Midnight Wonders

4.4.2. Morning Under Sycamore Trees

Luc turned and made his way across the training grounds to where Kay was. He was cracking hazelnuts, Luc could tell now, but it was barely audible under the screeching of the metal blade being sharpened. Every so often the boy in front of him would stop, and Kay would toss a hazelnut into his mouth. As he came nearer, Kay looked up and watched him approach, his hands stilling.

The boy, Pellam—Pellam?—turned and looked at Luc too.

"I thought he was lying when he said you were here," Pellam said.

"I thought you were going to find a woman," Luc said.

Pellam scrunched up his face. "They left me behind. Prince Tristan said he just couldn't wait for me because Kay made me do all that extra stuff, and so he told me to go back home after I was done."

"Oh," Luc said, feeling a bit bad for him. "Did you come here all by yourself?"

"Who else would come with me?"

Luc thought that it would be unheard of outside for a child to go such a long way by themselves. It had never occurred to him how familiar he was with the untrustworthiness of the outside. It certainly wasn't ideal, but it wasn't as if anyone was willing to sacrifice anything to avoid it.

"Did you work things out with the other boy?"

"I did as I was told," Pellam huffed. He began to sharpen his sword again.

Luc looked at Kay sitting on the bench. "Can I sit?"

"Don't ask me," he said. Luc sat.

For a moment, they just sat there, watching Pellam sand away at his sword. Kay cracked another hazelnut and gave it to Luc. "Are you still mad?" he said wryly.

"I'm not mad at you."

"I didn't ask if you were mad at me." Kay rolled his eyes in exaggeration. "Look at me, then." Luc did so. Kay reached out and pinched his cheek. "How obedient. You're like a baby."

Luc brushed his hand away, sure he was flushing. "I must be older than you."

"How would you know that?" Kay said. "I don't even know how old I am."

"That sounds like your problem," Pellam said crossly, who had moved on to polishing his blade.

"Oh?" said Kay. "How old are you, then?"

Pellam frowned, brows meeting. He paused from his work and seemed to think hard for a moment. "I'm seven."

Kay snorted. "That's impossible."

"How would you know?" Pellam snapped.

"You were already this big at the last Midsummer," Kay said, demonstrating a height of about three feet, "and the next one's coming up soon. You're older than seven."

"You guess, then," Pellam said, clearly offended.

"Twelve," said Kay.

Pellam looked at Luc, and it took him a moment to realize Pellam wanted him to guess, too.

"You look like you might be twelve or thirteen," said Luc, and Pellam looked betrayed at Luc agreeing with Kay. How cute, he thought. Most of the children he worked with thought it an insult to be considered younger than they really were.

"You're fifty," Pellam said.

"Me?"

"No, Kay."

"How old am I, then?"

Pellam squinted at him. "Fifteen."

Luc laughed at that. "I think you're a bit far off."

"Did you say fifty?" said Kay.