Chapter 5 - A Pledge
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A Pledge
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Like little minnows scared by a shadow, the villagers scattered out of Rask's way as he strode to the base of the cliff face beneath the unstable ridge.
Sten showed none of their fear, however, nor did his mother, both of them trailing watchfully behind as Rask pressed his palm flat against the chisel-flecked rock.
Eyes closed and breathing steadily, he focused on the beating of his heart until it fell into rhythm with the greater Song. Within it, he listened again for the vaettir's chatter, an answering tune already building in his throat.
"Sten put hand here," Rask said huskily as he lifted his palm just enough for Sten to slip his underneath, attention concentrated on holding the magic tight.
As unruly as one of his goats, it would do as it pleased if Rask did not take care. And for a moment, the bergsr? wondered if Broken-Horn and White-Foot had escaped their pen again, or —
Wrenching his awareness back into place, Rask hummed low and steady, allowing his melody to flow into the quarry wall in a small, controlled stream.
"Woah," Sten breathed softly, his hand warm where it lay completely engulfed by Rask's own. Through the muscle and sinew and bones flowed the bergsr?'s magic, a pleasant sensation buzzing along the length of their connection. "That's… Excitable, aren't they? I guess I should…"
He turned to look up at Rask. "What do I say?"
Rask chuckled. "Intent important, words not. Vaettir hear Sten's heart."
"Alright then. Um… Hello? Thank you for acting as our guardians," Sten said to the rock, then laughed. "Oh, it's — yes, yes, calm down — it's this entire area at risk, isn't it?"
He looked around, gaze landing on his mother.
"It's — It's really… Ma, you should have Rask show you this too — Er, I mean…
If it's alright with you, Rask? But… it's like I can see inside the rock.
I told you before: Ma's one of Thane Uffark's bonded clerks.
She's in charge of bookkeeping for the whole quarry.
He'll listen to her if she swears we've got to close down this section. "
She was watching Rask warily, but gave a sharp nod when she saw him glance her way.
"Aye, that's true enough. If this isn't some kind of trick." She threw an apologetic look at her son. "I can only swear to my own experiences, Triggy. You know that."
"I do, Ma. That's why you gotta trust Rask, so he can help us."
Then Sten turned those huge eyes of his to Rask, and the bergsr? found himself helpless to do anything else but agree.
"Not easy. Big magic if Arndra want thank vaettir," Rask warned, releasing the melody and Sten's hand both. "Sten already paid price. Sten's mother — "
"I'll pay her price too," Sten said quickly.
"Only, can you show her before I spend a whole 'nother day criss-crossing the countryside solving a riddle?
I don't want one of the workmen wandering over here and have something bad happen to them while I'm busy collecting bumblebee eyelashes or whatever. "
Rask mulled it over. He'd already pushed the bounds of their Bargain going this far, sharing his magic to help Sten listen to the vaettir.
"Sten can try," Rask answered finally. "Song maybe, maybe not accept. Not Rask's choice."
Not that Rask wouldn't have chosen Sten over his mother to fulfill the payment of such a Bargain any day.
Thanks to their previous Deal, there was already an attachment between Sten everyone. But none of you are bonded clerks," her gaze landed on Rask. "I took an oath to serve in times both sweet and bitter; I'll bring you the payment."
Rask shook his head, scowling. "Song named Sten. Sten say no, then Arndra and Rask make Bargain, but Rask not know what Song ask of Arndra."
"Don't worry, Ma," Sten chirped brightly. "I'll think of a way. I solved the last one easily enough."
Rask smiled softly, glancing over at the man. "Sten very clever. Even surprised Rask."
Arndra was watching Rask again, her gaze sharp and disconcerting.
Rask quickly looked away.
"Alright then, it's settled," the blustery man declared with a clap of his hands, turning to the other humans. "Arndra, Sten, and…Rask will perform this ritual, Sten will pay for Rask's services, and the entire village will work on how to help him do that safely, yes?"
The crowd's answer was a little more uncertain this time and lacked the fervor of before, but it was agreement all the same.
Once more, Rask turned to the rock face below the ridge, and once more he placed his palm against the cool surface, humming up his magic to join the Song. When he found his moment, he lifted his hand slightly, murmuring a hasty, "Now," to Sten's mother.
She didn't hesitate, slipping her tiny hand under Rask's just in time for him to push his melody through flesh and bone and rock and void and —
"Oh," Arndra breathed out softly, the sound protective and raw. "I'm sorry we didn't understand you. We'll do better, I promise. Thank you. For… for everything."
She was quiet for a full beat before turning to Rask. "I think I've heard enough now."
"Ma?" Sten asked as Rask released Arndra's hand, his expression pinched with concern, catching her when she stumbled slightly.
"I'm fine," Arndra assured him, patting Sten's shoulder.
"But… your grandmother used to tell me a story of when she was a little girl, and once found herself lost in the quarry.
She always claimed the wind had carried her out.
I-I never believed her, but — the vaettir have been watching us for a long time, haven't they? "
Arndra turned familiar wide eyes on Rask then, and for a moment, Rask wondered if Sten had inherited any traits from his father's side at all.
"When Várvorsága forged Sunless Land from Devourer's corpse, vaettir appeared. Maybe here before even that. Long before humans, before even bergsr?r. Here long after, too." Rask shrugged.
"Then… I thank you, Rask, for the service you've done us today," Arndra said.
"I'm sure Triggy told you the situation has been escalating.
I fear what may have happened had you not come.
It would make my job easier if vaettir didn't go around breaking our thane's property to get our attention, but it's far better to sacrifice a tool than a neighbor. "
Rask pursed his lips as he mulled it over, before pressing his palms to the rock once more. After a moment, his throat still buzzing with the magic, he opened his eyes.
"Vaettir say: where humans see puddles, humans no dig," he told them, before his mouth twisted into a wry smile. "Vaettir very excited. Thank Arndra for game."
"A game?" Sten echoed, his forehead creasing. "And…we can trust that?"
"Sten heard vaettir," Rask chided him. "Vaettir not good liars. Like younglings too eager for game. Tell on self. Very easy to spot."
"What if it's raining?" the blustery man Arndra had named Ojson asked.
Rask shot him a look. "Humans dig in rain?
"Well, no, but — "
"Then good enough," Rask decided. "Vaettir stop breaking human tools; bring up water to warn instead, keep safe areas dry. But Arndra tell village: no touch it, no drink it, no fire near it. Vaettir not understand what might poison humans. Not safe."
"I'll make sure of it," Arndra said. "I assume this…game will also require a payment?"
Rask nodded.
"Sweat, lambs wool, and br?nnvin," he told her. "In three little carved cups of bone, wood, and stone. Fresh each ninthday; sung over at daybreak, noon, and dusk."
The woman who'd stepped forward earlier whistled sharply. "That's a lot of effort."
"Bigger effort for vaettir," Rask pointed out. "But do, do not; not Rask's problem. Sten tell story of friend's fall. When happen again — if Sten's brother, or sister, or thane's child next time? Then maybe Arndra listen."
"Arndra is listening now," she replied with a wry twist of a smile. "I'll see it done."
"Hey Rask?" Sten called softly, looking between them both. "You never said: why do the vaettir seem to care so much what happens to us? Why have they been watching over this village so long?"
Rask grinned at the bold little human. "Easy. Villagers sing as they work. Vaettir like songs."
Sten barked a laugh. "Well, then I suppose we'd best make sure to keep singing for them. Perhaps we'll pay the next bard who comes through the village to write a song about the vaettir themselves, and what excellent guardians they are, eh?"
From up through the quarry floor into the soles of Rask's feet came a warm, buzzing purr.
"Rask think that make vaettir very happy,"
Sten smiled up at Rask, his expression as bright as the light of the moons. "Then it's as good as done."
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'As good as done' didn't mean done, however, at least not by human standards. The villagers appeared to require a number of complex and lengthy farewell rituals before they believed it safe to allow Rask to depart.
There were the collective thank you’s given by first Arndra, then Ojson, then again Ojson as part of some impromptu speech to mark what he called, 'The Occasion'.
Then each villager felt the need to tell Rask individually how grateful they were, offering their hands in some obscure gesticulation that left Rask increasingly anxious that he might break someone's fingers accidentally.
Collectively, the villagers agreed amongst themselves that 'It Was Late' — though none explained what this so-called 'It' was supposed to be — and 'We Really Should Let You Go' without actually doing anything of the sort.
Nearly half had attempted to extract oaths of a future, unspecified return from the confused bergsr? with varying degrees of sincerity.
Surprisingly, after Arndra's warm request, Ojson showed the most enthusiasm that Rask should "come visit the public house some time, and drinks will be on me.
I'm sure you have the most fascinating stories! "
In the end, it was Sten who came to Rask's rescue, sending the rest to their beds so he and Rask could discuss the terms of their new Bargain.
"You know my mother's going to hold you to that visit?" Sten said when they were finally alone.
"Arndra doubts Rask?" the bergsr? asked, searching for the outline of Sten's mother among the pack of villagers making their way home. "But Rask gave word — "
"It's an expression, Rask," Sten laughed.
"A human one, I suppose. I know you'll come.
If you time it to when the ryndalon blooms on the southern slope of your mountain, you should be just in time for Harvestide.
There's musicians and food and a song competition.
Oh! I should see if we can move to the quarry for the vaettir, right?
And my sister is apprenticed to the baker; she makes the most amazing blueberry pies.
There's dancing, too. Do you uh… Do bergsr?r dance? "
Rask considered the little human for a moment, wondering if those wide eyes of his weren't Sten's own kind of magic.
"Not around fragile things," Rask finally said, admittal and warning all in one.
Sten's expression dimmed.
"Rask curious what human music sound like," Rask told him as a peace offering, before getting an idea. "Sten like blueberries? Rask knows many good places blueberries grow. Sten visit Rask; bring lots of baskets."
"Oh, well I can't not take you up on that, can I?" Sten asked, his cheerfulness returning in full force. "Don't suppose you have any secret mushroom spots you'd care to share too?"
All of them. Rask wanted to say. Anything. Everything.
He clamped his mouth shut and merely nodded instead.
"Then that settles it," Sten said. "In addition to bringing you up a bottle of br?nnvin each season, I'll come raid all your secret areas — er…
" Sten's face froze and then he coughed, reigniting Rask's earlier worries about the man's health and general human fragility.
"For, um, foraging, I mean. If… if you don't mind? "
"How else Rask teach Sten listen to vaettir?" Rask replied, confused.
"Oh, I thought — Isn't that the whole thing we did there?" Sten asked, gesturing at the cliff face where the vaettir had shown him and his mother where the rock was unstable.
The bergsr? shook his head.
"If Sten wishes to learn how to listen on Sten's own, need to visit Rask every month," Rask explained. "Sten must hear how Song changes over year."
"I guess that makes sense," Sten said, not appearing at all daunted by the prospect despite the obvious disruption it'd be to his life. "But um… I really won't be bothering you and your goats if I come up that much?"
"Sten talk lots," Rask replied, amused now at the way his words made Sten sputter. "Good to listen to. Rask enjoys cave, goats, listening to Song, but… too much gets boring."
"I…don't understand?" the little man said, his expression confused.
It might be nice to have someone to listen to the Songs together with again.
To stay up late doing nothing more than imagining shapes in the shadows of clouds as they swept down over the valley.
Or to watch broad green slopes painted with wildflowers and tall grass turned into rough, silky seas by the wind.
Not that a human like Sten would likely call mid-morning 'late', Rask mused, making up his mind.
"Sten right, before. Rask lonely. Rask teach Sten how listen, yes? Maybe Sten wish to come teach Rask how listen too."
"I'd like that," Sten said with a small grin, the warmth of it doing inexplicable things inside Rask's chest as the bergsr?'s magic wove blessings around Sten of Welcome and Friend into the Song.