Jadde - The Fragile Sanctuary

by Clive Ousley

  ‘I can, and I will.’

  Malkrin nodded. ‘Carry on helping him to manage this weapon; it will be of great use. Tomorrow I must begin the journey back to Cyprusnia. I will leave you and your father to help the allied tribes muster in the Brightwater lands.’

  ‘Do not return unprepared and bent on revenge. We cannot afford to let you sacrifice yourself in that way.’

  ‘I do not go off unprepared, woman. I have seen and fought the horror of the approaching quarter-men and that is enough to drive me on.’

  ‘You need to convince the Brenna, if not the priesthood, before you can even begin to muster our people to defend just Cyprusnia only. And then you must persuade them to come to the assistance of tribes they know nothing of. The Brenna will deny any other organised tribe even exist and will claim you have invented it all to gain re-admittance to Cyprusnia.’

  Malkrin paused for a moment, reluctant to acknowledge her logic.

  ‘They are not stupid. It will be obvious to them you are consumed by revenge.’

  She was right; he was not fully prepared and was hell-bent on retaliation.

  ‘Thank you Seara. I will discuss this with the Brightwater Senate, TrathWolf and representatives of the gathering tribes first. Together the leaders must find a solution before I return to Cyprusnia. I will keep my passions contained and find some undeniable proof to convince the Brenna.’

  Seara nodded and helped Palreth to sit upright. Then she swung her legs from the bed and whispered to him.

  ‘Rest Palreth, I will bring you food later.’

  Palreth lifted an arm in silent acknowledgement and immediately let it flop down as if it was not part of him.

  Malkrin followed Seara from the tree-home.

  ‘He must come with us tomorrow.’

  ‘He will, and I will be there to help him.’

  ‘I know.’

  Malkrin strode off to take up his lookout duty. Then at last in the early hours before dawn he was free to sleep. But he lay on a tree-house bed thinking of its last occupants all too recently slaughtered by quarter-men. Could the peoples prepare a defence substantial enough to protect the Brightwater lands and stem the demon tide? He drifted into sleep hoping and hoping.

  Seara awoke him with a cup of steaming broth. Her face again looked weighed down with grief. He began to console her but she interrupted.

  ‘It’s not just Olaff that saddens me Malkrin.’

  ‘What then child?’ he asked softly as he put a hand on her shoulder.

  ‘I tried to heal Eighth’s wound earlier and nothing happened. I felt cold and nothing warmed my hands. The healing deserted me.’

  ‘We have to get used to highsense lapses child. We both have grieving to do, stress and great loss affects our abilities.’ He looked into her large sad eyes, ‘but they will return – believe me.’

  Like a story told from end to beginning, the band journeyed back to Brightwater. They were joined by eighty of the most athletic Celembrie led by their super-fit leader Thicheal. The rest of his tribe were following and being watched over by most of his warriors. Malkrin hoped the Celembrie people would keep ahead of marauding quarter-men. If they were half as athletic as the warriors he saw with him now, he felt confident they would.

  With the distant roar of the great river in their ears the band passed a scouting group of Brightwater hunters and one ran back to break the news of the reconnaissance party’s return. Soon it seemed that everyone had left their work tasks to flood over the Lighthouse Bridge in celebration. But the cheering soon stopped as they noticed a Wolf warrior leading the group with a symbolic broken spear to proclaim another terrible loss. Then with a collective gasp people noticed the tired warriors carrying an ivy laced hammock containing the Eighth and then that BerantWolf and other warriors were missing. The group trudged passed lines of the silent people of Brightwater. Two young hunters solemnly took the hammock carrying the Eighth from two exhausted warriors.

  Word of the slain and wounded spread beyond the crowd at lightning speed and Malkrin noticed members of the Wolf Tribe join the crowd and push through urgently, to confirm the news of their fallen chief. Soon a wailing started to permeate through Malkrin’s exhaustion; it was BerantWolf’s wife and daughters howling in despair. Then the lamenting receded and as they took the path to the Senate building clapping started, hesitant at first then growing in volume as cheers of support were added. Heartened now he noticed heads rise bravely, and communal determination take over the crowd.

  Senate officials guided Malkrin, TrathWolf, Aldred and Thicheal to the audience chamber for an immediate conference. This time padded seats were arranged in a semicircle before the Senate. Malkrin smiled; no attempt was made to impress or intimidate them with any misplaced show of power.

  Malkrin and his companions were offered a meal which they devoured greedily having not eaten properly for days. The semi-circle of tribal representatives finished the food as members of the Senate marched in and sat adjusting their ceremonial clothing. He highsensed their anxiety which gathered over them all like the approach of a wild storm. Under this anxiousness he sensed a determination to prevail.

  The debriefing began.

  TrathWolf related every detail of the reconnaissance. It took an hour and Malkrin began to tire as recent events settled in his mind. The magnitude of the task ahead bore down on him, but then TrathWolf’s accounting of the heroic deeds of BerantWolf and Olaff and the genocide of the Sylva stirred in him a wash of anger which regenerated his resolve.

  Thicheal spoke with determination seeming to speak Malkrin’s thoughts. ‘We have a mighty task to accomplish, my friends. Some of you belong to tribes that until recently I had no idea existed; but we must all work as one to prevail over the quarter-men scourge.’

  There was a murmur of resolve from everyone around Malkrin.

  Thicheal continued, ‘I have some ideas on how to defend Brightwater and the lands beyond, and I ask you to add your thoughts to mine. These are desperate times and we must not just defend our peoples, we must wipe out the demon horde or we will have to retreat; then retreat again and again as the demons whittle us down. It may take a lifetime but I see that they will never give up until we are all mere piles of bleached bones.’ He looked around each person in turn to confirm he had their attention. ‘We must plan carefully now, or they will surely destroy all that we know.’

  Thicheal sat down suddenly as if the outpouring had deflated him.

  First of Senate stood and bowed in acknowledgement of Thicheal’s summing up of their predicament.

  ‘Yes indeed Chief Thicheal, thank you. We must now make urgent and detailed plans as you suggest.’

  Malkrin added his voice to the murmur of assent.

  First of Senate continued, ‘my librarian and his assistants continue to delve into our oldest records to see how our ancestors dealt with the quarter-men of their time. I also have discussed with my Senate about constructing defences. We have set up a workgroup to organise plans and labour to build fortifications around the Gorge of Golgoth. This should be enough to stop the demons entering our lands from the south.’

  Fourth of Senate, a grey haired woman in her middle years, rose, then added. ‘We must warn the wild men of Trothwell. For those here who do not know; they are on our easterly border and will be the first tribe to encounter the demons on that front.’

  ‘I will undertake that task,’ announced Ninth of Senate, ‘I have taken many hunting parties that way and know of their customs. I will take gifts also, to gain their allegiance.’

  First of Senate nodded, ‘take a hand of warriors and leave after this meeting.’

  The council lapsed into logistical planning and scribes fussed around taking notes. Malkrin rested patiently and thought of what had to be done to regain the Brenna’s trust. He thought of his initial resolve to search for Jadde and how his quest had been subverted by the threat of the quarter-men. And for the first time a suspicion arose. Were the Brenna so insular in outlook
they had no knowledge of the tribes that dwelled beyond their border or of the approaching Archgry threat? Had his crime been deliberately reported so he could be exiled to find out the true situation? Could it be possible that they actually expected him to return? And why were they so concerned about the stranger killed in front of his dear wife?

  And then he realised he had something that would allow him access to an audience with the Brenna and convince them about the approaching Archgry-quarter-men. He thought of the captured demon; it could unknowingly aid them.

  Then he checked in his pocket to ensure the three gold suns were still there. As he touched one he felt a strange power tingle his fingers – a kind of communication from someone or something. He snatched his fingers away: this was not the time or place to experience something unworldly.

  How had the gold emblem done that? With sudden insight he realised he had just experienced the first reawakening thought of the Goddess Jadde.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  ‘We must organise a system of fire beacons atop hills to warn of approaching demons.’ Third of Senate suggested.

  ‘And warn the Olephate tribe,’ added Thicheal.

  ‘And convince them to join us.’

  Thicheal itemised the weapons of the three hundred warriors at his command and told of his idea for fire arrows aimed at seams in demon carapaces. ‘To fry them from within,’ he stated and Malkrin sensed the spirits of the conference rise with this new killing technique.

  ‘I have two plans to add,’ Malkrin had all their attention. ‘I have a scheme to win round the rulers of my people. It will entail great powers of persuasion, but I believe I can accomplish this and bring back with me a thousand men to help annihilate the demons.’

  ‘How do you propose to persuade your bigoted brethren?’ sneered TrathWolf, ‘you barely stand above them as it is.’

  Malkrin ignored the insult, ‘I must take with me living proof of the challenge we face.’

  ‘You’re taking the caged demon,’ Talgour gasped.

  ‘Indeed, and I must ask a representative of each tribe to accompany me to add more weight and urgency to my argument.’

  There was silence as the logic of Malkrin’s plan filtered into their plans.

  ‘I will give you BalthWolf Bone-thrower, he is a greater persuader than you,’ sneered TrathWolf with a sly glint in his eye.

  Malkrin’s highsense intercepted TrathWolf’s thoughts, and realised the deviousness of the offer. BalthWolf was the temporary leader of the Wolf Clan appointed by BerantWolf before he left for the reconnaissance. TrathWolf was putting him well out of the way so he TrathWolf could assume unopposed leadership of his people. But it was a good offer of a potent ally and Malkrin accepted graciously whilst smiling coldly to acknowledge he knew why TrathWolf had offered Bone-thrower.

  ‘With the Senate’s permission I would like to accompany you,’ said Bevin Talgour.

  The First of Senate nodded assent.

  Thicheal added, ‘I will give you Mondroth of the Celembrie; he was of good service on your scouting was he not?’

  ‘He was, and I am pleased you offer him.’

  ‘And I will come’, a wavering voice from behind Malkrin announced.

  It was Palreth Tonell of the Sylve.

  ‘I have Olaff’s death gift to honour. And it will be of great use in persuading the Brenna. It is what Olaff would have wanted and with a part of him in me I am a member of the Seconchane now as well as the Sylve.’

  ‘Are you up to the journey Palreth?’ Malkrin asked.

  ‘Your kinswoman has worked her magic and I have Olaff’s talent safely within my mind. I will complete all that is asked of me.’

  Malkrin welcomed him, and sensed a growing mood of optimism as if the light through the yellow lens windows was bathing them with Jadde’s blessing.

  ‘To my other scheme, if I may my friends.’ Malkrin had their undivided attention, his last plan had gained enough approval to give them good reason his next would be equally as constructive. ‘When I left Cyprusnia . . .’

  ‘Expelled,’ corrected TrathWolf.

  Malkrin ignored him and continued, ‘. . . my sole concern was to find the Goddess Jadde and convince her of the need to bring justice to the downtrodden Seconchane. But now the need to find her for my own people’s need has been superseded by all our dire necessities. I propose that whilst I’m away someone carries on my original quest to obtain Jadde’s help for us all.’

  ‘And where do you propose we look, brave warrior,’ sneered TrathWolf. ‘There are rocks around my tent. Shall I look under them?’

  Malkrin had had enough of the snipping and reached for Palerin, ‘You wish to continue your grudge TrathWolf – let’s sort it once and for all.’

  ‘Be still, comrades,’ First of Senate commanded, ‘I acknowledge you Malkrin believe a Goddess will return to aid you in a time of great need. We at Brightwater do not share your conviction; but we can search some likely locations in case something still exists that may be of use in our mutual struggle.’

  ‘Like where?’ TrathWolf snapped.

  ‘The Pit of Vorbe comes to mind, where the great river flows into a metallic sphere and disappears. Also the deep lake of Ryland where legend has it Jadde’s eagle resides awaiting her bidding.’

  Malkrin was intrigued; the First had been researching Jadde whilst they were on the reconnaissance. The Brightwater people were certainly not leaving any possibility unexplored.

  ‘No chance,’ snapped TrathWolf, ‘they will be overrun with demons now.’

  ‘Malkrin’s idea has merit and I will send a party to attempt to search Ryland if the demons are not in evidence. And the team I send to the Wild-men of Trothwell can divert to investigate the Pit of Vorbe.’

  TrathWolf growled but sat down.

  Thicheal added, ‘I will add the Bylow Tarn to the list, there has been many a mysterious legend coupled with it. I will provide a section of warriors to go there.’

  The confrontation was resolved with the weight of consent, and TrathWolf deflated with a sigh. ‘Very well; do what you must.’

  Malkrin relaxed his grip on Palerin’s hilt and announced, ‘I will leave at first light tomorrow.’ He stood up. ‘I go now to make arrangements before the evening draws in.’ He bowed to the assembled allies and officials including TrathWolf. The ornate doors of the Senate chamber swung open and he strode into the dimming evening light.

  He found Halle with Seara in their quarters. Seara looked improved, her colour had returned and wisps of her inner healing caressed his highsense. He explained his plan in detail to aid them in representing the Seconchane in his absence; then went on to detail their particular tasks.

  ‘Halle, you must continue research in the library and look for a different interpretation from that of the Brightwater scholars. They do not believe in Jadde’s return but it has not always been so. So there may be records that they still dismiss that you can reinterpret. Search in particular for references to the Pit of Vorbe and Bylow Tarn. Look for the Goddess’s whereabouts, but also for information that will allow us to rebuild her weapons. There may be small details to add together, things the Brightwater people may have missed.’

  ‘I will do as you suggest Sire.’

  ‘And Seara; I notice your gift reignites, nurse the embers and feed them, so they grow to flame strongly again. If you can help wounded warriors return to battle quickly then you will be of huge benefit to the allied tribes. Study the book entitled ‘The Surgical Battlefield by Doctor Ivan Kollosky’ in the library; its ancient knowledge in treating injuries will save many lives. Use your time to learn from it and add the knowledge to your highsense. Then teach its knowledge to tribes’ women best suited to assist you. I think it will be a unique way of repaying your debts to Olaff.’

  ‘Olaff was the greatest, kindest man, and this will indeed be a great way to honour him. Thank you Sire.’

  Malkrin looked from one to the other; he had no greater friends.

 
‘I’ll bid you farewell, till we meet again. And don’t fret; there are great plans afoot to defeat the demons.’

  Seara hugged him, and Halle clasped his shoulders.

  ‘May Jadde go with you Malkrin, and give my love to Desira.’

  ‘I will.’

  Malkrin felt his eyes fill and strode out into the bustling street before his friends noticed.

  He settled wearily onto his bed in his apartment and viewed his full backpack and new leather shoulder scabbard for Palerin, gifted to him by the Celembrie people and graven by them with fine runes.

  All was prepared, but there was one more thing to do before sleep. Carefully he produced the three highsense suns and gingerly placed each one on the bed before him. As he did so he willed his highsense to observe in the back of his mind, and to remember and remind him later – lest Jadde try to charm him and cleanse his memory.

  He took one at random and examined it closely. The front was much the same as the Seconchane suns but this one had a symbol inscribed into the centre. It reminded him of an illustration from a musty book in the Brightwater library of the planets whirling around the sun. He turned the metal emblem over; it had an ornate sprung grip sealed into the gold metal; and was far superior in workmanship to the crude pins soldered onto the back of the Seconchane suns. He began to think his previous sun decorations were just poor imitations of these. The feeling resolved to a conviction as he noted the thickness of the metal in the centre of the symbol and the precision of the overall casting. It felt light – and powerful. In admiration he rubbed the front surface with the palm of his hand.

  In a flash his highsense displayed in his mind and he instantly knew that should he choose one facet specifically it would focus with speed and power. Carefully he placed the sun in a small leather pouch purchased in the Brightwater market.

  He picked up the second sun and examined it as he had the previous one. And nuances from previous highsense encounters vividly returned to remind him of how he had modified his gift on each occasion. A useful reminder and tool, he thought, and placed it in the pouch with the other.