Chapter 18 - Rebbi's Questions

“You don’t need to look so nervous, my friend.” Her cheery laughter echoed up and down the path.

The way began rocky and difficult, and became no easier from there. For the first hour of the trek, Noah did his best to put on a confident look. Holding his back upright and head high, he imagined he looked as any traveler would on the road. However, once he felt the burning in his calf muscles, the reality of his body screamed at him to stop and turn back. Even so, he managed to keep up the facade, if only barely.

A friendly chatter rippled through the caravan, and the creak of wooden wheels and stomping of hooves joined them. All about, none appeared to be bothered about the incline they traveled up. Rather, they appeared as a people fully within their element. No different than if a man were to take an evening stroll through his garden.

Rebbi, as she had called herself, never once left Noah’s side. At all times she talked about her family, and their journey through the many countries they had seen over the past year. She gushed about her favorite city, that being a place beyond the mountains called Baristo. A city made up of one giant spire that slimmed down to a fine needle at its pinnacle far above the clouds.

“That is where I was gifted this.” She looked up ahead, checking if her father was looking back. Seeing him holding a child upon his wide shoulders and singing some song to them, she reached into her leather pack and pulled from it a book. The binding appeared a deep, worn red with blue threads woven along the edges. At its center, a brand of something resembling a thunder cloud had been stamped.

She held it with both hands displaying its fine cover to Noah. He gave it a sideways glance, but made no response.

“I cannot wait for us to arrive at the Magi’s School. If I get the chance, they might just interpret the words inside for me.” She thumbed through the pages, eyes bright with excitement before slamming it shut. “But, that is some ways away. For now, we are heading to the old city. Father says it is important to pay respect to the eldest family of Tovoran. Guess you people are something important.” She gave him a playful nudge.

Noah leaned to the left, stumbled, and swayed back to the right clutching his pack tightly and keeping his eye on the path’s edge. Rebbi’s smile slipped and she looked beyond him to the drop off. He noticed this.

“Be careful. I could have fallen off." Rebbi laughed.

“Oh yes, several more feet and you might have gotten near the edge. I swear. You are paler than the Behemoth’s tusks.”

“Than a what?”

Rebbi rolled her eyes.

“Have you even been listening to anything I have been saying?” Noah shook his head. A breeze cut through the path and he felt the cold of the thick layer of sweat upon his face.

“No. What were you talking about?”

“Goodness. I happened to be telling you about why my people are on a pilgrimage. But now, I think I’d rather not. No sense in talking to a man who lacks the ability to hear.” Noah, realizing he might have actually offended the daughter of the tribe they were counting upon, put up his hands apologetically.

“No no. Please forgive me.” His eyes glanced at the large figure of Solomon, who still had not looked back even once. “I meant no offense to you. Please, tell me more.” Rebbi looked away to the black stone to her right, crossing her arms.

“No, I think I should not.” Then a mischievous look came into her eye and she turned to Noah. “First I want proper compensation for waiting so much of my time.” The words made his already burning body feel like another weight had been added. What could she possibly want that he could give?

“Compensation?”

“Yes. It is only fair.” He felt his shoulder slump in a little.

“I am afraid I don’t have much to give you.”

“Well, then I shall have to be clever about this.” Her eyes wandered about as she thought. Then it struck her, and she smiled at him wickedly. “I know. I want to ask you three questions. You must answer them honestly. Understand?”

Noah, while still tired physically, felt his mind snap back to the present. Their mission, Thomas’s request for him, and the conversation within the tent. All of it flooded into him, and, what might have at any other time been a simple request, now churned his stomach.

“Yes, I understand.”

“Oh, all serious now, are we?” She laughed at his shift in tone. “Well, since I am a nice person, I will give you something in return. Depending on how well you answer, I will tell you something about us in return.”

“Fair enough. Ask away. But only three. No more than that.”

“Careful before you offend me again. Now, let me think.” Her voice mimicked his own in mock seriousness. She pointed a finger in his face, after a few moments of pondering. “I know! Tell me of your home. Where are you from, and what is it like?” She was taken aback when the response came with no hesitation and no emotion in the words.

“I am a guard at the town of Wesgrave. A small place just on the border of Windgrad. It rests between the split of the Bluehead.” Their pace had slowed more than that of the other travelers, and slowly, they began to be passed up.

“Interesting. You are rather to the point.”

“Yes I am. Now it’s your turn.” Noah found that his shoulder had gotten taller as he spoke.

“Very well, very well. Now let me see. I shall respond as you did.” Rebbi cleared her throat. “My tribe and I are on our pilgrimage to witness the Behemoth migrate to the ocean in hopes to see it partake in its battle there. We do this once every twenty years.” She pressed her lips together and showed them to Noah, a smug look on her face. He realized the mistake in how little information he had given directly affecting how much he received. He decided to play the game more effectively for the next question.

Rebbi slowed her pace even more as she thought of something new to ask. Moment by moment, the two found themselves nearing the back of the pack. Noah did not take much notice of this.

“Oh.” The word popped out with much surprise from the young woman’s lips. She looked about and up to her father before leaning in to her walking partner. She came so close that Noah could detect the scent of the spice that had burned within the tent wafting from her shawl. “I spoke with my father before we left. He told me about the assassin you and your friend encountered.” Noah felt his throat dry up. “Tell me about this. I want to know about what he said before killing himself.”

Noah looked sideways at her before stepping over to the left, his imposing fear of the path’s edge out of his mind for the time being. Rebbi followed his movement, not allowing any space to be formed between them. This slowed their pace to a near halt.

“You know I must not talk about such things.” He spoke the words as quietly as his shaky breath would allow.

“Perhaps. But we made a deal. I want you to pay up.”

“Then ask me another question, and I will tell you. I promise. But not that.” Rebbi stopped, and placed her hands on her hips. She raised an eyebrow to Noah, studying his face. “Please.”

“Very well. You are rather on edge about these things. Give me a moment to think up a new question.” She looked past him and her eyes showed once more upon seeing the world beyond. “Oh look.” Walking passed him, she went to the very edge of the path. “Isn’t it amazing.” She looked back and frowned. “What are you doing? Come over here and look.” She grabbed his sleeve and pulled him next to her. Noah teetered on the edge before stabilizing.

He looked out beyond the cliff to the world vast and far below. Wind struck against his widened eyes, pulling back their moisture into little tears streaking across his face covering. Before him he saw a vast world. Forest, field, and lake all sprawled beyond where his eyes lost their view. To his right, far along the eastern border stretched the mountain range. Their black rock matched the cliff’s own color.

His eyes trailed along them for what must have been miles, eventually losing sight of them too. He continued over the far north where at its most distant reach, he made out the Bluehead running west through Windgrad. Halfway through, the water split, branching off into two new rivers. One went northwest into the center of the country. The other split off many more times, until it created a root system of little streams and marshes far to the west. In the late morning light of the white clouds, the waters reflected like silver veins flowing through Tovoran.

“Beautiful country.” He nodded at her words.

“And this isn’t even half of it.” Noah felt his heart swell when, looking at the green land between the river’s splitting, he spotted a small dark patch. His eyes adjusted to make out a brown and tan coloring, shaped in a square. Wesgrave, the world he had known up until recent days, seemed less than a speck in a grand ocean of world.

“Oh, I just thought of my next question.”

“What is it.” His voice came distant, dreamily speaking the words.

Noah felt confusion when fingers gripped the back of his tunic like a vice. This confusion evolved to terror when he realized his body was being pushed over the edge. The world around him spun, and his hands swung back and forth to regain balance. Down he went, his stomach leaping to his throat when his eyes saw green far below.

Then, as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. His body jerked and remained suspended as his feet balanced on the edge. Twisting his head around he caught sight of Rebbi. She held him by both hands, acting as the only thing keeping him from plummeting below. Judging from the strain on her face, it would not take long before the decision of letting him drop to his death would be made for her.

Noah had not realized that, while they looked at the view of his home, the caravan had long since gone out of range. Out of earshot, and out of range for Thomas to have any hope of looking back and spotting them. He and Rebbi were both alone.

“Woman, what are you doing? Pull me up, now!”

“Not until you answer my question.” The playfulness that had been ever present in her words had left. No hint of humor or goodwill passed through her lips. “You answer quickly and I will let you back up. You refuse, and well, let's just say I can come up with a few dozen excuses for my father as to why you fell. Understand?“

“Yes, yes!” Noah had never heard his own voice come out so high before. It only rose as he felt both he and Rebbi slide forward a hair. “Just ask! Hurry!”

“Uh, right. Hold on.”

“Hold on? Just ask the damn question, woman!” A moment passed and he imagined he might be slipping from her fingers.

“Do not lie to me.”

“I won’t. I swear.”

“Is Giles alive?”

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you do not know? Before you told my father he died.”

“I mean that we lied. Giles escaped from us. Last we heard he was heading north.”

Noah felt a sharp tug at his clothing and, slowly, he raised back up and flat upon his feet. Once there, he fell back, Rebbi standing over him.

“Now, tell me, why did he go north? Why did he not wait for me?”