The Way of the Seed_Earth Spawn of Kalpeon

by Richard Dean Hall

The crowd quieted as a man with a broad smile stepped to the front. His clothing was distinct from that worn by the rest of the crowd. It was the same flowing, soft material, but it was devoid of any bright, contrasting colors. Instead, it was the cloud color of the clothing worn by Barjeen and Robfebe. His black hair was pulled back in a tight braid that hung to the middle of his back. He studied Ott for a few seconds with an intense but nonthreatening gaze, and then spoke in a clear voice. When the man finished, Ott shook his head. The language was foreign. He had understood nothing.

  The man studied Ott’s face for another moment. With deliberation, he tapped his palm to his chest. “Asil,” he said, and then repeated his name again.

  Ott understood and patted his own chest. “Ott,” he responded, with a nod.

  Asil’s face again broke into a smile. He pointed to Ott, looked to the crowd, and announced in a loud voice, “Ott.”

  Ripples of laughter spread through the crowd, and several people repeated Ott’s name. Asil next waved his arm toward Cha, Graf, and Yaan, who each in turn repeated their names with the same reaction from the crowd.

  The crowd milled about the newcomers and Asil studied them closer. They appeared healthy and strong with clear eyes and steady movement. Although they wore animal hides, the tunics and leg coverings were well made. The bows and quivers slung across their backs were well worn from use, but crafted with precision. They obviously had not come to trade. They had pouches, but carried no packs or trade goods. Where had they come from? Why had they come to the city of Catal?

  A woman stepped from the edge of the crowd. She had also been studying the newcomers, but from the edge of the crowd. She wore a white, tightly woven tunic that extended to midcalf and was cinched at the waist with a braided band of wide, smooth leather. High cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes the color of anthracite were in perfect symmetry with an aquiline nose and full lips that curved upward at the corners. In muted contrast to her olive complexion, thick black hair dropped to shoulder length, where it was tied off and continued to her waist in a tight braid.

  The crowd’s excitement quieted to a low murmur as the woman studied Ott and the others. She then turned to Asil with a smile and spoke to him in a low voice. When she finished, Asil turned to Ott while gesturing to the woman.

  “Ece,” he announced, looking back at her and dipping his head. At the sound of her name, the excitement returned. Asil waved Ott, Cha, Graf, and Yaan toward the ladders and the city of Catal.

  With the crowd flanking them on both sides, they made their way to the ladders and climbed to the offset wall on the next level, where they found two more ladders giving access to the top of the city. Ott scrambled up first, stepped to the parapet, and hopped down to the rooftop. His eyes widened at the sight before him. As far as he could see, the rooftop city was a sprawling maze of walkways, alcoves, plazas, and large, open areas spreading in all directions. The city was teeming with people. Spirals of smoke drifted into the air from small and large communal hearths both nearby and as far into the city as he could see. From a building that jutted up and off to the side, people peered down while children scampered along a wide passageway below. Ladders were positioned alongside higher structures, giving access to even higher rooftops. In every direction, the city was a spectacle of activity with people shouting, laughing, and moving about in their strange colorful clothing. Asil stepped to the front and motioned everyone forward down a wide walkway that extended far out to another maze of squared-off structures.

  Ott turned and looked out to the plain and the expanse of forest they had traveled through. Barjeen and Robfebe swirled in his mind’s eye. Someday he would understand.

  Repeated shouts of his name erupted, and he turned to see Cha, Graf, and Yaan calling to him. He rejoined them, and a moment later, with Asil leading the way, they continued farther into the city high above the plain.

  52

  As Asil led them along the central walkway, the trailing crowd seemed to lose interest and thinned to just a few people. The people they encountered along the walkway paid little attention to the newcomers, but all of them acknowledged Asil by name and a nod or wave. Alcoves and larger offset areas flanked the walkway on both sides. In some, craftsmen and artisans worked at their trades, while in others, people positioned different types of foods, including fruits, wild roots, nuts, and many things Ott and the others didn’t recognize.

  Graf walked to a large alcove and watched as a toolmaker went about his work. The man was older and had a look of quiet patience. Graf was joined by the others, and the man eyed them for a moment before going back to his work. He had a thick piece of leather over his left thigh, and on it, he held an oblong black stone. In his right hand he gripped a striking stone and repeatedly struck at the black stone. In between strikes, he ran his fingers over the black stone to determine where he would place the next blow. The man was fashioning a spearpoint, and Graf knew he was watching a master craftsman. With a final strike, a well-formed flake fell from the black stone. When finished, it would make a strong, sharp point.

  Satisfied with his progress, the craftsman looked back up to Asil and the strangers. Graf pointed to the obsidian flake admiringly. The man returned the compliment with a slight smile and spoke several words. Graf shook his head and motioned to his lips, indicating he didn’t understand the language. The man then turned his attention to Asil, and they spoke back and forth.

  Asil explained that the strangers had come from an unknown place and brought no trade goods, but they looked healthy and intelligent. He wanted to find out if they had any useful skills.

  The old craftsman looked back to Graf and then held up the striking tool while retrieving another piece of obsidian from the floor. He made a striking motion with the tool and nodded to Graf. Could the stranger knap tools?

  Graf understood the unspoken question and reached for the tool as he lowered himself in front of the older man. He studied the black stone and ran his fingers over it to gauge its thickness and faults, as he had done thousands of times before. When he had determined the strike points, Graf positioned the obsidian on his breeches across his thigh. Everyone looked on as Graf raised the striking stone and in quick succession struck several times at different points. He raised the striking stone high and swung down in a final, stronger arc.

  The stone connected with a loud crack, and a conical flake split off and dropped to the floor. Graf picked up the large flake and eyed it close to his face. It was almost perfectly symmetrical with uniform thickness and a tapered point. With some finishing work, it would make a near-perfect spearpoint. Graf extended the flake to the old craftsman, who took it and rotated it at eye level, examining it from every angle. It had been executed faster than he could have done himself. He turned back to Graf, astonishment spreading on his face. The stranger had the skill of a master toolmaker.

  The old craftsman looked to Ott, Cha, and Yaan and raised the flake in their direction. Ott understood and tapped his chest with one hand while making the striking motion with the other. He too could do the same. Cha and Yaan repeated the motions as the man next eyed them. They all had the skills of toolmaking.

  The old man smiled up at Asil. The strangers would indeed be of value.

  Asil smiled back. He knew what the old man was thinking, and his respect for the strangers was growing. What else could they do? Did they want to stay in Catal, or were they moving on to the villages of the north, or perhaps to the cities along the shores of the vast sea to the south? The answers would come, but for now, the strangers would be welcome.

  As Asil mulled his own questions, the old toolmaker approached Ott. Something had caught his eye. He peered around at the bow slung across his back. With the trained eye of a skilled craftsman, he studied the bow and realized almost immediately that they were exceptional. Ott looked down at the man as he studied the bow. He then hoisted the bow from his back and extended it to the craftsman, who examined it while running his hands over the entire length. His eyes widened a
s he realized the bow was by far the finest he had ever seen. Although heavier and longer than any bow carried in the city, it had a near-perfect symmetry and balance. Rotating the bow, the craftsman pointed to Ott and then swept his hand over the bow.

  Ott understood the gesture and nodded in affirmation. Yes, he had made the bow, and many others like it.

  The craftsman turned to Asil and spoke excitedly for several seconds while holding the bow for Asil to see. When he finished, Asil examined the bow more closely and then smiled and spoke back to the craftsman while gesturing toward the strangers. Yes, they could stay. They would be provided shelter in return for crafting tools, especially bows.

  Though the language was foreign, Ott understood. They would stay in this strange new place in exchange for their skills.

  As they continued, Yaan took notice of strange rectangular slabs of neatly bound wood. Some of them lay flat against the roof, while most were propped upright and supported by a pole. She approached one and was surprised by someone emerging from an opening beneath it. It was then she realized the slabs were hatch-like doors. She stepped to the opening and peered down. A sturdy ladder was secured to the front of the opening and extended into a large, open room with walls the same color and texture as the outer walls of the city. It was when she spied the hearth on the wall and the perfectly formed sitting area that the realization became clear. She was looking into a dwelling. The people of this strange place lived in hatch-covered dwellings and carried on their activities on the high rooftop above the plain.

  It was nearing late afternoon when the noise level diminished and the rich aromas from the cooking fires rose in the clear air. At the far end of the city, Asil led the group to a large area flanked on three sides by raised platforms covered with smooth plaster and topped with flat cushions. In the center of the area, a large, waist-high hearth sputtered and smoked with meats and round, hand-sized items that Ott didn’t recognize. A colorful green-and-white cloth flap supported by stout poles fluttered overhead, providing shade from the bright sun. The entire area was busy with men and women standing and talking in small groups while others ate from bowls and plates of carved wood and fired clay.

  The woman called Ece walked to Asil while nodding to Ott and the others. As she spoke to Asil, the gathering quieted and turned its attention to the newcomers. When Ece finished speaking, Asil addressed the gathering, and even though Ott and the others understood nothing of what he said, they did recognize their own names. When Asil finished, the gathering resumed talking and eating while gesturing toward the newcomers with smiles and nods of approval. Ece returned to her seat and motioned Ott and the others to do the same. Ott started to sit, but realized the bow and quiver slung across his back would be cumbersome. He carefully placed them on the ground at the far end of the sitting area. Cha, Graf, and Yaan did the same, and together they sat facing the hearth.

  A moment later, a boy approached them and extended a stack of four finely carved wooden plates. Ott stared at the plates quizzically and then looked to Asil, who drew a flint dagger, skewered a piece of meat from the hearth, plopped it on his own plate, and motioned to Ott and the others to do the same. A moment later, Ott, Cha, Graf, and Yaan were for the first time eating from plates.

  As the meal continued, Asil stepped to the hearth and retrieved four of the round objects and placed them on another plate. He stepped to Ott and the others and extended the plate. They each took one of the offerings. Ott eyed his for a moment and then bit into it. It was like nothing he had ever eaten. The texture was soft but not fibrous like wild plants, and the taste was new.

  Asil smiled and wondered again where these people had come from.

  While eating, Ott noticed three men talking amongst themselves while repeatedly gesturing toward the bows and quivers at the side of the sitting area. When they quieted, one of the men approached Asil and spoke while again motioning toward the bows and quivers. Asil turned to Ott and motioned that this man, like the craftsman before, would like to handle one of the bows.

  Ott retrieved his bow and extended it to the man, who accepted it with a smile as the other two men joined him. The three men examined the bow thoroughly and passed it back and forth several times. When they finished, the first man turned to Asil and spoke while pointing to the bow with a smile. Asil raised his hands and tilted his head to the side. Ott thought he understood. The man wanted him to make a bow for trade.

  Ott stepped to the man. He retrieved his bow and moved his hand around it in a carving motion and then pointed to the man, who nodded excitedly while pointing to his chest. Yes, he wanted a bow made by Ott.

  Ott next pushed the bow toward the man while waving his other hand toward his own chest. What would he trade for the bow?

  The man smiled again, motioned toward the other two men, and then raised three fingers. All three men wanted bows.

  Ott pointed to each of the men in turn while again tapping his chest. What would they trade for the bows?

  The men spoke to each other for a moment, and then the first man raised two fingers to his eyes. He then pointed them to Ott. He would show Ott what they would offer in trade, and the three men scurried off into the city while chattering excitedly. Asil seated himself, and the meal continued.

  After everyone had eaten, Asil rose and with a sweeping motion of his arm indicated they would continue farther into the city. As Ott and the others gathered their bows and quivers, Ece joined them, and a moment later Asil led the group back to the main walkway. They moved along to an area where the rooftop angled down to a lower level and closer to the edge of the rooftop. As they approached, Ott’s attention was drawn to strange noises coming from somewhere below. Although he knew the sounds came from animals, he couldn’t relate them to anything he was familiar with.

  Interest stirred, he peered over the parapet. Directly below in a large, solid-walled corral, a flock of sheep milled about with a smaller number of long-haired goats. At the front of the corral, several young men and boys were herding more of the bleating and baying animals into the enclosure. Cha, Graf, and Yaan joined Ott on the parapet as a railed gate was swung in place across the front of the corral and secured in place. They all stared down at the milling animals for several seconds as comprehension set in. They had never experienced any animals being controlled or held in an enclosure, and the reality was difficult for them to grasp. Where had these animals come from? How had they been captured? Why did they not run or panic? They stared in confusion until a shout from Asil signaled them back to the main walkway, where they continued toward the far end of the sprawling city and more revelations.

  53

  They approached the parapet at the far end of the city. Ott could smell water in the air and heard laughter and voices coming from below. With the twin volcanic peaks towering in the distance, he made his way on to the parapet and peered over. The river ran wide, slow, and clear as it snaked its way down from the mountainous area that gave rise to the twin volcanic peaks. It approached the city to the rear and meandered wide, running parallel to the side wall. In a large area between the back wall and where the river curved away was a large gathering of people, all naked.

  The entire area was covered in low rock formations and shimmering pools of different sizes. Water vapor spiraled in the air as men, women, and children of all ages cavorted about and others relaxed in the warm pools heated by the underground thermals from the distant volcanic peaks. As Ott and the others looked on in amazement, men and women smiled up, calling to Asil and Ece to join them. Asil shouted back to the people below and proceeded to a lower section of wall, over which a planked walkway extended down to a grassy area adjacent to the rocky formations. With Asil in the lead, the group descended and walked out on the grass, dotted everywhere with piles of clothing. Ece faced the group, and with a smile she untied the cinch at the front of her garment and shrugged it off. Completely naked, she walked out and across the rocks to a pool misty with vapors and slipped into the warm water. Asil slid in
beside her.

  As Ott surveyed the spectacle, Cha placed her bow, quiver, and pouch on the ground and removed her leggings and tunic. Ott swiveled his gaze around the pool, and when he came back to Cha, she stood naked by his side. Without taking his eyes from her, he began removing his own clothing. He dropped his clothes to the ground as Graf and Yaan, already naked, walked out into the warm mist. They all proceeded to the large pool, where Asil and Ece waved them forward. At the edge of the pool, they eased themselves into the water. Immersed to her breasts, Cha felt enveloped by comfort. She tilted her head back against the ledge and through half-closed eyes gazed through the sparkling mist at a brilliant blue sky patched with drifting, pearlescent clouds.

  As the sounds of people talking and children laughing drifted around her, Cha’s thoughts turned to all the places she, Ott, Graf, and Yaan had ever lived. From her earliest memories of the clan of Malan, through countless places and faces to the horror of the death of the clan of the bison, only Ott, Graf, and Yaan remained. Everything else was just memories through a time she had no way of measuring. And what of this strange new place? What new things would they see and learn? How long would they remain, and why would they leave? Cha pushed the thoughts aside and looked to Ott. The comforting water rippled around his shoulders, and his head rested back on the ledge, eyes closed. His smile was barely perceptible, but Cha saw it.

  The late afternoon was approaching when they retreated from the hot springs. Back on the rooftop, they walked along the main walkway until Asil took a turn onto a smaller walkway that ran between structures that rose on each side. They continued along until they finally emerged in an open area that extended back to the edge of the roof and the parapet. Midway to the parapet were two low-walled alcoves with raised seating and flat, raised work platforms. Beyond was a large hearth sheltered by a green-and-white cloth sunscreen that fluttered in the afternoon breeze. On opposite sides of the hearth, Ott spied hatch doors that he now knew led to dwellings.