NEW TO "THE TRINING"?  There are summaries beginning with Cha. 2 and going to Cha. 9.  Each summarizes the previous chapter.  What follows is a summary of Chapter 9: 

Doctrex is at the Braanz dinner table with Klasco, his wife Metra and their daughters, Sarisa and Klea.  Before they eat, Doctrex spins a tall tale about his encounter with what he thought was a Pomnot, but which turned out to be a tree groaning in the wind on a dark, dark night.  But after he seeks out this "Pomnot" and returns to his campfire he discovers his rucksack had been opened and the contents strewn.  And, then, at daybreak, he sees huge footprints.

Klea watches, suspiciously, as he tells his tale and before he joins Klasco outside for a smoke, she calls him over and whispers in his ear that he is a fraud.  She doesn't know how or when, but she promises to expose him.
 
   
The pungency of Klasco's tobacco, even though outside, attacked my senses. I stood off a bit to his side and out of the path the smoke was taking. He continued to blow plumes of the curious blue-gray smoke at an upward angle, I assumed to keep from offending me.

His face had a distant, somewhat troubled look—and now I wasn't even sure he knew I was there.

Klea's words had put me in a dark mood. I really wanted to be alone for a while, anyway, to sort out my feelings about this intelligent, outspoken young lady. I had spun a tall tale for sure, and I knew while I was creating my yarn that I was passing off my fiction as truth. But it was harmless fun; everyone seemed to enjoy hearing it, even Sarisa—especially Sarisa! Even if Klea had picked up on a serious inconsistency in my story that branded it for what it was, couldn't she still see it as simple entertainment? Why was she so intent on exposing me?

"Do you enjoy being an adventurer, Doctrex?" Klasco asked me with such unexpected abruptness that my self-indulged thoughts were jarred.

"I'm sorry?"

"Your adventures—do you enjoy them?"

I knew there was something behind his question. "I enjoyed adventuring more when I was young." I was beginning to feel fraudulent, now. But, how could I tell him—how could I tell anyone—there was no young. I had no history beyond waking on the shore; and, still I was hell-bent on inventing a person. And, I didn't like this bogus person so very much now. Perhaps Klea would be right to expose me.

I glanced over to see Klasco smiling at me.

"How old are you," he asked, "eight?"

I laughed. It was a spontaneous response to the ludicrous, but when I saw his smile turn to a puzzled expression I realized, to him, the question wasn't ludicrous.

"You can't be older," he said. "I'm eight D's, and I can't believe you're older than I."

My response had to be quick and justify my laughter. "I'm nine D's," I said, forcing a big smile. But, I was still baffled. He was not using years as a measurement of age. Then I connected. They were in their daytime cycle now. D must have stood for Day. I had to try to think it through. How many of our years were in a cycle? I took a quick glance at him: his hair, the lines around his eyes, the flesh under his chin. Klasco appeared to be about forty and he took me to be his age. I did some quick calculation: eight D's into forty equaled five. That would make five years equal one D. I told him I was nine D's old, which would mean I was trying to pass myself off as forty-five. My head was spinning. The whole thing was speculation! I had no way of really knowing; no way of testing my theory. Wait! Maybe I did.

"Klasco, you have a wonderful family. Little Sarisa … she's so bright. How old is she, about two D's?" In my estimation, she acted like a typical ten-year-old, give or take a year or two.
 
"One—until the dawn. You know, you don't look a whole D older than I, Doctrex."
 
"When I'm on an adventure, though, I feel like it." Just like that, we were back at the beginning of the conversation. I waited for Klasco to pick up the thread again. When he didn't, but, instead, stared out beyond the vast meadow, seemingly oblivious of my presence, and continued to draw in the smoke and release it, I thought I'd give the conversation a nudge. "Are you thinking of going on an adventure yourself, Klasco?"

He looked over at me, the expression of profound sadness on his face. "If voluntary conscription is an adventure, my friend, yes."

"Voluntary? Conscription? But, the two contradict each other, don't they?"

"Normally they do. Doctrex …" He paused to tap his pipe's bowl against the heel of his hand until the ember loosened and fell to the ground, where he stepped on it. "In your travels to the Northern Province you must have experienced the rumblings from the far north."

It seemed safe enough to pursue. "What do you mean by rumblings, Klasco?"

"You know how they are. They've always desired to expand their territories."

"Well, yes, that! But, you know how your perspective differs depending on where you are and who you hear it from. So, tell me from your perspective here."

"What you say is true. You've traveled widely. Ours is a village life. We're not as cosmopolitan in our outlook here."

"I really want to know, Klasco. What is the rumbling from the far north … from your perspective? Surely their power wouldn't extend—"

"Oh, but it would. It would! I was at the Counsel of Twelve meeting these last two days at Kabeez—"

"Kabeez." I needed another piece of information. "Kabeez. And how far is Kabeez from here?"

"Oh, I don't know, a hundred units, I'd say. Why?"

I tucked away the idea of units. Not miles. Not kilometers. Units. "I've heard of it, but never been there. That's all. So, you think the far north threatens to expand all the way to Kabeez?"

"I've no doubt of it. Under the previous regime the relationship between the far Northern Province and those to the south were strained but a kind of tender peace was maintained. But when Nimnz was overthrown and Glnot Rhuether took over control—"

I was sure Klasco heard my sharp intake of air. "You said Glnot Rhuether?"

"Ah, so you've heard of him."

"Yes. From here and there." My mind was racing.

"Then you've probably heard what a treacherous beast he is."

For the next several minutes I was aware of a kind of muffled talking in the background, but I was in the world of my own thoughts. Axtilla! You are determined to break through Kojutake and ultimately confront Glnot Rhuether I learned so much about you in so short a time but you never told me how you would break through. If only I could tell you to look for a little girl hanging through the barrier. She'll pull you into a world you wouldn't believe. Dear, dear Axtilla. Is there another gate to the far Northern Province? Was that another piece of the mystery you hadn't time to tell me of yet? Or, did Kyre instruct you in your dream? Both of our destinies are to confront Glnot Rhuether. Please, Axtilla, let me lead the way!

"… said the head was delivered to him on a stake."

"Who?" I hoped I hadn't missed anything pertinent. "I'm sorry, Klasco. One of the curses of being alone much of the time. I follow the trail of a thought until I'm lost to my environment. Please, tell me again about the head delivered on a stake."

"When word came to Glnot Rhuether that his troops had captured Nimnz, they were told to bring his head to him on the end of a stake. He wanted his people to know in an immediate and real way what his power was."

"Or, how demented … but, still, to think he would expand his—what?—his empire clear down—"

"Without a doubt, Doctrex, and we cannot begin to stand up against him. Our history tells us the middle to the southern provinces have had forty Ds of peace."

I calculated forty times five and came up with two-hundred years.

"With that much peace armies become ceremonial only. There is no professional army. The soldiers get weak. Borders go unprotected. And the people have no mind-set for conflict."

"I understand. It's all light, without the balance of darkness," Doctrex mused, aloud, thinking of Axtilla again, but without his thoughts carrying his attention aloft this time.

Klasco cocked his head. "Light without the balance of darkness. Why, yes. Exactly that." He put his hand on my right shoulder. "Promise me this, Doctrex. That you'll tell no one of our conversation. Especially not Metra or the children. I have a decision to make. I needed someone to talk with, someone who will understand.

"Nothing beyond us."

"Thank you, friend." He put his other hand on my unoccupied left shoulder, gave me a smile and them a squeeze before releasing them. "So … here's my dilemma—and what is forcing me into a decision: there is no professional army, no voluntary army. Our Council of Twelve decided, with the councils of the high-southern and the mid-northern in full-agreement, that we need to take an all-out stand against the far-north. And, soon, with the element of surprise being our best weapon."

"That makes sense."

"To you and to me … but it was a popular decision only in the general, theoretical sense. As soon as the ground rules were laid out there was considerable grumbling among the body of constituents of each of the Twelve in the Council. When it came time to say 'you and you and you must go,' the protesting began. 'But, I've got crops to plant or harvest!' 'I've got bad feet.' 'My back would give out.' Or, 'My boys are too young for battle.'  This last complaint was especially heart-rending."

"But you mentioned voluntary conscription."

"Yes, well …the Council agreed there should be some natural exemptions to conscription. There had to be a body of leadership on the home front. They would be the ones to strategize, to supervise the supplies and the training. The Council of Twelve was therefore exempt. Then came the elderly, the infirm, women and young children. I would have been doubly exempt, having a family of females who would be left without a protector."

"And, how did you feel about that, Klasco?"

"I think you know how I felt—how I feel—about it! I am conflicted. Part of me feels my life is no more important than a three-D boy who has his whole life before him. Another part of me feels the overwhelming need to protect my own wife and girls. On the other hand, if I voluntarily conscript, word would spread like wildfire. I could be in the far north a quarter-D, or even longer. Metra is still young and pretty. Klea can't protect herself. And then there's—" His voice caught—"there's Sarisa."

"That is a dilemma. And, also, your decision to go would be setting an unfavorable precedent for the others in the council. Had you thought of that?"

"Yes, I have." He rolled the pipe-stem back and forth between his thumb and forefinger. Opening his mouth as if to say something, he then closed it. He smiled at me, but didn't hold it for long. Clearing his throat, he spoke my name, looked away and then back. "Doctrex, I've only known you for a brief time. And yet I feel I couldn't know you better if you'd been my neighbor for a D or more."

"I'm flattered."

"Yes, but, well … I need to make a proposal, and—and you must feel free to accept or reject."

I thought I knew what he was going to ask. And, if I were right I'd have no option but to reject it.

"You've been an adventurer for a long time, Doctrex. You told me yourself that it's not as easy as it was when you were younger."

"Yes, but—"

"No, hear me out, my friend. Please …. I'm inviting you to take a half to a D off from your wanderings. Stay here on my property. Of course I would build you a room beside our house so you would have your privacy. You'd be able to take your meals in our house, though. And you'd earn enough credits for your work here so you'd be able to adventure in style upon my return."

I wanted to find out what his work was, but I was reluctant to ask, at this point, for fear of his taking it as an interest in his proposal. I rehearsed the word credits as a medium of exchange while I waited for him to continue.

"You would satisfy my need to perform my duty while freeing me of the fear for my family's safety." I think he saw the answer in my eyes and was quick to add: "I don't even want you to make a decision on this now. Maybe the counsel of sleep will help you arrive at a wiser decision than you would make now. So—"

"Klasco, I could sleep with this proposal for a D, but at the end of that time my answer would be the same. I must reject your offer."

His shoulders sagged. "Doctrex, please don't say no yet."

"I must."

"But, why?"

"Because I'm going in your place. You belong here. I don't."

"You can't be serious."

"I've never been more serious. Does the Counsel of Twelve know of your intentions?"

"I was planning to tell them tomorrow, after I'd persuaded you to accept my proposal."

"Instead, Klasco, you will introduce the Counsel to your brother."

He seemed to consider it for the first time. "I don't know …. What would be your reason for being here? Do you know anyone in the Village besides us? They never heard me mention my brother."

I thought about it a while. "Well, if my wife had died and I had no children and was distraught, you'd have invited me to spend some time with you and your family. Once here, I was a natural choice for your proposal. But, feeling I had nothing to live for anyway I begged you to let me replace you in battle."

Klasco studied me a long time without speaking. "And, what is your real reason for wanting to go to battle."

"I want to tell you. And, I promise I'll do it on our way to Kabeez. But, right now I am weary and to your wife I'm sure it's been a very long smoke." I stepped off the porch. "On our way to your cottage earlier, I saw an inviting cluster of trees with a brook nearby. I will sleep there. Tomorrow we can leave for Kabeez."

He protested that they had a mat and blankets and I could sleep on the floor, but I thought of Klea and held firm; we parted, agreeing to get an early start after breakfast.

 

• Doctrex:  The name Axtilla gave to the man who woke up on the shore of an alien land, without memory or identity.
• Axtilla:  The young lady who discovered the ailing man on the shore, brought him to health and then held him captive, certain he is Pondria.
• Pondria:  According to the Tablets of Kyre, he is the one who comes from the sea, to infiltrate the people of the Encloy, deceiving them with his language, setting them up to be destroyed by the Trining.
• Pomnots:  (Pom = Dark not = Force)  Formerly on the plane below, these ancestors of the people of the Encloy were drawn up to the Kojutake during the Bining's 30 days of darkness.  Fierce, living for their appetites, they are not above killing each other to satisfy their insatiable hunger.
• Glnot Rhuether:  According to Axtilla, the name of the dark entity who is destined to empower the lodging [the Trining] on their plane.
• Klasco Braanz: Husband to Metra and father to Sarisa and Klea.
• Metra Braanz: Wife to Klasco and mother to Sarisa and Klea
• Sarisa Braanz: Klasco's and Metra's youngest daughter.
• Klea Braanz: Klasco's and Metra's eldest daughter