The Black Sword Trilogy: The Four Nations

by VanMeter, Jeffery

  “That’s impossible,” He said to himself and put the thought out of his mind.

  Tulles then stepped into the center of the space and in a grand and dramatic gesture.

  “I think we should begin with a prayer.” He said loudly.

  “Very well,” Janna answered him. “If we must. Please proceed.”

  He stretched his arms out and took a deep breath.

  “And for the Lady’s sake, please be brief this time.” She added.

  This was followed by some laughter and Tulles looked slightly embarrassed. He then bowed his head.

  “We come to you, oh Great Lady with thanks in our hearts and joy in our souls for the tremendous bounty provided to us here this evening. Give us this feast tonight and let it help us to come together in fellowship and a better understanding of one another.”

  After he had finished, Janna applauded quietly.

  “Well said, Tulles.” She said. She then turned to Terri and told her, “He usually gets down on his knees and makes a spectacle of himself.”

  “We should also like to thank thee for the presence of the Lord of the Black Sword. May your wise choice of a true and just King of all nations bring this world a lasting peace and prosperity.”

  Janna sighed.

  “He just had to mess it up, didn’t he?” She asked quietly.

  Janna then snapped her fingers.

  “Oi!” She called to the musicians. “What are you waiting for?”

  They then started playing soft and slow music.

  The servants then started cutting smaller pieces of the chickens, sides of beef and roast pigs and placing them on the plates in front of everyone.

  Terri noticed silver knives and spoons on one side of the golden plates; but also noticed strange objects on the other sides. They were silver, just like the spoons and knives, but had three sharp prongs at the end.

  “You act like you’ve never seen a fork before.” The woman beside Terri told her.

  “As a matter of fact, I haven’t.” She answered.

  She saw that all of the people were using the “forks” to hold down the meat on their plates as they were cutting it and then use the “forks” to place the food in their mouths. Curious as to this, she tried to do the same. It took her a few moments to get accustomed to the action, but soon felt she had mastered it.

  For a while, the dinner continued. Some conversations were heard, but mostly the only sounds were from the knives and “forks” scraping across the plates. The servants walked around the tables with large plates and bowls full of vegetables and fruit. If someone wanted something, they simply stabbed it with their “fork” and placed it on their own plate. Whenever a plate was empty, a servant would politely ask if someone wanted more and then cut them some more meat. If someone didn’t want any more, they simply raised their hand.

  The servants did similar with the wine. They followed around behind the tables with large silver vessels full of wine. Whenever a glass became empty, it was immediately filled again. Kenner, after one full glass tried to raise his hand to stop his glass from being refilled, but to no avail. Terri had no wish to stop them.

  The meal went along like this for, what seemed to Terri and Kenner to be about an hour. Janna exchanged some small talk with several people around her and made some saucy remarks about past events and the people involved.

  “How was your weekend on the island of Seetar?” One person asked her.

  “Not all I’d hoped it would be I’m afraid.”

  “Not enough there to satisfy your appetite?” The woman said with a giggle.

  “There was plenty of variety.” Janna answered. “But the courses of the meals were rather disappointing.”

  “Oh, in what way?”

  “The younger meats passed too quickly; while the older, riper fruit I tried didn’t seem to be able to fill me at all.”

  “Is this really necessary, Madam?” Edum asked her in an annoyed voice. “I’m sure our guests would rather not hear of your lurid adventures.”

  “Whatever do you mean, Edum? I was talking about food.” She then gave him a teasing expression. “What were you talking about?”

  As others laughed, he then gave Janna a cold, hard expression and there was something that Kenner seemed to perceive underneath that slightly disturbed him. It wasn’t the typical anger that Kenner knew. It was an icy malice and a hint of something stirring underneath; something he had been waiting for and would happen soon. It was only there for an instant and then quickly vanished. However, it touched Kenner deep inside and he felt a slight danger from it. Kenner thought he could feel the Sword resting against his leg vibrate a little.

  Later, the servants began passing in front of the guests with familiar, to Terri brown boxes in their hands. Most of the gentlemen and ladies selected cigars from the boxes and began to smoke. When the servants offered them to Terri and Kenner, they both happily selected one as well. Janna, however politely refused.

  “I love these.” Terri said to Janna.

  “Ah yes,” Janna said happily, “One of our finest delicacies. If the King of Masallah ever found out where we got these from, he’d start a war.”

  “Madam!” Edum spoke up.

  “Oh relax, Edum. I’m not going to share any state secrets.”

  She then leaned toward Kenner and whispered in his ear.

  “Let’s just say the world is larger than what you think it is.”

  “Alright!” Janna then announced. “Time for that question and answer session Kenner promised us! Who wants to be first?”

  After a moment of uncomfortable silence, a man at the far end of the table to Kenner’s right stood up nervously.

  “Lord Kenner,” He asked anxiously. “Are you here to take over the rule of Sheyron from our honorable Admiral?”

  The hall went silent and everyone at the tables looked surprised and slightly afraid. The music also stopped.

  “You don’t waste any time, do you Reese?” Janna said breaking the tension.

  Then everyone looked to Kenner, looking for an answer.

  Now Kenner felt nervous as he knew his answer had to be a good one.

  “I’m just visiting.” He finally said.

  This was followed by sighs of relief and some laughter.

  Then a woman rose from the opposite table.

  “But surely it is your intention to become King of all the nations as the prophecies say, is it not?” She asked.

  “I haven’t read those prophecies. You’ll have to educate me further on them.”

  More people laughed and the musicians started playing again.

  “Miss Terri,” A question came. “After the Great War, the Weapons Masters all became the Kings of the nations. Which nation do you think you will rule?”

  “Let me get this straight,” Terri responded. “Kenner gets, ‘My Lord’ and I only get ‘Miss’?”

  Even louder laughter followed.

  “How then may we call you then?”

  “Please refrain from calling me ‘baby’, ‘honey’, ‘sugar’ or ‘sweetie’.”

  The hall then erupted with laughter.

  For the next hour, questions were presented to both Terri and Kenner and they each answered in the most sarcastic way possible.

  “Terri! Where do you think the conquests of the world will begin?”

  “I’m not sure, but that woman in the black dress looks rather inviting.”

  Each answer brought wails of laughter from nearly everyone at the table. There were some that didn’t seem amused, but most seemed to be having a good time.

  Terri’s wine glass kept having to be refilled and at one point, she simply took the silver pitcher and placed it next to her glass.

  “I’ll take that.” She said to the servant.

  “Kenner! Is there anyone in this world who has stolen your heart?”

  “Does it have to be only one?”

  “Terri! I’ve heard you were raised on a farm. How did that prepare you for
you being the wielder of the Blackwood Bow?”

  “Well, I can castrate any animal you can think of. Shall I demonstrate?”

  “Kenner! How shall you rule when you become King?”

  “The current system of inches, feet, yards and miles seems to be working pretty well. I think I’ll stick with that.”

  “Terri, is it true you prefer women to men?”

  “Depends on who’s buying the drinks.”

  Terri then looked at the minister who had a horrified expression following her answer.

  “Kenner! Are there any women here that you think might make a good queen?”

  Kenner answered by pointing at every woman at all of the tables and saying, “You, you, you, you…”

  Janna then grabbed him by his arm and said, “Hands off ladies! This one’s mine tonight!”

  The entire hall then howled in laughter.

  Tulles then stood up and marched to the center of the room.

  “I have had enough!” He shouted. The hall then went silent. “I can not believe that this session, which was supposed to be a means of us better getting to know our future lord and master has degraded into such an…an…orgy of depravity. You mock our noble guest with your lurid questions!”

  “They’re the ones providing the answers, Tulles.” Janna answered him.

  “Only because he knows that we sinners are not worthy of his answers. You mock his very presence by trying to divine his reasons and intentions. Would we ask the Great Lady herself of her plans?”

  “I’d kind of like to know what they are.” Terri joked and the hall erupted in laughter again. The minister looked hurt and embarrassed for a moment, but then raised his head proudly.

  “Laugh now, harlot!” He announced. “But when you face your judgment in the presence of the Great Lady, you will never laugh again.”

  Edum then stood.

  “That’s enough, Tulles!” He shouted at him.

  Kenner felt the malice and unknown plans coming from him again.

  “You’ve had far too much to drink!”

  “You know I don’t partake…”

  “It’s time you retired to your room!”

  The minister then looked as if he were afraid he’d made a horrible mistake.

  “Edum is right.” He then said. Bowing low to the Admiral, he said goodnight and then quickly left the hall.

  The hall was uncomfortably quiet after the outburst until Janna raised her glass and said, “Here’s to our High Priest! Always good for entertainment.”

  The guests then all began laughing again until Janna tapped the Spear on the floor.

  “Enough of this!” She yelled. “Let’s get the party started!”

  The musicians then started playing faster and happier music and all the guests started yelling and squealing.

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  After the musicians began playing faster music, several barrels of ale were wheeled in and full stone flagons placed in front of every guest.

  “What was wrong with the wine?” Terri asked Janna.

  “Wine is for eating,” Janna responded after a gulp of ale. “Ale is for celebrating.”

  “And what are we celebrating tonight?” Kenner asked her.

  “It’s Tuesday.”

  Edum then stood up from his chair with a scowl on his face.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Janna asked him.

  “If you’ll forgive me, Madam, I’m a little too busy to watch the most influential people in Sheyron discard their dignity tonight.”

  “You weren’t so dignified after my husband died, I remember. In fact, you seemed most eager to console me; for five whole years as I recall.”

  He looked at her with his eyes on fire and then turned and left. Janna then turned back to Terri.

  “He really hates being reminded of that.” She said giggling.

  Several of the men and women then filled the large space in front of the tables and began dancing. With the fast music, they jumped, spun, twirled and sometimes jumped with yelps and squeals. Occasionally, they would exchange gestures, expressions and even movements ranging from mildly flirtatious to obviously suggestive; such as a woman turning her back on a male partner, hiking up her skirts and thrusting her pelvis toward him. They gave each other lusty looks and smiles and sometimes the women would jump into the arms of the men to be spun around while they screamed merrily.

  As the ale flowed and the music continued, the dances became more energetic and playful. They leapt around the floor in great circles, bouncing and jumping in time to the feverish songs. There was a dance where the women spun around in circles until starting to fall. When they fell, they would then be picked up and carried by the men, prancing like horses in a great circle. In another, the men would dance at a waltzes pace inside a circle of the women. When the music changed time, they would grab the nearest lady and the two would jump around in faster time until the music slowed again.

  The Admiral danced along with the rest of them and never having the same partner twice. As she drank more ale and danced more she exchanged lusty and sometimes lurid remarks with other guests.

  “He never dances like that with me!” One woman called out to her.

  “You don’t know how to get him moving!” She answered.

  “If he drinks more ale, I won’t be able to take him home!”

  “The only way he’ll be going home with you is if he drinks more ale!”

  All of these were followed by howls and wails of laughter.

  It reminded Terri of the night before. At first, she smiled and laughed, but then she started to feel sad and slightly ashamed. Whenever she felt like that, she quickly drowned those emotions in greedy gulps of ale.

  Kenner was also getting slightly drunk and giddy. At first, he tried to politely refuse dance partners, but then one woman didn’t ask. She simply grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to the dance floor. He called desperately to Terri, “Help me!”

  “You’re on your own, hill boy!”

  Terri then looked at Shela.

  “Napping on the job, are you?”

  Shela merely groaned.

  “You’re quite right,” Terri said to her. “He needs no help from you tonight.”

  Every woman wanted to dance with Kenner. When one song was over, they pushed and pulled each other out of the way to get to him.

  “It’s my turn now!” One woman would whine.

  “No, it’s mine!”

  Some of the women almost got violent.

  The Black Sword leaned against Kenner’s vacant chair and more than one person thought of taking it. Some thought that they may become Kings themselves if the Sword were in their hands. Seeing Terri sitting, laughing and very drunk and the huge, black cat asleep, one ambitious man crept up to the sword and, thinking himself stealthy reached out and grabbed. A burning and searing pain coursed through his body as if he’d been struck by lightning and he fell backward. Looking up, he saw Terri looking down on him like a parent looking at a child that had just fallen out of a tree.

  “Hurt didn’t it?” She said to him. “You won’t try that any more will you?”

  More than one man asked Terri to dance and her answers varied from “No thank you,” to “Not if you were the last man in the world.”

  Finally Janna grabbed her by the arm saying, “You’re not telling the Admiral no!”

  Seeing the Admiral take a female partner, all the women paired with each other and then all of the men fell into their seats as if having run for miles.

  It was a slow waltz and Terri with Janna floated gracefully in a circle around the floor. At first, Terri was held at a courteous distance from the Admiral, but then felt herself being pulled closer. Janna’s hand reached further down the back of Terri’s dress to the very top of her waist and Janna pressed her chest against hers. Terri then saw the look of a hunter in Janna’s eyes.

  “Why Madam,” Terri started to say. Janna interrupted her.

  “You
can call me anything you want after I’m finished with Kenner.” She whispered in Terri’s ear.

  After that dance, Terri was escorted to her seat by Janna, holding her hand. Janna then skipped back to the dance floor and pulled Kenner away from a pack of wild ladies.

  “My turn!” She shouted at them.

  Terri watched the two of them dance to a similarly slow song and then saw a surprised, almost frightened expression cross Kenner’s face after Janna whispered in his ear.

  Kenner returned to his seat after the dance, looking exhausted. As another song played and the guests all danced, Kenner looked down at Shela.

  “Why didn’t you save me from those she-wolves?” He drunkenly stuttered at her. For an instant he thought he heard her say, “You needed no saving from me.” “Impossible,” he thought to himself. He fell into his chair and looked over at Terri.

  “Do you think she likes me?” He asked, breathlessly.

  “I have an announcement!” Janna shouted.

  The music stopped and all the guests went quiet.

  “Tonight I deflower a virgin!” She shouted again and then howled like a wolf.

  “I think it’s a possibility.” Terri said.

  “Table dance!” Janna then shouted. All of the women squealed and then leapt onto the tops of the tables. Fast and furious music was played and all of the women pulled up their skirts over their knees and danced suggestively in front of the seated men.

  “Oh, I have to get in on this!” Terri yelled. She jumped up and started dancing next to Janna and then the two faced each other and seemed to dancing as if trying to seduce one another. At one point, the two women hooked each other by the arms and spun each other around. They hooked the opposite arms and spun the other direction. When the song was over, they both collapsed, the table broke and they fell in a heap onto the floor. A gasp went through the room, but when the Admiral sat up laughing hysterically, the whole room laughed with her.

  Later, more slow music was playing than fast and many of the guests began to leave the hall. Kenner unsteadily raised himself from the table and grabbed the Sword.