Itll be something on the order of the way we handled things before the war in Lady Zelanas Domain, Narasan added. Therell be enough of our people in either region to hold off the invasion until our friends can join us. Then well move directly on to stomp-stomp.
What a clever way to put it, Narasan, Sorgan observed.
Ive always had this way with words, Narasan replied modestly.
I dont want to intrude here, the scar-faced Ekial said, but how are we going to get my people and their horses up to Lord Dahlaines territory? Horses can run fast, but probably not quite fast enough to gallop across the top of the sea.
I think I know how we can do that, Narasan said. Gundas got that little fishing yawl that almost knows how to fly. He can take you on down to Castano and hire ships. Then the two of you can sail on over to Malavi and pick up your men and horses. Then youll go north to Lord Dahlaines territory.
I think that maybe I should go with them, Commander, Veltan added. When you hire Trogite ships, you need gold, and I know of a few ways to keep that much gold from sinking Gundas yawl.
I think weve pretty much solved all the problems now, Narasan said, looking around at the others. When do you think we should start?
Have you got anything on the fire for tomorrow? Sorgan asked him.
Not that I can think of, Narasan replied.
Tomorrow it is, then, Sorgan announced.
Red-Beard had been watching Zelanas sister rather closely as Sorgan and Narasan smoothly cut the ground out from under her. It was quite clear that she wanted to protest, but the two clever outlanders hadnt left her much to complain about. She obviously still wanted all of the outlanders to go east to protect her Domain, but Sorgan and Narasan at Zelanas and Veltans suggestion, evidently had dismissed any protest she could raise.
I dont know if youve been watching, friend Red-Beard, Longbow said quietly, but doesnt it seem to you that the warrior queen called Trenicia is staying very close to Commander Narasan, and she appears to be very impressed by him.
Do you think its possible that shes having those kind of thoughts about dear old Narasan? Red-Beard asked.
I couldnt say for sure, Longbow replied, but that would be a very interesting sort of thing to crop up along about now, wouldnt you say?
Not as long as my head was on straight, I wouldnt.
2
At first light the following morning, the farmers of Veltans Domain began carrying large amounts of food down to the beach to stock the ships of the two fleets. There was a steely quality about that early morning light that always made Red-Beards instincts seem more intense. This might be a good day for hunting, he said to Longbow as they watched the farmers come down the hill.
I dont think Veltan would like it much if you started shooting arrows at his farmers, Longbow replied.
Funny, Longbow, very funny, Red-Beard said. Theres something about this first light before the sun comes up that always makes me feel that this might be one of those perfect days you know, a day when nothing can go wrong.
Longbow looked up at the still colorless sky. You might be right, friend Red-Beard, he agreed, and if youre very lucky, things wont start to fall apart until mid-morning. He looked out at the ships of the Trogites and Maags. Its likely to take them most of the morning to load all that food on their ships, he said. Lets go talk with Zelana and find out if theres something she wants us to do before we leave Veltans territory.
Zelana and her two brothers were watching the farmers from a hill-top some distance back from the beach when Red-Beard and Longbow joined them.
Im not trying to tell you what to do, baby brother, Zelana told Veltan, but I think you might want to consider a bit of tampering to get Gunda and Ekial down to Castano as quickly as possible. We wont know for sure exactly where the creatures of the Wasteland will mount their next attack until one of the children starts dreaming. Its only a short distance from here to Aracias Domain, so Narasan should arrive there in just a few days, and its just a short voyage from Aracias temple to the Isle of Akalla where Trenicias warriors live. Its much farther from here to Dahlaines Domain. Sorgans ships are fast enough to reach that part of the Land of Dhrall in plenty of time, but youll be spending quite a few days in Castano hiring Trogite ships and more days sailing on down to the land of the Malavi. Then youll have the long voyage from there to Dahlaines country on those wallowing Trogite ships.
Im very good at tampering, dear sister, Veltan told her with a faint smile. Mother Sea is lovely at this time of the year, and Im sure that the Malavi will enjoy their voyage enormously, but sight-seeing isnt really all that important right now, so well hit a few high spots and hustle right along. Its going to seem to Ekials Malavi that big brothers Domain isnt really all that far north when they get there, but thats not particularly important. Then he turned to look at his older brother. Will the local people in your Domain be at all useful if the Creatures of the Wasteland decide to go north?
The natives of the Tonthakan region are fairly good archers, Dahlaine replied. Their territorys very much like sister Zelanas Domain, so the Tonthakans are primarily hunters. The central region, Matakan, is open grassland and the game-animals there are bison. Theyre quite a bit larger than the deer in the forest, and their fursa lot thicker. Arrows wouldnt be too effective against animals like that, so the Matans use spears rather than bows and arrows.
Wouldnt that limit the effective range? Longbow asked.
Bison arent as timid as deer are, Dahlaine explained. They dont panic the way deer do. The Matans use what they call spear-throwers to increase the range.
I dont think Ive ever heard of a spear-thrower, Red-Beard admitted. How does it work?
Basically, its an extension of the hunters arm. Its a stick with a cup on the end. The hunter sets the butt-end of the spear in that cup, and then he whips the stick forward. The added length increases the leverage, and it nearly doubles the range of the spear. The stone spearheads quite a bit heavier than your arrowheads are, so it cuts through the fur and the thick skin of the bison. It sounds just a bit crude and primitive, but it does keep the Matans eating regularly. Youll probably have an opportunity to see how well it works when we get there.
Isnt there a third region up there as well? Veltan asked.
Dahlaine made a sour face. I should have done something about Atazakan quite some time ago, but Ive been just a bit busy here lately. The Atazaks have an elevated opinion of themselves which probably derives from whats referred to in that region as the royal family. Ive never had occasion to study the notion of hereditary insanity, but the term seems to fit in the case of Atazakan. The current chief, leader, king whatever is totally crazy. Hes absolutely convinced that hes a god, and that Im just a usurper, and that Im trying to steal whats rightfully his.
I dont think Ive ever heard of a spear-thrower, Red-Beard admitted. How does it work?
Basically, its an extension of the hunters arm. Its a stick with a cup on the end. The hunter sets the butt-end of the spear in that cup, and then he whips the stick forward. The added length increases the leverage, and it nearly doubles the range of the spear. The stone spearheads quite a bit heavier than your arrowheads are, so it cuts through the fur and the thick skin of the bison. It sounds just a bit crude and primitive, but it does keep the Matans eating regularly. Youll probably have an opportunity to see how well it works when we get there.
Isnt there a third region up there as well? Veltan asked.
Dahlaine made a sour face. I should have done something about Atazakan quite some time ago, but Ive been just a bit busy here lately. The Atazaks have an elevated opinion of themselves which probably derives from whats referred to in that region as the royal family. Ive never had occasion to study the notion of hereditary insanity, but the term seems to fit in the case of Atazakan. The current chief, leader, king whatever is totally crazy. Hes absolutely convinced that hes a god, and that Im just a usurper, and that Im trying to steal whats rightfully his.
Oh? Zelana said. What is this precious thing youve filched, Dahlaine?
The world, of course or possibly the entire universe.
Why dont the citizens just remove him with knife or axe? Red-Beard asked.
Because he has thousands of guards, Dahlaine replied. Id say that every third man in Palandor is a member of what Holy Emperor Azakan calls the Guardians of Divinity which gives those guardians an easy life. About all they have to do is stand around scowling threateningly at sunrise and sunset.
Whats the weather like up there? Red-Beard asked.
Autumn isnt too bad, Dahlaine replied. Theres a warm stream of water out in Mother Sea that modifies the autumn weather, but it sort of veers off at the end of autumn, and things get very cold. Blizzards go on for weeks at a time, and the spring thaw comes much later there than in the rest of the Land of Dhrall. Summers are fairly nice, but every now and then we get spells of bad weather. Huge storms build up in the sea to the east of my Domain, and they come screaming in to hit the coast of Atazakan. He smiled faintly. Holy or crazy Azakan always tries to order those storms to go away, but they never seem to listen for some reason.
Storms dont ever seem to listen, big brother, Zelana said. When Mother Sea gets grouchy, its time to take cover.
Fortunately we should be near the end of what the people of Matakan call the whirlwind season.
My people call those storms cyclones, Veltan noted, probably because of the way they spin around.
We dont see those very often in my part of the Land of Dhrall, Zelana said.
Youre lucky then, Dahlaine replied. Those spinning windstorms tend to rip things all to pieces. Theyre fairly common in Matakan, because that region doesnt have very many mountainous ridges to disrupt them. The Matans usually take shelter underground.
Caves? Longbow asked.
Not exactly. The Matans dig deep cellars with thick roofs, and when they see a whirlwind coming, they all go underground to sit it out.
Rabbit came up from the beach at that point. The Capn told me to tell you that the Seagulls ready to go whenever you say its all right, the clever little iron-smith advised.
Tell him that well be along in just a few minutes, Dahlaine said. Then he looked at his brother and sister. We could probably go on ahead, he told them, but it might be better if we stayed with the Maags. Theyll want directions, and we can give them information theyll probably need before long while were sailing on up to my Domain. Its going to take quite a while to get there even on those fast Maag longships so we might as well use that time to our advantage.
Could you have a word with Narasan? Longbow asked Veltan as they walked on down to the beach. I think we might want to have Keselo with us in the north country. He spent a great deal of his time studying when he was younger, and he carries a lot of information in his head that we might need in Dahlaines Domain. Longbow smiled slightly. Rabbit and I came to realize that if we named something, Keselo had probably studied it.
He is quite learned, Veltan agreed. Ill have a talk with Narasan before I join Gunda and Ekial in that little yawl. Im fairly sure that Narasan will agree. Im sure you noticed that Narasans going off to the east just to mollify sister Aracias sense of having been offended because everybody didnt rush over to her Domain to defend her.
I dont think thats entirely true, Veltan, Longbow disagreed. Red-Beard and I were talking outside your map-room when Aracia and Dahlaine were arguing, and we sort of agreed that your older sisters problem wasnt so much offense as it was fear. If the descriptions weve heard of her part of the Land of Dhrall are anywhere close to being accurate, she doesnt have anything that even remotely resembles an army. She has farmers, merchants, and priests, but no soldiers. If the creatures of the Wasteland attack her Domain, theres nobody there to resist. Thats why she wanted both the Maags and the Trogites to go east. Shes more than a little self-centered, of course, but it was fear that was driving her.
Now thats something we hadnt even considered, Veltan admitted. It does sort of fit, though. We all get a bit strange and confused at the end of one of our cycles, and the rest of the family assumed that she was being driven by pride, and that being adored by all those priests had dislocated her mind. We never even considered the possibility of fear. You might want to pass this on to Dahlaine and Zelana and see what they think. It could explain Aracias odd behavior here lately.
Things were a bit crowded on board the Seagull as they sailed south from the house of Veltan in the late summer. Sorgan obviously wasnt too pleased when Zelana and Dahlaine appropriated his cabin, but it did make sense, since they had the children, Eleria, Ashad, and Yaltar with them. Maag sailors frequently spoke to each other in colorful terms, and it was probably best to keep the children in a place where they couldnt hear certain words.
Also, for some reason that Red-Beard couldnt really see, Dahlaine had insisted that Omago and his beautiful wife Ara should join their party. There was something about Ara that Red-Beard couldnt quite understand. She was beautiful, of course, but very peculiar things seemed to happen quite frequently when she was around. It could just be coincidence, of course, but Red-Beard was more than a little dubious about that.
For right now, however, Red-Beard had something a bit more serious to worry about. Once the Seagull and the rest of the Maag fleet were past the south coast of Veltans Domain, theyd be sailing north along the coast of Zelanas part of the Land of Dhrall, and there was a distinct possibility that theyd pull into the bay of Lattash for any one of a dozen or so reasons.