This episode starts here. Why not just dive in? If you have a good answer, then previous episodes start here. This chapter is down thar.
Chapter 3: Compromise
Jedrek felt a rising dread from the moment he saw the stranger’s wagon. Even from a distance, he could tell things weren’t as Maita left them. Cargo was scattered everywhere, and the feathered lizard was unhitched. Jedrek doubted any of this was part of the merchant’s agenda.
“Hey, Dahlia!” he shouted when he recognized her as the one rummaging through the wagon. Jaquan, Trent, and Idris were lounging on the driver’s bench, and Lyn was trying to get Bo and Maita’s lizard to care about each other’s sleepy existence. “Tell me you got permission before you did this!”
“O’ course,” she called back without bothering to look.
“Did she?!” Jedrek demanded of the others. Idris and Jaquan shrugged, and Trent ignored him. Jedrek sighed. “What could you possibly be looking for?”
“We’ll know when I find it!” Dahlia chuckled.
Jedrek sighed. “Look, everything goes back where you found it! That includes you, Trent and Idris!”
“Hush,” Trent said, focusing on whatever object he held.
“And this is Trent’s,” Idris replied. He opened his fist to show Jedrek the spongy organ, then went back to rhythmically squeezing it. “It came out of the Curator.”
“Hey, yeah!” Dahlia crawled out of the wagon. “Let Jedrek try.”
“Try what?” he asked, still sullen with her.
“Here,” Idris offered the organ to him. “Squeeze it.”
“Ew,” Jedrek wrinkled his face, but accepted it. At least it was dry. He was aware that everyone was watching him, even Trent and Lyn. What’s that about?
He gave it a squeeze. His right arm spasmed, and pain shot up into his core. He yelped and dropped the offending object. The pain disappeared; the organ barely hit the ground before he was wondering if he’d just imagined it.
Jedrek’s siblings laughed as he flushed. “What was that for? You shouldn’t humiliate me for no reason!”
“Relax,” Dahlia retrieved the fallen sponge. “We all done it, we ain’t makin’ fun o’ ya. We just wanted to see if you’re one o’ the ones it can’t hurt.”
“Why did it hurt?” Jedrek asked, relieved he wasn’t being pranked. “What is it?”
“It generates sparks,” Trent replied. “Drops of lightning.” Dahlia squeezed the sponge, yelping and dropping it. Trent rolled his eyes. “It’s not something that’s going to get easier with practice, Dahlia.”
“You don’t know,” Dahlia grinned back at him.
“Electricity,” Jedrek knew a little about it. “So that’s what it feels like…”
“Electri-wha?” Dahlia asked.
“Drops of lightning,” Jedrek repeated. “It doesn’t affect all of us this way? Who doesn’t it hurt?”
“Trent!” Dahlia called. “Do it again!”
“Hush.” Trent ignored her.
“C’mon! Please?”
He sighed and held his hand toward her. She dropped the organ into his palm, and he obediently squoze. Beginning with the little strands on his arm, his hair began to stand on end, getting more extreme with each squeeze.
“Fascinating.” Jedrek’s hand found its way to his mouth. “That doesn’t hurt?”
“It’s my affinity.” Trent replied. “It’s expected. ‘Fascinating’ is the term I’d apply to Idris.”
“He’s immune too?” Jedrek pondered. He had been working the sponge when Jedrek arrived, back when he assumed it belonged to Maita. “Why doesn’t it make your hair stand?”
“Dunno,” Idris shrugged and accepted the organ back, immediately squeezing it again. “Feels kinda nice to me.”
“It’s probably how he resisted the attack that hurt Matron Cascata,” Jaquan added.
Trent groaned and looked exasperated. “Don’t ruin the experiment, Jaq! The subject should remain oblivious.”
“Like I couldn’t think about that myself?” Idris asked. “Wait, I’m an experiment?”
“If you come up with the theory yourself, there’s no helping it. I just hope it doesn’t influence the results.” Trent turned back to his object. “And of course you’re an experiment. You all are, when circumstances align.”
“Trent, you shouldn’t regard your siblings that way!” Jedrek lectured.
“Shouldn’t regard them ‘solely’ that way, Jed. And I don’t. They are my siblings first and experiments only when the scientific process will not harm them. Leave ethics to the elder, she’s much less screechy about it.”
Jedrek sighed, and let his attention shift away. He noticed Lyn between Bo and Maita’s lizard of the same species, both of whom seemed to be napping. Still, they were predators, and while Bo was famously well-behaved, he didn’t know if that translated to other members of the species.
“You okay over there, Lyn? What are you doing?”
“I’ve never seen another Bo,” she called back, sounding disappointed. “I thought he’d be happy to make a new friend, but neither of them seem to care.”
“It’s pretty clear he doesn’t dislike her, isn’t it? Or him, whatever. That aside, are you sure Maita’s Bo is not dangerous?”
“Don’t be dumb, Jed,” Lyn gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “She gets easy food from Maita. I’m too much work.”
“Ya gonna make sure all th’ field mice’re behavin’ too, Jed?” Dahlia wrapped her arm around his shoulders and leaned on him. “Is that fun ‘er somethin’? If so, tha’s the angriest sorta fun I ever seen!”
Jedrek sighed, “It’s not about fun, Dahl, but your observation is noted. It’s just… we have a guest, and it’s important we treat him well.”
“Ya do got a point there. Believe it ‘r not, I was thinkin’ o’ volunteering ta help ‘im with somethin’.”
“Oh?” This made Jedrek suspicious. “You sure he needs your brand of help?”
“Nah, but we’ll find out when he gets back.”
“Or maybe before.” Svara’s voice startled Jedrek, but he tried not to show it. When had she arrived? “Only a little before, though. They’re done, he’ll be here soon.”
“Yeah? How’d it go?” Dahlia asked.
“How’d what go?” Jedrek was even more suspicious.
“He wouldn’t wait and they wouldn’t rush. Looks like he’s on his own.” Svara reported.
“Perfect.” Dahlia grinned.
“What’s perfect?” Jedrek demanded. “Who’s on his own, Maita?”
“Yeah.” Dahlia nodded. “Or so he thinks.”
“What mischief are you planning, Dahlia?!”
“None!” Dahlia grinned and pat him on the head. “Stick around an’ see.”
The response disarmed him a little. “Good. And I think I will.”
They didn’t have to wait long. Maita soon trudged towards them, though he didn’t seem to notice their presence - or their mess - until Dahlia greeted him. “Oi. What’s gotcha daydreamin’ there, stranger?”
“Mm?” He snapped back to reality. “Ah, hey lass. Whatcha doin’?” He narrowed his eyes at the disarray. “Lose somethin’ in my stuff, did we?”
“Dahlia!” Jedrek shouted. “You said you had permission!”
“I dunno what tha’ word means, Jed.”
He was too furious to verify her claim.
“It’s fine, just help me clean it up so I can be on my way, okay?” Maita began to gather his scattered wares.
“Sure, but we ‘ave a condition.” Dahlia replied.
“Oh, so you know what that word means!” Jedrek set to helping Maita. “You’re in so much trouble, Dahlia!”
Dahlia rolled her eyes. “Trouble, ya say? Wha’s that mean?”
“Betcha she doesn’t have trouble with ‘extortion,’” Maita laughed. This plight actually seemed to brighten his mood. “Ya want a souvenir or something? I’m sure we can make something work.”
“Nah,” Dahlia said. “We wantcha to take us with ya.”
“You want to come to the south?” Maita asked.
“She means she wants to be one of the four warriors you requested,” Svara clarified.
Everyone was silent as they processed the revelation. Jedrek wasn’t sure what Svara meant. What had Maita requested warriors for?
“Someone’s got sharp ears,” he chuckled. “That how ya found me ‘fore I noticed you?”
“I used the same method, yes,” Svara admitted.
“I did ask for warriors,” Maita said. “Warriors. Not children. Sorry, but I’m not gonna risk your life just because you want to play grown-up.”
“Who’s playin’?” Dahlia was indignant. “I ain’t a child. Neither’s Svara! Her’n me have been kickin’ ass around here, I’ll ‘ave ya know.”
“I hate to boast, but we were the ones to kill the thing from the silence,” Svara added. “Dahlia and I have seen many battles in the last few weeks.”
“Truth told, we kinda run things ‘round here,” Dahlia boasted.
Maita gave Svara a long look. “Your matron did say it was her new daughter from the north. I suppose you’re not lying, but it changes little. I’m not going there. It’s not worth the risk.”
“You are so,” Svara accused. “Because it’s very much worth the risk.”
“What are we even talking about?” Jedrek asked. “Where are you going that you would need warriors?”
“Nowhere,” Maita claimed. “Because I don’t have them.”
“War,” Dahlia dissented with a grin. “Tha’s where warriors go, dummy.”
“Then he’s right, Dahlia,” Jedrek said. “Your matron said ‘no.’ If Cascata denied him, then you should too!”
“She didn’t say ‘no,’ Jedrek,” Svara corrected. “She said ‘not now.’”
“That’s not much of a distinction,” Jedrek respected Svara than Dahlia, so it was harder to argue with her. How did Dahlia talk her into this, anyway? “The way I see it, you’re defying your matron.”
“She never told us not ta do this,” Dahlia pointed out.
“Only ‘cause she doesn’t know you plan to!”
“What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” Svara said.
“That’s not true in any way!” Jedrek cried. “She’s crippled right now because of things she didn’t know!”
Svara winced and her face reddened a little. “I spoke poorly. Still-”
“-we’re here ta fill the matron’s space while she’s down,” Dahlia finished. “We’re short on warriors right now, tha’s why she asked Maita ta wait. We’ll make up fer her an’ Kadmus an’ all them who fell these last weeks.”
“All the bravado in the world can’t make up for experience,” Maita said. “You’re just too young. You can’t be older than, what, seventeen? Even five more years and I might consider it. As it stands…”
“You hush up,” Dahlia ordered with a smirk. “We ain’t givin’ ya a choice.”
Maita laughed loud enough to startle the jumpier witnesses. “What, ya think this mess’ll keep me long? Correct me if I’m wrong, boy, but ya seem to think I can just enlighten your elder and my path will clear up real quick.”
“You’re not wrong, Mr. Maita,” Jedrek confirmed. “Not in the slightest.”
“Clear path don’t make a broke wagon move,” Dahlia said. “Trent gave me a few tips on how I might break it if ya tried somethin’ like that.”
“Trent?!” Jedrek turned on his smaller brother. “Why would you do something like that?”
“Because this is the correct strategy, Jedrek.” Trent was unfazed. “It’s a worthy gamble. We should risk it.”
“You protect your wagon, Maita,” Jedrek whispered to him. “I’ll tell the elder…”
“Not yet, you won’t.” Two big arms slid under his own and locked across his chest. “You can tell her once we’re on our way.”
“Idris!” Jedrek struggled, but his lazy brother was stronger than he looked. When did he get behind me?! “Is Dahlia’s crazy contagious or something?! Are you all in on this?”
“Lyn is,” Idris said. “She’s made friends with his beast. If he decides he can just leave his stuff and try to go without us, she might be able to keep it from obeying him. Honestly, that’s the least certain part of the plan. We’re hoping it doesn’t come to that.”
“And you, Jaquan?” Jedrek demanded. “Where do you stand?”
“I don’t, Jed.” Jaquan had tears in his eyes. “I don’t stand. I’m scared. They’re not wrong, I don’t think, but I don’t think I’m brave enough to help them. Yet I’m also afraid that if they go in there, they won’t come back. I’m even afraid if they stay, the monsters will come back and finish us off. Nothing’s safe anymore, Jed. What else we do?”
“Jaq…” Jedrek didn’t know what to say. If even Jaquan saw merit to this madness, maybe it wasn’t mad.
“There’s some trouble we can’t act our way out of,” Svara said. “You told the matron you’d go, even alone. Knowing the guards are gone and then discovering why; this opportunity is too good to pass up. We all agree, Maita. This window won’t open again. Let’s not miss our chance.”
The treasure hunter sighed and rubbed his head. “Never been cornered by kids before. Tell me, why are you so eager? What makes you so sure this is right?”
“It’s worked before,” Trent replied. “You’ve been told of the last battle, yes? Of the Curator? When he died, the horde was routed, the battle was won. If the Curator’s leader is defeated, then the war should be won. Going on the offensive has made him vulnerable. We should strike that vulnerability.”
“And if I’m wrong, and he’s not in there?” Maita asked.
“He was guarding something,” Svara replied. “He’s leaving something valuable unguarded. Even if it’s not a direct hit, it’s an opportunity to harm him. That can only help our cause.”
Maita was silent for several seconds, then chuckled. “We Bolons have been in the same business since Midway went dark. You guys know the key to runnin’ a family business?” When none of them answered, he laughed again. “It’s about swallowing your pride when the kids know better about something than you do. My pa almost ruined us when he couldn’t do it, I’ll have ya know. I’ll be damned if I make the same mistake.”
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