by Allan Joyal
"How so?" I asked.
Yveney must have heard her name because she slowed down until she was walking only a few feet in front of me. "When we first set out to found our village, I worked as a shepherd. During our journey I had many opportunities to practice with a sling."
"What is that?" Culax asked.
Yveney pulled out what looked like a long strip of leather. She held it up and I realized that what she was holding was a square of leather with four strips of leather attached. As I watched she wrapped two strips that were adjacent on the square around the fingers of her right hand.
"What are you doing?" Culax asked.
"Give me a target to aim for," Yveney said. "It would be best if you point out a tree branch or knot in one of the trees to our left."
"You're going to hit it from here?" Culax said mockingly.
I looked at the trees that lined the river to our left. One had a twisted cluster of branches. "How about that one?" I asked pointing towards it. "But how are you going to do anything to it from here?"
The girl laughed. She took the other two strips of leather and pinched them in her right hand. I noticed that she pulled something from a pouch at her waist and dropped it into the leather square. "Just watch," she said as she raised her right hand and started moving her arm in a circular motion.
The leather strips pulled tight and I noticed that the square of leather was now spinning above her head in a circle. She kept it spinning for only a moment and then I heard the cracking sound that had surprised us earlier.
The center of the cluster of branches seemed to collapse. Yveney pumped her fist as she lowered her arm and the now loosely flopping leather.
"What?" Culax asked. He was staring at the broken branches. "How did you?"
"That's what a sling does. It provides a way to throw stones with great speed. If you practice enough, you can be very accurate," Yveney said. "I've had a lot of practice."
"Why practice that much?" I asked.
"At first it was just a way to protect our herds," Yveney said. "We were walking across plains that had not felt human footsteps in ages. Predators were a constant problem. Fortunately, few predators could survive a hit from a sling. All of us practiced whenever we could. We also got a lot of practice when a predator did approach."
"If you want to know more, you'll have to talk about it later," Aine said. "We're at the dock."
I looked up in surprise. The walk had been so relaxed I had stopped paying attention to our our destination. Directly ahead of us was the bank of a wide and slow-moving river. A platform of wood floated in the water. It had to be a couple boat lengths long.
"They use wood for a dock?" Culax asked incredulously. "How? And why are the logs still round?"
"We didn't have an operational sawmill when we first decided to put this in," Aine said. "And now that we do, there are more important things to work on. As for how we got the wood. We have cleared a lot of land while expanding our village. We have more wood than we can use quickly."
"Kaven!" I heard Panalope shout. "Are you unhurt?"
I looked up and saw that Ushcail had guided Gypsy to the upriver side of the floating dock. The ship was being tied to a couple of poles that were part of the dock structure.
I waved. "I'm fine. So far they are friendly."
"They are?" Panalope asked. "Who are they?"
"I'm just getting to know them," I said. "They haven't really said much."
"I can't understand them, how can you?" Panalope asked as she jumped onto the dock. "And why are they even here?"
I looked around for a moment. Culax and I had been allowed to walk onto the dock while Ron and his people remained on the shore. I quickly identified Ron, Aine, Krysbain and Yveney. There was another adult woman standing near Krysbain. She had her hair gathered up and tied behind the back of her head. I had never seen a woman's hair unbraided before. The woman was holding a thin stick and drawing something in the dirt as Krysbain and Ron listened.
Another adult male was standing near five small casks. He was checking each one carefully as a boy of maybe eight or nine years assisted.
I pointed to the casks. "They didn't explain the process to me, but I understand that they use the stone slab as a way to harvest salt from the ocean water. We happened to sail by on a day they were here."
"How do you know that?" Ushcail said.
"It must have been the bitch!" Culax said. "One of the younger women in the group said something strange while holding a staff above her head. There was a light from that staff and after that we could understand them and they understood us."
"How?" Ushcail asked.
"Could they actually have magic?" Panalope asked. "The legends talk about wizards, but I've never met one. I thought they vanished with the Empire."
"I don't know," I admitted. "Look, it seemed like they were mostly worried about Culax and I attacking them. They did ask a few questions about why we were here. But they didn't say much."
Ushcail nodded. "Kaven, stay with me. We'll try to parley. Culax, you can wait on the ship."
"Why me?" Culax asked.
"Because I've already heard you make a few nasty comments. They are fine when we are dealing with a galley captain, but I don't want to upset these people," Ushcail said.
"I'm hungry," Culax complained.
I started walking back down the dock. As I did I looked around for any signs of how these people had traveled to the area. The dock had no other boats tied to it.
Ron watched me walk up the riverbank. I was using one of the ropes anchoring the dock to the shore. "You seem to have a question," he said.
"How did you get here?" I asked.
Ron nodded to Ushcail. "Is that a question your captain asked?"
"What? How did you know?" I sputtered.
Ron laughed and waved. The girl who had used the staff walked over. She held the staff over her head and spoke a series of words I could not understand. The gem on the top of the staff flashed, sending out a bright purple light. A beam of this light settled on Ushcail's head.
"Hey!" Ushcail shouted. "Why are you doing that? What is this!"
"Shaylin knows some magic that will temporarily allow a person to understand and speak any language they hear," Ron said.
"Why couldn't I understand her?" I asked.
"The magic language doesn't get translated. I don't know why that happens," Shaylin said as she stood next to Ron.
Ron looked at Ushcail. "Greetings," he said. "I understand that you started your journey somewhere far to the east of here."
"We sailed for eight full days," Ushcail said. "Today is the ninth day since we left the islands. I'm not sure how far that would be."
Ron looked at Gypsy. "I won't be able to help you there. I have no idea how far a ship like yours can travel in a day. I am Ron, and lead this merry band of villagers. Your crewman said you came seeking some things?"
Ushcail nodded. "I am Ushcail. The young man you were talking to is Kaven. The other man is Culax. I apologize if he offended anyone."
"We are hard to offend," Ron said. He shrugged. "And now that I hear you just spent eight days in such a small ship I’m not surprised."
"It was all the wood we had available," Ushcail said. "Wood is very hard to come by."
Ron nodded. "Perhaps I can help with that. We can probably supply some wood."
Ushcail frowned. "We don't have anything to trade. The hope was that we would encounter some remnant of the Empire."
"We talked to people when we first decided to head to this coast," Ron said. "The wizards of the Empire started fighting over who would rule. The Empire fell during the fighting and the surviving humans abandoned the Eastern half of this continent."
"Half?" Ushcail asked.
"We traveled for more than twenty days before we arrived in our valley," Ron said. "And our travels were assisted when we stumbled on an abandoned magical library. A lingering spell we encountered shortened our travels by teleporting us eastward
."
"What if we tried to reach the other humans?" Ushcail asked.
"You'd have to sail southward to find a way to head west," Ron replied. "And I'm not sure the elves would allow you through."
"Elves?" Ushcail asked.
"Elves? What's an elf?" I echoed.
Ron looked up and then slowly scanned the area around us. "Where is Cimbra?" he asked.
"Waiting to make sure that it was safe to show myself," a woman's voice purred from the trees to the right of the dock.
I turned to look at the speaker. A woman walked out of the shadows. I heard Panalope scream. The woman had grey skin and white hair. She was wearing very little clothing. The other surprise was the strange pointed ears I could see under the white hair.
"Who?" I asked with a gasp.
The woman smiled. It was a surprisingly friendly gesture. "If you have already forgotten my name, I will have to wonder how you were able to sail here from wherever you came from."
"Cimbra?" I asked.
The woman nodded. "Sorry to surprise you and your crew. Back in Port Regal I'd be attacked if I tried to walk around. My people don't have a good reputation. Well, the others of my people. I belong to the village of Daytona now."
"You don't belong to us," Ron said in a tired voice. "I think even Borlan and Verval have said they accept you completely now."
Cimbra laughed. "We all belong to the village. Its our home."
"So your people won't let us sail to Port Regal?" Ushcail asked.
"My people live under the ground," Cimbra said. "Sometime in the past some elves decided to abandon the forests that had been their home. The entered some caves and founded cities far under the earth. I'm from those people. The elves on the surface still have fair skin."
"So you couldn't help us with them?" Ushcail asked.
"They hate my people more than humans do," Cimbra replied. "I can say that the elves will probably allow you to pass, but they might force you to wait for their council to make a decision. If you are planning on returning to your home islands soon, I would not recommend attempting to sail to Port Regal."
"You are sure it is there?" Ushcail asked.
"It sits at the mouth of the Elfwall River," Ron said. "We never visited, but we were able to confirm that the city exists long before we left the lands still claimed by humans."
Ushcail frowned. "What should we do? We only brought a limited amount of food and nothing to trade."
"Is there anything you would have to trade?" Ron asked.
I watched the captain frown. "I'm not an expert on trade. The islands don't have much. The soil is starting to fail according to Kaven."
"Kaven?" Yveney asked.
"He was a farmer," Ushcail said. "His family's farm is failing and he took the time to study what records we have. In the records we found references to a great Empire."
"We would be willing to trade for metals, precious gems, and fish," Ron replied. "We also do want to look into purchasing ships or contracting to have ships built for the future."
"We do?" Krysbain asked. "Why?"
Ron pointed up the river. "Well, right now we usually use a raft to get down the river, but then have to trek for several days to return home. Having some kind of boat capable of going up river would be a huge advantage and making traveling here easier."
"The winds would never allow us to use a sail," Krysbain said. "They blow towards the coast, so we couldn't use them to go upriver."
"Ushcail mentioned that they use galleys. A small oared boat would probably work. It would not be easy, but with practice we could probably return to Daytona in one day rather than three," Ron said.
Ushcail laughed. "You'd never get a galley across the ocean. No crew can row for nine days."
"Wouldn't it take more?" I asked. "We were outrunning galleys when we left Isla Magestica."
Ushcail nodded. "More, and I don't think any galley can carry that much food. But that doesn't solve our problems. We need to trade something for food and wood."
Ron smiled. "If you are willing, we can take a chance. First, our efforts today are done, but the sun is already starting to go down. We can camp here and offer you hot food."
"Hot?" Krysbain asked. "What would we be cooking?"
"Your wife appears to have returned with a buck," Ron said pointing to the south.
We all looked and could see a stocky woman with short brown hair approaching. She was holding onto a couple of poles. The ends were dragging in the dirt and held up the body of some large four-legged animal.
Krysbain smiled. "You just have to prove you are the best hunter we have don't you," he called out to the woman.
"You can't do all the work," the woman replied. "Oh, something is happening in the ruins to the south. Can I go investigate?"
"What makes you think that?" Ron asked.
"When I was there last night I set up a smoky fire in the tower we use for shelter. The smoke stopped long before the fire should have gone out," the woman said.
"If the tower you are talking about had a spiral staircase leading to the roof and the fire was made from wet branches and leaves, I put it out when we visited the ruins earlier today," I said.
The woman looked at me. "I thought there were too many people. Krysbain, why are these invaders still alive?"
"Why are you so eager to kill visitors?" Cimbra asked. "I thought my people were the bloodthirsty ones."
"You wouldn't hurt a fly unless it attacked Ron or Heather," the brown haired woman said with a laugh. "I'm not eager to kill them. But I don't want to be too welcoming."
"Why not, Lenoir?" Ron asked. "Daytona is thriving. Our harvests last year gave us more grain than we could use in a year and we are still opening up more fields for planting. The herds are growing. We don't have any major food shortages."
"I like the fact that I know everyone," Lenoir replied. "Everyone there is someone I trust. You know what the strangers did to Purahomp."
"Not entirely," Ron said. "But I appreciate your concern. However, right now we are talking to Ushcail and Kaven about some possible transactions. They sailed here from islands out in the ocean."
"And I see that to do that you are just standing around?" Lenoir asked. She stepped out from between the two poles she was holding and then pulled the poles over to Krysbain. "Here you can clean and prepare the buck. I'll get with Corwar and Thom and get a fire going. Let's talk to them around a fire."
Krysbain looked surprised. Yveney started laughing. "She got you," she said merrily. "But I'll help. We can use our usual camping spot."
Ron nodded. "Actually that's a good idea. The sun will be heading to the horizon soon, so you can camp with us tonight. We'll talk some more."
Ron and his friends all started walking to the south. They were angling for a gap in the trees. I turned to look at Ushcail.
"They aren't the Empire," Ushcail said. "But they appear to know what is going on, and they would be willing to trade. If we can get some wood we can obtain items we can trade back."
"Are you sure?" I asked.
Ushcail smiled. "Syrina's people have gathered many treasures over the years. They owe me a favor or two. I guess I'll have to collect."
Chapter 19: Talking to a Native
Ushcail and I walked back down the floating dock. As we did I looked more closely at the structure of the dock.
"Its made of a number of pieces," Hadlor called out. "I have been looking at it while you were up there talking with those strangers."
"Kaven? What was that woman? I mean, she was dressed in less than I'm wearing," Panalope said.
I looked at the young woman. Nine days on the ship had provided many demonstrations of how uncomfortable clothing was as it dried after being soaked with seawater. Panalope had finally wrapped her breasts with some strips of leather rather than wear a shirt. It left her shoulders and part of her torso bare, but the other crewmen never seemed to notice. I suddenly realized she probably felt very vulnerable wearing so little.
"The people we talked to called her Cimbra. She claimed to be an elf," I replied.
"But why is she with them?" Panalope asked.
"She didn't say. They were talking about the nearest large human settlement they know about. It would be many days sail from here if they are telling the truth and we'd have to sail past lands claimed by elves," I replied.
"Like her?" Lucis asked.
"No," Ushcail replied. "She said that some elves retreated underground long ago. I guess it changed them so they have the grey skin and white hair she has. She said the elves we might encounter would have fair skin."
"So what do we do now?" Hadlor asked.
Ushcail looked at Ron and his companions. They were setting up a fire a short distance to the south. They seemed to be well organized. The younger members of the group were bringing logs and branches over while Krysbain carefully stacked the wood.
"They invited us to dinner," Ushcail said. "And I think they want to talk about some possible trading."
"We have nothing to trade," Culax said angrily. "We can't give them anything."
"I think they are willing to trade based on a promise to return with goods to pay for what they provide," I said. "They didn't say much, but I get a feeling that they are rather prosperous."
"And they do have a freshly killed buck," Ushcail said. "So we'd have fresh and hot meat to eat."
"I could be very happy with that," Jessop said. "But can we communicate with them?"
"One of the girls seems to know magic. She can give you the ability to understand what they say," I replied. "But I can't promise she'll do that for you."
"I'm surprised they have so many women in the group," Lucis said.
"I get the feeling that they never expected to run into any other humans," I said. "Ron hinted that they had traveled far beyond the lands claimed by humans before founding a new village."
"Must be nice," Lucis said. "They don't have to deal with a Sere who demands to be given the best of everything."