Chapter 16

Maeryn hadn’t felt this happy in many years. She wasn’t running from anything, or keeping any secrets. But most of all, she was safe. It was a feeling that she thought would never return. Once in her life, with Adair, she knew what it was like to be cared for and protected. And then there was Lemus. Ever since then, she had been trying to survive in one way or another.

Now she found herself sitting in the sunshine, her hands dirty with the rich, dark soil of the Orud foothills. All around her were flowers of every color and shape imaginable. Her new benefactor hadn’t lied when he described them. Not just flowers, but trees and shrubs as well.

After inspecting and cataloguing what had been given to her, she asked the head servant where the garden was to be planted.

“My lord has given you free reign. You may choose the location.”

Maeryn couldn’t contain her smile. She began immediately to plan the arrangement and quickly determined the locations for the trees and shrubs at various points around the mansion. She saved just a few for the garden itself, but only to provide contrast to the flowers that would be the primary focus. After marking their locations in the dirt, the servants set to work digging holes.

By midmorning, she had outlined the structure of her flower garden between the vineyard and the cliffs leading to the ocean. The servants had already begun to unwrap the burlap from the root balls of each tree and had started to plant them in their respective holes.

Aelia had just completed organizing the flowers by type and color, when the head servant brought their morning tea.

“Would you care to take a break?”

“Of course,” Maeryn replied.

Aelia ran over and accepted a steaming cup. “Thank you,” she offered.

The man simply nodded and turned back toward the house.

As Maeryn sipped her tea, she marveled at how quickly things had changed from constant dread to happy simplicity. If she was tired, she could go to her room and nap. If she felt bored, she could take a walk in the vineyard or ride into the city. She could do whatever she wanted, but right now, she was focused. She put her arm around Aelia and gave her a quick squeeze, then set down her cup, ready to begin planting.

* * * *

The higher elevations of the Anod-Kem Mountains were damp with melting snow. This, combined with the rocky terrain, made for slow passage. For several days, Kael and Dacien were forced to separate, the entire column riding single file through dense forests and over wide-spread rock slides where the ground shifted beneath them.

When they began to descend from the heights, their progress quickened and, once again, Kael joined Dacien at the head of the group. Kael’s story-telling helped to pass the time and so, almost immediately, Dacien asked him to continue.

“Well,” he began. “As I mentioned, Matsuri and I became close friends. We would rise early and perform our morning exercises together, though each in our own way. It was difficult for him at first, but eventually he came to accept it. The Captain was pleased to have two warriors aboard his ship; it gave him a certain confidence that helped immensely in his trading affairs. He had an extensive trading route that stretched across the northern edge of the Empire and west to the islands, then north and east through the various port cities of other countries. Finally, he would end up back in Orlek in the northeastern territory. The whole circle took two years; I stayed with him for almost three cycles.

“Caleb,” Matsuri confessed. “I will be leaving soon.”

Kael wrinkled his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“This is not my home. I have seen what I came for.”

Kael didn’t understand and it must have showed on his face.

His friend took a deep breath before explaining. “For many years, my people never left our fortress city. The young children would grow and take the place of those that had passed on to the next life. But years ago, one of our citizens committed a crime and then disappeared. Many of the youth saw this as proof of what they had been feeling for a long time, that our lives were too confined. After much debate, the elders passed a law that gave any male youth of twenty years, the opportunity to leave for a period of ten years. After living in the outside world, the young man was to return to our city and address the elders, giving his decision to either stay in the city for the remainder of his time, or to leave forever. They were confident that the wickedness and depravity of other peoples would be intolerable.”

“So it is time for you to return.”

“Yes,” replied Matsuri.

“Were you the first to leave?”

“No. Three others left before me. I will not know their decisions until I return.”

“What have you decided?” Kael asked.

“I have spent ten years away from my home. During this time, I have seen many things. I do not agree with the elders that the outside world is completely wicked. There are many bad people, and some good. There are things that my people need to learn and that I can teach them. So I have decided to return to my home and help my people live and carry on future generations. But there are some things that they need to change or they will not survive.”

“It took me several days to come to the realization that Matsuri’s decision troubled me. I was losing a great friend and I couldn’t find a way to accept it. So I confronted him and told him just that.”

“How did he respond,” Dacien questioned.

“Better than I expected.”

“This isn’t about you,” Matsuri objected. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Take me with you,” Kael offered.

Matsuri didn’t respond.

Kael couldn’t tell if he was actually considering it, or if the idea was so preposterous that it didn’t deserve a response. “You said yourself that things need to change. Well, this would be a big change.”

“Hmm,” Matsuri grumbled. “No outsider has ever set foot within the city walls. It is forbidden.”

“Why? We have lived together for six years now. We’re practically family.”

Matsuri was silent for a moment. “You’re absolutely right.”

“I am?” Kael replied, stunned at his friend’s response.

“Yes, though they will take some convincing.” Matsuri paused, thinking through his decision. “Yes. It is a good idea,” he concluded.

“We stayed another week, then bid farewell to the Captain and the rest of the crew. In our honor, they provided an elaborate dinner at one of our port cities. We ate and drank as much as we could, retelling stories of our time together. It lasted well into the following morning. Then we purchased two horses and some provisions and set out for Matsuri’s fortress city.”

“What was the port?”

Kael paused, growing uncomfortable. “I can’t say; it was one of the conditions of being able to see Matsuri’s home.”

“Oh, I see,” Dacien replied, somewhat disappointed. “Can you tell me what the fortress city is like?”

“Only that it sits high atop a mountain plateau with a stone wall and turrets around its perimeter. From the towers, one can see for many miles in all directions. Its location has been the source of much confrontation through the years, within its country. Much like Orud, it governs a narrow stretch of land that connects two larger landmasses. All land-based trade routes and military movements are forced to go through the area. There is also a great river that flows through this territory, making passage difficult. The river is what carved the land away to form the plateau. Because of this, the water splits into two paths and surrounds the mountain upon which the city sits. It is here that the water grows shallow and passable.”

“Oh,” Dacien interjected. “I see where this is going. So they taxed everyone for passage?”

“No,” replied Kael. “In fact, Matsuri’s people wanted only to live in peace. But this was difficult in that every clan and warlord had to pass through this area under the watchful eye of the city above them. This created many suspicions and rumors, such that the city was thought to be in the service of some clans, selling their intelligence information to certain clan leaders. This brought them into the middle of conflicts that they only wished to avoid. Then, one enterprising warlord, who sought to unite some of the clans and thereby secure his leadership over the entire country, knew that controlling this piece of land was crucial to his success. So he sent hundreds of soldiers to conquer the city, only to meet with defeat. But he was not easily deterred, so he sent thousands more and again, met defeat. This struggle lasted a few years and greatly angered the warlord because he couldn’t afford to lose such men at a time of establishing his dominance, but he needed desperately to control the plateau and river passage.”

“So he decided to try one last time. Knowing that he couldn’t best them in combat, for all of the inhabitants were skilled warriors, he laid siege to the city and tried to starve them out. After a month without evidence of anyone trying to leave, he sent men to spy atop the walls. All but one were killed, and the remaining soldier informed him that they were completely self-sufficient, growing their own food within the city.”

Dacien laughed at the situation. “I would like to have seen the warlord’s face at that moment.”

“As would I,” Kael continued. “At this, the warlord knew he had been defeated, though not in the traditional sense. So he flew the white flag of peace and requested conference with the city leader. His request was granted, and the two met at the base of the mountain, each with their own guards ready to fight to the death. The city leader hadn’t given his title or name, so the warlord wasn’t sure how to properly address him, or if this was in fact the leader at all. Nevertheless, he told the man that the warriors of the fortress city were superior and that he would offer them peace in return for his soldiers to train under these extraordinary men. Thinking that this was a trap, the city leader denied the offer, stating that their ways were sacred and not to be shared with outsiders, and though they desired peace, they were willing to endure the alternative to protect their ways.”

“Oh,” Dacien interrupted. “So that’s why Matsuri was so upset with you.”

“Exactly,” Kael continued. “Their ways held a high price. Anyway, the warlord then offered to pay heavily for their knowledge of passage through the area. Again, the request was denied. Finally, at his wit’s end, the warlord stated that he would pay heavily if only the city leader would appoint men to be the warlord’s personal guards. Before the man could answer, the warlord stated that these men would be allowed into areas and be privy to knowledge that few were allowed. Seeing that this warlord was determined and likely to become the king, the city leader liked this arrangement as it would place his people in a position of power without compromising their ways or lifestyle. So he agreed.”

“Wow,” Dacien exclaimed. “…to be so fortunate that a future king would grovel at your feet. Those warriors must have been extraordinary.”

“Indeed,” Kael confirmed. “I cannot tell you of the layout or any details of the city or its internal workings, but I can say that it caused quite a commotion when I entered the city with Matsuri.”

“Wait,” interrupted Dacien. “Before you get to that, I have a question.”

“Please,” Kael said with an upturned hand.

“If their ways were so sacred, how is it that you came to know them? Was your instructor affiliated with these people? What was his name?”

“Ukiru,” Kael replied. “Yes I believe he was, though I never received definite confirmation. You see, I haven’t ever told my story to anyone except you. So I didn’t discuss the matter during my stay at the fortress city. Instead, I came to suspect the same as you, and looked for hints of confirmation. The look of these people, their features, how they dressed and carried themselves were all very similar to Ukiru. But the most interesting observation was the story of a dissenter, a criminal.”

“From the time of his childhood, one man seemed opposed to the traditions of his people. He escaped from the city as a young man. From time to time, they heard rumors of his whereabouts. From what they could glean, the man moved slowly through the country, making money from his ability to fight in staged matches. He was noticed and hired by a particularly brutal warlord and became the Captain of his forces. They were unsure of the details, but apparently something went wrong and they learned that the warlord had been assassinated and the young man was nowhere to be found. There were two possible conclusions to this rumor. One could say that this young man killed his former employer and fled the country. The other possibility is that someone else had assassinated the warlord, and because of the young man’s failure to protect his employer, he was executed.”

“And you believe the former,” Dacien concluded.

“Yes,” Kael confirmed.

“Very interesting,” Dacien stated, seemingly satisfied. “So what did they do when you showed up with Matsuri?”

Kael looked at the sun declining toward the western horizon. “Perhaps that’s a better story for tomorrow.”

Dacien looked ahead and realized that he had been completely engrossed in the story. “Yes,” he replied. “Let’s find a place to make camp.”