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reaction.
    “What do you want with us?”
    “Well, you can start by giving me some food.”
His hope for dry clothes had already been stifled. These people had
nothing he would wear. He’d wring out his leather and let the sun
soak up the night’s damage. “A place to rest.”
    Silence.
    That surprised Meneka. Surely this village
had a policy toward nomads that entailed more than sending wobbly
projectiles their way. “What? You can’t help a stranger out?”
    “A stranger from Taikus? Why would we?” the
man retorted quickly.
    Meneka grinned and held up the arrow he’d
been carrying, tightening his fist around the shaft. With a single
thought, the arrow burst into flame. He dropped it in the sand at
the man’s feet, and then laughed when the crowd jumped away.
    “Why wouldn’t you?” Meneka asked.
    The leader’s face reddened. He turned to his
comrades and they spoke quietly among themselves. Meneka was
certain they’d grant his request, and turned his attention to the
wide-eyed boys. There wasn’t much to say to them. He was on a level
much higher than they, coming from a country so much more civilized
than this one. Still, he liked the awe that shone in their eyes.
Meneka was going to be considered special here. Something he had
never been back home.
    When the men stepped out of their huddle,
they turned toward the boys and motioned them away, pointing to the
village. The men followed the group of boys up the hill. Meneka
watched them leave, puzzled. His gaze fell back on the one person
who remained.
    He was a young man, but older than Meneka,
about Kaempie’s age, well-built, tan, with hair the color of the
sand. He was dressed in woven pants.
    “If you’re hungry, follow me,” he said.
    “Who are you?”
    “I’m Eric. You’ll come to my home and I’ll
feed you, but you aren’t trusted here, you know. Wizards and
sorceresses have no name for themselves among us.”
    Meneka shrugged. Who says I want to be
trusted here? That’d mean I’m accepted, and then I’d be one of you.
I should stoop so low .
    “Just hungry.”
    Eric paused for a moment, his blue eyes
studying the wizard.
    Maybe he thinks I’ll promise to move on
after he feeds me. But I won’t. I’ll stay. These natives can learn
a thing or two from me.
    “Just hungry,” Meneka repeated more
forcefully. Eric turned and led him up the bank and into the
village.
     
    Eric
     
    I don’t care how important you think you
are, it’s rude to sit and watch someone eat. Not to mention feeding
your guest on the floor while holding a plate on his lap. Haven’t
you people heard of tables?
    Meneka glanced up at Eric. Not once had the
young man’s eyes shifted. Now that Meneka was chewing his last
bite, the stare felt more intrusive than ever. Meneka scowled. “The
food is pretty good. Not the best. But it serves its purpose.”
    “You’re lucky you have food.”
    Meneka shrugged. “I could’ve found my own. I
just figured since your archers scared the moonbeams out of my
friend on the boat, which then caused me to fall overboard, you at
least owed me a meal.
    “Is that the way Taikans think?”
    “It is. And we have manners. And
intelligence.”
    Eric raised an eyebrow.
    “And magic.”
    “I’m not afraid of your magic,” Eric
said.
    “You should be.”
    “Why?”
    “Because with one blink of an eye, I could
destroy you.”
    Eric didn’t seem impressed so Meneka flicked
his finger. It wasn’t a real snake that appeared in his hands. He
hadn’t perfected that spell yet. But it looked real enough to fool
Eric. The young man jumped to his feet and backed away. Meneka
folded his hands over the serpent and it disappeared.
    “Why are you here? What do you want with
us?” Eric asked.
    “We have a common enemy,” Meneka began, his
tongue pushed up against his cheek as he pondered what to say.
Meneka set his plate on the ground and scooted up against the
driftwood wall attempting to find some comfort on the rough ground.
Eric