Foul Mouth, C. 4

Chapter Four

Xavie awoke slowly. At first the only thing he could think of was the pain. From the right side of his chest to his fingertips throbbed, the pain peaking in his collarbone. He reached up and found the bolt still in him, sticking out at a sharp angle right angle to the bone.

Using his left hand, he pushed himself up, stifling a sharp cry. Tears sprung to his eyes as he looked around.

Rev sat staring at the body of the man who had shot him, arms wrapped around knees, rocking back and forth. Her red-orange eyes were wide, staring at the man.

"Rev," Xavie called hoarsely. "Please..." Her head snapped up and her eyes met his. He felt oddly frozen while their gazes were locked; the pain even faded a little. Then she was on her feet next to him, ripping his tunic away and examining the wound.

"Eat this," she said, pulling a small leaf from a pouch that hung around her neck. She held it up, and Xavie took it and consumed it without question. To his surprise, the pain faded a bit, and his head cleared substantially. "It didn't go all the way through," she said. Liquid healing magic made his collar tingle. "It struck the bone... It's shattered."

"Oh my," he muttered. "Can you fix it?"

"No," she told him frankly. "I can help a little. Close your eyes and count to ten." Warily, Xavie obeyed.

"One." Her fingers pressed the tender spot around the bolt. He winced. "Two." She did some kind of magic, and his whole shoulder and neck went tingly. "Three." His collarbone was completely numb now. "Four." The bolt tugged as Rev wrapped her hand around it. "Five." Rev placed her other hand on his shoulder, seemingly careless of jarring his broken bone. "Six." Her foot pressed against his thigh, probably for leverage. "Seven." She took a deep breath and then exhaled sharply. "Ei--." She wrenched. The bolt came out of his flesh with a sickening ripping sound. Xavie bellowed a foul curse word as pain shot down his arm. Even with Rev's magickal numbing spell, he still felt as if his collar had been shattered all over again. His eyes snapped open; his left hand flew to his right shoulder.

Rev grabbed his wrist, using all her weight against him to keep his hand from his collar. "Don't touch, you foul mouthed man! I've yet to set it!" She glared at him, and through his pain and dizziness, he resolved to tone down his language around her; she seemed quite offended. Pushing the thought aside, Xavie whimpered, and felt weak for it. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath—which hurt the broken bone. He felt a sob of pain and helplessness rising in his throat, and choked it back as Rev ripped strips off the bottom of her dress.

She fashioned a sling from the ripped linen. Draping it over his left shoulder, she fed more magic into his arm to numb it further and bent it to slide it into the makeshift sling. She used a stronger spell this time, or the herb she had given him to eat was working, for he felt little more than a twinge in his collar as his arm settled. He cradled his arm close to his body. He hadn't even suspected that getting shot in the collarbone would cause his whole arm to be in pain.

"Don't move it," Rev said. "You can have another thafen leaf in an hour, and one every hour after that, for pain."

"Thanks, Rev," he said. Suddenly, she swayed, her arms windmilling. Xavie made a move to catch her with his right hand, forgetting momentarily about his injury. The pain stopped him short, and Rev thumped to the ground on her backside.

"Gods," she whispered. "I used too much power. Xavie..." He looked at her through eyes narrowed against pain. Instead of a mage, he saw a little girl who was tired out and needed him. He levered himself to his feet using his left hand, his right clutched tight to his chest. Once he was balanced, he reached his good hand down to her. She let him lift her to her feet. Bracing herself against his leg, she wobbled, then stood straight.

"We need to get out of here before more soldiers come," Xavie said. "We can't stay on the road, but there's nowhere else to go..." He tarried with indecision, the pain in his collar and arm making him dizzy.

"We can go adjacent the road," Rev suggested. "I can go for miles yet." He looked down at her. A strong little girl, to be sure.

Because Rev could no longer ride on Xavie's shoulders, it was slow going. Xavie tried to ignore the bodies of the soldiers as they picked their way around them. He didn't know what powers other than healing Rev had, and he was in too much pain to worry about it now. All he knew was that several very official-looking men were dead, Rev was responsible, and that boded ill for the pair of them.

The forest surrounding the road was passable, but it slowed their progress. Rev struggled to keep up with Xavie's long strides, tripped over roots more than once, and refused to stop for rest. She insisted that they had to get to Eltya to find a proper healer for him, and that any rest would only slow them further. She was not stupid; she knew she was slowing him, and he could tell she was trying to make up for it.

She finally agreed to stop as the sun sunk below the trees. Her fear of the dark came into play then, and she begged Xavie to light a fire. He found himself unable to grasp his magic, however; it seemed just out of his reach. The pain was a nuisance despite the herbs Rev had given him every hour.

They were forced to huddle together in the space between two large tree roots, cold and uncomfortable. Rev curled up under a blanket Byli had put in Xavie's pack. Pain kept Xavie from lying down properly. It was a sharp ache that spread across his chest and to his fingers. He muttered curses as he tried to get comfortable, scowling and sighing irritably.

After a while, he gave up on sleep and sat watching the forest around him. It occurred to him that it might not be the cleverest of all things to do, traveling by day. Surely evasion of the soldiers would be easier in the dead of night.

By the time Rev woke up at dawn, he had his plan fully formulated.

"Xavie?" Rev said sleepily, rubbing her eyes with her wrists.

"Sh," he murmured, placing a hand on her head. "Don't talk loudly. We don't know if anyone's searching for us." She nodded and he went on. "We're going to stay around here today and then travel at night. It's easier to hide in shadow than in daylight."

"But... it'll be dark," she said, voice small.

"I'll be right with you," he said soothingly. "I'll hold your hand, I promise."

"...As long as you're going to be there," she conceded.

"Alright, good girl. We're going to climb up this tree and hole up there for the time being. Can you climb without my help?"

"Of course." She scrambled to her feet and leapt to take hold of one of the low-hanging branches.

By the time Xavie had pulled himself onto the first branch, he was covered in sweat and Rev was halfway up the tree. He panted, resting for a moment before reaching his left hand up to take hold of the next branch.

"First rule of tree-climbing," Rev called down, voice pitched for his ears only, "Keep three limbs on the tree at all times. That lowers the probability of a fall. I guess that'll be hard for you. Do you need help?"

"I'm alright," Xavie panted. He pulled himself up slowly, resting now and again and ignoring the pain in his shoulder and arm. Finally, he reached a place where five branches were spaced closely together, forming an odd sort of hammock. Rev sat there quite comfortably, fiddling with her pouch. When Xavie settled himself she pulled out a cloth and crawled over to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

"Rest," she ordered firmly. "I know you didn't sleep during the night. Maybe you can sleep up here. And eat this." She placed a thafen leaf to his lips. He opened obediently and chewed up the bitter leaf. The pain went down after a moment, and he sighed with relief.

"Rev," he said, "Where did you learn all this? All this healing?"

She glanced at him and then away, lowering her lashes to veil her eyes. "From Mistress Genma," she said softly. "Our next door neighbor, back home. She was the village healer. When Mummy saw I had power, she sent me to Mistress Genma's for learning. She was a great healer, she was. Taught me so much in just three months."

"Only three months?" Xavie inquired.

"Yes. Then all of this," she waved a hand to indicate, he assumed, their recent troubles, "happened, and... When we were running away from the village, I saw Mistress Genma on the ground... She was bleeding. A lot. Only other time I seen bleeding that bad was when Kejmal cut off his own hand trying to chop firewood. He died, so I... Mistress Genma couldn't have..." Her voice broke.

"I'm sorry, Rev," Xavie whispered. "She was good to you, huh?" Rev nodded and rubbed her eyes with her wrists again.

"I told you to rest," she said a moment later, taking a deep breath and flashing him a wide smile. "Sleep so you'll be rested for traveling in the—tonight."

"Yes, Healer Revya," he said obediently, ducking his head to hide a smile. She nodded at him once and then turned around to survey the ground below.

Xavie dropped into a fitful sleep. Dreams of being chased through the woods by liveried men and bleeding old women plagued him, but by the time Rev woke him at dark, he had gotten a good bit of sleep.

Rev clambered down the tree and stood waiting for him on the ground. With a grimace, Xavie looked down, trying to figure out how he could get down with the least amount of pain. Having a broken bone was such a nuisance.

Foul Mouth (c. 3)

Read chapters one and two first, of course.

Chapter Three

Rev twisted around, trying to see her back in the mirror. The dress was a little too big on her, but she didn't mind much. Her mama always dressed her in inelegant trouser-and-tunic combinations that made people stare. Rev didn't really know why, except that all the other little girls wore skirts. She thought that the dress looked pretty on her, but the shoes pinched her feet.

"Oh, how lovely you are," Byli said, tugging on the hem of the dress.

"Thank you, ma'am," Rev said, remembering her manners. "Byli, do you know what's wrong with Xavie?"

Byli turned her head, but Rev could still see her frown. "I'm not rightly sure, sweetie pie. He's just... having a hard time just now."

"Because he don't remember anything," Rev said. She immediately clapped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide. She wasn't supposed to tell!

"Don't remember anything? What do you mean?" Byli asked, kneeling down to look Rev in the eyes. Rev lowered her lashes, veiling her eyes. Mama had always told her not to look anyone in the eye because they'd get mad. Rev had discovered the truth of this statement after she had made eyes contact with one of the red and white soldiers before they had come to the village, although the 'why' behind it puzzled her.

"Don't mean nothing, ma'am," she said vaguely.

"Come on, tell me, child," Byli urged. "If you tell me, maybe I can help."

Rev bit her lip, trying not to cry. She didn't want Xavie to be mad at her. Before all of this had happened, he had been so nice. Everyone in the village had called him a good boy, that he could keep his temper reigned so well. But the new Xavie... He yelled and tugged and got angry for no reason. She wanted her old brother back.

"He can't remember anything afore yesterday," she whispered. "Since he woke up... He's different."

"Did anything happen that night before?"

"The village... Men shot at the village."

"Do you remember anything else, baby?"

"Xavie dropped me. I thought he got shot, but he was fine in the morning, 'cept for not remembering." Rev twisted her skirt uncomfortably. "Scuse me, ma'am, but I wanna go down and see him."

"Alright, then," Byli said. She stood and offered Rev her hand. They walked down the stairs together and entered the kitchen.


Xavie stood abruptly when Rev entered with Byli. Immediately he went to his knees in front of her and whispered, for her ears only, "Please forgive me, honey. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I'm getting help. See?" He motioned to Keph. "I promise I'll never, ever hurt you again, alright? I promise."

Rev stared him in the eye for a moment before throwing her arms around his neck in a hug. He patted her back, sighing with relief. When she released him, he stood and said, "I've told you everything, Keph. Can you help me?"

Keph dithered a bit, fiddling with the collar of his tunic. "I don't rightly think so," he told Xavie. "But I don't think it's safe for you to go out into the world alone with the girl."

"We can't stay here," Xavie said. "You're all in danger."

Keph and Harym exchanged uneasy glances. "You could leave little Rev here," Harym suggested.

"No!" Rev said loudly, clinging to Xavie's hand. "No, no, no!" She stamped her foot for emphasis.

"Hush," Xavie said. "We're not going to be separated."

"Well," Keph said abruptly, standing. "There's nothing for it. I'll escort you to Eltya so you can find a better healer. I daresay I'm not the best."

"We can't ask you to abandon your life for us," Xavie said.

"Ah, what life?" Keph said with a smile. "No family, no work. It'll be fun."

"If you say so," Xavie conceded doubtfully.

Rev tugged his hand. He bent down and she whispered, "Xavie, I don't want him to come. I don't like him." Xavie glanced at Keph, who looked politely puzzled as Rev glared at him.

"Don't be silly," Xavie murmured. "He's going to help us." Rev made an indignant noise and pulled her hand away to cross her arms, but she kept her silence.

"I'll just nip home first, then," Keph said. "Got to pick up some things. I'll meet you at the crossroads. Just follow the road past the farm and you'll see it." He nodded briskly and left the house.

Silence followed Keph's exit. Byli busied herself finding and packing a bag for Xavie to carry. Harym dithered about in the kitchen for a few minutes before taking Rev into the front room to read her a story.

Xavie stood against the kitchen wall, out of Byli's way, watching as she wrapped up various foodstuffs for him.

"Xavie," she said, not looking at him. "You'd best take care of that sweet little girl because rest assured if she is hurt in any way, I will send Harym to hunt you down and beat you bloody on my behalf."

Xavie blinked. That was quite a threat, coming from this frail-looking woman. "Yes, ma'am," he said.

"Good." She stopped talking then, and when she turned to him to hand him the full bag, she was all smiles. "I hope you have a good trip. Thomik's luck." Xavie nodded and thanked her as he accepted the bag and slung it onto his back.

"Rev, it's time," Xavie said as he walked into the front room.

"Alright," she said. "'Bye, Harym! Bye, Byli!" She jumped off of Harym's knee and ran to Xavie, taking his hand.

"You be careful now," Byli said as they walked out the door.

"Yes, ma'am," they replied in unison. Rev waved once more before Xavie shut the door behind them and led the way back to the road.


A half mile down the road, the land turned to forest again. Rev skipped along happily, humming a little tune that Xavie vaguely remembered. This gave him hope; perhaps he was regaining his memory. However, by the time they reached the crossroad, he realized that the tune was the same one he had played on the harmonica the day before.

Keph awaited them in the middle of the intersection, arms crossed. His eyes darted around and his fingers twitched, tapping out a rhythm on his thigh. Xavie stopped short before Keph noticed them and put a hand on Rev's shoulder. She looked at him and he motioned for her to follow him. He led her into the underbrush that lined the road, and he crouched down.

"Something's not right," he whispered. "I want you to climb that tree," he pointed to a nearby tree with low branches. "And you don't come down unless you hear me whistling that tune you were just singing."

"Alright, Xavie," Rev agreed softly. She scampered away and swung into the tree. When she was out of sight, Xavie returned to the road and walked towards Keph, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Where's the girl?" Keph snapped as soon as Xavie came near. "We—I thought she was coming with you."

"She's on her way," Xavie said. "I promised to wait here for her."'

"She should be here!" Keph said desperately. "No—wait--!" Xavie stared in horror as a bolt abruptly took Keph in the chest. The small man fell, gasping, clutching at it.

Xavie spun around as men in red and white livery burst from the trees and surrounded him. He drew his daggers clumsily, but he already knew that, unlike the harmonica, he would not be able to use the daggers properly.

"Drop your weapons," one of the men snapped. Xavie obeyed, his heart hammering.

The liveried men were dressed for intimidation. They wore black greaves and gauntlets, along with matching masked helms. Their quivers were full of barbed bolts that were more than sufficient for piercing armor.

One of the men lowered his bow and stepped forward. He wore an open black coat over his livery; a captain's badge was pinned to the breast. Removing a length of rope from his belt, he said sharply, "Hands in front of you." Xavie didn't move. He still wasn't sure what kind of person he was, but he was certain that he wasn't going to concede to this man's wishes.

"In front!" the officer shouted. Xavie looked around at the bows leveled at his chest and despair welled up in him. He was going to die here because there was no way he was going to give up and raise his hands.

Tension filled the air. Xavie's mind was racing with plans; his eyes darted, searching for escape routes. Before he could act on any of his half-baked ideas, he noticed that the officer wasn't looking at him anymore. The man's gaze—along with every other soldier's—was focused behind Xavie, who spun about.

Rev stood in front of one of the soldiers, inside the circle. Her red-orange eyes were wide, and she held the man's gaze. Xavie watched incredulously as the soldier tossed his bow behind himself with a clatter. He slowly dropped to the ground, not stopping until he lay on his side, curled into a ball. His staring eyes focused on nothing.

"Witch," whispered the officer. "She's the one. The wi—Get her!"

The soldiers jumped to obey, but Rev turned her piercing gaze on them. The men stopped as if they had hit an invisible wall. Xavie watched, mystified and a little frightened, as one by one the men tossed away their bows and sat down, staring blankly into space. Finally only the officer was left.

"W-witch," he stammered. Rev looked at him, but he didn't seem to be affected by her eyes as the others were. He leveled his bow at her chest, face dripping sweat.

"Put the bow down," Xavie said softly. He stepped towards the man, a hand peaceably out in front of him. When the man swung around suddenly, a manic glint in his eye, and squeezed the trigger, Xavie was too stunned to react.

The bolt slammed into his chest just below his collarbone. He was thrown back from the force of being shot from only a few feet away. Landing heavily on his back, he noticed briefly that the sky that day was perfect, clear and blue. He vaguely heard Rev scream and the officer shout something, but then his eyes fluttered closed and the voices faded into silence.

Foul Mouth (c. 2)

Read chapter one first.

Chapter Two

The sound of footsteps and shouts woke Xavie. It was still dark, but false dawn turned the sky a deep bluish-grey. A tremor of fear wracked through him. Whoever was shouting for whatever reason, he had a very bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

The fire had long since gone out. Xavie hurriedly kicked dried leaves over the ashes and gathered up his meager belongings. Glancing around once more, he took hold of a low branch of the tree that had been his shelter and pulled himself up.

He climbed until he came upon Rev, asleep in a cradle of branches. Placing a hand over her mouth, he shook her gently. When her eyes flew open, he put a finger to his lips.

Bringing his mouth close to her ear, he whispered, "There are people down there and I don't think they're friendly." She nodded; he removed his hand.

Xavie winced as Rev moved to perch precariously further out on a bare branch. She turned her gaze to the ground and Xavie saw her grip tighten on the branch as two men came into view below them.

The men were dressed in dirty red and white livery, and they were armed with swords and light crossbows. One of them bent close to the ground and said something softly to his companion. The other man nodded. Xavie held his breath. If they looked up, Rev was in plain view.

The men looked around, bending to look under bushes and glancing behind trees. They gave up the search when shouts sounded in the distance, and Xavie let out a sigh of relief as they walked away.

Rev inched her way back to him and looked at him with wide eyes. "I'm scared, brother," she whispered. "Those were the men from the village. I remember their clothes. All matching."

Xavie put a hand on her shoulder. "Then we'd best stay clear of them. We'll wait here until dawn and then move on. Go back to sleep." Rev nodded and climbed back into her little nest; she fell into a fitful sleep quickly. Xavie wondered at how she could sleep in a tree. He didn't dare close his eyes for fear of falling out.

He watched the sky. It was slowly turning brighter, the bluish-grey turning to pale grey to light blue. In the west, the sun rose, painting the heavens a lovely pinkish-orange. Birds began to chirp and nocturnal animals settled down.

By the time the sun crested the trees, Xavie felt secure enough to move on. He woke Rev and they climbed down from the tree. Xavie lifted the girl to his shoulders. He made his way back to the river and began walking along it once more.

"I'm hungry," Rev complained.

"Maybe we'll find some people to buy food from today," Xavie said.

"Why don't you just hunt?" she grumbled. "My stomach hurt."

"I don't know how to hunt," Xavie informed her. She made an indignant noise.

"How can you have forgotten everything? It's just not... not right," she said. "You were the best hunter in the village! Why do you think you carry hunting daggers?"

"We'll walk until noon. Can you hold out until then?" Xavie didn't want to take the time to stop and try to remember how to hunt. They had lost enough time the night before.

"I guess," she told him with a sigh.

Taking heart in her steadfastness, he picked up the pace.

The river curved a little as they walked; soon they were heading north rather than east. The sun climbed higher and higher, heating the air and making Xavie sweat. He didn't stop, though. Walking helped him think, and he tried to puzzle out what exactly was going on.

If Rev's word could be trusted—and he had to trust her, for he had no one else—then the men in livery had been tracking them since they had fled the village. What was so special about him—or Rev—to warrant such a chase? Maybe they were mage-hunters. Did such a thing exist? Perhaps they had something that belonged to the soldiers' employer. What did they have? A harmonica, some silver, a necklace. Nothing special. The only way he would find out, he concluded, would be to inquire more of Rev.

However, before he had a chance to do so, they came upon a bridge. It was built of sturdy logs and arced high above the river, which had been growing steadily wider.

"What d'you think?" Xavie said. "Across?"

"Maybe there's people on the other side," Rev told him. "Can I walk now?" He lifted her down and she turned to look up at him. "Will you hunt yet?"

"Not quite," Xavie said. "I'm sorry, but we need to find people." Rev sighed but didn't argue. Xavie took her hand and they walked across the bridge.

On the other side, a cobblestone path led away fro the bridge. Xavie vaguely wondered why there was a path on one side of the bridge but not the other, but pushed the thought from his head. At least Rev's feet weren't in danger from the smooth stones.

After only a quarter mile, they finally came upon a farm. Fields stretched for miles into the distance, and Xavie was a little shocked at the abrupt transition from forest to farmland. The sun seemed to shine brighter and the sky seemed bluer.

"Come on, Xavie," Rev urged, tugging his hand. Realizing he had stopped dead in the middle of the road, Xavie allowed her to pull him along to the farmhouse that was the center of the cleared land.

The house didn't have much area, but it was at least three stories high, not including an attic. Xavie looked up at it, impressed. He had never seen anything like it. Or maybe he had. He couldn't remember.

The ground floor was surrounded by a porch. As Xavie and Rev stepped onto it, heading for the front door, a man walked around the corner to their right and started at the sight of them. They both turned, to look at him.

Xavie was silent for a moment as he took in the farmer's odd appearance. The man wore calf length pants and a long vest that was left open to display his grey-haired chest. His head was bald, but he sported thick grey mustaches. His eyes were brownish-yellow, and they glowed slightly. In one hand he carried a bloody axe; in the other he held the dripping head of a pig. Blood coated his hands to the wrists.

"Uhm, hello there," Xavie said, taken aback. "I—That is, we—"

"Well this ain't a sight for innocent eyes," the farmer muttered. He walked back around the corner, and when he returned, the pig's head and axe were gone and his hands were clean. "You gave me a fright, you did. Where're you from? How'd you get here?"

"Harym?" A shrill voice permeated the air from inside the house. "Harym, who you talking to?"

"Not rightly sure," the farmer—Harym—replied. "I'm Harym Marilka. Right nice to meet folks traveling, Master..."

"Xaviema Kavoir," Rev said. She pulled her hand free of Xavie's and walked closer to Harym, placing her hands on her hips and tilting her head back to look at him. Xavie noticed that she kept her lashes lowered, as if she were shy, which completely contradicted her bold stance. "And I'm Revya Kavoir. He's my brother. Do you have anything to eat?"

"Direct little thing, ain't you?" Harym said, smoothing his mustaches to cover a smile. "For a pretty little thing like you, I sure do have something. You get on right in the house and talk to the lady in there. Tell her you're hungry." Rev nodded briskly at him and obeyed.

Once the door closed behind her, Harym looked at Xavie. "Listen, Master Kavoir," he said, his voice serious. "My family's right lawful folk. Sweet little girl like that don’t need to be in the middle of no kind of trouble man such as you might get into, and we don't need no soldiers at our door."

Xavie looked away, his face set grimly. "I can't give you any reassurances that you won't find soldiers at your door," he said slowly. "But so long as she gets fed, we won't be here to be found come sundown."

Harym looked him over from head to toe before smiling and saying, "Well, sir, I daresay she won’t be the only one fed. I don’t know what kind of trouble you're in, and I don't rightly care to know, but I was a wild young man myself and I know how it is to be on the wrong side of the law and hungry to boot. Get on in there and sit yourself down."

"Thank you, Master Marilka." Xavie nodded to him and went through the door behind him.

The inside of the house was tidy and clean. It was also the kind of place one might find comfort. Xavie, however, found no comfort. He only felt nervous at being so confined, with no escape route.

"Well," said that same high pitched voce that had shouted earlier. "You must be Xavie."

The speaker was a woman standing in the doorway of an adjoining room. She was tall, with long, straight dirty blonde hair and dull green eyes. Her toothy smile was anything but dull, and she beckoned to him before disappearing into the other room.

Xavie followed. The room was a kitchen, full of heat and steam and good smells. Rev sat at the table happily munching bread and tiny carrots with one hand and sipping from a mug with the other. He sat down across from her, awkwardly perched on the edge of his seat.

"How d'you like your coffee?" the woman asked, glancing at him over her shoulder.

"Uhm... Black?" Xavie ventured.

"No!" Rev said. "With milk. He always takes it with milk, Byli."

"With milk, then," Xavie conceded. Byli looked at him strangely.

"What, you can't remember what you like?" she said, only half-joking, as she handed him a cup.

"No, he—" Rev began, but Xavie cut her off.

"Of course I can," he said. "Rev likes her little game." He gave Rev a meaningful look and thanked Byli. Sipping, he grimaced at the taste. He liked this stuff?

Harym came in just then, and Byli grinned at him before kissing his cheek. "You tribute that pig head?" she asked. Xavie wondered what she meant by that. Harym obviously knew, because he answered, "Of course, proper and nice, like you taught." Byli nodded firmly at him before shooing him to the table.

"So after you have lunch, you gonna stay a while?" he asked Xavie.

"No, I don't think so," he answered. "I was wondering, though, if you might have any kind of shoes that might fit Rev? She's been barefoot for a while now, and—"

"I have just the thing," Byli interrupted. "Rym, go upstairs and bring down Kam's old shoes... And her black dress. Go, man, go, don't just sit there!" Harym sighed but stood with a groan and left.

In his absence, Byli put plates loaded with meat, potatoes, bread, and various vegetables in front of Rev and Xavie. Xavie was halfway done by the time Harym returned.

"These?" he asked Byli, holding up the requested items.

"Yes, good man. Now sit and eat." She served him as well and took the dress and shoes from him. "This won't do. It's all torn up. I can fix it in a moment, though. Revya, when you're done, come on up to the second floor, sweetling." Rev nodded, eyes intent on her plate, and Byli left.

Xavie concentrated on his food, trying not to make eye contact with Harym. The man was kind enough, but Xavie was suspicious of him. Why had he given them food so quickly? Why was he being so kind? He gained nothing from helping them. What if he was working for the soldiers? What if they had charged him with killing Xavie and Rev?

At that thought, Xavie stood so abruptly his chair fell over, banging loudly on the floor.

"Xavie?" Rev said in alarm.

"Stop eating," Xavie told her. "C'mon, we're leaving."

"What? I'm hungry!" she whined. "Lemme finish!"

"It's not good food, Rev," he said firmly. "It's time to go!"

"Now wait just a moment," Harym said, standing up and holding his hands peaceably out towards Xavie. "What's wrong with the food? Did Byli cook it wrong?"

"You can drop the act, man," Xavie said, striding around the table and wrenching Rev out of her chair by the arm. She cried out in pain, and Harym stopped being peaceful. He took a step forward, reared back, and punched Xavie in the face.

Xavie went down, causing Rev to fall. She cried out again, and Harym picked her up.

"I don't know what's a matter with you, but I ain't gonna stand by and let you hurt this girl! Nuh-uh." Harym set Rev down and said, "Go on upstairs, baby. Byli'll get you all dressed." Rev scampered from the room, sniffling, and Harym turned back to Xavie.

Xavie had pushed himself to his feet and was staring wide-eyed at the farmer. "R-Rev? Oh, gods, what've I done?" he muttered. "Harym, you'd best take me to a madhouse, 'cause I've gone crazy."

"I can see that," Harym said calmly. "Now why don't you just sit yourself down and I'll call a healer."

"Yes. Yes, that would be fine," Xavie said dazedly. He collapsed into a chair, running his fingers through his hair and sighing heavily. Harym walked over to the window over the stove and Xavie was startled to see a tinge of yellow color the air around his hands. He muttered something, made an odd gesture with his fingers, and returned to the table.

Xavie stared at him in confusion as he unconcernedly returned to eating. Wasn't he going to call a healer?

Then Xavie remembered about magic. Apparently there were other types than what he and Rev could do.

Harym took his time about eating, and just as he finished, a knock sounded at the front door.

"Ah, there he is," he said, standing up. He walked into the front room. Xavie heard low voices for a moment before Harym returned, leading another man.

The first thing Xavie noticed was that the man was tiny; his head didn't top Harym's shoulder, and Xavie doubted he was chest-high on Xavie himself. Other than that, he had lank black hair and dull orange eyes. He dressed in brown tunic and trousers. Xavie was glad not everyone dressed so oddly as Harym.

Harym and the other man sat down across the table from Xavie. "This is Keph," he told Xavie. "Keph, Xaviema."

"Just Xavie," Xavie corrected. "Can—can you help me?" He didn't like sounding so vulnerable, but there was nothing he could do about it when he was so scared of himself that his hands were shaking.

"Hopefully," Keph said in a baritone voice that was surprising coming from someone his size. "Tell me your symptoms."

Xavie glanced at Harym, still slightly nervous about revealing that he had no memory. He decided, however, that he had no choice. With a sigh, he began to tell them everything he remembered.

Foul Mouth (c. 1)

My newest fantasy story. Working title: Foul Mouth.

Chapter One

by J.A.E.

A blue sky. That's all he could think of. He tried and tried, but he couldn't imagine clouds, birds, or anything else in that sky. Just... a blank stretch of bright blue, pure and clear.

Something tapped him on the arm and he opened his eyes, blinking at his surroundings. Trees. Pine trees?

Another tap on his bicep. He turned his head to find a child. Her head was cocked at him and her eyes were wide.

"What're you doing?" she asked with a whimper. "I'm scared. Take me home!"

He opened his mouth and tried to find the right words to use. After a moment, he managed, "Who're you?"

The little girl stared at him blankly for a moment before saying, "It's me. Rev." At his silence she added, "Your sister?"

"Oh," he said. He looked down at himself. He was an adult; she was a child. "Then... I must be responsible for you."

"I guess," she agreed. "Can we go home now?"

"Where exactly is... home?" He pushed himself to his feet and looked around. Nothing but trees and the forest floor, covered in dead leaves and twigs.

"I don't know!" Rev wailed, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "I was half-asleep when you carried me out of the house!"

"Right," he said. "Um... Little girl. Rev. Who, um, am I?"

She glared at him and stamped her foot. "This isn't fun anymore!"

"Tell me my name," he ordered. The hardness of his voice shocked him. Did he always speak so to a child?

Rev quailed under his glare. "Xavie," she whispered.

"Za-fee-ey?" he repeated slowly. "How odd." He looked around again. There, through the thick underbrush. A glint of light. "C'mon, Rev." He held out a hand; it seemed the proper thing to do.

Indeed, Rev gave a small relieved sigh and slid her tiny hand into his large one. He led her slowly through the forest, examining her. She truly was tiny; the top of her head barely cleared his waist. Her brown hair was cropped close to her head, and she was dressed in a blue gown that reached her calves. Her eyes were red-orange and her feet were bare.

When he realized that, he said, "Hey, wait." She halted and craned her neck to look up at him.
"Huh?"

He reached down and lifted her by her underarms. Examining the soles of her feet, he saw that they had tiny dots of blood from the twigs and rocks that littered the forest floor.

He cradled her in one arm, surprised that her weight was nothing to him. Even a small girl like her should have registered a little. Apparently he was a well-built man.

He glanced up to make sure they were still headed towards the river and started walking again. Rev clung to him silently. He reflected that she had to be a strong little girl if she refused to complain about pain.

After a few minutes of walking, they reached a river. Sunlight glinted off it, making Rev squint.
Xavie sat her down in the soft grass that grew by the river. "Dip your feet in," he told her. She obeyed.

"When can we go home?" she asked, looking at him over her shoulder.

He turned around. "Why don't you tell me everything you remember?"

"Well, I was asleep," she told him. "Then you woke me up. And picked me up out of bed. We went outside and the Frajas' house was on fire! People were shooting at us. Then we went into the woods and you dropped me... And I hit my head and when I woke up you were sitting there and now you are acting funny and mean and I want to go home!" Xavie turned around and looked at her. She was crying now, but not sobbing; tears dripped down her cheeks to land on her arms and the front of her gown.

He knelt beside her and awkwardly patted her head. "Don't do that," he said lamely. "Don't cry. Listen..." He lowered his voice. "I don't remember anything."

"Huh?" she said, wiping her eyes with her wrists.

"I can't remember anything. Not who I am or where I come from. Not my family..." Xavie grimaced as fresh tears fell from her eyes.

"You don't remember me?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, no," he said. "But you seem like such a brave, strong little girl that I need you to help me, alright?" She nodded. "We need to find some people. Where would people be?"

"The village," she said promptly.

"Considering the village just got attacked, it's probably not a good idea to return there," Xavie said gently.

"Oh, ok," Rev said. "How about Eltya?"

"What's that?"

"The capital city," she replied. "I know we're close to it because Daddy always goes there, one
time a month. He brings us presents. Look, see?" She reached under her gown and pulled out a
carved ivory pendant that hung around her neck. Xavie nodded.

"Beautiful. Was our father home when the village was attacked?"

"No, he's gone to visit Gram in Drajan. He said he'll be back after midsummer." Rev carefully tucked her charm under her gown.

"Right. Well, we need to figure out how to get to Eltya and... You need shoes."

Rev glanced down at her feet, still submerged in the water. "No, I'm ok. See?" She lifted her foot up; the sole was an angry red and scratches covered it. She placed a hand over it. Xavie raised his brows as white light flickered around her foot and then vanished. When she removed her hand, the scratches were gone.

"How in the rutting world did you manage to do that?" Xavie asked incredulously.

"Magic," she said slowly, as if talking to an idiot. "You can do it too."

"Oh," he said. "We are strange people." She nodded and healed her other foot.

When she finished, he lifted her up onto his shoulders and walked east along the river. The sun had reached its peak and was beginning to descend. The shadows of the trees grew longer and longer as Xavie walked.

They had been on the move for a couple of hours when Rev tapped him on the head and said she needed to relieve herself. He lifted her down and she scampered behind a bush.

There was a pool of still water here, and Xavie knelt to drink. However, he halted before his hand made contact with the water; he could see his reflection.

His hair was the same shade as his sister's and slightly longer than hers. He had yellow-orange eyes, and his face was covered in soot. He had baby fat on his cheeks, but he didn't look too very young. He guessed that he was around twenty years old. It was odd, seeing himself and not making any connection with the image.

Rev returned and dunked her hands in the pool to clean them, making his reflection disappear in the ripples.

"Rev?" he said. "How old am I?"

"You're nameday's in a week or so. You'll be twenty two years old," she informed him.

"Oh. And... How old are you?"

"Eight and three quarter years old."

"Alright then." Rev turned her head to hide a yawn. "Why don't we rest here for a while," Xavie suggested.

"I'm not tired," Rev said stubbornly.

"You may not be, but I am," he told her, faking a huge yawn.

"Well..."

"C'mon. I just want a little nap," he urged.

"Well, alright," she said. "One hour." She nodded decisively and leaned back with a small sigh. She was asleep in moments.

Xavie took the opportunity to wash his hands and face. Once done, he pulled everything out of his pockets and belt pouch: some silver coins, a small leather bag that contained a little food, a gold ring that would fit a woman's finger, and a tiny harmonica. There were also twin daggers tied to his belt. They looked well-worn but cared for.

He replaced all the items in his pockets except the harmonica. Doffing his boots and dipping his feet in the pool, he blew an experimental note. To his surprise, playing the instrument came easily to him. He played a soft tune for company as the sun set, disappearing behind the trees.

Darkness settled over the forest like a quilt. Xavie stopped playing and listened to the chirps of crickets and the rustling of burrowing animals, content. He thought it odd that he would be so calm when he remembered nothing of his life and he was stranded with an eight year old girl for a guide.

Rev woke up with a start about an hour after sunset. She sat up and glanced around before crawling over to Xavie, whimpering. She nudged her head under his arm and crawled into his lap, hiding her face in his tunic.

"What is it?" he asked. His voice broke into the natural sounds of the forest, making animals freeze and be silent.

"It's dark," she whispered. "Where's my candle?"

"I don't have one, I'm sorry," he told her.

"Well make a fire with your magic," she muttered thickly.

"Um, right," he said. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and tried his best to remember how to do magic.

It was useless. He couldn't remember a thing. It wasn't like playing the harmonica.

"Rev?" he said softly. "I'm afraid I don't remember how."

Rev sighed. "Do your breathing. Deep breaths and then reach into your mind for your magic.
Even I can do that."

Xavie scowled, but did as she said. He closed his eyes, breathed, and cleared his mind, trying to
feel something...

After a few moments, he gave it up as useless. Then he opened his eyes to see flames flickering from his nose and mouth.

"Damnit!" he said loudly. "What the—What was that?!"

"That was good," Rev said interestedly. She was kneeling in front of him now. "Now go find some firewood and do it again. I'll wait here."

"Don't order me around," Xavie snarled, so suddenly he startled himself. "You're a child. Get your own firewood and don't think you can order me about." He shoved himself to his feet and stomped away down the river.

He came to a halt as he rounded a curve. His hands were shaking. What had come over him? Had he gone mad? Was he always like this?

"Gods," he muttered, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms. "That little girl is depending on me. I'm a stark raving asylum-worthy lunatic."

Turning around, he returned to the pool slowly, snapping off twigs and gathering up fallen branches. He had an armful of firewood by the time he got there, but Rev was gone.

"Son of a rutting harlot," he growled. He dropped his burden and looked around. "Rev!"

There was no answer, but he spotted something in the underbrush. Walking over, he found rev's necklace, the cord broken, dangling from a low-hanging branch.

"Damn, damn, damn," he growled. "Rev, come back!" Of course there was no answer.
Xavie took a deep breath and closed his eyes, straining his ears. There—a rustle and the cracking of a twig—to the left.

Turning, he took another breath, focused his mind, and blew. His magic caused guttering flames to spurt out and by their light he saw Rev climbing an enormous tree. He walked over and stood under it, marveling at the speed with which she pulled herself from branch to branch.

"Rev, honey, come down, please," he called.

"No!" she yelled. "You're not my brother! You're mean!"

"I know, I know," he said. "I'm sorry! I brought you firewood, and I've got your necklace! Come on down."

For an answer, Rev dropped a pinecone on his head.

"Ouch!" he said loudly, putting a hand up to shield against any further attacks. "Alright, alright! Sleep in the tree. I'll be down here... eating."

He returned to the pool and collected his firewood before going back to the tree. He cleared a patch of ground and started a fire, being very careful; they didn't need a forest fire on top of
everything else.

"I'll be down here with my nice, bright fire and my nice, uhm... meat." He sniffed the questionable meat from the bag he had discovered earlier and took a tentative bite. It was old, but still edible.

Rev didn't reply, but she didn't drop anything on him, either. He settled his back against the tree. His last waking thought was that at least Rev would be safer in the tree than she would be on the ground.

Chapter two coming soon.