The Lord of the Plains

by Sarah Chapman

Chapter 28

  Cavachi was hard to miss.

  ‘Don’t be alarmed when you see them,’ Messenger repeated for the umpteenth time. ‘They don’t look like us, but they are human.’

  Mr Briggs grunted. ‘So you’ve said. Just concentrate on flying. Do you think I can’t remember that?’

  Messenger had flown this way dozens of times since he had first become lost and stumbled across Cavachi. Today he was not flying a Predator. A Predator had room for only one person. Today he was finally taking one of the members of the Council of Astar to Cavachi. Mr Briggs was also the leader of the military. As a councilman outranked the Commander of the Astar Military, Briggs was known as Mr Briggs, not Commander Briggs. He was a grim, stern, forbidding man, just as all the other officers in the army were, so that didn’t bother Messenger much.

  They were approaching the mountains. The view still held the power to take his breath away.

  What bothered Messenger was his reaction to the Vachi. Messenger had been stunned when he’d landed to investigate the towering elegance rising from the side of the mountain. It had been risky, but he’d never seen any building so beautiful. He’d taken the risk, and he thought it’d been well worth it, even if this meeting between the leaders of Astar and Cavachi went badly.

  If Cavachi itself had stunned him, the people had shocked him even more. And then they’d told him humans had once come in many different shapes, sizes and colours, before the gemengs had fractured and nearly exterminated their race.

  He had never known humans could be anything except pale-skinned, with mostly blonde or light brown hair. A human with black hair was unusual enough. A human with black skin?

  ‘I’m sure you can, sorry, sir.’

  When Cavachi came into view a smile lit Messenger’s face. He waited a moment to allow Mr Briggs to appreciate the beauty of what was before them before asking what he thought.

  The palace of Cavachi clung to the mountain side. Slender spires of pale grey stone rose vertically from the sheer face of the mountain. Every time he saw it Messenger marvelled that a structure built from stone could look so elegant, could tower so high above the mountain side without crumbling under its own weight. A few times he had been lucky enough to be delayed and arrive when the sun was setting. Then Cavachi looked as though it was afire as brilliant reds and yellows and oranges lit the pale stone.

  Yet now he knew this was just the tip of the iceberg. Cavachi continued extensively below the ground, as well as into the valley behind the mountain. The city of Cavachi had an elegance and beauty Astar had never even dreamed of.

  ‘What do you think?’ Messenger eagerly asked Mr Briggs.

  ‘Hmph. It doesn’t look very practical.’

  Messenger’s heart dropped like a stone. ‘It-it’s very well defended, sir. Appearances can be deceiving, it has shields, just as Astar does. Oh, look!’

  Messenger’s eyes were drawn to what looked like a thin, snakelike cloud in the sky. It was an overcast day so it was hard to spot them, but there were several of the worms in the sky.

  ‘Where? What are you looking at?’ Mr Briggs demanded gruffly.

  Messenger directed Mr Briggs to the worms which wriggled high up in the clouds above Cavachi. They were…well, they were creations of the Vachi. They were lines of capsules that were connected together that looked like nothing so much as worms, that happened to be flying. They also moved like worms. Wriggling and jerking apparently randomly. He was told they were very effective in a battle and were very difficult to hit. They could also break apart, as they were made of individual segments, and join up with others.

  In the side of the mountain there were metallic hatches. At astonishing speed the worms would come and go from these hatches. Once inside Cavachi they served as a form of transportation through the tunnels.

  Messenger thought they were brilliant. Even more importantly, they were a form of weaponry very different to that used in Astar. If Mr Briggs wasn’t impressed by Cavachi’s elegance, he would be impressed by Cavachi’s military might.

  ‘Ah, yes. I remember your report on them, Seiris, fascinating.’

  Messenger sighed. His name seemed to slip from people’s minds. They never quite got it right. ‘Messenger, sir, please just call me Messenger.’

  From this angle it looked like they’d have to land at the bottom of the mountain and climb all the way up to reach Cavachi. That was what he’d done on his first visit. The mountain was nearly impossible to climb, and the Vachi, who had been watching him the entire time, had finally come to investigate what this pale little creature was doing on their mountain.

  Now he knew he could land in the mountain valley behind the peak that rose above Cavachi. If the Vachi allowed it of course.

  This meeting had been a long time in the arranging, so there wasn’t likely to be any problem with that.

  As the Carrier-2 rose above the mountain a lush green valley came into view. Mr Briggs craned his neck to get a better view. ‘Ah, and do they farm down there?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes, sir.’ It also served as a retreat for those able to afford it. He had visited one of the valley villas once. It made you want to earn money, just for the chance to visit again.

  ‘I don’t see any defences. Do their shields extend over the valley as well?’

  ‘Yes, sir.’ that had been in one of the many reports he had written.

  ‘Mmhmm.’ Mr Briggs fell silent.

  Messenger suspected Mr Briggs knew all the reports on Cavachi by heart and was busy thinking about military matters.

  There was a flat, empty expanse of rock just above the valley floor, on the side closest to the peak the towers clung to.

  That was where Messenger landed the Carrier.

  Standing a safe distance back from the platform was a richly dressed welcoming party. As Messenger hopped out of the Carrier he spotted the man who held a position much like his own and smiled. Recha had a good understanding of the difficulty of forging a friendship between their two peoples. Sometimes Messenger wondered if anyone else wanted this friendship as much as he did. Cavachi was so different to Astar. They could both only be the better by knowing each other.

  When he was safely on the ground he turned to assist Mr Briggs and found he didn’t need it.

  It was windy on the platform. The robes of the welcoming party were being whipped around, but they didn’t seem to notice. Behind them, Messenger knew, was a fiendishly well hidden trail up to a door that was hidden even better.

  Right now though, he had to focus on getting through the introductions.

  The Vachi had warm, dark skin. Messenger vividly remembered the first time he saw them on that windy mountainside.

  When he’d seen those dark skinned creatures coming towards him he’d thought he’d walked right into a gemeng nest. He’d felt sickening terror as he realised he would likely die here. He remembered the weakness that had suddenly infected his limbs. He’d taken a step back and his legs, suddenly the consistency of cave mould, had been unable to hold him and he’d tumbled down the mountainside.

  He’d awoken inside Cavachi to a dark face peering at him. He’d screamed like a little girl face to face with a gemeng about to eat her.

  Then there had been a terrifying parade of dark skinned creatures. He realised now that they’d been trying to talk to him. But they had not understood each other’s language and he’d been too terrified to realise they had bandaged his injuries.

  Finally they had brought Vearla, pronounced Vee-arr-la, to him. She sat by his bed and observed him silently with big dark eyes. He had gabbled at her in his tongue, perhaps trying to beg for his life. He couldn’t remember.

  Then, out of the blue, she’d spoken to him.

  ‘Don’t be afraid.’ she said.

  That had been the beginning. She’d stayed with him often and helped teach him Ravki, the language of Cavachi. Not long after, he’d met Recha. At the time Recha hadn’t meant much to him, he’d met so many different people in those day
s. But Recha had stayed more often than the others. Now he knew it was because Recha had been chosen to learn his language.

  As Messenger became more fluent in Ravki, Vearla had spent less and less time with him. During the last three visits, Messenger had not seen her at all. The Vachi were very close mouthed about her.

  The Vachi were different to the Astarians in many ways, but sometimes Messenger found their reticence about some subjects the strangest. They were happy to regale him with stories of a people called the valkar, who had apparently rescued the human race from extinction at the hands of some terrible foe by giving them gifts of shields and other technology. His own people put little store in examining the past, so realizing the Vachi studied it extensively was illuminating. He’d presumed the foe they’d spoken of were gemengs, and asked where the gemengs came from, as their stories suggested they hadn’t always been around. Where had the valkar come from? Where were they now? What exactly had they given them? Could they help them now?

  And suddenly, to his bewilderment, when he asked these questions, they clammed up and wouldn’t say a word. Why regale him with stories of these people he had never heard of and then refuse to acknowledge his questions?

  But he was here to make friends, so he had put his questions away for the most part. Every so often he still pressed Recha. At least he would acknowledge that Messenger had asked a question.

  Now he looked at the Vachi and the fear he’d first felt was gone. His only worry was that Mr Briggs would feel what he’d first felt, and their chance of friendship would be gone, like ashes in the wind.

  Mr Briggs frowned dangerously. He put his mouth near Messenger’s ear and whispered, ‘those clothes don’t look very practical.’

  The welcoming party consisted of six people, including Recha. The Vachi had curious customs regarding who could know whose given name and in what situations they could use it. Out of the six people in front of them, Messenger only knew Recha’s given name, though in this situation Recha would not personally be addressed. He would just be a translator, so in a way he didn’t count.

  The group was arrayed in an arrow, a man dressed in sky blue robes, the Speaker, at the point, flanked on either side by two people. Recha stood in an awkward position between the man in sky blue and the person on his right. They all wore flowing robes of vibrant colours and intricate designs. Rings, necklaces, bracelets and bands of gold and silver, studded with precious stones, adorned fingers, necks, arms and wrists. Even more complex than their attire were the rules about the attire, about who could wear what and when and with whom.

  Recha stood out for the plainness of his robes, but even he was better dressed than Messenger and Mr Briggs.

  The man in sky blue stepped forward, Recha beside him.

  Messenger smiled weakly at this man. His eyes darted to Recha and back again.

  The man to the left of the man in sky blue began speaking. Recha translated, though at this point Messenger could understand what he was saying.

  ‘The Speaker for the Master of the House of Corchanus welcomes you to Cavachi, people of the far away land of Astar.’

  A wide belt of dark blue was wrapped around the waist of the Speaker. His dark hair was slicked back tightly against his scalp and bound in a perfect little knot. That was also a mark of importance. Less important people were not allowed to have their hair slicked back so tightly and perfectly. Recha’s hair, also in a knot at the back of his head, had little waves in it. His robes were brown.

  Messenger swallowed and smiled. ‘Sir, they have different ways to ours.’ he said softly, not moving any closer to speak more secretly with Mr Briggs. That would have been the height of rudeness. He fervently hoped Mr Briggs would follow what he had told him about the etiquette here, because he had no doubt he remembered. Messenger thought Mr Briggs just didn’t think it important. Messenger hadn’t thought so at first either.

  ‘What did he say his name was?’ Mr Briggs asked.

  ‘Sir, we’ll address him as Speaker. They- they do not give out their given names here.’

  Mr Briggs heavy brows lowered as he glared at Messenger.

  Messenger bravely ignored him and said in his own language, ‘The Master of the House of Briggs accepts your welcome with delight.’ If they’d brought more people with them one of them would have said the introduction and Messenger would have translated it into Ravki. As it was, Recha translated for him. Messenger hoped introducing Mr Briggs as the ‘Master’ of his house had been the correct decision. It was a great honour to meet the Master of a house, but it also suggested the Briggs House was small, and had no Speakers to represent the House. The implications gave Messenger a headache, and he pushed his concerns away as the Speaker for the House of Corchanus began talking. His voice had a rich cadence that made it a delight to listen to. He spoke slowly, allowing each word to be savoured by his listeners. He, of course, knew he had a lovely voice and it was a sign of his magnanimity that he would allow those beneath him to hear its beauty.

  The Speaker went on for some time, and Messenger knew from experience it would seem even longer to Mr Briggs, who couldn’t understand a word of it.

  While he was speaking Messenger translated briefly. ‘He welcomes us to Cavachi and hopes our peoples will become friends.’

  He had said a lot more than that, none of which Mr Briggs would appreciate. When the Speaker was finished, however, Recha began translating the entire speech for Mr Briggs. Mr Briggs nodded curtly once Recha was done.

  Messenger froze. He had to say something. He had to at least open his mouth so Messenger could make something up!

  Mr Briggs glanced at him. ‘Astar holds the same hope. I’m sure this will be a very useful meeting for the both of us.’

  Messenger smiled weakly at Recha as he began translating something a little more flowery and appropriate to the Vachi. Recha, of course, knew Messenger was making things up. His dark eyes widened in surprise. He knew Messenger, and Messenger had told him often that his people were very curt and practical, but he supposed seeing it from Mr Briggs was still a surprise.

  Recha said nothing however, and Messenger relaxed.

  As they started walking up the trail the Speaker resumed talking. Now that the introductions were finished Messenger would translate the words of the Vachi, and Recha would translate Mr Briggs’ words. Over the course of the trip they would switch back again many times. The rules about who translated for who were very particular and convoluted.

  ‘We will be staying in this man’s home.’ Messenger said to Mr Briggs. ‘We’ll be allowed to rest in our rooms until this evening, when we’ll dine and enjoy a small performance. Tomorrow we’ll have a tour of Cavachi.’

  ‘Hmph. I see. And when will we discuss an alliance?’

  Recha told the man in blue that Mr Briggs was delighted and humbled by his great generosity.