Fortress of Radiance

by Marc Alan Edelheit

  Karus kept his face hard as granite. Uncertainty flickered in the old man’s eyes. Karus figured the man was clearly thinking he had made a mistake by leading his people to Carthum, knowing there was not much he could do about that now. He studied Karus before shifting his gaze to Amarra and Pammon, taking a moment to scrutinize them as well.

  No one said anything for several moments.

  “Do you recognize these people?” Karus asked Amarra in Latin.

  “No,” she said, shaking her head. “I do not.”

  At that, the old man spoke, his eyes falling upon Amarra’s crystal staff. In the sunlight, it had lost all of its glow and simply looked to be made of a pale blue crystal, perhaps even glass. Karus looked over at Amarra in question.

  She shook her head, and then switched to the common tongue. “Do you speak Common?”

  “I do,” the old man said in a voice that was hard and firm, but also slightly raspy with age. He pointed at Karus before gesturing at the city with his staff. “You are not of Carthum. Who are you people?”

  “We are of Rome,” Karus said in Common. “We are Romans.”

  The old man looked over at the two other men with him, raising an eyebrow in question. Both shook their heads.

  “I do not know of Rome,” the old man said.

  “You would not,” Karus said, conscious that his Common was poor, but passable. Karus understood he must sound quite harsh. Though he was getting better every day at speaking Amarra’s tongue, he still felt somewhat uncomfortable using it to communicate with these people. It was why he had brought Amarra and risked taking her out before the men. When things got complicated, he expected her to step in and translate on his behalf. Or at the very least make his intention clear, limiting the possibility of miscommunication.

  “Your land must be far away,” the old man said.

  “It is,” Karus said. “Who are your people?”

  “We are of the Adile,” the old man said. “I am Xresex, headman of my people. We flee the Horde.”

  Karus looked over at Amarra. In Latin, he asked, “Do you know of these Adile?”

  “I do,” she said. “But only by word. I no meet one. They people from far land. They like … how you say, war?”

  “You mean warlike?” Karus asked, turning his gaze back to Xresex. “They are good at making war?”

  “Yes,” she said with a firm nod. “They good at war.”

  Karus looked out upon the refugees and felt himself frown slightly. They certainly did not have the appearance of being very warlike. They looked more like scavengers than anything else. Perhaps it was simply a result of losing their land and being forced to flee that had turned them to such a sad fate. As a people, he understood they had been broken.

  “We also have people of the Sersay and Taka’noon with us,” the old man said. He turned to the man with the leather armor. “This is Logex of the Sersay and”—he gestured at one of the men—“Ord of the Taka’noon.”

  Logex had a long, thick scar running down his left cheek. Like Xresex, he had an unforgiving look to him. His arms were quite muscular, with a myriad of scars on his forearms a clear sign of years of weapons training. Ord appeared just as tough, though not as muscular. If anything, he appeared wiry. Ord was going prematurely bald and his pate reflected the sunlight.

  “I no know other peoples,” Amarra said to Karus in Latin.

  “I am Camp Prefect Karus,” he said, switching back to Common, though he spoke the Roman ranks in Latin. “This is Centurion Pammon and …” He turned to Amarra, hesitating. He wasn’t sure how to say “priestess” in Common and was certain they would not understand the Latin.

  “I am High Priestess of the High Father,” Amarra said in Common, clearly picking up on Karus’s difficulty.

  Xresex shared a glance with the other two before returning his attention to Amarra.

  “My people once worshiped the High Father,” Xresex said, voice hardening and becoming bitter. “But no more. The High Father turned away from us all. He cast a blind eye upon my people as we suffered and died to the Horde. We owe him nothing, no devotion and certainly no love.”

  “He never turned away,” Amarra said calmly but in a hard tone. She pointed at the refugees with her staff. “You and others like you turned away from him. You spoke falsely of your faith, mouthing the words but never truly believing with your hearts. You never thought to ask for help, but instead demanded it, called upon the great god to save you.” She paused and sucked in a breath. “As if he would lift a finger to help the faithless and empty-hearted. Oh yes, I can read you well, Xresex, Logex, and Ord. I can sense your souls, the emptiness, the hole within. You know of what I speak.” She tapped the ground with the butt of her staff. “Is it but a wonder the High Father never answered your call? You have but yourselves to blame.”

  Karus had not expected that from Amarra. It almost made him smile with pride, for she was bold, fearless, and unafraid to confront these men.

  Xresex’s jaw flexed as he shared another glance with the other men. He looked as if he wanted to argue, and so too did the younger men, but clearly he thought better of it. To Karus’s right, Pammon shifted his stance and crossed his arms. The centurion had not been able to follow the conversation in Common, but Karus saw he could sense the tension increasing, particularly from Amarra as she confronted the three men of the delegation.

  “Have they said why they have come?” Pammon asked Karus in Latin.

  “No,” Karus replied and then switched to Common. He pointed at Xresex. “Why do you come here? What do you seek?”

  “We seek”—Xresex said a word that Karus did not understand. Karus looked over at Amarra in question.

  “He seek safe place,” Amarra said in Latin.

  “My people and their people,” Xresex continued, “fought the Horde. The people of Carthum joined us for the battle. We lost.”

  “So you come here to seek help from Carthum?” Karus asked.

  “We do. The Horde destroyed our”—he said another word that Karus did not understand.

  “He means home, right?” Karus said to Amarra in Latin before she could translate. “The Horde destroyed their homelands?”

  “Yes,” Amarra said. “That is what he meant.”

  “The people of Carthum have left,” Karus said.

  “I know,” Xresex said. “Finding you Romans here tells me that.”

  Karus looked beyond the delegation and once again took in the refugees. He wondered how much food they carried with them, beyond their few hundred head of cattle and a large number of sheep. He could see the tiredness and weariness etched upon Xresex’s face. It was matched by the other two, almost radiating from their posture and manner. They’d clearly traveled far in a bid to escape the enemy that was even now overrunning this world. As his eyes raked the refugees, an idea hit him. Really, it had already been there all along, but now that he had seen the refugees with his own eyes, it had grown and matured. Karus understood it was time to act.

  “You seek …” Karus hesitated and then turned to Amarra, feeling frustration at his inability to communicate adequately. “How do you say ‘sanctuary’?”

  Amarra’s brow furrowed.

  “Safe place,” Karus said to Amarra.

  She translated in Common to Xresex.

  “Yes,” Xresex said. “We seek safe place.”

  Karus turned to Amarra and spoke in Latin. “Would you kindly translate for me? I want no mistakes.”

  “I will,” Amarra said.

  “Ask him how many men of fighting age he has.”

  Amarra asked.

  Xresex turned and conversed briefly with the two other men in another language and then spoke to Amarra rapidly in Common. Karus did not fully understand the reply. It had been too fast for him. He realized she had been speaking to him slowly as he worked to master the tongue and so had Xresex.

  “I know not how to say big number,” Amarra said, switching to Latin. Instead, she showed all ten fingers a
nd then flashed them at Karus five times before closing one fist and holding up just five fingers.

  “Either she means fifty-five,” Pammon said to Karus, “or around five hundred.”

  Karus thought a moment and then pointed to Dio’s cohort, asking in Common, “Do you mean that many men?”

  Amarra and Xresex looked at Dio’s cohort before turning to the other two. They conversed briefly amongst themselves.

  “Yes,” Xresex said, turning back. “That many.”

  Pammon uncrossed his arms and leaned toward Karus. “They can’t have much in the way of supply. Whatever they have out there will not last them more than a few months at best. Worse, they will eat up our food stores. Tell me you are not seriously considering taking them in, are you, sir?”

  “I am,” Karus said to Pammon. “We are facing overwhelming numbers and they have five hundred men of fighting age. We could form them into an auxiliary cohort. It would be an increase to our strength, our combat power.”

  “We don’t even know if they are good fighters,” Pammon said. “They may have once been warlike, but by the gods, they look like they’ve been beaten nearly into submission. Honestly, their wagons, cattle, and sheep are more valuable to us than additional swords. Besides, they owe no allegiance to Rome.”

  “They may not owe anything to Rome, but they might find common cause with us,” Karus said.

  “I don’t know about that, sir,” Pammon said with a glance out at the refugees.

  “They are fleeing this Horde,” Karus said, becoming irritated with Pammon. It was time his second in command began thinking on a larger scale. “Sooner or later, our enemy will catch up to us, and when they do, I would like greater numbers and more than a few allies, if possible.” Karus paused. He let out a heated breath. “Their backs are up against the wall. If their women, children, and loved ones are with ours, perhaps they will fight for that.”

  “That’s debatable,” Pammon said with an unhappy look, clearly not wholly convinced by the argument. “What if it doesn’t work out? What if we take them in and they prove nothing but trouble?”

  “Then we push them out,” Karus said. “There is safety and security with us. Without us, they don’t have that, now, do they?”

  “I agree,” Amarra said, speaking up and stepping closer to Karus. “You take risk. It is right to do, yes?”

  Xresex said something to Amarra that Karus did not fully understand. From it, Karus got the gist that Xresex was wanting to know what they were discussing.

  “Amarra,” Karus said, “I want you to continue to translate for me so there can be no misunderstanding between me and them. If I do speak and make a mistake that could be misunderstood, I want you to correct me. Got that?”

  “I understand,” Amarra said. “I will speak for you.”

  Karus turned to face Xresex again.

  “We will take in your people,” Karus said in Latin, “provided you meet certain conditions.”

  Amarra translated and Karus waited. When she finished, he saw the sudden flaring of hope in their eyes as they looked at each other. Then a look of suspicion crept over Xresex’s face as the old man understood there would be a catch.

  “What is it you want?” Xresex asked warily.

  “Your men of fighting age will join our army,” Karus said. “They will be led by Romans. They will be trained and will fight under our rules. While with us, your peoples will live under our laws and customs. Any trouble and we will throw you out.”

  Karus waited once again for Amarra to translate. When she finished, Xresex gave a nod of understanding.

  “We must discuss,” Xresex said.

  “I expected nothing less.” Karus nodded as Xresex turned away to speak with his two companions. They took several steps back, so as not to be overheard. They spoke for some time, and at one point it got quite heated. Karus, Amarra, and Pammon waited as the discussion amongst the three leaders dragged on. Finally, they fell silent, shared nods all around, and returned.

  “We agree,” Xresex said without any preamble.

  “There is more,” Karus said. “We have food stores for many months, which we will share with your people. We ultimately intend upon leaving Carthum to find additional allies.” He did not wish to discuss the path Jupiter had set him and Amarra on. There would be time for that later. “For this to be a successful alliance, you will turn over all food supplies, your wagons, carts, and draft animals.”

  Amarra hesitated. She clearly did not understand every word, but she got most of it and once again translated. Xresex and his two companions did not appear too happy with Karus’s terms. Xresex turned back to look at the other two. No words were exchanged this time, but shortly after he turned back.

  “We agree,” Xresex said.

  “One more thing,” Karus said. “There’s a sickness amongst my people. You should know this before you enter the city. Carthum is large enough that we can put you away from my people who are ill, at least until the sickness is over and past.”

  Amarra again translated after a slight hesitation.

  “What kind of sickness?” Xresex asked.

  “Fever, cough, a loosening of the bowels,” Karus said.

  Amarra translated.

  The three men began speaking heatedly with each other again. Xresex and the other two paused in mid-discussion, eyes tracking toward the sky above the city. A distant cry split the air. Xresex’s eyes widened and there was astonishment in them.

  The red dragon had taken to the air behind them, rising up into the sky from the palace gardens. Its wings beat rapidly at the air. The magnificent creature gained both altitude and speed. The green dragon followed a moment later. Where they were off to, Karus had no idea. Over the last few days, the dragons had come and gone as they willed.

  Karus turned back to the delegation.

  “They are with us,” Karus said in Common to Xresex, jerking a thumb at the massive creatures. “You need not fear them.”

  Xresex’s eyes flicked to Karus and then returned to watch the two dragons. They turned north, banked slightly, and then dove for the ground, picking up speed and disappearing from view behind the city walls.

  “We accept your offer,” Xresex said simply, a note of what Karus took to be awe in his tone. He bowed respectfully to Amarra. “You have the High Father’s dragons. It is clear to me you are a true priestess, blessed by the High Father himself. I apologize for my earlier rudeness, mistress.”

  “There is nothing to apologize for. You spoke your mind and I mine. I serve my god,” Amarra said. “He will welcome your return, and those of your peoples, if you so desire.”

  Xresex gave another bow. “Please understand. Much has happened. We have suffered terribly. There is much ill will toward the High Father amongst my people. They blame him for our troubles.”

  “I understand,” Amarra said. “I will work to change such feelings.”

  “Mistress,” Xresex said, “I make no promises other than we will listen to your words.”

  “That is more than fair,” Amarra said. “Thank you.”

  “Excellent,” Karus said and held out a hand. “Welcome to Carthum.”

  Xresex stepped forward. They clasped each other by the arm. Karus repeated it with each man, and with that, it was done. They officially had their first allies in this strange land.

  “If we can get five hundred soldiers from a group such as this,” Karus said to Pammon, “perhaps there is the opportunity to gain additional allies from other groups of refugees passing near Carthum.”

  “Maybe.” Pammon sounded doubtful.

  “I think it’s worth a try,” Karus said. “Especially with many of our men down with the sickness. When we are done here, send a messenger to Valens. I wish to see him back at the palace tonight. We need to reach out to those other groups of refugees.”

  “Yes, sir,” Pammon said.

  “Karus,” Amarra said, speaking in Latin. She pointed at Xresex. “They can teach your men Common.”


  Karus gave a nod of agreement.

  “She’s right. It’s time the officers and men also begin learning this common tongue,” Karus said to Pammon. He turned back to Xresex and continued in Latin. “I will detail officers to see your people settled in the city. My people do not speak your language. I would like you to select ten men for language instruction.”

  Karus glanced over at Amarra, who scowled slightly at him, clearly not understanding all of the words, but then began translating. Xresex listened.

  “We will begin teaching your people,” Xresex said to Karus in Common.

  “Also,” Karus continued, “Centurion Pammon will see to the settling of your people in the city. Tomorrow morning your men of fighting age will present themselves for training. They will train under our officers.”

  Amarra once again translated.

  “Yes,” Xresex said. “I understand.”

  “What will we call this new cohort?” Pammon asked, sounding resigned.

  Karus gave it a moment’s thought and glanced back at the city behind them. They had found large stores of weapons within the city, including light armor, but very little heavy armor, at least suitable for a man. Glancing out at the refugees, there appeared to be a wide range of weapons and armor amongst their fighting men. “The First Light Carthum Cohort. We can arm and equip them uniformly with the weapons and light armor we found in the city.”

  “That works,” Pammon said. “I already have two junior officers in mind to train the cohort. Do you wish them completely detached and replaced?”

  “Who are you thinking of?” Karus asked. He wanted to be certain the men Pammon would be selecting were good, solid officers.