A Dubious Peace

by Olan Thorensen

  “I agree someone else should present the case,” said Balwis. “Wyfor, you’ve done just what I asked of you—kept a lid on the worst possibilities. We’ve already talked about this. It was always too much to hope that nothing like this would happen. But now that it has, it’s all of our responsibility to see it doesn’t happen again.”

  Wyfor shrugged, obviously unconvinced of his exculpation. “I could appoint another Preddi magistrate to present the facts or make it someone from my office. My first inclination is to bring the Ponth magistrate to Preddi City. He’s the most familiar with what happened and all the people involved.”

  “I doubt he’ll be enthused about the idea,” said Yozef.

  “Why don’t I care if he wants to do it or not?” snarled Balwis. “It’s his Goddamn duty to do it if I say so.”

  “True,” said Yozef wryly, “but it might be better to phrase it as if you trust his ability to do it for the good of all Preddi.”

  CHAPTER 9

  RHANJUR GAYA

  Waiting for the trial meant postponing Yozef’s return to Orosz City. As excited as he was to spend more time with the other survivors, the delay meant his longer presence in Preddi City made it impossible for him to avoid meeting with foreign representatives. To Balwis’s disgust, even before the Narthani had left, Yozef had decreed that all embassies would be in Preddi City. He recognized the importance of developing relationships with realms on this part of Anyar, but he didn’t want representatives so close he had to deal with them daily.

  Depending on how different parties presented themselves, ambassadors or representatives began arriving in Preddi City within months of the Narthani expulsion. Embassies or residences were built or under construction for three of the Landolin kingdoms and five of the Iraquinik Confederation members—kahsaks.

  Although Yozef required embassies to be in Preddi City, the ambassadors and limited staff were allowed to travel freely within the province after receiving permission from Balwis’s office and accompanied by one or more Caedelli liaisons. There were exceptions. Travel was forbidden to areas involving the island’s military, industry, and innovation development.

  An exception to embassies being restricted to Preddi Province was granted for Fuomon. It had an embassy and staff in Orosz City, as appropriate for the thus far only acknowledged formal ally of Caedellium. It was there that Eina Saisannin spent most of her time as the Fuomon ambassador when she was not working with Maera on developing the University of Caedellium.

  “You’ve got to start meeting with all these people,” said Balwis. “They constantly pester Savronel and me. Every one of them wants something from you. You know Savronel—he’s always imperturbable, but I’m tempted to take Wyfor’s offer to make a few of them disappear. You may be here to meet with your two Amerikans, but the representatives were clamoring for definite meeting times even before you arrived. Now, with the trial, your excuses are too flimsy.”

  “Before?” wondered Yozef. “How did they find out?”

  “How in the Evil One’s name do I know?”

  “Oh, all right. Tell me again. How many are there?”

  “I try not to pay them more attention than I have to. Savronel knows the details.” Balwis turned to his adviser. “Well?”

  “Not all of them call themselves ambassadors,” said Storlini. “From Landolin, those from Munjor and Naskin claim to be ambassadors representing their kings. The man and his party from Mureet say they’re ‘representatives.’ As for the Iraquiniks, I’m not sure all of them understand exactly what an ambassador is.”

  One side of Storlini’s mouth twitched, which Yozef interpreted as the man’s version of a belly-shaking laugh.

  “Whatever they call themselves, five of the confederation members have people in Preddi City acting like embassies. So far, they’re all from the central and northern kahsaks—Aro, Gympo, Sensarsha, Ponomyna, and Kolinka.”

  “What are they like?” asked Yozef. “I’ve never met any of them.”

  “Few of us have before now. We had trade with the various Iraquinik kahsaks until the Narthani shut down external contact. Mainly here in Preddi City, although I understand there was some trade with Seaborn and Pewitt. I don’t know the details. Most of the Preddi merchants involved in trade are dead or were shipped off by the Narthani. It took some time to find the few remaining Preddi clansmen who spoke Kahsakist, a language understood throughout the confederation. The language evidently originated among the southern Iraquinik kahsaks. It became adapted as a trade language and a common tongue when Narthon became a threat. Some of the Iraquinik states use different local languages, but most of their leaders and merchants can speak Kahsakist.

  “When the first ones started arriving, we managed to communicate because a few of them knew Caedelli from past years. In several cases, we even used Narthani and Suvalu. The last one is the Throat trade language. As you can imagine, it’s been quite trying to use four different languages with them.”

  “Well . . . we’ll have to do something about that,” said Yozef. “They aren’t going away, and we have to talk with ’em. Same with the Landoliners. Do they have a common language?”

  “Evidently, five of the six Landolin kingdoms speak languages similar enough that they can make themselves understood among one another, with varying degrees of difficulty. It would be hard for an outsider to learn one of those kingdoms’ dialects and then expect to speak easily with people from the others. However, we have two other options. Trade is a major activity on Landolin. Suvalu has speakers near the eastern cities, though not many at the local level. Then there’s High Landolin—something of a scholarly language that a few Caedelli speak, especially any medicants who had training on Landolin.”

  “You said five of six. What about the other one?” asked Yozef.

  “That’s Jahmnor, the largest of the Landolin kingdoms in area and also population. I’m told most of the land is relatively poor or mountainous. They speak a different language from the other kingdoms. Jahmnor also seems to have allied itself with the Narthani against the other Landolin kingdoms.”

  Yozef frowned. ”Yes, I read your reports of information you got about what’s happening on Landolin. Is it still looking as bad as your reports?”

  “Maybe even worse. I can brief you later on what I’ve learned, but I suggest you schedule some significant time with the Munjor ambassador. You already know him. Rhanjur Gaya.”

  Yozef’s eyebrows shot up. “Gaya? I remember him being happy to leave Caedellium and go back to real civilization. Even tried to cajole me to move with promises of gold and women.”

  “Well, he’s back,” said Balwis, “and he brought half the damn population of Munjor with him.”

  “Not quite,” said Storlini, “but it’s evident the Munjorians are serious about establishing close contact with Caedellium. Gaya’s not reticent about spending gold. The embassy compound he’s having built will be quite lavish. It certainly has to be large to house the ninety-three people they have here.”

  “Ninety-three!” echoed Yozef. “What do they all do?”

  “Officially, they all have explainable duties. For one thing, they’re buying wheat and cured meat in large quantities.”

  “I have to admit Gaya and his minions are going to be important for Preddi,” Balwis said grudgingly. “That’s assuming we develop a long-term trading relationship. I had to order purchases of cattle and krykors to be approved by the clan headquarters. The Munjorians were offering high prices that were too good for farmers and ranchers to turn down. We’re trying to build the herds and the flocks back up from what they were reduced to during the occupation and war. I’m allowing more purchases than I would like, but I figure it’s necessary to maintain a level of trade that could increase dramatically in the future.”

  Yozef only nodded, but he approved of Balwis’s decision. His one reservation about supporting Balwis as the new Preddi hetman after the war had been whether Balwis could take a long-term view. Maera told him that Ce
inwyn had turned into a major adviser of her husband. When the Keelan daughters were growing up, Maera, the eldest, had been an avid student of her father’s performance as the Keelan hetman. Ceinwyn, however, had seemed uninterested in clan operations and inter-clan politics. To everyone’s surprise, including Maera’s and their parents, Ceinwyn may have feigned lack of interest but had nevertheless listened. Along with Storlini and advisers loaned from other clans, she helped Balwis in those first months and continued to be his touchstone.

  “All right, go ahead and set up a meeting with Gaya for tomorrow morning. As I remember, he was on Caedellium long enough to learn the language. When we get to the other ambassadors or representatives or whatever they call themselves, we’ll have to figure out translators.”

  Yozef paused and stroked his short beard with fingers and thumb. “Are they still flying that awful flag like Gaya did in Orosz City?”

  “Same one and it’s even bigger than the one he had before,” said Balwis. “I’ve had complaints about children being scared when they saw the flag and parents having to tell them that the monster is only pretend.”

  Storlini cleared his throat. “That doesn’t appear to be accurate. I’ve talked with several of the Munjorians. They call the creature a merstor.”

  Seems appropriate, thought Yozef. Sounds close enough to monster.

  The fearsome-looking creature resembled a large bull with the head of a warthog endowed with a gaping mouth of teeth. When Yozef first spied the Munjor flag in Orosz City, he immediately recognized its similarity to Entelodonts, a group of apex predators from Earth’s Miocene Epoch. It was the second such similarity after the balmoths of the Hewell and Vandinke provinces—a huge herbivore resembling Paracertheriums, also of the Miocene. The first example he had passed off as parallel evolution, but the merstor suggested there might have been a transplantation of organisms from Earth to Anyar far earlier than with humans. That possibility turned to certainty in Yozef’s mind while on a hunting party with the Vandinke hetman. They were waiting in a blind for beaters to drive deer-like animals within firing range. Instead, a pack of predators appeared. Once again, Yozef’s childhood interest in extinct dinosaurs and mammals paid off. He identified them as Hyaenodons, yet another Miocene mammal or something eerily similar.

  Since that experience, Yozef had kept an eye out for other possible Miocene mammals, but there were still only those three.

  The next morning, Yozef went to meet the Munjorian ambassador in Balwis’s office. Gaya was already present, dressed as Yozef expected in clashing colors of a fabric he didn’t recognize but that had a sheen like silk.

  I have to remember to find out what this is, thought Yozef. Mark’s story about textiles in Frangel bears thinking about for Caedellium. If we do try and develop a significant textile industry here, we need to assess the status of all textiles in this part of Anyar.

  When Yozef entered, Gaya leaped to his feet from a chair by the window. The Munjorian went through a series of bows and flourishes Yozef assumed were appropriate on Landolin for interaction with someone of high rank. Yozef didn’t know which rank difference the routine acknowledged. He didn’t care.

  “Paramount! It’s an honor that you agreed to meet with me. That the clans elevated you to Paramount Hetman was a wise and justly deserved decision. Your reputation in the defeat of the superior Narthani Army is legendary, and your fame is already spreading throughout Anyar.”

  Yozef had the urge to glance down to check the level of shit. It had to be well above his ankles, though maybe not quite to his knees.

  “First of all, Rhanjur, let’s settle one thing. We can do without the krykor dung. We’ll have a short meeting if you keep talking like that. Also, I’m Yozef, and you’re Rhanjur.”

  “Forgive me, Yozef. I was back in Munjor long enough to forget the Caedelli are less formal than my people, and you even more so. I admit it’s refreshing to dispense with superficialities.”

  “We can agree on that, so let’s sit down and proceed. We can also get right to the point of your visit. You want our help against the Narthani.”

  Gaya was only momentarily taken aback. “Ah . . . as I remember one of your sayings, getting right to the point even earlier than I expected. You’re right. Munjor does want Caedellium’s help. And to reciprocate with equally blunt honesty, if we can’t get the help of Caedellium, then we want your help.”

  Yozef opened his mouth, but Gaya cut him off. “Before we say more, Yozef, Munjor has other reasons for wanting closer relationships with Caedellium. I assume Hetman Balwis has told you of our attempts to buy food.” Gaya smiled. “I confess Balwis reacted faster than we expected in limiting our purchases. I was dubious about your appointment of him as a new Preddi hetman, but I see I should not have doubted your sagacity.”

  “The All-Clan Conclave made the decision.”

  “Of course,” said Gaya, unconvinced. “As I said, we want better relations with Caedellium. Despite your victory here, the Narthani bastards haven’t gone away. I’m not sure how much information in this part of Anyar you’re getting about what’s happening elsewhere.”

  Yozef thumped fingers of his right hand on the tabletop. “Nowhere near as much as I wish we had. We know a large Narthani fleet sailed south months ago. We’ve heard rumors of fighting on Landolin, but the accounts are so sketchy and contradictory that we don’t know what’s happening.”

  Gaya’s lips pursed, and lines deepened on his forehead. “I’m afraid you are vastly out of touch. I don’t doubt you’re aware, but you need to develop better channels of communication. When the Narthani fleet approached Landolin, you can imagine the frenzy of all the kingdoms. The consensus was they were going to invade either Naskin or Mureet. Many of our leaders thought they would avoid Munjor at first. We believe we’re better able to defend our nation. I wasn’t so optimistic, but we were all surprised when they kept sailing south and invaded Amalor. The island kingdom has benefited from its isolation from the rest of Landolin and has avoided most of the conflicts over the last centuries. That has led to complacency. They believed extensive military preparations were not necessary. I don’t know if there’s anything they could’ve done in face of the Narthon invasion, but the Amalorese surrendered in less than a month.

  “We’re still gathering information, but we suspect Jahmnor was involved, though we’re not sure exactly how. Within a few months, the Narthani apparently felt their hold on Amalor was strong enough that some of their army is slowly moving to Jahmnor. The obvious conclusion is that Jahmnor believes that by allying with the Narthani, they can eventually control more or even all of Landolin, even if they’re agents of the Narthon Empire.”

  “A belief that will lead to bitter recognition,” said Yozef.

  “And it will be richly deserved,” said Gaya angrily, “but I’m sure you understand our concern.”

  “It looks like the same strategy the Narthani tried on Caedellium,” said Yozef, “only on a grander scale. Instead of using the Selfcell and Eywell clans, they’ll use Jahmnor before eventually turning on them if they conquer all of Landolin. All right, Rhanjur. Munjor is in trouble. I can see that, and I would hope the best for you, but there are major limitations on what Caedellium can do to help.”

  “I have to assume you don’t think Caedellium can survive if the Narthani conquer all of Landolin.”

  Yozef nodded. “It will put the island in danger, but it’s not a certainty. I assume Munjor and the other three kingdoms will do everything they can to fight the Narthani and the Jahmnorese. Landolin is a continent and not an island, so even a successful conquest could take many years. Then the Narthani might turn their eyes to the Iraquiniks, who are a major enemy. Why waste time on a small island when there’s no strategic advantage?

  “There’s always the possibility of the unknown happening. As the years pass, Iraquinik, Fuomon, and the Harrasedics could put enough pressure on Narthon to prevent them from expanding more. Narthon could come apart internally. Large empires in
evitably have factional fighting, either among ethnicities or leaders trying to break off a piece of the empire for their own. Hell . . . maybe God will intervene.”

  Rhanjur sneered. “From what I know of the Caedelli God, I don’t think you believe the last possibility will happen. Neither can Munjor have faith the Narthani can be stopped on Melosia, by either its enemies or internal conflicts. Munjor’s problem is what will happen in the next year or two, assuming nothing else diverts the Narthani.”

  “So, come straight to the point, Rhanjur. What would you have Caedellium do?”

  “Our maximum hope would be that Caedellium sends men, weapons, and the leaders who defeated the Narthani. Naturally, that last item consists mainly of you, Yozef, but also other men who had major roles in the planning and fighting.”

  Yozef appeared expressionless. “How big was the Narthani force that attacked Amalor?”

  Gaya’s grin was tight. “They seem to have learned at least one lesson from Caedellium. They landed what you called the corps similar to the one of Marshal Gullar, about sixty thousand men. The Amalor resistance was already collapsing when they landed perhaps half that number months later.”

  “Ninety thousand men?” Yozef shook his head. “That sounds ominous. All or mostly infantry, I assume?”

  Gaya gestured impatiently. “That seems to be true, although the details of what happened on Amalor are sketchy. The Narthani may have brought horses with them, but they likely captured enough Amalorese horses for scouting.”

  “That’s not going to work for Landolin,” said Yozef. “It’s too big. They’ll need to have significant cavalry. You witnessed us using what we called dragoons here on Caedellium. The majority of the men were already competent riders. It also allowed us to take advantage of our knowledge of the terrain and gave us more mobility than the Narthani. And we didn’t have the time or numbers to train our people in infantry tactics.