Crown of Vengeance

by Stephen Zimmer

  Ayenwatha wondered as to what Eirik was getting at, as the Midragardan then turned, took a few strides away, and called out to a few of his men. The men hustled up to Eirik, receiving some rapid instructions from him before continuing on to the longship. They strode up to the interior of the vessel via a long gangplank, which ran from the shore to the top strake about mid-ship.

  A few moments later, a couple of the men were carefully moving back down the gangplank, carrying a large, rectangular wooden chest with them. Two others followed behind with a second, similar chest. The small group carried the chests on over to where Eirik and Ayenwatha stood.

  At a nod from Eirik, the warriors placed the iron-banded chests upon the ground, unlocked them, and opened them up. Inside of the chests were some of the colorful, brocaded tunics that the Midragardans typically wore.

  “Do not attract attention, when you do not have to, Ayenwatha. Clothes similar to these are worn in many lands,” Eirik stated to his friend, who immediately understood the gesture. “The differences are much less with these, than with clothes fashioned of buckskin with quill decoration. Certainly much less than what they have on their bodies.”

  The sight of men and women in woolen tunics was a lot more common across the surface of Ave, especially regarding a group whose members represented many different ethnic heritages. A group of non-tribal people wearing the manner of clothing highly particular to the Five Realms would definitely be peculiar, and would ultimately invite unwanted attention.

  “A good suggestion,” Ayenwatha remarked.

  “Do I not always have good suggestions?” Eirik responded with a light chuckle.

  “Then I have one for you,” Ayenwatha said, pausing for a moment as his lips turned in a grin, before adding, “Can you and your men join us for a feast in the village?”

  Eirik gave a long, wistful sigh.

  “Ah, you would beckon to me with this. It is such misfortune that I must return immediately to attend to our trading goods,” Eirik exclaimed, shaking his head resignedly. “I do not have to ask my men to know that we all would love a feast in your village. For my own part, I would very much like to visit with your new guests some more. I cannot accept what you offer, but not because I do not wish to. Perhaps on my return, we can feast and share further tales together.”

  Ayenwatha looked at his friend and nodded, understanding that Eirik had already spared valuable time to heed Ayenwatha’s summons.

  “I was told that you were already trading in these lands when our messengers found you. Did trading go well on this visit?” Ayenwatha asked him, raising an eyebrow.

  Smiling, Erik gestured back towards his ship. “We have some trading vessels, which are waiting for our return at the mouth of this river before we continue onward. They are full, and we are forced to use space on my ship for the overflow. Yes, it has gone well for both parties, Midragardans and the tribes alike. Many useful goods of iron have passed into the possession of your people, and more furs coveted in lands to the east and north will be going along with us.”

  “That is very good to hear, and I thank you for delaying your return journey, in order to give me your wisdom,” Ayenwatha remarked, appreciatively.

  He knew that the Midragardans, with vessels loaded with trade goods, would be quite eager to be on their way to their intended destinations.

  Eirik lingered for a moment longer, a friendly grin spreading on his face as he turned to face the seven outsiders. He took several steps in their direction. There was no need to summon their attention, as their eyes were all turned towards the large Midragardan.

  His voice rose, and carried strongly as he addressed them, “Do not be concerned, seven of another world. In Ayenwatha, you are in the care of a most honorable and brave warrior. It was my pleasure to meet all of you, and it is my hope that we meet again, in future and better days.”

  He then turned his attention back to Ayenwatha, and the two spoke together in hushed voices. Their expressions were serious as they imparted a few final important messages for each other; Eirik promising to convey tidings of the otherworlders to Gunnar, and Ayenwatha pledging to see to the practical education of the seven.

  Before parting, they embraced each other once more, the smiles of friendship coming back to their faces.

  Eirik gestured and called out to his full ship crew, and they fell in together as they walked briskly back towards the narrow longship. Once most were aboard, a few men loaded the gangplank onto the ship. The men took a few moments to set weapons down and place shields in the outer railing on the sides of the longship. When finished, they attended to the task of pushing the vessel off of the shore and into the water.

  A chorus of grunts and moans accompanied the exertion of well-seasoned muscles straining against the substantial bulk of the timber ship. With a unified team of warriors working diligently, they slid the elongated boat into the water, proceeding to climb aboard with the help of their compatriots.

  Oars were removed from the upright racks and set into place through a line of holes in the side strakes, as the men took their places atop chests set at intervals along the length of the ship. The oar holes were aligned efficiently with the exterior rack that held their round shields in place, allowing for the oars to be used with the shields lining the batten.

  Lowered into the water, and rowed in unison to the beat of a chant, the ship was turned to align with the river and propelled forward, moving smoothly along the water’s surface. The keel cut through the water with a natural grace.

  Ayenwatha and the rest of his party remained on the edge of the shoreline, until the ship had glided far down the river. The ship passed around a wide bend and was out of sight in just minutes, right after Eirik gave a final wave from the vessel.

  Shifting his attention back to the seven, Ayenwatha commented, “Eirik is a true friend, and he has traded with our people for many years. The Midragardans are a strong people, and are loyal servants of the Creator. They are masters of the seas and rivers.

  “They have become good brothers to our people, though it was not always so. Maybe we shall someday go to see their own lands, but for now we will have to be content with tales. Eirik is right. You must learn about our world, about our people and about others … so that you better understand us, and so that you better understand our world.”

  “We would like that, very much,” Erika replied with undisguised eagerness in her voice.

  “As much as possible,” Logan added quickly, also looking very hungry for more knowledge of their new world.

  “And we would like to sample all of your foods as well, maybe many times to make sure that we understand them well. I want to study the turkey and deer meat more carefully … and maybe we can study some ales from all the cultures that you know of,” quipped Kent, smirking playfully. “For my part, I want to be an expert in the food and drink of this world.”

  A lighthearted laughter broke out first among the outsiders, and then among Ayenwatha and the tribal warriors, as Kent’s humor quickly dawned upon them. Ayenwatha smiled broadly, glad for the sudden levity.

  “We will take your learning of ales much slower than you might like. You should have gone with Eirik if you wished to know more of ales,” Ayenwatha replied teasingly to Kent, with easygoing laughter. “But for now, it is probably best to return to our village.”

  “And you tell me this, right after Eirik’s boat goes out of sight? How fair is that, Ayenwatha? How can I hope to learn about the ales of your world?” Kent retorted, with an exaggerated shaking of his head, as guest and tribesman alike laughed again, this time in unison.

  JANUS

  In the wake of the Midragardans’ departure, Ayenwatha’s group returned back to the four canoes where they rested up on the shore. All involved in the party helped to get the vessels shoved back into the water, though not before first loading aboard the two chests given to the group by Eirik.

  The return voyage on the Little Brother required a little more exertion and time,
as they had to row against the light current. The seven guests interspersed with the tribal warriors aided in the rowing, lending the Onan men a much needed, periodic respite.

  For Janus, the additional activity was very welcome, though he was not conditioned for sustained rowing. It was not long before he was feeling the effects of the strain. Nevertheless, Janus hardened his resolve, and did not complain, enduring until one of the resting tribal warriors insisted on resuming.

  Eventually, the quartet of vessels turned aside from the Little Brother, and continued forth up the Winding Stream.

  As the late afternoon shadows grew longer, they finally reached the embankment where they had first begun their sojourn. Though all within the canoes were tired, they joined together to get the vessels lifted out of the water and hidden back amongst the thick underbrush running along the bank.

  Ayenwatha then led them back from the Winding Stream, taking them onward to the Place of Far Seeing.

  On their way, they came across a couple groups of women that were out foraying with cornhusk baskets, gathering nuts, roots, forest greens, and berries. The fields situated closer to the great hill still harbored a number of women tending to them, as it had on the outset of their journey.

  A party of men bearing spears and nets, the latter weighed down with small stones, crossed their paths. The fishing party was also returning back to the village, in very good spirits as they had procured a fair quantity of trout and eels on their own foray.

  As they all came to the base of the hill’s slope, they saw a second group of men about halfway up the incline. Janus quickly realized that it was a hunting party. They had successfully felled a couple of white-tailed deer, whose carcasses they were now bearing up to the village. Janus’ group and the fishing party proceeded up the slope in the wake of the hunters.

  Entering the village, Janus saw that it was alive and teeming with activity. Children and dogs were running about and playing, while the adults in view were engaged in a variety of tasks.

  The children yelled and giggled as the parties passed through the front entryway, swarming them in an instant. Janus’ eyes quickly scanned the young ones for the imaginative boy that had interacted with him in the pre-dawn hour.

  His hurried search came up empty, though he was not wholly surprised. He knew that there were several youth still outside of the palisades, as well as many others that were spread amongst the numerous longhouses within the sprawling village interior.

  The children ogled the trout and eel that were being carried along by the fishing party, with faces that were both curious and filled with delight.

  Janus smiled at all of the youth, as Ayenwatha led his group through them towards the longhouse of the Firaken Clan. Most of the children remained around the fishers and hunters, the interests of their bellies taking precedence over the seven strangers. Janus and his companions continued into the Firaken longhouse with Ayenwatha, and they were soon gathered together within Ayenwatha’s own dwelling chamber.

  Shortly thereafter, they were sitting together and enjoying a light meal of fresh trout and hominy that had been prepared for them by some of the village women. Janus was utterly famished, and had to restrain himself from simply wolfing down the portions given to him.

  As they ate the light fare together, Ayenwatha began to interview the seven calmly about their various interests and desires. He probed them about the things that they enjoyed doing in their own worlds, as well as the things about their new world that were grabbing their attentions.

  He listened intently to their responses. Janus was struck by the notion that the war sachem was a man with more than a passing interest in their answers.

  The rectangular chests given by Eirik Atlisson were soon brought in by a few tribal warriors and opened up. Janus and the other six gathered around, angling for a good view of the contents, even as Ayenwatha began to pull some of the items forth. Eirik had shown good foresight, as there was ample clothing for seven individuals contained therein.

  A series of trousers, woolen tunics, leather shoes, belts, and some linen undergarments were lifted out and distributed amongst the males in the group.

  For Erika, there was a long linen chemise, a pair of knee-length cloth leggings, woolen socks, and leather shoes.

  Janus was quite happy to receive the new garments, and the reactions of all seven were ones of relief and gratitude. All of their clothes had gotten extremely dirty and sweat-stained since they had arrived in the new world, and a change of attire was long overdue.

  The seven spent a few moments changing into their new garments. Erika went into the adjacent, currently unoccupied dwelling chamber to gain some privacy for herself, while the males donned their new clothes right in front of Ayenwatha.

  Though feeling somewhat awkward and rough against his skin, the new clothing was welcome. Janus knew that they would have to change clothing at some point, and it was far wiser to start blending in with the cultures that they would be living amongst and interacting with. If they could draw less overt attention to themselves, it was all the better.

  After they had all changed into their new attire, shedding their old clothing in a heap to the side of one of the sleeping platforms, Ayenwatha took the seven back outside of the longhouse. He summoned over a few of the tribal warriors who were loitering close by.

  Janus watched the others of his group tugging at and adjusting their tunics, trousers, and belts. More than one of the others was scratching at the plethora of new itches brought on by the woolen items now draped over them.

  He had almost broken into laughter as he watched his companions walking gingerly in their new footwear, as if each step was fragile and fraught with peril. Admittedly, the feeling of the leather shoes was far different from what he was used to, and he wondered how could ever run at full speed over rock, woods, and soil out in the forest.

  A part of him started to consider whether it might be a good idea to retain his old pair of shoes, though another part of him warned him that even that little indulgence would be enough to attract unwanted attention. For the time being, Janus determined that it would be better to strive to acclimate fully.

  Kent was wearing a tablet-woven headband that had been found at the bottom of one of the chests. It looked a little out of place on Kent’s head, giving him a comical appearance.

  When he was in good spirits, Kent’s face seemed always ready to break into laughter. Even the new stubble filling in abundantly around his goatee did little to stifle his youthful demeanor. His appearance in the Midragardan attire was so very different from the fierce, scarred, and bearded visages of the other men that Janus had recently seen wearing those same types of headbands. The contrast was hilarious, and it was all that Janus could do not to laugh. He bit back the grin that popped on his face before it could expand any further.

  There were still a few hours left in the day, and Janus turned his thoughts to wondering as to what Ayenwatha was about. The war sachem split the seven into three groups. The reason why Ayenwatha had seemed engrossed in their responses, as they had made their personal interests known during the meal in the chamber, was then made very clear.

  Ayenwatha told them that it was time for them to learn more about the world that they were now in. They were each to be allowed the chance to develop skills and knowledge according to their own path of interest, which he said would help in speeding up the overall learning acquired by their entire group.

  As he made clear, they could always impart the knowledge and skills that they gained amongst each other. With the time available to all of them being so uncertain, and possibly very short, Ayenwatha had deemed it best to concentrate on raising up their collective knowledge. Hence, three groups were being formed to each absorb a different range of knowledge.

  Janus immediately saw the wisdom in Ayenwatha’s decision, which only increased his already considerable respect for the stalwart war sachem.

  A few of the warriors standing with Ayenwatha, particularly strong
-looking men with steely expressions, then approached the largest of the three groups. Erika, Derek, Antonio, and Logan were given an assortment of weapons, including bows, short-hafted axes, and the curving, timber-carved war clubs that were common among the tribal fighters.

  According to Ayenwatha’s ensuing explanation, they were to be sent into the woodlands. The foursome was to practice the art of moving with stealth through the forest, and to learn of its many inhabitants. They would also be learning of its plants, including the many that could provide food and medicine, as well as the others that poisoned and brought sickness.

  The quartet would also be learning the use of the weapons that they now held in their hands.

  Janus noted that there was no challenge forthcoming to Erika’s presence with them, despite the observation that none of the village’s warriors were female. Ayenwatha had accommodated her according to her expressed desires, evidently without reservation.

  Kent and Mershad comprised the second division of the exiles. They were to be sent onward with a trio of elders, two women and one man, that were subsequently summoned, all three of whom Ayenwatha deferred to with great reverence.

  Janus sensed a distinctly greater level of veneration given by Ayenwatha towards the two older women.

  The two clan matrons and the older man would be helping Kent and Mershad to learn some of the village’s history, including much more about the foundations of the Five Realms. They would be hearing about the establishment of the Sacred Fire, the Great Law, and the Grand Council.

  The two exiles would also be learning something of the tribal customs, and a little about the history of the world, at least as it was known to the tribal people. Ayenwatha indicated that they were also to learn the applications of some of the more domestic tools and skills.

  The last one left was Janus, who was a little confused at being set apart by himself from the others.

  During the meal with Ayenwatha, he had expressed an interest both in acquiring knowledge of the new world, as well as in the skills of survival and combat. In his eyes, he could have fit in very well with either of the two other groups.