Once on the stage, Anton stepped forward and a hush fell over the crowd. “My fellow Esparians, the time has come for each man to look deep inside and determine what he is made of. Your country calls you to arms. Not for over a thousand years has our liberty and freedom been so threatened. Rise up, and for your wives, your children, your parents, and everything you hold dear, don your armor and take up your weapons. Hoist this Banner of Freedom from every tower and take to heart what it stands for. We are Esparians and we will never bow to tyranny.”
A cheer went up and a sea of drawn swords, held high, glittered in the firelight. Jessica was totally taken by surprise at her uncle’s perfect speech. So he can talk well if he wants to, she thought. But now it was her moment to step forward and be heard, so she focused on her own words. She gave the same address that her Grandmother had given that afternoon at Ramadine, with a few minor changes. “A Protector has come from afar to lead this land. My father, John Ernshaw of the House of Saylon, officially adopted by Lady Gayleena of Saylon House, wields the Sword of Judgment. Let the Banner of Freedom fly over every school, Justice building and Tiern Center throughout Esparia. It is a perfect, honest square of loyal blue, fringed by the silver of justice and centered by the eternal, red ring of courage. May every man, woman and child who looks on it remember the day when a new Protector came to aid us in our struggle against tyranny, and freedom remained secure.”
Reese raised the flag for everyone to see. Each person in the crowd fell to one knee and gave the Salute of Loyalty.
Anton addressed the High Older, “Have the troops assembled and ready by mornin’. I’ll need to see yer musterin’ records. Fifth Bar Reese’ll approve yer officers and appoint new ones if necessary. Now we need food and rest.”
*
“Get up.” The message came through loud and clear. Jessica opened her eyes to see Varnack nose to nose with her. He licked her face.
“What time is it?”
“Late.”
“What do you mean, late? How late?” She jumped out of bed and opened the door to let him out.
“Go.”
Having been too tired to change, she had slept in her clothes. So she grabbed a chunk of warm, yellow bread and piece of yellow-brown fruit from a platter the inn keeper offered, and hurried out the inn door to the adjoining stable. Anton, Reese, and nine soldiers sat waiting for her. The horses were saddled and her buggy stood ready. Before she could protest being left out of the morning’s activities, Anton bundled her into the carriage and they were off.
Anton’s plan called for ten capitol cities and twenty of the country’s twenty-five universities to be visited in twenty-one days. It was a grueling schedule, and Jessica knew he was determined they keep it.
“Uncle Anton,” she said when they were in stride. “I appreciate the extra sleep, but tomorrow, I want to wake up when you and Reese wake up. Unless you’re willing to give interviews, you’d better let me handle the public relations end of this journey. I can be the main spokesperson for our group. If there are any news people or questioning hoffle elders, you might want to let me handle them.”
“Well Jessi,” Anton took on a fatherly tone, “I don’t want ya to overdo it. Ya need to keep up yer strength.”
“I promise if I get tired, I’ll let you know. Okay?”
He frowned. “Oh, all right.”
“And what happened to security guard number eight?” she asked. She hadn’t had time to learn their names, so in her mind she had given each a number.
“Left him behind to help gather men and train ‘em before sending ‘em off to the border,” he replied.
The country they traveled through was flat and fertile. They passed numerous small farms with green fields of ripening grain, row after endless low of tubers, edible roots and above ground vines. Orchards of pink dwarf taya and gigantic, green hairy palanto trees grew in abundance.
“Hey, Reese,” Jessica called out, “I know next to nothing about Esparia. Come and tell me about it.”
Reese brought his horse next to her buggy. “Uberty. Farmlands and orchards. Most of the nation’s food is grown here. I’m sure Anton will settle agreements with the farmers.”
“Yer right there lad,” Anton interjected. “I have lots of agreements to get signed from every province. Time to put those taxes Haesom collected to good use.”
“There’s not much else to tell. Uberty is, well,” Reese shrugged his shoulders, “Uberty.”
Jessica laughed. “Ask a stupid question…men.”
By late afternoon they reached Cardine, the capitol of Uberty, where bright green and yellow flags lined the main road and throngs of excited people, pointing and waving, escorted them to a wooden platform in the center square. Anton and Jessica gave their same speeches while Reese stood at attention holding the Banner of Freedom. The three ambassadors knew their respective tasks, so with the ceremony completed, they wasted no time. Anton inspected the troops and made arrangements with the provincial authorities to have food sent to the front line.
Reese interviewed and approved the current officers, appointed a few more, then gave orders to secure the province from guerrilla attacks. As most of the supply lines would be coming through Uberty, they needed to be well guarded. Anton left another soldier from their security detail in charge there to ensure the safety of those supply lines.
Jessica met with the three news people and one tiern Elder, answering what questions she could. She tactfully declined to answer queries concerning her whereabouts the past eighteen years and firmly stuck to the matters at hand, namely, raising an army, supplying it, and winning a war.
Varnack’s duty was given him directly from John. He was Jessica’s bodyguard. Alert and attentive, he watched the news people interview Jessica with an intense interest. On several occasions she needed to put her hand on his head to stop him from growling and keep him in check. By the end of the news conference, his irritation was palpable.
“It’s over, Varnack. Calm down. I could hardly answer those last few men, your exasperation kept bellowing in my head.”
“Hate questions.”
“Well, try to think of this as an exercise in patience,” she sniggered and scratched him behind the ears. On impulse, she threw her arms around his head and kissed his forehead. “I know this is hard on you and I shouldn’t laugh. I’m just glad you’re here.”
Sunrise saw them back on the road, cantering toward the first of twenty military Defense Academies. This one was located at Uberty’s center of learning, Uberty Ramastar. The country they traveled through consisted of endless grain fields, green with freshly spouted plants.
“Not much to look at here,” Reese remarked.
“Reminds me of a place called Nebraska.”
“Is that where you’re from?”
“No, but it’s a province in my country, or rather, the country I grew up in.”
“So is your country anything like Esparia?”
“Yeah, it is. In fact I’m surprised at the similarities. Plants are a little different and so’s the wildlife, but the people…well, I guess people are the same wherever you go. All they want is to live their lives in peace. The dines are larger, but not nearly as colorful, and the air’s not as clean.”
“Not as clean? How can air be dirty?” He frowned.
“There’re a lot more people where I come from, a whole lot more, so we burn a lot of fuel. The air in the large dines is filled with smoke all the time. It’s called pollution.”
He wrinkled up his nose.
“There’re many ramastars, like here. In fact, I’m supposed to go to the ramastar in my state, or province, this fall.”
“What do you wish to study? Will you be a healer like your father?”
“No. I want to be a scientist like Uncle Anton and study biology and chemistry. Many of my people suffer from terrible illnesses called cancers and I’d like to help find a cure.”
“I think you’ll do well in whatever you choose.”
“Thank you, Reese.” Jessica felt her cheeks grow warm. Their conversation would have continued, but at that moment both Reese and Jessica spotted a lone rider far down the straight road. As he galloped toward them, his blue and silver uniform revealed his military affiliation. After several more minutes passed, she could see he sported a full, black beard, but no mustache. Reese gasped beside her.
“Papa!” he called, then clicked his horse into a gallop.
“Papa?” Jessica questioned, looking at Anton for explanations, but none were offered.
The time at the Defense Academy went rapidly. Reese’s father, Geldric, was the commander of the facility. For a brief moment, Jessica managed to corner Anton. “I had no idea Reese’s dad was around. Why is he such a phantom in his son’s life?”
“I dunno,” he shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe the death of his wife was more than he could bear. Maybe puttin’ distance between himself and the only other thing that could hurt him was how he coped with it.”
Anton would say no more, but she saw the sadness in his eyes. How she wished she could reach inside his mind and find out what had happened. He held a tight lock on his pain.
Within a few hours Anton and Reese completed their work and the party left for Province Florio. Jessica had found the Defense Academy impressive, but she was amazed at how much it resembled the training center at Ramadine.
As soon as they were in stride, she asked Reese about it. “I was surprised by how much the layout of the Defense Academy resembled the one at Ramadine.”
“Actually, the resemblance isn’t to Ramadine directly. More correctly, it resembled the Academy at Ider Hoffle. All training grounds have been built as similarly to Ider Academy as possible.”
“How are the commanders, like your father, chosen?”
“From the Academy staff at Ider Hoffle. Only the best are chosen to head the other schools. They have to lead as well as teach. Lyrista’s been asked several times to command a ramastar Defense Academy, but she prefers to stay in Ider Hoffle. You don’t have to be a native of Ider Hoffle to be a commander, there are many commanders from other dines, you just have to be an Ider Hoffle teacher. Someday, I want to command a Defense Academy.”
“Just like your dad.”
“Yeah, like my dad.”
They said nothing more, but he continued riding beside the buggy. The silence felt comfortable and Jessica was pleased to have him by her for the remainder of the day’s journey. More than a few times she stole a look at him. With classically handsome features and thick, dark, curly hair he cut a striking figure. Though not much taller than herself, his muscular physique more than compensated for the lack of stature. She found his boyish shyness quite charming; it reminded her of another young man, worlds away.
Toward the eventide, the walled fortress of Koradine appeared in the distance. The capitol of Florio rose like a spired coronet atop the rich, flat fields surrounding it.
“You’re looking at one of the oldest settlements in Esparia,” Reese explained. “It’s called Koradine, or City of Plenty, and is tens of thousands of years old. It’s been built in three distinct sections or layers. There’s an ancient Inner Dine preserved as a museum, it’s the original city. Then the Middle Dine was built about twenty thousand years ago and the Outer Dine is only three thousand years old. Most of the government buildings are located in the Middle Dine, so I think that’s where we’re going. It’s really fantastic, to see how the people have kept the buildings in such good repair for so many years. They’re very proud of their history and have gone to enormous lengths to keep everything from decay.”
Traveling through the Outer Dine toward the Middle Dine, the buildings resembled more and more those at Ramadine. The outer buildings were built of colored brick, some red, some green, others blue, yellow, peach and violet. All were accented along blue Palium roofs and down each exterior corner by white stones. Each building was smoothed to a glassy finish. The structures of the Middle Dine were more ornate and of pastel hues, but shined to the same high gloss. Here the roofs were of copper and pastel tiles of all colors.
They stopped before a large building, heavily ornate with grand arches and sculpted flower garlands. Jessica was enthralled by the intricate detail of the edifice. When she exited her buggy, she did not notice her foot had become entwined in the reins of her carriage and she fell, head first, onto a smooth stone sidewalk. A weak, brief screech of surprise escaped her lips as she thrust her hands outward to break her fall.
Anton and Reese, as well as three passers-by ran to her aid. Reese unraveled her foot from the leather lines while Anton swept her into his arms. Filled with embarrassment, she tried to wiggle down, but Anton held her firm, his face wrinkled in concern.
“Uncle Anton, I’m all right,” she tried to assure him. “I don’t feel any pain.”
“That’s ‘cause yer takin’ Larone’s painkiller.”
As he carried her into the elegant building Jessica looked at her hands. To her dismay they were scraped, her right much worse than her left. She squeezed them tightly to try and slow the bleeding. “That pain killer really does work well”, she mused. “I don’t feel a thing.” With Reese and Varnack close behind, Anton marched up to the first person he saw and demanded, “Where’s the High Older’s office?” Luckily for the individual, he knew just where to send the large, worried man and his delegation.
“We need a healer,” Anton announced when he burst into the High Older’s office. “Jessi here had an accident and I want her attended to right now.”
Realizing that she may really need some medical attention, Jessica resigned herself to Anton’s fatherly attentions
The High Older, a portly gentleman with short, gray hair stared in stunned silence at the intruders. He quickly recovered his composure. “We have one of the finest healers in the country here, Orin,” he boasted. “I’ll send for him immediately.” He waddled out of the office, leaving the four alone.
“Orin, huh? I’ve heard of him,” Anton commented. “I would say only Larone is better known.”
Having been deposited in a comfortable, overstuffed chair, Jessica waited with her friends for the High Older’s return. There was little to do and she felt extremely foolish. “I’m sorry for upsetting the schedule,” she apologized. “I was too engrossed in the beauty of the buildings instead of being careful.”
“It’s all right, Jessi,” her Uncle comforted. “We’re ahead of time, so this shouldn’t set us back any.”
Varnack licked her hand. “Worried.”
“Really, I’m okay.”
Reese stood at a small window, gazing down at the street. “There’s a crowd gathering in front of the building. Our presence here is known.”
Anton joined him. “Yeah, well I guess we could get started. As soon as the High Older returns, I’ll tell him to show you to…” Before he could finish the sentence, the door to the plush office opened and the Older stood there, his faced flushed.
“You are very fortunate!” he exclaimed with such excitement Jessica worried his eyes would pop right out of his head. “Healer Orin seldom comes to the dine, but today he was here and I found him walking down the street over there.” The Older flicked his hand to indicate the general direction he was referring to. Standing in the doorway, the large man blocked any view of this famous healer. When he finally moved aside, allowing Orin to enter the room, Anton and Reese gasped in unison while Varnack jumped to his feet, wagging his tail in obvious delight. Jessica blinked in astonishment.
She shot a questioning glance at her two companions positioned by the window. Reese’s mouth lay open in shock and the color had completely drained from Anton’s face. She looked from the two, to the healer, and back again. This tall, slender man held an uncanny resemblance to Haesom, her murdered uncle. He was older, and his hair was auburn, not blazing red, but from his sapphire blue eyes and to the dimple in his chin, he was an older version of the dead Protector.
If he noticed any of their react
ions, he did not show it, but focused his full attention on Jessica. “I heard you took quite a tumble.”
Jessica swallowed hard and pulled herself together.
Orin knelt down and took her hands in his, examining the scrapes. Varnack nosed the man on his cheek and Orin chuckled quietly. “You have a very friendly Trigal Hound there.”
Jessica stared at the man kneeling in front of her. He was definitely older than Haesom, in fact, she had the distinct impression he was older than her grandmother, but by how much was uncertain. His light, auburn-brown hair had just begun to gray and there were lines around his eyes and mouth. When he took her hand she felt great kindness emanate from him.
“My niece has some broken ribs,” Anton boomed, his brusque voice sounding with a calm that belied his still stunned expression.
“Then I will need some privacy,” Orin advised, and the others quickly filed out of the office.
“So you were in the tiern for a visit?” Jessica ventured.
“Yes, I was not going to come to the middle dine today, but I felt prompted to. I came in about an hour ago to visit a friend. I had just left his home when the High Older found me.”
“Lucky for me you were around. I thought poor Uncle Anton was going to have a heart attack right on the spot where I fell.”
“It is a privilege to meet you, Lady Jessica. I understand you have come from a great distance, both you and your father, to aid my people.”
“Yes, it was a long trip.” She felt comfortable around this kind stranger. “Now we’re traveling throughout the entire country, well, almost the entire country. It’s beautiful here, very diverse.”
“Beautiful…yes, I agree, but do not let the beauty of the land lull you into thinking there are no dangers.”
Jessica was surprised. “Daenon can reach this far into the country?”
“No,” he shook his head. “Not Daenon. It is difficult to put my suspicions into words. Have you heard of the Winds of Malana?”
“No.” Her interest was piqued.
“Malana and Bree were sisters,” Orin began. He poured a yellow liquid from a small vial onto her palms and wiped them. “Their story is as old as Koradine itself, for it was their father, Korad, who founded Koradine and brought all of the nomadic tribes of Esparia to peace. He became the first Protector. Bree was the younger of the two sisters and she loved the land and all that was part of it. Our first records of white persite come from her writings.” Orin pulled a fine needle from his bag and threaded it. “She learned to harness the power of persite and used it to bless all living things. She traveled this entire planet, crossing the oceans and visiting the isles of the sea. Everywhere she went plant life thrived. She lived to an ancient age. The persite extended her lifespan to many times that of normal people. Malana was the oldest child in the family.” He stitched the shredded flesh of her right palm as he spoke. “She wanted to rule and was furious when her father chose one of her younger brothers to succeed him. Knowing that persite held great power, she went searching for a crystal of her own. With it she hoped to force a coup and reign in her brother’s place. She found what she was looking for, but was unable to unlock its power. When Bree refused to help her, Malana fled to the western jungle. At that time Demar was not a desert, but a lush, tropical garden covering a third of our country. Malana spent many years trying to control the persite’s power. Eventually, she succeeded; however before she could attack her brother, Bree intervened. The sisters battled day and night for weeks. In a desperate effort to increase her power, Malana pulled the life forces from the jungle plants surrounding her, turning her white persite to green. Bree was able to tap into the strength of Edia, anchoring herself to the planet. In that final, terrible battle, Malana consumed the Demarian gardens, rendering the land barren and desolate of all life for millennia. The effort of battle, using the persite as weapons, threatened the existence of both women. Malana absorbed so much of the green persite’s energy that her body could not contain it. Her flesh transformed into the green crystal and exploded into thousands of pieces. A tremendous, violent wind was generated by the blast and the crystals were carried to all parts of this land. In the process, much of the country was devastated.”
The Protector of Esparia (The Annals of Esparia Book 1) Page 25