Healer of Sakkara

Chapter 15 - Friends

The boar trails were narrow, so they walked in single file, with Galen and his friends in the middle, Sev and Rea in the lead, and Obi, Iksy, and Zenir behind.

The three friends spoke quietly as they walked, and as Triss and Behn caught Galen up on their own adventures, he felt his spirits rise along with the sun.

"Doesn't your dad need your help with the brewery, this time of year?" he asked Behn, keeping his eyes on the dusty trail at his feet. The boars chose their paths for efficiency, not for human comfort, and the narrow track was steep as a ladder in places, choked with rocks and roots in others.

"Yep," Behn answered breathlessly. His round face was red with exertion, and sweat glistened on his brow. They'd only been on the trail a little over an hour, but the climb was brutal. "But I've been replaced."

"Replaced?" Galen frowned, worried he might've caused some rift between Behn and his father.

Behn nodded, and answered between puffs of breath. "He wasn't... happy with me going after you, but... you saved my life, so... he knew it was the only right thing. Meantime, he figured he'd kill two birds with one stone. Your dad needs a place to stay. My dad needs... an extra pair of hands. With me gone... my dad's got an extra room, and Harrald has..."

He trailed off, flushing an even brighter shade of red as he realized what he'd been about to say.

"Well, Harrald can help out," he finished.

Galen laughed, as much with pure relief and gratitude as with the memory of his father's sense of humor. Whenever anyone asked if Harrald needed a hand with something, he'd hold up his stump and say, 'As a matter of fact, I do.' No one made that mistake twice.

"Harrald will love that," he said. "He hates the idea of taking charity, so I'm sure he'll do more than his fair share." He turned his attention to Triss. "What about your duty to the Guard? Won't you be charged with desertion?"

"If I ever go back, maybe, but I doubt it." She shrugged. "Things were more confused than an ant's nest on fire when I left. I'm not the only one who 'disappeared.' Besides, with the way the temple's been worming its way into our business, I doubt I had much future with the Guard, anyway."

"What do you mean?"

She glanced at him. "You know the way the temple zealots think. 'Women are supposed to stay home and make babies, not ride horses into battle."

Galen grimaced. "But you're the best in your class," he said, "and it's not uncommon for women to be the best archers and the most skilled riders. They can't argue with that."

She rolled her eyes. "That's the problem. People like Darek think women shouldn't be as good, much less better, than men, so they don't like it when they see evidence to the contrary."

Rea glanced over her shoulder, having overheard. "It's the same everywhere," she said, "though I thought Thryn was different."

Triss sized the other woman up with a keen eye. "Thryn is different, overall," she said. "But things are changing, and not for the better. After they drive off the foreigners and 'witches,' who will they blame for the troubles to come? People who don't follow the temple's lead and stick to 'tradition,' that's who."

"But having women in the Guard is tradition," Behn argued. "Thrynis herself is a warrior."

Triss rolled her eyes. "It's not really about tradition. It's about—"

"Power," Rea said, nodding. "Instability breeds fear, and fear is a tool in the hands of those who seek power. Thryn isn't the only province experiencing unrest; it's happening all over the empire."