by Eric Vall
As morning moved on slowly, I sat with my brothers and got to know them better. They may have looked the same, but their personalities were much different. I had already sensed Ansel was the more sensible one, reliable in his word. Amos was the troublemaker who constantly played tricks and cracked jokes, not unlike my fox-woman. And Adam was more reserved, though once coaxed out of his shell, he spoke a mile a minute.
I liked them and enjoyed their company, glad to be accepted not only as a part of their family as Annalise’s husband but also as their lord and master. The Decathmor name was a strong one that commanded respect, and I could see why. Each man had different charms, but they all held themselves to a code of honor that must go unbroken, the very same as my dear high queen. I could see my wife in all of them and also saw how each of her brothers helped mold her into the woman she was today. As more soldiers trickled in, lured by the delicious smell of breakfast, I turned the conversation to a more serious topic.
“Tell me, how is the trade in Tamarisch?” I inquired, and Ansel raised his head to me curiously, but Amos, who had taken out his sword and was polishing it, was the one who answered.
“Terrible,” Amos muttered as he rubbed mineral oil into the metal of the blade with a soft rag until it shone radiantly in the light.
“Why do you say that?” I questioned as I cupped my chin and observed his deft hand move over the blade.
“The weather is so cold that we can’t grow anything,” he answered with a wave of his hand, and his eyes never left his sword as he worked diligently at it. “Most of our produce comes from Machstein, and that’s if they have surpluses to even trade in the first place. The traders who come here are greedy and swindle our people out of their money because they know people are desperate for food. I’m not saying we’re a poor country, in fact, we’re far from it, but the weather makes it hard to get our hands on anything besides beef and pork. Any other kind of foodstuff is out of the question.”
Ansel tilted his head at me as he whittled at a length of kindling and stripped away its thin bark to reveal the pale wood inside. “The only produce we can get our hands on are carrots, turnips, cabbage, and spinach from Machstein, and as Amos said, that’s only if they have enough to trade with us. No fruits or warmer climate vegetables are available here unless a trader brings them and when they do, their prices are outrageous. Why do you ask, Master?”
“It is well known that the mountains around Tamarisch are bountiful with iron and marble, correct?” I asked as I looked each of the brothers in the eye, and they nodded to me. “Now, I am lord and king of the desert land of Valasara. I have a regent there named Makar who, like you, rules in my absence. I have been told Valasara is plentiful and reaps crops each year that can feed themselves for two years. Most of the surpluses go to waste in their granaries even. Though it is mostly desert, due to irrigation, they are able to grow many different vegetables and fruits. Along with those, they are abundant in salt, pottery, gold, and spices.”
I steepled my hands thoughtfully. “So, I would like to start a trade route between Valasara and Tamarisch, then whatever other countries and provinces I take over along the way. If you supply Valasara with iron and marble, then we can supply you with the perishables you need. I would like to possibly put a fourth person in charge of this new endeavor, an Overseer of Trade to be exact.”
“That sounds agreeable, then the trade route could make its way up through the many sectors of Tamarisch, cross the Riese, stop at Machstein and then head on to Tintagal,” Ansel murmured as he scratched at his cheek thoughtfully. “Tintagal’s temperature isn’t as harsh as ours in the summer months, and I know there are more crops that grow there than in Tamarisch and Machstein combined, but because of the political climate with Tintagal, we don’t have access to those provisions.”
“But we will after I’m finished with that man, the one Annalise was arranged to marry, Baudouin,” I stated in a powerful voice as a wicked smile spread over my lips. “When I have killed him, Tintagal will be part of Tamarisch as one nation under my rule, and we will know glory like no other men have known before.”
I raised my head, and the Decathmor brothers looked at me like they should have in the beginning, like I was truly a god, not some mere man. They were only beginning to know the reaches of my power but soon, they would really see as my hands collected each nation and killed the men who ruled them, starting with Machstein and then Tintagal.
The lands of this earth would be one nation, under one god. And once under my rule, I would spite the heavens and strike down the other gods who had cast me out and abandoned me. Then as the world ended and collapsed under my feet, I would stand with my minions and rule everything around us with an all-seeing eye, the north, the south, the east, and the west. Each kingdom was fated to fall to me, and there was nothing that could stop me.
The morning gave way to afternoon, and as it dragged on, I could see the sadness in the Decathmor brothers as the time of our leaving neared. We all knew we would be reunited eventually, but it was especially hard to watch as each brother wrapped their arms around their sister and savored the moments before she would have to leave them once again. They had only just gotten her back, and now she was leaving again. I wished I could have given them more time to spend together, but we needed to move on to the next dungeons.
We chartered a boat from the small port town of Toscal at the edge of the Riese. Annalise was correct when she said the river was huge. As I stood at the edge of a pier, the other side of the river was nowhere in sight. The water of the Riese was deep blue, almost like the ocean we had crossed to get to Tamarisch, and as I watched I could see pale, thick-scaled fish swim to the surface, hang there for a few seconds taking in large gulps of air, and then plunge back down into the frigid waters. Down the side of their thick bodies were one strip of neon yellow and the spines that pointed up from their fins looked deadly.
“Yellow-tail Razorbacks,” my high queen told me as she peeked over my shoulder and watched a particularly large fish break the surface and send out ripples in every direction. “Pretty docile but they can be dangerous when spooked. Watch this.”
Annalise hopped from the pier down to the rocky shore, picked up a palm-sized rock, and tossed it close to the fish. The fish’s fins that lay folded against its back expanded and shot up to expose a huge colorful fan. Each part of the multicolored yellow fan was separated by a nasty looking black spike that looked sharp enough to pierce through the skin. Then the spooked fish shot down into the depths of the azure water and was gone from sight.
My swordswoman’s eye stayed on the moving water for a long time, and I could sense sadness there. She turned her head to me, and her eyes widened as she realized I had been watching.
“What saddens you so?” I asked as I offered her a hand and helped her back up onto the pier.
“The Razorbacks, they’re endangered, and we no longer fish for them which is good, but this isn’t their natural habitat,” she said as she watched as a much smaller fish made its way to the surface and looked at her curiously before swimming away. “There once was a mouth at the south end of the river that led to the ocean, and each spring, the Razorbacks would swim upstream to spawn in the colder waters of the Riese. Baudouin’s castle sits at the edge of the water, and there’s a natural pool underneath of it. Each year during the spawning, the Razorbacks would nest in the pool, and he would go down and watch them. He loved them so much he had a dam built at the river mouth and now the Yellowtail Razorbacks are trapped here, in cold water that is unnatural for them.”
She let out a sigh. “Before I was born, thousands of Razorbacks would flood into the Riese, and now, there are only a few hundred. It upsets me, imagining them trying to return home, only to be blocked in and forced to stay in freezing water they can only withstand for a few months while mating and laying eggs.”
I reached out for her and tucked a strand of chestnut hair behind her ear, and her eyes lowered to the planks at our feet.
“Does it bother you that much, my queen?” I murmured in her ear, and she snuggled in closer to me against the icy wind.
“Yes … ” she answered softly, and I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and brought her closer. “I suppose they remind me of me, although you have freed me.”
“Then we will free them, you and I,” I said.
We stayed like this for a while, watching the beautiful fish bob up and down to the surface only to disappear into the dark depths. I could tell the high queen was still upset, but I had comforted her slightly in telling her we would free them and send them back home. Our moment of silence was broken as Carmedy called for us and let us know our ship had docked and loaded on our belongings for the journey to Machstein.
I steered Annalise down the pier and the four steps that led to the cobblestone street and her waiting brothers. Rana and Morrigan went to trade our gold and pick a few supplies while the Decathmor brothers kept an eye on Carmedy so she wouldn’t run off. With the authoritative soldiers standing side by side and staring down at her with dark brown eyes, the cat-woman stayed rooted in place.
Ansel was the first to step forward and grip Annalise tightly to his chest in an embrace. The high queen let out a croak as he hugged her too tight, but he let go and looked away as he wiped away one stray tear he hoped no one else saw. Amos and Adam were next, and they swept her up together and squeezed her from both sides, and she laughed loudly as she patted them on their backs. They let go of Annalise and held her at arm’s length and studied her face as if committing it to memory.
Then I watched my other three minions give the Decathmor brothers quick waves as they walked up the gangplank to board the ship. Carmedy was the last to board, and she turned around and waved like a madwoman.
“Bye-bye! See you later, alligator! Smell ya later! Don’t forget to write!” she called happily, and Rana came back, grabbed her arm, and pulled her onto the ship. The fox-woman looked over her shoulder and connected eyes with Adam, who had apologized vehemently to the redhead. The fox’s eyes narrowed as she stuck out her tongue at Adam. The poor twin blushed profusely and looked away embarrassed.
I knew the twin had somehow developed feelings for my fox over the two days we spent with them. I didn’t feel anger toward my brother-in-law, since it was only natural to be attracted to beautiful women, but he knew that she could never be his because I already owned her body and soul. Rana only had eyes for me, and that’s how it would be until the end of time, along with my other minions. They were mine, and I was theirs, no man nor woman could come between us.
Amos and Adam pulled away from Annalise and stepped back in line with their oldest brother. Their faces were gloomy and downcast as the high queen took my hand and led me up the bridge.
“Anna!” Ansel called when we were halfway up, and she turned, her braid swinging out behind her.
“Yes?” she yelled with a smile.
“Best of luck to you, be safe, we love you,” Ansel shouted before a grin brightened his face, “and come back pregnant or don’t come back at all!”
Annalise’s mouth fell open, and her cheeks bloomed red all the way to the tips of her ears as all three of her brothers roared with laughter. Amos bent over and slapped his knee, and Adam slapped his twin on the back as he struggled to regain composure. I gripped her hand tighter and pulled her to my side as I too chuckled deep in the back of my throat.
“That can be arranged!” I yelled down to them, and their laughter rang in our ears until both Annalise and I were out of sight and safely on the ship.
The high queen glowered at me and then gave me a playful push, but I just chuckled at her embarrassed expression. Then she moved to push me again, but I grabbed her wrists at the last second, and she stumbled into me. I pressed my lips to her mouth suddenly, and she tensed for a second before she relaxed, wrapped her arms around my neck, and melted into me completely. When I pulled away, her cheeks were still tinted pink, but she looked much happier now. I stroked her cheek softly with the back of my pointer finger, and her lips parted deliciously.
“You do know they will be sorely disappointed if we return and there is no heir within me, right?” she asked breathily, her supple body pressed into mine,
“Hm,” I said thoughtfully as I tore my eyes away from her stunning face. I looked out over the cobalt water then looked back down into her brown eyes with a grin. “Then we better practice. I’d hate to disappoint my new brothers when we return.”
Chapter Seven
“I’ve never seen a ship like this,” Carmedy remarked. Then she leaned over the side to examine the thick metal hull and the pointed bow as it cut through the dark water.
“It’s called a ‘breaker,’” Annalise said from behind as she steadied herself and made sure the smaller cat-woman didn’t topple over the side. “Once we get closer to Machstein, the temperature will drop and the surface of the river will freeze. The ship’s bow is used to push forward and break the ice.”
“Wow,” Carmedy breathed as she reached a paw down and knocked at the metal side of the ship. It clanged piercingly, and a few stray icicles dropped into the frothing water below. “That’s so cool. Did you know I had never seen ships this big until I left home? Where I was born, we only had small fishing boats. The most you could fit into them was probably two or three men.”
I watched as Annalise helped the cat hop down, and the swordswoman brushed off Carmedy’s coat where some snow had collected. I loved to watch them together. Not only had my relationship with each of them grown, but they had also grown to care for and love each other in a way that they hadn’t before. As Carmedy liked to point out, they were no longer just friends but sisters.
On the other side of the ship, Rana and Morrigan sat on two barrels across from each other, an impromptu table set-up in front of them made from a third barrel and a scrap piece of timber. The red-haired fox was teaching the elf how to play cards, and Morrigan’s face looked thoroughly confused as she uncertainly put down a card from her hand. Rana shrieked with joy and pulled a heaping pile of coins to her side in victory. The elf blinked, sighed loudly, and slapped down her cards in annoyance.
“I told you I’d beat the pants off you!” the fox sniggered loudly as she dealt another hand, and Morrigan raised a white eyebrow.
“For one, I am not wearing pants, this is a dress,” Morrigan stated in her uninterested voice as she picked up the pile of cards Rana set down in front of her. “And second, I do not think you are a good player, merely that I am unskilled in this type of pastime. If you had a worthy opponent, I believe you would be the one without pants.”
Rana squinted her eyes at the pale elf, held up her cards in front of her face, and grumbled softly to herself as her ears twitched irritably. “Does no one understand sayings around here? First Carmedy, now you.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back against the massive wooden mast and watched them play for a while. My high queen came to stand beside me, and she chuckled as Rana won again, and the elf threw up her hands in defeat.
“Do you know how to play cards, Master?” the brunette asked as she tilted her head to me and gazed into my face.
I shook my head. “No, I used to play senet and hounds and jackals with my br--” I stopped midsentence then corrected myself, not ready to tell my minions about that part of my life and the brother I tried to forget. “--with the other gods. Card games hadn’t been invented yet. What are they playing? Maybe I could learn and play with them eventually.”
“I’m unsure of what they’re playing, it looks like a version of rummy,” Annalise replied. We watched Rana set down three cards of the same suit, and the High Elf eyed them suspiciously over her hand. “I’m sure if you asked Rana, she would teach you while playing against Morrigan.”
“Are there games we could play together? All five of us?” I asked as I watched Carmedy skip around the deck happily, her short black hair billowing in the wind under her hood.
“Of cour
se, I believe we all could play craits together, but I must warn you, I’m a bit of a champion at that game. I used to play against my brothers all the time,” the swordswoman said with a faraway smile on her lips as she remembered the times she spent beating the other Decathmors.
I dragged three more barrels over to the table, and then I gathered my minions around me as Annalise set about teaching us how to play craits, a game I had never heard of before. My high queen’s voice took on an authoritative tone as she told us the rules of play, and each of my minions listened intently.
“Craits is a shedding game, the goal is to get rid of the entire hand you’re dealt,” Annalise told us as she shuffled the deck and handed out eight cards to each of us. Then she set down the deck in front of her and flipped one card up beside it. “The premise of the game is to match either the suit or the number of the card laid down. If you have an eight or nine, you can lay the card down and choose the suit for yourself. If you have no cards that match either the suit or rank, you must pick up a card. If you only have one card left, you have to announce, ‘one card,’ if you don’t, we’ll all call you an idiot, and you pick up two cards and skip the turn, giving someone else the chance to win. Pretty easy to remember. Is everyone ready?”
“Ready!” Carmedy cheered as she held her already dealt hand aloft in the air, and Annalise chuckled with a soft smile.
“Ready to go,” Rana said with a smirk, her cards held tightly in front of her bright baby-blue eyes.
“I’m ready too,” I announced, and then I glanced over at the elf whose eyes wandered over the fanned-out cards in front of her. “Are you, Morrigan?”
“I am, Master, let us proceed,” the pale woman replied in her usual cold tone.
We played for about an hour, and I slowly realized that this game involved more a chance of luck than skill. Once I realized this, I won a few rounds to the groans and laments of the bested. We were on our last game, and surprisingly, Carmedy was in the lead this time. She was smacking down cards left and right with a delighted glint in her emerald eyes. With a final loud slap, she lay down her second to last card with a mischievous smirk and sat back in her chair, waving the final card in her paw.