by Scott Wale
“This is our guesthouse”, Emur announced.
“I won’t lie, I prefer the proximity to the ground”, Fenrit replied.
“That is precisely why it is one of the lower quarters”, Emur explained. “We don’t receive many guests, but of the guests we do host, we rarely find they have an Ipta’s affinity to heights.”
“What are the structures on the ground?” Alejade asked.
“Those are primarily cold storage for food and the rest are nurseries”, Emur answered. “We’ve found our young have a better survival rate if they learn to climb from the ground up. I must return to my post at the gate. Someone will be with you shortly and act as your liaison while you’re guests in Aman. You may ask for me before you depart and I can return your weapons.”
“Thank you for your kindness and permitting us to stay”, Alejade said.
Emur and two of the four guards made their way down the spiral stairs leaving the party outside the door to the small structure. The other two guards remained with Alejade, Cerevus and Fenrit. Cerevus wasted no time entering the door eager to see what the inside contained. The structure was a single room with a simple layout. Four beds were pushed back against the wall and were equally spaced from each other. A rug covered the center of the floor and provided all the decoration the room had to offer. No other furniture was present almost as if inviting the guests to throw their remaining gear onto the floor.
“At least the beds look comfortable”, Fenrit remarked entering alongside Alejade behind Cerevus.
“Anything is comfortable after spending several nights on the ground”, Cerevus countered.
“They may be guest quarters, but I imagine we’ll only be spending time here to sleep”, Alejade reasoned.
“This seems more like a holding cell”, Fenrit commented. “I can only guess they are monitoring us and once our liaison arrives it’ll be an endless barrage of questions.”
“That may be true, but we have nothing to hide and much to learn”, Alejade responded.
The door to the guest quarters sprung open as a moderate sized Ipta female barged into the room. She had long, thick hair all over her body and wore only a turquoise boa that contrasted well against her light golden hair. She appeared frantic, yet determined.
“I’ve done you a favor”, she exclaimed while shutting the door for privacy from the two guards who remained stationed outside.
“Hello”, Alejade replied caught off guard by her intrusion.
“My name is Baon and you will listen to me carefully, if you wish for your time in Aman to be of any value”, Baon stated firmly.
“You have our attention, Baon”, Alejade responded.
“Do you know of Jalpa?” Baon asked.
“If I’m not mistaken, he is the head of this city”, Alejade answered.
“Then you must know he is the one you ultimately wish to speak with”, Baon explained. “What you don’t know is that he demanded your presence the instant you arrived at the gate. That would have been disastrous for both parties, so I’ve done you a favor. I’ve bought you some time.”
“How much time and how will time help?” Alejade inquired skeptical that any delay in meeting Jalpa could be beneficial.
“Within a short while some of Jalpa’s personal guards will appear at the door and they’ve been directed to escort you to Jalpa’s rotunda”, Baon explained. “I’ve delayed that pickup allowing me to increase the chances of you making a more successful plea.”
“Why do you want to help us?” Fenrit interrupted doubtful that Baon had inserted herself into the situation with good intentions.
“Please, time is short, so let me explain”, Baon began. “We saw your people as they came and set up camp at the edge of the woods. We’re aware of your predicament and the threat of the cymutts. We know that at a minimum Grimtav is the coordinator of the cymutts and collecting a tribute isn’t his only motivation. Your people are in a time of need, but there are Ipta who believe we are the next victims of the cymutt attacks. I am one of those Ipta and I believe it won’t do either of us any good to just let you be eradicated from the face of Faunar. You can be a great ally against the cymutt force. Jalpa appears indifferent about the fate of your people. He recognizes the threat of Grimtav and the cymutts, but sometimes his words lead us to believe he is either overconfident in the strength of the Ipta or he believes that Grimtav will never bring the cymutts into the Echo Woods. If he truly believes either of those scenarios, then he is unlikely to permit any partnership with your people.” Baon paused a moment letting her words sink in. “I want to help you approach him the right way and create an alliance between our people”, she finished.
“I plan to plea for the Ipta’s strength in protecting my people”, Alejade said explaining her overall strategy. “We are weakened and only wish to regain our stability.”
“That is a good start, but you must know Jalpa’s approach”, Baon counseled. “He will test you with aggressive assertions and confrontational accusations whether he believes they are true or not. If you shut down, he will lose respect for you and any negotiations will cease. If you maintain your resolve, you will eventually gain his favor”, Baon shared.
The description of Jalpa’s demeanor shocked Alejade. The group of elders had painted a picture of Jalpa being shrewd, yet reasonable. She had planned on overcoming Jalpa’s xenophobia as being the only hurdle.
“Do I respond with my own aggression?” Alejade asked concerned that she would have to tap into a part of her that she had never unleashed, if it even existed.
“If that is what comes natural to you, then yes”, Baon answered. “Jalpa is looking for an argument and the key is for you to be persuasive. Tossing slurs back at him certainly won’t help, but if he sees your passion whether in the form of aggression or calm reasoning then you stand a better chance of him granting your request.”
“Should I bring Grimtav and the cymutts into the discussion?” Alejade wondered aloud.
“Avoid them the best you can”, Baon advised. “As I said, the Ipta already know about the cymutt attack on your people. Grimtav is a sore subject for the Ipta, so it’s best to keep your focus on what kind of relationship can be forged between our two people.”
“Why has Grimtav never attacked the Ipta before?” Fenrit asked trying to uncover more of the story behind Baon’s cryptic response.
“We believe it is simply because the Jade Plains and its inhabitants have always acted as a buffer from wherever he is hiding and the Echo Woods”, Baon answered.
“You mentioned Grimtav had other motives aside from collecting a tribute?” Alejade recalled.
“Do not disclose what I’m about to tell you in your dealing with Jalpa”, Baon instructed. “Before my time and the time of the cymutts a tribal leader named Venik approached Jalpa. Jalpa was a very young leader at the time, but showed more wisdom than aggression in those days. Venik demanded a tribute under the threat of the tribal bands he controlled. Jalpa refused to make a payment reasoning that Venik would only continue to return to Aman until Jalpa had nothing left to give inevitably leading to bloodshed. Venik realized that the strength of the Ipta at the time would lead to considerable attrition, so given that extortion was ineffective against Jalpa the two agreed to a different deal. Jalpa offered Venik one of the Ipta’s greatest warriors in exchange for Venik to never return to Aman. That young man who was traded into servitude was Grimtav.”
“So Grimtav doesn’t exactly have warm fuzzies for Jalpa or probably the Ipta in general?” Cerevus finally chimed in seeing the opportunity to insert his brand of humor.
“And while we refused to pay tribute to Grimtav, we were also standing between Grimtav and his retribution with the Ipta”, Fenrit added.
“That is what we believe and we hope Jalpa sees it as well”, Baon finished.
“What if Jalpa refuses to listen?” Fenrit asked. “Will the Ipta follow his lead?”
A knock at the door interrupted Fenrit’s question. A single g
uard made his way through the door before the knock could even be acknowledged. The guard positioned himself just inside the doorway and took a moment to visually scan all four individuals in the room. The entire room waited in anticipation for the guard to speak, but he did not seem eager to carry forward with his orders. After looking over the three guests and Baon, the guard returned his attention to Alejade.
“Chafel, Jalpa wishes to speak with you. Come with me”, the guard finally commanded.
Alejade walked over to the doorway and stood under the door sill. Fenrit and Cerevus began to follow in tow, but were immediately cutoff by the guard who had repositioned himself between Alejade and the two Loupiqs.
“This meeting is by invitation only”, the guard stated.
Alejade shot a reassuring look to Fenrit and Cerevus. This mission had specifically been given to her and now it was time to perform at a critical juncture. The guard nudged Alejade out the door and then reached back for the door.
“The Ipta will always remain loyal to their leader”, Baon said as the door closed.
The guard sidestepped Alejade and began climbing the spiral stairs up to the larger structure above. The pair entered the larger structure by way of the staircase that came in through the floor. The interior design gave Alejade the impression that this larger structure was simply a common area. Given how many access points there were to other structures it made no sense for it to be a residence as she had previously thought. They continued along a chain of bridges and interconnected limbs that created walkways making their way through many other structures that also gave no indication that they were residences. Beams of bright light that had pierced the canopy blinded Alejade as the pair traveled closer to the top of the city. The level of ambient light was no different than one would experience while traveling the Jade Plains, but Alejade’s eyes had grown accustomed to dim light over her short period of time in the Echo Woods. Finally, they traversed a bridge that was the only access point to a large rotunda.
There was no doubt this was Jalpa’s rotunda. The structure’s platform and walls were comprised of a dark finished wood. The roof was not a simple thatching like the other structures, but rather a layered canopy made of thin sheets of a composite material that Alejade guessed was leafy plant matter and dried mud. The door had an intricate carving around the trim. The sides beared a resemblance to the trunks of the anchor trees with the deep diagonal grooves clearly represented. The lintel was made of two lengthy Ipta arms that were joined at the hand. Given the angle and the grip of the hands it almost appeared that the two appendages were engaged in an arm wrestling contest.
The guard opened the door for Alejade and gestured for her to enter. Once she stepped through the threshold the guard gently closed the door. The interior only contained seating arranged in a circle with another decorative rug in the middle. Light only entered through a few windows making the room very dim. Alejade took a moment to let her eyes adjust back closer to the level of darkness she had gotten used to from traveling along the forest floor. She could hardly make out a silhouette that she presumed was another piece of furniture until it moved. Jalpa had been waiting and observing her from the shadows. He emerged from a shroud of dark standing up straight which created an intimidating sight. He wasn’t able to hold the posture long and eventually slumped over making him no taller than the average Ipta. His tawny colored hair was beginning to gray at the tips showing his age. He wore a navy blue mantle that hid the true length of his arms, perhaps saving them for a later round of intimidation.
“The Chafel and Loupiq are facing extinction and they send a female as their last hope?” Jalpa started invidiously.
Alejade suppressed a grimace from her face despite being caught off guard by Jalpa’s initial statement. Baon had warned them that Jalpa would potentially be crude, but she had no idea at what level.
“My name is Alejade and I apologize if you’d rather deal with a male, but my people have faith that I can confer with you on their behalf”, Alejade responded.
“I think you have very little, if anything at all, to offer me, Chafel”, Jalpa continued his boorish charade. “If I let the current situation run its course, I won’t have to deal with you at all. We all have our time and place on Faunar, but your time is nearly up. You were too weak to withstand what this planet had to throw at you.”
“Perhaps that is true, but maybe our vulnerability can be used to your benefit”, Alejade argued.
“I don’t need the burden of taking care of a useless people. If you had any value to the world, then I’d have noticed by now”, Jalpa reasoned.
Alejade began to realize that appealing to the Ipta’s strength would be a useless tactic. Jalpa was openly displaying pride and nerve. She wasn’t sure whether this was a ruse or an honest self-assessment, but it was clear that groveling before him and dispensing praises would get her nowhere. She needed to appeal to his logic, but Jalpa had a point even if it was rudely made. What could she offer him that would be of any value?
“Some of our premaliers still remain”, Alejade began. “They are honest, loyal soldiers who could pass on a great deal of insight about gathering knowledge about the world that exists outside the Echo Woods. Knowing more about what threatens you is one of the greatest advantages you can have.”
“Anything that enters the woods is already at a disadvantage against the Ipta”, Jalpa said with pride. “A few pathetic soldiers will hardly make a difference against any formidable opponent. Besides, we already have a finger on the pulse of the outside world. We were fully aware when your people took refuge at the edge of our woods and you didn’t even know we were watching over you. As I said, you have nothing to offer us and it’d be best if you stopped wasting my time.”
Alejade was puzzled. According to Baon Jalpa had requested her presence and it couldn’t have been simply for the opportunity to boast. Jalpa must have had an arrangement in mind that would allow some level of protection for her people and offer him something of benefit. They were entwined in a game now. He would never outright propose what he was thinking which meant the only move left to her was to keep guessing. How many guesses did she get before he got tired and shut down negotiations? Maybe she could elicit a hint from him.
“You make some excellent points”, Alejade conceded. “Our numbers are small and those that constitute as combatants are a small portion of what remains. We have nothing to offer in the way of technical knowledge or tactical skills. We’ve even been outmatched against a single Ipta.”
“What did you say?” Jalpa demanded.
“Grimtav is one of you, isn’t he?” Alejade asked even though she knew the answer to her own question.
“Grimtav is no longer part of our society”, Jalpa replied in rising anger. “He may be Ipta by appearance, but not by mind. He might have had some luck raiding the Jade Plains, but he’ll receive his first true challenge, if he decides to enter these woods.”
There wasn’t a lot of fear in Jalpa’s voice, but his selection of words indicated to Alejade that his confidence had slipped. Baon had recommended against discussing Grimtav with Jalpa, but Alejade felt she had little choice and it appeared to be shifting the conversation in Alejade’s favor. Baon had been unsure on Jalpa’s true opinion of the Ipta’s strength up against Grimtav’s forces. If Jalpa thought the two forces were nearly equal, then all he needed was a slight advantage to give him the upper hand. Alejade had already unsuccessfully offered what was essentially an alliance between her people and the Ipta. Begging for protection didn’t seem to be the answer either. Certainly Jalpa couldn’t be driving at an arrangement that was essentially slavery for the Loupiq and Chafel. There must be an alternative that existed between subjugation and equality.
“Grimtav appears to be after more than tributes”, Alejade reasoned. “Greed doesn’t end with wealth when it knows power has yet to be attained. He annihilated our village as if we were simply in his way. He has a greater plan and the resolve to carry forth.”
> Alejade hoped her last comment had elicited some level of fear. She wanted to extract precisely what Jalpa was holding back.
“Your people may have been defeated with ease, but we’ll deal with the threat, if the time comes”, Jalpa responded.
Jalpa appeared to be opening up to the idea that Grimtav’s bloodlust wouldn’t be satisfied until he confronted his former people. He had possibly already given it a lot of thought, but if Alejade could convince him that the confrontation was inevitable then maybe an arrangement could be made that was more in her favor.
“What if we were to protect you?” Alejade asked expecting an outburst of laughter as a reply.
“Stop with the frivolity”, Jalpa said in a condescending tone. “You can’t even manage yourself. Do you plan to play dead and hope the opposition retreats to go looking for a fight elsewhere? I suppose playing dead wouldn’t take much effort given your current status.”
A grin slowly formed on Jalpa’s face. He had delivered a heavy insult and now he waited in amusement for Alejade to respond.
“The great trees within Aman and the wall surrounding the city are beautiful, but they won’t hold up against a ravaging army of cymutts”, Alejade argued. “I personally witnessed as these fiends made quick work of my former village’s wooden defenses. You don’t have the infrastructure necessary to slow down these machines long enough for you to whittle away at their giant hoard. You need a buffer. My people can settle right outside your city walls and be that buffer.”
“It sounds like you want to sacrifice yourself”, Jalpa knowingly summarized inaccurately.
“Not exactly”, Alejade corrected the Ipta leader. “We would be fighting a common enemy together, but we would be the first line of defense. This buys you time and gives us the safety of greater numbers.”
“If you suspect that Grimtav’s next move is to encroach on the Echo Woods, then why would you want to put yourself between him and us?” Jalpa asked.