“I don’t know why you insisted on carrying that yourself,” Bakhai said to Mistake. “It cannot be good for your back with that much weight on it.”
“Yes, but it kept a smile on her face,” laughed Rejji. “Let’s go meet our new neighbors. I will mix with the old men at the well. Mistake can find some of the women and help them with their chores. Bakhai, you mix with the younger men. Check out any animals they might have and see if any of the men have building skills. Be friendly, but not pushy.”
His friends nodded and went their separate ways as they entered the village. The villagers paused in whatever they were doing to observe the newcomers. Rejji waved politely as he headed for where he thought the well would be. He reached the village center and found that there was no well. What he found instead, was a group of old men sitting on crude benches outside one of the huts and a group of children sitting in the dirt in front of them. Rejji walked over to the group and sat in the dirt alongside the children.
“Welcome, stranger,” one of the old men said. “Have you come to hear stories?”
“I enjoy stories very much,” smiled Rejji. “My grandfather used to tell many of them in my village.”
“And where is your village?” another old man asked.
“It used to be far on the other side of the Giaming Mountains,” Rejji answered. “It no longer exists. The Jiadin wiped it out and burned it.”
“You are a long way from home then,” stated the first old man. “My name is Plesy. What is yours?”
“I am called Rejji,” he smiled. “It is an honor to meet you Plesy.”
“I am Copi,” interjected the second old man. “Perhaps you would care to share stories of your travels if they may bring joy to the children.”
“Well met, Copi,” nodded Rejji. “I would consider it an honor to share my travels with the young ones in the future.”
“Are you intending to stay here then?” asked Plesy.
“I would like that very much if it meets with the approval of the village,” declared Rejji. “I travel with two friends and we seek a place far from turmoil where we may work and add value to the community.”
“Noble sentiments,” frowned Copi, “but others have said the same and sought only comfort and luxuries that do not exist here.”
“As a person from a village much smaller than this one,” smiled Rejji as he untied his gold pouch and tossed it to Copi, “I understand your hesitation and concern, Copi. I think that will prove that we have not come seeking anything for nothing. We are well endowed and plan to share our bounty with the village.”
The old men murmured as they leaned to see what was in the pouch that Copi had opened. Rejji noted that most of the old men frowned at the sight of so much gold, but a few smiled. Copi tied the pouch closed and tossed it back to Rejji.
“That is a great deal of gold for someone so young,” stated Copi. “Where have you come into it?”
“Our travels have taken us as far as Khadora,” answered Rejji. “Our time spent there was very enriching. I assure you that it is not ill gotten gains. My purpose in coming to Ghala is to build a dock and a warehouse to import food and tools. I have made arrangements with a clan in Khadora to send these supplies by ship.”
“Why would Khadorans trade with us?” asked Plesy. “We have nothing to offer them. Your gold will not last forever.”
“I think there are things that we can offer in exchange,” explained Rejji. “In Khadoratung there is a market larger than this village. They hunger for items from faraway places and are willing to pay a fair amount of gold for these things. Khadora is also a country overflowing with food and the price for it is very low.”
“What kind of things do these Khadorans want?” questioned Plesy. “We have precious little that anyone might want to buy.”
“Garments and hand carved items are two things I am sure of,” replied Rejji. “I plan to travel to other areas around here and find items that might be of interest to the Khadorans. Ghala will be the place where we store the items for sale and the food and tools that we bring in.”
“Food would certainly be a blessing,” nodded Plesy. “Other than fish and a few chickens, there is not much of a supply here.”
“Has anyone tried planting grain in the fields along the river?” queried Rejji.
“Many have tried,” frowned Copi, “but the plants wither and die.”
“I think the seed stock may be old and feeble,” suggested Rejji. “With seeds from Khadora, those fields may blossom. It is certainly much better land than that of my village.”
“You come here seeking to change our way of life,” scowled Copi. “We are fine the way we are. We do not need the ruts of wagons in our streets and the constant flow of strangers coming and going. We are perfectly happy as we are.”
“Then I shall bother you no further,” nodded Rejji as he rose. “I do not seek to harm your way of life, but rather to enrich the lives of your families and others.”
“Copi, you senile old man, what are you talking about?” scowled Plesy. “Fine the way we are? You are crazy. Each season the catch of fish is smaller and farther out to sea. The chickens get fewer each year and are so scrawny that it is hard to tell that they are chickens. This young man is talking about trying to help. He may not succeed, but why are you in such a hurry to chase him away? Are you afraid if new people come to town that nobody will listen to you anymore? Bah. You haven’t said anything worth listening to in years. You sit back down, Rejji. I want to hear more about what you plan to do.”
Rejji smiled at Plesy and sat down. “I want to build a dock and a warehouse,” explained Rejji. “I am willing to pay well for anyone who wants to help me.”
“Your gold does not do much for us,” scowled Copi. “We are lucky to see a merchant once a year.”
“I am willing to pay in things other than gold,” offered Rejji. “For each man who helps me build the dock and warehouse, I will give a years supply of watula, a wasooki, and two clova.”
“How many men do you need?” questioned Plesy.
“As many as want to work,” stated Rejji. “I need builders, lumbermen, and haulers.”
“What of families that have no able bodied men?” asked Copi with a renewed interest.
“There are other chores that can be done by those families,” smiled Rejji. “Planning meals for the workers or driving carts. Every family that wants to join in this effort will be welcomed and taken care of. There is no need for any family in this village to suffer. I will even give some food to those who do not wish to join in.”
“What could an old man like me do?” inquired Copi. “My family is all gone.”
“I am sure that you have a wealth of information inside you,” smiled Rejji. “I will also need advice about the local waters, where to build the dock and things like that. I also need a person who can organize the work crews. Somebody who knows the workers by name and skill. I am sure you have much to offer to this project.”
Plesy grinned as Copi said, “Well, maybe there are benefits to trying something new. I still think it is doomed to failure, but it will give us stories to tell the children.”
“There is a hut near the water,” declared Plesy. “It was my brother’s and it is empty now. You and your friends may stay there if you wish.”
Rejji saw the pain in Plesy’s eyes as the old man remembered memories he would rather have forgotten. Rejji rose and approached the old man. He handed his gold pouch to Plesy.
“Take a fair price for the hut,” offered Rejji. “I am most grateful for it.”
The old man tried handing back the pouch to Rejji unopened and Rejji ignored him as walked several paces away.
“In the village I come from,” Rejji said to the assembled old men, “the village would meet to discuss such a decision. I will gather my friends so that you may discuss this in privacy. If you wish me to speak to the rest of the village, you have only to ask, otherwise I shall leave you alone.”
The old
men murmured amongst themselves and Rejji was pleased to see smiles and nods. He strode away and found Bakhai talking to a fisherman who was repairing a boat. Rejji’s thoughts flashed back to the project he had been so excited about when the Jiadin had wiped out his village. It all seemed so long ago to him, like a far distant memory.
“Rejji,” called Bakhai. “This is Riktor. I was talking to him about the docks and he thinks it is a great idea.”
“I do indeed,” greeted Riktor. “It is not wise to keep our boats in the river we drink from. Hauling them out stirs up the bottom of the river too much, but the surf along the sea is bruising on the boats. A dock would keep them out beyond the surf.”
“Well I have spoken to the old men of the village,” informed Rejji. “I think they will be discussing the idea with everyone soon.”
“Ah, so you have met Plesy then?” asked Riktor.
“Yes, I have,” smiled Rejji. “He reminds me of my grandfather some. Very nice man.”
“He is my father,” beamed Riktor. “If he likes your idea then the village will like it. Ah, here he comes now.”
Rejji turned as Plesy approached. Plesy handed the gold pouch to Rejji as Riktor watched with interest.
“Did you take a fair value?” asked Rejji as he accepted the pouch back.
“No,” chuckled Plesy. “I overcharged you, but it is the only empty hut in the village.”
“Then you have taken a fair value,” laughed Rejji. “I have just met your son, Riktor.”
“He is a good son,” beamed Plesy. “I suspect your father felt that way for you too. That was an admirable thing you did for Copi, and clever too. An old man can easily become a grouch when he feels useless in his old age. You have given him a new spring to his walk today.”
“I truly believe that this will benefit everyone,” responded Rejji. “It will greatly please me if it does.”
“Well, I have come to collect my son for the village meeting,” nodded Plesy. “Take your friends to see your new hut. It may need some cleaning up. It has been empty for three years now.”
“Thank you,” responded Rejji.
As a stream of villagers was converging on the center of the village, Mistake saw the two brothers standing by the boat and hurried over. They shared stories for a few moments so that each was aware of how the villagers would react and then Rejji led them to their new hut. The door creaked when they opened it and cobwebs were everywhere. The hut was small, but it would accommodate the three of them well enough.
“This will clean up quickly,” observed Mistake. “Should we get started?”
“I want to look at the water first,” Rejji said. “I want to get an idea of how long the dock will take to build before you contact Lord Marak, and this time when the villagers are busy is a good time to do it.”
Rejji led the group down to the water’s edge. He gazed out at the sea for some moments in silence and then walked to where the river flowed into the sea. Again he stood silent for some time.
“Something is bothering you,” Mistake said softly. “What is it?”
Rejji sighed and turned to look at Mistake. “I wonder if we are attempting more than we can finish,” Rejji finally said. “We are going to change the life of these people by our actions. The changes may be good or they may be bad, but they will be changed by what we are about to do. This village will either become a large city or it will be burned to the ground by the Jiadin.”
“Or both,” interjected Bakhai. “Surely if the Jiadin find out about it, they will attack it and destroy it. It will be too tempting a target.”
“Even more so if they know I am here,” frowned Rejji.
“But you are trying to make the villagers’ lives better,” protested Mistake. “How can that be a bad thing?”
“Our desires for these people are not bad,” continued Rejji, “but putting them in danger of attack is. There is no tribe that bothers these people now, yet we almost certainly will attract some. Our trying to help may get these people killed.”
“Rejji,” sighed Mistake, “the Jiadin will come here no matter what. They plan to rule the whole of Fakara. Sooner or later, this village will fall to them. If we turn and run because we fear what the Jiadin might do, then we have empowered the Jiadin to rule. Measure that against your desire to gather the tribes and make a stand.”
“We can train these villager to survive,” interrupted Bakhai. “Have some of the workers make boats. If the village is attacked, all of the villagers that are not trained to defend can get in the boats and ride into the sea. They only have to go out far enough to take them out of bow range. If the defenders cannot hold back the invaders, then they can also board boats. The worst the Jiadin can do is burn an empty village. We can always rebuild it.”
“That makes good sense, little brother,” brightened Rejji. “That will slow down the amount of people building the dock and warehouse though.”
“So what?” quizzed Mistake. “We do not have to hurry.”
“We do,” insisted Rejji. “The villagers are voting now to take a chance on our plan. We are asking them to give us their labors now in return for food later. In the meantime, they are not fishing for food. There is also the potential that their attitude will change if we run into problems or it takes too long. We need to get Lord Marak to send a small shipment before the dock is complete.”
“I am sure he would be willing to do that,” replied Mistake. “We have gold to pay him.”
“Plenty of gold,” chuckled Bakhai. “How will we offload the cargo without the dock though?”
“That is why I wanted to look at the river,” answered Rejji. “I think we should build a smaller dock here first. It will be easier to build than one that extends into the sea.”
“What about people like Riktor who think the boats foul the river?” asked Bakhai. “Won’t this plan make them upset?”
“No,” Rejji shook his head. “Lord Marak’s boats will never be pulled out of the water, so they will not stir the bottom of the river. It will be fine.”
“If they accept your plan,” said Mistake.
“They will accept it,” smiled Rejji. “It will be our job to make sure they stay happy after accepting it. Contact Lord Marak tonight. Bring him up to date on our travels and ask him to send a ship with food and tools for building as soon as possible.”
“The meeting has broken up,” Bakhai said.
“Let’s go hear their reply to our proposition,” stated Rejji as he turned and walked towards the center of the village.
“Rejji,” greeted Plesy, “we have a question to ask. There are some in the village who have friends and family who live outside the village. The villagers want me to ask you if those people can also work on the project and get paid with food.”
“We will welcome anyone who wants to help,” nodded Rejji. “The offer will stand for all. They can camp here while the construction is going on, or come to the village each day. Whatever they want is acceptable to me.”
“If news of this offer should spread,” warned Plesy, “you may have more workers than you can use.”
“We can never have too many workers,” smiled Rejji. “I invite the villagers to spread the word near and far to anyone they want to. My offer is good to all and I will honor my offer.”
“Then as spokesman for the village of Ghala,” beamed Plesy, “we accept your offer. When do we start?”
“Tomorrow is soon enough,” Rejji stated. “The first thing we are going to need is lumber. I would like to build a small dock on the river as our first project. It will allow us to get supplies while we build the larger dock and warehouse. If you have runners you wish to send out to family and friends, you should do that as well. Let us go sit down and we can draw up a list of tools that you think we will need.”
Plesy led Rejji to the benches that the old men had been sitting on when they met. Bakhai and Mistake joined them and soon the villagers began to crowd around as well. Enthusiasm was high among the village
rs and suggestions flew back and forth. Within an hour, Rejji had a long list of tools and supplies that villagers thought they would need. Mistake excused herself when the talk turned to far-flung friends and relatives who should be notified of the opportunity.
Women of the village brought food to the center of the village and the whole planning meeting acquired a festive atmosphere. Rejji smiled as he saw the happy faces of the villagers. After the sun had faded away, Mistake returned and pulled Rejji away from the group.
“Lord Marak wants to see the mural,” Mistake said softly. “He is planning on coming here.”
“When?” questioned Rejji.
“He cannot make the first ship,” Mistake explained. “He will try to make the second one. He wants to know if he needs to bring a squad of Torak soldiers with him, or just the two he normally travels with.”
“I hesitate to have the villagers see armed soldiers getting off the ship,” frowned Rejji. “It might spook them.”
“I think it may reassure them that we have friends we can call upon,” Mistake said. “Plus the Jiadin army may still be hanging around.”
Rejji nodded and stared at the ground for a moment before answering, “Have him bring the squad, but advise him of my concerns and tell him that the squad may not be allowed to enter the jungle with him. Also warn him as explicitly as possible about the dangers he will face in Angragar. I do not want him surprised by the hellsouls.”
“Are you really willing to go back there?” asked Mistake
“Yes,” declared Rejji. “Lord Marak has a right to see it and only I can open the gates. You and Bakhai can remain here and keep the building project going.”
“Why not take the squad with you?” quizzed Mistake. “it would be safer and I am sure the Qubari would not deny you the right to bring them along.”
“You are right about the Qubari,” nodded Rejji, “but I feel that the less people exposed to the jungle the better. Dumo will allow me anything, but I will still respect his desire for secrecy. I also do not want a large group that will attract more attention inside the ancient city. I will allow Lord Marak his two guards. That will expose only four us to danger.”
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