Warrior of Golmeira

by Marianne Ratcliffe

  ‘I wish I could believe that,’ said Myka with a doleful sigh. ‘Kastara will only be happy if she’s with someone very rich or very powerful. Preferably both.’

  ‘Give my sister some credit. She may be excited now by what’s new and shiny, but she’ll eventually figure out that honesty and loyalty are more important.’

  ‘I’ll see what she’s doing,’ said Myka, trailing after Kastara. Anara, who was sitting opposite, shook her head.

  ‘My poor darling. Myka is a special young man but there’ll be someone else for you.’

  Findar gave a rueful smile. ‘I’ve always known he’s not for me,’ he said. ‘If I see them both happy, there’s nothing to be sad about.’

  Zastra addressed Polina and Morvain as Kastara and Myka hovered in the background.

  ‘Polina, I hope you will agree to serve as my Highmaster.’

  Polina flushed. ‘Me? But what about Morvain?’

  Morvain cleared his throat.

  ‘While I cannot deny I desired the role of Highmaster…’

  ‘True,’ murmured Myka.

  ‘…I also cannot deny that Polina is the more powerful mindweaver and more deserving of the honour.’

  ‘Also true,’ Myka added, in surprise.

  ‘I would, of course, be delighted to serve on her council,’ Morvain finished.

  ‘That’s more like it,’ Myka muttered. ‘Nice way to bag himself a prime job.’

  ‘What about me?’ Kastara thrust herself forward. ‘I want to be on the council too.’

  Myka almost choked in astonishment. Surely not even Kastara could be so bold?

  ‘But you are too young, dear girl,’ said Morvain with a pitying smile.

  Kastara rounded on him. ‘This “dear girl” protected Zastra and Myka from an entire army,’ she said. ‘I doubt your qualifications are better.’ She turned to Zastra. ‘Well?’

  Zastra raised an eyebrow.

  ‘What do you think, Pol?’ she asked.

  ‘She’d be the youngest council member in history,’ Polina replied.

  ‘I think she’s earned the right to ask.’

  ‘Very well,’ said the new Highmaster. ‘You have great power Kastara, you might as well learn some responsibility.’

  Kastara screamed in delight, grabbing hold of Myka and twirling him round in celebration.

  ‘Do you think Polina knows what’s she in for?’ Kylen asked.

  ‘The poor woman has no idea,’ Zastra returned. ‘Speaking of leadership, I wish you would reconsider this notion of giving up the lordship of Sendor.’

  ‘How can I negotiate for my people when I’m in love with the grand marl of Golmeira?’

  ‘What does Sendor want exactly?’

  ‘Full independence, with no more tribute. And reparations for the destruction of Golgannan.’

  ‘Granted. What else?’

  Kylen pulled back and looked at her.

  ‘Our people should be allowed to travel freely into Golmeira and trade without tariffs.’

  ‘Granted, provided Sendor allows the same rights for Golmeirans.’

  Kylen tilted her head.

  ‘That seems fair. But what about the border region? And Castanton?’

  Zastra pondered that for a while. The Borders had always been contentious. In the past, raids from Sendor had led to full blown wars, and the port of Castanton had changed hands many times. Its ownership had long been disputed.

  ‘The Borderline River makes a sensible boundary between our countries. Castanton bridges it, so let half belong to Sendor, half to Golmeira. Perhaps we can establish a city council made up equally of your people and mine.’

  ‘Will that work?’

  ‘It might, as long as our people can get along.’

  ‘Hmm. Sendorans and Golmeirans living and working together? They will need someone to show them how it’s done,’ murmured Kylen, kissing her full on the lips. Zastra flushed deeply, unable to suppress a smile as she pulled away.

  ‘Stop trying to distract me. If Sendor accepts full independence and we’ve solved the border issues, then there’s nothing more to negotiate. What better than a marriage between the grand marl of Golmeira and the liege lord of Sendor to show that we can live together in peace and harmony?’

  ‘You have a very romantic notion of marriage.’

  ‘I’m relying on you to prove me right. Starting tonight.’ She took Kylen by the hand and led her away from the crowded hall.

  Epilogue

  Kylen accepted Zastra’s proposal and Sendor was granted full and perpetual independence from Golmeira. The Far Isles too, were released back to its people, and a new triumvirate of equals promptly elected. The Kyrginites settled in the land to the west of Aliterra and over the years they grew numerous and content, the culling ceremonies of the past long forgotten. In return for Zastra’s gift of land, Jelgar pledged that the Kyrginite nation would protect Golmeira should it ever come under attack. He was succeeded by Ithgol, who saw off all challengers to become the new chief guthan, and renewed Jelgar’s pledge.

  As for Golmeira itself, excepting a brief and unsuccessful marl rebellion, peace reigned. The rebellion was perhaps inevitable, given how radical Nerika’s new laws turned out to be. Even though Zastra led the way in giving up half her family lands, there were plenty of marls who resented the loss to their personal wealth. Others objected that the law was taken away from them and placed in the hands of a special judiciary of trained mindweavers and scholars. Zastra, with the help of her allies, dealt quickly and firmly with the rebellion and also found a way to ensure that mindweavers did not become too powerful. She reinstated traditional controls on use of such powers, particularly related to personal privacy. Any mindweaver who refused to abide by this law was sentenced to prison on Murthen Island, garrisoned by druin-ji, who had been chased out of Aliterra. Their strange ability to drain power from mindweavers made them perfect goalers and Zastra granted them sanctuary on condition they live on Murthen Island and give up their practices of sacrifice. The unique attributes of the druin-ji were enough to frighten most mindweavers into obedience. Even the Lady Jintara, after spending a few years on Murthen Island, was happy to pledge allegiance to her niece and retire to the comfort and quiet of Bractaris Castle.

  Zastra and Nerika followed up their initial changes with a scheme to create free schools, so that all who wished to pursue scholarship had an opportunity to do so. Nerika’s energy and commitment to improving the lives of the poor made her the perfect choice to lead such a project. At the very beginning of her reign, Zastra established an advisory council made up of mindweavers, marls, merchants and farmers, so that she might be guided by the opinions and needs of all her people. Anara was a valued member of this council for many years, until she succumbed to an infection of her lungs. Her death was mourned by all, particularly her children. However, they cherished every extra moment they had with the parent who had been miraculously returned to them.

  Kylen and Zastra divided their time between Golmer Castle and Golgannan. The Sendoran capital was rebuilt and restored to its former beauty. Findar chose to live on Uden’s Teeth, as did many of the rebels who had made a home there. Yldred, Rastran’s younger brother, asked permission to join them, drawn by the quiet, rustic lifestyle. He and Findar became fast friends. Under Findar’s leadership, the mixed community of Sendorans, Far Islanders and Golmeirans began to claim a new, single identity. Free Islanders, they called themselves, and eventually sought their own independence from Golmeira. Granting this request from her brother was the last act of Zastra’s reign, before she abdicated in favour of her niece. Kastara had eventually realised what was right in front of her nose. That Myka loved her and, to her surprise, she discovered she loved him back. Their daughter, Leonara, became the first grand marl with Southland blood, a cause for much rejoicing in a territory that had often felt second best among the Golmeiran lands. On the same day that Zastra abdicated, Kylen relinquished control of Sendor to her brother’s second son. Having
no desire to interfere with the decisions of their successors, Kylen and Zastra requisitioned the Wind of Golmeira. The ship was old, and her timbers groaned in a high wind, but she was still a joy to sail, especially close-hauled. With a small crew of volunteers they headed west, beyond the Free Isles, to explore what might lay in the far corners of the Serene Sea. They were never seen in Golmeira again.

  In future years, scholars would debate the merits of Zastra’s rule. Some lauded her for bringing peace and prosperity to what became known as the Six Realms. Trade flourished between Golmeira, the Far Isles and Aliterra. Under her rule, farmers and labourers gained the right to own their own lands and pass them down to their families. The new legal system became the protector of rights, rather than an instrument to enable the tyranny of the marls. Other historians, mainly men, took the opposing view, citing her reign as dull and lacking flair. Golmeira could have been a great and glorious empire, they said, if Thorlberd had been allowed to continue with his conquests. It was true that Zastra’s reign did not merit a chapter in the Legends of the Warriors. But neither she, nor most of those who lived under her rule, cared one jot about that.

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  Acknowledgements

  I would like to thank Sharon Gubby and Wendy Tomlinson for being my trusted beta readers, and Sylvia Ratcliffe (aka Mum) and Amanda Benjamin for performing a final proof read.

  Cover by Andy Boothman at Busy as AB. Copyedited by Claire Rushbrook