See chapter 1 for disclaimers.

Chapter 4: A Brother's Worth

"Your brother?" Mirnen asked as they rode toward the town.

"Yes. He appeared to be in a barn, mending a harness. I couldn't get more than that, though. I'd been looking for a while, and a reaction headache was setting in."

"It's not much to go on, but at least you know he's alive."

Jebel nodded. "I'll try again later tonight." He knew that Mirnen was right, but he couldn't help feeling impatient after being apart from them for so long. He wanted to be there now.

:Your range is impressive for a Herald,: Arctus pointed out, :but still has limits. He's within three days travel.:

:I know, Arctus, and it's a huge relief to know as much as I do. I'll try to be more patient.: A thought struck him. "Can you use FarSight? What's your range?"

Arctus hesitated a moment, a sign that Jebel had asked an uncomfortable question.

:It doesn't work quite the same way for us,: Arctus hedged. :Besides, I've never met your family. I've no way to focus on them.:

The hesitation meant that Arctus was looking for a very particular way of answering. Jebel knew what that meant; another Companion secret. He pushed down a flash of irritation. By long-standing agreement, there were certain things they didn't pry into. Jebel valued it as much as his Companion did, but it could be damn annoying at times.

:I'd help if I could.: Arctus assured him.

"I know. Thank you." Companions were incapable of lying. Every Herald knew that as immutable fact, but it didn't mean, Heralds also knew, that Companions always told the truth. There was no point grousing about it, though. It was just a limitation they had to work with, and despite some secrets being kept, the Companions had proven their worth time and time again.

Setting it aside, Jebel asked about the town they were approaching. Dremark was a moderate sized town that handled what trade across the border there was as well as providing a center of commerce for the region. There was a military presence there, due to the proximity of Karse, but there had been no serious incidents in years.

The town was fairly quiet, and their reception lacked the fanfare they had received at some of the smaller villages. Mirnen said that Heralds were a more common sight there as the border with Karse was on their doorstep. The mayor and the town elders greeted them warmly and they got down to business.

The new laws and amendments to old laws were laid out, and questions were asked, many of the same they had answered in other towns and villages. When the mayor and his people were satisfied, they made arrangements to hear cases the following day, as the discussions had eaten up most of the afternoon.

They retired to an inn and arranged a stable for their Companions and rooms for themselves. They took a simple meal of soup and bread before heading up to their rooms shortly after sunset. Jebel was tired, but he didn't want sleep. He wanted to find his brother. He knew Trentes was close and he wasn't prepared to wait longer than he needed to in order to get comfortable and begin reaching out.

FarSight had been strange at first. There was a conceptual hurdle to get over involving seeing things his mind, at first, told him he shouldn't be able to see. A first step had been focusing on distant items he could see and 'bringing them closer' to use an early awkward description of what he was trying. His teachers had been dubious, but had allowed him to progress in his own way.

He had long ago put the hurdle behind him, though, and simply knowing that his brother was alive and close was enough to make it a simple task. After only a few moments of concentrating, he had an image. His brother sat at a roughhewn table with a young, rather pretty, brunette woman. They were having dinner and talking. He couldn't tell what they were saying, but neither seemed worried or troubled in any way. He took in what details he could about his brother and the woman. Both seemed healthy and the clothes, while worn, were of a good quality. The house, as well, seemed solid and the furniture well-made.

It seemed, from what little he could tell, that his brother was doing well. That was a relief. Now, Jebel just needed to find him.

OOOOOOOOOO

The cases began the next day without much fanfare. There was a crowd of people waiting with grievances of one sort or another and a morose-looking town official prepared to oversee the proceedings.

The presence of two Heralds helped keep things civil, but there was clearly a fair amount of ill will between those who had come to have their disputes settled. The cases, for the most part, did not lend themselves to amicable resolutions or compromises, but both parties accepted the decisions reached.

They called a halt for the noon meal, much to everyone's relief. Those who had been watching how the Heralds handled things wanted a little time to review their cases and arguments, and the town officials and the two Heralds wanted a brief rest from the venom some of the parties were spitting at each other.

Jebel headed for the town's marketplace. He had seen some carts there selling fresh produce and an inn where some cooked food might be had. Either sounded good. With this in mind, he began to wander, looking over the offerings. He saw a few things he wanted to add to their trail rations, but decided he'd rather eat at the inn. Turning in that direction, he stopped in his tracks when he saw a familiar face. The shoulder-length dark hair framing it was easily recognizable.

She was standing behind a nearby cart full of fresh vegetables and checking the selection. A skinny, gray-haired man was watching her carefully, even as he extolled the benefits of fresh vegetables and making somewhat unlikely claims about his own. Jebel wanted to approach her at once and ask about his brother, but he realized that the woman didn't know him and asking how he knew to approach her might lead to awkward questions. After a moment's thought, he approached the vendor next to the vegetable seller. This man was selling blankets, and was not occupied with a customer at the moment.

"Excuse me." Jebel stepped up to the man. "I'm hoping you can help me."

"If I can, Herald." The man was a bit surprised at being approached, but he responded politely.

"I'm looking for someone who might have arrived in town or passed through within the last year or two. His name is Trentes. Skin like mine, a bit shorter. He had a short beard, the last time I saw him."

"Trentes?" The merchant smiled. "Yes. He came to town roughly two years ago, and you are in luck. His wife, Cyla, is right over there." The merchant nodded to the woman who had turned at the sound of Trentes' name.

"You're looking for Trentes?" Her tone was guarded. "Is he in trouble?"

Jebel turned toward her and stopped, staring. Seeing her from behind, in the rather shapeless homespun dress, he hadn't noticed the bulge. He smiled, not daring to hope, and answered. "Our father would tell you that I was the one that was usually in trouble." At her look of confusion, he clarified. "My name is Jebel. Trentes is my brother."

She blinked again and then nodded. "He said his family had been scattered going through Karse. He had hoped some might make their way here."

"And I did, by a round-about way."

A short time later, Jebel was walking into a blacksmith's shop. His brother was haggling with a smith's apprentice over the price of repairs to what looked to be a plowshare. Even as he approached, he saw the apprentice sigh and nod. A few coins changed hands and his brother turned away, smiling.

"You always were better at haggling than anyone else in the family," Jebel offered drily. Trentes stopped and stared for a second before crossing the distance in three long strides and catching his little brother in a hug.

"Jebel! Are you alright? What happened to you? Have you seen the others? And… What are you wearing?"

The last question made Jebel laugh. Trentes had always taken more care of and pride in his appearance than any of his siblings. It had gotten him some teasing, but he didn't pay it any mind, pointing out the number of times that his smooth manner, being well-dressed and groomed had accomplished more for them than brute force could have.

"It's a long story, Trentes. I look forward to telling it, and I can't wait to hear yours." He led the way back to the meeting hall to find Mirnen. They encountered Arctus on the way.

:Congratulations, Jebel. I see you've found your brother.:

"I did," Jebel answered his Companion out loud. "This is Trentes, my eldest brother. Trentes, this is Arctus. My Companion."

"I see. Ah, nice to meet you." He glanced at Jebel in polite confusion. "Why are you introducing me to your horse?"

Jebel restrained a laugh at Arctus' offended reaction. The snort and raised head, allowing him to peer down his nose at the human made it clear, even to someone that did not know the Companion's mannerisms, that the horse-shaped creature was offended. "Arctus isn't a horse," Jebel explained, "though many, even in Valdemar, make that mistake. Companions are… A really long story."

That story took a while to tell. After a brief conversation with Mirnen, Jebel accompanied Trentes and his wife to a small farm that had belonged to Cyla's parents. It stood on about 30 acres, and most of it was given over to growing crops. The place, Trentes told him, had seen better days.

Cyla's parents had been struggling to keep the farm, which had shrunk as their family did, viable if not profitable since she was small. They had agreed to let Trentes work for them in exchange for food and lodging while he waited to see if any members of his family made it to Valdemar. He had grown close to Cyla over the following year, and helped to keep the work going when her father fell ill. He had died three months after the winter storm that had first brought on his illness.

Cyla's mother, heartbroken, fell ill and died not long after her husband's passing. While devastated, her father had taught her to be practical. With nothing left to her but the farm and her family's debts, she turned to Trentes, who had become her closest friend and confidant. She knew that the farm would fail without more people to work it and Trentes was waiting for his family, which needed a place to settle.

What started as friendship and trust grew into more. They married shortly after Cyla discovered she was pregnant.

"This is my life now." Trentes concluded. "I came here seeking a temporary refuge, now I've got a new family to look after. I am happier than I can say to find you alive and well."

"But how did you get here? Do you know what happened to the others?" He thought a moment. "I heard a second-hand rumor that Mijad had taken up with a group of bandits in Karse."

"I heard the same." Trentes nodded, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Bandits and similar is what the rulers of Karse call dissidents and members of resistance groups that occasionally spring up. Lies are spread about them to keep them from gaining supporters. One of these groups rescued us from a patrol. We'd been running and hiding in anything resembling shelter for over a week after the family split up. We were on our last legs when they found us. I thought we were in serious trouble, at first. They got us clear of the patrol, though, and explained how things work in Karse. They helped get me to Valdemar, but Mijad decided to stay with them."

Jebel sighed. "Sounds like Mijad. He always did get caught up in 'causes.' Even if they had nothing to do with him."

"This one kind of does." Trentes allowed. "It's a bit of a story, and I don't know all of it, but he does get messages smuggled across the border now and then. Last month, he sent news about our aunt Isleis and cousin Enlee."

"They're alive?" Jebel asked eagerly. "Where?" He and Enlee had been rather close growing up. His vivacious cousin had been his partner in mischief more often than his older brothers were.

"They were caught by the Sunpriests, but they managed to survive by 'finding religion.' They've apparently become temple maids or whatever it's called."

Jebel winced. "Isleis always hated that kind of hypocrisy."

"Better than being set on fire," Trentes pointed out. "Mijad is hoping to find a way to free them and smuggle them out. Seems unlikely that our aunt and cousin are the only ones who don't want to be there. Apparently, they're at the temple near the Hardorn border along the Sun serpent river."

"What about father?" Jebel asked after a few seconds of silence, deciding there was nothing to be done for the moment.

"No one knows." Trentes shook his head, slowly. We all went in different directions, initially. I found Mijad on the third day of sneaking around the countryside and getting nowhere. Isleis and Enlee apparently had similar luck, or they were captured separately. I'm not sure. There's been no word about father, though."

"I've been looking for any sign of our family. My fellow Heralds have promised to help in the search as best they can."

"Heralds never go into Karse, do they?"

"Not if they can help it," Jebel admitted after a moment. "All we can do is hope for the best. Mijad may find him, or he may have made his way across the border at some point, just as you and I did."

"Let's hope." They fell silent for a moment. Cyla, who had gone out to tend to the washing and mending to give the brothers time to catch up, returned to a depressed silence and gave her husband a concerned look.

"We've got leads on everyone but our father, now." Trentes explained. She nodded in understanding.

"The next messenger from your brother's group should be by in a few days," she offered. "Maybe there will be some word."

Jebel moved them on to more pleasant topics, telling them about the Heralds and the Companions. Both were a bit dubious about some of his claims, but both had also heard amazing things about Heralds in general.