Erian K. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“Ah, but Gully I don’t wanna.”

“Bezieh, get down here before I come up
there and gut you!”

Gully looked up at his younger brother
perched on tree bow that just overlooked the
village wall. The boy hugged the tree tightly,
and Gully knew that it would be hard to get him
down, for his brother had that stubborn look of
determination on his face. But get him down
he would. Gully's own temper was growing
quite short as well.

Quick as lightening Gully launched
himself at the tree and was up so fast, Bezieh
yelped and ducked away. True to his size and
not to be caught so quickly, Bezieh dodged his
brothers’ long arms and slid, gracelessly rear
first, out of the tree. He somersaulted
backward, but catch his balance quickly and
then was on his feet. Thinking himself safe on
the ground for the moment, Bezieh turned and
in true sibling style, stuck his tongue out up at
Gully. Bad move.

He was tackled swiftly from behind, and
forcefully pinned down to the leaf covered
ground.

“Gotcha maggot,” said a rough voice
above him.

“Get…offa...me…Shay”, Bezieh growled,
and then to emphasize the point struggled
and let out foul curse that no seven year old
had any business knowing.

“ Quick your belly aching Bezieh,” came
Gully’s voice as he descended from the tree. “
You know you’re the best one to do it.” He
walked over, putting his hands on his knees
and bent his long torso to look Bezieh in the
eye. He received and icy stare from the green
eyes they all shared. At that moment Beziehs
stomach growled.

“See, your own guts betrayed you,” Gully
began. “The only way we’re gonna get
anything outta this place is if you do your part.
It’s just as dangerous for Shay and I. You’re
still a youngin and would go to foster. Shay
and I are past the lawful age for two years
now. We’d go to become soulless blackhands
in the mines!”

Gully and his twin brother had come of
lawful age over a summer ago. If they were
caught at what they were about to do, they'd be
sent to the jewel mines of Tuarai in the black
hills of Darnai in the east. Though the
punishment for theft was supposedly only a
few years in the mines it didn't matter. Once
you went to the mines, you never came back.
They'd be slaves until they died, and worst of
all be separated from each other. Bezieh knew
it was true.

“Alright, I’ll do it,” Bezieh mumbled and
craned his dark blond, shaggy head around to
look at Shay, “ now get offa me!”

Shay hesitated a moment, enjoying his
little brothers discomfort, then got up. He
tossed his fine, dark hair, so unlike his
brothers tawny manes, out of his eyes, a
common gesture for him. He turned and
reached into his travel pack, digging inside for
the final prop in their plan. A slender wooden
case, that never left his sight, dangled from
his hip on the left side. "Aha," he said.

“Here you go m’lord actor,” he said with a
grin and made a mock bow to Bezieh, handing
over a ridiculous looking cap of multicolored
patches and bells on the ends.

Bezieh got up and brushed the leaves off
of his clothes. He looked once pleadingly at
Gully, who shook his head firmly arms folding
across his chest.

“Go on now Bezi. It’s not so awful looking,
and it serves the point well and you know it.”

Bezieh sighed, but took the cap out of
Shay hands and mashed it tightly on his mop
of unruly hair. It jingled loudly. Shay tried
unsuccessfully to muffle a laugh, and Bezieh
shot him another of his icy stares. He took
breath as if to begin to protest his humiliation
once again. But Gully saw it and launched into
the plan before he could utter a word.

“Now remember, you’ve gotta keep em
busy as long as possible while Shay and I go
round to the booths and get what we can,”
Gully said seriously. “ You know what to do,
and if anyone gets close enough to touchin
just start screaming out fire, fire! I’m on fire!

"Fire," Bezieh asked. "Whasat mean
Gully?"{/left"}

"It's a sickness you can get when ye feel
as though your insides are boilin', and you
have great pains in your stomach."

"Oh," Bezi said softly, subdued. "Like
Mama?"

Gully stiffened and shared a glance with
Shay. The pain of their mothers death was a
tortured subject for them, while Bezieh didn't
remember much being so young when it had
happened.

When neither of his brothers answered,
Bezieh knew he'd said something wrong. They
hardly ever spoke of their mother, or anything
to do with their old life. He only had a few
memories of her, and most those of her being
sick, and not being able to see her. He
remembered peaking through the door to her
room once, and saw her laying so peacefully
on a huge bed with blue velvet sheets. She
was the most beautiful person Bezieh had
ever seen. Pale skin, long, dark hair, like Shay,
and bright green eyes like all of them when
she laughed. He' wished she'd get well and
laugh again. Then he remembered be
dragged away by his nurse, with her cursing
that he catch the fever. He hadn't wanted
to leave. It was the last time he ever saw her.

bezieh shook his head, as if trying to
shake the sad memories from it. Taking a
deep breath, he stretched his shoulders and
neck, truly like an actor about to go on stage.
Well better get it over with he thought. Without
a backward glance at his brothers Bezieh
began to walk along the village wall to the
opening gate where farmers and other folk
came to sell their wares. He slipped silent as
a shadow in behind a group of water carriers.
Shay and Gully watched him go for moment,
than began to make their own way to the
wall.

It was still early afternoon, but many of the
vendors had already began to close up their
booths and make ready for the journey home.
Those who did not have family close to the
village to stay with left early for fear of
traveling at night. Whispers of fey thieves were
the gossip of the market. No one wanted to
find out the truth just for a few more
customers. Better to go home early, than to
not go home at all.

Gully and Shay walked nonchalantly
through the gate and waited for Bezieh’s
performance to begin. It was not long in
coming. Gully was tense. He didn't like having
Bezieh out there all alone where they couldn't
get to him quickly. But they'd been doing this
routine for a while now, and Bezieh was smart
enough when he wanted to be.

Then it came. A sharp, high-pitched
scream went though the market, drawing
everyone’s attention. In the center of the
market circle a tiny figure lay curled in a tight
ball wailing like the a wraith. A crowd of people
began to gather round. One by one the
venders left their booths to see what was
amiss that could cause such noise. That was
their chance. Shay and Gully wound their way
carefully behind the growing crowd. The
concerned whispers of the people covered
their footfalls well as they snuck around the
corner of the bakers booth. Luckily for them
the baker had been preparing to leave, so
there were already loaves of bread packed
neatly away in baskets beneath the covered
stand. Gully and Shay each grabbed a basket
and began to edge their way out to the next
booth.

Shay, who was ahead, suddenly pushed
Gully back behind the wooden side of the
booth. Gully heard rushed steps, and saw a
young woman run by shouting for someone to
call the physician. Shay cursed under his
breath. It had been a close call, and now they
had less time because of the call going out so
soon. He only hoped that his little brother
could hold them a while longer. Gully nudged
him, and they moved on.

As they dashed to the next booth, one
filled with cheese, Shay stole a quick glance at
Bezieh through a break in the crowd. He had
to smile to himself. For all the pain in the ass
Bezi was, he sometimes made up for it by
being entertaining. He was definitely in his
element. And like any seven year old, loved
being the center of attention. Well maybe not
every seven year old, but then again there was
no one like Bezieh.

Bezieh himself thought he was putting on
a flawless performance. He had them really
worked up now he thought, cracking a eye to
look at the concerned and frightened faces of
the people around him. Though it required
him to the wear the idiotic cap and roll
aournd in the the dirt, he couldn't help feel a bit
smug at his abilities.

Ah, whoops, someone's gettin a little to
close. He sucked in a large breath of air and
screamed the word, "FIRE!" with all his might.
He went wild shaking his head to make the
bells jingle to draw everyone’s attention to
him. He didn't mind it so much now. Along
with it and his hair, it kept his face relatively
hidden. He'd never let Gully and Shay know it
though. As far as they were concerned, he still
thought it was an awful cap, and was sorry
they'd ever stole it from the traveling perfomers
they'd joined a while back.

The woman who'd been about to touch
him jumped back, and Bezi subsided back
into a low moaning and more rolling holding
his stomach. He did hope that he brothers
hurried though. He was hungry.

Shay and Gully weren't doing to bad for
themselves. Each had the loaded down
baskets of bread, and now they had cheese to
go along with it. Shay had his eye on the meat
cart a little off to the side near the east wall of
the village. Gully on the other hand was getting
more worried about the physician arriving and
telling them that there was nothing wrong with
Bezieh. So when Shay turned towards the wall
for the last part of their raid, Gully spoke a
warning at him.

" No Shay lets get us and Bezieh out of
here. I don' t like it that they've gone for the
physician so soon." Gully kept his low, pitched
only for Shay's ears only. He caste a worried
glance past the last of the market booths in
the direction the woman had gone running for
the physician. There was no one returning yet,
but it wouldn't be much longer he was sure.

Shay said nothing for a moment. He
looked at the meat cart once again, then back
towards the crowd gathered round Bezieh.
They risked much being caught, and Shay
knew his brother was right, but part of him still
did not want to leave just yet. Gully worried at
Shay on these occations. He knew that his
twin loved him and Bezieh dearly, but also
knew that Shay was bond to them by a very
thin thread. He feared one day that he temper
might cause them to loose him all
together.

But not today. Shay simply nodded his
head and turned to follow him. Inwardly Gully
sighed, but not quite yet relieved. They still had
to get out.

Bezieh was tired of yelling. His throat felt
raw, and his head was beginning to hurt a
little. He cracked an eye open to look for a
good opening in the people to dash out of as
soon he got the signal. It should be about time
now. What were Gully and Shay doing?