Peter Brett - Barren

He met her look much as she’d met Hog’s, calmly daring her to contradict him in front of a crowd.

There was nothing Selia could say without sounding petulant and weak, and Jeorje knew it. Folk outside Southwatch might not like the Speaker, but they were all afraid of him. Old Man Watch held folk to an impossible standard and was quick to punish when they fell short.

‘Council better rule on every price in the General Store,’ Mack called. ‘Elsewise he’ll mark up everythin’ else to make up the loss.’

Hog lifted a finger, and store security moved to surround him, glowering at any who stepped close. ‘Don’t want to shop at my store, Mack Pasture, ent forcing you.’

‘Don’t matter!’ Jeph’s shout signalled the end of his patience. ‘Don’t want to pay Hog, Pasture? Learn to draw the rippin’ wards yourself! Just said they were free for all.’

‘Why did the Messenger give all this to you, Jeph Bales, and not the council?’ Raddock Lawry asked loudly. ‘All this talk of demons that look like folk and read minds sounds like a Jak Scaletongue story.’

‘Might be Scaletongue ent just an ale story,’ Jeph said.

‘Don’t answer the question. Why you, Bales?’ Raddock wasn’t well liked outside his borough, but his white beard was respected, especially when so few of them remained in the Brook. On hearing the question, the crowd wanted an answer, too.

Jeph straightened, meeting Raddock’s eye. ‘Because the Messenger was Arlen Bales. My son.’

Even Raddock Lawry and Mack Pasture had nothing to shout in the stunned silence that followed. The Messenger was a revered figure in the Brook. Half the folk thought he was the Deliverer come again, and the rest were still thinking it over. Only a fool would be first to speak.

Jeorje thumped his cane, eyes hard, but whether it was religious fervour or threatening a rival, Selia could not say.

‘All know my wife, Silvy, was cored.’ Jeph pointed to a spot in the yard. ‘Right there.’

Folk standing on the spot shifted uneasily, edging away as if it were cursed.

‘What folk don’t know is that I stood right here,’ he stomped a foot on the porch, ‘safe behind the wards, and watched it happen.’

The crowd gave a collective gasp.

‘Din’t have battle wards back then. Din’t think I could do anythin’ but die, I went out into a yard full of demons.’ Jeph shook his head. ‘But Arlen din’t see it that way. Din’t see anythin’, ’cept his mam in trouble. Ran into the yard and knocked a flame demon off Silvy with a milk bucket and dragged her behind the wards of the pig pen to wait out the night.’

Selia saw Jeph’s muscles clench, knuckles whitening as he gripped the porch rail.

‘When his mam died two days later, Arlen couldn’t find it in his heart to forgive me. Creator my witness, can’t blame him for that. Ran off and caught Messenger Ragen on his way back to Miln, made his way in the Free Cities.’

‘Why’d he come back?’ someone shouted.

‘Found the battle wards, my boy,’ Jeph said. ‘Came back to make sure what happened to his mam never happened again. But that ent all.’ He turned, meeting the eyes of Raddock Lawry and Garric Fisher. ‘Arlen and Renna Tanner were promised back in 319 AR, just before Arlen ran off. Both of us saw first-hand how Harl Tanner treated his daughters. Locked his girls in the outhouse at night when they were wilful, and put hands on them like they were his wives. That’s why I took Ilain back with me.’

‘Din’t stop you takin’ her to your bed before Silvy’s side was cool,’ Garric growled. ‘Reckon she witched you with those big bubbies just like Renna Tanner did my son.’

‘Remember Arlen brought Renna back to my farm, Fisher,’ Jeph said. ‘Sat right here and told me she and Cobie wanted to be together, just like the Tender said. Harl killed Cobie, and Renna killed Harl for it before he could kill her next.’

‘And if the little skink had minded her da, they’d all be alive,’ Garric snapped. ‘This town’s had enough scandal from Tanner whores.’

Lucik Boggin stiffened, eyes flicking to Beni. He turned back to Garric, eyes alight, but Jeph stayed him with a hand. Never a brave man, Jeph moved purposefully down the porch steps towards Garric, and the crowd fell back, clearing a path between the two men.

‘Jeph Bales, you get back on this porch!’ Selia snapped.

‘You may be Town Speaker, but this is my borough and my property, Selia.’ Jeph never took his eyes off Garric. ‘Thank you to keep out of this.’

Jeorje thumped his cane. ‘Men have a right to satisfaction.’ The words were neutral so that whatever the outcome, Jeorje could support it as his own – or the Creator’s – judgement.

Jeph kept a firm stride, but Garric, taller and heavier, stood his ground. ‘Say that again,’ Jeph growled when they were nose to nose.

Garric shrank back at the words, but Selia could see him dropping his shoulder and setting his feet.

She tensed, ready to cry out or leap from the porch, but something in Jeph’s posture stayed her. Her father used to teach boxing to the children in Town Square, and Jeph seemed to remember his lessons. When Garric swung his roundhouse punch, Jeph caught the blow on his curled left arm and then jabbed, stunning the Fisher while a right cross crumpled his nose.

Garric stumbled back but kept his feet. He might have remained in the fight, but Jeph stayed on the attack, stepping in and adding hooks to Garric’s body that folded him over and blasted the wind from his lungs. Garric lunged forward, wrapping his meaty arms around Jeph and attempting to twist him to the ground, but Jeph planted his left foot, stopping them cold, and used Garric’s hold against him, keeping the Fisher in place to take Jeph’s right knee to the chest.

Jeph shoved Garric back and heel-kicked him into the crowd of Fishers surrounding their fighting space. He kept his fists up, but Garric was either unable or unwilling to rise. Jeorje, no doubt hoping for a very different outcome, gave a slight shake of his head.

Coline Trigg ran from the porch, shoving past him to tend to Garric. His broken nose was bleeding freely and had already begun to swell.

‘Core’s gotten into you, Jeph Bales?’ Coline shrieked. ‘So ashamed of your cowardice you need to act like a demon?’

‘Ent a coreling, but I’m through bein’ a coward.’ Jeph raised a finger at Coline. ‘And you ent got a right to talk down. Known your gatherin’ half as well as you claim, my Silvy would’ve lived and none of this happened.’

‘That ent fair,’ Coline said.

‘Ay,’ Jeph said loudly. ‘Life ent fair sometimes. Wern’t fair to my family, or to Cobie Fisher. Ent been fair to the Tanner girls – but that ends tonight. Any that don’t like it can get off my property.’

‘Sayin’ your son’s the Deliverer?’ Raddock moved to stand over Coline and Garric, keeping the crowd’s eyes on his injured kin. ‘Left Fishing Hole behind on purpose?’

‘No one’s sayin’ anything of the sort,’ Selia cut in. ‘Fishers left yourselves behind when you set a girl out to be cored without so much as letting her say her piece. Ent too late to see that and go back to the ways things used to be.’

Raddock glared at her. ‘Ent the first time folk’ve been divided over a girl gettin’ cored, is it, Speaker?’

Selia stiffened at the words.

‘Yet here you are, right in the middle of it again.’ Raddock glanced at Selia’s militia. ‘Wonder whose life you’ll ruin this time?’

Selia clenched a fist, and it was all she could do not to wade in and pummel the old man much as Jeph had Garric. Her militia, too young to know what Raddock was talking about, looked at each other in confusion, but Selia wasn’t fooled. Raddock hadn’t been looking at all the fighters – just the women.