8 Watcher in the Woods

In order to see birds it is necessary to become part of the silence." -Robert Lynd

"So, who's going to start?"

The Watcher's keen blue eyes scanned over the three of them, shrewd and bright under tangled gray brows. Julie swallowed. The man's sudden appearance had driven all words from her head. She could only stare like an idiot, and Luke and Seth were faring no better.

The Watcher, Silas, sighed, as though put upon, and held one slim finger to his shoulder. The dove stepped demurely onto it and was lowered to his eye level.

"Zena my dear, why don't you ask these young people's birds why they called me if they intended to stand here like dimwits."

The dove crooned softly in response and then tilted her head to fix Icarus, Athena, and Corax with her beady eye. There was a moment of silence in which there seemed to be communication.

What did you tell her? Julie asked Icarus nervously. Strange how her mind kept working while her throat refused to.

The truth. That you are momentarily surprised by their arrival and will begin speaking like a sensible person soon. I hope, replied the gyrfalcon.

Julie gathered herself and said in an unsteady but hopefully firm voice, "M-my name is Julie, and this is Luke, and Seth. Our bird bonds are Icarus, Athena, and Corax. We wanted to ask you a few questions. You are the Watcher of these woods, aren't you?"

The old man was quiet for a moment, and then said, "Yes. I am a Watcher. Perhaps you should follow Zena and I back to our home."

He turned and began to walk away into the trees without another word. Julie swallowed and began heading after him when Luke grabbed her shoulder. "Are you mad? He could be anyone, Julie! How could you tell him our real names?"

A piercing chill of fear shot through her. Luke was right. How could she have been so stupid? If Maeron had sent out search parties or word of their disappearance, she had just told the Watcher everything he needed to know to turn them in. Hot defiance instinctively covered her shame. "Well, neither of you looked ready to talk! I had to say something!"

Are you coming, young ones?

The voice was like a wind chime in Julie's head, a shivery bell-like croon that was like the wind in a chimney. It was so unfamiliar that Julie felt a prickle of wrongness go down her spine. She looked up. Silas was nowhere to be seen, but the dove was sitting there looking down at them. Her eyes glittered strangely, and Julie felt a deep humanness in them. And that's when she realized the dove's eyes were no longer black, but bright blue.

She sucked in a breath. Silas was one of them. Silas had Skyjoined. He was watching them now, through the eyes of his dove.

In a flash she had relayed this to Icarus, who in turn flashed it to Athena and Corax. She saw the eyes of Seth and Luke widen almost at the same time as her revelation struck them.

The knowledge that they were in the presence of someone who had Skyjoined crushed any thoughts of resistance. All three of them began walking in the direction that Silas had disappeared. To Skyjoin was such a rare and revered thing that anyone who had undergone it became tantamount to a war hero or a sage.

Zena went flapping off among the trees, her fast-beating wings making a strange piping sound in the otherwise silent forest. Julie felt Icarus settle on her shoulder, and without asking knew he had done it to stay close to her and protect her if it came to trouble. Athena and Corax did the same. Luke just stroked the eagle owl absently, but Seth brought the raven close to him, and Corax cocked his smooth head as if listening. Seth's lips did not move an inch, but Julie saw his throat moving slightly, perhaps making the soft croaks that crows and ravens used to communicate.

Was that stupid, Icarus?

The gyrfalcon cocked his head at her. It's part of my job to be blunt with you. It might have been. But that doesn't mean there is no hope, no chance. It is perfectly possible that this man Silas is friendly.

Julie swallowed, trying to master her nervousness. To distract herself, she asked her bond, What are Seth and Corax doing? How's Luke?

Seth and Corax are communicating. The thief is clever…he is speaking aloud so the dove Zena or Silas cannot overhear his thoughts. He seems to have learned enough of Raven language to get along. It might be a good example for us to follow. As for Luke, you can ask him yourself. I will pass your thoughts, like mind-carrying.

Julie closed her eyes and sent, Luke, I'm sorry. That was incredibly dumb of me. Do you have any ideas?

There was an interval where she felt Icarus take her thoughts and siphon them away as if through a funnel, into his own mind. Then she saw Athena swivel her head and blink her huge orange eyes as she received the message and passed it to Luke. A moment later the thought came back, in Luke's mind voice, which, like his spoken one, was wavering between pubescent deepening and cracking. Julie felt a rush of relief; she had forgotten how much she missed the familiarity of Luke talking to her.

It's okay, Julie. You panicked. What the heck is Seth doing? He sounds like he's got something in his throat.

Ic says he's talking in Raven, so Silas can't possibly overhear.

Julie saw Luke's pale eyebrows rise; he seemed impressed. I've heard of people who learned their birds' language. Legend says Ichor and Anna could do it.

Julie jolted with surprise. Luke wasn't quite sixteen, so how did he know the old story Mother Acko had imparted to her?

Luke noticed her reaction, and turned his head sideways enough to wink at her. That too was more like the Luke she knew from childhood. I went into my father's room one day and found an old book with the story in it. I didn't know until later I wasn't supposed to read it yet. When I turned sixteen I was just going to feign surprise.

Oddly, it made Julie feel better to know she wasn't the only one who knew the old legend. It had never felt right when she knew things Luke didn't or vice-versa. He was her longest and most trusted confidante.

Suddenly Corax let out a hoarse caw, and Seth said tensely, "We're here."

It was probably the most innocent looking building Julie could have imagined. A small cottage-like building with thin slate roof tiles, edged with bushes and with creeping ivy covering the stone walls. The dove was perched on the apex of the roof, directly about the stout wood door. Her eyes were still blue with the presence of her human bond, and Julie shuddered in spite of herself. Her unease was not helped by the haunting coo that Zena made, without seeming to open her beak. It rose and fell like a haunting dirge, like wind in branches. Icarus bobbed his head. A mourning dove. If this Watcher is dangerous, he has an oddly peaceful bond. Doves are not known for being fierce.

All the same Ic, that noise creeps me out, Julie said mentally, self-consciously aware that the dove might be listening in, though it would be immensely rude if she was.

At that moment, Zena fluttered her wings and the door of the cottage swung open. Silas stood framed there, leaning slightly against the doorway, watching the three with inscrutable eyes.

"Come in," he grunted finally, and disappeared into the depths of the house.

Julie swallowed and began to walk cautiously forward, Icarus's talons gripping her shoulder pad. Suddenly, she heard the rasp of metal on metal, and turned to see Seth drawing Sheridan. His green eyes were suddenly full of anger and fear, and on his shoulder, Corax let out a scraping cry.

"Seth? What's wrong?" Julie asked. It came out as more of a squeak.

"Get back!" Seth hissed. "Look around you!"

Julie did, the thief's emotion catching at her and kindling her own fear. At first she saw nothing, and then her eye was suddenly caught by a perfectly shaped and smoothed piece of granite jutting out of the soil by the hedges. It was a small dome, weathered and surrounded by grass. But there was writing on it, and Julie felt a chill of horror as she realized it was a grave marker. Her breath caught as she spotted another, and another. With a growing sense of having walked into a terrible trap, she saw gravestone after gravestone, subtly sprinkled all around the cottage right up to the edge of the trees.

From behind, she felt Luke grip the shoulder Icarus was not sitting on. With the detail and precision of adrenaline, Julie saw that the gravestones had names and dates on them, and underneath beautiful sketchings of different birds carved in stone. They were traditional Rathyan gravestones; every person who was buried not only had their own name there, but also the name and likeness of their lifelong companion. But Julie had always seen them in the trim town cemetery, never in the middle of a forest right outside someone's home.

"Always frightened by the dead, aren't we?"

Julie nearly jumped a foot in the air. Silas had reappeared in the doorway, and was watching them calmly. Seth leveled his dagger. "Stay there," he growled menacingly, but Julie thought she heard a tremor in his voice.

Silas shook his head. "It's all right. I take it you've never been to a Walker's house before? This is how they all look. These," he gestured around at the gravestones, "Are the Walkers that have lived here before me. It is our tradition to be buried outside the place where you lived your life."

Julie watched the man carefully, trying to gauge whether he was lying. She had never heard of this odd custom, but then, Watchers were very secretive folk. Not much was known about them.

"Now, come inside, and let's discuss the circumstances of your running away."

Julie gasped. Seth growled under his breath, glaring at the Watcher. Luke voiced what all of them were thinking in a bewildered tone, "How did you know that?"

Seth's question was far more accusing. "Are you working for the Whi—, Lord Maeron?"

For the first time, Julie actually heard the old man laugh. It was a gravelly, somewhat wheezy laugh, but it was genuine.

"Me? In league with that filthy, good-for-nothing snake? Never. I'm wise enough to know not to go near him with a fifty-foot stick."

The disdain and conviction in Silas's voice was enough to convince Julie. She saw Seth relax his grip on his dirk slightly, but he was too much a thief to drop his guard completely. Silas continued.

"Zena looked into your minds through your bird-bonds for me. I saw everything about how you fled from Maeron."

Immediately, Julie's suspicion came flooding back. She heard Icarus squawk with surprise, and Corax croaked hoarsely, "He breaks the law!"

The taboo preventing humans from using their bonds to read or invade minds was one of the strictest of the code involving the Rathyan birds.

Silas inclined his head to them. "I am sorry I did it. I wish it had not been necessary. But given your ages, and the fact that you were wandering alone, I had to make sure you weren't one of the Silva."

Julie looked at Luke and saw his confused expression mirrored her own. This conversation was starting to make her head hurt.

Seth however, looked surprised. "They don't patrol the Eastern Woods anymore! They moved west, ages ago."

Silas shook his head. "They particularly like to bother me. They think I'm some kind of sorcerer because I have all these previous Watchers buried here. And I shot their leader once with a well-placed slingstone, for which they've never forgiven me. They are a constant irritation to me."

Seth looked almost amazed. "You attacked the leader of the Silva Offendo and you aren't dead? Or under a constant state of siege?"

"The siege part of it isn't so off the mark," grumbled Silas, leaning on his staff.

"Wait, wait," Julie interrupted, starting to feel completely lost. "What on Rathya is the Silva Offendo?"

Seth spoke without taking his eyes off Silas, his weapon still leveled. "Silva Offendo is a group of rogues, most of them pretty young, that live wild in the forests. Most people call them the Silva for short. Their band name means 'Forest Strikers' in some ancient language, I think."

"So they're thieves. Like you." There was a trace of accusation in Luke's voice as he glanced at Seth.

Seth looked away from Silas long enough to give Luke a dry stare. "I've never met them personally, and I'm certainly not one of them, if that's what you're thinking. They do steal, I'm fairly sure, but they also attack people. That I don't do. Usually."

"But they're a serious threat?" Luke asked. Seth and Silas nodded at the same time. Then they gave each other wry looks.

"Then we won't go that way." Julie felt it was time to steer the meeting back to its original purpose. "Silas, could you tell us the best direction to head if we want to avoid Maeron?"

The Watcher stroked Zena as he spoke. "That's difficult. His reach is wide…he has many people under his employ. Maeron is crafty; nearly anywhere you went he could conceivably follow you. You have made a very dangerous enemy, youngsters."

"Unless…" Luke looked thoughtful. "What if we went somewhere no one would ever expect us to. What if we went to the Silva?"

Seth actually laughed. "Have you been listening this whole time? The Silva aren't friendly, forgiving people like yours truly. They will catch you and maybe kill you if they find you in their territory."

Luke shrugged. "It may be our best shot. Not even Maeron would think we'd take up with a band of forest rogues. Especially if they're as dangerous as you say."

Seth was regarding Luke from under his black bangs as if he couldn't decide whether he was insane or admirable. He looked at Julie and raised an eyebrow in question.

Julie could see both sides of logic. Luke had a good point; if they were looking to run from Maeron, the Silva were probably their best shot. But if Seth said they were killers…

Icarus spoke in her mind. Which is safer; Lord Maeron, who you know will drag you to the capital and burn the village, or the Silva, who we aren't sure about?

"I agree with Luke." Julie saw her friend raise his head and look at her gratefully. To Seth, she said, "It's better than Maeron. Better than going back to the Whipper."

Seth made a curious jerking motion, and reached around absently to touch to his back. His eyes briefly turned faraway, and then cleared. "Well, I'm a thief. And I'm reckless. So it would be hypocritical of me to disagree with you." He hefted Corax higher on his arm. "Let's go."

"You're mad," said Silas, as Zena voiced her haunting ululation again.

"Maybe," said Luke, squaring his shoulders. "But it just might keep us alive."

"It's never failed me before," Seth said cheerfully.

The Watcher shook his head, and then went back inside the house. When he returned, he held out a fine silver chain with an oak leaf pendant. "That's the sign of the Watchers. Any others you meet will help you, no questions asked, if you show them that. But I wouldn't recommend letting the Silva see it, if you do go to them. As I said, they are not kindly toward me."

Julie accepted the necklace with a word of thanks, hanging it carefully around her neck so that the oak leaf charm was hidden inside her shirt. Silas nodded to them. "You're the first visitors I've seen in a long while. I hope your journey goes well, and that you successfully avoid Maeron."

The three of them nodded respectfully to the old man, and their bird bonds exchanged soft sounds with Zena. Then, at Silas's gestured direction, they headed away west into the thick woods. It made Julie feel just a bit nervous, walking away from the only link with other people they'd seen so far.

The tense air was broken by Luke's mock serious voice. "Y'know, Seth, you never cease to surprise me."

The thief looked up, bemused. "Why's that?"

"I didn't think you knew a word like 'hypocritical'."

There was a moment of complete silence, in which Julie held her breath, and then Seth gave a burst of laughter so loud Corax launched himself into the air with a caw. The thief clapped Luke's shoulder as the other boy grinned.

Julie shook her head, trying to cover her own smile. At least it seemed neither of them held a grudge any longer. Hopefully it would make them more of a united front when it came time to face the Silva.