This he seemed to understand. In fact, was it her imagination, or did he appear more relaxed? “But why don’t you call for help?”
“I have a very hard time believing that absolutely no one knew that they had magical slaves up here in Khobunter. This has been going on for at least a hundred years—that much we can prove. Khobunter might be somewhat isolated, since it’s up here in the far corner of the world, but it’s not that isolated. Someone had to have known.” Becca privately hoped that neither Vonlorisen nor Guin Braehorn did. If they had, they would have reacted by now. Surely, they would have, given how they had actively been rescuing magicians in Chahir. “So, at least some of the governments in this world are choosing to ignore the problem.”
Ehsan’s face fell into grim lines. He had no counterargument for her.
“I’m not sure if my own country’s leaders are the same, in fact I rather doubt it, but it still falls down to a matter of politics: they would have to arrange non-aggression treaties to bring an army over the Empire of Sol’s territory just to get here. And then they would have to fight their way through this country to rescue all of the slaves. After that was done, then they would come down to the argument of what to do next. Treat Khobunter like a conquered nation and rule it? Abandon it now that the slaves were out?” Gentling her tone, she smiled up at him sadly. “Do you see? Most countries can’t afford to front a war in a far-distant country to begin with. You add politics into the mix, it becomes impossible to do, no matter how the kings in question might feel about it.”
His dark eyes searched her face. “You thought all of that through and still chose to fight? You have no allies up here.”
“I make my allies as I go.” She grinned, not in the least daunted. “I decided, weeks ago, that I would not leave this country even after the slaves are all freed. Someone has to stay and properly reconstruct this country; otherwise other atrocities are going to be committed up here, and no one will stop them.”
“If you’ve fought two battles and gained a treaty with dragons, I suppose I shouldn’t underestimate your determination.” Uncertainty and tension had been riding high in his body language, but as Ehsan said these words, it visibly dissipated. “But you really have no intention of returning?”
“No. Nolan can’t stay, he has his own country to rule, but Trev’nor and I are staying.”
Satisfied with her answers, Ehsan settled into a content expression. “Alright then.” He took in a breath before bellowing, “Trev’nor!”
Trev’nor’s head snapped around, as that was the first time Ehsan had called any of them by name. Delight exploded across his face even as he called back, “What?”
“How much water you want right now?”
“Soak all the way to the under crust! No more than that!”
Grunting, Ehsan knelt and concentrated. His power, not having any constraints on it, leapt to obey. Swearing, Becca slammed a hand against his back, her own power coming to bear. “Whoa, not that much. Back it down.”
Ehsan gasped and shook, breathing all over the place. “Is this what it’s like? Is this my full power?”
“Yes, yes, it is, but you don’t need that much right now. Let some of it go.”
He seemed overwhelmed by his own power, so much so that it took several minutes for him to come to grips with it. Becca patiently waited him out. Rushing matters like this did absolutely no good and often a great deal of harm. One of the truest things she had learned from Garth was the art of patience.
The Water Mage’s power seeped down into more normal, working levels and he cautiously went back to work. Becca just as slowly withdrew her hand, although she remained ready to leap back in and help contain his power if need be. It proved unnecessary as he encouraged the underground water to come up and soak into the ground.
As he worked, Trev’nor and Azin made their way closer to him, changing the soil composition as they walked for miles in either direction. Watching Trev’nor in action had always amazed Becca. Her power worked so differently from his, almost ethereal in its formation, if not in its execution. But Trev’nor’s magic was very tangible and solid. His seemed the more permanent of the two.
When they hit the patch of ground that was soaked and waiting for them, it turned from a golden sand to a more rich dark brown color. “That looks much better.”
“Soil’s almost perfect right now,” Trev’nor agreed, proud and satisfied. “Having Azin along is speeding up the process a lot.”
Azin blushed and stammered and looked anywhere but at their eyes.
Trying to extract the girl from her embarrassment, Becca informed them, “Ehsan says there’s two underground rivers right under our feet.”
“Oh really?” Trev’nor asked him, “How large?”
“Sizeable, as thick and deep as the city’s walls.”
“In that case, let’s build a canal here and start it toward the city. Azin, draw all of our excess over here and let’s put it to work.”
Becca stood back and watched as the three fell into a companionable working atmosphere with each other. Her job right now was just to be on hand in case someone’s magic went out of control; it wasn’t like she could do any good until her storm arrived. Considering how fast they all worked, though, she gave it three days before this entire area became fertile and bursting with new buds.
The thought made her smile.
Becca found Nolan bent over a table with Sosa at his side, and two women that she didn’t recognize. He’d sent a message to her via mirror broach that he wanted her and Trev’nor to meet him in the main marketplace, but she hadn’t expected there to be a crowd of military men standing around him. As she slid in between people, forcing her way to Nolan’s side, she saw signs that this was an information broker’s table, as there were charts hanging from several lines and a collection of colorful maps strewn out on top of the table. “Nolan.”
The Life Mage glanced up and pointed her into a stool next to him. “Bec, Trev, glad you came so fast. I’ve found out some very interesting information.”
Is that why he was vibrating in his chair? “Like what?”
“Well, you know how we were talking about what to do with Trexler once we captured him?”
“No,” she denied pleasantly, “I don’t.”
“Ahhh…” Nolan trailed off, an almost visible question mark on his face.
“She’d already gone to bed before we started talking about that,” Trev’nor reminded him.
“Oh, right. Right. I’d forgotten.”
Becca felt mildly irritated at both of them. “Did the two of you discuss something important and make decisions without me?”
“Bec, I know better than to wake you up,” Trev’nor drawled, not in the least worried. “You zap people when peeved. Besides, considering the cultural rules here, I didn’t dare.”
If he had barged into her room to wake her, the two of them would be considered automatically engaged, so she was rather glad he had stifled the impulse. It also robbed her of an argument, though, so she huffed out a resigned breath.
Nolan leaned in a little and whispered, “You two need to be especially careful. People know that I’m not staying, that you two are, and they’re already forming conjectures about when you’ll marry.”
“Again?!” Trev’nor squawked.
“We already disabused the notion in Rurick. Are we going to have to do it everywhere we go?” Becca groaned.
The two looked at each other in disbelief, then in unison, spat out, “Ewwww.”
This made people in the crowd chuckle. Becca flushed and realized that she had automatically been speaking in Solish, as that was the only language she’d been really using these days. Habit was such a wonderful thing. At least some had understood their exchange and were getting a good laugh out of it. Clearing her throat, she tried to regain her dignity. “You were saying about important discussions held in the middle of the night?”
“Ah, right.” Nolan sat back and returned to a more norm
al tone. “We were talking about what to do with Trexler once we had him in hand. It seemed like a bad plan to just execute him and move on. Taking Tiergan has taught me that we have to stop and spend at least some time straightening out governmental affairs, cleaning house, and such before we can move on.”
That had become very obvious to Becca as well. Conquering Tiergan had been an eye-opener in several ways. It wasn’t like taking Rurick at all in some aspects. “You two thought of a plan?”
“We can’t just be young upstarts to these people,” Trev’nor explained to her. Well, explained to everyone, as he certainly had everyone’s attention. “We don’t want to be an outside source pressuring them into something they don’t want to do. Instead, we need to make them a part of our revolution.”
“So,” Nolan picked up the thread smoothly, “we thought to really examine the laws of Khobunter, especially Trexler’s brand of laws, and see if the man is guilty of violating his own rules. Then we choose people from Tiergan and the army, and have them sit in judgement over him. That way, we’re sharing joint responsibility for what happens.”
Once outlined, it became apparent to her that it was a wise way to go. Half the trouble they’d had the first day in Tiergan was because no one had wanted to bow their heads to three teenagers. “You two actually thought of this last night in the wee hours of the morning?”
“From the ethers of desperation comes inspiration,” Nolan intoned. “As Garth loves to say. What do you think?”
“I think it’s great. It’s better he’s judged by the people than us doing it. I take it you’ve been researching that all morning?”
“Not quite me,” Nolan denied. “I was planting half the morning. Sosa and…forgive me, have you met anyone else at the table?”
“I have not,” Becca denied before standing and giving them both a quick bow. “I am Riicbeccaan.”
“This is Yasmina,” Nolan introduced the woman to his immediate right, who looked to be in her late sixties, as there was not a strand of black to be found in her silver hair, “who is the equivalent of a city historian, in our terms. Her title here is Rikksha.”
“A pleasure to exchange names,” Becca and Trev’nor said, almost together. Yasmina smiled and inclined her head toward them.
“In Rurick, we met their Rikkana, which apparently is a universal position in Khobunter,” Nolan started only to stop. “Sosa, can you explain this? I want to make sure I’m not confusing them.”
“In this land we have experts on law and tradition,” Sosa stated, words carefully expressed and slow. He knew how shaky they were with the language. “The Rikkan and the Rikkana. They are male and female, always, one expert in female laws and the other in male laws. They sit in judgement or offer advice for the city.”
“Sorry,” Trev’nor held up a hand to stall him, “I’m seeing a similarity in all of these titles. Do they mean something?”
It was Ehsan, standing behind them, that leaned in over their shoulders and broke it down. “Rikk meaning living, sha means history. An and ana are the male and female versions of ann, or law.”
So their titles literally meant living history and living law? “Thank you, Ehsan. That makes it easier to remember.”
Sosa seemed glad someone else had explained. His Solish wasn’t always the best. “Our Rikkan and Rikkana are Shiva and Akbar.”
Becca wasn’t clear if these two were married or not but they certainly looked like they were. They sat closely enough that their shoulders were overlapping, perfectly at ease with their close contact. They looked of the same age as Yasmina, which made Becca wonder, was advanced age a requirement in this job? Or were you stuck with the position until death after you were hired? The similarity, even in her head, created a sharp pang in her chest when she remembered that they still had no idea where Rikkana Sumi and the rest had been carted off. Becca had to stop and breathe through the pain for a moment before she could manage in a level voice, “A pleasure to exchange names, Rikkan, Rikkana.”
They smiled at her greeting but it was Akbar that responded in a creaking voice, “Blessings on you, Raya.”
“Also with us are Danyal, Commander of the Tiergan forces,” Nolan continued with a gesture toward a very stoic man with closely cropped hair, still in the sand-colored uniform of the military, “and his two captains, Nima and Hadi. When I explained to them what we wanted to do here in Khobunter, they readily swore allegiance to us.”
Just like that? Becca was very surprised to hear this, as she had been under the impression that not many leaders in Tiergan were willing to switch sides. “Thank you for the gift of your names.”
Danyal gave them a sharp salute. “Raya, Rajas, we have been given an oath by Raja Nolan that you will serve the people. As long as you do so, we will serve you.”
In that moment, Becca felt like she was speaking with Xiaolang. Or a more serious, darker version of Shad. She scooted her stool back and snapped into the same military bearing, exchanging the salute. “We will honor them, Commander. My word as a Riic.”
Every person at the table appeared surprised except her two childhood friends. The commander and his two captains actually smiled at her as Danyal dropped the salute.
“Where did you learn to do that?” Ehsan wondered aloud.
“I was raised by two soldiers,” she drawled, dropping back into her stool. “You pick up things. Alright, Nolan, I think we know everyone at the table. Tell me what you’ve discovered.”
“First off, Trexler has not been a good ruler.”
Trev’nor tsked mockingly. “Color me surprised. How many major rules has he broken?”
“At least three that we can prove. I’ll let each of our experts explain. Rikksha Yasmina, if you could start off?”
“Raja Nolan asked me what the first laws of this land were,” the woman stated, speaking in careful Solish. Her accent was thick enough to slice and serve on bread, so Becca paid max attention to make sure she understood her. “I would need to lecture him for a week to answer this question completely.” She might have winked at Nolan before continuing, “I think perhaps I should answer the question he truly wished to ask. In the beginning, slavery was not allowed at all in Khobunter. All of the warlords agreed on this. When the magicians came in from the south and created Rheben, the laws started changing at that point. When Rheben fell, and the magicians taken, then the laws were altered to allow magical slaves.”
Becca seethed in anger. “That was very convenient.”
“People in power always change the rules to benefit them,” Trev’nor stated, more rhetorically than anything else. “It’s how the world spins. Rikksha, has the law changed at all after that? Is it still only magical slaves allowed?”
She did not answer but turned to the two living law experts. Akbar seemed to study the three before carefully stating, “It has not changed.”
Giving a growl of satisfaction, Becca rubbed her hands in evil anticipation. “Then we have him dead to rights there.” Glancing up, she realized that only the magicians understood what she meant by that. “You do realize, I hope, that while magic can be inherited, not all of the slaves you have are magicians?”
Becca got a lot of blank stares in response.
“In fact, in this group, you have six that aren’t,” Trev’nor clarified.
It was Nima, one of the captains, that had to demand, “Are you sure?”
“Very sure,” Nolan stated. “We can see magic. It’s clear as day to us. Are you seriously telling me that in the past hundred years you’ve been enslaving magicians, you didn’t realize that some of them couldn’t do magic?”
“We…thought they had little talent and so couldn’t perform magic like the others,” Rikkana Shiva offered weakly.
Becca felt like banging her head against the table. Trev’nor actually did, which made a few people jump.
Nolan had more patience than either of them although his frustration bled into his voice. “No, magic can skip a generation like any other talent. I
t’s not guaranteed to have a magician just because both parents are one. I actually hadn’t thought of that angle, Becca. We knew we had him on this because he routinely takes any citizens that he conquers and makes them slaves.”
“Like what happened in Rurick?”
“Exactly like that. It’s apparently a common practice with some of the warlords.”
That thought made her anger burn all over again. “So that’s a major one. What else?”
Rikkana Shiva seemed glad for a chance to move off this uncomfortable topic. “We have a particular tax here called the War Tax. It’s quite high, forty percent of a man’s income, and is to be used strictly for war funding.”
Nolan winced. “That’s very high for a tax. How long have you been paying this?”
“Years, now. The laws stipulate that it is not to be used for more than a year at a time unless actively in war.”
“You weren’t actively in war until we showed up,” Trev’nor stated more than questioned.
“That is correct, Raja. He has violated the law by leaving it in place so long.”
Danyal cleared his throat. “Permission to speak, Raja.”
“Please do, Commander.”
“I know for a fact that the money from the War Tax has not been given to us here. We’ve been on short pay as long as I’ve been stationed here.”
Becca let out a low whistle. She knew all about ‘short pay’ from growing up around soldiers. It was not a good idea to leave soldiers indefinitely on that. They got very cranky very quickly. Badgers with toothaches were known to be more pleasant than soldiers on short pay. “And how long has that been, Commander?”
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