Part Seven

Wide eyed, Estev carefully balanced the dagger on his palms and tipped it to catch the afternoon sun. The serpent writhed menacingly, startling the boy into almost dropping the blade. Recovering, he told himself that it was merely a trick of the light and excellent craftsmanship. The knife was certainly an example of that. In spite of long exposure to the elements, the handle of deep dark wood bound with rings of copper and iron was smooth to the touch. As Estev rubbed his fingers along the guard, a faint hissing filled his ears.

"What did you find?" demanded Ferlan.

A strange desire to deny the other boy even a look at his discovery overwhelmed Estev. Closing his fist around the handle, he said, "You can't have it. I found it."

"Found what? Let me see it," Ferlan demanded.

"No. You can't touch it." Estev scrambled to his feet and put the knife behind his back.

"You little sneak." Face flushed and fists clenched, the farm lad sneered, "All your talk of agreements and bargains and you're trying to steal the first thing we find."

Estev blinked at the accusation and said, "I'm not stealing anything."

"Then hand it over and let me see." Ferlan grabbed the sturdy Rohirrim lad's arm and attempted to pull it forward.

Jerking free, Estev brought the knife from behind his back. Ferlan jumped back with an angry cry as the blade slashed through the air, and Estev shouted, "Leave me alone!"

Alerted by the noise, Rolfe hurried back. Grasping Ferlan by the forearm before the thin boy could attempt to snatch at the knife, he said, "Stop it, both of you. Estev, put it down."

Panting heavily, Estev ignored his foster brother and glared at Ferlan. "He can't have it."

Placing himself in front of Ferlan, Rolfe said softly, "No one's trying to steal it, Estev."

From across the fields came the excited barking of the dogs. Estev blinked, drew a deep breath and lowered the knife.

Giving no sign of his relief, Rolfe held out his free hand palm up. "We just want to see it."

Shaking his head, Estev rubbed at his forehead. "What? What did you say, Rolfe?" He stared down at the dagger clutched in his fist in confusion.

"No one's trying to steal it," Rolfe repeated gently. His hand squeezed Ferlan's arm tightly in silent command not to speak.

"Of course not," Estev replied, holding out the blade toward Ferlan. "It's share and share alike, isn't it?"

After checking with Rolfe for permission, the farm lad accepted the knife then stepped warily away from Estev.

The younger boy rolled his eyes and exclaimed, "What's wrong with you two?"

"Nothing's the matter with us." Rolfe studied the boy's pale face carefully. "Why did you say that?"

"Say what?" Estev demanded.

"That you found it and it was yours." Ferlan hissed. "You won't get away with that, you know?"

"I never said any such thing." Estev's hands balled into fists. "You take that back."

Once again, Rolfe stood between them. Worry filled his brown eyes as he insisted, "But you did."

"I never! I'd never break a bargain like that."

"I know that," Rolfe replied. "But, Estev, you did say it. Don't you remember?"

"No." Estev glared at the other two boys, righteous indignation written across his face. How could they possible accuse him of going back on a bargain? Why, his father would disown him if he ever did such a thing. Raising his chin, he said in a low voice, "You must of heard me wrong."

Seeing that it was useless to argue, Rolfe looked to Ferlan, who shrugged his shoulders. Uncertainly, Rolfe nodded his head. "Yes, we must have."

When Estev gave a curt nod of acceptance of this faint apology, Rolfe motioned for Ferlan to hold the knife out for all to see.

Nearly a span in length the blade's edges rippled in a design unfamiliar to the boys. The deeply etched serpent imparted a coppery sheen to the steel so that it gleamed dully.

"It's sure to be worth a lot," Ferlan said with a soft whistle. "No one finds things like this any more."

"No, which will make it easier," responded Rolfe cryptically.

Estev reached out to trace the runes surrounding the serpent. "I wonder what it says."

"What does it matter?" asked Ferlan impatiently. "What did you mean make it easier? Make what easier?"

"Hiding it," replied Rolfe.

"From who" Ferlan exclaimed indignantly. "You said Shaymur got a share no matter what; and Karston and Curthan have already worked longer than you did."

"From Harlan, you fool," sneered Estev. "If he sees this, we won't get anything. That's what you're thinking, isn't it, Rolfe?'

"Yes. We've got to have somewhere to keep all the best stuff until we're ready to sell it. We'll show Harlan all the bits and pieces." Rolfe pointed at the almost filled barrow. "That should keep your brother satisfied."

Ferlan looked dubious. "Where are you plan on hiding it? I don't have anywhere that doesn't get searched regularly."

"I suppose we could just leave it out here. Hide it somewhere and check it everyday." Rolfe replied slowly.

"No!" exclaimed Estev and Ferlan together.

"Not a good idea. Harlan's bound to come out here on his own at least once," Ferlan countered.

"Right, it's not safe out here," Estev extolled solemnly.

Rolfe forced a laugh. "It's been safe enough for three years, surely it can stay for the week or so it will take us to clear the rest of the field and do a good search of this area."

"We found it, didn't we?" insisted Estev. "Someone else might too."

Ferlan nodded his agreement. Rolfe was at a loss. "Where do you suggest we hide it then?" he asked with asperity.

"Hide what?"

The new voice startled the three debaters and they whirled about to find Shaymur, his cap tipped back at a jaunty angle, grinning at their surprise. "Sorry I'm late. A group of merchants from Dol Amroth arrived just as I was about to leave and wanted to be taken all the way up to the sixth circle." He jingled several coins in his pocket. "Couldn't turn them down. They might have gone wandering about for days." With a nod toward the barrow, he added, "You made a good start I see.

"That's nothing," Ferlan said eagerly, dismissing the pile of broken bits and pieces. "Here, look at this." He thrust the knife into the older boy's hands. "Estev just found it. I told you there was something good out here."

Shaymur whistled softly as he examined the blade in his hand. "Aye, this is worth something."

"Rolfe thinks we should hide it." Ferlan went on. "He's afraid my brother will try to take it. He's probably right about that."

Estev interrupted, "Or worse, he'll hire someone else to clear out the field. And I'll bet you there's even more out here. Remember those medallions. We don't want anyone else to come around here."

"No, we don't. Rolfe, what do you think?" Shaymur asked. "We could show Harlan stuff like what's in the barrow everyday. But this is different."

Rolfe turned in a slow circle, eyes searching for something that could be used as a hiding place for whatever they found. Seeing the dogs in the distance, he considered a squirrel's hole. No, it would be their luck the squirrels would push it out of their burrow. Under a stone? Too much chance of forgetting which stone unless you marked it, and if you marked it then you merely announced its importance for all to see.

"I still say it needs to be hidden," Rolfe said stubbornly. "If you don't want to hide it out here, couldn't we keep what we find at someone's house?"

"And how do we know that person won't suddenly decide it all belongs to him and run off with it?" Ferlan exclaimed, with a glare toward Estev.

Estev flushed and balled up his fists. "I never said it was mine."

"Sounded like it to me," taunted Ferlan.

Shaymur and Rolfe sprang between the smaller boys and pushed them apart.

"What's this all about?" asked the freckle-faced leader after staring Ferlan into muttering obedience.

Rolfe eyed Estev, who had turned away from the others and was pacing back and forth giving Ferlan evil glances over his shoulder.

"It's hard to explain," said Rolfe. His loyalty was first of all to Estev.

"Try," ordered Shaymur.

Slowly, with many repetitions that he still was not certain that he had heard Estev correctly, Rolfe related the tale of the finding of the knife. As he finished, the other boy looked down at the knife in his hand. When he had first held it, he could have sworn the snake's eyes were glowing. But now, it looked just like any other knife.

"Strange. Estev's not the type to try to take something."

"I know. That's why I think we must have misheard him."

"Maybe," said Shaymur. "Is there any one that we could leave things with that could be trusted? Someone not connected to any of us?"

Rolfe shook his head. "Almost everyone I know is related to Estev's family somehow. Don't you know anyone? One of the guards at the gate?"

"Maybe, but I don't like getting anyone else involved. Hard enough to keep secrets with six people."

"You can't have it both ways, Shaymur. We leave it with one of us or we leave it with someone else. Either way that person has to be told what it is."

"All right then. We can't hide it anywhere close to Harlan. And there's no place at my grandsire's that's safe from my brothers and sisters and cousins. Ferlan's gonna holler clear to the Tower, but it'll have to go home with you two."

Rolfe grimaced and agreed, if given the chance he would have said he did not want the weapon anywhere near Estev. He pointed at the sun, well on its way to the peaks of the mountains. "We need to get back. Or Estev and I won't be allowed to come out tomorrow. We've still got extra chores to do to make up for being late yesterday."

Nodding his understanding, Shaymur said loudly, "I think you made a good start today. Curthan and Karston will be back in the morning, and I'll be certain to be here at noon. Estev and Rolfe, you'll take the afternoons?"

"I suppose I have to be here all day even though I get the same share all of you do working only half the time," Ferlan remarked sourly.

"Any time you want us to leave, you let us know, Ferlan," said Rolfe quietly, having grasped a lunging Estev by the collar.

"No one's leaving, ...yet," stated Shaymur firmly. Holding up the knife, he looked to Ferlan. "Rolfe's going to take this to keep it safe. Can you agree to that?"

The smaller boy nervously ran a hand through his shaggy hair. It was plain enough that Shaymur was issuing an ultimatum. Either he could trust the other boys would be fair and keep to their words, or he would be left to cope with his brother alone.

Finally, Ferlan's shoulders slumped. "Who's going to help me get this barrow back? Harlan's going to expect to see we done something."

"We'll help you get it home." Shaymur pulled a ragged piece of cloth from his pocket to wrap the dagger in before handing it to Rolfe.

Estev chewed his lower lip when Rolfe accepted the bundle and tucked it inside his shirt. He wanted to ask if anyone else had seen the serpent move, but could think of no way to pose such a question. Rubbing his fingers together, he remembered the cool feel of the blade as it had rested on his palms.

"You two take the barrow," said Rolfe. "We've got to hurry before we get in trouble again for being late."

Ferlan flushed, but unable to think of anything to say he picked up the handles of the barrow and began bumping across the fields toward his home. After helping Rolfe move the stakes marking the areas already cleared, Shaymur hurried to catch up with the farm lad. Rolfe and Estev whistled for the dogs, then trotted toward the ramps that would allow them to climb over the outer wall into the first circle.