The First Kingdom

by T. S. Valmond

“It hurt me to learn of it, but it was true. He was in love with another and didn’t want to do his duty and marry me.”

  “No offense to you mother, but why did he? Why didn’t he follow his heart?”

  “She wasn't ready for noble life. She had a genetic infirmity that would make childbearing difficult or impossible. The former chieftain couldn’t take that chance.”

  His mother’s face looked sad for a moment before she smiled at him again. She found Sanee’s hand and placed it in her own.

  “Your father was resistant to the marriage, but soon learned to love me. He realized his father’s wisdom when the girl he’d wanted to marry died of her disease only a short time after our marriage. Maybe that helped him to move on a little faster, but it was the right thing for him to do for his community. A chieftain with no wife and no children cannot engage the respect of this people. When you are their leader, this is all that will matter.”

  “I don’t want this. Don’t you understand? I love—” he hesitated looking for the words to describe her, “someone else.”

  “Why have you never mentioned her?”

  “There’s no need, father would never approve of her and the one time he met her…” Sanee would never forget that rage. “He wouldn’t approve of her.”

  “Well, if your father has met this girl and disapproves of her, then you know what you must do. For the sake of your inheritance and the future of our people.”

  “And what of my heart? Will I sacrifice it and the heart of my true love as well?”

  “It seems you must.” His mother rose. “Remember something,” she said as she reached the door. “You were born to this and I will not apologize for giving my husband sons who can rule in his place. I’ve given him something he would never have achieved with his first love.”

  As she walked out of the room, the guard shifted in front of the door again, leaving him lonely but not quite alone. His mother had been firm about her convictions, but she’d said something he hadn’t considered before. He was one of two sons. If he chose another life, his brother would be forced into the position of chieftain. Well, they'd all better get used to the idea of his brother being the future chieftain. They’d separated him from Adera for the last time.

  Sanee opened the doors, and the guards took formation, clicking their large staffs against the floor. They were older, accustomed to being assigned to his father.

  "I’m sorry, I need help in here. Can you come in and check the window? It appears to be stuck and I’m trying to get some fresh air in here without breaking it."

  “I’ll do it,” said the one from the left.

  Sanee didn't like deceiving the men this way. They’d be punished for not doing their duty but he had to find Adera before she gave up hope. He’d already missed their original date, but he knew where he might find her waiting.

  The guard put his staff down, resting it against the wall, and put both hands on the window, lifting it open. “There doesn’t seem to be a problem with the window.” While the guard had his back turned, Sanee picked up the abandoned staff and hit him in the back of the neck. The guard fell forward, hitting the ground. By the time the second guard turned toward the sound of the thump on the floor, Sanee stood in front of him. He gave the man a hard knock between the eyes with the same staff. He snatched up a cloak and left the room, leaving the unconscious guards inside. Then he raced for the water’s edge.

  “Adera? Adera, my sweet, are you near?” He tried to sing the words, but they came out strangled from his heavy breathing and whispering.

  A cry from behind him and commotion of movement meant that they’d already found the guards. It wouldn't be long now before they would come this way to find him. He grabbed a boat, threw the staff inside, and pushed it out into the frigid water, letting the waves take it further out. Before he got too far into open water, he veered south and paddled for their secret meeting place. He’d taken Adera there many times. He could only hope she’d be there waiting for him.

  It was dark when he arrived. He couldn't see his hand in front of his face. The large moon’s light had clouded over, the darkness impenetrable. He’d stumbled several times on his way there.

  “Adera? Adera, my love, are you near?” He called out repeatedly, but there was no response. He raised a hand to his head. The hunters would scour the woods for him soon. If she was around and he’d missed her, she’d be in danger. He heard hunters making their way in his direction and ducked behind a tree. If he hadn’t, he’d never have seen the arrow sticking out of it. He snatched it down and pulled off the note.

  The symbols were odd. He had trouble making them out. It looked like the symbol for north next to something else. There wasn't enough time to think about it. He heard the hunters not far behind.

  Sanee shoved the message into his pelt and waited for the hunters to pass. They didn’t even see the little meeting place, it was so well hidden. The sound of more hunters had him panicked. He could stay here and wait for her, but he’d be caught before morning. His only chance was to head into the frigid water. No Karmirian would dare risk the icy waves at night.

  He swam along the edge of the embankment, waiting for the hunters to pass. As he passed by a large overhang of trees and brush, he pushed out further into the water to avoid it. Then something snaked up his legs and snatched on. His brain didn't register the trap until it was pulling him down below the surface. He gasped and fought against it, but to no avail. The more he struggled, the higher the trap climbed his body until he couldn't move his arms or legs.

  The water engulfed him as he fought the entanglement. Drowning, his last thought was of Adera and how sad she would be when she learned of his death. His entire body was hoisted up and into a boat. He sputtered and coughed as the water came rushing out of his lungs.

  “That’s no merman,” a boy with orange hair cried out.

  “He’s all red,” said the one with blonde hair.

  Sanee shook off the net they’d cut from his limbs and continued to cough up sea water over the side of the boat. The two boys laughed, one of them pounding on his back to help relieve him of the sea water.

  “Sorry, we were fishing for mermaids and I guess we found you.” The red-haired boy shrugged.

  Sanee was freezing, and he shivered as he spoke.

  “A Karmirian getting caught in a trap set for a merman makes for a quick enough death.”

  “Wow, don’t you talk funny,” said the blond boy.

  “He’s a Red-man, that’s how they talk,” said the orange-haired boy. “Pass him the blanket. He’ll freeze faster than a froatog in a lancaster.”

  They spoke in such a strange cadence. Sanee caught the words but not all of them held meaning for him. Like, what was a lancaster? When they placed a warm blanket over him, he nodded and muttered a thanks despite his teeth chattering with cold.

  “I’m Neke,” said the orange-haired boy, using one hand to point to himself. “This is my twin brother, Jiden.” He placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder.

  Other than the hair, the two boys were identical. Sanee had never seen orange hair before. Their skins were so white, like the moon. Glancing over the boy’s shoulder, he could see the hunters with lamps making their way toward the water’s edge.

  “Sanee.” He pointed to himself. “If we stay here, we’ll be caught by Karmirian guards. We must go.” He nodded and picked up a paddle and moved their boat south.

  “Hey, no, Red-man. Sanee. We want a merman.”

  “Mermen easily avoid these traps. Yours wouldn’t catch a mermaid’s baby.” Sanee shook his head and paddled south. The two boys looked at each other.

  “You know about the mermen?” Jiden asked.

  “Adera the love of my heart is a mermaid,” Sanee said, his eyes focused on the water.

  Jiden nodded to Neke, who picked up the other paddle and propelled them even faster.

  “We’ll help you find this mermaid if you tell us everything you know,” Jiden said.

 
Sanee looked back at the two boys. They looked innocent enough, but there was something playful about them. They were young but they might be able to help him decipher the message. He pulled his paddle out of the water when he reached Dead Man’s Pass.

  “What’s got your face in a crunch?” Neke asked.

  Jiden and he both looked ahead at where they were going, then back at him.

  “This place is known as Dead Man’s Pass. We cannot cross here.”

  The two looked over at the beach and laughed.

  “Sure we can. This is our camp.”

  Jiden took the paddle from Sanee and took his place.

  The cool air brushed across his damp skin, making Sanee shiver. He picked up the blanket again and put it over his shoulders. It would be worse now, he realized, as he crossed into forbidden lands. He wasn’t sure what was to come, but it seemed these young humans knew the area and had already survived it. If it meant he might see his Adera again, he would risk it. He wrapped himself tighter in the blanket and kept his eyes and ears open for danger.

  They reached the beach without incident. It was considered the Mermen’s beach. Karmirians had spotted mermen in this area for years. The two boys jumped out of the boat and pulled it up and into the bush. Sanee climbed out and watched as the two boys covered the small boat with nearby brush that had been cut to fit. Then they marched off into the woods, leaving Sanee trailing behind them.

  When they reached a small clearing, Sanee saw their encampment. It had a fire pit surrounded by stones. Jiden and Neke each went to a side and lifted a tall pole that held up an end of their lean to and set them in their pre-dug holes. There was enough room for them to all sit underneath.

  Jiden lit a fire, to Sanee’s relief. The warmth seeped into his bones as they prepared their catch from the day. Neke set the large fish onto two long sticks he rotated over the fire pit.

  Sanee hadn’t eaten most of the day out of defiance to his father and only now realized his mistake. He was famished and his stomach protested with a loud groan at having to wait for food.

  “This one’s as hungry as a pregnant puge,” Neke said as he and his brother prepared their supper.

  Jiden snatched up three large tree leaves and rinsed them in sea water. He placed one on the ground in front of each of them. Neke placed the cooked fish across the leaves. He and his brother pulled on the opposite ends of the sticks so that only the fish remained. They each used their stick to cut off a piece of fish for themselves. Neke cut off a third piece for Sanee, who had to pick at the hot fish with his fingers.

  When they had eaten the fish down to the bone, Jiden hung the wet blanket over the side of their lean-to so it would dry by morning. Warmer and with a full stomach, Sanee figured he was ready for anything. He remembered the note. He pulled out the damp note and lay it down in front of him. Despite the smudging of the text, it was still readable.

  “This is a foreign text. Have you seen it before, can you decipher it?”

  Jiden and Neke both looked at the script before shaking their heads.

  “This symbol is for the direction, north I suspect. The other, I’ve never seen. I don’t know what to make of it.”

  “I believe it to be a message for me from my dearest love, Adera,” Sanee said, trying to imitate the order of their speech.

  “Adera.” Neke pulled out a stick and used it on the dirt in front of him. He made the letters and his brother nodded, adding the correct flourish to each.

  “That’s it.”

  Sanee stared at their strange script and then at the note in his hand. Yes, that was it. The letters weren't the same style but carried the same meaning. Adera. She’d left her name and the direction she travelled, along with the symbols on the bottom of the page from the bracelet he’d given her as a boy. She didn’t understand them, but knew he would.

  “Then I’m going north.” Sanee stood, but the boys pulled him by each arm back down.

  “Not so fast, Karmirian. You can’t see in the night any better than us. Tonight, we rest. Tomorrow, at first light, we’ll go hunting for your Adera. You owe us mermaid tales, my friend.”

  Sanee tried to imagine what they meant by mermaid tales. His confusion must have shown on his face because this time Jiden slowed down his words.

  “At night, can’t see,” Jiden said, using his hands to gesture at the same time. “Sun tomorrow, we go.”

  “Yes, all right,” Sanee said in agreement.

  The three lay down next to the fire and slept. Sanee dreamed of Adera and what he would say to her when he found her.

  6

  “HOW DO A MERMAID AND a Red-man get together, anyway?”

  “Karmirian by the sea shore, mermaid in the water, first we were friends and then so much more.”

  Poge looked at Adera, waiting to see if she would elaborate.

  “Huh,” she said when Adera said nothing more on the subject. “Okay, but didn’t you see him with that other girl? I mean, he’s not exactly waiting around for you.”

  “He will come for me. I will wait for he.”

  “I’ve not known many Karmirians to be very loyal.”

  Adera stopped dead in her tracks and frowned.

  “Of the Karmirians, you know next to nothing. Hold your tongue girl, and stop your blathering.” Adera’s bright hair swirled around in a huff as she continued walking.

  “Look, I wasn’t trying to offend. You’re right, I don’t really know them. But I see well and I see a lot. It’s my job to monitor what the other tribes and peoples are doing. I’ve learned a lot of languages from listening but I learned a lot more from watching.”

  “Your habit is one of looking with the eyes. But only true contact will spot the lies,” Adera said. She whipped her hair back just in time for an arrow to wiz past her.

  “To ground,” Poge yelled as she pulled her own bow out and braced her arrow, pointing it in the direction from where the shot had come. Nothing came out of the woods. Then she heard the sound: a soft clicking.

  “I am Poge, I come from Joro. Speak your name and speak plain.”

  “I am Feoma, of the Tero. Lower your weapon and show yourselves.”

  Poge stood up and tapped Adera on the shoulder, urging her up from the ground. Adera watched, fascinated, as the two greeted each other.

  Adera was unsure if this person was a man or woman. Dressed in men’s clothes like Poge and wearing short hair, it was impossible to tell.

  They grabbed arms in greeting and spoke so fast that their words blended together in a jumble of excitement.

  “What are you doing out here? Don’t you know there’s a war going on?” Feoma began.

  “Why do you think I’m out here? I’m hoping to gather as much information as possible before I return to my people. Of course, we are always willing to share what we've gathered with the Tero.”

  “It is unsafe for a woman and the two you of you hardly pass for boys.”

  Poge looked over at Adera. “Well, she doesn’t, but I look almost like a boy.”

  The woman turned her attention to Adera. “I am called Feoma, after my mother. You are welcome. Let’s welcome one another,” she said, holding up a splayed hand to Adera. Her voice was lovely, the octaves flowing as she greeted her.

  “I am Adera, and a friend I am true. It is ever so lovely to meet someone like you.

  A Majiwa from the depths of the sea, my green friend Poge has agreed to guide me. Your voice is clear, your song is true. How is it you sing like no others do?”

  “You are too kind, I'm sure I fail. Come with me and I’ll tell you the tale.”

  To Poge, she added, “Come, we’ll seek shelter before the night is upon us.”

  She turned and disappeared into the woods, leaving Adera and Poge to race after her.

  The dwelling where Feoma camped was a small hut she used to store her equipment out of the elements and keep herself hidden. The entire location was engulfed in greenery. Leaves and branches all strategically placed hid the entrance
into the hut and covered it from floor to roof. Adera’s eyes fell on the shiny equipment inside with wonder. She’d never seen such things and wondered what all the lights and buttons were for.

  “Please, don’t touch, I know it’s a bit much. But the responsibility’s on me. If you break it, I’ll be punished, strung to a tree.”

  Adera snapped her hand back from the machinery.

  “You’ve been here for a long time.”

  “Yes, and you two showed up on my radar about an hour ago. I was wondering what you were doing but as you drew closer, I recognized you for Joro and you had to be warned. You’re right in the middle of a fighting line. The mermen and the red-men may go to war.”

  “What?” Adera waited for the translation before she raised a hand to her mouth. Feoma told her the story while she prepared them a small meal.

  The mermen had been in search of one of their mermaids taken by the Karmirians near the water’s edge. They’d demanded her return or they would go to war. The Karmirians believed it was all a lie, a ploy to begin a war since one of their Karmirians, a prince, has gone missing. They blame the mermen.

  “The Karmirian prince, he is my true love. He’s the reason I left the water for the realm of man above,” Adera said.

  “We are traveling north to meet him,” Poge said. “She and he, well, they're in love and they want to be together. But they can't do that here.” She helped herself to the plate of food placed in front of her.

  Adera stared at the plate before her. A fish burned with fire. She’d never had fish in this manner before. The flavor was all off. She picked at it, removing the charred parts and eating only the cooked flesh inside. It made her stomach churn. The fruits and berries provided, however, were delicious, and she cleared her plate of them. She sniffed the flower milk. It had a pink tint to it. She sipped at it and found the flavor delicious. She drank it fast, not worried about the looks that the green ones gave her.

  “You two must go home. Adera needs to return to her people. It may be the only way to end this war. Poge, your people would appreciate an update and that I can give you. You are both too young to be here.”