Song of the Sword, Of Wars, Ansei, and the Ra Gada Options

[Destri Melarg]

CHAPTER ONE: OF THE HORSE AND OF THE RAT

From the Kanesh Observer; 2/1/20th Horse, 2398:

New Life Celebration Canceled

The City Council announced today that plans for the annual New Life Festival celebration have been canceled. Sources close to the Celebration Committee indicate that the war continues to strain the city’s economy. Meat, grain and produce are in short supply. The city guard is woefully understaffed. When combined this makes a celebration on the scale that the citizens of Kanesh have grown accustomed to impossible for the city to meet. However, in a statement released this morning, Council representatives stated:

“Rumors of the city’s destitution are greatly exaggerated. Neither lack nor the concerns for security were deciding factors in the Council’s decision. In fact, based on our projections, crop yields from last year are significantly higher than years before. Because of this we encourage the citizens of Kanesh to observe the time honored tradition of New Life, and to celebrate it quietly with family and friends.”

_____

From Brother Elgin’s Journal:

10/3/20th Horse, 2398 -

I hid the bread in the folds of my robe so that I would not be accosted returning to the Temple this morning. I passed a pack of wild dogs in the street; they were feeding on the body of some poor soul unfortunate enough to be outside alone last night. I tried to shoo the dogs away but they are starving and no longer fear us. They bared their teeth at me, warning me away from the kill. Since by law I am restricted from carrying a weapon I left the dogs to their meal.

The carcass of another dog lay on the steps to the Temple. Its head had been neatly severed with a cut too fine to have come from the blade of a farming tool. That does not seem possible; there are scant few swords in Kanesh since the Hunt. And the city guard hasn’t patrolled the slums in years.

The jaws of the severed head were closed around a bundle that twitched as I moved in closer. The shock nearly caused me to lose the bread in my robe. Still held in the dog’s mouth, past the sightless eyes, and under blankets covered in blood a child had been left on the Temple steps. I parted the dog’s jaws and lifted the child away from the grisly remains. It was a newborn, eyes closed, but it seemed healthy enough. As I removed the blanket to discern the sex I noticed two large puncture wounds in the right side of its abdomen. Blood poured freely from the wounds and dripped onto the Temple steps.

It was a boy, his skin cold to the touch. Despite the ghastly nature of his wounds, he did not cry. He was looking at me, but not with fear or hunger or rage. His large brown eyes sparkled with wonder, curiosity, and no small amount of amusement. His tiny hands glowed with a pure white light that I had seen only once before, in the hands of a Sword Singer after she had formed the Shehai. I looked down at the two parts of the dog lying on the Temple steps and gave a brief prayer to blessed Morwha.

I held the child close to my chest and watched the glow from his hands subside. I wrapped him in the folds of my robe next to the bread and took him inside the Temple. One of the sisters healed and dressed his wounds while another drew milk from one of the goats that we now keep in the undercroft.

I know the child cannot stay here but the sisters will not tolerate the thought of his leaving. As I write these words he lays sleeping in a drawer next to my desk. There is only one place for a child of his kind, and it is not in the Temple of Sep. I shall begin to make discreet inquiries, but for now he is safer here than he would be out in the dark.

The sisters have begun to call him Lionel, because he has a stout heart.

_____

From the Kanesh Observer; 6/3/20th Rat, 2408:

Pan-Yokudan Conference Announced

If there were any lingering question over the direction Baron Hira planned to move the city after his stunning coup of last year, they were answered today when plans were unveiled for a Pan-Yokudan Conference to be held in Kanesh next month. Sources close to the Baron’s office state that this conference is considered of the ‘highest priority’ by the Baron, and that invitations have already been sent to delegates throughout the former empire. No details have been released as to the topics that this conference will debate. According to one source:

“The purpose of this conference is to bring delegates from all the various provinces into one room to clear up lingering animosity and resentment. The Baron believes that thirty-five years of civil war is enough. It is time for Yokuda to heal.”

Rumors persist that one of the issues that will be discussed is the crowning of a new Emperor. However, no one from the Baron’s office will confirm or deny that rumor.

Among the confirmed delegates contacted are two whose reputations are already widely known. Lord Doniel of Samara engineered the naval quarantine that nearly starved Kanesh last year and directly led to Baron Hira’s coup. Lord Bokene, the former Ansei and current Ambassador to the court of Noni, is the son of the famous General Bodean, who was so instrumental in Emperor Torn’s Sword Hunt of forty years ago. There has yet been no word as to whether these two men will attend the conference.

_____

From the Memory Stone of Lionel Onsi:

“Close your eyes, Lionel,” said Brother Elgin. “Now keep them closed and hold out your hand, that’s it.”

Something hard and rough was placed into my palm.

“Now open them.”

I opened my eyes. Brother Elgin smiled down at me. There was a solid object wrapped in some form of cloth in my hand.

“Happy tenth name day,” said Brother Elgin. “Well, open it.”

I slowly removed the cloth. It was heavy whatever it was, and solid. Like I imagined ebony or silver would be. But I knew that Brother Elgin couldn’t afford ebony or silver.

It was a gray stone. Larger than the palm of my hand and smooth like the stones at the bottom of a well. Unlike those stones, this one was warm. The moment it touched my skin it felt as if I had just been given back something that I had lost. I looked into Brother Elgin’s face. He must have liked what he saw in my eyes because he smiled at me and slowly nodded his head.

“It is a memory stone, Lionel,” he said, “keep it with you always.”

“What is a memory stone?”

“Allow me to answer that, brother,” a deep voice behind me said.

I turned. With my eyes closed I had not noticed the man sitting in the pews. He rose to a height more than double my own and as he came closer he loomed above me like the shadow of a great tower in the light of a new dawn. He was dressed in a heavy gray cloak over steel armor that caught and reflected hints of whatever light the lamps could provide. His face was scarred and pocked, lined with age and the deep lines of bitter experience. There was a wellspring of mirth in his eyes, just beyond the sorrow.

“A memory stone records the events of your life,” he said, “everything you see and do will be recorded in the stone so that future generations can learn from you. It is a powerful gift you have been given. Only Singers and the Na’Totambu are permitted to carry a memory stone.”

Sword Singers! I found myself holding the stone in both hands. It felt as if it had always been mine, but I knew that I could not keep it. I held it out to Brother Elgin.

“I cannot accept this,” I said, “I am no one. It must go to a Sword-Singer.”

“You have not told him?” asked the man.

Brother Elgin shook his head and gently pushed my hands away. He knelt beside me and looked into my eyes. The sadness written into his face made me want to cry. He looked at the memory stone cradled in my hands.

“This gift is yours, Lionel,” he said, “it did not come from me, and it is deserved. When you were a child I saw you form the Shehai. I kept this knowledge from you because I feared for your safety. I love you as if you were my own son, but your destiny lies beyond these walls. The time has come for you to use the gift that Papa has given you. You will leave here today, now.”

He pulled me in close; his embrace was so tight that I found it hard to breathe. I breathed in the familiar smells of candle wax and incense that wafted from his robe. Then he pushed me away and held me at arms length. I could see tears forming in the bottom of his eyes. He looked up at the other man and nodded; then he stood, turned, and walked to the other side of the Temple.

My vision blurred and tears ran down my cheeks. I realized that Brother Elgin had just said goodbye, and that I had said nothing. I opened my mouth to speak, but I was silenced by the heavy steel gauntlet that came to rest upon my shoulder. I looked up.

“He knows that you love him, boy,” said the man. “Come, these things must be done swiftly.”

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“We go into the city,” he said, “to the Hall of the Virtues of War. There you shall learn the Way of the Sword.”

“I am to be a Sword-Singer?”

“If your heart proves pure, yes,” he began to steer me toward the door. “But it is a difficult path you now walk, young Lionel, one that most are not equal to.”

I looked behind us; Brother Elgin had disappeared into the undercroft. I looked up at the giant whose hand was so firm upon my shoulder.

“Do I call you ‘Master’, sir”

A smile spread across his face. It filled in the lines and softened his features.

“My apologies, young Lionel, I should have introduced myself. I am one of many whom you will call master in the years to come. I shall not be active in your day to day training, but we shall encounter each other from time to time. When we do, you may call me Master Hunding.”

_____

From the personal correspondence of Bokene, Ambassador to the Court of Noni:

7/3/20th Rat, 2408

My Dear Bokene,

First, allow me to express my congratulations. When Elisa informed me that Laira had given birth to a baby girl my heart rejoiced for you both. In the glow of such a blessed event I am loathe to ask a favor of you. But, as you well know, the affairs of state do not spare a moment, even for celebration.

Now, more than ever, I need the support of my friends. I hope that you will see fit to lend us your presence at the Pan-Yokudan Conference that I am holding here in Kanesh next month. Perhaps together our raised voices can help forge a long overdue peace in a land so ravaged by the horrors of war.

I hope you will not be dissuaded from attending by rumors of the dangers of Kanesh. The Observer foments panic in the streets by exaggerating the dangers that are inherent in any large city. Rest assured that the safety of any visiting dignitaries will be the primary concern of this government during the Conference.

Once again I need your help, old friend. While I completely understand why Laira and the newborn cannot travel, I hope to see you here next month. Until then I remain.

Sincerely yours,
Baron Hira

_____

From the Memory Stone of Ambassador Bokene:

There are a few hours before the dawn. Laira still sleeps and, after four songs, I can now say the same for Belakani. In her tiny form I see all that is best of Laira and me. Would that I could remain here with her, but for her and Laira’s future security I must hazard a journey into the jaws of the serpent.

Outside the northern window I can hear the sound of the waves in the darkness. The lighthouse on the cape cast its lamps to wayward ships alone upon the Eltheric Ocean. May it stand as a beacon to hasten my journey and light my return to this place of my belonging.

Hira’s ambition is power, not peace. I trust him as the sheep trusts the wolf. I know that he would burn the empire in order to wear the crown, but what choice do I have? The chance for peace must be taken by men in good faith, no matter how tenuous that peace might be.

Belakani shifts in restless sleep. She chews her bottom lip just like her mother. If only she had inherited from me one of my more endearing traits, instead of the curse that she has. I would give all that I have to spare her from the life that will be thrust upon her. I can put this off no longer. Because of the uncertain nature of my journey I must rouse Laira to the danger that she and our daughter now face. I must inform my wife of the plans that I have made for their safety in the event that my mission should fail. I must hold her close to me and, in whispered tones, tell her that our daughter has formed the Shehai.

This post has been edited by Destri Melarg: May 22 2010, 12:29 AM

[haute ecole rider]

Another well-written chapter!

Using the memory stones to record the thoughts of the characters is very interesting, and somehow a little more effective than journals. We are inside the characters' heads in a more natural and spontaneous manner.

Again I see you starting to weave a web of events and characters. Their relationships are more evident from the outset, but seeing them a little bit at a time, in snippets and bits, makes for a more engaging read.

I couldn't really see any nits this time. Great writing!

[mALX]

WHEW! I was ill when I woke up this morning, but I think reading this has healed me! WHEW! Start with the response to the interview by the Kenesh Observer (how typical! Govt. is always denying what the citizens know is happening!) - the powerful scenes of Elgin and Lionel - and then to bring in a second child that can form the Shehai - WHEW !!! - not to mention this shocker: "you may call me Master Hunding.” - ARGH!!!!!!! You have done it again!!!!! Gobble Gobble... * mALX stands in front of PC for the rest of the morning * CLAP CLAP !!!!!!!!!!!!


EDIT: * the excitement being too great, mALX has died of a heart attack in front of her PC while clapping vigorously and making an odd sound like a gobbling turkey *

This post has been edited by mALX: Mar 22 2010, 04:59 PM

[treydog]

Even though you are apparently going to cover a large canvas, you manage to keep the writing on a "personal" level. The necessary framework of events is ably described in the articles.

Another wonderful addition.

[Remko]

Keep 'm coming m8!

[SubRosa]

Very neat. The method of using the memory stones to tell the story is very novel.

[Olen]

I'll second that. It's good to see poeple writing things like this which really take advantage of the online format. I don't think this would have worked nearly so well on paper but as a serial online it's brilliant. I like the sense of a spreading web you have as you introduce a large canvas but with many points of detail. I also like how it allows you multiple first person point of views, this promises to be quite interesting.

On thing I would say is to beware of introducing too many characters too fast. It's still ok but, especially bearing in mind that most people here are probably reading ten or more things at once, you could end with losing some into the crowd... Just something to consider.

Great stuff though.

[Destri Melarg]

Thank you all for your wonderful comments. As I mentioned elsewhere, I have struggled with the format of this story a bit. Combined with my concentration on Interregnum new work on this story has slowed to a crawl. I won't promise an increase in the frequency of the updates, but I will promise that I will keep working on it.

_____

From the Personal Correspondence of Emperor Hira: Report of Doniel, Captain of the Kanesh City Guard:

18/5/20th Rat, 2408

As per orders a company was dispatched to the waterfront to intercept the delegation from Noni. Under the guise of a security detail the delegation was placed into custody and brought to the royal palace without incident. Within the walls of the palace the company, assisted by the palace guard, attempted to disarm the small security detail attached to the delegation. Two members of the Noni guard drew swords, and battle was joined. Due to superior numbers most of the delegation fell beneath the combined swords of the city guard and the palace guard. Ambassador Bokene and three members of the Noni delegation were forced to the foot of the grand staircase where they were surrounded and ordered to relinquish their weapons.

Ambassador Bokene held out both hands in a gesture of compliance. Then his hands began to glow with a golden light so bright that it caused the men standing before him to shield their eyes before the glare. The light coalesced and twisted between his hands, forming itself into the appearance of a wide sword with a crescent blade. With this weapon Ambassador Bokene was able to lead the remaining Noni delegates free of the castle, decimating the city guard and slaying several members of the palace guard in the process.

Last reports indicate that the surviving members of the Noni delegation have fled into the slums. Unfortunately the city guard presence there is negligible. Therefore, it will be some time before we are able to root them out. As of this writing we have doubled the wall guards and sealed the gates. Awaiting further orders.

_____

From the Memory Stone of Ambassador Bokene:

The candles are a risk, but they are necessary. The healers cannot work in the dark. They are gentle women, and they move amongst my friends providing a kind word and a soft touch. Our wounds are past tending, none of us shall see the sun rise. Thanks to my training I can block out most of the pain, but I know my wounds are mortal. It is only a matter of time.

I marvel at the clarity of vision that the certainty of imminent death brings a man. Though I have attended the ceremonies my whole life I never stopped to marvel at how beautiful the Temples are. Even in the slums of Kanesh this Temple of Sep stands as a work of art. The priest is a man who calls himself Brother Elgin. At great personal risk he administers to my fallen comrades. I fear that his efforts are in vain, just as I fear for the retribution that awaits him after our passing.

I thought that we came prepared for Hira’s treachery, but we were mistaken. None of us knew the depths to which he would sink to accomplish his goals. To attack a diplomatic envoy under a banner of truce is artless, and without honor. May the unknown gods of war look upon this act with revulsion, and may Hira’s eventual passing be made agonizing and slow because of it.

My death poem is complete. My only regret is that I will pass out of this life without holding Laira and Belakani to me once more. What anguish will they face at news of my passing? What terrors will they meet on the path to come? Hira is many things, but he is no fool. As long as my wife and daughter yet live there will be opposition to his crown. I fear that in following the call of duty I have condemned more than just myself. Papa please, watch over them.

“My dearest Laira, I am so sorry. I wish that we might speak together of this, but destiny has taken a hand. Upon my passing this memory stone will be brought to you by a priest of Sep named Brother Elgin. Though our acquaintance was brief I feel that he is a good man, one worthy of trust. You must take Belakani to the Hall; only amongst the Ansei will she be safe. I have loved the promise of you since before we met. In our life together I found that promise fulfilled, and surpassed. I must lean upon you now; your strength must preserve our line. I know that it is not a duty that you want, but I also know that it is a duty to which you are equal. I love . . .”

_____

From the Personal Correspondence of Emperor Hira: Dispatch to Doniel, Captain of the Kanesh City Guard:

19/5/20th Rat, 2408

Fire the slums.

-Hira

_____

From the Kanesh Observer; 19/5/20th Rat, 2408

Assassination Attempt Thwarted

Citizens of Kanesh can rest a little easier tonight, secure in the knowledge that our rightful government still stands despite the cowardly efforts of the Noni delegation yesterday.

Sailing into Torn’s Harbor under a flag of truce, the Noni delegation, which featured more than one hundred armed men in their security detail, was escorted peacefully to the Royal palace. Once there, they set upon the palace guard in a stunning attempted coup. Their objective appears to have been to assassinate Baron Hira and the senior officials of the High Council.

Though vastly outnumbered, the palace guard reacted with a professionalism and skill that was more than a match for the craven forces of Noni. Most of the criminals were dealt with during the exchange at the palace, but a large number of them, including the attempted coup’s apparent mastermind, Ambassador Bokene, used foul magic to escape justice and fall back into the lawlessness of the slums.

When contacted for comment, a representative of Baron Hira’s office said:

“This attack goes to underscore the amount of hate and mistrust that still exists in Yokuda despite the best efforts of honorable men like Baron Hira. Even now he cannot bring himself to condemn his friend, Ambassador Bokene. If the Ambassador and his co-conspirators surrender peacefully, I have no doubt that Baron Hira’s justice will be lenient.”

Government officials have sealed the gates to the slums and reinforced the guards manning the gates. Access to that region of the city will be suspended and law-abiding citizens of Kanesh are instructed to avoid the slums during the duration of the crisis.

_____

From Brother Elgin’s Journal:

19/5/20th Rat, 2408 –

The Ambassador passed away last night while I slept. He was the last survivor of the attack. I found him this morning, still clinging to the memory stone upon which he must have continued to issue instructions until the moment of his death. I wish that I could have been there to help ease his passing, but exhaustion issued me fitful rest when I wanted it least. We bound his body and laid it to rest in the undercroft with the others. His memory stone now lies at the bottom of my pack, hidden under my meager belongings.

My faith has been shaken by these events. Truly the gods cannot exist. For if they did, how do they justify remaining idle while men like Baron Hira are ascendant and men like Bokene are laid low? I have been drawn into the sweep of events against my will. Though I am a reluctant player the duty before me lies clear. I must conduct the Ambassador’s memory stone to the Court of Noni.

I hear cheering from beyond the gate to the city. Through the Temple windows I see the long absent city guard once again walking our streets, in numbers that swiftly become too high to count. I suppose that it is only a matter of time before they wish to search the Temple. I must make ready to greet them.

I do not know why, in the brilliant light of day, they would all be bearing torches.

_____

From the Memory Stone of Lionel Onsi:

“I heard that a new boy had joined us,” said the voice from behind me, “but I didn’t think he would be quartered with me.”

“Perhaps it was done to teach you some humility, Divad,” said another.

I turned, there were three of them standing in the doorway. Older boys, and rough by the looks of them. The tallest of the group ventured into the room. I flinched.

“You are being punished for something,” said the second boy who had spoken. He was short, buck-toothed, and thick around the face and middle. “See the way he cowers in our presence. He’s slum-trash for sure.”

The tall boy reached my side. He had the bearing of one who did what he wanted and got what he desired. He did a turn around me and appraised me as if I were a goat in the undercroft.

The third boy stood next to the fat one in the doorway. He was smaller than the other two and wiry. His head was shaped like an up-turned spade and topped with an explosion of black wool-like hair that seemed far too heavy for his thin body to bear. He spoke for the first time, in a voice that carried traces of a lisp. “I wouldn’t want to share quarters with slum-trash. What if he has fleas, or worse?”

The tall boy stood behind me. He looked down his nose at me before he spoke. “Do you have fleas, new boy?”

I wanted to escape, but I knew that I could not pass the two in the doorway. The tall boy stood between me and the only window in the room. Given the small mountain of steps that I had been forced to climb to reach this floor, getting to the window would not have helped me. In fact, if it was their intention to throw me from the tower I would be doing half their work for them. I made a decision right then and there not to be so accommodating.

The tall boy was still looking at me, but his eyes held an expression of teasing, not taunting. Also there was something about the way that he looked at me that I found strangely familiar.

“Don’t you speak, new boy?” he asked.

“Only when there is something worth responding to,” I said.

“Ho! He’s got a mouth on him,” said the fat boy.

“Yes he does,” said the tall boy. His eyes were lit with amusement. “You do realize that there are three of us to one of you, don’t you?”

I looked at the fat boy in the doorway. “You mean four of you.”

The tall boy laughed, “You’ll do. I’m Divad.” He pointed at the fat boy. “That’s Waymon, the other one is Faris. Do you have a name?”

“Lionel,” I said.

“Where are you from, Lionel?”

“The slums,” I looked over at Faris and winked, “but my fleas weren’t allowed to follow me through the gate.”

They all laughed at that remark. Faris and Waymon entered the room.

“Not to worry, Lionel,” said Faris, “if you get homesick your window looks out to the . . .”

He stood transfixed, his eyes bulging from his head as his gaze was drawn to something beyond the window behind me. The others followed his gaze and fell silent. I turned, beyond the window the morning sun had been covered in a blanket of gray smoke that rose from several fires that bloodied the horizon and consumed the familiar squat dwellings of home. In the center of the inferno I saw the spire of the Temple of Sep collapse upon itself.

“Unknown gods, Lionel,” said Faris, “I hope you were an orphan.”

“Well,” said Waymon, “he is one now.”

Divad reached over and cuffed Waymon on the back of the head.

[haute ecole rider]

I'm happy to see you continuing this. It's a difficult format to work with, but I loved the contrasting perspectives of opposite sides, followed by the final scene of the four boys -

“You do realize that there are three of us to one of you, don’t you?”

“You mean four of you.”

Beautiful!

[SubRosa]

Excellent example of spin-doctoring by the Kanesh news! They could have been Pravda in the days of Stalin.


“Well,” said Waymon, “he is one now.”
Ouch! But I still could not restrain a (naturally faint) smile at reading it.

[Olen]

Likewise I'm glad to see this continued, the format is quite different and I like it. I'm not sure it would work on paper but this isn't paper and it's good to see a piece which takes advantage of that in terms of style. Gives me ideas for my next one...

Burning the slums was brutal... it makes a great atmosphere. I hope you find time to continue.

[mALX]

The memory stone of Lionel Onsi has been my favorite since the beginning and still is. All I can say is WHEW !!!!!!!!!