Side Dish

Chapter Four

The next morning arrived much sooner than Tor had expected. It took a second for him to remember what day it was, and a small part of him already missed heading off to the mill. Not today.

Or ever again, for that matter.

He got up out of bed, stretched until every vertebra in his back popped, and slid on his tunic. A rip in the knee hung loose with a few strings dangling down, tickling Tor's shins. He wished he'd remembered to sew it up before Gate Day, but he'd been so busy with nightly reading lessons he'd just run out of time. Hopefully, he wouldn't be too torn up and run down to ruin Gate Day for everyone else.

Everyone else's stall was already empty, and the central fire was smouldering embers from the night before. Tor panicked. He couldn't have missed his own Gate Day. Not after all this time. No one had ever missed their Gate Day. It just didn't happen.

"Wait!" Tor cried. "Wait for me!"

He stumbled through the paddock door, right into the arms of two of the guards. They held him close and laughed.

"Tor!" The tall one, Biff, clapped Tor on the back. "We were just coming back to look for you!"

"Yeah, you big dumb dwin, we can't do Gate Day without you!" Cal was shorter and fatter, but arguably the smarter of the two. Even by dwin standards, that wasn't saying much.

"Thank you." Tor bowed his head to show his respect for the guards. Even on his Gate Day, he had to remember protocol.

"Been looking forward to your Gate Day for a couple of years now, Tor," Biff said. "Them arms get much bigger, don't know how we'd get you through the Gate!"

"It's the legs for me, Biff!" Cal slapped Tor on the thigh as he clipped the dwin onto the guardrail. "Can't tell me that's not some prime Grade-A beef right there!"

Tor didn't want to say anything, but Biff was definitely drooling. Maybe he needed some medicine. The only time he'd ever drooled was when a tooth had gotten infected. All he remembered after drooling was waking up without a tooth, but the pain was gone. Medicine was always the answer.

"Thank you, Biff." Tor kept his eyes down. "Thank you, Cal."

"Hustle up, now, Tor," Biff said. "Can't be late for Gate Day! Git!"

Tor picked up his heels and ran for the Gate. He couldn't believe he'd overslept. He was lucky Biff and Cal were in such good moods. They were known as some of the tougher guards, but he'd never had a problem with them.

The Gate wasn't far, but by the time he got there, the speeches had already started. Every dwin from all of Macellum stood before the Gate, spread out from one side of the steps to the other. His fellow Gate Day greenhorns were already standing in a line at the Gate, a noticeable gap between Merryn and Stonks where he was supposed to be. Tor shouldered his way through the crowd, excusing himself as he climbed the steps and took his place. Merryn gave him a quick wink. She had cleaned the food pellets out of her hair and flashed a grin.

"You're late!" Merryn whispered.

"Sorry!" Tor said. "What did I miss?"

"Tor!" A booming voice echoed over the gathering. Tor had been waiting for this exact moment his entire life. Only on Gate Day were dwin allowed to stand this close to the Great Bull, the father of all dwindlings. A tear came to Tor's eye when he heard his name ring out for all to hear, his father's voice saying his name for the first time.

"Great Bull." Tor breathed deeply, the weight of the day heavy on his shoulders. "Sorry I am late."

"You are never too late for Gate Day." The Great Bull stood right in front of Tor and held the young dwin's shoulders. Tor couldn't bring himself to look up into the legendary dwin's eyes. "This is a great day for us all. Come. Lift your eyes, young one. Gate Day unites all dwin, under one sun. You have been waiting for this day all your life. Look at your father one more time before we send you to the world beyond Macellum."