Chapter 13 The Open Road
Once he was out of sight on the village green, Maxim sidestepped quickly along the outside wall of the inn. No one in the village took any notice of him as he walked silently toward the stables.
For once, he was truly delighted to see his brown robed canine servant standing beside a familiar wagon hitched to a pair of mean looking sheep.
"My work here is done, my canine friend. Shibu has agreed to come to Bonta with us,and bring along a chest full of expensive healing potions as an additional prize!" Maxim related with delight in his soft whisper. Go up to our rooms, and pack our things." Maxim instructed. "After you're done that, say our good-byes, and then, we collect our real prize."
"As you wish, Master." The canine servant replied mechanically.
As the pair parted ways, Maxim allowed himself one last look around the quaint little village that had yielded up more wealth than he would've ever dreamed possible. The nobleman wasn't the sentimental sort, but he would always remember this place, and the fortune that fate itself seem to waive under his aristocratic nose.
As there was no one to do the work for him, Maxim used both his voice, and the thick leather harness that bound the sheep together to control and guide them both as the wagon they pulled made their way along the curving path beside the green which led to Shibu's front door.
This time, rather than dismount and walk into the house so freely, Maxim kept his place. Out of the small kernel of goodness in his heart, he decided to allow mother and adoptive son to say their goodbyes in private.
Shibu ducked out of his favorite book lined room, carrying a knapsack nearly as big as he was! Felice seemed to mix gentle laughter and tears, as she helped Shibu to repack only the essentials, as the Count had expected him to do.
Even as she went thru the motions of seeing that Shibu had everything he could possibly need for the trip, Felice felt somehow numb and distant from the scene in which she found herself. It required the greatest effort of her life to smile at Shibu, and speak to him with hope and optimism in her eyes and in her heart, rather than tears.
"Oh my darling boy! You look so wonderful!" Felice told him with a happy smile as she looked into his radiant blue eyes.
Shibu smiled in return as only Shibu could, and Felice had to swallow hard to keep her eyes from filling with tears.
"Mom. I know you're going to worry, because you're my mother. But try not to worry too much. I'll be back before you know it, with the rest of the gold, and a Royal warrant for more potions." Shibu said confidently.
"I know you will dear, I just know it. I'll miss your smile and your laughter for a while, but when you come back, I'll be all the happier, and not just for the gold, or the warrant." Felice told him while clasping both of his hands in hers. Shibu's hands were larger, and much rougher than those of the baby she had held so many years ago. The Enripsa healer wondered where all the years had gone, but suddenly, she was too happy to cry, because she had such a wonderful boy to make her feel so good.
The very last item she entrusted to Shibu's care was also one of the most valuable. It was one of the venerable old wooden potion chests. The one with ornate brass corner pieces, shining golden hinges, and the lock that was almost as big as one of Shibu's hands.
"These are the potion samples, my dear." Felice told Shibu. "And this is the key to the chest." As Felice continued, she drew out from behind her back a large golden key that was tied to a long loop of velvet, wonderfully soft and deeply purple. The key seemed to settle around his neck as if it had always belonged there, for as long as Felice could remember.
"I love you Shibu, and I trust you too. I know you'll do our family proud." Felice told Shibu as she folded him into a tender hug.
Shibu did the same, holding Felice close and gentle as he whispered in her ear.
"I love you too, Mom. And Cici too. I hope she isn't too mad that I left before she could say goodbye. Tell her I have my bow and quiver, and that while we travel, I'll keep everyone safe and fed along the way, just the way she taught me."
"Cici would be so proud of you, Shibu. She loves you exactly as much as I do. I'll tell her that you'll be back soon, with many good stories to tell us around the summertime campfires."
As they parted, Felice had something else for Shibu. The Enripsa healer held out two familiar potion bottles to Shibu.
"Here, Dear. Keep these handy too, just in case."
Shibu smiled, and tucked the crystal bottles into each of the two pockets of his rough leather traveling outfit.
Felice smiled warmly and kissed Shibu gently on his nose.
"Be careful, Dearest Heart. And when in doubt, remember what Cici taught you. At heart, you're a Ranger, from now on."
"But I'm also a healer, too." Shibu replied. "And I'm just as proud of that."
Felice couldn't and didn't resist the impulse to hug her boy close, just one more time.
"Mom, there's one more thing I need to do before we leave." Shibu confessed in his usual quiet voice. "I have to go see Dylan for a minute or two."
Felice made a point of rising from her potion maker's bench, and fluttering over to embrace her son warmly. "I knew you'd remember, Shibu, I just knew it!" Felice told him with a rising note of pride in her voice.
"You go on, dear. And take as long as you like. Count Maxim and Bonta will wait, I promise."
"Thanks Mom, you are the best, and I'm going to miss you the most." Shibu answered brightly as he pivoted on his toes and made the striding step that was the beginning of the Ranger run.
Vaulting across the Village Green, Shibu's stride reduced what was normally a five minute walk for any of the villagers to just over a minute of travel time for himself.
He needed only a half-dozen long strides, including two to slow himself down, to find himself standing on the threshold of the porch outside his best friend's house.
"Hello in the house!" Shibu called out brightly. Almost before the words have left his mouth, a familiar Ecaflip figure made his own vault, smoothly thru the wide open double front doors, sailing across the porch, and directly at Shibu.
"Hey Superstar! Nice of you to come visit! Dylan said energetically as he took Shibu into a playful headlock, and tousled the top of his unusual hat gently as always.
"What's shaking, brother Ranger?" Dylan inquired, as he let Shibu go, and made a show of brushing him off lightly, with good humor as he spoke.
"Dylan, we have to talk." Shibu replied in a somewhat quieter and more confidential tone.
Dylan's youthful face instantly became more serious.
"Let's take a walk, and look at the trees." Dylan replied clapping an arm gently around Shibu shoulder.
The pair both went up on their toes, and made a quick dash for the glade where Cici had always taken Shibu for archery practice.
Together, the two boys sat down close to each other on one of the ancient oak stumps that were the Center of the forest clearing.
"Dylan, I need to ask you something." Shibu told him in a quieter more subdued voice, more typical of a Ranger.
"For my best buddy?" Dylan replied enthusiastically. "You say, I do!"
That made Shibu smile, at just the moment he needed to smile.
"Count Maxim has invited me to come to Bonta with him." Shibu replied, sounding even more quiet then before.
Dylan's dark eyes instantly grew to the size of saucers!
"That's brilliant! You can scout ahead for us for when we win the championship, and have to go that way ourselves. Dylan answered up quickly.
"I need a favor from you." Shibu repeated more quietly, to tone down the excitement which Dylan seem to feel as much as Shibu did.
"Anything Shibu, and I mean it." Dylan answered, instantly more serious, as he recognized his friends quiet, serious tone of voice.
"This township will need a Ranger here while I'm away. Cici will need the help, once the spring hunt is finished in a few days time. I would stay, but count Maxim wants to leave right away."
"Count on me good buddy." Dylan replied with an easy and confident tone, matched buy a broad smile. "I'll keep an eye on everything here, while you are taking Bonta by storm!"
"I knew I could count on you, Dylan, because I know you are the best. But there's something else I need to tell you, Ranger to Ranger."
"Go on Shibu."
"It's about count Maxim." Shibu replied slowly. "Something strange. A feeling I can't put into words."
"A bad feeling?" Dylan wanted to know.
"Not exactly. "Shibu replied quickly. "He hasn't done anything bad since he's been here. But something deep down tells me that something is not right." Shibu answered."
"Then, what?" Dylan wanted to know.
"That's just it." Shibu answered. "I can't really say anything to anyone. He's a noble, but I feel something strange when he gets close to me. Something almost- evil.
"And you are going to travel with this man to Bonta?" Dylan asked, pushing on the question slightly as he spoke to his best friend.
"I can't help it. He Hasn't done anything bad, not since he's been here, anyway. And the Royal warrant he promises is something mom has been waiting for her entire life. If I don't go, she will, and Dylan, the truth is something tells me she shouldn't go anywhere with Count Maxim."
"Hey Shibu, if you think this guy is some kind of crook, let's tell Cici, and the three of us can take him down."
"I have no proof, Dylan. Just a feeling. Accusing a noble of a crime without evidence is a crime itself.
Dylan put his chin in his hands, his dark eyes part way as he thought things over.
"There's only one thing You can do, superstar." Dylan said at last.
"If Maxim is planning something, it won't happen here, it may happen in Bonta. When and if it does happen, folks in Bonta will need all the help they can get, and we both know that means you." Dylan said quietly, and then he fell silent to watch his best friend's expression as Shibu thought things over.
"If I run into any trouble, I'll send an arrow for both Cici and for you." Shibu said quietly at last.
"We will back you up, Shibu, count on it. You know Cici would say the same thing, and do the same thing if she was here."
Shibu smiled. "If Cici we're here, she'd pin Count Maxim to a tree with a dozen arrows, just because I didn't trust him."
Dylan smiled in return. "She would at that, Shibu."
"But the only way to be sure of what's going on one way or another is for you to make the trip, as much to keep an eye on him as anything else. Dylan concluded.
Shibu nodded with resolution, and Dylan smiled as he saw the usual self-confident look return to his best friend's face.
"Thanks, Dylan. Shibu said, still speaking in his softer forest voice. "You're the best."
"No, that would be you, Shibu." I'm just lucky enough to have you to inspire me." Dylan shot back as quickly as an arrow. "Watch yourself while you're watching him, Okay Pal?" Dylan shot Shibu an upturned thumb as he spoke.
"Dylan, I- Shibu began to say.
"Go on now, and see that no one steals Bonta while everyone is watching you." Dylan said to Shibu quietly before Shibu turned, went up on his toes, and was out of sight in a single, long stride.
Shibu ran back to the house feeling like there was an api caught in his throat. But this time, Shibu took a roundabout path that let him enter his house from the back rather than the front, where he felt that someone had been watching his house.
Felice embraced him warmly, driving away the moment of cold fear he had struggled with in the forest.
"Love you Mom." Shibu said softly.
"I love you too, my bright Sea Dragon." Felice replied tenderly. "All ready, now?" She asked.
Shibu could not say anything more, so he smiled bravely and nodded.
Felice swept Shibu into another hug, and just held onto her boy.
Then, there was the sound of a wagon drawing up outside.
"Hello the house!" Came a familiar aristocratic voice from outside on the edge of the green. "Are you ready, Shibu?"
Shibu had to pause, and inhale deeply to find voice enough to answer back.
"I'll be right along, Your Excellency!" Shibu finally managed to call back without his voice cracking.
Felice looked at him and smiled, as warm as the morning sunshine. "Go on now dear, and I'll see you soon for a welcome home party."
Shibu nodded, in part to get the tears out of his eyes. Then he forced himself into a fast walk that became a run toward the front door, so his melting heart couldn't stick his unique shoes to the floor where he stood. He collected his reduced backpack and slipped it on, still unable to speak.
Shibu paused to fetch the potion chest,and to pickup his now sealed bow, and without looking back, Shibu ran out of the open door.
Without lowering the wagon gate, Shibu took one hop step and jump,and he found himself in the rear of the wagon. In two long strides over and around the potion chest, Shibu appeared up front,sitting next to the large canine. The silent wagon driver eyed him suspiciously for a moment, but then turned his attention back to the team, and let out a two toned whistle.
Once they were moving, Shibu didn't look back. Because he didn't want his mother to see the tears rolling down his cheeks as the wagon followed the curving path around the edge of the green, out of the village, and onto the main road at the edge of the woods.
"You know the wells, Boy?" The gruff canine asked him.
"Sure, every well between here and Emelka." Shibu answered, showing no trace of fear.
"Good. The sheep will want water and fodder as we go." The canine half growled at him.
"Don't be so rude to our young guest." Replied a smooth voice from the rear of the wagon. "I'm sure Shibu will be of more help on the road than you will be."
The Canine teamster seemed to take the insult out on Shibu. "Can blue eyes drive a wagon?" he asked gruffly, looking at Shibu with a mean sidelong glance.
"Not yet, but I'll learn." Shibu said smartly.
The Count's hearty laughter echoed thru the back of the wagon, "Well spoken, Shibu. Once you learn how, you and he will take turns, so we can travel by night as well. It's two days and nights to Bonta from here." The Count explained.
"I'll help all I can, Your Excellency." Shibu answered. "I want to be more than baggage on this trip."
"You need not worry so much." The Count answered. You'll get plenty of food and rest too. We have much to do when we arrive in Bonta." The Count told Shibu.
"For now, you know these woods better than both of us, Shibu. Please make certain we don't get lost."
"As you wish, Your Excellency."
"You may address me as Maxim, now that we are traveling companions, My fine lad. "I'll call you Shibu. Using titles in the wrong sort of place might mean we meet the wrong sort of people." Maxim explained.
"For now, if anyone asks other than an official, we are Uncle and Nephew. Does that suit you, Shibu?"
"Yes, Uncle Maxim, I understand." Shibu answered quickly.
"Felice was right, you certainly are a bright one, Shibu. And you can think as quickly as you move. Admirable indeed. I say." Maxim said,
"Thank you, Uncle Max!" Shibu replied quickly.
The nobleman smiled broadly in return.
"The cargo of your mother's potions could be worth a lot of money to the wrong sort of people, Shibu." Maxim told him. If others think the three of us are common folks, we're less likely to be robbed."
"Robbed?" Shibu asked, as if he'd never heard the word before.
"Yes, when bad people take your things without your permission."
"Just let someone try that!" Shibu said with an odd half smile. "Cici taught me what Rangers do to poachers!" Shibu replied with a hint of swagger.
"I'll bet she did, Shibu. " Maxim replied. "But we can't fight all the bad people we may meet between here and Bonta, so we'll just be regular folks on our way to the City, All right for now?"
"All right, Uncle Max. I won't start trouble, I promise. But if trouble finds us, I can finish trouble too."
"I'll just bet you can, Shibu. For now, come back here and lay down for a while. In two hours, I'll give you your first lesson as a wagon driver, so that Fel can sleep too.
"Fel?" Shibu repeated "That's his name?"
The Canine teamster let out a low half growl in Shibu's direction.
"Fel is a good name, Honest!" Shibu said quickly.
Just then Shibu saw the brown dog smile, just a little, for the first time ever.
Part of the bed of the wagon was lined with a soft layer of fleece, and several wool blankets. They felt a bit scratchy at first, but the gentle rocking motion as the wagon rattled along soon lulled Shibu into a comfortable sleep.
Maxim stepped carefully over Shibu, to join Fel up front.
"See, My Friend?" Maxim gloated, as he whispered softly to the canine. "As easy as candy, and twice as sweet. And see to it you stay that way to Shibu, Understand?"
This time, Fel didn't speak or growl. The brown dog only nodded silently. Maxim consulted a map he unrolled from a soft leather tube kept behind the driver's bench of the wagon.
"Keep straight on this path until we hit the well just outside Emelka. It should be two hours or so of blissful silence.'
"Yes, Uncle Max!" Fel repeated in a gruff voice with an impertinent smile.
Maxim took the rolled up map, and lashed his servant lightly across one shoulder.
"Drive!" the aristocrat in the black boots growled sourly in response. "I don't want to be late for our charming little rendezvous."