The Chronicle of the Worthy Son

Lark's Request

"Your baby-sitter's here." Lark nodded up towards the ridge where, indeed, Cherry was standing higher up on the path looking like she felt out of place. "Let's go meet her, then we can find someone cooking." He straightened, and when Able turned back to see what he was doing, he just about jumped out of his skin because Red was there again.

"How are you able to hear her?" he whispered to Lark as they started up the path.

"I feel with my feet," he whispered back. "My skin and hair too. Plus, I believe my hearing is a lot better than yours?"

"For some things," Able agreed, drawing an amused snort from his friend.

"Please don't ever let that go."

Cherry fell in with them as they walked. "So, Raven says I just need to keep an eye on you and remember what folks tell you?"

"Yes, that's what she told me," Able said, "and since we'll be spending a fair amount of time together, can I ask how a girl like you ended up in a place like this?"

"Uh, sure, I guess." She looked a moment about and didn't seem to know what to do with her hands. "They took me Pa two years ago. We weren't making it so well on our own, what with just Ma and six of us, and then they came for her too. So we ran for it. This ain't a good place for kids, so Ma's hiding elsewhere, but me and me brother came here to help. I ain't so, er, eager to fight like he is." She cast her eyes down. "But I got a part to play at least."

Able smiled wryly. "I'm especially un-eager to fight, so you're in good company. How old is your brother?"

"Fourteen."

Able groaned. "That's...not right."

She blinked. "What? Yes—"

"No, I—he's a kid. You're a kid. You both should be going to school, learning trades, not..." Able sighed and looked around the camp. "My apologies. That was perhaps not my place."

"Nah, I'd rather be home than here." She shrugged with a half-smile. "You're a funny Bander."

"I am strange," he agreed. Lark, of course, laughed at this statement. ...is that what he thought, though? All he thought?—don't ask. Able even fell back a pace to follow behind Lark instead of looking at his face.

It seemed the whole camp was about getting supper, clustering around the cook fires from wherever their daily tasks had occupied them until now. Able wasn't great at estimating people in a crowd, but his guess of four hundred would have to do for now.

Lark wound his way through the mob with ease and procured stew and bread for the four of them. He then led them up a ridge with a pretty good view considering all the tree cover. Some of the trees were yellow, a nice accent to the monotonous green, and it was far enough from the rowdy gatherings that Able could hear the leaves whispering in the breeze. It helped that none of his companions spoke as they busied themselves with their bowls.

Red had been standing while she ate her bread one deliberate bite at a time, but she lowered her bowl and looked off into the woods. When Able turned his head to see what she was looking at, he noticed Lark looking as well. A Resistance fighter in the mottled gray coveralls had to leap out of the brush before Able spotted him. The man came puffing up the hill towards them.

But then he stopped beside Red and whispered something in her ear. She both frowned and nodded once marginally then considered the seated trio a moment. "Don't answer any questions he asks," she said pointedly to Lark, then made to follow the fighter back the way he had come.

Able nearly asked inanely for the time but thought better of sassing her. Instead, he kept silent and watched until the two of them had gone down the ridge and out of sight.