Fate's pawn 4

 

Chapter 4

 

The Selenite inn was not luxurious, but it was adequate. There was a male dormitory and a female dormitory, with washing facilities and other necessary needs. The food was not what was generally available in Mesolimnos, but it was plentiful and not unpleasant. A stew of vegetables and river eels was served with the leavened bread the Selenites preferred over flatbreads, a coarse bread but with seeds on the outside, giving a pleasant, almost nutty, flavour. Other Selenites in the inn dipped the bread into their stew, and Kaz copied them, finding that the looser, leavened bread soaked up the liquid, and was even better for cleaning out the bowl than flatbread. After this, sticks of raw vegetables were served with a selection of different cheeses, sticks of pastry twisted and cooked, and plates of pickles. Kaz, brought up to eat anything that was left over, happily experimented. Harkon put his hand over hers as she reached for a cheese covered in red wax.

“Not that one,” he said.

“Sir?” asked Kaz.

“It’s called red moon cheese, and the cheese inside it is coloured red, some say with beets, some say with sacrificial blood, but whatever is used, there is a chaos taint to it, which is unwholesome. Our god does not forbid chaos, but as an opponent of Selen and Daze you should avoid it. Those whose cults sense chaos would smell it on your breath.”

“I see; thank you, Glyph-Lord,” said Kaz. “Speaking of chaos, are those Marsh-Creepers creatures of chaos?”

“Well spotted. Yes, when the red moon ascended, the painful birth of her and her twin scattered chaotic blood in sundry places, as well as parts of the blue moon, which caused the great lakes by crashing into the earth. They were untainted by chaos, but at the margins, the blood of Selen and Daze caused some changes to innocent marsh creatures, and the hunters who hunted them, making Marsh Creepers and Androsaurs. In the same way, a goatherd defending his goats from a wolf was affected, to make Lycoids, called by many ‘were-wolves’; and Tragosti, the goat-men.”

“And Tróglings,” said Kaz.

“No, you are not of chaos, merely caused by chaos,” said Harkon. “Even the Knights of the Clear Starlight do not deny the right of Tróglings to exist, nor Toróg. I suspect they have little idea of how bright the Blue Moon would be when full, however. And I’ve heard some of those loonies say that women are of chaos because of their flux, which is a blood and moon related matter, since the Red Moon has phases that change over the course of a month.”

“I don’t know how it was, before.”

“I do,” said Alcitha. “My mother is a priestess of Zea, the Grain mother. Before the rape of the gentle moon, fertility was determined in all beings by the seasons, as with the animals, by the length of the days, which is why those who worship Solos and his son, Pollonis, and the daughter deities, the constellations and fertility goddesses, are so particularly enemies of Chaos and the Blood Moon. Selen usurped powers over female reproduction, formerly the remit of Solos and his wife, Zea. By such regulation, children were born around the time of the harvest, in a time of plenty, when their mothers would be most healthy to bear them. Even as lambs are born when the new grass is growing to nurture ewes. The urges to lay together to keep the bond between man and woman does not diminish through the year, a gift of the gods. Then, too, a woman could not conceive in the first winter after birthing, to ensure greater health.”

“But why did Selen wrest such powers to make women miserable once a month?” asked Lelyn.

“To steal the power of fertility from human women to aid her brother to curse the Toróg to make the Tróglings, who themselves breed in an uncontrolled way,” said Alcitha.

“I had some idea of rescuing some of my kin, but I swear to do whatever it may take to destroy Daze and break the blood curse on us all,” said Kaz, setting her hand upon the pommel of her sword, the circular pommel engraved with the two inner circles that made it a truth glyph, and thus used to swear oaths.

She jumped to hear a chime in her head.

“What was that noise?” she asked.

“What noise?” asked Lelyn.

“I heard something like a bell,” said Kaz, confused.

“You must have dreamed it,” said Protasion.

“I have heard that such may be heard if a significant oath is sworn, where there is an anticipated predestiny,” said Harkon, unwillingly.

 

Alethos jumped as the bell rang in his head. One of his was now involved in... something to do with the future. The little Trógling, of whom Pollonis was so disparaging. The one whom instinct told him had to be placed in front of the seeress.

 

Elsewhere, Luna felt the ring, and so did Rogaz, the lesser goddess-aspect, physical mother of the Toróg, as Tor was their father.

“That one was supposed to die,” growled Rogaz. “I instructed my priestess to have her destroyed.”

“She must not be permitted to harm our people further,” said Luna, the mystical aspect of Rogaz.

 

Two more, less benign, beings felt, and heard, the ring.

“Should we worry?” asked Selen.

“Whatever caused it has little power and is of no interest to us; we should watch, but ignore it,” said Daze, more interested in the luscious body of his sister. “I sense it is but a trógling; and what danger are they to anyone?”

 

 Kaz shrugged. Doubtless this chime was something to do with Alethosi oaths, and marked that her god had noted an oath from one of his followers. She did not suppose she would be of much use, but the oath was to do her best. And so, she would, in whatever capacity she found herself.

There were no other women in the inn, so Kaz, Lelyn, and Alcitha had a bed each; the men found themselves having to share. But as the women did not know this, they lost no sleep over the discomfort of their fellows. Especially as Alcitha taught the younger girls the ‘kill pest’ spell, to deal with any bedbugs or fleas.

Kaz fell into a dream.

“An oath is not taken lightly, especially an oath on a truth glyph,” said the muscular man in armour which was both black and lightly glowing.

“I have a purpose, beyond being safe in the temple, mighty Alethos,” said Kaz. ”I will do what I can to repay my succour. You permit chaos, but you do not love the chaos-bringers, do you?”

“I do not,” said Alethos. “The Blood Moon raises undead, which are an abomination. I am well pleased with your oath.” He hesitated. “I may send a mentor to guide you.”

“Thank you!” stammered Kaz.

“Work hard; but do not neglect leisure and play,” said the god of death, and the figure faded from Kaz’s dream.

 

When Kaz awoke she immediately knelt in prayer to give thanks for the dream and the personal touch of her god, something not often afforded to those below the level of initiate. On Holyday, during the service, initiates and above, and some of the most devout of those who were working towards initiation, merged spirits with worshippers live, and dead, for a glimpse of their god. Kaz had managed wavering visions so far since she had been resident in the temple, being determined to be the perfect Alethosi.

Then she went to breakfast, feeling uplifted, and ate bread, cheese, and dried fruit.

Kuros was much improved for a night’s sleep, and the party was on its way soon after all had broken their fast, carrying bread and cheese for a snack before the next inn.

 

 

 

It was a long day’s march on to Agorakome. They went at warrior’s pace, fifty paces marching, fifty loping, which gave the Alethosi some of their reputation, being said to be able to run fifty miles and then fight a battle. It was certainly part of the training, to run, and then perform gruelling activity after hours of running. It was one of the drills Kaz was good at, since the Tróglings were expected to run behind any masters as they rode cold-beasts, big lizards bred for the purpose of riding, cart-drawing and as food. They could go as fast as horses, but were not as delicate, save in the cold. Kaz knew the warming cantrips to cast on them to enable them to get moving for the day. They could overheat as well, but that was less likely. However, Kaz’s ability to run all day had amazed some of the other Alethosi, and had shamed the likes of Evalla, and was probably, reflected Kaz, the source of some of the enmity the initiate felt towards her.

And Kaz revelled in being able to keep up with much taller folk as they swept into Agorakome in perfect formation.

It was a smaller city than Mesolimnos, originally a trading hub, and built about a perfect little natural harbour on the great lake, with the Imperial Road passing to its north to take advantage of the lowest bridging point of the estuary of the river on which Agorakome was based. The city itself was on a rise, and straggled downhill to the harbour, where trading vessels and fishing smacks were to be seen in abundance.

Kaz could not help looking about. There was a big market place, as well as a huge fish market, which they had skirted, having crossed the river at the bridge. Being on cult business they were exempt from any toll, to the sour faced acceptance of the Selenite guards here. Kaz noted, however, that the market place and the roads were well-trampled mud, not the paved ways of Mesolimnos, and there were fewer arched arcades for trading, and more fabric-covered temporary stalls. It was as cosmopolitan as Mesolimnos, however, with people from far-flung places, the silk-clad merchants of the east, with their golden skin and pointed ears, Selenite merchants in heavy brocaded robes over lightweight tunics, a few Selenite patricians with their characteristic purple-dyed woollen robes, folded in intricate fashions, dyed with some sea snail, for the Selenite Empire was on the edge of the sea. It did not seem to please them that some of the Eastern merchants had access to a similar dye, and Kaz smirked. There were also Toróg of various kinds, mercantile and martial, and the odd priestess, and the usual gaggle of Tróglings about them. The slave block had Tróglings shackled together as well as humans of various kinds; slavery was a part of the economy, and the internecine war between the peoples of the Great Plains meant that there were always slaves to be had, even without the esurient rapacity of the Selenites, who used slavery as a punishment, especially for rebellious elements in the peoples they had overrun.

It was said that the chaos-kind, Lycoids, Tragosti, Bloodsuckers, and even Androsaurs might be found in Selenite markets; that, at least, had not spread to Limnesthos and its city states. Anywhere Alethosi were to be found was not going to be healthy for Bloodsuckers, who had sacrificed their lives for power, and who had their souls bound back into their undead bodies where their strength and endurance was considerable. Glyph-ranks of the cult of Aima, the Bleeding Daughter, child of Daze and Seleni, their undeath was a part of their initiation as Glyph-lords of his worship, and initiates preparing for this step could animate the dead. Alethosi were not encouraged to visit Selenite lands, however much respect they might be given within Limnesthos.

 

Harkon led his party to the Temple of Alethos in the city, where the commandant, an ageing Glyph-Lord, clasped Harkon’s wrist in friendly greeting.

“Well, my sword-brother, which of your party is the one the seer was so keen to meet? Mostly a keen looking crew... not sure why you brought a little girl or the trogling, though,” he added in a lower tone.

“Trógling,” said Kaz, firmly. “You insult Lelyn and myself, my lord; I should call for a duel.”

The Glyph-Lord laughed.

Harkon wasn’t laughing.

“Warrior Kaz killed a Marsh-Creeper by herself and assisted with another, and Lelyn brought one down with aid from another neophyte,” he said, coldly. “I suggest you do not judge on size. And I would fight as proxy for the girls to avoid you being humiliated if you face off against Kaz and find her no pushover without glyph-magic.”

“Well! I apologise, I was a little surprised. Of course, I suppose they need the experience. So, which one is the marked one?”

“I am sure I have no idea what you mean,” said Harkon. “I was given a mission to bring the Seer to Mesolimnos, and a list of those under me. I’m a simple soldier, and I go where I am told and do what I am told to do without questioning the orders from my god.”

“I see,” said the commandant.

“Now, we should like to bathe, and change, and eat, and sleep, in that order, if you please,” said Harkon.

“Of course, of course,” said the commandant.

 

“What was that the commandant was asking about?” Kaz asked Alcitha, when they were bathing in the female baths.

“Apparently the five most recent neophytes were asked because one is subject to a prophesy; and let us hope it wasn’t Stakis.”

“I could make some predictions for Stakis, but I’d be the one making them come true, not the gods,” said Lelyn. Kaz sniggered.

“Besides, Lord-Priest Pythas would have protested Lord Harkon kicking him off the roster,” said Kaz.

“Good point,” said Alcitha.

They went to bed after eating, and as nobody –except Harkon – knew who might be the person of interest, none of the residents learned anything further. Kaz was rapidly coming to the conclusion that soldiers gossiped even more than traders.

She wondered who it might be as she fell asleep; but perhaps it would become clear when they met the seer on the morrow, and questions would be answered soon enough.