Ive heard that dreams are like that, Ashad. I dont need to sleep, so I dont really know what dreams are all about. I hesitated. Where did you find that shiny black rock? I asked, more to change the subject than out of any real curiosity.
It was in the back of the cave where Mama Broken-Tooth sleeps in the winter, Ashad replied. She had three cubs while she was sleeping this past winter, and while you were busy helping your sister Zelana, I went to her cave to see them. Theyre sort of the brothers of me and Long-Claw, arent they? I mean, Mama Broken-Tooth nursed me and Long-Claw when we were just cubs, and now shes nursing the three new ones. That sort of makes us relatives of some kind, doesnt it?
I suppose so, yes.
Anyway, the three new cubs were making those funny little sounds bear-cubs always make when theyre nursing, and Mama Broken-Tooth was cuddling them like she used to cuddle Long-Claw and me when we were just cubs. He picked up the shiny stone. This is an agate, isnt it? he asked, holding it out to me.
I took the stone, but almost dropped it when I sensed the enormous power emanating from it. I think youre right, Ashad. Black agates are very rare, though.
Its pretty, and I really liked it when I first saw it. I asked Mama Broken-Tooth if I could have it, and she told me to go ahead and take it. I used to carry it with me wherever I went, but then I mislaid it, I guess, but when I woke up this morning, there it was right in my bed with me. Isnt that odd?
I laughed. I think this might just be the year of odd, Ashad, I said. It seems like every time I turn around there are piles and piles of odd staring me in the face. How did the rest of your bears come through this past winter?
Just fine, uncle, Ashad replied. There are lots and lots of new cubs. He suddenly grinned broadly, shaking off his gloomy expression. Baby bears are so much fun. They do all sorts of funny things that make their mothers terribly grouchy. Just last week Mama Broken-Tooth was scooping fish out of a stream you know, throwing them up on the riverbank the way bears always do but her three cubs thought she was playing, so they were swatting the fish back into the stream. When she saw what they were doing, she came running out of the water, gave them a few swats, and then chased them up a tree and made them stay up there for the rest of the day. I laughed, but she growled at me. She didnt seem to think it was funny at all.
Will you be all right here by yourself for a few days, Ashad? I need to go talk with my brother and my sisters. There are some things they need to know about.
Ill be fine, uncle. I was over in the village of Asmie the other day, and Tlingar promised to teach me how to use a spear-thrower that long, limber stick the man-things around here use to whip their spears out there a long, long way. Tlingars just about the best there is with the spear-thrower, isnt he?
He keeps the people of Asmie eating regularly, that much is certain, I agreed. I shouldnt be too long, Ashad. If you get tired of throwing spears, you might want to go play with Mama Broken-Tooths three cubs. If theyre as frisky as you suggested, poor Mama Broken-Tooths probably exhausted by now. Give her a little time to rest up. Like they always say, Be nice to the neighbors, and theyll be nice to you. Id better get started. Id like to talk with Aracia before her priests get her involved in all those silly ceremonies.
Say hello to Enalla for me, uncle.
There it was again. Ashad had just used Aracias Dreamer Lillabeths real name. Despite all my careful manipulation, the Dreamers kept pulling bits and pieces of reality up through the barriers Id put between them and the past. I shuddered to think of what might happen if the Dreamers stumbled across some things far more significant than just their names.
I told my tiny, glowing sun to stay behind, and then I went to the long, twisting passageway that led out to the open air.
The morning light of early summer was golden as I came up out of my cave under Mount Shrak. I summoned my thunderbolt and rode on down toward the south-east to the Domain of my elder sister Aracia.
Aracias Domain is much like the Domain of our baby brother Veltan, with vast wheat fields stretching from horizon to horizon like some enormous green carpet in the early summer sun. I hate to admit it, but the introduction of wheat farming and bread has brought much more stability to the Domains of Aracia and Veltan than the sometimes catch-as-catch-can quality of life in my Domain and Zelanas, where the land is primarily devoted to hunting and fishing. There has to be more to life than just munching on a piece of half-moldy bread, though. Im fairly sure that Aracia and Veltan view me as some sort of primitive antique, but I know better. The people of their Domains are little more than cattle. They move around in herds, and I wouldnt be the least bit surprised to discover that moo crops up in their dialect quite frequently.
The people of my Domain and of Zelanas are fiercely independent. Nobody not even me or Zelana tells them what they must do. To my way of looking at things, those farmers more closely resemble the mindless servants of the Vlagh than they do real people.
You dont necessarily need to tell Aracia or Veltan that I just said that.
Where was I? Oh, yes, now I remember. Im fairly certain that it was farming that ultimately led to religion in Aracias Domain. Once the spring planting is finished, a farmer really has nothing significant to do until harvesting in the autumn, and that gives him far too much time for speculation. As long as people concentrate on such things as what they are going to eat tomorrow or how theyre going to avoid freezing to death when winter rolls around again, theres a certain practicality in their lives. Its when the people have enough free time to begin asking such questions as Who am I? or How did I get here? that things start getting wormy.
Ive periodically ranged out beyond the Land of Dhrall to observe the progress of the outlanders, and Ive noticed that the more intelligent ones spend a lot of their time brooding about mysterious gods. That isnt necessary here in the Land of Dhrall, of course, since its very likely that the god of any particular region lives just over the hill or down the street.
Some of the people of Aracias Domain saw a glorious opportunity there. Aracia could tamper with the weather, if she chose to, and that produced abundant crops, and the displays of gratitude of her subject people were usually grossly overdone. Had one of my people gone to such extremes, Id have laughed in the fools face.
Aracia, however really enjoyed all the groveling and excessive displays of gratitude. Deep down, Aracia adores being adored. Id been the first of our family to awaken during this cycle, so I was nominally in charge of things this time. Aracia had been the second to awaken, but deep in her heart she yearns to be first, so she encourages her people to continue their overdone displays of gratitude, and the more clever among them, sensing that need, exaggerate their thanks to the level of absurdity, erecting temples and altars, and prostrating themselves each time she passes.
Aracia thinks thats awfully nice of them.
Aracias need for adoration has attracted many of the less industrious men of her domain, and over the years this has produced a sizeable town, and that in turn has brought assorted tradesmen to the place. Im sure that Aracias temple-town is the closest thing to a city in the entire Land of Dhrall. The large stone buildings are covered with a white plaster and their roofs are made of red tile. The narrow streets have been paved over with large flagstones, and the town is at least a mile wide.
Aracia, however really enjoyed all the groveling and excessive displays of gratitude. Deep down, Aracia adores being adored. Id been the first of our family to awaken during this cycle, so I was nominally in charge of things this time. Aracia had been the second to awaken, but deep in her heart she yearns to be first, so she encourages her people to continue their overdone displays of gratitude, and the more clever among them, sensing that need, exaggerate their thanks to the level of absurdity, erecting temples and altars, and prostrating themselves each time she passes.
Aracia thinks thats awfully nice of them.
Aracias need for adoration has attracted many of the less industrious men of her domain, and over the years this has produced a sizeable town, and that in turn has brought assorted tradesmen to the place. Im sure that Aracias temple-town is the closest thing to a city in the entire Land of Dhrall. The large stone buildings are covered with a white plaster and their roofs are made of red tile. The narrow streets have been paved over with large flagstones, and the town is at least a mile wide.
At the very center, of course, is Aracias enormous temple with gleaming white spires reaching up toward the sky. To be perfectly honest, the whole place seems just a little silly to me.
When my thunderbolt deposited me in Aracias marble-pillared throne-room, her overfed sycophants either fainted dead away or fled in terror. I smiled faintly. Nothing in the world seems to get everybodys immediate attention more quickly than a thunderbolt.
Aracias golden throne stood on a marble pedestal, and there were red drapes behind it. Have you ever considered letting me know when youre coming, Dahlaine? my splendidly dressed sister demanded in an icy tone of voice.
I just did, I replied bluntly. Are your ears starting to fail, Aracia? Any time you hear thunder, its probably me. I looked around my sisters throne-room and saw a fair number of wide-eyed clergymen trying to conceal themselves behind the marble pillars at the sides of the vast chamber. Lets go find someplace private, dear sister. There are some things you should know about, and I dont have all that much time.
Youre very rude, Dahlaine. Did you know that?
Its a failing of mine. Over the years, Ive found that polite is a waste of time, and Im just a bit busy right now. Shall we go? Ive long since discovered that abruptness is the best way to get Aracias immediate attention. Any time I give her the least bit of slack, shell lapse into ceremonial, and that usually takes at least half a day.
Aracia looked more than a little offended, but she did rise up from her golden throne and step down off the pedestal to lead the way out of her ornate throne-room.
Whats got you so stirred up today, big brother? Aracia asked as we proceeded down a long, deserted hallway.
Lets hold off until we get to some private place, I suggested. Theres trouble in the wind, and I dont think we should alarm the people of your Domain just yet.
Aracia led the way into a rather plain room and closed the door behind us. We sat down in large wooden chairs on opposite sides of an ornately carved table.
Are you sure that none of your people can hear us here?
Of course they cant, Dahlaine, she replied. This rooms one of those special places. Nobodyll be able to hear us, because the room isnt really here.
How did you manage that?
She shrugged. A slight adjustment of time is all it takes. This room is two days older than the rest of the temple, so were talking to each other two days ago.
Clever, I said admiringly.
Im glad you like it. Whats happening thats got you so stirred up, Dahlaine?
Ashad had one of those dreams last night, dear sister. Evidently the Vlagh didnt learn too much in Zelanas Domain, so its sending its servants South toward Veltans Domain or it will before much longer. Ashads dream was a bit more complicated than Yaltars was when he saw the invasion of Zelanas Domain though, and some things were cropping up that I didnt quite understand. He told me about two separate and evidently unrelated invasions and a very complex war near the Falls of Vash. Thats another thing that kept cropping up as well. Ashad referred to Yaltar by his real name in much the same way that Yaltar kept referring to Eleria as Balacenia. I almost choked the first time Ashad said Vash when he spoke of Yaltar.
I told you that bringing in our alternates was a mistake, Dahlaine. If our Dreamers wake up and come to their senses, the whole world might collapse in on itself.
They do seem to be stepping around some of the barriers I put in place, Aracia, I admitted, but its too late to do anything about it now. The Vlaghs evidently going to keep trying to overrun us, and we dont have time to raise a new group of Dreamers. Has Lillabeth had any of those dreams yet?
Not that shes told me about, Aracia replied. Ive been a bit busy here lately, though.
Does being worshiped and adored really take that much time, Aracia?
No, but running back and forth to the Isle of Akalla to negotiate with Trenicia does. Shes not really interested in gold, so Ive had to find something else to get her interest.
Whos Trenicia? I asked curiously.
Shes the queen of the warrior women of Akalla.
Do women really make very good warriors?
If theyre big enough, they do. Trenicias almost as big as Sorgan Hook-Beak, and shes probably more skilled with a sword than hell ever be.
Impressive, I conceded, but if she doesnt want gold, how are you paying her?
With diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, Aracia replied. Theyre warriors, but theyre still women, so they love adornment. For a good diamond necklace, a woman from Akalla will kill anybody or anything that gets in her way.
If the women rule the Isle of Akalla, what are the men doing?
Theyre something on the order of house pets, Dahlaine. If I understood what Trenicia told me correctly, the men of the Isle of Akalla have raised indolence to an art form. On Akalla, everything is womens work.
Even war? That startled me.
Especially war. The men of Akalla are lazy and timid and generally useless except as breeding stock.
I chose not to pursue that particular comment. It just occurs to me that maybe you and I might want to consider taking Queen Trenicia and the horse soldier Ekial with us to the war in Veltans Domain, I said. Theyll probably be fighting the servants of the Vlagh before much longer, it wouldnt hurt for them to see what theyll be coming up against.
You might be right, Dahlaine, Aracia agreed. As I recall, the Maags and Trogites werent too happy when Zelana finally got around to telling them about some of the peculiarities of the enemy. Maybe you and I should try honesty rather than deception.
What an unnatural thing to suggest, Aracia, I joked. Im shocked at you. Shocked!
Oh, quit! she said.
And then we both laughed.