New Cali

by Erik Schubach

  What a cruel death, out in the Uninhabitable Lands, to die of thirst and dehydration, starvation... or worse.

  Emily's mouth was clamped shut, her lips a thin line. I could tell she was containing her outrage. She asked, “Can you guide me and our group to Doctrina and the Memory Stone on the morrow to seek help for these people? They have traveled from the lands of Sparo and the Mountain Gypsies, home of the Cristea. But were attacked upon arriving.”

  The little girl crooked her finger at me and I crouched and she said as she placed a hand on my scarred cheek as she watched the mist swirl around, “You don't gots to go all the way to the Holy Place for help. The Seekers patrol the Cradle to enforce the Prime's will. They can help... but mama and papa says I'm supposed ta run and hide when I see them.”

  Donovan and I exchanged looks and he asked, “Soldiers? I thought New Cali was peaceful.”

  My thoughts exactly. But there had been a war with the Cristea, so maybe that is why they had patrols now.

  The woman spoke almost under her breath, but to Emily, looking for some validation to what she said, “All know the Seekers hunt heretics and enforce the will of the Prime.”

  Em glared at them, her eyes turning silver and emitting a bright silver and blue light. “No, the Knowledge Seekers seek the truths of the world from before us and the one we live in now, to amass the sum of all knowledge for the betterment of all. They are not hunters! What happened to the Sect while I was away?”

  The she snapped at them as they three of them shied away from her eyes as they lit up the area, her hair floating up like a fan of pure flaxen gold around her, stretching out at least six feet. “No, this is no test!”

  I reached out and placed a hand on her arm, “Em... Emily.” I allowed my magics to wrap around hers, intertwining with it and gently unraveling and consuming it. I realized that this was just what was on the surface that was leaking out with her rage, she held a tsunami of magic just below the surface, there would be no way for me to contain what she had in her seemingly endless reservoir. But I siphoned off enough into my own growing reservoir for her hair to drape to the ground like a silken wedding train, and her eyes to return to their deep blue depth. It was enough for her to regain control before she frightened the poor farmers to death.

  She looked at the cowering people and whispered, “Oh, I'm so sorry. This just isn't the land, the Sect I know. I will have words with this Eris.”

  She saw the little girl on the ground trying to look small and she blanched and moved forward to help the frightened girl up. “Oh, dear child, I'm so sorry. I did not mean to frighten you.” The girl visibly swallowed and nodded without conviction.

  Donovan scooped the girl up and handed her to her parents in the cart. An act to show we were no threat.

  I offered quickly, “Where are my manners? I'm Great Mother Laney, Co-Ruler of Sparo. And this is Prime Techromancer Donovan of Wexbury. Emily here you've heard of. We've had a long journey then suffered an attack. Please. Let us speak where it is more comfortable in your farmhouse.”

  The man's eyes were still on Emily as he said to me, “Gael, and my wife, Maria. This is our daughter Selena.” Then he whispered, “Are you truly from Sparo? But the Prime said Sparo had died out like the others, that we were the last life by her grace.”

  Donovan nodded. “Yes, we truly are. And we have brought Emily back so we could meet with and befriend the people of New Cali.”

  The woman said without any conviction, “Blaspheme.” She knew the truth in our words, but she was more afraid of this Eris person than of hearing the truth. They were ruled by fear here.

  The girl pointed at Donovan. “You're not a Prime. Everyone knows that Seekers are women.”

  He shot her his winning smile that always made me feel as though I was with a father figure and I could do no wrong in his eyes. “Oh, but I am. A Prime Techromancer, not a Seeker. My magic is very different than theirs. See?”

  He grabbed a handful of air and squeezed his fist as I felt a wave of dizziness when a huge amount of magic was released into his fist. He opened his hand and a little marble was in it. He handed it to her and she giggled and moved it from hand to hand quickly like it was a hot coal. “It's cold!”

  He nodded and offered, “It is ice.”

  The mother asked when Selena showed her prize to them, “What is ice?”

  I furrowed my brow, before my eyes shot to their snowless mountains... ahh... did they not know what ice was? I explained, “It is frozen water, so cold it becomes solid.” To the girl I said, “Place it on your tongue and it will melt into cold water.”

  When she looked to her father for permission, he first took it from her, looking at me in suspicion and touched it to his own tongue. His eyes widened and looked like it took an effort to stop from smiling before he handed it back to her and nodded. She popped it into her mouth and then giggled and shivered, saying with her mouth full, “It's so cold.”

  The man cocked his head and looked first at Donovan, then to me, his eyes again tracking my mist as I moved. “You are powerful.” Then he looked to his wife and she bit her lower lip then nodded once. “Come, we can talk in the barn. Our cottage is too small, I apologize.”

  Emily had put herself back together as she gathered her hair, “Of course.” She bowed slightly to them and the man urged their mule ahead and we followed.

  I grabbed Emily's hand to give it a squeeze as we walked, letting her know that we were there for her. She exhaled loudly and then gave me a sad smile. What she has heard about her people in her absence was not sitting well with her... or me.

  Chapter 11 – The Cradle

  We spoke long into the night. They had a million questions.

  The temperatures dropped to the mid eighties and the breeze actually felt cool after such sweltering temperatures the prior day. At midnight, the Three Sisters were high in the sky and the young family joined us in seeing Lord Harry off to the beyond, I believed that Father Stone's whispering voice truly called him home.

  I've never been a really religious sort, but I find I am embracing the beliefs of the Mountain Gypsies more and more as I swear I can feel many of the things described in their songs and teachings when I am in the shadow of Father Stone in the Great Mother's garden.

  Of course, Selena and the girls got along as thick as thieves when the young New Calian saw how the animals of the forest and the farm flocked to my eldest. And the girl simply fell in love with Bitsy.

  It was late when we finally bedded down in the straw in the barn loft where there was more room for our people. The farmers insisted our two injured, and the girls stay in the cottage with them.

  The night was rough, as the ghosts of my past tormented my dreams. Celeste's voice whispered on the wind in my mind called out, “Laney, wake up.” And I was awake. It was time to break bread then head out to investigate if it was safe to bring our people to Doctrina.

  We had decided that Emily, Donovan and I were going to find the patrols around the lake, the Cradle, to speak with them before deciding our next move.

  I had to make a decree for my guards to stay behind. I think it will be a long time before I am forgiven for such a move, but I would not have us looking like any sort of fighting force when we spoke with the patrols, in case what the farmers had relayed to us was true, and this Prime, Eris, truly thought that she was some sort of a god. That could get dangerous for our people.

  Not to mention we needed a fighting force protecting the nobles in case things go awry or Aelwen shows her face.

  Gael said he would lead us to the Cradle where the patrols were most frequent. We mounted up on mules. I asked offhandedly as we adjusted the saddles, “Are there no horses in New Cali?”

  The man looked nervous as he answered. “They have all gone to the Disciples. We are allowed burros, mules and oxen to tend our crops, but oxen are rare since most went with the Cristea into the Lifeless Expanse. The few left in our lands are slow to repo
pulate, and maybe only two dozen remain.”

  Emily asked the question I was about to, “Disciples?”

  Maria whispered loudly as if someone might overhear, “The citizens the Sect has converted to their will to fight the heretics. They convert more and more, growing their numbers.”

  Donovan prompted, “Converted?”

  Gael spoke as softly as his wife. “They needed soldiers to fight the Cristea, who had more users of magic than the Sect who number but a hundred. So they took farmers, and butchers, and weavers in groups before the Seekers. They came away saying they were blessed by the grace of the Prime, that she had risen to sit as our deity. The Disciples took up arms as Eris' army to fight the Cristea, and enforce the Prime's will upon the populace.”

  I must have been channeling Celeste when I asked, “What are their numbers?”

  The man shrugged. “When they rose up for the Prime, there were around five hundred, but the Sect has converted at least two score a year for the past decade. Eris says to combat the heretics among our population.”

  Forty people a year? So they had a fighting force of around a thousand including the Seekers. That was truly an army. That would explain Emily's discomfort and why she hasn't given any input. When she left these lands, they were a people of peace and not a soldier among them. Now it sounded as if they were a people living under martial law, and anyone with an opinion differing their Prime was labeled as a heretic.

  I had to ask, “What happens to those deemed heretics?”

  The woman looked around again and shared, “Some are run down like dogs and killed, some are brought in for public executions.” She shivered. “And some are made to gaze upon the Seekers, or even the Goddess Eris herself. They are converted, seeing the error of their ways, and used as vassals of the Prime. Either becoming Disciples or slaves of the Sect. And they seem pleased to do so.”

  Emily hissed out, “They are impressing their will upon others with their mind glows? Taking their free will? That is reprehensible and forbidden by the doctrines of the Knowledge Seeker Sect. What has become of home in my absence?” She was actually shaking in anger and I could see her gnashing her teeth to prevent from losing her tight control over her power.

  Donovan looked at her questioningly. “Taking their free will?”

  Our blonde librarian growled out, “In the early days, when the first of us developed the mind glow, some found that they could impress their own will upon people of weaker minds than them, or pooling their power with others possessing the glow to overwhelm those with a stronger mind than their own. Essentially making them their thralls.”

  She clenched her hands into tight fists and I felt cracks developing in the armor around her magic. “They found they could alter memories, or even replace them completely, even evoking emotions in their victims. They could remake the person into whatever they desired. The first Prime outlawed this, it is the only law in the doctrines of our Sect which has but one punishment that is essentially a death sentence. Banishment into the Lifeless Expanse.”

  She asked the farmers. “How did the others in the Sect allow this to occur? Why did they not stop this Eris?”

  They looked to be at a loss and I shook my head, trying to grasp everything I was hearing. I tried to sound confident as I rasped out calmly, “There's nothing to be done about it now. Right now we need to make sure our people are safe and we need to get assistance from those in charge if we are to keep them safe until Sparo sends out a search party when we do not return on time.”

  I knew as well as them that that may not be for at least a month. This was expected to be a three week mission, but we all know that unexpected things arise and timetables for meeting new people are wont to change. So it wouldn't be until we were a week or two overdue that they would assemble a search party, which would take at least a week to coordinate.

  That search and rescue party would be larger than our expedition, since if something happened to three ships, and the fastest courier vessel in the fleet hadn't returned to inform them the talks were taking longer than expected, they would think there was some sort of trouble and knights would fill likely six to eight airships.

  We had no idea how many men Aelwen had on her pirated vessel, nor if they had the means to repair her airship or replace the barrel on the long gun which was destroyed. So we needed assistance to assure my people's safety for a month.

  And knowing the evil that was the ex-duchess and her disregard for life in general, the Sect sounded to be the only viable option. Especially since if we tried to hide on their lands for a month and were caught, it sounds as if we may be branded heretics or invaders, and it sounded as if that ended badly for others.

  If they took umbrage concerning our presence, we would assure them that we would keep out of the way and leave their lands as soon as our rescue ships arrived.

  I felt for Emily. This was not the homecoming she had anticipated, and seeing her people like this must be difficult. This was her home as much as Wexbury was to her now. I had an innate understanding of being a woman of two peoples, and to see either of them suffering would make me a wreck.

  Donovan looked to be thinking the same and he placed an arm around his wife, sharing his strength with her. I reached out to grab one of her hands and squeezed it reassuringly, then looked to Gael. “Right then. Daylight is burning, shall we be about it?”

  He nodded and pulled his reins, wheeling his mule about and my in laws followed. I looked down at Misty and Shanny. “I'm counting on you girls to keep our people safe until we return.”

  Misty drew her blade and held it in front of her face. “You can count on us, mom. We won't let you down.”

  I nodded and assured her, “You never could. Love you two.”

  They responded in unison, “Love you too.” Then they ran off with Selena toward the barn.

  I watched them go then my smile faded as I looked at Sara and my extremely angry looking guards, “Take care of them. We'll return with help. Keep the watch rotation...”

  Sarafine huffed, “Off with you while it is still daylight, we know what needs doing... Great Mother. And we'll keep an eye on the sky and forest for the duchess' people.”

  I sighed. “I know, I just worry about the children... and Celeste...” And that made my heart ache again for our lost family and friends. I had to wall off the sorrow and despair, it would only dull my responses and drain me physically and mentally and I had to stay sharp. There would be time to mourn when we were all safe.

  She whispered, anguish in her own eyes, “Go Laney.”

  I nodded then urged my mule forward to catch up with the others.

  And before long we had left the farm and two others like it behind as we entered a conifer forest like the ones back home, but this one was denser. The road looked as if it had been well kept once upon a time, and I thought I could see cobblestones below the dirt and trampled grass that covered it.

  At one time this was likely similar to the Ring back home that circled through every one of the Lower Ten, connecting them all, but now, it had at least a decade of disrepair and nature was reclaiming it as its own.

  As if he could read my mind, Gael said, “It had been a grand road at one time, but after the Cristea War, the Sect no longer sent workers out to maintain it as they had before that.” Then he added, “They take more and more workers for Disciples, and some farms have gone fallow. I fear we won't be able to feed New Cali soon if they keep converting farmers.”

  He looked around in fear of speaking up, like the heavens would open up and smite him for even implying the Sect was harming or endangering the land or the people.

  I have read enough in the libraries to know that this was how a civilization went into decline, and just one major incident like a plague or bad earth rumble or crop blight, and they could fall like an empire I have read about which died out long before the Wizards of the Before rose to power, the Aztecs.

  The only thing that could
end a civilization faster, was man himself. War was a blight unto itself, and I hated all that it was and did. But I also knew that if you did not fight against injustice, then evil would win the day. As Pastor Emery said back home, damned if you do, damned if you don't. The only thing we can hope is that when the dust settles, we were on the good and righteous side of the fight.

  To my shame, I am good at war... very good. Which is why I dedicate myself to peace, so that nobody else would have to feel what I feel when I try to convince myself that I am a good person with all these ghosts standing behind me.

  I asked Em, “How many people live in New Cali?”

  She looked around the forest as if she were looking at an old friend as she said, “We've tried to keep a census every year. We were on a big upswing after smallpox devastated our population a hundred years back. When I left there were between ten and twelve thousand people in New Cali not including the Cristea.”

  I chuckled, “Between ten and twelve. That's not very precise.”

  She smirked and said, “You're so bad, Laney. Fine, eleven thousand two hundred and three the year I left.”

  I giggled. “That's better.” I knew she didn't have a choice but to remember the exact number in the records. I envied her mind, being able to recall anything at any time.

  Gael offered, looking timid, “First Seeker. When they sent Seekers around to count the people two years back, they announced that we had over fifteen thousand.” Then he looked at me and said in apology, “I'm sorry, Laney, but I do not know the exact number. We only know because they tell us that when they say they need more foodstuffs to feed them all, and demand we grow more, without giving us more hands to assist.”

  I was not a fan of this Eris.

  We stopped for lunch and Emily and Gael told us tales of their land, he even delighted us with one of their bard songs that shared their ancient history just as our bards and minstrels did in Sparo. I shared one from the Altii and one from the People with him. Emily and Donovan joined in to save me from butchering it with my damaged voice.