The House of Hasson

by Meredith Skye

  * - * - * - *

  Jesh lay on his stomach and felt his back burn. He fought with his pride. He did not forgive them at first, but his anger passed. He'd done an impossible thing. They said he wouldn't survive his return--but he had.

  At the end of three days, the door opened, and two women came in and rubbed a numbing oil on his back. They gave him food and water.

  Finally, when he felt better, they brought him Kinthaldan clothes--new yinnesthan with the blue and white that stood for the Hasson. It was long, like a gown and felt funny after so many years of foreign clothes, but he put it on and decided it was more comfortable than the Prenth clothes.

  They took him upstairs. His arrival seemed to cause an excitement. Children ran when he came. The air buzzed with talk.

  They led him upstairs to one of the towers. Lady Tireth sat comfortably in a chair. Lord Eshlar stood, restlessly, near the fireplace. Risser stood near the window, glaring at Jesh with contempt. It was light outside--morning, Jesh guessed. Jesh knelt in front of them, not daring to look up. No one moved.

  "He'll bring us nothing but trouble," Risser said sourly to the others, disdaining even to speak to Jesh in person. "We should have killed him."

  "That wouldn't have solved the problem," said Lord Eshlar stubbornly. Jesh felt as though he had stepped into the middle of the argument. He wondered if he should rise or remain kneeling; he had forgotten much of Kinthaldith customs. He decided to wait for instructions, but no one spoke to him.

  "We can't trust him. He has no love for the Hasson or for Kinthaldith," said Risser. "The Prenth are treacherous liars. They just want control. What do they care about Kinthaldith?"

  Lady Tireth stood and touched Jesh gently on the shoulder. "Come and see," she said. He rose and followed her outside to the balcony. They walked to the rail, where they could overlook the land below. People had gathered there, some on horses, some on foot. All had weapons. None of these men were from the Hassonlandith, Jesh realized. They were yelling, but Jesh couldn't understand their words. When they caught sight of him, a silence fell. Suddenly, Jesh was glad for his yinnesthan. It would show the people he was back in favor. But from the look of the crowd, the Hasson had risked a lot in forgiving him.

  Lady Tireth stood beside Jesh. "Yesterday ships from Prent landed, and their fighting machines roam the city freely. All commerce has stopped. Their ships fly over our planet. Prent forces have set out from the city towards this household and will arrive within the hour."

  Her voice was steady, factual and showed no fear. He admired her. She turned and looked at him. "They say they have come for you."

  So, thought Jesh, it had started.

  Risser joined them, standing in the balcony doorway. "He brought them here. He's one of them." Risser stared coldly at him.

  Lady Tireth made no response to the young Lord.

  "If you won't kill him, then give him back to them. I don't want him in my household," said Risser, defiantly.

  Lord Eshlar stepped past Risser onto the balcony. "There must be a way to deal with these men. The Prenth haven't invaded our lands before. I don't understand them." He looked silently at Jesh, as though weighing something, as though Jesh were an odd piece in a puzzle.

  "If the Prenth want a war, I say we give them one. If they kill us, we'll kill them, man for man," said Risser. He pointed at Jesh, "starting with him."

  "You won't win a war with the Prenth; you know that," said Lady Tireth.

  Lord Eshlar was still watching Jesh. He stepped forward then, as though he had made a decision. "Jesh, how can we stop the Prenth?"

  Everyone turned and looked at Eshlar, and then, expectantly, at Jesh.

  Jesh spoke slowly, carefully. "Legally they shouldn't be here. They're trying to create an incident. They'll use the event of my death as an excuse to put you under military rule."

  They stared at him. "What can we do?" asked Lady Tireth.

  "They've got to know that I am safe."

  "That won't be enough to stop them," said Risser, and Jesh knew he was right. There were men on Prenth with power, and they wanted Kinthaldith under their control. They waited silently then as the Prenth troops arrived and stopped down beneath the tower. There were four armored vehicles, along with several troops of men. Lord Eshlar's guards prepared to defend the castle. The Kinthaldans scattered to hide in the trees. The vehicles stopped, and a man stepped part way out of one and spoke through an amplifier, in Kinthaldan.

  "House of Hassonlandith. We've come for Jesh Hasson. Open your doors, or we'll force our way in!" Jesh was sure the man was a translator; military men would not have studied such a remote language.

  Jesh stepped forward so they could see him. "I am Jesh. What do you want?" He spoke to them, deliberately, in Kinthaldan.

  There was a pause as the microphone switched hands. "We're coming in to get you," said a new voice, speaking in Prenth.

  "On what grounds?" Jesh continued in Kinthaldan, not daring to speak with them in a language the Hasson lords would not understand. He had to shout to be heard.

  "What?" There was a moment’s pause as his words were translated to the man with the microphone. The conversation that followed was awkward, as the officer spoke in Prenth and Jesh replied in Kinthaldan.

  "On what grounds?" Jesh repeated, in Kinthaldan.

  "To rescue you," came the reply.

  "I don't need rescuing, thanks."

  The man paused in frustration. "We're coming in anyway."

  "On what authority?"

  "I have orders to take you back to the city--military orders."

  "Am I under arrest?" asked Jesh.

  Again he paused. "No."

  "Then I refuse to come. Go away."

  The man disappeared, and the vehicles sat there without moving. Presently a servant arrived to inform them of a call on the radio. The radio--an ancient device, no doubt given to the Hasson house by the Prenth long ago--was brought out. To Jesh's embarrassment, the person on the other end insisted on speaking to him.

  "You can't let them talk to this traitor!" Risser insisted. Lord Eshlar sent for a translator. Jesh doubted that very many members of the Hasson could speak Prenth. A translator arrived soon, and Jesh was allowed to speak to the man on the radio.

  "This is General Sinbister. Why have you refused to come to the spaceport? Don't you know we've come to help you?"

  "I don't need help."

  "I order you to come to the spaceport."

  "I am a citizen of Prent, sir. You have no authority to do so."

  Silence ensued; Jesh heard a shuffling as the microphone changed hands.

  "This is Senator Jennesthal. Jesh, you know me."

  "Yes," said Jesh. He had waited for this one.

  "It's important you come to the spaceport for a conference with us. Your life is in danger. The army will conduct you safely here. If they won't release you, we'll have to use force," said Jennesthal.

  Jesh had no desire to let the Prenth army take him. "I'm not in command here, I suggest you speak to the Lord of the Hasson." Jesh switched the radio off a moment and gave it to Lord Eshlar, who had been listening to the translator's rendition of Jesh's conversation.

  "We'll have to go to the spaceport," Jesh said. "Ask the general to recall his troops off your land. Then you might agree to accompany me, with your men, to the spaceport for a conference with them."

  Lord Eshlar activated the radio and told the general and senator the terms. All troops were to withdraw back to the spaceport. Jesh heard a muffled discussion over the radio, but the Prenth finally agreed.

  Jesh and the others watched as the vehicles outside the estate turned and lumbered back in the direction of town. Jesh set out with Lord Eshlar, Risser and twenty men of the Hasson.