A Fool's Bucket - Ch. 11.2

They left the palace by one of the southern exits that led in the direction of Dorrea's house. Buck found this comforting until he remembered that Raddig lived father up that hill. That was less comforting. They crossed a low bridge of wooden planks across the stream and up onto the southern path of the ring, the one that Buck had run along the other night to stop Raddig. He really needed to stop thinking about Raddig.

"So... how are things?" he said to Erson.

Erson sighed. "I miss Raddig."

So much for that plan.

"You haven't seen him in a while?" Buck asked. He risked a glance at Erson as they walked west, away from Raddig's farm.

"Only a couple of days," Erson said, "but we left things on a strange note. He was tired and I thought we were going to meet up the next morning. But then, well, we never did."

Buck said nothing. He was too busy wanting to cry or hug Erson or smack Raddig across the back of his head. Eventually he shook himself out of it, but Erson was already frowning at him. How did he keep getting himself into these situations with no prepartion? He used to be so good at manoeuvring even the most awkward of conversations.

"Buttane, is everything okay?" Erson asked. He stopped walking.

Instinctively, Buck replied, "It's fine" to buy himself some time, but he knew as soon as he said it that he probably just seemed jumpy, which he was.

"Buttane? Is something going on? Is it something about Raddig? Is he okay?" Erson's voice got louder and louder. Buck gulped and glanced around, but seemingly most farmers had not drifted back to their plots yet.

Buck rubbed the back of his neck. Perhaps the reason he hadn't been able to plan the right moment for this conversation was that there would never be a painless one.

"Okay, yes. It's about Raddig. He's gone," Buck said. He tried to hold Erson's gaze but his eyes got wider and wider.

"Gone? What do you mean? Gone where?" Erson exclaimed.

"Well, I caught up with him when he headed from his place to the market-"

"When?" Erson folded his arms.

"After you had left. Didn't take him long to-"

"You were watching me? Spying on me?" Erson's arms fell to his sides.

"Just that one time - and I felt so weird." Buck cringed as the words tumbled out of him. He hadn't meant to tell Erson that detail, had had a fabricated story all ready to go. "Look, I just wanted to get confirmation of what Raddig was doing."

"And what in the royal name was he doing to justify you spying on our time together?" Erson hissed.

"Selling your stuff!" Buck just exploded. He couldn't take Erson's anger again, and up so much closer this time. "Ask Ikilyn. I'm not sure how long for but he seems to have been buying everything you've gifted Raddig off him."

"So, what, you shouted at him and he left? You drove him away?" Erson screamed.

"No! I paid him! He just wanted enough money for his own ship or something. He never cared about you and he would have left eventually!" Buck's voice was coming out cracked and shaky. He had to stop himself putting his hands out in the air and pleading with Erson not to hate him.

Erson did slow down a bit. He put the balls of his hands against his eyes and took a deep breath. When he took his hands away again his eyes were slightly red. "How did you pay him? Since when did you have money?"

Buck was willing to forgive him that one. He mumbled, "You don't know everything about me."

"No," Erson said, glaring at him. "I clearly do not."

With that he turned on his heel and started heading west. Toward's Raddig's house?

"Where are you going?" Buck exclaimed, sprinting to catch up.

"Where you said," Erson snapped, not turning around. "I'm going to ask Ikilyn."

"Uh, I don't think the market's up today," Buck said, jogging along beside Erson's long angry strides.

"I know, you idiot," Erson muttered, but he offered no further explanation. Nor did he tell Buck to leave him alone, however.

Erson walked all the way past Raddig's farm, high up on the valley wall. Then Buck found himself once again running along the path to the market, which as he thought was not there. However Erson kept going around to the left, banking north as they hit the far easterly end of the valley.

There was a cottage squeezed into a crevice there, which Buck hadn't noticed before. And dotted along the path leading to it - as well as some neatly placed rows of small pebbles - were rows of folded up tables on wooden wheels. It would appear this was Ikilyn's house.

Erson stormed towards the cottage door.

Buck followed directly behind Erson up the narrow garden path, and left about a yard space between them as Erson hammered his fist against the door. There was some shouting from inside the cottage, then moments later the door swung open, revealing a frowning Ikilyn. He started to shout something, but clamped his mouth shut when he saw who it was.

“Oh. Hello, your Highness,” Ikilyn said. “How can I help you?”

“I need to talk to you about some wares you might have bought and sold,” Erson said.

“What sort of wares, your Highness?” Ikilyn frowned and peered past Erson. “Ah, it’s you, Buttane. Those wares… was something wrong with them?”

“No, no,” Buck said, stepping forward. “But just please, please tell him who sold you the bracelet and the shirt.”

Ikilyn stepped forward onto the path and shut the door behind him. “Buttane, what’s going on?”

“Talk to me, man!” Erson shouted. His hands were curled up in fists by his sides.

“From Raddig!” Ikilyn exclaimed. “But why the need to know where my wares come from…? Oh. My wares come from you don’t they? You must be Raddig’s contact, now that I think about it. Who else would have the money…”

Erson said nothing. His fingers started flicking at his fingernails.

Ikilyn’s eyes darted about as his mind was clearly racing. When he spoke his voice was low and sad. “It’s him, isn’t it? The one you – Oh, you poor thing. And he has the audacity to come straight to me and oh gods I just bought them right off him. Gave him exactly what he wanted. Come on, why don’t I get you and Buttane a nice cup of tea, son? Let me make it up to you?”

“I am not your son!” Erson screamed. “And you will not address me as such!”

He turned and strode off, kicking at the pebbles that lined Ikilyn’s garden path. Buck glanced from Ikilyn to him and back.

“Oh dear,” Ikilyn said. He had started fidgeting with the ends of his shirt sleeves. “Maybe it couldn’t be helped but I didn’t mean to upset him.”

“You and me both,” Buck said. He turned and started to run after Erson.

“Buttane!” Ikilyn called.

Buck turned around halfway along the path.

“Take care of him, will you? We all love him around here but… sometimes he can be fooled by the wrong sort. He could use a friend.”

Buck nodded and started to run again. He wondered if it was possible to be both. He really had got rid of Raddig to protect Erson – he didn’t remember the last time he’d been so heart-poundingly furious at someone – but as he pounded back onto the main south road he wondered if he would be able to resist the opportunity to turn Erson back towards Pires.