“We are most honored indeed that you have chosen our humble planet for your honeymoons,” she said cheerily. “Come on inside, and let’s get you changed into something cooler before you melt in your heavy clothes!” She got no argument from the four.
Their castle and fortifications were made of imported gray granite. Here at Paru, the island rose a whopping fifty feet above the sea level. The constructions themselves were built to withstand heavy storms, and its walls were just ten feet tall. Even the castle itself only had two stories, but it was a sprawling complex with many smaller stone buildings. They were given a pair of adjoining bridal suites, and Lami had already set out traditional planet clothing for the four. A half hour later, all four wore the typical blue shorts and flip-flops, with the women also wearing a skimpy blue top identical to Lami’s.
Their hosts then led them to a dining room, where Lami had drinks already prepared for their guests. Sipping their delicious drinks, whose taste was enchanting, Baron Hajime chose this opportunity to tell them, Zoran in particular, a bit about his world. Although he was classified as Neutral, he wanted Zoran to be favorably inclined towards him. Hence, this vacation gift was really a political maneuver for him.
“Ah, much better. I see Lami’s choice of island clothes suits you four well. Comfort, that’s the key here in the islands. By the way, do you realize that your Circle of Ascension is the eighteenth built, not the seventeenth? Ours here in this castle is the seventeenth,” Baron Hajime coyly began his history lesson and in politics.
“What? Eighteenth? Wait, are we missing a planet?” Zoran asked, suddenly quite confused. To his knowledge, there were only sixteen planets in the Federation, sixteen Circles — well now seventeen counting his new one.
Hajime grinned, knowing that he had Zoran right where he desired, playing him would be child’s play. “Yes, yours is the eighteenth. Mine here is the seventeenth, the last Circle that Bandar Zar ever created. However, there are only sixteen planets in the Federation. You see, Asami had to have its rebuilt. Let me tell you our story.” All four listened to his tale, none more so than Zoran.
“Baron Asami, who discovered this planet more than two and a half centuries ago, had Bandar Zar build him a Circle of Ascension. Asami, as you have seen, is an ocean world. Yes, we have many yachts that sail the seas. You are sitting on the largest land mass on the planet.” He paused, allowing them to show their surprise, though it only confirmed what they had seen as Zoran had shown them, while he was trying to find this island.
“Yes, Shimamori is the largest island and this city, Paru, is the largest. Our world has two hundred thousand six hundred and five islands scattered around the blue waters. Most lie within a thousand miles of the equator. None are anywhere near the poles. Indeed, you are sitting on the highest point on Asami.”
“Wow. Do you have storms here?” asked Zdenka, starting to understand the world a bit better.
“Yes, that is our biggest problem, always has been. We get squalls nearly daily in the equatorial zone, but that’s just rain, refreshingly warm usually. Each fall, we have a hurricane season. Sometimes these hurricanes wreak havoc on our low lying islands. We’ve had islands completely disappear during a hurricane. Back in the days of our founding by Baron Asami, that is indeed what happened. A hurricane completely obliterated his fortress and castle, submerging two thirds of the then largest island. Today, only a long, thin strip of that original island remains. It is called Shima Yubi. Our second largest city, Tesaki, lies on the extreme eastern edge of the island. We call that our get-away island. You can walk or ride an open carriage for a hundred miles along the thin strip of island that yet remains. On either side, but mere feet from the grassy knoll on which the road lies, are some of the best beaches we have to offer. Spectacular. It is remote and isolated, perfect spots for honeymooners. Yet, you can easily return to civilization in Tesaki.”
“Along this thin strip, the swimming is superb. The waters are warm and shallow, allowing you breathtaking views of underwater life which thrive here on Asami. I highly recommend that you spend some of your private time riding along that strip.”
“I do hope that you like sea food, for that is our main dish here on Asami. All grains, for example, must be imported and are thus highly expensive. In Tesaki inns, you can find some of the very best the sea has to offer. Indeed, Asami exports all manner of produce from the sea, from delicious sea weeds to a tremendous variety of fish to the exotic, such as squid and octopus and oysters. I suspect coming from Brn on Adapazan that you have rarely eaten much ocean fish. Hence, you might try the delicacy called swordfish. Those fillets taste remarkably like your steaks. In fact, I once made a gaffe at the High Council, complimenting the baron on such quality swordfish, when in fact it came from a cow or so I was informed.”
“I highly encourage you all to travel that road and go for long swims. Since you are all Mages, you can cast water breathing spells and truly enjoy and admire the teaming underwater life which is so abundant here on Asami.”
“Oh you certainly must!” Baroness Lami interrupted her husband. “You’ve never seen anything like our underwater world. So colorful, so wild, so magnificent. Why there is nothing in the entire Federation of Planets like it. You just must spend time underwater!”
Her husband picked up the conversation once more, “Speaking of oysters, I’ve seen you admiring Lami’s magnificent set of matching pearls. Yes, pearls are our number one export, beyond seafood. Pearls fetch an enormous price on other worlds, allowing us to import the many necessities that we cannot produce. In fact, all this stone you see in the fortification and castle came from Adapazan centuries ago. Pearls form our main economic base, along with seafood.”
“So I must give you this warning which I give to all our visitors. Searching for pearls is strictly forbidden in all areas but one. We have pearl hunting villages scattered throughout our world. In fact, there is one called Ma-meido which is located at the opposite end of Shima Yubi from Tesaki. These villages are heavily guarded, as you might expect. No visitors are allowed in there. Don’t worry; if you drive your carriage to close to Ma-meido, the guards there will let you know.”
“However, we know that many tourists would just love to try their hand at pearl hunting. So we have set aside one location for this express purpose. Shimatou is a small island totally setup for pearl diving. There, guides will assist you in finding the best locations to dive and search for the oysters and pearls. You ought to plan to spend one day of your honeymoon on Shimatou diving for pearls. Often visitors find some which make lovely gifts for their wives and girlfriends. Of course, if you wish to purchase a set of pearls, that can be arranged as well. Some barons prefer to just buy a matching set for their wives, rather than dive for the pearls themselves.”
Baroness Lima interrupted him, “You must come to our sunahama yakara tonight. Each evening, we have beach parties on our sandy beaches. Food is roasted over a charcoal fire. You just must try our hoshinori kashu, seaweed wine! It is superb. Musicians play and everyone dances barefoot in the warm, soft sands. I guarantee that you will have the time of your life. Everyone does, you know.”
“Great! It sounds wonderful. Party time indeed! Bernard, we just must!” Jarka exclaimed. Now they were speaking to her heart’s desire! He grinned and squeezed her hand.
“Excellent, we’ll come for you at five tonight then. Be prepared to become stuffed and dance until your legs fall off. Oh yes, you can also go for a swim as well. Many do just that as well. Baron Zoran, I think you will rapidly see why Asami is and remains a Neutral planet. We have no mighty armies and no means to equip them if we did. If we, for example, took your side in your battle with Baron Kazimir, there is virtually nothing that we could offer in the way of aid. It is folly for us to take sides, just useless. Yet, we can offer much in the way of friendship and certainly a wonderful respite. Asami has been called the vacation planet of the Federation.”
“I understand,” Zoran replied, realizing that he’d
just been worked over politically. He grinned, “Besides, any army trying to conquer Asami would have an awful time of it. What would they do? Island hop while swimming in their plate armor?” Everyone chuckled at his colorful jest. “No, I can see why you must maintain your Neutrality with all planets. You can count on my support for just that, Baron Hajime.” Zoran gave him what he thought the Baron wanted to hear. He hit the mark squarely; the Baron smiled broadly.
“Oh, I almost forgot. Another activity that is quite popular with both tourists and our own people is to go for a lengthy sailboat excursion on the ocean. You noticed my personal yacht when you came, I’m sure. At nearly every town you can rent a yacht and go for a sail. They can be rented with or without a crew to sail them. However, I must insist that unless you are competent sailors, you take one with a crew to sail her for you. There are some very nice yachts in Tesaki. I will send word to the harbor master there so you can take any yacht of your choosing out for a trip. It’s on me. I trust that you don’t get seasick however.” He teased them, for frequently guests did get seasick.
After the meal was done, the four got a tour of the castle and the city of Paru. By the time they had seen the sights, it was time for the sunahama yakara, the sandy beach party. It was everything Lami had said and then more! They dined on an exotic, but delicious meal, heard the most fascinating local music, danced barefoot in the warm sands, and even took a cooling-off swim, before more dancing. It was late before they finally turned in for the night.
In the wee hours of the morning, Zoran had his nightmare once more, only this time the images were even more vivid than before! Somehow his nightmares, he and Zdenka concluded, must have or be tied to Asami! But how and why remained a mystery. He hoped that one night these would end.
The next day, Baron Hajime took them to Shima Yubi and the town of Tesaki, where he had another smaller fortress and castle built for his son, Duke Goro Yoko. “Hi pop! What’sa up?” Goro teased as they walked in on his late breakfast on his patio overlooking the beach and sea. Goro was a young lad, in his early twenties, a splitting image of his father, tall, and thin. He was obviously very laid back in manner, which Baron Hajime disliked.
“You must forgive the insolence of my son,” he apologized for Duke Goro. “You embarrass our important guests. Baron Archmage Zoran Vladislov, Baroness Archmage Zdenka, my impertinent son, Duke Goro.” He glared at Goro, whose cheery face became instantly serious.
Dressed in very short shorts and flip-flops, he quickly rose and stood at attention, as though he were some soldier being addressed by his general. “Very pleased to meet you, Baron Archmage Zoran! Wow! You are the youngest Baron in the Federation! Way cool!” He shook Zoran’s hand vigorously. He then shook Zdenka’s hand politely.
His father continued, “These are their friends, Mages Bernard and Jarka Dragan. They are here on Asami for their honeymoon. Whatever they desire, give it to them. Please, show our esteemed guests the very best of times. Where is Kimiko?”
“Sure thing pops,” he replied, lapsing back into his cheery manner once more. “She’s feeding our baby. Ah, here she comes now.” Kimiko had very long black hair and eyes to match. Like Goro, she too wore only very short shorts and flip-flops. She wore no top and her rich full breasts were more than visible.
Hajime grimaced, but explained, “You must forgive them. She is nursing their son. It is our custom to leave a woman’s beasts exposed while they are nursing. It is better for the health of their babies and themselves.” Kimiko seemed not to notice the stares of the guests and shook everyone’s hands as Baron Hajime introduced everyone a second time.
“So glad that you have chosen our island. It is a favorite of honeymooners,” Kimiko explained. “Baron, you may rest assured that Goro and I will show these important guests an honorable time.” She attempted to counter the annoyance that Goro had already instilled in her father-in-law. She succeeded. Baron Hajime relaxed. He suggested that they try a yacht cruise, sea diving, and a ride along the island. He then excused himself and returned to Paru.
“Kind of stuffy, don’t you think? I mean dad,” Goro teased, motioning the four to have a seat. “Had breakfast? Probably so, knowing dad. Out here on Shima Yubi, we are totally not formal. Fun is the name of the game. Ever been sailing on a yacht?”
“Er no,” Zoran replied.
“Okay, that’s what we’ll do today. That and some sea diving.”
Kimiko added, “I’ll see that we have a big sunahama yakara ready for you when you get back. Goro, make sure you are not late. Be back by five at the latest. I’ll prepare swordfish for you. Most off-worlder’s prefer swordfish. I think it tastes more familiar.”
“Will you have some of your other delicacies?” Jarka asked curiously. “I’m game to try almost anything. What does octopus and squid taste like?”
Bernard grumbled, muttering, “I’ll stay with the swordfish.” Everyone chuckled.
By eleven, Zoran’s party walked onto the main deck of Goro’s yacht. Really, he explained, it was a two masted schooner, though the significance was totally lost on the four. He had a crew of six and before long, the ship tacked out into the open waters. All four stared at the distant horizon and the waters below them, crystal blue.
“Come on; let’s lay out in the sun!” Goro declared once they were well underway. “Nothing much to see. Like this.” He laid out a towel and then laid down, basking in the warm sunshine. The four followed suit. “Nothing like a lazy cruise in the sun, eh?”
“I admit this is pretty amazing,” Jarka volunteered. “I’ve never seen a sea before, let alone a boat. It is really big, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but smaller than dad’s yacht. Not much to do around here really, except party on the beach. I mean we do have fishermen and dryers — they fillet and dry the fish and sea weed, pack them, and store them for shipping and such. Rather boring jobs if you ask me. Then of course, there are the pearl divers, but those areas are off limits to all off-worlders. Centuries ago, they caught too many visitors stealing our precious, valuable pearls. However, dad’s got one place setup where you can go diving for pearls, but if you find any, they will be small ones.”
“Makes sense,” Zoran replied.
“Say, do you know that once this island was the largest on Asami? Two and a half centuries ago a hurricane struck with such violence that nearly all the island sunk! Our original Circle of Ascension was here and was lost. No one has ever found it; storm washed it completely away. Had to make us a new one, Bandar Zar did. Zoran, I cannot tell you how excited I am now that you and Brother Jiri Zar have begun to make new Circles! Dad’s going to have one built here on Shima Yubi again for me! Not sure just when he’s going to build it, though. Brother Jiri wasn’t certain on the time. Yep, Zoran, one of these days I will be Baron Goro and come and join you on the High Council! Won’t that be something?”
He chatted merrily away for hours. Zoran and friends learned quite a lot from his idle chat. Around two, they dropped sail. “Ah, here we are. I brought you to my favorite reef. You can all cast Breath Water, right?” Zoran nodded and he continued enthusiastically, “Great. We’ll go for an underwater swim. You have to see the sights. This spot here is absolutely fantastic. You’ll never see anything like it. I promise you. Come on. Cast your spells and dive in. Follow me.”
He cast his spell and dove from the main deck making a perfect dive into the clear blue ocean waters. Zoran and friends followed suit, though all four chose to jump into the waters. None had ever dived before and it looked a bit too scary to try. For an hour they swam around underwater. Goro was understating the sights! Multicolored fish, breathtaking coral, undulating seaweeds, the group was mesmerized by the beauty before their eyes. The swim ended all too soon for them. Jarka even got to see a small octopus, something she talked endlessly about for days to whoever would listen to her.
Goro was true to his word and had them all back before the five o’clock sunahama yakara, which Kimiko had prepared for them. This one prove
d even more entertaining, since only younger folks attended. They dined on ten different dishes, drank more than enough wine, danced, swam, and generally had fun. The party ended at midnight, not ten as with Hajime. Now Zoran appreciated Goro’s late morning breakfast. They partied half the night away and slept in to compensate.
Once more, Zoran’s nightmare woke him from his deep sleep. This time, the images, the emotions, the feelings were vividly real. Zdenka became even more worried about him, but had no idea what she could do for him. This frustrated her and she resolved to speak to Uncle Milan about it, discretely of course.
Zoran appreciated taking breakfast at ten the next morning. He had a slight hangover from all of the wine he’d consumed at the party. Goro explained, “Well, I suppose that today you newlyweds ought to take a ride down honeymoon road. That’s what we call the hundred mile long stretch of island between here and the pearl diving town of Ma-meido. Usually, they drive their own carriage. Honestly, the strip of land is only a couple hundred feet wide the whole way, narrower in places. It is totally isolated so you can stop and do what you like nearly anywhere without being disturbed. All along there, the beaches are perfect on either side of the road, so you can go for a swim anywhere. Now if you want an insider’s tip, I’ll give it to you.” He’d lowered his voice and sounded mysterious.
“Sure thing, please do,” Jarka insisted. She had to know what his tip was.
He grinned and whispered, “What most honeymooners do is find an ideal spot and then take their brides in for a swim totally naked. You have to try it; you will love it. The waters are warm, perfect for fun and frolicking. We all do it around here, but don’t tell dad. He doesn’t like us all doing that.” Jarka’s face broke out into a big grin. She looked at Bernard, who replied in kind. Zoran knew that this would be the first thing that those two did!
Zoran Chronicles Volume 1 A Dragon in Our Town Page 30