“Did he have big eyes on his head?” Five year old Syrfae asked.
“Oh, yes and big floppy webbed feet too. The Toad King said, ‘Why are you come down to my kingdom, little boy?’ Dummy told the toad that his father had sent him to find the prettiest tapestry so that he could be the next king that takes over the kingdom. Well, the Toad gestured for him to follow him down into the earth and there, in a large chamber hung tapestries which had been spun on Elven looms.”
“Did Dummy pick the prettiest one?” Syrfae asked.
“We’ll see. Once all the brothers had returned, they laid out their tapestries which they had been sent out to get. The king looked them all over and said, ‘These clothes are no more than shepherd girl shawls. What about you, Dummy, do you have a tapestry?’ ‘Yes, I do, Father,’ he said proudly. But all the children laughed. No one thought Dummy would win the prize. Dummy pulled out the Elven tapestry and all the people gasped at how beautiful it was.”
“Was it a swan on the tapestry?” Freyafae asked.
“Maybe! Yes, probably was.”
“Did the king make dummy the king?” Ev’Rhett asked.
“I would have thought he would have, but oh no. No, the brothers complained that it was an unfair trial and Dummy should have never won because he is, well, obviously so dumb.”
“That’s not fair,” Russell said.
“Well, at any rate the father gave a new test. He blew the feathers up in the air and once again the brother’s feathers all flew over into the sheep fold and Dummy’s feather hit the ground in front of him again.”
“I know why,” Ev-Rhett said, “it’s because it was a heavy feather.”
“Perhaps, but down the toad hole he went again, and this time they had been charged that whoever found the prettiest and most valuable ring would be the next new king. So down, down went Dummy and told the Toad King about his quest for a ring. The Toad King took him down, down to a dragon’s hoard. Dummy asked the dragon if he might just select one ring and told him if he found the choicest of rings then he would not allow his knights to molest the dragon as long as he would be king. Now dragon’s are very good judges of jewels. So the dragon showed him the prettiest, most choice of rings and gave it to Dummy.”
Seven year old Swan Fae said, “He’s very lucky the dragon didn’t spray him with fire or venom.”
“Or eat him,” Ev’Rhett said.
“Shush, you all!” Russell said, “I want to hear what happens next.”
So Sur Sceaf waited til everyone quit wiggling and got quiet once again, then he said, “The brothers did not think Dummy could find a ring under the ground so they just went to the shepherd’s wagon and pulled out some nails and fashioned them into rings. When the father saw them he was disappointed that they had not done better or tried harder. He then turned to Dummy and said, ‘Have you a ring?’
“Dummy held up his ring and everyone gasped at its beauty. It was gold with a large red ruby atop it. Dummy said, ‘I got this from a dragon, father.’ The other brothers complained that it was an unfair test, for they had no dragon to help them.”
“If I was the dragon,” Russell sat up on his pallet to speak, “I would have eaten those brothers.”
“Well,” Sur Sceaf said, “The father had a lot of business to take care of. He had to get his people settled on a new island and build a wall, a fortress, a palace, and a temple to house the Ur Fyr before he retired to be a weardean, so he said there will be one final test to see who should be king. Whoever brings back the wisest and most beautiful and most holy of women shall be king.”
Swan Fae said, “That will be Arundel. He’s the most handsome.”
“Ssh!” Russell said, “I want to hear.”
Ignoring his ssh, “I would go to the Sharaka,” Ev’Rhett said, “That’s where Taneshewa comes from.”
The children all laughed, but Swan Hilde tightened her lips.
“So finally the feathers were blown and this time the older brothers went to the sheepfold and each selected a pretty girl from all the shepherdesses, but Dummy went down, down, down, deeper than any man had ever gone into the earth and the Toad King accompanied him to a chamber where twelve toad women danced on a large, giant table shaped like a mushroom. The Toad King said, ‘Pick one to be your wife.’ Dummy studied all of them and then decided he liked the one with the emerald green eyes the best. She hopped up the cave after him and as he opened the door to step out of the earth, he saw his brothers with all their beautiful wives and when he climbed out he reached deep inside to pull up his toad woman.”
“Oooh, I bet she’s ugly,” Ev-Rhett said.
“Sssh!” Sur Sceaf saw all the children were spellbound. “And out stepped the most beautiful faery-queen anyone had ever seen. As a matter of fact, she was so wise that even the Roufytrof could not ask her a question from the lore masters that she could not answer. So Dummy and the Toad Queen lived happily ever after and saw their children’s children’s children until the fifth generation.”
Syrfae asked, “What did the story of Dummy mean, fa? You said, we should look for meaning.”
“And I am so proud of you Syrfae for asking such an intelligent question. The two older sons never looked far for what their father asked them to search for. They just looked on the surface and took the first thing they came to without effort or much labor. They took the shawls rather than looking for a genuine tapestry, they bent the nails of the wagons into rings, and they simply married the girls nearest at hand rather than selecting for the best wife to be a faery-queen. Dummy, on the hand, dug deep into the earth and found a doorway that led down deep, he selected the most beautiful tapestry, he was not afraid to enter the dragon’s lair, and he was clever enough to strike a bargain with the dragon that would suit them both. And he went to the depths of the earth which is symbolic of looking deep within one’s self and he selected only the best from the seemingly ugly toads to be his bride, because he looked deep enough to see the beauty that was hidden within.
After Sur Sceaf finished the story, he handed Russell an amulet with the rune of Tyr on it and handed another one with the rune of Elwas to Ev-Rhett. While the twins marveled at their new amulets, Swan Hilde walked out of the tent with Sur Sceaf and gave him a hug and a kiss.
“You know, he’s not really sick.”
“I suspected as much. Ev-Rhett would have been sick too. He’s faking, but he must have needed the attention. We’ve all been so busy these days.”
“I’ll have the kids in bed by sundown and meet you in my tent tonight. It’s been so long my love. I’m just not used to you being gone so much. But tonight this green-eyed toad woman is going to hop on you.”
He gave her a hug and a kiss.
“We’ll make the most of it.”
* * *
Long Swan’s Log: It is the twenty-ninth day of the Haelige Moonth in the year 584 H.S.O. In the Herewardi calendar it is known as Heimdall’s Day when the great Heavenly Watcher rides out over the Milky Way with his 432,000 Einheriar, the chosen warriors to defend Valhalla from its adversaries, the Pale Dark Elves. With the Law Stone firm and established,and the Great Signet Ring with the Holy Core resting upon Sur Sceaf’s hand, Surrey has begun his labors in all earnest. He spends endless hours working with Muryh and Mendaka, going over plans for the Realm of the Syr Folk and of late, the Lady Taneshewa accompanies him.
He has his craftsmen and builders putting up home after home, barn after barn and has quarrymen working in shifts around the clock, night and day without cease. Sur Sceaf has not spared the women and some of them voluntarily labor as hard as the men to clear forest and make roads. An idle person is difficult to discover these days. Many of the older children, after their half day of schooling, have volunteered in multiple ways. The motto among the people has been ‘the Syr Folk’s welfare is my portion’.
Chapter 19 : Secret Combinations
Standing Bull and Pock Face stood at the bar in the Blue Gull Tavern and Inn at Charly’s Harbor waiti
ng for their contact to show up. The tavern was a dark small nearly empty room just off the docks. The portly balding bartender stood at the far end of the counter chatting with a coarse looking sailor. It was mid morning and only two other customers sat at a table near the window. Bull grew impatient.
Pock Face took a drink of bee-ur before asking in a low voice, “You said we’d recognize him by his black sailor’s cap, but every sailor in here has a black cap.”
“Cha’Kal said that he would recognize us and then ask me if my name was Crow Skull. I’ll know the answer to give him.”
After a few more krugs of bee-ur, a dark complexioned man in a black sailor’s cap got up from a corner table and walked over to them. He looked first at Pock Face and then at Standing Bull. “One of you, Crow Skull?”
Standing Bull nodded “No, my name is Crow Claw and this is my friend Little Crow.”
The sailor looked around and with a jerk of his head ordered, “Come to my table. We have much to discuss.”
Carrying their wooden krugs they followed the sailor to a booth in the dark corner. Standing Bull made sure he sat facing the door and said, “You took your good time contacting us. One more round and my friend and I would have been out of here.”
“It never pays to be in a hurry in matters such as these. Sur Spear has been known to have eyes and ears all over this place. Never know who you can trust.”
“Well, the Cha’Kal sent me to tell you ...”
“Ssh! Don’t ever say that name aloud again. I’ll know who you’re talking about. Just say the Boss.”
“Well, the Boss sent me to tell you that he is assembling the men to go into Ur Ford and purchase everything in the town if you get my gist.”
The man frowned making his face even uglier. “I get your gist, but there’s been changes that the Boss doesn’t know about. It seems the Lord Sur Sceaf has found a new island approximately two sailing day’s trip off the south coast. From what my sources tell me, Sur Spear has issued a mandamus requiring that a significant number of his forces, craftsmen, and settlers throughout the Herewardi realms go to build up this island. That island will put them out of our reach for now and maybe forever.”
Standing Bull said, “Well, instead of being a land merchant it looks like I shall have to be a sea merchant.”
“That’s a good idea except I’m told no ship may port there that isn’t Herewardi or Sharaka and the Rabbi is screening everyone very carefully. I’ve heard there’s currently only one dock and you may not dock there without a Herewardi Pass. I thought about stealing one of their ships, but too many things can go wrong with that plan. We’d need sailors and seamen to run the damned thing and there’s no way I can do that without being discovered.”
Standing Bull nodded, “Besides they would miss a ship and send out an alarm and have a pigeon message that gets there long before you do. But what about merchant ships? Both Friscan and Mexus merchants port regularly at Ur Ford, why not at the island?”
“Good idea, but you’ll still need the pass. Then you can get me aboard and to the island as part of your crew. Then I’d be able to cook a nice swan dinner for all of us.”
“Swan is all I want to feast on. But how am I going to pull this off? Where am I going to get a boat?”
“You could get a cheap freighter from the Friscans,” the sailor said, “and the Boss could easily arrange that. Hell, he would even pay for your training and the ship from some Mexus pirates I’m in contact with.”
“What if I don’t get the pass?”
“Then we could sail close to the island and you could just sneak us in close enough for me to make the hit. In and out. That’s all it’d take.”
“Yes, I could do that. Then when the alarm is raised how would we escape the swift Pyringean ships? I’ve heard they are dragons in the water. Go fast and can even go up rivers.”
“I’m certainly not going to pass for Herewardi, Quailor, or Sharaka no matter how I tried and I intend to enjoy the reward I get paid for this deed. You’d have to be my way in and my way out.”
“If I pose as a merchant,” said Standing Bull, “I have to have something of value to barter with and for.”
The assassin sat back and his brow furrowed as he contemplated Standing Bulls suggestion. Pock Face caught Standing Bull’s eye and shrugged. An instant later the assassin’s worried look was replaced by a cunning smile, “From what I hear the Herewardi are depending on their whale oil to finance the emigration and settlement costs on the new island. Apparently all the whale oil is rendered at sea and will be stored at this island from now on. So you can go to Sur Spear and tell him you can get him a better price than what his merchants have been getting. That way he would be most likely to grant you a pass. It’s supposed to be secret, but I know someone who has access to the information. Let’s just say I’m connected to secret combinations and once I learn the price, you just promise Sur Spear more and we’ll surely be locked in. That simple!”
Standing Bull considered the plan. “It seems sound enough, except for one thing; just what makes you think the king will believe me?”
“That’s something you’ll have to figure out, I’ve given you the strategy and you better act quick because the Boss is only concerned with results.” The assassin stood up and said, “You can get in touch with me most any morning here around this time. In three day’s time I expect to hear that you have a pass and we have a partnership. If you can’t make it then, be sure to send your toady here. I’ve got to get to the arranger. Meet me here tomorrow morning and then you will have the information and can go see Sur Spear.”
“But...”
“Now I must go.” The dark figured man handed the bartender a coin and left the bar.
“I’ll be damned,” Pock Face said, “These white rogues are some damned slimy people, if ever I’ve seen.”
Standing Bull shrugged. “They have to be. This is the northern gate to the Herewardi realm. This whole area is crawling with Sur Spear’s spies.”
“I can tell you, I don’t like being called a toady.”
“I don’t like being bossed around by scum like that, either, but we have to remember our goal of ruling the high desert.”
Pock Face glanced around, a troubled look on his face. “Do you really think we can pull it off?”
“We have to. I just have to come up with a good lie for Sur Spear as to why he should give me a pass.”
Pock Face grinned, “Too bad he’s not a woman. You’re good at seducing them with all of your lines.”
Standing Bull grunted, “Don’t worry, I’ll come up with something. Lets have one more bee-ur and then go upstairs to our room and discuss how we can do this.”
Just as they were about to leave for their room, a tall, broad shouldered man with red-blond hair entered wearing a long deep hooded green cape and said, “Standing Bull, I presume.”
Standing Bull eyed him wearily, his hand already resting on his knife. “I might be, who are you?”
The man smiled, “I am the Lord of Charly’s Harbor. They call me Melyngoch. Follow me to a private room.”
* * *
After a hearty breakfast with Elijah and the Quailor leadership, Sur Sceaf met with Muryh at the Law Stone to review the blueprints of the temple.
Unrolling the plans upon the stone Muryh declared, “Someday soon there will be a new heaven and a new earth. That which was above will be below and that which is below must again be above. This sacred isle is like the Herewardi. It was kept hidden and submerged in the depths of the great deep wood then raised out of the wilderness and placed upon the sea as a beacon to the Children of Light.” Muryh pointed with the sharp point of his compass to a spot on the map. “Here stands Godeselle like the core of your signet ring, the navel of this land. The temple will be a replica of the Great Signet Ring and this isle.”
Sur Sceaf looked down at his signet ring against the blue prints and tried to picture the temple as he had seen it in the seer stones. He traced the lines w
ith his fingers.
“As you can see, I plan for the great dome to be four stories high.”
“It must have a large occulus in the top of the dome.”
“I agree and I will complete the replica of the ring by framing the dome in two large swan wings. If you prefer, I will sketch it out for your final approval.”
“Suffer it to be so, that it may be recorded for the benefit of posterity. I have full confidence in you, master builder.”
“Then come, let me show you the star map I’m working on.” Muryh rolled up the blueprints and returned them to the bamboo tube they were stored in before leading Sur Sceaf over to a rough trestle table nearby. From another bamboo tube, he retrieved another map and unrolled it, which he anchored with the tube at one end and the tube of the temple at the other. “Here we have the forty-four constellations of the heavens. Using his square he explained, I have included the River of Stars I worked out with the star gazers to reflect our own view of the heavens and the earth. Here you see the Morning Star which I’ve called Arundel, where as you know the germ of the Herewardi was held from which we Herewardi originated.”
Sur Sceaf smiled, “Ary will be pleased.”
“I would not have thought to modernize Earendil if I did not believe Arundel has been chosen by the gods for great things. The boy radiates kingship. The Ur Fyr has manifested this much to me.”
Muryh moved the end of the square to another star mark. “I’ve re-named the star mark that was called the Eagle, which will now be called Sur Spear. The sun will now be known as the Eye of Howrus that ever watches over his people. The moon, his left eye, will be that of Mawva. The Milky Way is named the Herewardi Host, and what was once known as the North Star or the Mark Star in the Wheel of Heaven will be called Hrus-Syr-Os. As you can see, I’ve left some of the star marks blank for prophetic reasons.”
The Isle of Ilkchild (The King of Three Bloods Book 4) Page 31