The Boy in the Field (22 page)

You looked again at his uniform. He looked so much like his
brother. His hair was ruffled in the same way, the hem of his shirt not
straight, the same button missing on his jacket. He looked too much like Ethan.
You looked down at your son, playing with a set of wooden blocks.

“Sweetie, go and play in your bedroom.”

“But-”

“Just do it!”

The little boy scowled and stomped up the stairs. You took
another step towards Noah Senior, reaching for the knife on the table as you
passed.

“Why are you really here?” You narrowed your eyes. “What were
you going to do with my son?”

He smiled. “I’m a soldier,
parahi
. You don’t want to
come at me with a knife.”

“I’m a mother,” you replied. “You’re no match for me.”

“What I was going to do doesn’t matter anymore. It’s too late.”

He reached out and grabbed your wrist. You tried to pull away
from him, but he pulled you closer, the knife point piercing him in the thigh.
As soon as you realised what had happened, you dropped the blade, eyes
widening. Noah gritted his teeth, muting a cry of pain. He leaned on the table
and you put your arm around him, easing him to the floor.

“Noah? I’m so sorry!” You looked around and grabbed a towel,
pressing it to the wound. “I’ll get help. Stay here.”

You stood and ran to the door. Your next-door neighbour was a
nurse and she came to assist you while you waited for the medics to arrive. She
brought a small radust box, just like the one Adina used to have.

When you got back to the house, you found your son in the
kitchen holding Noah’s hand. He looked up at you with wide eyes.

“Mummy, he's poorly.”

“I know sweetie. Mrs Mastran is going to help him.” You moved
him out of the way so that the woman could work.

An hour passed before the medics reached your house and despite
Mrs Mastran’s repeated attempts, her radust was not powerful enough to stop the
bleeding. Ethan returned shortly before the medics took Noah to the medicium.
He watched bewildered from the doorway.

“Was that… my brother?” He came to your side and took Little
Noah’s hand. “Are you both okay? What happened?”

“I’m not sure,” you said. “We argued, I took his knife and then
he grabbed my hand. I stabbed him by accident. What do we do?”

Choice:
161. Visit Noah in the Medicium
or
162. Do
Nothing

You turned and looked at the list one last time. You didn’t
know a single name that wasn’t already listed and Ethan’s list contained extra
names you didn’t know.

“East Street Docks,” you said. “All our shipments come through
East Street Docks. They’re stored in a warehouse there or transported to Carver
Hall.” You shook your head. “I have no more names. Ethan’s list is better.
That’s the only thing I have left to tell you.”

He put his arm around your shoulders and pulled you to his
chest. “When do shipments come in? When are they moved? Who moves them? How?”

“I don’t know.”

He pushed you away and pulled out the chair from the desk,
sweeping the papers aside to make room for you. “Write down everything you
know. Every name – all the ones on his list too. Then every safe house, every
tavern, every single place you know is associated with them. Please.”

* * *

He saved your life. The extra information you provided was
enough to keep you out of jail. Noah took you out to celebrate. He even found
you a job catering for the men in his team in the city.

You wrote to Ethan a few times, but he never wrote back. Either
he was mad that you’d ratted on him or he was ashamed of trying to do the same
to you. You weren’t likely to find out which was true. You didn’t let it bother
you. Of the two of them, Noah had been the one to save your life. That was all
that mattered now.

The End
(Back to start)

“I have nothing more to tell you.”

You turned and looked at the list one last time. You didn’t
know a single name that wasn’t already listed and Ethan’s list contained extra
names you didn’t know.

“Think.” He put his hands to your face. “Please. There must be
someone you haven’t told me about.”

You shook your head, blinking to stop the tears. “No one.
Ethan’s list is better than mine.”

“So I’m going to lose you and he’s going to walk away again,
just like he did before?”

You nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“Stay the night with me,” he said, pulling you to his chest.
“They’re going to take action on these lists tomorrow and then I’ll never see
you again.”

Choice:
163. Stay
or
164. Don’t Stay

Ethan took your hand and led you to the military offices.
There was no time to reach the council chambers. As soon as you got inside the
building, Ethan began making requests and was bombarded with questions in
return. Everyone in the room was watching you. Everyone in the room was a
witness.

The building’s couriers ran back and forth with message
canisters, in communication with the postmaster in the council chambers. Ethan
weaved his fingers through yours, his toes tapping on the tiled floor, waiting
for news. You did your best to smile and stay positive, but inside, your heart
felt like it was being strangled and your lungs ached with every breath.

Whatever Noah was planning, it would be your fault. You wished
you had held on tighter to your son’s hand. You wished you could have talked
Noah Senior around. The Noah you used to know wouldn’t have harmed anyone. The
one out there now was dangerous.

“He’s in custody,” the messenger announced. “We’re sending an
investigation team now.”

“And the council? Are they all okay?” Ethan stood.

“Medics are present.” The messenger smiled. “In truth, we don’t
know. The good news is that we know you aren’t involved.”

Ethan turned to you and wrapped you in his arms. He breathed
deeply and kissed the side of your head. “How could he do this?”

You looked up as the door opened and a soldier came in with
Little Noah in his arms. The boy wriggled as he saw you, trying to free himself
of the man’s grip.

“Mummy!”

You stood up and took him from the soldier. “I was so worried
about you. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

He shook his head and buried his face in your shoulder. Ethan
reached over and smoothed down his hair. “I’m sorry, little man. Forgive me?”

You frowned at him and he shook his head. Little Noah nodded,
but kept his mouth firmly shut and didn’t move from your lap.

* * *

It was several hours before you were allowed to go home and
when you did, it was with an armed escort. The house was guarded for a few
days, but after that, life began to return to normal. Little Noah seemed more
upset by you fussing over him than he had been by being kidnapped. It took him
a few days to forgive Ethan completely but once he did, it was as if nothing
had ever happened.

Noah Senior’s trial gave you few answers. Ethan’s alibi was
solid and so Noah simply pleaded guilty to all charges. He accepted no visitors
and replied to none of your letters. Ethan didn’t even try to get in contact
with him. You wondered if you would ever find out what drove him to it and if
there was something you could have done to stop him or change his mind.

“Stop thinking about him,” Ethan said, as you sat down to write
another letter. “He's gone.”

You set down your pen. “If I could just speak to him, maybe I
could—-”

“Stop. Please.” He embraced you. “You and Noah and me, we're
all safe. Forget about him.”

You cried on his shoulder. “He was my brother. And Noah's
father. I don't want him to be gone.”

“You can't help him. What's done is done.” He stood and held
out his hand to you. “I said I would take Noah to see the ducks. Do you want to
come?”

You nodded. An afternoon out was exactly what you needed to
clear your mind. You took his hand and smiled.

The End
(Back to start)

You turned around, hesitating before you looked up. If you
looked at him, you would never leave. Looking would tie you to him forever. If
you looked at his perfect, face… his perfect, sad face… Nothing would make you
leave that face, no matter how many cups were thrown at you. No matter what
anyone said.

“Don’t leave me,
parahi
.” He put his arms around you,
buried his fingers in your hair. “I can’t do it without you.”

“She said she hates me.”

“Who?”

“Your mother. She blames me for everything that has happened to
us.”

“And you thought running away would fix it?” He kissed you.
“Don’t be silly.” He shook his head. “She’s stressed and it’s making her ill.
We’ll get her some help and she’ll get better and we’ll move out of the area
and things will be okay. She’ll be like she used to be. We’ll all be friends
again. It’ll be okay. It really will.”

You looked across at him. His eyes glistened and his smile
looked forced. You said nothing, just let him take your hand and lead you back
into the house.

* * *

Things didn’t get better. Even when Adina accepted that she
needed help, she wouldn’t take it from you. The medics gave her medicine, but
she refused to let you give it to her. When Noah got home and counted the empty
vials, she would blame you for withholding it.

Every day, she became weaker, sometimes barely able to get
herself out of bed. Even the desire to drive you away from her son didn’t give
her the impetus to get up. She was wasting away and there was nothing you could
do to help her.

Somewhere deep inside, you were glad when she died. It meant
all her bitching and criticism was at an end. It meant she wasn’t suffering
anymore.

Somewhere deep inside Noah, the tiny spark of hope he had once
held went out.

Instruction:
147. Kendra

“I will never forgive you if you leave me!”

He was screaming at you. People were looking. Even the street
kids had stopped playing to stare. You couldn’t look back. If you looked back,
you would never leave. Looking back would tie you to him forever. If you looked
back at his perfect, face… his perfect, sad face… Nothing would make you leave
that face, no matter how many cups were thrown at you. No matter what anyone
said.

You kept walking passing the house by and not giving it a
second glance. He was still following you. If you stopped now, you would have
to look at him and then you would cry. If you cried, he would hold you and
you’d still never leave.

“At least tell me what I did wrong!”

It was like a knife through your heart, but you couldn’t stop.
He would be better off without you. You turned the corner at the end of the
road and stopped, collapsing to the ground in tears. You listened for
footsteps, but none followed.

Once you caught your breath, you continued to walk, trying to
find somewhere else to stay for the night. You couldn’t go back, not now. Adina
was right. He was better off without you. They all were.

The End
(Back to start)

“I found a house in Kendra. I’ve put down money and we can
move in right away.”

It had been a few weeks since Adina’s funeral and Noah had
thrown himself into the job, determined to get out of the room where his mother
had died.

“I’m going to start training to be a magister too.” He smiled.
“My superiors think I’m good enough. I’m going to do one assignment with the
peacekeepers and when I return, I’ll start training again.”

“That’s fantastic.” You stood up and slid your arms around his
neck. “I’m so proud of you.”

“It’ll be tight until I’m back,” he said. “I put everything
down on the house. I have some of mother’s jewellery that you can sell if you
run out of food, but if you’ve got an address in Kendra, you’re guaranteed to
find work.”

* * *

The new house was three miles away and it took only one
afternoon to move your few possessions across town by foot. Noah’s bags were by
far the heaviest, containing pieces of armour, weapons and several ragged
training manuals. You had only clothes and a few cooking pots.

There was no furniture in the new house, but it was yours,
every room exclusively for use by you and Noah. For the first time since you
had left Landia, you had a room where you could eat, or talk, or just sit in
during the day that wasn’t the same one you used to sleep. The kitchen was
small, but it had running water and a clean stove and the windows looked out
onto a small garden that was shared with the house next door.

“We’ll have to sleep on the floor,” Noah said. “But we’ve got
some cushions and plenty of blankets. I’m sure we’ll manage.”

“It’s so clean.” You looked around at the walls. “It doesn’t
smell of damp.”

“You’ll be okay here while I’m gone, won’t you.”

“
Haa
.” You nodded. “It’s beautiful.”

He sat on the floor and leaned against the wall, wrapping his
arms around you. “I just want to look after you.”

“I love you, Noah.”

He kissed your ear. “I love you too.”

* * *

You hated him being gone. Sleep eluded you, every sound
jolting you awake, convinced it would be peacekeepers at the door, come to tell
you that Noah was never coming home. Every letter he wrote filled you with
relief and every newssheet that reported no fatalities made you smile.

The news that Kinel had declared war on Serlora didn’t help
ease your anxieties. The whole point of him joining the peacekeepers had been
to help Kinel defeat the Taatars. He wasn’t supposed to be fighting them.

You waited by the window on the day he was due to come home,
desperate for a glimpse of a cart rolling down the road to drop him off or a
group of soldiers going home together or just him walking towards the door. It
felt like forever before you saw him, his kit bag slung over his soldier, his
face breaking into a grin as he made eye contact with you. You rushed to the
door, throwing your arms around him before he even had a chance to speak.

“You didn’t miss me then?” He kissed you and followed you into
the house, dropping his bags at the door.

“So much! I’m so glad you’re home!”

He smiled. “Me too.”

“How was the trip?”

He stopped smiling and laced his fingers through yours.
“Later.”

“Is everything okay?”

“No. No, it's not.” He went through to the kitchen and leaned
on the counter. “I saw him.”

“Who?”

“Ethan. He’s alive. He's out there and he's alive and he just
abandoned us.”

You put your arm around his waist and your head on his
shoulder. “Are you sure? Did you speak to him?”

“I didn’t have to. I know my own brother. It was him.” He
looked at you and smiled. “He’s in the Kinel army. I saw him. What do I do?”

Choice:
165. Look for Ethan
or
166.
Forget About Ethan