by B. K. Boes
Ednah nodded. “And besides that, those monsters are a plague on Ergon. A thorn in Leyumin’s side. We should stay far away from them.”
“Their relations with Ergon have nothing to do with us,” Roshleth Vyad said.
“We are all from the same origin,” Yado said. “The Ergonians are our cousins.”
“And so are the Adikeans,” Mima said. “Besides, trading with Adikea is not the same thing as approving of their actions.”
“Exactly.” Roshleth Vyad smiled at Mima. “The Adikeans offer twice the pay for tribes willing to trade directly and deliver the goods to their border. As of now, we trade with the Lone Mountain people every six cycles, but we never have quite enough. Imagine being able to approve new canvas purchases for our families. Better ale to drink. More durable soles for our sandals. New fabric for new clothes. Our children run around in tattered, patched-up tunics that would serve better as cleaning rags. Surely we can do better!”
“The Adikeans will really pay us twice as much?” Mordo asked. “We could save money back, prepare for tougher times. It always happens eventually. Drought or a sickness among the herd.”
Mima shivered. “I lost a granddaughter one year because half our herd died off. So many of us got sick, and we couldn’t afford enough medicine.”
“Healer Raz would be among the first to utilize our new funds,” Roshleth Vyad said.
Ira shifted and scratched his chin. “More coin never hurt anyone.”
Ednah’s lips formed a tight, firm line. “We can’t trust Adikeans,” she said.
“They’ll never turn on Erem,” Ira said. “It would be foolish. They may raid Ergon for women and food, but there are so many things they can only get from the tribes of Erem.”
Kaela’s eyes darted from one person to another as they debated the unthinkable. Her father had told her of the Adikeans. How they enslaved women foreign to them. How they were murderers, liars, and heretics. Kaela had always been grateful to live in the eastern desert where Adikeans rarely visited.
“And how do you know?” Mordo said.
“I’ve talked to men whose tribes trade with them.” Ira puffed out his chest a little. “The Adikeans would give us a special token. If we ever crossed warriors in the desert, the token would be our safety. Their warriors aren’t allowed to harm or steal from tribes with that marker.”
Mordo nodded slowly. “So then, trading with them would also protect us from them.”
Kaela looked down at her hands, which were balled together. She was squeezing them so tightly her fingernails were digging into her palms.
They’re going to agree. The story was wrong! That’s not how it goes!
It was she could do to keep her walls up. She closed her eyes, going to the place in her mind where she could see the walls. She sat in the center, the stone wall encircling her. The ground trembled beneath her and the stones at the top of the wall began to crumble. When she sensed the dark pool offering her control, she redoubled her efforts.
No, I have to keep them up. On my own. I cannot use the darkness.
She steeled herself, concentrating. The trembling ceased.
“Kaela.” Yado’s simple, steady voice broke through, though he spoke as if he had already said her name more than once.
Kaela looked up. Hot tears stung at her eyes, though they had not spilled over onto her cheeks just yet. The others were silent, some looking at Yado, some looking at her.
“What is it you were going to say?” Yado asked.
Kaela unfurled her fists and stretched out her fingers in her lap. She looked at Orlin, red in the face probably from embarrassment. Roshleth Vyad’s glare was clearly trying to bore through her chest. The Patriarch was staring open-mouthed at Yado.
Kaela licked her lips, trying to think logically, to put away the emotions she’d barely managed to stuff back down. If they rose up again, her walls could fall.
She took a deep breath, weighing her options. If I tell, I’ll embarrass the Roshleth. She’ll hate me even more. And Orlin will be mad. Kaela looked up to find Ednah smiling gently.
“It’s all right,” Ednah said. “Tell us.”
“It’s just…” Kaela closed her eyes. The truth is always the best path, Sava’s voice echoed in her mind. She opened her eyes. “That’s not the version of that story I learned from my Sava. I mean, parts of it are the same, but—”
“I am the Roshleth here, not your Sava, and certainly not you,” Roshleth Vyad said. “It’s an outrage that you would dare contradict me, child.”
“Yado. Ednah,” Mima said. “Vyad is right. She is only a little girl. Her training isn’t near complete. She should be silent at meetings at least until she is confirmed.”
Kaela wanted to point out that her confirmation was less than a year away, but she didn’t. It didn’t seem as though her voice would be welcomed.
“Yes,” Mordo said. “It would be inappropriate for her to speak at a council meeting. Her voice holds no power here. Not until she is older. Wiser.”
“For once, Mordo and I agree,” Ira said. “Kaela is a bright child, but her opinions do not hold weight here.”
“Even if the story was told incorrectly to Vyad?” Yado asked.
Ira’s hands, formerly resting on his knees, formed fists as he looked from one council member to another. “It’s not right,” he said.
“It is my decision,” Patriarch Gavril said, “that we will keep to tradition in this matter. The girl will be silent.”
Kaela met Ednah’s kind eyes and blinked away her tears. Yado and Ednah did not have the power to contradict a decree from the Patriarch without the support of the others. They both sighed an agreement and spoke of it no more.
As the meeting went on, the new path was laid out. The Hodda would trade their wares at Ogche in two cycles’ time. They would speak to an Adikean representative at the mountain and procure items the Adikeans needed most. Then, they would sell the goods and be on their way with pockets full.
When the meeting was over, Kaela jumped to her feet and ran, ignoring the Roshleth’s calls. She only wants to chastise me. I won’t hear it!
She had barely kept her walls up through the rest of the meeting. Kaela ran through the maze of tents toward the sunset to be alone, where she could better block her curse. When her own emotions ran high, her walls weakened. She needed space, time to calm herself.
She could smell meat roasting on the pit. People passed her, heading in the opposite direction toward the place where the bonfire had been lit. Their satisfaction from a hard day’s work and anticipation of a good meal brushed Kaela’s senses, contrasting to her own darker emotions.
The Hodda would eat together, laugh together, and dance together. But tonight, Kaela didn’t want to celebrate life. She didn’t want to thank the Sustainer for blessings. She was angry and embarrassed. She was frightened, too.
When she crested a barren hill, she stopped at a large boulder, climbed on top, and sat. Breathing hard, she looked up at the sky, waiting for the stars to show themselves. She didn’t know how long she’d been there, brooding over all that had happened again and again, before she heard a soft shuffle behind her. She turned to find Ednah, walking stick in hand.
“Elder Ednah!” Kaela slid off the boulder and came to her side, offering her shoulder for the old woman to lean on.
“You run so fast.” Ednah laughed, out of breath. She began to cough, her chest rattling a bit. Composing herself, Ednah cleared her throat and smiled. “I’m glad I caught you at last.”
“If I had known—”
“It’s all right,” Ednah said. “Come, help me to the boulder so I can lean against it.”
Kaela did as she was asked, walking alongside Ednah. Finally, they came to where Ednah could lean against the boulder, and Kaela climbed once more to sit on top. They watched the sun disappear below the horizon together. The brother moons were bright in the sky, the stars shining on a cloudless night.
“Where is Yaan in the stars?�
�� Ednah asked. “That is where the story comes from, no?”
“It is,” Kaela said. She scanned the eastern sky, found Yaan, and pointed to him. “There is his head, his arms, and his legs. That big triangle is his bag of gold.”
“Tell me his story,” Ednah said. “The way you know it.”
“I don’t think Roshleth Vyad or Patriarch Gavril would appreciate that.” Kaela sighed and looked away from the constellation.
“Well, I would.” Ednah reached up and patted Kaela’s hand. “I won’t tell them you told me.”
Kaela bit the inside of her cheek. She looked back at the stars, and then back at Ednah. “All right,” she said. “You promise?”
“I promise.”
With a deep breath, Kaela began the tale the way her Sava had taught her. “There was an Ergonian man by the name of Yaan. He was a poor farmer, as you heard earlier. But, his wife and three daughters loved him, and they were happy. His daughters were beautiful beyond words, but though they were beautiful, they did not turn away a hard day’s work. Because he had no sons, his daughters worked alongside him in his fields.
“This embarrassed Yaan, for he wanted his daughters to learn to sing and play the harp like the noble ladies of the land. He dreamed they would marry well, but he knew it was impossible. He knew they would one day marry poor farmers, like himself, or perhaps if they were lucky, a blacksmith or tanner. Despite his daughters’ constant reassurances that they were indeed happy, Yaan refused to believe it was so because he was so unhappy.
“He not only wanted good things for his daughters. Yaan wanted good things for himself and his wife. He wanted to stop working the ground. The thought of eating roots and humble vegetables every meal until the day he died made him bitter. He dreamed of feasts and soft shoes and clean hands and servants to do his bidding. He imagined how pretty his wife would be if she were dressed in the finest silk, if her biggest worry were how to wear her hair. How happy they would all be if only he had wealth.
“And so, one day, he heard tell of a king to the South who desperately wanted a dragon’s egg, for it was said that the yolk of the egg had supernatural properties that would heal any illness. The king was very ill, and so he put out word that any man who brought him a dragon’s egg would be given so much wealth he would never want for anything again.”
Kaela looked down at Ednah. The old woman was listening with such attentiveness. Such appreciation. Kaela smiled and continued her tale, making sure to use the right inflections of voice, the right tones, so she could paint a picture in the Elder’s mind.
“It so happened that a dragon lived just a span’s journey into the Radelle Mountains. Now, the dragons of old were not like the therbaks, their smaller cousins. These creatures were one hundred times more terrifying, ten times larger, and much more intelligent. They spoke without words, their voice sounding inside you, rolling around the mind like thunder and shaking your bones like an earthquake. They reasoned and desired and knew anger and greed.
“Yaan had heard that this dragon loved beauty, and so he brought his eldest daughter with him, planning to use her as a distraction while he stole the egg. She agreed to come in order to please her father. They traveled together and found the dragon, holed up inside a mountain cave big enough to house an entire city.
“Why do you bother me? the dragon asked.
“The voice rattled Yaan to his core, but he saw the dragon’s four eggs and hardened his resolve. ‘I come to show you my beautiful daughter,’ he said.
“When she stepped out of the shadows, the dragon beheld her and loved her. What is it you want for her? I will give you anything.
“He pretended to think, and he drew his daughter close. ‘I will trade you for an egg, my daughter, but do not fear. The dragon will keep you well, I am sure of it. And when I am wealthy, I will hire a noble man to kill this dragon and rescue you.’
“She began to protest, but Yaan was too engrossed in his own plot. To the dragon, he said, ‘I will let you have her for one of your eggs.’
“The dragon snarled. Choose something else. I cannot give you an egg.
“‘My child for yours,’ Yaan said. ‘It is a fair price.’
“A fair point, the dragon said after a while. I will allow it. But do not come back for her, or you will regret it dearly.
“Yaan agreed and took the precious egg, leaving his daughter with the dragon. He was quite happy because the dragon immediately placed a jeweled crown upon his daughter’s head and commanded she wear golden rings on her fingers and dress in the most beautiful dress Yaan had ever seen.
“She will be happy among all these treasures until I send a man to kill the dragon, Yaan thought. Then, for her sacrifice, I will make this treasure her dowry, and she will marry a prince.
“He went his way then, traveling with the egg, wrapped in layers of cloth and carefully placed in a satchel. For two cycles he walked sunrise to sunset, eager to get to the king in the South. Finally, he arrived, and he was very well received. Not only did the king give him incredible wealth, he asked Yaan to stay for an entire span as his guest. He agreed, but right away he hired the most skilled assassin in the land to go and kill the dragon and rescue his daughter.
“Content that all was right and good, Yaan ate all the meat and delicate desserts and fine ambrosia he could possibly want. Every night there was a feast. A tailor made him the finest clothes. A cobbler fit for him the finest of boots. His hands did not touch one morsel of dirt. He neither toiled nor worked for anything. He finished his stay with such delight in his heart.
“He bought wagons and sandbeasts and paid servants to come with him. Yaan wanted nothing more than to come back to his homeland, build the finest house in Ergon, and prepare for his wife and daughters the finest clothes, food, and luxuries he could imagine.
“And that’s just what he did. He wanted to surprise his family, and so he spent an extra cycle having his mansion built and preparing a whole room for each of his three daughters and his wife, full of everything they could ever wish to have.”
Kaela paused to catch her breath.
“This sounds mostly like what Vyad said, though you tell it better,” Ednah said. “Why were you so upset, child?”
“It’s the ending, Elder,” Kaela said. “The ending makes the story.”
“Ah,” Ednah nodded. “Very well. Go on.”
“Well, finally, everything was prepared. Yaan dressed in his finest clothes. He bought a pikkan stallion and rode with six hired swordsmen as his escort and four servant girls, one for each of his daughters and one for his wife. As he came upon his old home, he despised it greatly. He saw his wife out in the field, toiling by herself.
“He dismounted and came to his wife with a smile on his face, but when she turned to face him, he was alarmed, for she was clearly very ill. ‘My dear wife,’ he said. ‘Where are our daughters? Why are you toiling in the sun while you are so ill?’
“‘They are gone forever,’ his wife cried. She dropped to the ground, as she had yet to say any of this out loud. ‘A dragon came. He said that in exchange for your transgression, he would take our daughters. All of them. And he did. They are forever his prisoners.’
“Yaan fell to his knees. The man he had sent to kill the dragon had failed, and now he had lost all of his daughters. As his wife wailed for her daughters, her heart broke in two and she died in Yaan’s arms. But before she died, she looked Yaan in the eye, and said, ‘Don’t you wish everything could be as it was? We were so happy.’
“Devastated, Yaan returned to his mansion. He lived out the rest of his days with more wealth and good food and servants than any man could ever dream of. But, he was never happy. Until the day he died, he wished once again for his little run-down cottage, dirt under his fingernails, the kiss of his wife, and the laughter of his daughters.”
Kaela fell silent, tracing with her eye Yaan and his bag of treasure in the sky.
“Ah. The ending indeed makes the story,” Ednah sighed. “
It is as I feared.”
“What can we do?” Kaela asked. “The others won’t listen.”
“We can try,” Ednah said. “But, you are probably right. They will want to see it as Vyad sees it. Wealth is a powerful master.” Ednah shook her head. “But, when you are Roshleth, your own council will take your word as law.”
“But Orlin…” Kaela trailed off, not wanting to disparage him publicly.
“Orlin is young. And arrogant. And under the thumb of his grandfather and grandmother. It is the Roshleth who provides the wisdom. The Patriarch is bound to follow it.” Ednah sighed. “I long for the day when your word carries weight. Even at nine years, you see things clearly. I’ve never come across a child quite like you. I believe your Sava taught you well.”
A spark lit inside Kaela’s heart. Perhaps people would follow her, if she just stuck with it. Maybe she could do some good for the Hodda. Ednah placed a hand over hers once more and left it there. Kaela looked up at the brother moons.
Patience and diligence, her Sava used to say. Hold onto those two things. Practice them and treasure them. When you are older, they will come to bear good fruit.
Kaela sighed. Ednah was right. One day she would turn the tide for the Hodda. When Roshleth Vyad was gone, her word would shape the direction their tribe took. Until then, she would have to pray the dragon stayed in his cave.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Moloch
Sarrem Family Estate
The City of Eunoya, Eikon
5th Cycle of Chenack
989 Post Schism
“It’s finally happening.” Moloch’s father cut himself a juicy piece of meat, stuck it with his knife, and pointed it at Moloch. “Eikon is finally on the way to uniting Leyumin. Ergon will submit to our protection and become an Eikonian province.”
Moloch hadn’t seen Nibal Sarrem in such a good mood while home in quite some time. The man was a traveler at heart. Staying in one place for long drove him crazy. Moloch sighed. His father had been talking about the Ergonians bowing the knee to King Shamylle for years. If it was true, Moloch would be surprised.