by Jeremy Dwyer
“Zamir, I will show you the maps of Waderav’s feudal territories, so that you can listen to the stars and chart a course to the proper region. We will make a written record of this charted course and give it to Captain Ibriy, in a coded form he cannot read. Then, he can make the journey to Governor Taulant to deliver the information and the refined crystals,” Bardhyl said.
“I’ll chart the course, but I still don’t understand what’s going on or how it can work,” Zamir said.
~~~
“You know all that you need to know, Zamir. Follow me,” Bardhyl said. He led Zamir to a map room inside the domed granite building where numerous atlases were kept.
Bardhyl opened up an atlas to a chapter where Waderav’s feudal territorial boundaries were recorded and pointed out the location of interest. “There, that’s the location in Waderav where the stellar core is buried,” he said. Bardhyl then opened another atlas to a page depicting islands in the Kazofen Ocean. “We need you to chart a course from this location – Norinivix Island, in the Kazofen Ocean – to that location in Waderav,” he said.
Zamir drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from his vial and was energized with the power to listen to the sounds of the stars. He concentrated to learn their paths and positions and thereby charted a course between those locations. He made the necessary adjustments from perceptual to visual solar positions and wrote this charted course down onto a blank page in a notebook that was found on a table inside the map room.
“Now, I will make a copy of your charted course with a few adjustments to the positions. Governor Taulant will know how to reverse them by adding or subtracting certain amounts, all according to a secret code,” Bardhyl said. He drank anew of the waters of the Medathero Ocean from his vial to be energized with the power of calm, rational thought. Bardhyl then transcribed Zamir’s charted course onto another blank page in the notebook, shifting lines and star positions by various angles and distances he was able to rapidly mentally calculate. He tore this page from the notebook and folded it.
“What are those adjustments in this secret code?” Zamir asked.
“That is something you don’t need to know at the moment, Zamir. You’ve done your job. Now, I will do mine, and arrange to have this encoded charted course delivered by courier to Captain Ibriy, who will take it to Governor Taulant,” Bardhyl said.
CHAPTER 20: Struggle of Flesh and Fire
In eastern central Waderav was the Duchy of Rhys. The thinly-forested, half-barren territory spanned eighty-two (82) miles from east to west and fifty-nine (59) miles from north to south. The southern edge of the duchy lay along the Pika Huojin Lava River, which flowed from the northeast to the southwest. Three (3) miles to the north of the Pika Huojin, a river of dead waters flowed from west to east, passing through the duchy. Midway between the territory’s eastern and western borders – and thirty-seven (37) miles north of the Pika Huojin along the southern border – was the duke's castle.
Inside the castle’s throne room, twenty-two (22) lieutenant colonels, fully armed and armored, stood side by side in a line, all facing the pair of thrones in the center of the room.
The thirty-six (36) year old Duke Rhys sat upon his throne and he drank anew of the waters of the Medathero Ocean from his vial to be energized with the power of calm, rational thought. He turned to face the woman sitting on the throne beside his and said: “Duchess Siana, if you would be so kind, please choose a battalion of our troops to go into the southern villages. I am not pleased with the overall yield, so the tax rates are to be doubled. The soil quality may be poor, but I will not have that tired excuse slow the growth of our treasury. Have the battalion collect the increased taxes. Also, we need to recruit more of the villagers to serve in our military, unless they are skilled farmers bound to the Gradaken waters, in which case they should remain to tend the land. You do have a good influence on the men, so it would be best if you escorted the selected lieutenant colonel and his unit on the mission.”
Duchess Siana drank anew of the waters of the Trerada Ocean from her vial to be energized with the powers of beauty and health. The thirty-four (34) year old woman was stunning and did nothing to conceal this fact. She stood up, removed her robes and revealed her full femininity to the twenty-two (22) lieutenant colonels standing before her. Their eyes followed her form, and they lusted after her. Siana walked toward the line of lieutenant colonels – men ranging from twenty-nine (29) years old up to fifty-three (53) years old – and then turned her head from side to side to scan the line of them. “Who will I travel with today? Which leader among you is ready to escort me on this mission? The taxes do need to be paid. I mean lots of taxes, to support the demands of the throne. I never stop demanding. I always want more. Then, the villagers need to send their finest young men to join us. I like them so fine. You all know what I like. I’m looking for a leader who is fast and ferocious, and who promises to give me everything I want. You have to keep that whole promise. You can never stop until I’m satisfied that I have everything I was expecting. I do mean everything, and all the time, day or night,” she said.
“Let the bidding begin,” Duke Rhys said.
“I’ll make sure you collect two hundred fifty (250) platinum coins and ninety (90) new soldiers, my lady,” one of the lieutenant colonels said.
“I’ll do better than that, my lady. I’ll make sure you collect two hundred eighty (280) platinum coins; ninety-five (95) new soldiers,” another of the lieutenant colonels said.
Several more lieutenant colonels spoke up until all twenty-two (22) had made their bids.
“That lieutenant colonel, there. He gave the highest bid. Three hundred seventy (370) platinum coins and one hundred sixty-four (164) new soldiers,” Duke Rhys said and pointed at the lieutenant colonel who made the largest bid.
Duchess Siana approached the indicated man. “What’s your name, lieutenant colonel?” she asked.
“Arthfael, commander of the seventeenth battalion,” the lieutenant colonel said.
“Is that a promise you can keep, Lieutenant Colonel Arthfael? That’s an awfully big promise. I don’t want to get something smaller than what I’m expecting,” Duchess Siana said as she grabbed Arthfael suggestively and held him tightly in her hand.
Lieutenant Colonel Arthfael felt immense pleasure when Duchess Siana gripped him and said: “Yes, my lady. I’ll never stop until I deliver exactly what you want.”
“Then I’ll go with you, Lieutenant Colonel Arthfael. We’ll head out to the village today,” Duchess Siana said and she released her hold on Arthfael. She walked back to her throne, picked up her robes and dressed herself again. Siana returned to stand beside Arthfael and said: “I’m ready. Give me everything you promised.”
~~~
Duchess Siana and Lieutenant Colonel Arthfael walked out of the throne room and toward the main gate of the castle. The guards opened the gate when they approached, allowing them to exit and cross the bridge leading across the moat and onto the dry land around the castle.
Lieutenant Colonel Arthfael headed toward the large wooden building which served as the barracks for his troops. Duchess Siana walked beside him and asked: “How many men are under your command, Lieutenant Colonel Arthfael?”
“Five hundred eighty-two (582) soldiers, my lady,” Lieutenant Colonel Arthfael said.
“So many men. I wonder who is the biggest of them all,” Duchess Siana said.
“My men are all well-trained, strong and fit. But there is a reason I am their leader, my lady. I am more than a match for any of them, so they are loyal to me,” Lieutenant Colonel Arthfael said.
Duchess Siana followed Lieutenant Colonel Arthfael as he opened the door and entered the barracks. The five hundred eighty-two (582) soldiers stood at attention.
“We have a new mission. We are to leave at once to go to the southern villages. The objectives are to collect three hundred seventy (370) platinum coins in taxes and recruit one hundred sixty-four (164) new soldiers from among the v
illagers. Drink up,” Lieutenant Colonel Arthfael said.
“After you deliver what you promised, I’ll have to take stock of this entire battalion. And I’ll save the best for last, Lieutenant Colonel Arthfael. I’m expecting big things from you,” Duchess Siana said.
“Yes, my lady,” the thirty-one (31) year old lieutenant colonel said. Arthfael drank anew of the waters of the Nabavodel Ocean from his vial to be energized with the powers of strength and speed. His five hundred eighty-two (582) soldiers followed his orders and all did the same.
Duchess Siana walked through the door and exited the barracks. Lieutenant Colonel Arthfael followed her closely and the five hundred eighty-two (582) soldiers of the seventeenth battalion proceeded just behind him. They marched southward along a cobblestone road.
~~~
“We spent three (3) days walking through that swamp. And we’ve been walking beside this river for six (6) days. I need a break,” Sophie said as she and her companions walked westward, along a dirt road, on the southern bank of a river that passed through hill country.
“A little bit of rest might do us some good,” Ciaran said.
“We rest every night, in the tall grass or under trees. You want us to rest for a whole day? Where? On this dirt road? Out in the open?” Patrick asked.
“I don’t know how you can keep going, Patrick. I don’t even know where you’re taking us,” Sophie said.
“We should stop and discuss it some more. At least we should slow down a little,” Molly said.
“We just need to get away from Baron Vizakrid. He won’t stop looking for us,” Odhran said.
“Eventually, he will stop looking, when it’s not worth the effort. But that doesn’t mean we can stay here,” Patrick said.
“Why can’t we just rest for a while? I don’t see anybody past those hills, and I doubt they can see us,” Sean said.
“None of us drinks the Lujladia waters. But plenty of people do, and a lot of the robber barons use them as spies and lookouts. It’s a good bet somebody already sees us from miles away, around the other side of these hills, even though we can’t see them. And if they have a telepath, and we get too close, they’ll know we’ve escaped. There’s always a high bounty on runaway slaves,” Patrick said.
“You’re right. We can’t see them. But maybe Elise can hear them,” Ruth said.
“Let me try,” Elise said. She drank anew of the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean from her vial and was energized with the powers of music and sound. She concentrated to hear sounds in the distance, north, south, east and west.
“I hear a loud, bubbling sound, like boiling water, coming from the south, about three (3) miles away,” Elise said.
“Maybe that means somebody’s cooking a meal. And that’s good, because I’m hungry,” Sean said.
“I doubt that. It’s more likely that the sound is coming from the Pika Huojin Lava River. It runs from east to west, heading into the center of Waderav,” Patrick said.
“Elise, do you hear anything else?” Ruth asked.
Elise concentrated to listen for more detail. “Two (2) miles to the south, there’s a village. It sits on the north bank of the lava river. I hear a lot of chatter coming from the people there. It’s a mining village – the merchants are mostly talking about trading citrines and rubies. Wait, there’s more. There are farmers living in the town and they sell crops to the merchants. The farmers work in adjoining wheat, corn and barley fields at the perimeter of the village,” she said.
“We can go to that village, work a bit and even get some rest. All we have to do is stay a few days, make some money, then pay for transport on the next riverboat and leave,” Ruth said.
“If anyone starts asking questions about where we’re from, we have to be very careful what we say. And if the villagers are working under another robber baron, we might just be walking into the same kind of predicament we escaped from,” Patrick said.
“I don’t think walking all the way across Waderav is a great escape plan, Patrick. Unless we can pay our way on a riverboat – or ‘borrow’ one – we’re going to need some money,” Ruth said.
“Ruth is right. I’d rather work a bit in a mining village, and rest for a while, so we can pay our way out of here,” Molly said.
“Believe it or not, I think I agree with Patrick. If we get trapped there under somebody who is just as bad as Baron Vizakrid, what did we accomplish? I don’t think we should go into that village. We’ll keep walking,” Sophie said.
“Everything has risks, Sophie. Before long, we’re going to walk into something worse. We know how to work in mines and quarries. If we lend our services, collect a small wage and leave quickly, we may be better off than if we keep going along this road. Or is there somewhere better for sure? Where are we going, Patrick?” Ciaran asked.
“Not all of Waderav is oppressed. There are some unoccupied lands we can settle, near the center. I used to work on riverboats traveling throughout large parts of the continent, so I have a good idea of what it has to offer,” Patrick said.
“Why are those lands unoccupied, Patrick?” Ruth asked.
“They’re not the best for agriculture. Usually, robber barons want a quick and easy profit, so it’s not worth their time to occupy and defend. The soil is not as great in the central regions, and there’s a lot of lava flow,” Patrick said.
“The Gradaken waters allow nearly anyone to cultivate crops quickly, except when the soil is truly terrible. For those central region lands to be unoccupied is not a good sign,” Odhran said.
“I’m not really liking this plan of yours, Patrick. I say we go into the mining village and get hired as stoneworkers. Elise said the village was just two (2) miles to the south, near the lava river,” Ruth said.
“These farmers and I can work the nearby fields, even if only for a lower pay rate, because we’re visiting. At the very least, we’ll have access to the food we grow,” Odhran said.
“I’m up for food. And for doing what we know how to do,” Sean said.
“It’s productive, and Elise can help us by listening for signs of trouble,” Ciaran said.
“You’re going back to your old ways, rather than looking for new opportunities. That’s not why we left,” Sophie said.
“This is a new village, Sophie. They’re not going to know us, we need to work to get the money, and we’ll get out at the first sign of trouble,” Ruth said.
“Where have you been living, Ruth? You’ve seen everything I have. You know that all these land owners are corrupt. We can’t just go into some town we’ve never heard of, look for jobs and hope for the best. That’s no better than throwing the dice. Our luck isn’t that good,” Sophie said.
“This isn’t about hope or luck, Sophie. Working the land to earn money is the only plan I can ever trust. That’s just as true for stonecutters as it is for farmers,” Ruth said.
“We have to work where the best opportunities exist, Ruth. How about you have a little faith in my knowledge of the economy?” Patrick asked.
“Faith can only be placed in God. Each of us is flawed. I don’t claim to have the right answer, but if we can agree to go into the mining village, I will do my best to help us avoid trouble by listening closely for any sign of danger,” Elise said.
“Show of hands, all those in favor of going into town and looking for jobs in the mines and fields,” Ruth said.
Odhran and the other fifty-six (56) farmers held up their hands, as did Ruth, Molly, Sean and Ciaran. Elise crossed her arms and continued listening for any new information from the town that might affect the group’s decision.
“We’ve been outvoted,” Patrick said, looking to Sophie.
“Elise, do you hear anything else?” Ruth asked.
Elise concentrated to listen for more details and said: “Nothing new.”
“Then that settles it. We’re going into that town,” Ruth said.
“Lead the way, Ruth, since you’re the expert,” Sophie said.
�
�I’m looking out for all of us, Sophie. We have to do whatever gives us the best chance to succeed,” Ruth said.
“I think this is a mistake. But who am I to have an opinion? If Ruth wants to take chances with our lives and freedom, I’m not going to stand in the way,” Sophie said.
“We need hard work, Sophie. We don’t need the sarcasm,” Ruth said.
“You’re right, Ruth. We need good luck. Better yet, maybe Elise can pray to her God that everything just works out for the best,” Sophie said.
Elise knelt down and prayed out loud: “I pray to Thee, Our One True God, to guide us through this hostile land. By Your Grace, protect us from harm and enable us to do honest work for honest pay. By Your Generosity, allow us to cultivate the land. We live in debt to You, Our Creator.”
“Does that prayer give you any confidence? Any of you?” Sophie asked everyone around.
“You asked her to pray and she did. Why are you still complaining, Sophie?” Ruth asked.
“It’s a prayer, Ruth. God doesn’t exist. Religion is a lie. Why should we believe God’s going to help us now when He never did before?” Sophie asked.
“Whether or not I can ever believe in God, I do believe in hard work. Besides, after the help Elise gave us to escape from the fire, I’m willing to trust what she says,” Ruth said.
“Sometimes, we just have to do our best and believe things will get better,” Odhran said.
“You believe in safety while walking into danger. I’ll go along with this, but it’s not the most sensible plan,” Patrick said.
“By faith in God, I walk. He will lead the way,” Elise said. She then stood up and trekked southward along a dirt road toward the mining village, based on the sounds she heard in the distance.
Patrick, Sophie, Molly, Sean, Ciaran, Ruth, Odhran and the other fifty-six (56) farmers all followed.
~~~