Chapter 6: Wisdom and Riddles

It had been years since Benja had seen his home moon of Pake. But, in all that time, it had changed very little. And no wonder. Pake hadn't really changed in centuries; no need for it to start now. Some places quietly endured, though the wider kingdom boiled with new technologies, revolutions, and wars.

But Benja sensed a dangerous force now wandered this quiet little moon. Etzli, or whatever lurked inside her, had been unleashed.

As soon as the rock-hopper touched down, Benja broke out in a near-run. He followed the old roads and dirt paths of his childhood. He didn't take the time to enjoy them.

He'd heard about the incident during Etzli's first trial. No specifics. Barely more than rumors, really. Crazy stories. Most of them contradicted each other, and several were completely unhinged--but some details sounded familiar enough to chill his blood.

Benja raced to Pampaa Topilli's humble cottage by the wood. As with everything else on Pake, it looked exactly the same as he remembered it.

He pounded on the door.

No answer.

Benja peered into the front windows. He found no signs of life, though he did find evidence of a struggle. One chair had been overturned. Shards of a tea-cup lay shattered on the floor.

Benja circled the cottage, looking for a way in. He stopped cold when he heard the metal scrape whetstone. He turned.

Nearby, Pampaa Topilli sat on a bench, sharpening his scythe.

"Pampaa!" Benja cried, running over.

Looking up, Pampaa squinted. "Eh? Benja? Is that you?"

"Where is she?" he asked, breathless.

Pampaa set the scythe aside and stood up. He opened his arms. "Well, hello there, m'boy! You've grown so tall!"

Puzzled, Benja hugged the old man and said, "Pampaa, I'm looking for Etzli. Is she here?"

"Nope." Pampaa patted his sweaty brow with a rag. "You've just missed her."

"Where did she go?"

"Don't rightly know."

"I heard about her trials. There was some kind of incident."

Pampaa frowned. "Incident?"

Benja nodded. "I was afraid she might've been hurt."

"No, she seemed fine when she came home. Down, of course. I'm sure you've heard she was released from the Criterion, poor thing. But she said nothing about an incident. And what about you, young man?"

Benja shook his head, too worried to comprehend. "Sir? Me?"

"Did you enter the Criterion today, as well?"

"Uh, yes, I did. But--"

"How did it go? Did you pass?"

Benja nodded, distracted. The biggest day of his life, and he barely cared right now. "I did. But what--"

"Why, that's wonderful!" Pampaa engulfed Benja in a second bear hug.

"Thank you--" Benja croaked.

"Little Benja, an Outranger. My, my. Well, this calls for a celebration in the form of libations. The potent kind." Pampaa tapped his nose with a chortle. "Might I recommend a mug of my homemade ale?"

"Dammit, Pampaa, listen!" Benja snapped.

Pampaa frowned, more confused than offended.

Benja tried to calm down. "That's very kind, Pampaa, but I'm worried about Etzli. I really need to see her."

"As I say, I don't know where they've taken her."

Benja blinked. "They? Who's they?"

"Troops from Krysta. Rather rough n' tumble bunch, if I'm being frank, and not much for politeness," Pampaa said with a tsk. "They broke my Sunshine's favorite tea-cup, and it's not as if she was resisting."

Stunned, Benja said, "And you just let them take her!"

Pampaa shrugged. "Well, their warrant appeared to be in order. Didn't see how she or I could say no."

"Where did they take her!"

Tilting his head with some pity, Pampaa sighed, "I don't know how many more ways to tell you this, but I don't have any idea."

"Dammit!"

"I’m sure it’s not far," said Pampaa. "Now, about that celebratory ale?"

So much time had passed since Benja saw Pampaa, he’d forgotten the man’s perpetually unflustered demeanor.

It was charming as a kid, when Benja thought of Pampaa as an old warrior monk, full of wisdom and riddles. But he found this calmness frustrating now, and the possible sign of an addled brain ambling to and fro like a boy in a field, during what Benja felt was an outright crisis.

What if Etzli accidentally hurt someone while in her monster form? What if she killed someone? The Criterion was renowned for its ability to push its candidates. It had certainly pushed Benja hard enough. More than once today, he'd genuinely wondered if he'd actually survive.

What could that kind of pressure have done to Etzli?

Benja couldn’t bring himself to reveal her monster to Pampaa, of course, so he struggled to find another way to convey his raging sense of urgency.

"Sir, there's no time for ale. We have to go, we have get her!" Benja pled.

"And we will, when they call us to come pick her up."

"And you think they're just going to do that? Call us? Tell us where to find her, and ask us to pick her up?" The very idea struck Benja as insane.

Pampaa looked exasperated for the first time. "Benja, these are soldiers in His Majesty's Army, not kidnappers. They're not after money. Well, there's probably going to be a fine so, yes, I suppose some money will be called for. But, I'm digressing."

Benja felt deflated. He was an official Outranger recruit now. He wanted to jump into action! But Pampaa was right about one thing: they had no idea where Etzli had been taken. "But don't you want to get her back?"

Pampaa frowned. "What? Of course I do."

"When, Pampaa? When are you going to do something?"

"When they call and tell us where they've ruddy taken her!" Heading into the cottage, Pampaa shook his head, mourning the youth of today. "Dear oh dear. I can see I shall have to draw myself an extra tall mug."

Benja gazed up at the sky, praying the troops hadn't taken Etzli far.