The Last Mayor's Son Read online

  The other houses were built out from the Square, nearly perfectly aligned in concentric rings around the center of town. Boardwalks connected the circles like spokes of a wheel, jutting out from the Square at regular intervals. He noticed several large openings in the boardwalk at unexpected places, though they had ropes around them to keep anyone from falling through. Hopefully, Ahren would warm up at some point, and he’d be able to ask her about the openings.

  At the very center of the village stood the Pavilion, which they had seen last night, and several open areas were scattered haphazardly throughout the town. Ahren coldly explained that these were parks, where children played, and young men and women practiced their fighting skills.

  The tour was interrupted several times by individuals who wanted to meet the visitor. At these times, the change in his guide was unbelievable to Aibek. She was smiling, gracious and witty with these citizens. He frowned, mouth agape, and wondered again what he had done to offend her. As much as he tried, he couldn’t think of anything he might have done wrong. He considered whether she might have had something to do with the odd note he’d received, but dismissed the idea. She clearly didn’t like him, but she seemed happy enough with the town’s freedom.

  After a couple of hours of walking through the village, they stopped at a park for lunch. Ayja and Valasa joined them and provided a meal of warm vegetables and smoked fish. They ate quietly, then Ahren’s parents said something about finishing their morning’s work and walked away toward the center of town.

  Ahren immediately rose and strode off down a boardwalk they hadn’t yet explored. Aibek followed behind, wishing she would at least pretend to be pleased he was there. Instead, she barked out the names of homeowners and identifying landmarks as they rushed through the town.

  They rounded a corner to head back toward the east end of the village after she had shown him the south entrance when he stopped and asked for a break. It was a lovely spot with a bench and dense branches overhead to block the hot mid-day sun. Here, they could discuss whatever was bothering her without attracting too much attention from nearby villagers, but they weren’t so alone that their absence would cause gossip. He sat on the bench, which gave her the advantage of height when she chose to remain standing.

  “I think we might have started off on the wrong foot—you’re clearly unhappy with me. What have I done? Or said?” He waited a moment to see if she would respond. When she said nothing, he continued, “I hoped we could at least be civil, since you’re one of the few people I’ve met so far, and I’m staying at your house for now. Even if we’ll never be friends, I’d love to move beyond this… hostility.” He looked hopefully up at her as he spoke, but she kept her eyes on the trees.

  After a long pause, she suddenly met his eyes with an angry glare and asked, “What would ever make you think you can just show up one day and take over?”

  He gaped at the force of her anger, but couldn’t think of a reasonable reply before she continued.

  “You ran away before when things got hard. Now, you come back and try to assume the title of mayor, just because of who your father was! And you came back only after our people got rid of the governor on their own!”

  He frowned and tried to say something in his defense, but she got louder and kept going.

  “There are dozens of people who have lived here all their lives and know what we’ve endured who would be perfect leaders for this village. They don’t get that chance because you decided to come back here and pretend you’re better than all of us.” By this time, tears were streaming down her face, and she swiped viciously at them.

  Once she had finished, Aibek sat very still for a long moment. He stared absently at a bright purple flower beside the bench, while he determined how to best answer her charges.

  “You know; I didn’t come here to ‘take over’ anything. I was asked to come and help Nivaka defeat its enemy, and that’s why I came.” He paused to give her a chance to respond. After a moment, he continued, “I don’t know how to be a mayor; I’ve trained all my life to be an army officer.” He paused briefly as something else she had said struck him forcefully.

  “Did you just accuse me of ‘running away’ because things got difficult? I was a baby, carried out of the village in a knapsack. How is that my fault?” Aibek tried to maintain his calm demeanor, though he was seething inside.

  Ahren sneered. “You cannot seriously mean to tell me you didn’t come here expecting to take over the mayor’s role! You have certainly enjoyed the privilege thus far! And, yes, I am aware you were an infant when you left, but why did you never return?” When he opened his mouth to answer, she cut him off again. “I’ll tell you why! You were a coward who stayed where it was safe until the danger had passed, then came to claim your birthright. It’s not hard to figure out.” She was shouting now, uncaring of who might see or overhear their heated exchange.

  “A coward?” He began, his voice growing softer as the discussion progressed. “I was a child, a little boy who wrote dozens of letters and tried again and again to learn something of my parents. I didn’t know if this village still existed, or if the invaders Serik talked about had wiped it out completely. Then, one day after twenty years of silence, we received word that the village was intact, but my mother and father were dead.” He paused to choose his words and took a moment to regain control of his emotions. “I’ll find my way back from here. You don’t need to stay and usher me around town.” He stood and walked quickly away from the bench, not sure where he was going or how to get there.

  ~*~

  Ahren sank down onto the bench he had vacated and wept out the rest of her anger. As his nearly whispered words echoed in her ears, she began to think she may have been too harsh. To be sure, he still had no business trying to become the mayor, but perhaps she had misjudged his motives and shortcomings. She wouldn’t let him see those second thoughts, though.

  She sat on the bench until the light began to fade. Slowly, she walked back to the large house on the Square.

  Has he made it back already? What if he told everyone about what happened?

  She flushed and hoped he had kept it to himself. He’d been pretty upset when he walked away. She didn’t know how she’d face him at supper.

  ~*~

  After striding away from the tour and the failed attempt to patch things up with his guide, Aibek didn’t know where to go to regain control of himself. He craved solitude to think through the events of the afternoon. He was in no condition to encounter either well-meaning or hostile villagers while still so angry after that exchange, so he quietly slipped out of town using the south entrance Ahren had shown him just a little while ago.

  His heart pounded in his ears as he pulled the lever, grateful she had shown him how the mechanism worked. When he reached the bottom, Aibek locked the stairs down so he could re-enter the village when he was ready. He decided to explore the world below the village on his own for a while but would return in time for dinner. He was glad he had chosen to delay that conversation until after lunch, so he had plenty of time to calm himself before anyone would expect him back.

  With the boardwalks and buildings above blocking most of the sunlight, the forest floor was nearly dark as night. He wandered among the trees, reliving his encounter with Ahren and trying to decide how to handle that nightmarish situation. He kept a careful eye on his location, finding odd-looking trees and rocks to distinguish his path since he didn’t want to get lost in the dark forest. He wandered and walked and explored for several hours, and found a stream that ran near the village. He thought it might be the same one they had crossed on their journey just a day before. Slowly, Aibek became aware of quiet sounds of movement around and behind him.

  “Is someone there?” he loudly asked the shadows, but all he heard was silence.

  The only sound was the leaves rustling in the breeze. It was the same eerie quiet he’d noticed the day before. No birds were singing, no animals moving about. Even his breathing sounde
d loud in the profound silence of the woods, and the crunching of dried twigs and leaves underfoot echoed through the still air. Gooseflesh erupted along his arms, and the little hairs on his neck stood up. He tried to convince himself he had imagined those soft sounds, or maybe they had been made by curious animals watching from the shadows. He breathed in the fresh, earthy air.

  Stop it. You’re being ridiculous. Nothing is following you in the forest, Aibek scolded himself silently. The admonition did nothing to ease his anxiety.

  He regretted that he hadn’t brought his sword with him. He hadn’t thought he’d need it for the tour, and he hadn’t been rational enough to consider whether he’d need it before he left the village. Honestly, he wouldn’t have returned to the house at that point anyway; it would have been awkward to explain to the family why he was alone, and why he needed a sword.

  The shadows around him Had grown deeper.

  Could it be nearing sunset? Have I been gone that long?

  Aibek realized he was starting to get hungry, so maybe, but the dimness made it difficult to guess the time. Given the turbulence of his thoughts, it wasn’t unlikely he had wandered through the entire afternoon.

  Aibek turned back the way he’d come. He was almost certain the dimness of the forest was turning to the darkness of night. He hurried back to where he thought the village entrance had been, but the stairs weren’t there. He searched the vicinity for the way back in, but couldn’t find any mark that identified the spot. His mouth went dry with budding panic, but before he could shout to anyone above that he was lost outside the village, something struck him hard on the back of his knee. He lost his balance and dropped to all fours. He rose to his knees, brushed the pebbles and dirt from his hands, and looked around for the source of the blow.

  The deepening shadows made it hard to see much, and Aibek took his time standing again while he searched for whatever had knocked him down. Just as he regained his feet, something struck him again, hard, in the middle of his back. This time, he remained on his feet and spun to face his assailant. He just caught a glimpse of a small person darting back behind a tree. In the darkness, Aibek wasn’t sure he could trust his eyes. He thought he saw a person the height of a child but heavily muscled and carrying a knobby club.

  8

  Nightfall

  The sunset had painted the sky above Nivaka a deep red before Faruz and Dalan trudged through the front door. They had enjoyed a day of bonding over physical exertion, and Faruz looked forward to a bath and a hot meal. The rest of the family reclined in the den’s plush chairs. Faruz searched the room for his best friend, looking forward to the opportunity to tell all he had learned about the villagers during the day.

  When the door closed behind them, Valasa frowned. “Isn’t Aibek with you? I thought he went looking for you after lunch today.”

  Faruz scanned the room again. “No, we haven’t seen him since we left here this morning. Wasn’t he supposed to spend the afternoon meeting the elders of the community?”

  Alarmed, Ayja blurted, “Ahren, when was the last time you saw him? Where exactly was he, and which way was he going?”

  Ahren answered hesitantly. “After we ate our midday meal… he said he was tired of being led around and he wanted to explore on his own for a while. I last saw him walking away from the south entrance; I showed him how the stairs work.”

  Faruz stood frozen just inside the front door, looking from person to person, trying to fathom where his friend could be. The concern written on the faces of his hosts made him more worried than he otherwise would have been. It wasn’t unusual for Aibek to wander on his own when he wanted to explore a new place, but the family’s reaction made him uneasy. Their eyes were wide, and their mouths were taut, and they were all a little paler than they should be.

  Valasa frowned and looked at his wife in concern. “I was at the south entrance a short while ago, because I had work to do over there. The stairs were down. Do you think he could have gone to explore the forest?”

  Faruz broke in. “I don’t see why he would leave the village so soon. He’s in love with this place—the people, buildings, even the railings on the boardwalk have caught his attention. There’s no way he left on his own to go wandering in that jungle—without his sword no less.” He had spotted Aibek’s sword leaning against the hearth as he spoke.

  “Well, he may have,” Ayja replied calmly. “If the stairs are still down, then he shouldn’t have any trouble getting back. We’ll wait a bit and see if he makes it home before we get too worried.”

  Valasa flinched and turned a pale green as the color drained out of his face. “I pulled up the stairs,” he whispered. “I thought the hunters had left them down by mistake. It never crossed my mind that someone could still be down there this close to sunset.”

  Horrified, Ahren exclaimed, “It’s not hard to imagine that he would have gone down to the woods. We had a terrible argument, and he said he wanted to be alone.”

  Valasa grabbed Aibek’s sword and gestured for Dalan and Faruz to follow him out the door. The younger men were still wearing their swords from their training session.

  The three of them ran through the village toward the south entrance. As they ran, Faruz wondered what danger his friend was in. He hadn’t understood most of what was said about darkness and the forest. He barely noticed the girl, Ahren, following them along the boardwalk.

  They reached the south end of the village just as the last rays of the sunset dimmed. Nearly frantic, Valasa fumbled with the latches that secured the stairs. Finally, the last closure came loose in his hands, and he released the safety catch that prevented the stairs from dropping too quickly.

  ~*~

  Aibek swung around in the gathering darkness, trying to locate the little person and figure out what was happening.

  “Hey! Who are you, and why are you attacking me? What do you want?” Aibek shouted at the shadows where the person had disappeared.

  His back smarted from the blow, and he scanned the ground for the stone that marked the way back into the village. When he looked up again, many more of the little people surrounded him in the dimness of the forest. They wore brown and green draping clothes and carried spears, clubs, and staffs. Some were very slim, with slightly pointed ears. Others, like the one he had seen a few minutes before, were heavily muscled and had thick beards that tumbled halfway down their chests. Still searching for the way back into the village, he tried to make conversation with the menacing group.

  “Um… Hi. I’m new here. Can you tell me how to get back into the village? I seem to have lost my way.”

  They laughed and circled closer, brandishing their weapons and making clear their intent.

  He scanned the ground again, this time searching for anything he could use as a weapon, and spotted a downed branch a few paces to his left. It looked perfect, heavy enough to have some strength, but not so large that it would be impossible to swing. It had a few twigs still attached at one end, but all the leaves had fallen off.

  He looked around at the threatening group, gauging his chances. They glared and slowly circled closer. He’d have to risk it. He took a deep breath and prepared to fight for his life. He leapt with all his strength toward the branch, snatched it off the ground, and swung to face his attackers.

  Two of the muscled, bearded men charged toward Aibek, and he swung the branch toward their low knees in an attempt to knock them off balance.

  One man jumped over the thick branch, but Aibek made contact with the second. His short legs flew into the air, and the man landed hard on his back. Aibek took a moment to pin the bristled end onto the ground under his foot, jerking upward. The end snapped off, leaving a sharp point.

  Aibek jerked the branch up in time to deflect an axe swinging toward his flank. He whirled again and hit his attacker square in the chest. The small man stumbled backward, but remained on his feet. Aibek’s eyes darted around him in all directions. They had him surrounded. There was no way he could hold off all o
f them without a real weapon.

  The entrance has to be close, he thought, searching between the trees for some sign of the stairs.

  The sound of footsteps echoed from above, and Aibek opened his mouth to shout for help.

  He didn’t have a chance to make a sound before something collided with the back of his head, knocking him to the ground and leaving him dizzy and breathless. He reached up and felt something warm and sticky matting his hair and running down his neck. He wondered dazedly if they’d hit him with an axe or a staff, and how the little people had gotten to him so fast. He thought he should get up in case they struck again, but when he moved, the whole forest spun around him.

  As if from a distance, he heard Valasa’s resonant voice. “Back off, all of you! He’s with us. Oh, no. What have you done?” Aibek felt himself being rolled to his back, but his head was still spinning too much to make any sense of the situation. Nearby, someone laughed.

  ~*~

  “We… did… nothing!” The elf gasped between bouts of laughter. “You did it yourself! You dropped your stairs on him. I’ve never seen anything so funny!” The elfin spokesman had a hard time getting the words out, bent over at the waist, laughing so much tears rolled down his face. His friends were all laughing just as hard.

  “Are you all right?” Faruz ignored the laughter and tried to determine if Aibek was well enough to walk into the village.

  He gently prodded for broken bones or bleeding wounds and was thankful to find none, other than a small cut on Aibek’s scalp. There was a significant lump on the back of his head, and a tender bruise on the left side of his ribs, but nothing that looked unmendable. Faruz pressed his sleeve against the cut for a minute, and the bleeding slowed to a trickle, then stopped. He’d feel much better about the situation if his friend would answer him. Aibek had passed out while the elf was still talking.