Sheave’s words were quite hasty. I was probably the only person in the town who realized that the cost of fighting would be life and limb. I was one of two who had even seen the force, but I knew no one would care or take heed. Fighting fever is a dangerous thing.
“We’re call a town meetin’!” exclaimed Sheave, running out of the smithy, jumping on his cart, and racing towards the church at our town center.
I looked down our wide dirt road as the quickly retreating form went away; Sheave, furiously driving his belabored horse and reluctant cart, smashing and rattling for the whole two hundred strides, when he reached our church. The large stone building sat squatly, and was quite possibly the only ‘impressive’ thing in all of the town.
I knew that it would be a matter of less than a minute before he reached the building, and less than thirty seconds after that before he reached the top of the fifty head tall tower, and started the bell on top ringing. Nearly losing my hearty breakfast thinking of the height, I continued to race after him, knowing that my only hope of catching him was when he hit the stairs.
At the stairs, he would have to slow down, having a rather chunky build. My lighter build, that was yet one hand taller, would give me better speed over flat space, because of longer legs. Also, my greater physical condition, with, again, those long legs, would enhance my speed on the stairs.
Good thing the tower was enclosed even to the top, and one couldn't even see out a window. Still, if he rang that bell, the entire town would be at the town center in a matter of five minutes, with such weapons and men as could be had. I would have to explain the situation then, with Sheave right there, retelling something he hadn’t seen.
I raced after him, exerting myself. His cheap horse, an old nag, was far more used to going at a walking pace, and this speedy trot was already pushing it to a sweat. At the church, he didn’t tie up his horse, which I had counted on.
It became a closing window to catch him, so I tried harder. When I reached the threshold of the church, he disappeared in the stairwell of the tower, at the opposite end of the church. The sixty heads between me and the other side of the tower was covered in astonishingly short time. I almost rolled along the wall for the first part, my speed caused me to go up the curve of the tower so fast.
I had climbed the tower many times, mostly when Brett would come from his farm on market-days. 80 stone steps curl inside to the top: and at the top, the meeting-bell. Running to the top (something me and Brett had done many a time) took only 40 seconds.
“Don’t do it!” I yelled, speeding up my pace to try to catch Sheave. He already raced through the rows of rough benches inside the church.
“Why not?” he asked, looking back. “I am summoning the town,” we reached the top, pausing in our breathless run, “to a rightful meeting. I can do it, you can do it, we’re all happy. It needs to be discussed, and we need to fight, whatever you may say, Skye!” He sneered, putting his hands on the bell rope.
“Don’t do it. Don’t do it. There are barely hundreds in the Tel, and the army is twice that, at least! We have NO hope!” He shrugged and began to pull. “Don’t doom us to die!”
A funny thought crossed my mind, something to the tune of “who does he think he is, saying he knows better than me?” I put it down as pride, because I knew that something would go wrong with this. While this thought crossed my mind, I realized that the tones of the bell were ringing out loud and clear. I had to prepare my arguments.
He’d done it now… but there was still a chance, if I could get to the people people first on their entry to the building. I wondered what made Sheave want this so much. It was almost like he had something against me personally.
The people started to filter in almost when I got to the door. Mostly the men, also there were some women and children. My entire family walked in first, and then several who had happened to watch the chase.
“This is a mistake,” I said calmly.
“No, it has not been,” returned Sheave loudly, “this lad…”
“I am just as much a man as you!” I remarked hotly, and added under my breath, “Considering I am a man, that makes me more, too…”
“This should be interesting,” remarked one passerby.
When all the people were gathered, the town elders, quieted the crowd, and questioned us what the matter was. I was grateful that Sheave had lost his seat on the council, but he was still far more influential than I.
“What is going on?” asked the senior member, an old man by the name of Mordecai.667Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡziYmBxqSI0
Sheave stepped up, interrupting me, “I will tell the story of this coward!”667Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnDqe5I1Ha9
“You’re one to talk, considering you spent most of the last war far away from the front lines, eh?” He fell to grumbling, but I thought I could catch some none-too-savory word choices.667Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWJTzJUawJ
“Gentlemen,” said Mordecai, “if that is indeed what you are, please settle down. Sheave will state his case before this tribunal, and then Skye. Proceed, but please tell only the facts, and later we will address your opinions.”667Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rfn961iER
“I was picking up an order of chains…”667Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhVBWIcIvOe
I interrupted him, “That you pushed the delivery date twenty-four hours up on, to make us have to fail!”667Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwotzASLdF
“Gentlemen!” cried Mordecai, throwing his head from side to side to watch us, and already in severe pain from doing so.
“I am sorry,” I said, “Sir, for speaking out…” It was all I could do not to throw another jab at Sheave in. Every chance you can take, right?667Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡli96Fok89m
“Eh,” said Sheave, “I picked up my chains, and was paying Eddie, when we heard someone run into his shop, and Eddie quickly left me to deal with the matter. I waited, to see what was going on, and heard some pieces about an army, a road, and fighting. This, of course, and rightly so, peaked my interest, and I stepped inside the door, and asked Eddie what he was doing, and what he wasn’t telling us.” I stood up to interrupt. He was going to spill the news out right here, right now, and there wouldn’t be a chance of me toning it down… he’d be calling the shots if he spoke first. But he continued at a straight yell, into the crowd.
“The Duke of Tarlaan is coming, with a large invasion force, and will be here by tonight or tomorrow morning!” So much for the authority of the council. The crowd began to yell and increased until they were clamoring.
“Silence!” cried Pastor Davidson, again vexed, both by the pieces of news, and the disruption of his relatively quiet day, which he had planned to spend on his sermon for the week.
Sheave resumed, “So, I raced here and called the meeting. I would be interested to learn how Skye learned this news, if it is true?”
All in the room turned to me, except my family, who were all suddenly interested in the thatch-work in the roof of the church. They all wanted answers, and good ones. Too bad I didn’t have those.
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