“What was that?” asked Gerard.
Jakoo appeared from the crowd to help. “Yandir says the bones are well placed, but your friend must rest for one moon. No walking. Yandir will make a potion to reduce the pain.”
“Tell him I say thank you,” said Oludara.
Jakoo spoke to Yandir who nodded. Yandir then said something and Jakoo and the other chiefs followed him.
“Well,” said Gerard, “he’s just the regular doctor now, isn’t he? One moment a mystic, next moment a medic.”
“He is what he needs to be,” said Oludara, “depending on the need. Mine is but an injury, but Arany’s soul was fleeing.”
“Are you trying to tell me he brought her soul back to her body?”
“And why not? Just because you believe your European culture is more enlightened, don’t scorn hundreds of generations of their wisdom. Is not the reason Antonio kept you from his band his intolerance for your religion? Perhaps you should show more tolerance for Yandir.”
Gerard turned red. “Well, that’s different...”
“Keep an open mind, Gerard, and you will learn much in Brazil. As my people say, ‘An obstinate man soon falls to disgrace’.”
“We’ll see,” said Gerard. “That is, if they actually allow us to stay here.”
Yandir and Jakoo returned.
“There are two survivors,” Gerard said to Jakoo, “under a great rock by the Kalobo’s cavern. You’ll need at least six men to move it.”
“I will send some warriors,” said Jakoo. “But first, the pajé wants me to tell you a story.”
Yandir spoke, pausing after every line for Jakoo to translate.
“Long ago, Maire-Monan, the creator, spoke to your father, in Europe, and to our father, here. He offered a choice of weapons. Our father chose the bow and arrow, because they are light and good for hunting. Your father chose the sword and gun, which are good for war. And that is why, these many moons later, we are no match for the Pero in war.
“Yandir says that is why we will teach you. If we fight the Pero, we cannot survive. But if we share our knowledge with you, perhaps we can understand one another, and share our way of life.”
“Tell him we are honored,” said Oludara. He gingerly turned over and prostrated himself.
Gerard took a knee beside him. “Do these gestures mean anything to them?” he asked.
“Who knows?” replied Oludara.
Yandir walked away laughing. The other natives dispersed.
“No need for that,” said Jakoo. “You have defeated a mighty enemy, and you are Tupinambá now. Even Cabwassu accepts you. He says that you, Gerard, are a fire-haired devil. He hides in his cabin even now.” Jakoo grinned. “From now on, you will be part of my longhouse,” he pointed toward the same structure to which the men had carried Arany, “and I will be your chief.”
“Can we be placed near Arany?” asked Oludara. “She could aid us in learning Tupi.”
Gerard gave him a sideways look and grimaced.
Jakoo paused before speaking. “I suppose it is well,” he said. “Of all of us, she speaks the Pero language best.”
“And if you don’t mind,” said Gerard, “a bit of that porridge would be nice.”
#
Within the massive cabin, lined with families from end to end, Oludara and Gerard lay in their respective hammocks, a comforting fire between them. Ten feet away, in her own hammock, Arany awoke from her long sleep. After stretching, she looked toward them and smiled.
“It appears I did not die,” she said, “thanks to your courage.”
“It is I who should thank you,” said Oludara, “for your selfless act of sacrifice.”
“You could have left me and fled,” she replied. “How did you know they would let you back to the village, after Cabwassu attacked?”
“It did not matter. We could not heal you ourselves, and we would never abandon a companion, no matter what the danger. But if you feel as if you owe us something, we would not mind some lessons in Tupi while we lie here recovering.”
“Of course, Oludara,” she said, “whenever you like.”
“But first,” he said, “I would very much like to hear the story of why you cannot marry.” He smiled broadly.
Gerard sighed and pulled his hat over his eyes to sleep.
#
A three-banded armadillo ambled along on her nighttime search for dinner. She caught a whiff of her second favorite food—carrion—and ran to investigate. She left the woods and discovered a massive, hairy creature dead by the river. She took a tentative nibble at its arm, but for some reason, her teeth couldn’t pierce the beast’s rotting skin.
She was about to desist when she spotted a pink opening in its belly. Happily, she scampered towards her next meal.
END
Gentle Reader,
Thank you for taking the time to read “A Parlous Battle”, the second novelette in The Elephant and Macaw Banner series, where Gerard and Oludara begin their adventures together.
Please consider leaving a review of this book on Amazon, even if it’s just one or two lines. Each review increases the chance that other readers will discover this self-published title.
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Regards,
Christopher
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Acknowledgements:
Continuing my thanks from the first book, I need to move south to Brazil.
Just as Douglas Cohen championed my story in the United States, Roberto de Sousa Causo was my editorial champion in Brazil. After a brief conversation at the 2010 Fantasticon in Sao Paulo, a few months after Realms of Fantasy published the first story, I gave Causo a copy of the magazine (the single copy I had taken to the convention, no less). The next day, to my great surprise, Causo called me to ask if he could publish the story in an upcoming collection. That “fortuitous meeting” generated a wave of media that has continued ever since, with publications of three stories in the “Wings of Wind” collection, one graphic novel, and an upcoming board game and tabletop RPG (all published by Devir Livraria).
None of those publications would have been possible without Douglas Quinta Reis, who believed in this project since the start and backed everything Causo and I have proposed to him. My debt to both Causo and Douglas is enormous.
I’d like to thank the journalists at the hundreds of newspapers, websites, blogs, podcasts, radio and TV stations who have published reports and reviews on the series. I can’t thank them all, but I would like to mention some of those involved: Lu Thomé, Rafael “Algures” Rodrigues, Guilherme Wünder, Luis Ehlers, Marcelo Rafael, Antonio Luiz M. C. Costa, Lúcia Green, Romeu Martins, Rober Pinheiro, Juliano Alves, Carlos André Moreira, Dilan Camargo, Tânia Souza, João Amaral, Claudia Barthel, Taize Odelli, Vagner Abreu, Gilson Luis da Cunha, Ricardo Herdy, Isaac Zedecc, Douglas Eraldo, Ceres Marcon, Roger Lerina, Leon Nunes, Guilhermee Smee, Herick Henrique, Cida Candido, Antonio Navarro, Maria Luzia, and Valdirene Kerschner,
I’ve been honored with invites to speak at many schools and conventions, and I’d like to thank some of those who made those visits possible: Patrícia Langlois, Moisés Baptista, Émerson Vasconcelos, Laura Santana Lunardi, Lucas Tonial Scortegagna, Vânia Rita Grazziotin, Dirlene Marimon, Ananda Ferreira, Cristina Lopes, Bruno Gallas, Rafa Jaques, Miguel Rettenmaier, and Tânia Rösing. An extra-special thanks to De Lage Landen Bank, whose sponsorship of the graphic novel made that project possible.
Many artists have illustrated this series in vibrant color, like “Super” Paulo Ítalo, Jonathan “Jay” Beard, Leonardo Amora and Federico Piatti. An extra thanks to my amazingly talented collea
gues on the graphic novel and board game: Carolina Mylius and Ursula “SulaMoon” Dorada—they have given this series a life far beyond my words.
That’s a lot of thanks for one short book, so the rest will have to wait.
It takes one person to create a book, but thousands to create the writer. Thank you all.
About the author: Longing for the old days of discovery but lacking new places to find, Christopher Kastensmidt decided to explore the frontiers of the global economy by moving from a high-paying job at Intel California to a penniless start-up in southern Brazil. Ten years and many adventures later, he sold the company to entertainment giant Ubisoft, where he served as Creative Director. He later left the company to pursue a career as a writer.
During his career, Christopher has produced games that sold millions of copies and written stories published in over a dozen countries. He has been a finalist for many awards, including the Nebula Award and the Argos Award, Brazil’s highest prize for speculative fiction. His stories and graphic novels from The Elephant and Macaw Banner series have been adopted in hundreds of classrooms around Brazil.
Christopher currently teaches scriptwriting and game design at UniRitter University in Porto Alegre. He is one of the organizers of the Fantastic Literature Odyssey, Brazil’s largest speculative fiction convention.
A Parlous Battle Page 4