The Children of Calm by J Michael Smith Page A

their way through the western side of Calm, past the cemetery (which neither had wanted to admit made them feel a little uneasy), and up to The Balcony. It had been a long and hard climb up the hills, as it was a dark night and the sliver of Nevarra was veiled behind clouds. After carving their names into a large rock that jutted out from the cliff, they finally settled on their stomachs by The Balcony’s edge looking down over Calm. It was a long drop off the side, easily more than one hundred and fifty yards, but the air was still, and the boys had known no fear of heights. They had felt comfortable wrapped up in warm blankets, sometimes talking excitedly about how mischievous they felt, other times lying contentedly in each other’s silence. The clouds parted not long after they had arrived, and much to their surprise Pelanna had risen above the eastern range of mountains, bathing her nearly-full light into the valley. The boys had laughed out of sheer delight. One by one the stars came out, and soon a myriad was twinkling against the black canvas of night. Lake Calm had been set aglow with the reflected starlight, and the entire valley seemed to be shimmering. The contrast between the shadows and light had been so sharp that Rylek felt he could slice his finger if he had dared to trace the outline of the peaks to the north. It was in that moment that he had somehow felt exhilaration and peace simultaneously.
    He wondered now whether he would ever experience that same kind of emotion again.
    The bell rang. Five o’clock. Rylek was ushered back to the present and decided he needed to break the silence. “We’re supposed to go to your place now,” he said.
    Tresten looked as though he shivered. He closed his eyes and said, “Okay.”
    Together they walked off to Penephoni’s house, still comfortable in each other’s silence.
     
    ***
     
    It had started to cool off rather quickly. Rylek did not notice how chilled he was until he stepped into his Aunt Penephoni’s house. There was a merry little fire crackling in the fireplace, and the kitchen was warm from the old wood stove. He and Tresten were greeted with generous hugs from Penephoni and the girls, and warm mugs of peppernut tea were placed into their hands. Rylek could smell her famous Tannen Stew cooking – the same potato and cabbage stew she had prepared for the councilman from Arcenoth nearly fifteen years earlier. The tale of it restoring the man’s vigor made it an instant must-have recipe among all of the women in the village. Naturally Penephoni named it after Tannen in honor of his ever-eager willingness to have another helping.
    Supper was exactly how Rylek wanted it: tasty, with plenty of helpings. In addition to the stew there was a loaf of fresh baked bread (with lots of butter) and some Jubilee Cakes (small pastries made with honey and golden apples) for dessert. The conversation was light, although Tresten did not engage in any. But since this was not wholly unusual, Rylek suspected Penephoni would not think twice about his silence.
    After the meal was over, and the food and dishes were put away, Penephoni brought the children into the living room and had them sit down in front of the fireplace. She then had them wait while she went off to her bedroom, emerging a few moments later with four identical packages. After she had given one to each of them, she said, “I know it’s not technically your birthday yet, but I couldn’t wait any longer. These are things that Kelni and I have been working on and developing for a long time – things that I believe will come in very handy during your Findings. And, I have to admit, I think we have literally outdone ourselves. Go on now, open them!”
    Rylek smiled at her infectious bubbly excitement, and opened his package along with the others. Inside the box was a silvery-red fabric that was neatly folded. He saw that Tresten’s was a silvery-black, Selenor’s a silvery-purple, and Lana’s a