Plague of Tyrants

by M. J. Sewall

  They rested in the waters before the fingers, but not for long. “Are you ready?” asked Ardrell but did not wait for a response when she took the beast up high. They flew over the sea god's fingers and dove for the lush green beyond. It was a vast canopy of green that stretched before them. The mouth to a wide river lay beyond the fingers, then disappeared under the carpet of greenery.

  At first, it reminded Gordon of the haunted forest, but this was much different. No three hundred-foot trees stood here. This canopy was much denser; a low, beautiful blanket of green. They dove sharply, and Gordon felt his stomach rise again, their speed increasing as they raced for the forest. Ardrell said nothing as they got closer to smashing into the ocean of trees. Gordon closed his eyes, hearing his mother's leather straps tighten. He heard Aline's wild laugher as they punctured the forest.

  Gordon's face felt the wind quicken and feared a branch to the head would knock him off. The temperature changed quickly, getting warmer and damper with every foot they descended. Gordon opened his eyes. They flew over a winding river, large in some parts, narrowing in others. The water was a deep green and moved quickly. They came closer to the water, then went upward into the trees. The beast and rider were easily avoiding outstretched tree branches as they navigated with the twisting river. Birds flew from their path, sometimes alone, some in small flocks.

  They saw birds of every color, some nearly half the size of a man. Gordon heard one many colored bird squawk something that sounded like, “fast, fast,” but he shook his head. He knew birds didn't talk. One area of river had growth so thick, that the beast had to float in the river. Gordon stretched his neck to look back at the tail, moving back and forth to swim with the tide.

  Gordon looked up at the low hanging branches, the moisture dripping warmth onto his face as they slowly floated along the river. He smiled, then looked down to his right. Something was moving in the water with them. A jaw opened in the water, showing rows and rows of teeth as the river beast tried to climb up their ride and get to Ardrell's leg. They all grabbed their straps to hold on, as the Jhalgon lurched, turning its head to snap down on the river beast.

  What looked like a giant lizard was caught by the neck, then swallowed whole by the Jhalgon. They felt the vibration of the jaws working to get the river animal down into its stomach. Gordon grabbed his mother's hand, and she grabbed his. Aline looked back at Gordon, smiling widely, “Did you see that?”

  “Uh, yeah. Yeah, I saw that. I think it was still alive when it got swallowed.” Gordon looked to the water for more of the creatures, feeling the vibration of digestion under his legs.

  Ardrell said, “The Jhalgon does not get hunted. I pity the animal that tries.”

  Brenddel had killed Jhalgon himself but didn't remind anyone of his deeds.

  They came into a clearing of trees. The river opened very wide, and the canopy of trees broke to reveal clear skies shining through. Ardrell took the beast into the air again, just a few feet above the river. As they got farther in, they saw what looked like a large city on the water.

  The round wooden platforms appeared to float like large leaves, attached to each other by slender wooded bridges. It reminded Gordon a little of the haunted forest, but instead of bridges from tree to tree, it was laid out on water. Dozens, maybe even a hundred round, flat floating structures sat on the water. In the middle of these stood houses. Some were only big enough for one, other floating pads had as many as three houses.

  They landed on the bank of the river, not in the water, as Gordon expected. He realized none of the round pads were large enough for a beast like the Jhalgon. They dismounted the great fish and slid to the ground.

  Ardrell took her helmet, along with her weapons and leaned into the beast, whispering something. The beast made a sound and they all stood back as it flapped its wings, headed back down the river.

  “Why didn't we just fly over the trees and in through this clearing?” asked Brenddel, pointing to the large opening in the trees above the floating city.

  “You'll find out soon enough,” said Ardrell.

  “Plus, it was more fun the way we came in,” said Aline.

  Ardrell said, “She will hunt down river now, or maybe the sea.”

  “When will it… she… come back?” asked Aline.

  “When I call her.” She tapped at what looked like a wooden pipe hanging from her belt. “She will hear me when I call. Come here, girl. This is long overdue,” Ardrell said, taking Aline into her with a long hard hug. She took Aline's face in her hands. “I'm so sorry about your mother. I see you wear her knife to honor her.”

  Aline wiped back her tears. “I do. I tried to contact you when it happened.”

  Ardrell nodded. “I heard not long after. I'm sorry I couldn't be with you sooner. There are always more battles to fight.”

  “Always busy,” Aline said, “just like her.”

  Ellice had gone to some plants away from the bank.

  “Don't touch those,” warned Ardrell. “there are many dangerous things here. Those vines burn like acid on the skin.”

  Ellice stepped back, “I will be careful, thank you.”

  “Where is here, exactly?” asked Gordon.

  “Ah, why don't I let our host tell you,” said Ardrell.

  Three slender boats came to the bank. Some women and young girls came ashore to meet them. The oldest of them came to Ardrell and they embraced. “Welcome back, fin rider. You brought guests?”

  Ardrell said, “Yes, everyone - this is their leader. Danette, meet everyone.”

  Ellice went to the woman, “I am Ellice. I am glad to meet you, Danette. What is this place?”

  The woman answered, “This is Ossmalan. We are part of a vast land that stretches far to the north. This is only our small city, but there is a bigger world stretching far into the mountains and beyond. Please, come with me. It will be dark before too long, and we should be off this bank. I fear I know why you've come.”

  Chapter 34: The Council Meets

  The cup banged on the table loudly and made Rolem wince.

  “…that's enough. The forty-third meeting of the Council of the Thirteen has begun,” said the old man impatiently.

  “What news from Tolan?” asked councilor number four.

  Rolem, councilor number two, answered, “He remains ready, near the Outlands. Tolan reports that Gordon, his mother, and the warrior girl all died in the fighting rings. He is in place for the next step.”

  “Good,” said the old man. He looked at Rolem for perhaps a moment too long before he turned and asked, “Number seven, what news of the sisters?”

  “TrTorrin's daughters have all signed on, but reluctantly. Four of the seven wait in Extatumm to see if Cayne will succeed.”

  “So, they wait for three of their sisters to fail?” the old man chuckled dryly.

  Councilor seven said, “More or less.”

  “Number twelve, what of this man they caught? The one they had shackled in the bath house?”

  The twelfth councilor, a woman with dark hair and a chilling voice reported, “They took him to the palace for questioning. Our spies could not get close. Mantuan and Lozarian questioned him privately, but he is a small piece on the playing board. He knew little.”

  Rolem said, “He knew Tolan's plans.”

  The old man waved his hand. “They believe Tolan is there only to kill those in the Outlands. Only we know his true mission. If Gordon and the rest are truly dead…” The old man let it hang there. He did not look at Rolem.

  Cossca, the large man from the drinks house stood guard just over Rolem's shoulder. Rolem hoped no one could see the sweat under his shirt. He was playing a deadly game. So many parts of this plan had to work together, the palace attacked from all sides. If the council found out the truth that Gordon and the others had escaped, or worse, that Brenddel was alive… Rolem hid his shudder at the possibility. Rolem knew the old man called them by numbers so that they could be replaced at will. Did he suspect the tru
th?

  The old man moved on. “Number five, report please.”

  “We are ready at the palace,” said a pudgy middle-aged man, his voice getting louder like he was back in the council chambers making a speech. Rolem knew it was a mistake to trust this disgraced old councilor. He continued, “The young king's next move should be to make a speech of some sort, to calm the people. The crowds we have just around the palace are our most trusted regular folk.”

  The old man asked, “Are these the true believers, or the ones we pay?”

  Number five smiled. “A mix of both. The crowds will be packed with our people either way.”

  “Good,” said the old man. “Rolem, I want you, number six, ten, and fourteen to be in the crowds.”

  “Me?” said Rolem, surprised, “I thought I would be…”

  “I've changed the order of things. I think you are more valuable in the middle of the action. The most honest of us should be there to persuade the crowds.”

  “But, they know who I am,” said Rolem, his sweating about to betray him. “If the guards should fire on the crowds, we would be trapped.”

  The old man smiled. “Then you'd better hope for the best,” he turned to the rest. “that is all. Our meeting concludes.” The old man rose from his chair and looked back at Rolem. He did not smile as he left the room.

  The rest left one by one, looking at Rolem as though he were already dead. No one spoke to him. Rolem knew he would be sacrificed. He needed to find a new way to protect himself. He turned to Cossca.

  Cossca said, “What just happened here?”

  “I just lost favor with the old man. He thinks I'm lying.”

  “Are you?” asked Cossca.

  Rolem smiled. “Never to you, my friend.”

  “What now?”

  “Now?” said Rolem, “We become the face of the civil war. We make the crowds love us. They will protect us now.”

  Chapter 35: A Strange Land

  There were people everywhere, girls and women mostly. Wait, Gordon realized, there were only women and girls. No men, no boys. Gordon tried not to look at the bare stomachs and shoulders of the woman. The heat clung to Gordon's body along with his sticky clothes. He realized why the women barely had any clothes on in the heat, so he focused on how the place was built instead.

  As they strode along the walkways made of wood, he expected they would be shaky under his feet, but they held firm. It almost felt as though they were walking on a dock, but this wood was tied together in a strange way, walkways stretching between the round floating structures. Even in the moving river, the platforms stayed completely still in the water. He would have to ask about that.

  A girl with dark, golden skin passed by them. Gordon looked away and caught Aline's stare. She didn't smile, just narrowed her eyes and looked back at Gordon.

  Their leader Danette was young, perhaps ten years younger than his mother, Gordon thought. She led them over the floating structures. “There are over two thousand of us here. Woman and children of all ages.”

  Brenddel asked, “Why are there no men?”

  A young girl they passed looked at them quickly, then ran over to another platform. Brenddel said, “I didn't mean to offend…”

  Danette replied, “No, it's alright. The memories are fresh for some of the girls. I will explain inside.”

  As Ardrell opened the door and went in the round house, Gordon asked, “So, your mother has a twin sister?”

  “Obviously,” answered Aline.

  “Why didn't you ever tell me?”

  “You never asked.”

  “Well if my mother had a twin I would tell you. Wait… mother, you don't, do you?”

  Ellice answered, “You know it was just my brother Loren and I.”

  Gordon said, “Oh. That's right,” he turned to Aline, “I'm just saying that you should have…” But Aline had already gone inside.

  Danette said, “Please come in.”

  Gordon asked Brenddel, as they both went in last, “What's she like, Sandrell's sister?”

  Brenddel replied, “This sister is the scary one.”

  Gordon remembered the arrow gun pointed at his chest the first time he met Aline's mother Sandrell and felt a cold chill despite the heat.

  Inside the round house, it was larger than it appeared on the outside. Danette noticed Brenddel's bruised face from Ardrell's punch. She said, “Please sit. Let me tend to that wound.”

  There were plenty of places to sit. Gordon was relieved to sit in a proper chair after the leather saddle and all the ups and downs in the air. He remembered the sensation and started to feel a little dizzy from the memory.

  The woman made Brenddel sit in the chair closest to her. From a cabinet, she took a bottle with a stopper and a clean cloth. “What happened?”

  “She did,” said Brenddel, indicating Ardrell.

  “Oh,” said the woman, looking to Ardrell. Sandrell's twin just smiled.

  Looking around the room, the woman said, “Actually, it looks like you've all been in a fight. I will attend to each of you in turn.”

  “Are you a healer?” asked Aline.

  Danette answered, “Yes, among other things. I have somehow become the leader of sorts here,” she explained as she cleaned Brenddel's cut. He made involuntary sounds as the healing liquid touched his cut. “It has been hard for us. Many have left, some willingly. We have to go farther and farther for our food…. stay still, this will sting.” From Brenddel's reaction, it did.

  Ellice asked, “Don't you have plenty of food in the river?”

  Danette answered, “We used to, before the vines and the hordes of biting fish.”

  Ellice said, “You'll have to pardon us, we are overwhelmed. To us, this may as well be another world. No one in our part of the world has ever explored the Outlands. I'm sorry, what is the name of your land again?”

  “Ossmalan.”

  “Ossmalan, forgive me,” Ellice continued. “We are here to speak to the living god, as they call him.”

  “He lives elsewhere.” Danette said, “You will not be able to reach him.”

  Aline said, “Why not?”

  “Has it gotten worse?” asked Ardrell.

  Danette said, “Yes, much worse. Now they come for our food and supplies too.”

  “But that makes no sense.” Ardrell shook her head.

  Ellice asked, “What is going on here?”

  “Perhaps you should tell me why you came this far,” said Danette, “then I will explain why we live as we live.”

  Ellice explained the envoys from their land and the attack on Asa.

  Brenddel said, “When I went after their ship, they attacked my airship with some type of exploding weapons.”

  Danette shook her head, “As I feared. They have gone totally mad. They will bring death upon us all.”

  Brenddel asked, “How do we reach this living god?”

  A bitter laugh came from Danette, “You don't. I don't know why he sent someone to kill your king. No one knows why the god has gone mad. We used to thrive here. Nearly ten thousand lived in this peaceful floating kingdom. One day our king died leaving behind two children, twins, a son and a daughter. His son became king at nine years old, and his twin sister the princess. The wife of the dead king decided it was too crowded here, so they built a home deep in the jungle, on a cliff. This city became a place for workers to serve the new king. Then, our men and boys were slowly stolen from us.”

  “Why would they want to separate you?” asked Aline.

  “The King said we common folk were diseased, infecting him and his family, making them sick. I used to be the healer to the king's family, but I was cast aside. They started growing more food, raising animals, cultivating farms to feed only those special enough to be close to the king. They needed our men and boys to work for them.”

  “You survive only on the food they give you?” asked Ellice.

  “We used to,” said Danette. “Soon, they decided they needed to protect the
king even further. They were afraid we'd climb the cliffs, take the food and our lands back, so they planted the poison vines along the cliff. All food stopped coming down the cliffs. Vines covered any way to get closer to them down the river. Now we must forage farther and farther into the forest, and fish closer to the sea.”

  Ardrell added, “About a year ago, they started to take more and more men. They simply started to disappear at night. They say the king demanded a great tower built just for him. They build the tower higher and higher, like they are trying to get closer to the gods. Then one day, when the boy king is eleven years old, he proclaims himself a god among men.”

  Danette said, “The vines crept into the water, slowly driving our fish away. Then a new breed of fish came. This fish will take your flesh off with their sharp teeth in moments, and they travel in packs like wolves. They ate the other fish that did not leave. We have to go farther for food. But it is dangerous. There are large creatures in the waters not far from here.”

  Gordon said, “Yeah, we saw one of those.”

  Ellice asked, “You can't grow crops in the forest?”

  “We grow some things in the forest,” Danette said, “But the little we have, they have now begun to steal.”

  Brenddel said, “That still doesn't explain the envoys.”

  Danette finished healing Brenddel. She said, “We finally brokered a peace. We convinced the queen to allow us to start trading with your kingdom.” Danette explained, “We have a few rare spices and other things that grow wild in our forests. With your airships, you are not afraid of the sea god's fingers. You could fly right over them.”

  “What happened then?” asked Brenddel.

  “She must have betrayed us. We have not spoken to anyone up on the cliffs since the envoys left. For a time, they kept us in line with their exploding weapons, but that has stopped for now.”

  “What are those weapons they use?” Brenddel asked.

  “One of the king's thinkers has used some sort of secret art or magic and created a powder. It explodes when fire touches it. They use it to keep us from trying to climb the cliffs. I've seen men blown apart by their weapons.”