Joshua Simon - Forgotten Soldiers

A knock sounded before I could express those thoughts. “Must be Boaz,” I muttered.

Dekar left. “I’ll get it.”

A brief and muffled conversation followed.

A smell I couldn’t quite place hit me.

The door closed and footsteps followed. Dekar reappeared.

“Got rid of him?” Ira asked.

“Depends what him you’re talking about,” said a voice I hadn’t expected to hear.

Nason came in behind Dekar. The smell made sense now. Lime and leather. The smell of a tanner.

“I think you should hear him out, Tyrus,” said Dekar.

I nodded. “Give us a few minutes.”

Ira gave me a disappointed look which I ignored. It was likely he had wanted to be a fly on the wall. Dekar cuffed him for taking his time in exiting.

Myra quietly followed, but not before lingering to rub Ava’s leg. The gesture gave me pause, as it was the only time I’d seen her convey any sort of care to anyone besides Zadok. A part of me was jealous at being upstaged by my unconscious sister, someone Myra knew even less than me.

Of course, Ava had something going for her that I didn’t. Myra didn’t blame her for ten years of pain and misery. I got to carry that blessed burden.

Nason took a seat as the door clicked shut. Smudges of dirt covered his face, his brown hair tussled after what looked like a hard day’s work. He let his arms hang off the sides of the chair and stretched out his legs.

“You look tired.”

He snorted. “No worse than you, I’m sure.” Nason nodded toward Ava. “How is she?”

“Alive and breathing. Beyond that, I have no clue.

He leaned over. “I always forget how much you two look alike.”

It was true. We both took after our father. Same square jaw. Same brown eyes and hair which we both kept short. Both tall and lean, but neither skinny.

“Don’t say that when she wakes up. You remember how much she hates hearing that.”

He frowned. “I think it’s the hair that really makes it obvious. I never understood why she cut it so short. Don’t get me wrong, she still looks cute, but. .”

“Ma used to tell her the same thing. Naturally Ava kept it short to spite her.” I let the silence linger for a moment. “So, why are you here?”

“A couple reasons. One, you left so quickly last night I barely had a chance to thank you.”

“Sorry. I needed to be here.”

His gaze flicked back to Ava. “I understand. But regardless, thank you. Other than a lingering headache, the family is doing well.”

“Glad to hear it. It’s the least I can do considering what Myra and Zadok said you did for them before Uncle Uriah became a hassle.”

He hung his head. “By the gods, it’s a shame what they went through. Lasha too. Tyrus, I’m sorry I couldn’t do more.”

“What’s done is done.” I cleared my throat, not wanting to dwell on that. “Why else are you here?”

“To ask you to help the rest of town.”

I snorted. “Not you too.”

He gave me a confused look.

“Zadok tried to get me to do the same last night,” I explained.

“I wish you would have listened to him. There doesn’t seem to be any pattern to how people are affected. Some are far worse than others. A couple have died, many more could go at any minute. Lots of people are sick.”

“Why should I help them? To repay them for the wonderful way they treated me and my family? For trying to kill me? Or should I do it to thank them for making sure Lasha didn’t have to get a job that involved her working on her back? Or how about repaying them for the kindness they showed in preventing Myra and Zadok from becoming slaves to Jareb just so they could eat a few pathetic meals each day?”

Nason had leaned back in his chair and I realized I was practically out of my seat, yelling.

“Not everyone in town is as bad as you think they are. There are still some good people here. You’ve seen some of that with Boaz and his family. Sivan and Damaris too.”

“Then why didn’t anyone help?”

“They’re scared of Jareb. Scared that they might end up. .” His voice trailed off.

“Scared they’d end up like my family?” I asked.

Nason frowned. “Yeah.”

I laughed, though there was nothing pleasant about it. “And you want me to help these people again, why?”

“Because it’s the right thing to do.”

Just what I needed. Another moral compass in my life.

I shook my head. “I’m not leaving Ava.”

“You did it last night. Myra and Zadok can watch over her.”

“It’s not the same as me being here.”

“You don’t know that for sure, do you?”

I sat back in my seat.

Nason leaned forward. “Look, Boaz’s wife slipped up and told several people what happened. They know you’re here and they know you can heal them. Some of the townsfolk might lack the strength to do anything now, but if you stay up here while their loved ones die, well, it’ll be worse than the small mob that the mayor cobbled together yesterday.”

“Go away, Nason, and let me be.”

“Tyrus.”

“Go.”

Nason sighed. “All right.” He stood. “I’ll try to make up some excuse and hold them off as long as I can. Maybe Ava will get better by then and everyone can sneak out of town before they try something. But if I can’t, the next person that comes to talk to you might be leading a group with pitchforks and torches. Then what will you do?”

As Nason left I watched my sister’s chest steadily rise and fall with the same unchanging rhythm as before.

“I don’t know,” I answered under my breath.

I spent ten years being in command where I was used to making decisions on the fly. Never did I hesitate. Yet, right then, I felt completely helpless.

“I just wanted to come home,” I whispered. “I just wanted my life back.”

The door to the suite opened and closed. Soon afterward, everyone drifted into Ava’s room. Zadok was up, joining Myra, Ira, and Dekar.

“Well, that was a bunch of garbage, eh, Ty? Who in the name of the gods does he think he is trying to guilt you into helping these people after what they did to you and yours?” asked Ira.

“I see you were eavesdropping again.”

“Didn’t really have to, as loud as you were.”

I sighed. “He means well.”

“He makes a good point,” said Dekar.

“What? Are you crazy too?” Ira said.

“It’s true. Some of these people might have done us wrong, but until Ava’s recovered, we’re stuck here. If Tyrus heals some of them, it would go a long way toward building goodwill.”

Ira spat. “Xank can have them all. We don’t need goodwill.”

“I think we do,” said Myra. I looked up at her. “Unless you believe that the three of you can take on a whole town by yourselves.”

“We faced worse odds,” said Ira, though his comment lacked conviction.

I saw where this conversation was going.

“It’s the right thing to do, Pa,” Zadok said. “If Ma was here, she’d want you to help.”

I sighed again, much heavier than before. That did sound like Lasha. Zadok had mastered his mother’s unselfish nature.

“Myra and I can help if you don’t want to,” he continued.

“No. I still don’t want you to leave this room until I say so. I don’t trust anyone out there.” I paused, thinking. I eyed Myra and Zadok. Except for new clothes, they looked more worn than when I first met them. Given our situation, it made me wonder if I was doing them any good at all since returning home. “All right. I’ll go. Dekar, go grab Nason. Tell him I’ll be down in a minute.”

* * *

Apparently Dekar didn’t have to run far to catch Nason. He had taken his time getting downstairs. I’m not sure if it was because he didn’t look forward to telling the townspeople the answer I had given him or if he figured I’d change my mind.