Tales & Treasure Chapter 30
Vidmar - More Than A Farmer
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Vidmar led the group down a dirt path that followed a meandering creek. The sound of the water trickling over stones distracted him from the constant thoughts of Vatis, Hobb, the crown, and his task. He watched a frog jump into the stream; it joined several croaking cousins who seemed to mock their slow pace. Mia ran off the road after a frog, at least half a dozen scattered in different directions. Her innocent smile as she rejoined the group reminded him of how young she was.
My path is too dangerous for her, Vidmar thought as he stepped over a remarkably well-maintained bridge that looked like it had been repainted recently. It had a deeper red hue than he remembered. Soon, the wispy tops of corn stalks came into view as they crested a small hill.
“Vidmar,” Taldor said, leaping from the cornfield into the road. The dog, Igni, tottered out of the field behind the boy with its tail wagging.
Vidmar ruffled the boy’s hair. “Not so loud, Taldor. You don’t want Acer to hear.”
The boy grabbed Vidmar’s hand on top of his head and furrowed his brow. “What happened to your hands?” he shouted.
“Wolves.”
Taldor tilted his head. “I’m starting to think you attract them or something,” he said, peering around Vidmar’s back. “There’s more of you.” His voice grew an octave deeper when he saw Mia. Vidmar smiled. “Where’s Vatis?”
Vidmar turned, pointing down the road. “He’s taking notes on a bird. He said something about a blackbird. I don’t know. One minute, he’s rushing us out of bed; the next, he’s charting birds.”
Taldor grinned. “He’s a little strange.”
“That we can agree on.”
Another young man appeared out of the corn stalks to their left. He was a head taller than Vidmar with a patchy beard and broad shoulders. Two baskets of corn swayed in his hands as he strode forward. Taldor’s brother? There was no denying it; they were practically twins aside from the older brother’s height and sorry beard.
“Who is it, kid?” the young man called as he set his baskets down.
“Don’t call me kid,” Taldor said, his face reddening. “This is Vidmar - the one who stopped the wolves and saved our cows.”
The young man raised his eyebrows. “You’re something of a legend around here. I’m Ev.”
“Nice to meet you, Ev,” Vidmar said, shaking his hand. “These are my friends Kamet and Mia. The slow-moving bard down the road is Vatis.”
Ev waved. “Hello. I’ve heard of Vatis. He was with you before, right?”
“The best bard I’ve ever heard,” Taldor added.
“He’s the only bard you’ve heard other than Pa and his after-dinner tales.”
Taldor stomped his foot. His face grew beet-red. “That’s not true. I’ve heard Steffen a few times at Cat’s.”
Ev laughed. “Fine, but compared to Steffen and Pa, a frog could be the best bard you’ve heard if it croaked loud enough.”
Taldor rolled his eyes. “You’re so funny, Evanor,” the boy said, sticking his tongue out. “Come on, Vidmar. Pa will be excited to see you.”
“Pa, excited?” Ev spat. “No chance.”
Vidmar answered unrelenting questions from Taldor as they walked across the farm. It seemed like the boy’s curiosity could never be satisfied. “I wouldn’t put Yimser on your list of cities to visit when you get off this farm,” Vidmar said after Taldor’s last question. “Nothing good happens in Yimser, and it smells.”
They passed through a wooden gate that led to the barn, where Hobb knelt in the dirt near a groaning cow. Acrid sickness wafted through the air, sour and deathly, overpowering the sweet scent of straw. Large, calloused hands stroked the cow’s head as Hobb pushed water into its mouth with a syringe. His cane lay beside him. Etched into the side was a familiar triangular shape. He is hiding something, Vidmar thought. How did I not see it before?
“Pa,” Taldor shouted.
“What is it, boy? Keep your voice down. You’ll spook her,” Hobb said, patting the cow.
“Sorry,” Taldor said in an exaggerated whisper. Hobb sighed. “It’s Vidmar and Vatis.”
“What about them?” Hobb said, snatching his cane quickly.
“They’re here.”
“Hello, Hobb,” Vidmar said warmly.
Hobb grunted as he pushed himself to his feet. Vidmar lunged to help him, but Ev tugged him backward. “Don’t help. It only makes him angry,” he whispered.
After a moment of struggle, Hobb straightened his back; he seemed to double in size. “I never thought we would see you again.”
“Certainly not so soon,” Vidmar said, eyeing Hobb’s cane. “How are you faring?”
“My bones ache, and my grandsons are lazy,” Hobb said. It seemed like a well-rehearsed answer. He rotated the etching on the cane backward like he noticed Vidmar’s examination. “And my cow is dying,” he added before Vidmar could reply. “Has the eternal darkness reached our farm? Have all the crops died?” Hobb asked, pointing his cane at Ev.
Ev shrugged and elbowed Taldor. “No.”
“Good. You had me worried. Why else would you be putzing around when there is work to be done? You can catch up with these men at supper. You there, girl. Yes, you. Help Taldor pick cherries. He has a tough time on his own,” Hobb said, his rough voice issuing an undeniable command. Mia looked at Vidmar for approval. He nodded. There was something about the ease of Hobb’s authority that both comforted and scared him. Taldor shuffled his feet. “Go on.”
“This way,” Taldor said quietly to Mia. She looked back to Vidmar. He reassured her by mouthing ‘go on.’ “Mia, right?” Taldor asked as they walked out the door.
“Now for you,” Hobb said to Ev.
Ev tilted his head sideways. “What about me?”
“Did you harvest the corn?”
“Yes.”
“Did you take care of those wasps on the side of the house?”
Evanor held out his left arm. Two bright red bumps protruded from the skin. “Yes.”
Hobb looked around the barn. “Well, then cut the grass,” he said, pointing to a scythe leaning against the wall.
“I did yesterday.”
Hobb snorted like a horse coming to a stop after a long ride. “Here,” he said, handing the syringe to Ev. “She needs water every half hour.”
Ev took the syringe and knelt beside the cow. “Is she going to make it?” Flies swarmed around the sick creature. One landed on Hobb’s forehead; he brushed it away with his sausage-like fingers.
“If you do what you’re told, boy,” he said, walking out of the barn. Vidmar, Vatis, and Kamet followed closely behind without being told. Vidmar turned to see Ev shaking his head but following Hobb’s orders. “And pick some radishes for dinner,” Hobb called without breaking stride.
“Yes, Pa.”
They followed Hobb to the house. Ingi bathed in the sun on the porch. His black and white speckled head remained perfectly still, but his long tail thumped against the wood as they approached. Vidmar scratched behind the dog’s ears. Ingi, begging for more, rolled onto his back, directing Vidmar to move from his ears to his stomach, to which Vidmar smirked and obeyed.
Hobb grunted and gestured to the table. “Tea,” he said as more of a statement than a question, like it was time for tea, and Vidmar and his friends happened to be in the right spot at the right time.
“Yes, please,” Vatis said, sitting down.
Kamet leaned against the doorframe, scanning the house, probably for points of entry. That was a hard habit to break. The house had an inviting aroma of oak with a subtle herbaceous hint. Everything had a proper place; mugs were aligned neatly on a shelf to the right of the window, the floor was immaculate for a farmhouse, and even the coats hanging on hooks near the stairs were aligned in order of length. Vidmar pulled out the chair facing the window, his back to the fireplace.
Hobb returned with a black kettle and hung it above the fire to warm. “Do I want to know what happened?” He said, sitting at the head of the table, gesturing to Vidmar’s hands.
“Probably not,” Vidmar said. He closed his fist, itching the stumps of his missing fingers.
Hobb nodded and moved on. “How’s the arm?”
Vatis flailed it about haphazardly. “Good as new. Thank you.”
The old man sniffed and narrowed his eyes. “You’re a fast healer,” he said, studying Vatis. “Very fast.”
The whistling kettle broke an awkwardly long silence. Worn floorboards creaked as Hobb meandered to the kettle, towel in hand. He grabbed four mugs with one hand and placed them on the table. “I hope you take your tea black. I don’t have sugar, and I’m not sharing what little honey I have left,” he said, filling the mugs.
“Thank you,” Vidmar said. Steam rose from the warm mug between his hands. “Are we intruding, Hobb? If so, I apologize.”
Hobb glared at Vidmar, then exhaled. “No, you’re not intruding, but I don’t take kindly to mercenaries on my farm. No offense.” He said, nodding to Kamet. “How much did you have to pay for one that big?”
Vidmar laughed. “Kamet is one of my oldest friends. We didn’t hire him.”
“But he is a sellsword?” Hobb asked, sipping his tea.
“He is many things.”
Hobb snorted, then nodded. “What about the girl? Why is she with you?”
Vidmar clenched his jaw. I’m supposed to be questioning you, old man.
Luckily, Vatis answered before Vidmar. “She helped me in Yimser, and in return, I told her she could travel with me for a while.”
“How did she help you?”
“She guided me through the city.”
“Yimser is not large. You shouldn’t need a guide,” Hobb said, looking out the window toward the grove.
What are you getting at? Again, Vatis replied before Vidmar could. “In my experience, it is best to have a guide in a new city—a local. Mia was excellent. She showed me what to avoid and what shops had the best food.”
Hobb huffed. He didn’t appear satisfied with the answer. “The road is no place for a girl that young. How old is she? Nine?”
“She’s eleven,” Vidmar answered. “And truthfully, she’s more useful on the road than Vatis.”
“That I cannot deny,” Vatis said, laughing.
“Very well,” Hobb said. He leaned forward. His inquisitive expression turned grim. “Why are you here? To give Taldor more weapons? Or to snoop around the tower again?”
Vidmar looked at Vatis, then at Kamet. It seemed he was going to be the one to answer the question. It was his quest, after all. “I meant no offense when I gave Taldor the knife, but as for the tower. Yes, it’s why we returned.” He paused. How do I ask this? Hobb doesn’t play games. I might as well get straight to the point. “What association do you have with The Pact?” Hobb’s expression didn’t change. His eyes never wavered from Vidmar’s. “Are you a member? A descendant? I saw the symbol on your cane, and no farm has ever needed a defensive tower,” Vidmar continued his line of questioning. “What are you hiding?”
Silence filled the room until scratching paws strummed against the floor. Hobb’s tongue poked out through his lips before it retreated snake-like into his mouth. Gray hairs on his chin stood out like spikes. “Get out,” he growled.
I’ve gone too far, Vidmar thought. “Hobb, please.”
“Get out,” He repeated, standing and pointing to the door.
“Hobb. I need answers,” Vidmar pleaded.
“Get out. All of you.” He opened his mouth to yell louder, but Ev appeared through the back door.
“What’s going on?” Ev said. A dirty rag in his hand dripped onto the floor.
“None of your concern, boy,”
“Hobb, listen. Please,” Vidmar said, holding up his hands defensively.
Hobb’s lip quivered, but he looked at Ev before sitting down. Red flames reflected in his cloudy eyes.
“What’s going on?” Ev repeated, sounding much older than he appeared.
Vidmar and Hobb ignored the question. Instead, they stared at each other as if searching the other’s soul. The farmer grunted when his examination was complete. Vidmar didn’t flinch. “Please, Hobb,” he said without breaking eye contact.
“You need to leave, boy,” Hobb said to Ev while sipping his tea.
“Why?” Ev said. “I’m a man. Taldor won’t be back for another hour.”
“You’re a boy. Help your brother. Don’t come back until sundown.”
Ev clenched his fist, biting the knuckle of his index finger. “Pa.”
“It’s not up for debate. Take the dog with you.”
Ev ground his fist into his thigh. “Fine, keep your secrets – like you always do. Come Ingi.” The dog followed, head hanging low like he was disappointed he didn’t get to stay either. The crackling of the fire, Vatis’s slurping, and shuffling footsteps outside were the only noises that dared to emerge while they waited for Ev to disappear behind the cornfield; then Hobb nodded toward Vidmar.
Vidmar decided to use a friendlier, less direct approach. “What can you tell me about this?” he said, pulling the stone out of his pack.
Hobb’s expression remained stoic. “Looks like a rock.”
Vidmar closed his eyes. So that’s how you’re going to play it. “It has been confirmed to be a messaging stone of The Pact by a reliable source in Yimser. And Vatis. They believe it says: ‘It lies near the dead.’ Vatis thinks ‘lies’ means to be untruthful, but Gaffer was unclear.”
At the mention of Gaffer, Hobb perked up. “Did you say Gaffer? The shopkeeper? Wiry old man likes coffee for some reason.”
How do you know Gaffer? I thought you never left your farm. This revelation only raised more questions. “Yes,” he said. “Gaffer’s Goods. He’s a friend.”
“And he helped you willingly? Or did this oaf persuade him?”
Vidmar could hear Kamet’s teeth grind; his chainmail jingled as he shifted. He was showing remarkable restraint. He knows how much these answers mean.
“Vidmar is more,” Vatis started. Vidmar scowled at him. “Persuasive than Kamet. There aren’t many who are more persuasive in all of Emre.” Are you threatening him? Vidmar didn’t think the bard was capable of threats.
Hobb looked as if he was having the same thoughts as Vidmar. “So it seems,” he said plainly, taking a long drink from his tea. An orange sun began to fall behind the cornstalks. Crickets chirped their synchronized, unchanging song. Hobb set his mug down, rubbed the bridge of his nose, and exhaled. “Why do you think I can help you? Did Gaffer mention me? What else did he say about this stone?”
Vidmar felt a weight lift off his chest. His tensed muscles relaxed into the chair. “He told me it says, ‘It lies near the dead.’ Vatis thought the same thing, but he thinks lies could have a double meaning; he also thought that you could help, something about your watchtower.”
“It’s not my watchtower, and I don’t care what a bard thinks,” Hobb said quickly. Vatis grabbed his chest and mimicked, pulling a knife out. “It lies near the dead,” he said slowly, savoring the words. “I haven’t the slightest clue what that means. What's ‘it’? Or what do you hope ‘it’ is?”
Do I tell him? It could put him and his family in danger. I must. “Greco’s crown.”
Hobb rocked like he was soothing a baby. Again, his tongue poked through his lips; his cheeks reddened. Red-hot anger boiled beneath the surface like lava. “Tell me you’re joking,” he said at last.
“Let me explain,” Vidmar said. Desperate for answers, Vidmar told his story. The whole story, with one exception. Elisa. They didn’t need to know about her, at least not everything. He started at the beginning, his childhood in Haran, the death of his father, Kandrian’s recruitment, his role in his uprising, and his eventual betrayal. He quickly retold his escape from Jegon before he divulged his relationship with Alcin before power corrupted him. Vidmar described work as a treasure hunter but didn’t disclose specifics until his quest to find Greco’s Crown. He finished with what he remembered from his confrontation with Alcin, how he lost his fingers, and how they arrived back in Vicus. “We boarded a ship in Dartmore yesterday, and here we are today.”
“ Have all the crops died?” Hobb asked, pointing his cane at Ev. “
:)