even Dirt likes to shape wood, except he uses magic he learned from the dryads,- said Socks, sniffing the next painting, then a tapestry, as he sauntered down the hall.

“I would very much like to see that,” said the Duke in a friendly, avuncular tone of voice, walking just ahead.

-I will not let him show you,- said Socks.

“Why is that?” asked the Duke.

-Because the last human he showed magic to shot him with an arrow.-

The Duke showed not even the slightest dismay or offense. “A perfectly reasonable caution, then. I will not ask again, until you decide to show me on your own. Now, please let me know if I can tell you about anything else. I worry that if we arrive too quickly, the servants won’t have enough cushions for Socks and I will not have a guest resting on bare floor.”

As if to make the point, two older youths in tight green clothing dodged through the party carrying too many cushions, even using their teeth to carry an extra one.

“They’re gonna trip,” said Marina quietly.

“If so, they’ll have a soft landing,” replied Ignasi, much less quietly.

They didn’t trip, so no one saw how well they’d land. But a few steps past the group, one cushion slipped out of a boy’s grip. The youth turned around with a pained look on his face, toeing it like he wanted to kick it back up. Socks picked it up for him with his mind, setting it neatly atop the others. The youth went a little pale, but otherwise kept his wits. He nodded, turned around, and ran to catch up with his friend.

“Who was that?” asked the Duke politely.

­-Me.-

“Ah, of course. Thank you for helping. He was going to drop the rest of them trying to pick that one up,” said the Duke. That got a chuckle out of Ignasi.

Dirt might have asked about every painting, but he could sense the others’ anxiety and eagerness to get moving, so he kept his mouth shut. Marina could hardly keep still, always shifting her weight or shuffling her feet. Her eyes passed over the glories of the palace’s interior without truly seeing any of them, her mind elsewhere.

The Duke, of course, seemed to have noticed before Dirt did, but wanted to make sure Socks and the others didn’t feel rushed. He kept a careful eye on each of them, his gaze flickering at any movement to catch their body language. The man noticed Dirt watching him as well, and something in his demeanor made it feel like they were sharing a secret. Or perhaps like they were teaming up to watch the others, good-natured co-conspirators.

A wolf could show dominance by where he stood, how he turned, and many other such subtle clues. Dirt had never realized humans were the same way, but now that he saw a leader human in action, it was as undeniable as a full moon in a clear night sky.

When Socks had nothing else he cared to inspect, the Duke led them into the great hall, servants still rushing around them to bring in cushions. Sunlight refracted through the colored glass windows and lit the entire, cavernous space with not only beams of white, but multicolor rainbows and shadows of every hue. The room itself was far smaller than Mother’s den, but that was hardly a fair comparison. It might even be the size of the main room in Prisca’s schola, where’d she’d kept him in the dark after catching him.

On the right side of the room, against a long wall decorated with drapes and tapestries, a pile of cushions grew, one armful at a time. It was already big enough to accommodate Socks, but the servants kept finding more somewhere, leaving Dirt to wonder what else was in the palace. Just lots of bedrooms for all the visitors?

A long table of dark wood sat under the windows on the other side of the room, clattering as servants brought plates and knives and other dishes to fill it for a meal.

Socks wagged his tail and pushed past the others to make his way over to the cushions. A servant boy yelped and jumped out of the way, missing the pile with his thrown cushions, then scrambled out a small nearby door. Socks sniffed at the pile, whole body exuding eagerness. After pacing right and left a bit to consider his angles, he put up a mental wall of force to hold them all in place, then stepped over it and settled in, shimmying his long torso to even out his bed. Once everything was in place, he released the mental wall. Most of the cushions stayed put.

Dirt had never seen him look so comfortable and ran over to pet him on the snout. Socks raised his nose and gave Dirt a little lick, then rested again with plain contentment.

The Duke rested his hand on Dirt’s shoulder and said, “Help me, little Dirt. What do I offer such a guest? Would he like a basin of water to sip, or does he drink wine or beer? We have some pigs roasting since this morning, but I am sure it will not be enough.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea. Just the water. He, um…” Dirt gripped the Home-staff, debating making the water himself. “If it’s not too heavy.”

“Of course it’s not too heavy. It will simply take several trips. Water will be brought,” said the Duke, not to anyone in particular. Dirt noticed, however, that more than one of the servants in earshot nodded slightly and left.

-There is a man over there touching his sword and looking at Dirt. He’d better stop doing that,- said Socks.

“There is nothing to fear, good wolf. The soldiers mean only to guard me, just as you guard your own. Think nothing of it,” said the Duke.

-He was thinking about whether he would want to cut down Dirt before Hèctor or Ignasi.-

“Yes, and that is well. He must plan for danger if he is to protect me. Just as you do, watching carefully for any threat and considering how you might react. But if you watch him a little more, you will see he has no desire for violence and prays it will not happen,” said the Duke, not backing down in the slightest. There was no challenge in his voice, however; just explanation.

Socks huffed and peered around the room again, then gave the Duke a short, surprised glance. Then he was satisfied, relaxing more fully.

“Come, Hèctor, Ignasi, Marina. Have a seat at my table and wet your throats. The meal will be a while yet, but a bit of fruit and wine will ease our conversation. My wife and children will be here shortly, and we want to hear everything. And come, Dirt. You can sit right next to me where Socks can keep an eye on you,” said the Duke.

“You have children?” asked Dirt, following. The nervousness he’d felt when he first tried to meet Marina and the others suddenly came back.

“I do. I have a son who just turned nine and a daughter who is twelve. My two-year-old is napping, so we won’t see her for a while. She slept right through all the excitement and I hope she keeps doing it,” said the Duke. A servant pulled out a chair near the head of the table and Dirt took a seat. The Duke then stood in front of the larger of the two chairs at the head of the table, and a servant pushed the chair in under him. The Duke sat with impressive grace, making something that should have been awkward look effortless.

Ignasi wasted no time pouring himself a glass of wine, then sipping it with a contented sigh. “You are right, your grace. This will certainly loosen our tongues. I’d better occupy mine, lest I start talking before the Lady Duchess and your children get here.” He grabbed a piece of something Dirt felt he should recognize and took a bite.

Dirt sniffed the containers of drink on the table and settled on the water, since everything else smelled rotten. He poured himself a glass, then followed Ignasi’s lead in taking a piece of fruit. It had yellowing, white flesh with a red peel and smelled impossibly sweet. He bit it in half and chewed twice before exclaiming, “Apple! It’s an apple!”

He looked around excitedly. Marina, Ignasi, and Hèctor all gave him knowing smiles, but the Duke looked like he was missing the joke. Dirt said, “I’ve never had one. I’ve never even seen one before. I forgot all about them!”

Socks reached out and Dirt shared his sense of taste, finishing off the other bite of apple slowly, letting the juices squeeze out with gentle bites and linger in his mouth.

“What is this one? Is that a plum?”

“No,” said Marina. “That’s a cherry. Where did you get the apples so early in the season?”

“I have one tree that produces early apples, and the cherries have been storing nicely in the cellar,” said the Duke, watching Dirt with increasing curiosity.

Dirt picked up the cherry and bit it in half. Or tried, anyway. It had a hard stone in the middle he wasn’t expecting, and it made his jaw pop open by reflex. That resulted in dripping bright red juice all down his bare chest, but he caught the drop that would have landed on his pants. Good thing he hadn’t had a nice clean shirt to put on, or he might have ruined two in one day. “I forgot that was in there,” he said, licking his palm. He wiped some of the juice off his chest, and licked that too. “Are you supposed to eat the hard thing? No, right? You’re not supposed to. It’s a cherry.”

“Have you never had a cherry?” asked the Duke.

“Nope, no fruit at all,” said Dirt. “I’ve never even seen any before today. But I think I remember it now.”

“You say the strangest things, lad,” said the Duke.

Hèctor said, “You have no idea, your grace. He has not even begun to say strange things.”

Dirt smiled and reached for another slice of apple. “I’m normal. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Ignasi snorted and Marina smiled down at the table.

They waited for only a short time before the Duke’s mate arrived. A man opened a door at the back of the room and said, “The Duchess Teresa.”

Everyone stood, which surprised Dirt, but he slid out of the chair to his feet in a hurry to match them. The Duke looked over to Socks and said, “Stay resting, friend. You look too comfortable to bother.”

­-I will. I am,­- replied Socks, sounding happy.

A woman walked into the room dressed even more finely than the Duke, in a dress that spread out around her legs like a circular tent. The cloth she wore had a reflective sheen and countless precious stones sewn along the seams or decorative embroidery. Her hair bounced inside a gentle net of silver threads and a necklace with a red stone in a golden setting rested between her breasts.

She strode with the same easy grace as the Duke, at once powerful and relaxed, except that her movements were unmistakably feminine in a way his weren’t. She walked with head high and shoulders back, just like he did; but when she walked, she glided, arms light around her waist like drifting feathers. Dirt was almost startled to see such a contrast, which was hardly noticeable between Hèctor and Marina. Maybe Marina just needed some time back in civilization.

Behind her came two children, both with the same dark hair and eyes that most people in the city had. First was a girl shorter than her mother wearing a dress of similar color who edged farther and farther from Socks as she followed, her face stony instead of smiling. She held the hand of the second child, a boy just a bit taller than Dirt who was all but hiding behind her. They walked like their parents did, if less convincingly, imitating the style but not the substance. For one, it didn’t help that the boy couldn’t keep the trepidation off his face as he made sure his sister was between him and the wolf at all times.

“Duchess,” said Marina, Ignasi, and Hèctor, each bowing. Seeing how it was done, Dirt did the same.

She had a pleasant voice, if not loud or particularly musical like the Duke’s. She said, “Welcome to our home. Please do not hide behind manners if there is anything we can do to make you more comfortable. Speak.”

“Thank you, your grace, we will,” said Marina, trying to return the same charming, noble smile she’d been given.

-Hello, Duchess,- said Socks. He kept his head resting on the pillows, but his eyes were lively as they darted around the room. -Do humans always show strangers their brood?-

The poor woman paled, her smile faltering but not vanishing.

The Duke said, “Just speak aloud, as with anyone else.”

She nodded, regaining her perfect composure. She didn’t step an inch closer to the pup, though. “It is good manners to show the family to guests in one’s home. And why should I not, when I am so proud of them? Everyone, this beauty is our daughter Èlia, and the timid little man here is Màxim. He’s usually a bit bolder, but, well, I’m sure you understand.”

-I understand,- said Socks, even though the Duchess had been speaking to everyone. -When I first met Dirt, I didn’t know what he was, so I snuck up to sniff him. When he saw me, I was already right there, and he was too scared to even scream. He was so scared he peed. I thought he was going to die of being too scared, like a mouse. But he had just been chased around by a goblin, so he was already in a scared mood. He didn’t run, though. He stayed and talked to me. Ignasi and Marina and Hèctor all ran away screaming.-

Ignasi grinning. “To be fair, friend, you did growl. Anyone who hears that and doesn’t run is a fool.”

-You wanted to run before I growled, though.-

“Yes, I did. And the next time I saw you, and the third. Anyone who sees cute little Socks here and does not run away screaming and pissing himself is already doing better than average,” said Ignasi. “Although his wisdom may still be a topic for debate.”

The Duke smiled like they were old friends. “Cute and little are not words I would use for him.”

Dirt said, “You would if you saw his parents. Mother and Father are way, way bigger than he is. He’s still just a puppy.”

“How much bigger?”

“Well, it’s hard to say exactly. But they could step over the wall without touching it, easy,” said Dirt. He looked at the two children, who shot him glances every so often but kept their eyes focused on the wolf, and said, “Do you want to come pet him?”

Both children froze, even holding their breath. The boy slid a little further behind his sister. All the joy went out of the parents’ faces, even though they kept their smiles plastered on.

Ignasi said, “Maybe move a little slower there, Dirt. They’re still debating running away pissing themselves like sane and reasonable people.”

“Oh. Sorry,” said Dirt.

“Nothing to be sorry for, lad,” said the Duke. “I’m sure my dear Màxim will be happy to play with you once he’s had a moment to settle in first. He and Èlia just arrived, after all. Please, everyone have a seat. Now that my wife is here, I’d like to hear what brought you all the way from Nullor to Ogena.”

At that cue, everyone took their seats again. The Duke and Duchess sat at the head of the table, and the children sat farther down the table, separated by two empty chairs. Màxim met Dirt’s gaze and gave him a little wave, which Dirt returned. Dirt decided children weren’t typically seated by the adults, but he probably shouldn’t move from the spot the Duke had placed him. He and Màxim would have a chance to talk soon.

“Where do we start?” said Marina.

“With the famine,” said Ignasi.

“Right,” she said. She took a deep breath and shifted her wine cup a bit on the table, then picked up a piece of apple and put it back down. “Sorry, just, I’ve been thinking about this for a long time.”

The Duchess reached over and put her hand atop Marina’s and said, “Don’t fret, dear. It might be your first time meeting royalty, but we see commoners every day. I know it’s difficult and I know you’ll do just fine.”

“Thanks, your grace,” said Marina. After one more deep breath she began, “Two years ago, a hailstorm took out half the grain in Nullor’s fields. The year before that, during the night, something crashed through some of our best orchards and broke nine trees. The year before that, something stole a chicken every night for a good portion of the summer. We think it was a gnome. Each year, it’s something. A storm, or the wilds encroach, or a farmer breaks a leg, or something. And each year, our stores of food get just a bit smaller, each spring just a little hungrier. Well, each thing that happens, you can fix, right? You can get new fruit trees and laying hens. But it adds up. When Pol broke his leg, his wife and children could only farm about two thirds as much that year, and instead of a surplus to sell, they had to borrow. It’s a hundred little things and they add up.”

She paused and took a sip of wine. “Sorry, I’m not getting to the point, am I? Nullor wasn’t supposed to be a frontier city. Our band made it all the way there with no trouble, twenty years ago. But shortly after we got there, they lost contact with Alpica, and we didn’t hear from Seramenat for five straight years. Fifteen years ago, we stopped hearing from Llovella entirely, even though it was too big and prosperous to just disappear. You probably know all about this, since I bet it’s not just happening to us. All this is your territory, after all. Sorry, I’m wasting your time.”

“You are not wasting our time, Marina. You have hardly even begun,” said the Duke, gently. “Please continue.”

“I’m just really nervous. Pardon me,” said Marina.

“Really puts the Duke’s boldness in front of Socks in perspective, doesn’t it, Marina? He hardly seems affected,” said Ignasi. “Or the Duchess, for that matter.”

“Don’t tease her, Ignasi,” said Hèctor.

“But I have nothing else to contribute!” said Ignasi.

She glared at Ignasi before cracking a smile. “You ass,” she said. “My apologies, Duchess, don’t let my coarse speech offend your grace. I’ll continue or Ignasi won’t stop. I told the Major that I’m from Ogena, one of your own people from your capitol. And it’s true, I was born here. I left with Oriol’s band when I was just a girl, hardly older than Èlia. My parents were dreamers until the day they died, always thinking of adventure and new glories. Nullor wasn’t supposed to be frontier then, like I said, but when we got there, it was. We settled in and became like everyone else, but I still remember the milk I was raised on. I know it’s naïve, but I still think there are good things on the frontier. There are, at least, a few good people left.”

“I have never doubted the goodness of my people, or their courage,” said the Duke. “I have seen enough for them to earn my respect and service.”

“Thank you, your grace,” said Marina. “You see, I think we have a deeper problem than just dwindling food. When I think about the old stories, about King Raimon who founded the First Kingdom of the Camayans, it’s not a story about being careful and prudent. He was bold and used whatever force it took to get the job done. But that’s not how we act anymore. We’re too scared and too beaten down to make a lasting fix. Nobody cuts back the forests and starts a new field, right on the edge, anymore. But everyone will abandon the far fields if they become too unsafe. Short-term fixes. We’ll try to chase out the gnome, but no one’s going into the mountains to look for the rest to eradicate them.”

She paused and took another deep breath. Dirt had thought she was easing up the more she spoke, but apparently not. “The famine. Back to the famine. We lost ten adults to starvation that winter. Not so many the town is about to disappear. It’s still there, doing fine. Losing children is one thing, but losing ten adults? That’s a lot of work no longer getting done.

“And here’s the point. This is what I thought about all winter, and all spring, and every day until I convinced these two fools to come with me. So what if no one’s come on those roads for years? If anyone had been brave enough to take a wagon and reopen the road, they might have come back with grain, and those people might have survived. But they didn’t. They were willing to lose some rather than risk losing more to preserve it. And that’s the problem with us, my Lord and Lady. It’s the whole people. It’s the entire Three Kingdoms. We’ve been hit so many times we’re too afraid to fight back.

“And that’s why we’re here. Like I said, I never forgot the milk I was raised on. We started out with a cart and two horses and each mile we ran into new trouble. But when we set out, we did so to get here or die, and we made it. We walked into this city with nothing but our clothing, but we made it. All three of us know the entire road now, and we know what to expect. We can get back,” said Marina. At this she paused again, letting silence rule the room.

Everyone could feel that she had more to share, just a bit more, and she seemed to be struggling to put it into words. She sat rigid, hands folded in front of her as she anxiously ground her fingers against each other to help her mind work. Finally she said, “The wilds were hard. Worse than we imagined. We almost died more than once. But I just had that hope, and we kept going. And we made it. And along the way… well, I don’t know how to explain it, and I don’t know what it means. But not everything in the wilds wanted to kill us. We found Dirt.”