Web of Deceit fl-3

by Richard S. Tuttle

  “Are you really willing to go back there?” asked Mistake

  “Yes,” declared Rejji. “Lord Marak has a right to see it and only I can open the gates. You and Bakhai can remain here and keep the building project going.”

  “Why not take the squad with you?” quizzed Mistake. “it would be safer and I am sure the Qubari would not deny you the right to bring them along.”

  “You are right about the Qubari,” nodded Rejji, “but I feel that the less people exposed to the jungle the better. Dumo will allow me anything, but I will still respect his desire for secrecy. I also do not want a large group that will attract more attention inside the ancient city. I will allow Lord Marak his two guards. That will expose only four us to danger.”

  Chapter 27

  Marak

  Brakas eyed the unfinished stockade wall as he approached the town. A dozen men were sawing lumber, erecting vertical beams, and nailing them to the crossbeams. He rode through the large hole in the wall, which was reserved for the future gates. Brakas gazed around the town in wonder. The last time he had been here, this place was a little sleepy fishing village. Now there was construction everywhere. The new huts were obvious with their walls yet to be weathered. Off to the side of the huts was a large group of tents, sort of reminiscent of an army encampment, but instead of soldiers, families, complete with women doing laundry and children playing, occupied the tents.

  He spied a corral with a few horses inside and headed towards it. With no attendant in sight, Brakas dismounted and tied his reins to the rail of the corral. He started walking towards the town center while observing all of the construction taking place. The rumors had been true, he mused to himself; Ghala was on its way to becoming Fakara’s first city. He racked his brain trying to remember which tribe claimed this area, but he came up empty.

  Many people waved to him as he passed, and he waved back. Off to his left, he saw the small hulls of freshly made boats, and women stitching new sails. On his right was a group of men sawing large logs to provide fresh lumber. The tools looked new and still held the shine of something just purchased. He saw smoke rising into the air and turned to investigate it. He shook his head in amazement as he spied a large furnace with a dozen men scurrying around it, but the framework of a very large building beyond the furnace immediately drew him towards it.

  He veered around the furnace and headed towards the large framework. His eyes roamed as he walked and he saw a new dock along the riverbank, a dock too large to be used for the fishing vessels he had seen being made. As he approached the large framework, he saw dozens of men working on it. He spied a small group of men standing and talking near the framework and he came to a halt. He peered closely at the small group of men and his mouth hung open. He shook his head and marched towards the group with a broad smile on his face.

  “Rejji,” greeted Brakas, “what are you doing here? I never thought I would see you again.”

  “Brakas,” replied Rejji, “welcome to Ghala. “It has been a long time.”

  “Indeed it has, lad,” grinned Brakas. “I guess the rumors of work and endless food brought you here too?”

  “Hardly,” chuckled Riktor. “Rejji is the source of the work and endless food. Ghala will be known as the city Rejji built.”

  “Not I,” blushed Rejji as he waved his hand around. “All of these people are building it for themselves. Please excuse me while I show Brakas around.”

  The men nodded and moved off towards the framework.

  “Did you ever get to see the Sage?” quizzed Brakas.

  “We did,” nodded Rejji. “What brings you to Ghala? There are no tribes here.”

  “It is hard to travel through any village east of the mountains without hearing about Ghala,” answered Brakas. “I just had to come and see it for myself. This is amazing. There must be hundreds of men here and other than the stockade wall going up, I did not see anything of a defense. Aren’t you worried about the tribes attacking?”

  “The only tribe I worry about is the Jiadin,” replied Rejji. “Have you had any luck finding the free tribes?”

  “No,” frowned Brakas. “I cannot imagine where they have gone to. Every time I hear a rumor about where one is, they are gone by the time I get there. It is getting very frustrating.”

  “Well if you do succeed in finding them,” offered Rejji, “I would be interested in speaking to them. There is a home here for them if they agree to certain conditions. It is only a matter of time before the Jiadin learn of Ghala, and we can use some help in defending it. The benefits to the tribes would be great.”

  “What are the benefits and the conditions?” queried Brakas.

  “The benefits are that they will not have to plunder villages to eat well or pocket some gold,” explained Rejji. “The conditions are that they must be under the command of the city. We do not stand for stealing or harassing of the people who live here. We would expect the tribes to control the behavior of their men and to defend the city.”

  “Under control of the city?” mused Brakas. “Whose control would that be?”

  “We do not yet have a person to lead the defensive forces,” admitted Rejji. “It has not been necessary yet, but we would choose someone who would be acceptable to the tribes. It could be a man of the tribes, but someone who is known for being even-handed and fair.”

  “That might be something I could get interested in,” smiled Brakas. “Without a tribe of my own, I am sure many would see me as the ideal candidate.”

  “Perhaps,” nodded Rejji, “but we do not have any tribes to lead yet. Are you planning on staying here for a while?”

  “Yes,” smiled Brakas. “I think I would like to see what Ghala is like. Where are you getting all of the food and tools?”

  “They are shipped in from Khadora,” answered Rejji as he pointed. “Beyond those trees are fields of wasooki and clova. This building is going to be a warehouse for grain and supplies.”

  “That building is rather large for supplies,” commented Brakas. “Where is all of the gold coming from to pay for this?”

  “We have worked out a trading deal with a Khadoran clan,” responded Rejji hesitantly. “We will be selling things that Khadorans can not get in Khadora. You must be familiar with stockades. Why don’t you see what you can do with ours? The men building it are good workmen, but many have never seen a stockade before. Your help could be valuable to them.”

  “That sounds like a great place for me to start,” nodded Brakas. “I could use a taste of that endless food before I start though.”

  “You will find it to your liking,” smiled Rejji. “Near the town center is a kitchen. Have your fill and I will try to meet with you later. I have to prepare for another shipment coming in.”

  Rejji turned and strode back towards the framework. He spoke briefly with Plesy and Copi about the arriving shipment and then spied a man near the beach with a campfire. He walked to the man and stood watching him for a moment before the man noticed he was there.

  “You are Rejji,” smiled the man. “I am so thankful for you allowing me to become part of all this. I am Karlo.”

  “Greetings, Karlo,” welcomed Rejji as he gazed at the pile of netting and a tin of black ore. “We are glad to have you here. What are you doing?”

  “I am making screens for the new building,” beamed Karlo.

  “Screens?” echoed Rejji. “I am not sure I understand.”

  “The new building will have windows to allow air through,” explained Karlo, “but birds will enter the building and eat the grain. I will put these screens over the windows so the birds can not get in.”

  “That sounds clever,” nodded Rejji, “but what is the black ore for?”

  “An invention of my own,” grinned Karlo. “I have made screens for my own farm before, but the birds can get very aggressive and peck away at the screens. I have found that if I coat the screens with carganite, the birds cannot destroy them.”

  “Carganite?” queried Rejji. �
��I never heard of it. What is it and how does it stop the birds?”

  “It is an ore found in the mountains,” explained Karlo. “It melts at a fairly low temperature so that material can be coated with it. It strengthens the material and makes it very strong without reducing the flexibility of the fabric. I can coat the netting and then still bend it to cover the windows. It works very well. No birds will ever get into the building.”

  Rejji stood watching as Karlo dipped a section of netting into the pot and then held it over the pot to let the excess metal drip off. Karlo then attached the netting to a string and hung it from a line strung between two poles that he had erected in the sand.

  “How long does it take to dry?” Rejji asked.

  “Not very long,” Karlo answered. “The shine of the metal disappears rather quickly. When the finish is an even dull black, it is dry.”

  Rejji stood silently watching Karlo for a time as he thought about what needed to be done before Lord Marak arrived the next day. The corral had been built for the horses that would be coming in and an area for the squad to occupy while they were here had been set aside. He mentally noted that he wanted to have a special meal prepared for them as a welcome from the people of Ghala.

  “This one is dry, Rejji,” beamed Karlo. “Would you care to inspect it?”

  “Very much so,” nodded Rejji as Karlo handed him the screen.

  Rejji marveled at the lightness of the screen. He bent it and twisted it and probed the metal covering with his fingernail. His mind raced with uses for the metal covering.

  “May I borrow this?” asked Rejji.

  “It would be an honor if you would use it on the window of your hut,” beamed Karlo. “Please take it.”

  “Thank you, Karlo,” smiled Rejji. “I am very glad you decided to join us here in Ghala.”

  Rejji rolled the screen up and headed for his hut. He saw Mistake along the way and waved for her to join him. As she came running, Rejji saw a belt around her waist that held a large number of knives in sheaths.

  “What is that?” Rejji asked as he pointed at her belt.

  “It is for carrying knives,” grinned Mistake. “It can hold at least twenty sheaths. Do you like it?”

  “Isn’t that a bit heavy?” chuckled Rejji. “When will you ever use twenty knives?”

  “It is heavy,” frowned Mistake, “but I will only wear it when I need it. You can never have too many knives in a battle.”

  “Well I hope you never need it,” Rejji retorted as he handed her the netting. “I want you to look at something. This netting is covered by a metal that protects it. I want to see how strong it really is. Can you hang it on the wall of our hut and try throwing daggers at it?”

  “Sure,” frowned Mistake, “but what is the purpose of it?”

  “I am thinking about coating our tyrik armor with it,” grinned Rejji. “If it is as strong as I think it is, we could have armor that is light and yet almost indestructible.”

  “Where did this netting come from?” queried Mistake.

  “A man named Karlo is on the beach coating netting to use over windows to keep the birds out of the new building,” replied Rejji. “He discovered it.”

  “If it works,” stated Mistake, “we should keep it secret. Maybe we should move Karlo to a better location than on the beach.”

  “I agree,” Rejji responded. “We will need for him to mine some more of the metal as well. I would like you to handle Karlo and the coating process. I have a few more things to get ready for Lord Marak’s arrival. Oh,” Rejji added, “I also ran into Brakas today. I sent him to help with the stockade.”

  “Interesting,” frowned Mistake. “There is something about Brakas that rubs me the wrong way. He is always showing up, but never really helping.”

  “Yes,” agreed Rejji. “I found myself being cautious when speaking to him also, although I wasn’t sure why. He was interested in being the one to lead the defenses, but he has been unsuccessful in finding the free tribes. Do you think his stories are false?”

  “I don’t know,” admitted Mistake. “I just will not share much with him.”

  “Like the location of our gold?” chuckled Rejji.

  “Definitely not that,” laughed Mistake. “I did not lug that sack around the country to let someone else’s fingers get into it. Are you going to get more when you take Lord Marak to Angragar?”

  “I don’t think we can spend what you already took,” Rejji shook his head. “Besides, can you think of a safer place for it to be?”

  “Yes,” laughed Mistake. “It could be in a room guarded by a door that only opens to my touch.”

  “Where is Bakhai at?” queried Rejji.

  “He is tending to the wasooki,” replied Mistake. “We are about to have our first calf born.

  “That should please everyone,” Rejji said. “The way the people are eager to build Ghala into a city is very warming. I did not think it would go this well. Are you going to give another talk about escape procedures in case of attack tonight?”

  “I gave it this morning,” answered Mistake. “You were meeting with Plesy and Riktor at the time. It went very well. The newcomers were very attentive and even suggested a practice run. I think it is a good idea.”

  “Then schedule it,” stated Rejji. “We are well ahead of schedule on most things, so a day off for the practice is a great idea.”

  “I will set it up,” chirped Mistake as she pranced off.

  Rejji spent the rest of the day checking out the progress of each of the projects that was going on. At each stop he saw new faces and was introduced to those who had joined the effort recently. The rate of people coming to Ghala surprised him. He had thought the idea of a city would be hard to sell to the Fakaran people, but the reverse was true. The people came not just for the abundant food, but also to be a part of building something for the future. By nightfall, Rejji was exhausted and fell asleep before Mistake and Bakhai returned to the small hut.

  It was still dark out when Rejji awoke and he strolled down to the beach. He sat in the dark for some time, lost in thought about the construction activities and the trip to the jungle. As the sky began to lighten, Rejji saw a ship anchored off the coast and excitement rippled through his body. He ran back to the hut and woke Mistake and Bakhai and the trio raced to the dock. Others had started to awaken in Ghala and headed for their tasks full of eagerness to greet the new day.

  The ship noticed the activity and hoisted its anchor. As the ship navigated slowly into the mouth of the river, seamen tossed lines to the trio and they secured the ship to the dock. No sooner than the ship was secured, Halman and Gunta jumped to the dock. Lord Marak was only seconds behind them.

  “Greetings, old friends,” smiled Lord Marak.

  “Welcome to Ghala,” greeted Rejji. “I am looking forward to showing you around Fakara’s largest town.”

  “And I am anxious to see it,” smiled Lord Marak.

  Ghalans had already started to crowd around the dock to see Lord Marak and his Torak soldiers, who were dressed in black and silver uniforms. Lord Marak’s cape fluttered in the wind as Rejji led him off the dock. Lord Marak touched Rejji’s sleeve and indicated that he wanted to wait while his men exited the ship. Riktor led some men forward carrying a long ramp and positioned it so the horses could walk off the ship. The people murmured with glee as the Torak soldiers exited the ship, each with a beautiful horse in hand. Bakhai showed the soldiers the way to the corral, which was unnecessary, as the path was lined with workers anxious to see the arriving Khadorans. The soldiers came back and escorted another horse each before they were done. When they returned the second time, they stood in formation awaiting orders.

  “I was concerned that my men might upset the people of Ghala,” Lord Marak stated loudly. “It is a warm welcome indeed that Ghala has extended to their Khadoran friends. I thank you for this welcome. Squad Leader, you may dismiss the men.”

  Botal dismissed the squad and people immediately crowde
d around them with all sorts of questions about Khadora and battles and uniforms. Lord Marak smiled and put his arm around Rejji.

  “Now show me this wonder you have built,” he smiled. “I followed your progress from the information Mistake has relayed to us and it sounds like you are doing everything right. You should be very proud.”

  “I guess I am,” smiled Rejji. “I just haven’t stopped long enough to realize it. How did you know I could do it?”

  “I didn’t,” admitted Marak, “although I have always felt that there is something special in you. Judging from this mural Mistake described, I think we were destined to meet. I am glad that we both followed through with what we thought was best. Have you had any luck in bringing the tribes over to your cause?”

  “No,” frowned Rejji. “I have someone in town who spent a great deal of time searching for them, but he has not been successful.”

  “I think that is key to your survival,” declared Marak. “You cannot expect your skilled workers to be skilled fighters as well. Now that I have seen the reaction of your people to my men, perhaps I can be persuaded to lend you a corte until you are able to find defenders.”

  “That may be necessary,” replied Rejji, “but I would like it better if I can get Fakarans to defend us. I do appreciate all that you are doing for us, Lord Marak, but this is supposed to be a Fakaran movement and I would like it to be seen as one.”

  “I understand and agree with you,” nodded Marak. “Still, I do not want to see you fail. I will leave the offer on the table for you to accept if you need to.”

  Rejji spent several hours showing Lord Marak around the town. At each area, he stopped and introduced the Khadoran clan lord to the workers. At first the workers bowed to Lord Marak when introduced, but soon the word spread that the Khadoran did not stand on formalities. Rejji noticed the Torak soldiers mixing freely with the citizens and smiled in approval. Rejji was surprised to see the stockade wall complete and wondered if the workers had kept going the night before so it would be ready for Lord Marak’s arrival. The tour ended at the wasooki fields and Rejji suddenly realized that he had kept his guest busy all day without food.