The Ryle of Zentule

by Michael Green

  Letty was silent.

  They stayed away from Ahmet for an awkward while, before he finally invited them to help prepare the cart.

  “Are we leaving now?” Dean asked Ahmet. “What’s our destination?”

  “Yes, and we make one last stop before I send you on your way.”

  Everyone looked to Letty.

  “Based on what we learned at the inn, I think it would be wrong to cause trouble, especially after how Petri reacted,” Letty whispered to her friends. “Everyone keep an eye out, and we’ll talk more tonight.”

  They agreed and joined Ahmet and Petri, who were organizing all their possessions in the limited space of the bulky, boat-shaped cart.

  They left the karwansaray behind. Letty and her friends shouldered their packs, which felt heavier since they joined with Ahmet.

  They walked the rest of the day in a tense silence.

  With a fair amount of the cargo traded away, they moved briskly. Ahmet spent time keeping an eye on the brutons, which tended towards mischief when not encumbered. They tussled and threatened to confuse or tear their lines.

  Blue sat on Letty’s shoulder and whispered, “I don’t trust him.” He paused and looked up at the cart, “We should leave in the night. I can get us to Degoskirke from here. Do you see the crimson and mottled veins running through the sky?” Blue motioned to the ceiling.

  Letty looked up. “Yes. I haven’t seen those before.”

  “That’s because we’ve only just come within range. The city can’t be more than a day or two away.”

  “Selling most of the caravan to a ryle was suspicious, but he must have his reasons.”

  Blue huffed. “He makes his living as a trader. He’s far too young to retire, and he has to consider his daughter. There is something else going on, and you’ll have no one but yourself to blame when he leads us into a trap.”

  Letty shook her head. “It doesn’t make sense. If he sold us out, he would have gained money or carts or whatever, instead, he’s destitute. It doesn’t add up, Blue.”

  Blue was silent.

  That evening, Ahmet and Petri slept in the cart, while Letty and her friends spread their sleeping bags on the ground, not too far from the brutons.

  Letty sat on a nearby boulder, sunk in thought, while her friends trained in the tall grass off the road.

  “Join us, princess!” Staza called out, inviting her to the training.

  Letty looked over at Blue, who has holding on to his tail as if afraid.

  Letty gestured to Staza to come to her instead. Staza whispered to the others, and they stopped practicing.

  They sat in a circle around the now-dead fire.

  “We need to be careful,” Letty said quietly, keeping an eye on the cart. “I don’t believe he would have gone to all the trouble of arming and equipping us, just to sell us out at the first opportunity. Still, something isn’t right. I say we double our watch tonight.”

  Nobody disagreed.

  “Tomorrow we’ll make it to their home,” Emma said. “Petri told me that she’s excited to see her mother.”

  “I don’t think Petri could tell a lie, but the woman at the inn mentioned—”

  “Children,” Ahmet said, hopping over the side of the cart. “You’ve done an excellent job, and our destination is in sight. There is one last thing I hope you will consider before I send you off to the city, but the details will have to wait until tomorrow. As it stands, I don’t know how—” he stuttered his next word and looked ready to cry.

  Before anyone could speak, he walked to the brutons and inspected their restraints.

  Emma opened her mouth, but Blue held up a paw and looked back at Ahmet.

  They forced a casual conversation about school while Letty went around the circle and whispered in everyone’s ear. “I’ll take the first watch with Blue, then Emma and Quill, and finally Dean and Staza. If you hear anything in the night, wake everyone up.”

  Letty stayed up with Blue. Though the mouse dozed off a few times, he never slept for more than a minute, and Letty couldn’t bring herself to chastise him.

  She reluctantly nudged Emma and Quill awake. They looked at her questioningly.

  “Nothing happened,” she whispered and slipped into the sleeping bag with her armor on.

  She woke up sore, and noticed a drowsy Petri was approaching their circle with the usual pot of tea.

  “Is everything okay?” Letty asked.

  Petri didn’t answer; she simply filled cups.

  “Petri, what’s wrong?” Emma asked.

  “It isn’t right,” the girl muttered, before stomping off.

  “That doesn’t sound good,” Dean said.

  “We should go, now,” Blue pleaded.

  Letty shook her head.

  “Look, I can race off to hide in the bushes, and they’ll never catch me. But you—” Blue shook his head and pulled on a whisker.

  Letty reached into her bag and found the Argument.

  It’s been a while since I’ve looked at it.

  She didn’t realize how much she had missed the small orb until it was in her hand again.

  “I’ll hold onto it,” Letty said, showing her friends, before pocketing the Argument.

  They shared a quick and silent breakfast. Petri stomped around the campsite, while Ahmet refused to say more than two words.

  “Let’s go.”

  They shouldered their heavy packs. Letty saw that Emma and Dean were in pain.

  They’re sore from all the walking and having to sleep in their armor. Yesterday was worse. Ten hours march was too much for everyone. But, somehow, they aren’t complaining.

  Ignoring her own soreness, Letty marched on, palming the Argument for comfort. Blue sat on her shoulder, his head swiveling at the slightest noise.

  Before lunch, they arrived at a farmhouse, expertly hidden amid a pile of boulders on the shrubby plain. One of the giant centipedes was lazily swaying in the wind as they approached. Its crew of a dozen brutox and one fox-faced creature stood waiting under a purple banner that featured three lightning bolts over a navy and honey-colored palm.

  “They aren’t enough to capture us,” Staza said confidently, as the warriors came into view.

  “But what about the monster?” Emma asked.

  “The ravager might be a problem,” Quill said.

  “But they aren’t ready for a fight. Look at them, they’re bored,” Dean observed.

  “He’s right. Unless they’re good actors, they aren’t expecting a fight,” Staza said.

  Ahmet halted the cart outside the farmhouse. A woman rushed out, tears in her eyes. She wasn’t wearing armor, though the creatures hardly noticed or cared. She lifted Petri in her arms and embraced the girl in a long hug before setting her down and commanding her to go inside. She then spoke hurriedly to Ahmet.

  “I can’t hear,” Staza said.

  “Neither can I,” Letty whispered.

  “What is that other thing?” Dean asked, “It looks like a feathered fox-monkey.”

  Staza laughed. “Don’t let it hear you say that.”

  “It’s an ychoron. They are the cleverer servants of the ryle. Call them ychorites, if they are free. They aren’t great warriors, or strong laborers, but they are crafty. I’ve read that some can change the color of their feathers,” Quill said authoritatively.

  “No, they can all change their color, but it’s connected to their mood,” Staza countered.

  “You’re both wrong,” Blue interjected. “But now isn’t the time.”

  Ahmet rushed to the ychoron, waving his arms and begging with the creature, who looked abashed, but decided.

  Finally, Ahmet started yelling, “Fine, you cowards! Tell lord Zllyj that our pact is broken! If he cannot protect his people, his people no longer owe him a drop of sweat!”

  The ychoron walked away from Ahmet, who was now on his knees weeping. The ravager bent its many legs, and the brutox and their officer mounted and quickly went on their way.<
br />
  “It has to do with his son,” Dean said.

  The others nodded.

  They stood in somber silence until Ahmet, aided by his wife, composed himself. He approached them and tried to put a smile on.

  “I’m sorry you had to see that. I hope that you will please lend me your ears for a moment.”

  Letty and her friends formed a circle.

  “This is it. If something bad is going to happen, it’s happening now,” Dean whispered.

  “We should hear him out. He helped us. We wouldn’t have come this far without him and Petri,” Emma said.

  The Caspians looked at Letty.

  “I agree with Emma, but Dean has a point. Everyone, keep your weapons ready.”

  “I hope you’re right about this,” Blue grumbled.

  Ahmet waved for them to follow.

  “Why can’t we talk here, in the open?” Dean asked.

  “Please,” Ahmet said somberly, “indulge me a simple gesture.”

  They followed, and Blue renewed his promise to dash into the shrubs at the first sign of trouble.

  Ahmet led them around the rear of his camouflaged house to a tall stand of dangerously thorned bushes. He reached deftly into a bush and firmly gripped one of the thicker branches. He pulled, and a wall-sized segment came away. Bending low, Ahmet entered a passage cut in the bush.

  “Be careful, the thorns will draw blood. If you are snagged, do not panic; it is easy to become tangled,” he said, looking back at them.

  Letty followed along, and Ahmet stepped out into open space.

  “There’s a hidden grove back here,” Letty whispered.

  “Wow,” Emma said, her mouth slack at the sight of blossoming trees.

  “There’s grass, even if it isn’t exactly the right color,” Dean said.

  He’s right, the grass isn’t green—it’s more like teal.

  Ahmet was pleased by their reactions. He offered them freshly plucked tangerines and then sliced a purple pomegranate on a small table by one of the trees. He bade them sit in low, cushioned chairs in the shade, while he served the fruit. Letty watched, and saw he ate as well.

  He hasn’t poisoned the food; he’s cutting it right in front of us. Letty regretted her paranoia. Blue must be getting to me.

  “I’m doing something dangerous, my friends, and I will speak plainly now. Please, at any point feel free to turn and leave. If these were normal days, you would never see this secret place, but they aren’t, and I hope you see this invitation as the opening of my family’s heart and most cherished prize to you. Please realize that this has never happened before; my wife refused to bear the shame of welcoming you here. Though, to me it is no shame! I do it for…” The man coughed back a sob.

  “Is this about—” Emma tried to speak, but Ahmet held up a hand.

  “I’m sorry,” he coughed again and took a deep breath. “They have my son. Supthoi’s cultists have him now, and they have kept him in my lord’s hold. Our weakling ryle lord took my family’s wealth as payment to secure his release, but here he only sends me an insult in the form of an apology! They refuse to challenge Supthoi. Though, this is my fault! I settled this land for my family, under a weak ryle lord. I thought it would be better for our trade, but here we are!” Ahmet spat. “My lord’s envoy did offer one piece of news, and it may be what damns me. He told me when the cultists plan to leave the lord’s holdfast, with my son as their prisoner.”

  There was a long pause.

  “You’re going, aren’t you?” Staza asked.

  “Do I go alone?” Ahmet replied.

  Silence.

  “We don’t have to go, Letty,” Emma said.

  Ahmet nodded. “I expected as much. But listen, your—the holy weapon you carry would be enough to scatter them. There are less than twenty. They would fear you,” Ahmet insisted.

  “She’s right, this isn’t our fight. It wasn’t part of the bargain,” Dean said.

  “He didn’t know this would happen. His lord only betrayed him today. We were there,” Letty blustered, ashamed of her friends. “Look, I don’t care what you do, but I’m going to help.”

  “Letty! You have to stop!” Emma yelled. “You can’t pretend that we’re a team, and then run off to get yourself killed!”

  Emma’s sudden outburst was surprising.

  “She’s right, though,” Dean said, “we need to make decisions together.”

  Letty sighed. That’s what Titus said before he left.

  “Okay, you’re right; I accept that. So, what do we want to do? Are we going to abandon Ahmet after all he’s done for us?” Letty asked.

  “I’m willing to fight,” Staza said.

  Quill agreed.

  Dean and Emma were silent for a moment.

  “Wait,” Dean said. “Blue, what do you think?”

  Blue scowled. “I abstain.”

  “Well, that looks like a majority,” Letty said.

  Dean screwed up his face and sputtered, “Whether we decided to fight wasn’t the point. The issue was you running off and making life and death decisions on the fly, without saying anything to the rest of us.”

  “Okay then! And you can just stay here if you don’t want to fight!” Letty snapped.

  Ahmet stepped forward. “If we are going to do this, we must leave shortly. Give me a moment… You might want to prepare yourselves.”

  Letty and her friends gathered their weapons and tightened the straps on their armor.

  “Drink some of the minoe,” Staza said, allowing everyone a few drops. “It will refresh us and heal our strain before the fight.”

  Everyone drank.

  Letty stretched in her armor after her few drops and found the soreness was gone, and the spring was back in her step.

  Letty rooted through her bag while Dean walked nervously back and forth, muttering loudly to himself. “You think he might unhitch the brutons and ride them into battle; they look pretty useful, I mean, more useful than us, you would think, and what about those girls who danced with the daggers? They could probably fight like crazy. Hey Letty, what’s that?”

  Letty had pulled the revolver from her bag.

  “Is that a gun?” Dean cried.

  The others stopped what they were doing and stared.

  “Why do you have a gun, Letty?” Emma yelled.

  “I don’t think you guys get it. We’re going to kill monsters. What don’t you understand?” They only stared. “I might lose my weapon if there are ryle. I’ll keep this ready, just in case.” Letty loaded the cartridges, snapped the cylinder closed, and pocketed the weapon.

  The sight of the revolver was too much for the surfacers.

  Emma started to cry, and Dean was speechless.

  “What’s wrong with them?” Staza asked.

  “We’re not used to fighting. We don’t train for it or anything—not regular people at least,” Letty explained, disgusted at her fellow surfacers.

  “But why aren’t you behaving like them?” Quill asked.

  “How could you forget what she did at the portal?” Staza replied.

  Quill nodded. “You’re right, there was a fury in her heart.”

  Blue crossed his arms.

  “Look,” Letty finally said to Dean and Emma, “stay back if you don’t want to go… maybe hide in the bushes. Blue can get you back to the surface if we’re killed or captured.”

  That wasn’t what either of them wanted to hear, and they only sunk deeper into paralyzing dread.

  “There you are!” Ahmet called out. He was with five other armed and armored Elazene, who clambered to see Letty. “We’ll have some neighborly company for our little trip. So, what have you decided?”

  Letty and the Caspians approached Ahmet and his neighbors.

  “We’re ready to fight; the others will stay behind,” Letty said.

  “It is for the best,” Ahmet agreed.

  The war party piled into Ahmet’s cart and he took the reins.

  “Wait!” Emma ye
lled.

  Ahmet halted the cart. Emma and Dean climbed aboard.

  “We might not be able to fight, but we can help pilot the cart if you’re all hurt,” Emma said, breathing heavily from running after them.

  Dean had Blue on his shoulder and looked white as a sheet. He sat down and put a hand over his face.

  “What’s wrong?” Letty asked.

  “I’m trying not to throw up again.”

  Letty put her arms around Emma and Dean and tried to stay calm. She glanced around at Ahmet’s neighbors. Several fidgeted beneath their brutox armor, and most were looking at the floor. Only one met her glance with a nod and a slight raise of his axe. Letty nodded back, realizing momentarily that she still looked like a princess in her outfit, though no one cared.

  The ride was over almost instantly. Ahmet halted the brutons and looked at the group. “I’ll stand and block the road. I’ll beg one last time, and when that fails, you must attack from the bushes. Stay hidden, and make no noise until I sound the horn.”

  Everyone leaped out of the cart. Letty nearly tripped on her cape in the process.

  I’m not going to let this cape get me killed. I have the Argument and the pistol and a handful of daggers.

  Letty threw off the cape and tossed it back into the cart before rushing after her friends. They had hidden behind a growth of tall shrubs and were laying on the ground.

  “The farmers are on the other side of the road. It’s just us here,” Quill said, flexing his grip on the haft of his spear.

  Staza had drawn her rapier and parrying dagger. She gave Letty a coy smile as everyone’s breathing settled. Dean held onto his mace and had kept himself from being sick in the shrubbery. Emma had her short bow ready, but a bunch of her hair had tangled in the bush. She struggled to rip it free and now looked frazzled and terrified.

  Blue hopped off Letty’s shoulder and climbed partway up the bush before stopping and looking back at them. “Do you suppose… no, it couldn’t be.”

  “What?” Letty asked, angrily.

  “Do you think that Ahmet’s caravan guards abandoned him because they knew this was going to happen? They must have known that Ahmet had lost his son, and that he would confront the cultists. Do you suppose when he saw you wield the Argument outside the goblin town, that he put this whole plan together? He armed you, allowed you to train, and even fed us all, for nothing.”