Quests Volume Two

by Barbara G. Tarn

  Babita knocked at the house door since the warehouse was closed. Rohan held his breath at the sight of the handsome man who came to open the door. Tall, with long blond hair and his face clean-shaven, blue-eyed like everybody else up north, he had the most dazzling smile Rohan had ever seen. He was even more beautiful than Keshav!

  Of course there was a slight communication problem with the handsome merchant who presently introduced them to his wife and his seven children, which made him lose a lot of points in Rohan's eyes. What a waste of good material. He better stick to Keshav, at least the scholar wasn't married, he still had a chances!

  They dined with the family and Rohan observed their interactions with curiosity, even though he couldn't understand what they were saying. The children were between eight and fifteen, including twins, three girls and four boys. The youngest were the twins, a boy and a girl so blond that they almost looked white-haired.

  "They'll get darker when they grow up, like their father," Babita said as they prepared to sleep in the house attic. "Sorry, Keshav, I didn't ask them about the ruins yet, but I had some catching up to do."

  "It's fine, we can rest a couple of days," Keshav said. "Tomorrow I'll take Rohan to the public baths if you tell us where we can find them, and then if there's a library or an old scholar or anyone who can give us more information..."

  "Tomorrow," Babita promised with a smile. "I think we're getting closer."

  "I'm just wondering, now that I've seen the place, if there's anything left," Keshav said. "What do you know of the western lands?"

  "Not much," Babita answered. "And I'm afraid Bran can't help us. He might take us to the Ondan, but then we'll be on our own."

  "Can you talk to them at least?"

  "Yes, the northern dialects are quite similar. They were all under the Moren Empire after all."

  "You're right, now that I've been here for over a month, I see the similarities with Gallian..."

  Rohan still didn't understand a word of the conversations. If he hoped to find someone up here, he'd have to really start learning a new language. But he hoped he could stick to Keshav long enough to reach Amrendra. If not King Rahul, he was almost certain he could find someone at the Amrendran court...

  CHAPTER TEN

  Keshav woke up early as usual, and kicked Rohan out of bed too. Rohan muttered a little, then dutifully followed him to the public baths that were right next to the fortress, on the lake shore. Some of the water came directly from the lake, but it had been heated and was pleasant enough. The soaps had a strange smell, but they washed away the dust from the road.

  "Maybe we should get spare northern clothes while we're here," Keshav said as they dressed quickly in their southern garb, the only clean things they had.

  "Or maybe we can ask a washerwoman to take care of our clothes, I don't think we'd be attacked for wearing foreign clothes in town, right?" Rohan said, wrapping his sash around his thin waist.

  "Let's get back to Bran's and ask Babita."

  Passing by a baker they couldn't help but stop and buy a fresh loaf and some pastries for both themselves and their host family.

  "I'm sure the children will love these," Rohan said, tasting one since he was too hungry to wait.

  Indeed the children squealed in delight and even the teens seemed happy to have something new for breakfast. Bran spoke some of the southern language because of his many interactions with Advik and Babita, so Keshav was able to ask him about libraries or scholars or any news of the destroyed Genn capital of the plains.

  "I fear there is nothing left. Maybe in Moriana," Bran said, shaking his head. "I'm sure the former capital of the empire has something about history."

  Keshav nodded, thoughtful. It made sense. Konigtown was a brand new town, they couldn't have any memory of what had come before.

  He asked Babita if they should have their clothes washed or just buy new ones and she said they had enough luggage already, therefore she'd wash everything before they headed further west. Bran said he could carry them with his open wagon up to the River Ondan, but as soon as they met the border patrols, he'd head back.

  "And at that point we'd better wear our southern clothes again, so they'll know we're not trying to infiltrate from the Blackmore Kingdom," Babita said. "There is no war between the Varians and the southern kingdoms, so they should let us in, although we should probably give them a reason."

  "Research is not a good reason, I take it?" Keshav asked.

  "Scholars are not really revered up north," Bran said. "You'd better pass yourself off as merchants. I'll give you some goods to trade at Moriana, and also the name of a trader who might assist you there. In spite of the trouble at the border, some of us still interact against our kings' will..."

  "You smuggle goods?" Keshav asked, amused.

  "The best vineyards are in the west and the best pastures in the east..." Bran smiled. "Our kings close both eyes when someone provides them with a much loved food item that can't be found in their lands."

  Keshav glanced at Rohan and chuckled. "I guess royal blood is spoiled everywhere."

  Rohan blew him a kiss.

  "Royal blood?" Bran asked, puzzled.

  "He's the cousin of our king," Babita told him. "Yes, Rohan is royal blood, but very special." She smiled fondly at the young man who bowed his head in acknowledgment.

  "Right, let's go to the shop and see what I can give you," Bran said. "I'm not expecting you to come back this way, but I sure hope someone will come from Godwalkar for the Fair."

  "Probably Advik's nephew will take over." Babita shrugged. "I'm going to look for some other place to set up shop."

  All four exited the house and went to the nearby building. The warehouse and shop was fairly large, with a warm color scheme, well organized, peaceful but poorly lit. There were no windows and only lamps either hanging from the wall or on the shelves showed what was inside.

  Babita and Bran proceeded to the counter and started making an inventory of what could be traded in the west. Soon Keshav and Rohan got bored and went to sit on the lake shore.

  "It's peaceful here," Rohan said. "You wouldn't think they're actually at war."

  "Wars are mostly on the borders," Keshav replied. "The Amrendran army is all deployed on the Gallian border, since no threat ever comes from Lakeshi. Sometimes I even wonder if the southern kingdoms actually have armies. They have guards, of course, town militias answering to the king or his representative, but armies?"

  Keshav shook his head. The royal families of the south were so intermingled that nobody would think about starting a war. It would mean marching against someone else's brother or cousin or close relative. It was obviously not so in the north.

  Rohan pulled out his sword and started sharpening the blade.

  "Do you really think you're going to use it again?" Keshav asked him.

  Rohan shrugged. "You never know. If I manage to learn this impossible language, I might become a mercenary. It would be a good way of earning a living."

  "And die young." Keshav shook his head and stared at the lake.

  Rohan stopped sharpening and leaned towards him. "Would you miss me?"

  "I'd be sorry to hear you're gone before your time, Rohan," Keshav answered, a little embarrassed. "I sure hope you'll find a place where you can live long and happy without having to fight for a living."

  Rohan sighed and resumed sharpening. "Maybe at the Amrendran court."

  "Or Lakeshi. King Vivek is a charmer. And he doesn't mind having many lovers."

  "I'd rather have just one."

  "In that case, I doubt you'd find anyone in Delen. I know only a couple of people with your inclination and they're together."

  Rohan shrugged and dropped the subject. Keshav stared at the lake again. The shore was unusually quiet on that side, but he could see boats coming and going from the piers on the other side of the fortress.

  "I'm going for a walk," he said, rising and heading towards the fortress, following the lake shore ins
tead of the town streets. Rohan nodded and didn't follow him.

  The sun was high when he stopped in the shade of the fortress walls. The lake glittered under the blue sky and it was an awesome sight. Keshav could see the village they had spent the night in on the other shore, along with a couple more.

  He sat to rest in the peace of the lake shore. The walls blocked any sound from the town and all the boats were either back to shore or too far in the middle of the lake to interfere. Birds sang on the few trees and a sudden splash startled him.

  "You've come a long way, Keshav, son of Akira," a voice said in Amrendran. A woman emerged from the lake. She had long brown hair and a sleeveless tunic of a nacreous fabric. Her skin was very pale, brightened by big blue eyes with long lashes.

  "Who are you and how do you know my name?" he asked as she came out of the water and sat next to him.

  "My name is Aleinea and I live in this lake, but water carries us news, so we know everything of anyone living near a body of water. And Delen is both on a river and the sea shore."

  "You live in the lake... you're a Waiora?" he marveled, remembering the Genn manuscript and the description of the Magical Races given by the chief librarian of Godwalkar. Aagney's words also came back to him.

  Her smile was dazzling. "Yes, I am Waiora. And your fame as a scholar has reached the north – at least whoever is interested in Human history."

  "I assume you can tell me if there's a Genn town around here?"

  Her smile vanished.

  "There was one. Rayheart was a joint kingdom of Genn and Waiora. But then the Humans got rid of us, so we hide in the water and they hide underground."

  "Anything left?"

  "No, Keshav, there's nothing left of Duckworth. You might find something in Appleyard, including some Genn communities hiding in the forest, but that's it. It was a peaceful civilization, famous for its food, prosperity, and literature. It was gradually destroyed by those warring barbarians."

  "Why do you think we destroy what is beautiful?"

  "Ignorance, mostly." She shrugged. "You're heading west, right?"

  "Yes, Bran is taking us to the River Ondan."

  "Tell him to leave you at the Old Gods Sanctuary. It's close enough to the river that you can get there on foot. Some of my siblings will show you how to ford it and you'll be in Varian territory without going through border control. Then you only have to follow the river shore to get to Moriana or go to the source of the Ondan."

  "Well, thank you, Aleinea. Do we have to call upon someone when we get there?"

  "No, they'll find you." She smiled briefly at him. "May you find what you're looking for."

  She rose and went back into the water, diving and vanishing like a dream before he could say anything.

  Keshav remembered to close his mouth and stood. Time to go back to Bran's warehouse. It was lunchtime and his stomach was rumbling.

  He found everyone in the house, already seated at the table.

  "Sorry, I went farther than I thought," he apologized, joining them. "Where is the Old Gods Sanctuary?"

  "It's close to the Ondan, on this side," Bran answered. "It's a seven-rowed star-shaped arrangement of stones that stands about nineteen feet high at the highest. Many of the stones are painted with a holy symbol. It's said that an incarnate deity ascended here. People go there to seek healing. Why, are you sick?"

  "Ah, no, but I was told... can you take us there?" he answered, embarrassed. He might end up telling Babita and Rohan about the meeting with the Waiora, but he didn't know Bran enough to trust him with his encounter. He had no idea of what the northerners thought of the Magical Races.

  "Sure, but I don't know how you can cross the Ondan from there."

  "I'll find a way," Keshav said quickly shoving the food in his mouth. Babita and Rohan stared curiously at him, but didn't ask questions until they were back in the attic that night.

  "A Waiora!" Rohan's eyes were wide in wonder. "Do you think there are some in Godwalkar's rivers?"

  "Anywhere there's a body of water, apparently. I'm sure they know you and Babita too," Keshav replied.

  "Well, then, let's visit this Old Gods Sanctuary," Babita said. "And then meet more members of the Magical Races..."

  ***

  The next morning they helped Bran put the oxen to the wagon and headed out of Konigtown. It was much more comfortable to ride on the open wagon and sleep in a tent than what they'd had so far. They had provisions for a few days and only twice did they stop to get fresh food in villages they crossed on the way.

  After seven nights of camping, they reached the Old Gods Sanctuary near the western part of the forest that used to be Appleyard. The arrangement of stones must be very old but the place was obviously still visited, since there were fresh or fading flowers under some holy symbols. The painting was faded in most cases, but some had obviously been repainted over and over.

  There were no buildings, so Bran shared his tent for the last time. The next morning he'd head back for Konigtown, leaving a backpack of small goods for them to trade in Moriana.

  "I hope you won't have to build a boat or a raft to pass the Ondan," he said that night as they cooked some beans in his pot.

  "I've been told there's a ford somewhere," Keshav answered.

  "I wonder where your information comes from," Bran replied, amused. "You've never been here, have you?"

  "No, but you find a lot of information in those books you barbarians seem to despise so much," Keshav said with a smile. Although in this case the information didn't come from a manuscript or a book, but he'd let Babita explain to her associate where his knowledge came from if she felt so inclined.

  The next morning they waved him good-bye and headed for the river. Moriana was almost halfway along its long course and the river was quite large by then. Keshav began to doubt they'd actually find a ford anywhere in the vicinity.

  "Are you sure we're meant to cross here?" Rohan asked, worried, as they watched the strong current rush towards the northern sea.

  Keshav pulled out his map and looked at it, but it was too small to be very precise.

  "Moriana is that way," Babita said, pointing upriver. "We might as well go there and see if there's some kind of ferry service anywhere closer to it."

  Keshav nodded and folded the map again. For now the river ran through the plain, but further upriver the forest loomed, therefore it might not be that easy to follow the shore.

  As soon as they entered the first trees, though, they found a narrow path that did follow the river shore. They weren't sure if it was made by animals going to the river to drink or Humans trying to cross the river unseen. It stayed parallel to the shore, though, with no sign of heading for the water.

  Until they reached a rocky point and found a pale young man with a short, sleeveless tunic of the same nacreous fabric the Waiora of the lake wore, seated on a stone as if he were waiting for them.

  "Greetings, I'm Eronal," he said. "Aleinea mentioned you'd come this way."

  Rohan gaped at the beautiful turquoise eyes and androgynous features, which made the Waiora smile.

  "Hello, Rohan, would you like me to let your cousin Dilip know you're safe? He's a little worried for you since you forgot to write..."

  "I wouldn't know who to give my message to!" Rohan complained. "Nobody goes that way!"

  "I can transmit a message to him, if you want. Not personally, of course, but my siblings from Godwalkar's rivers will let him know you're alive and doing just fine."

  "I'm amazed at how you communicate," Keshav said. "We left Konigtown barely nine days ago."

  "News swims quite fast," Eronal said with a smile. "Would you like to let your father know you're on the way back to Delen?"

  "Gods no! Or he'll prepare an arranged marriage for me!"

  Both Eronal and Babita chuckled.

  "Wait a moment, how come we understand them?" Rohan asked, frowning.

  "The Magical Races can speak all the Human's dialects," Eronal answered, a
mused. "Would you like to go to the other shore now or tomorrow morning?"

  "How long will it take?" Babita asked.

  "Just walk across there." Eronal pointed to the river. The current might look less strong, but there were no rocks or logs. "It's a submerged bridge." The Waiora smiled. "We built it. Most Humans don't see it and pass right by. The water will be knee-height maximum, so you might want to take your breeches off or tie your skirt above the knee."

  "What about sandals?" Keshav asked, putting down his travel bag to take off the breeches.

  "Unless you're used to walking barefooted, I'd keep them," Eronal replied. "The bridge isn't smooth, there are rocks and pebbles, so... up to you."

  Babita pulled up her gown and knotted it so it would stay above her knees. Keshav pulled up his long tunic as well. Rohan simply removed his breeches. They hesitantly approached the water and looked where Eronal was pointing.

  "Don't worry, the current won't disturb you," the Waiora said. "That's why I'm here."

  He smiled encouragingly.

  Keshav saw the underwater, irregular bridge and stepped into the water. "Gods, it's cold!" he said, gritting his teeth.

  "Apologies." Eronal waved his hand and the water warmed.

  Keshav stared admiringly at the Waiora, then stepped forward. It was as easy as walking on a mountain path and he quickly reached the other shore, followed by Babita and Rohan.

  "Thank you!" they chorused, waving at Eronal. The Waiora waved back and dived, vanishing into the river.

  "Well, that was fun!" Babita said, pulling down her gown and covering her ankles again.

  "I forgot to tell him to warn Dilip!" Rohan said, slapping his forehead.

  Eronal's head popped up near the shore they now stood on.

  "Don't worry, Prince Rohan, Prince Dilip will be notified you're alive," he said before vanishing underwater again.