“I’m a busy man, as my advisors keep telling me. You would not believe how the hours fly past when almost every waking moment is devoted to running Kunhalvar. They even tried to allocate my time in bed with my women, but there the Iron Foot Duke put his foot down. Ha!”
At this, Sandun attempted to keep a straight face, but Lord Vaina looked at him and started laughing so hard that Sandun was forced to join in.
“I’ve got four women in the palace, and two of them are pregnant. My advisors say I should add two more, but they won’t give me any time to actually siswi them. You traveled here with this balish woman.” Vaina waved at Ashala, who had stayed up by the stone bridge. “We don’t see women from Gipu in Kunhalvar, but the stories they tell…woo-wee! You know, I studied to be a priest of Eston for four years. No woman for four long years. Nearly killed me. After the temple was destroyed, I realized the Sogands had done me a favor by burning the place down. Though my hatred for them was not lessened by so much as a minnow.”
At this point, the man at the edge of the trees theatrically coughed.
Lord Vaina said, “I really must go. We are setting up a fancy dinner in your honor. Did you know that you are the first embassy from a foreign nation to visit? When I am ruler over all of Serica, I will not forget. The official dinner is taking time to organize: a scholar is researching correct protocol. Lots of people are invited. Our allies in Sasuvi have been asked to come, but they might not attend. A bit angry that you came here instead of to their city, perhaps?”
Sandun was made breathless just listening to Lord Vaina thinking out loud.
“I’m heading back to the palace now. I come here every other day just to think by myself for half an hour. It wouldn’t be a good idea to break that habit. I’ll see about whether you can attend an informal dinner before the official dinner. We can talk more.”
As the lord was walking away, he turned and he said in a very loud voice, “We know the details of your opmi’s fight in the market two days ago. I did intend to meet with the Rakeved princess when she ended her time of mourning. Someday I’ll need to know what is happening in her country. Perhaps her father counts as a foreign ambassador? But then, I never met him. If you stay away from assassins, we will meet again.”
Sandun bowed formally to the Lord of Kunhalvar as he walked away. A group of eight previously hidden guards appeared from behind the trees and formed a protective screen around the lord as he left the temple grounds.
Ashala came up and stood beside Sandun.
“He is so young,” Sandun said to her. “About my age, if I’m not mistaken. And he doesn’t talk like the other officials. Hard to understand at times. What did he call you? Balish? And siswi?”
Ashala looked away. “I would not teach you such language.”
“Balish, good? Or bad?”
Ashala sniffed and tossed her hair. “When the Lord of Kunhalvar says I am balish, it means he wants me in his bed. He already has enough women, I think.”
“You didn’t say anything to him. You didn’t even get with fifteen feet of him.”
“That man, Lord of Kunhalvar, he has, we say echivarr. Force, command. It’s hard to explain. A few men have it, fewer women. It’s like magic. A man with echivarr, you do what he wants. You be careful!” Ashala held Sandun’s arm and looked up at him intently.
“I found him charming and remarkably good company. But I work for my lord, King Pandion of Kelten. I’m in no danger of changing my allegiance.”
Ashala shrugged, and together they walked back to the house.
The next day, at noon, Scribe Renieth delivered an invitation for Sandun, Ashala, Sir Ako, and Russu Tuomi to come to the palace for an informal dinner with the Lord of Kunhalvar.
Sandun and Sir Ako went to Valo Peli and asked him about the invitation.
“An informal dinner with a ruler is not at all like the formal dinner we have talked about this last week,” Valo Peli explained. “Instead, you are not to draw attention to the lord’s position or to matters of state. All the guests must pretend that this is a simple dinner of friends. The lord may bring up serious issues, in which case you should discuss them seriously. But equally, he may just sing songs and drink sogu. I suspect, knowing Lord Vaina’s reputation, that less drinking and more serious conversation will take place, but perhaps he will spend the time asking about your amazing journey.”
The reactions of the two women were opposite. Ashala was thrown into a near panic. “No. I can’t go. I’m sick. I have nothing to wear! What if he asks me questions about Gipu? No, it’s impossible.” Eventually she calmed down and allowed Sandun to convince her that she had to go and that she would be fine. As a translator for the Kelten ambassador, she was reasonably safe under the long-established customs of the Serice court.
“Yes, safe. That’s true. Safe. Ah, now I know what to wear.” Ashala disappeared and then half an hour later, she reappeared wearing a low-cut blouse and gauzy, nearly transparent pantaloons with a necklace that dropped a bright jewel between her breasts.
Now it was Sandun’s turn to be shocked. “You can’t wear that!”
“Ha-ha. Yes, I can. This is traditional Gipu clothing. A Gipu woman can live up to her reputation, yes? No man will ask me anything; they will be too busy staring.”
By contrast, Russu was completely unperturbed. The terrors that drove her to sleep in Sir Ako’s bed were not visible during the day. She expressed no concerns about the prospect of dinner with the Lord of Kunhalvar.
“I’m glad to finally get the chance to meet the man. I’m sure he doesn’t care two oranges about Rakeved. I’ll just sit there and listen to you men sing drinking songs, and I’ll smile. I think I’ll wear a green dress, so even if I don’t say anything, it will remind everyone where I’m from.”
Sir Ako looked at her quizzically. She clarified by saying, “The Serice like to call my country the Green Land. They are right about that much at least.”
As the appointed time approached, they all gathered in the courtyard. Basil, Kagne, and the scouts all came to see them off. Ashala’s costume provoked some admiring comments. The expedition had left Gipu months ago and, looking back on it, Sandun thought their time in Gipu had been well spent. While there, he had been too anxious about reaching Serica to appreciate it. In retrospect, Sandun had felt welcomed in Gipu, and not just by Ashala’s warm embrace. He and the other Keltens had been the center of attention and were greeted with friendly hellos whenever they walked about. By contrast, Tokolas was so vast and so busy that even the Lord of Kunhalvar could apparently ride from the palace to the Tree Temple without provoking much reaction from the citizens. The Keltens in Tokolas were little noted.
No one said anything about Russu, but Sandun thought she looked like a princess. She stood at ease, poised and confident, her green dress like a bright emerald. He could tell that Sir Ako was head over heels in love with the young woman. Over the last few days, Sandun had noticed that Russu stayed close to the knight without seeming to make any such effort. The fact that they were sleeping together was common knowledge but not commented on by anyone yet.
A small group of cavalry rode up, and the four of them got on horses and rode with the soldiers to the palace. Russu could ride very well. Sir Ako complimented her on her riding.
“Thank you,” she said in Kelten. Then she switched to Serice. “I know five languages. I’m sure I can learn another.”
They approached the palace and then turned to the left and entered from the western gate. The palace grounds were surrounded by a large wall, and inside there were several houses, most single story, some two stories tall. They went into a large single-story building and were directed to seats at a table covered with dishes, glasses, and silverware. Within a minute, Lord Jori Vaina joined them, accompanied by two men, also his age, and two young and very pretty women. Lord Vaina introduced his companions as Generals Pojo Erdis and Esko
Kun, along with their wives.
Any tension quickly evaporated, as General Erdis and General Kun were warriors and old friends of Lord Vaina. They joked and poked fun at each other. Sandun couldn’t follow all of what they said because they spoke quickly and used words he had never heard before, but the food was excellent and the tea was heavenly.
Sandun had to ask, “Lord Vaina, we traveled through the tea hills to get here, and yet this is the best tea we have had. Where does it come from?”
“I know the answer to that,” Lord Vaina said proudly. “The farmers in the tea hills carefully select the best tea and store that in special tea boxes, and it is sold for the highest price. Average tea is dried and sold in the round tea cakes, which I’m sure you have seen. The worst tea leaves, moldy and chewed by bugs, they save for themselves. If they keep any of the best tea, they don’t share it with strangers. So if you want the best tea, you must come here to Tokolas and be prepared to pay a fortune for it!”
General Erdis said, “You worked in the tea hills after you left home, didn’t you?”
Lord Vaina nodded but changed the conversation to talk about Sir Ako.
“Sir Ako, you killed three assassins in the market a week ago, saving the life of Princess Tuomi here. I salute you.” Lord Vaina raised his teacup above his head and then drank it all down. The others did likewise. “The surviving assassin has fled Tokolas, or so my officials have reported. Perhaps General Erdis or General Kun could have killed all four, but perhaps not. I hear you are an opmi of Kelten?”
Sir Ako replied slowly, “The word opmi is not used in Kelten. I am a knight.”
“Tell me, what does a knight do? How did you become a knight?”
Sir Ako had a whispered conversation with Ashala and then gave up and asked Sandun to answer the questions.
“Allow me to answer the questions you have posed. A knight is one of the best warriors of Kelten. Knights defend the country from attack, and they lead the armies when the king goes to war against his enemies. Sir Ako is the third son of a great lord of Kelten. His older brother is going to succeed to his father’s land. His second brother is going to advise the older brother. Sir Ako chose to become a knight at around six years of age. He has won several contests of skill against other knights and is famous.”
This provoked confusion and disbelief from Lord Vaina and his two generals.
“Six years old? Impossible. What could he have done wrong at such a young age?” Lord Vaina said this with some heat.
In turn, Sandun was taken aback. “Done wrong? Sir Ako is a knight. He has never done wrong. He was knighted by the king himself when he was seventeen years old.”
“You are telling me that men choose to become warriors at a young age. And the King of Kelten himself honors such men?” General Erdis asked with disbelief in his voice.
“Yes. Exactly right.”
The three Serice men looked at each other. The two Serice women sat next to their husbands with their heads down, not saying anything.
After sipping some fresh tea in silence, Lord Vaina asked, “How many knights does Kelten have?”
Sir Ako answered this: “There are more than sixteen thousand knights in Kelten.”
This also was met with a curious silence.
Sandun asked what he thought might be a dangerous question. “Is there a problem with becoming a warrior in Serica?”
“Yes. Yes, there is. In this land—and I say this among friends—a soldier, a warrior, this a very low job, fit only for the stupid and the brutish.”
At this General Kun said, “I’ll drink to that. Bring out the strong drink. It’s time for the brutes to drink hard liquor.”
Sandun pressed the issue. “How do you defend your nation without a group of trained warriors or knights to lead the soldiers?”
“We have an army. Serica has always had an army. There are always poor men without land who join. They stay in the army till they can no longer carry spears. The older men teach the younger men how to fight. But for a man of talent, intelligence, a son of a great lord, for such a man to become a warrior? It is unthinkable!”
Lord Vaina continued: “I myself had almost no training as a warrior. But I was strong, and I could read, and I had a gift for inspiring men to follow me. I was put in charge of ten men when I first joined the Red Swords. I made simple plans with one trick or two, and they worked. I was put in charge of a hundred men. I made other simple plans that usually worked, and men followed me. I made a few mistakes, but I learned from them. Then I recruited these fellows and others from my hometown. They were better warriors than I, but men followed me. Men went where I pointed. And now, I’m here.”
Lord Vaina continued, reminiscing. “My uncle was a soldier in the last years of the Water Kingdom. He told me stories about the opmi of Kelten. Men who trained their whole lives to be the best fighters in the world. It seemed like a fairy tale to me. Yet, here you are. And the stories are true. I am amazed and happy to see such days. Perhaps we can see you demonstrate your skills. I hear you practice every day?”
Sandun replied, “Why don’t you have dinner with us? You can meet the men and women who traveled three thousand miles. The men would be happy to show off their skills.”
“I like that. Yes, I like that. My advisors will complain that such an act would not be proper, but I’m not one of the rulers of the past. I’m going to change Serica, if I get the chance. It will be an informal dinner at the Kelten embassy, say next week?”
An older man, an official of some rank, came in through the door and came up to Lord Vaina’s chair. He wore an elaborate silk robe with a black crow embroidered on his left shoulder.
Lord Vaina stood up. “This is Chief Minister Udek.” The man merely nodded his head at the Keltens. “I must take my leave now. This has been a most interesting discussion. But duty calls. Which woman must I do my duty with tonight?” He said this with a wink to the others at the table.
“It is a surprise, my lord,” said Minister Udek, with a dry voice.
“Perhaps it’s a new woman, eh?”
“My lord has not picked a new woman yet, despite our humble requests that you do so.”
“Well, maybe it will be a surprise for my concubine.”
“No, my lord. She has been preparing for your visit all afternoon.”
Lord Vaina said to the others, “You stay and eat as long as you wish. My duty to Kunhalvar calls me to some woman’s bed.”
With that, he left the room. It felt like three people had left, not just the one man. After a short time, it felt awkward to stay, so everyone stood up and said farewell, but they all left by the same gate. On the way back Russu said, “Well, at least he knew my name.”
When they returned to the embassy, Russu felt free to offer her critique of the Serice attitude toward soldiers.
“It is so funny. The Serice have forgotten their own history, they who pride themselves on never forgetting the lessons of the past. Did they conquer my country with big armies filled with criminals and led by brutish generals? No. Not at all. Their king of war himself came with his company of heroes, and they beat our best warriors through artful strategy and by duels with our champions. And so we surrendered.”
Valo Peli rolled his eyes at this but remained silent.
“Seven hundred years ago, the Gold Kingdom’s military power was unrivaled,” Russu continued. “The glorious Golden King rode into battle at the head of his armored cavalry and defeated all who opposed him. The Gold Kingdom ruled from the Tiralas to the ocean. My people submitted to him without a fight, as they knew he could not be beaten in battle. All the world knew of his might.
“This attitude that all soldiers are brutes, scum of the soil, it is all the fault of the Water Kingdom. Bureaucrats of the Water Kingdom executed their best general, the one who saved them from the Palahey invasion. It was the scribes and bookish men
who declared that the military was no place for a talented man. Because of that, we beat the armies of the Water Kingdom every time they attacked us. And that is why Rakeved is independent today.”
Here, Valo Peli spoke up. “Princess Tuomi is correct in part. For a ‘southern barbarian,’ you are very knowledgeable about Serice history.”
Russu snorted at him, but Sandun could tell she was pleased by Valo Peli’s praise.
“Let me put before you the argument that the great chief minister of the Water Kingdom, Tors Sakay, made to his king.” Valo Peli put his hands flat on the table and closed his eyes, reciting from memory. “The wise minister Sakay said, ‘If men of great talent join the military, what then? Like all men of great talent and ability, they will seek fame and the fullest exercise of their skills. They will fight well in wars that are ongoing, or, if none, they will seek out wars, instigate them so they can demonstrate their talents. But wars are bad. Wars result in great expenses when they are fought. Tens of thousands of men and women and children will die as a result of a war. Farms are destroyed, terrible crimes are inevitable. To avoid unnecessary wars is a worthy goal for the state. Even when wars are necessary, as when a peaceful state is attacked by neighbors, what of the successful general? He becomes idolized by his soldiers, he becomes a focus of the people’s admiration; in short, he becomes a threat to the king and to the stability of the nation. How to avoid these evils? By making the military a profession not suitable for the best and most talented of men. Instead, the best men are directed to the administration, where we, I mean they, use their talents and knowledge to improve the kingdom.’”
Sandun said nothing, trying to digest Valo Peli’s argument. Ashala translated for Sir Ako and Basil and Kagne, who had joined them in the large dining room.
“Here are some additional facts for you, which you can judge.” Valo Peli now buttressed his argument. “During the last hundred years of the Gold Kingdom, which Princess Tuomi praises, there were numerous civil wars and rebellions, and the first and most terrible of these wars was started by a rebellious general, a man of great talent and ability. By contrast, the Water Kingdom had not one civil war. No general ever took up arms against the king.”
The Burning Tower Page 26