Hestia walked through the Thieves’
Forest with the L’avan Healers and the wounded soldiers. She had given her
horse to one of the soldiers to ride. She had never minded walking, and she was
not injured.
They would be leaving the woods
soon, and the refugee camp would be visible. Several of the soldiers began to
look eager at the thought of being reunited with loved ones.
Hestia watched as one of the
Seharan healers—a woman by the name of Faryl—walked with her arm around a
wounded L’avan. Hestia was fairly certain the soldier’s name was Than’os. Next
to them walked an Ojuri lad with two Seharan soldiers, who seemed to be in the
midst of an earnest conversation.
It made the Ojuri leader—now queen
of Sehar—glad to see connections forming between Seharans and L’avan. It made
her even happier to see members of the Northern Tribes mixed in with the rest
of the Seharan soldiers.
There had been so much discord, so
much division in the history of Sehar. It had been many generations since the
nation was truly united. They needed that unity if they were to be victorious
against Cha-sak and his followers, and they would need it if they were to move
forward as a nation in the future.
Compared to the rest of the world,
Sehar was stagnant and insignificant. Hestia wanted to change that. She had
never wanted to be queen, but now that she had accepted the title she intended
to do something with it. She wanted to lead Sehar out of obscurity and into a
position of consequence. Hestia wanted her kingdom to become prosperous and
independent.
She knew there was a lot of work
ahead, but it was encouraging to see the little signs of success. No success was
more important than forging bonds between the groups of people that had been
separated for so long.
Hestia was grateful to have L’iam
and Adesina as her allies. A new monarchy was always unstable at first, and she
would need all of the allies she could get. It was especially important to have
friendships with the nations that bordered her own, and Pevothem shared Sehar’s
largest border.
More than that, the king and queen
of Pevothem had been invaluable sources of guidance and encouragement. They
believed in her as queen of Sehar, and that meant a great deal to Hestia.
Hestia emerged from the trees with
the first group of soldiers. She shielded her eyes as they adjusted to the
sudden sunlight.
She could see the refugee camp from
where she stood, and they had clearly seen the soldiers emerge from the woods.
Hestia smiled as shouts of welcome were raised by their waiting friends. She
paused to speak to the lead Healer before continuing onward.
“Set up your camp here, just at the
edge of the trees.”
The Healer nodded and began issuing
commands to her subordinates.
Hestia did not wait to supervise.
She knew that everything would be done in pristine order. Instead, the Seharan
queen walked with the soldiers who were hurrying toward the refugee camp.
She was greeted by one of the camp
leaders, a man by the name of Quinlan.
“Our scouts reported that you were
coming,” he said in a mild but confident voice. “We expected you sooner.”
Hestia smiled. “Most of our wounded
had to travel slowly.”
Quinlan nodded. “Of course. What
news of the war?”
Hestia’s eyebrows lifted and she
took a breath. “Much has happened. If you would like, you can call a meeting
for this evening and I will report to all who wish to hear.”
The burly man gave a small bow. “I
would be grateful for that.”
“In the meantime,” Hestia went on,
“there is much to be done. The entire refugee camp needs to be moved northward,
away from the forest.”
Quinlan’s brow furrowed. “Why is
that?”
Hestia inclined her head back the
way she had come. “Our army is on the other side of this forest, and there they
will make their last stand. If the enemy breaks through, we do not want them to
reach the refugees without time to give warning.”
Quinlan rubbed his calloused hands
together in a thoughtful gesture. “I did not realize the danger would be so
close,” he said in a troubled tone. “We have no real defenses here. Most of the
able men are with the army, so we are composed of those who are unable to fight
and those who are unwilling.”
“Not all,” corrected Hestia. “Do
not forget that there are those like you, who stayed to maintain structure.”
Quinlan gave a sad smile. “I did
choose to stay, but not out of nobility. I injured my knee during the attack on
the High City, and I am no longer able to run. I would make a poor soldier.”
“Well, you can stand and defend if
the worst comes,” she encouraged him.
He assented readily. “I will do so,
if it is needed.”
“Where do we need to begin the
preparations to move this camp?” inquired Hestia.
“First we will pack up all of our
supplies. We have been getting a steady stream from the
Zephyr
.”
explained Quinlan. “We will warn everyone that we will be leaving first thing
in the morning, and then we will arrange transportation for those who need it.”
Hestia nodded her approval.
“Any shelter that is not used for
sleeping will be disassembled and packed up today, and then the personal tents
of the refugees can be packed tomorrow morning.”
Moving a camp that contained
thousands of people was no small task, but Quinlan seemed confident that everything
would go smoothly. That made Hestia feel confident as well.
“Thank you, Quinlan. Is there
anything that I can do?”
The large man slowly shook his
head. “No, we can delegate the tasks here. I do look forward to your report
this evening, though. A lot of people are anxious to know how things with the
war are going.”
She understood their feelings. As
far as she knew, there had only been a few messengers spared to send reports to
the refugee camp. They had not even been told about the retreat that had brought
the army north.
“I will be as thorough as I can,”
promised Hestia.
Quinlan smiled and then walked away
to begin the process of moving the camp.
***
The salty smell of the sea was like
the breath of life to Satosh. He inhaled deeply, enjoying the momentary peace
between his duties.
The last several weeks had been
very busy for the crew of
Zephyr
, but they had been very rewarding ones
as well. They had been taking the raw materials that the L’avan could
offer—such as wool, beeswax, and useful minerals—and trading them for food and
medical supplies in Banolf and Ghaith, both countries just across the Havill
Sea from Pevothem.
The crewmembers of
Zephyr
were not receiving compensation for their services in a monetary sense, but the
L’avan had made it well worth their while. Two young L’avan had been assigned
to travel with the
Zephyr
and had been instructed to use their gifts in
any way Captain Zulimar thought best.
Both L’avan were teenagers, younger
than Suvi. They were a brother and sister, named J’em and J’ula. J’ula was
fifteen years old, and she had the ability to mend broken objects and to
refresh their food and water supplies. J’em was thirteen years old, and he was
able to use his powers to lift heavy objects and perform simple healing.
Both were too young to be soldiers
in the war with the Scepter of Cha-sak, but they were still able to contribute.
Suvi had taken them under her wing, and they seemed happy to be adventuring on
the sea.
Satosh’s thoughtful eyes regained
focus and locked on the cliffs of Pevothem that were becoming visible in the
distance.
“Cliffs ahead,” he bellowed, and
the rest of the crew on deck echoed his call.
Pevothem was well protected from
outsiders on all sides. Every border that touched the ocean was practically unscalable
from the water. Even if one were a master at climbing sheer cliffs, they would
first have to face the challenge of reaching the cliffs.
The waters surrounding Pevothem
were treacherous, to say the least. Sharp rocks jutted up unexpectedly, and
rogue waves tossed ships about in unpredictable patterns. The crew of
Zephyr
knew that as soon as the cliffs of Pevothem were spotted they had to be alert.
Any lapse of attention could lead to a fatal mistake.
Sailors scurried about, pulling on
ropes and rushing to their posts.
Zephyr
slowed to a cautious pace, and
Zulimar appeared on deck to issue orders in person.
The captain seemed the physical
opposite of Satosh, who was his second in command. Satosh was a little man with
a fair complexion, even though years in the sun had made it darker and more
rough. Zulimar looked like a giant among men, being taller and broader than
most. His skin was the color of ebony, and it appeared untouched by time and
elements.
Zulimar glanced down at his second
in command with a companionable expression on his face. “Satosh,” he greeted.
“Captain,” returned Satosh. “It is
windier today. We may have trouble reaching the meeting point.”
The larger man nodded and crossed
his arms against his barrel chest. “We shall see.”
Satosh understood perfectly.
Zulimar wasn’t doubting Satosh’s words or his ability to judge the situation.
He was leaving himself open to all possibilities.
Zephyr
crept forward,
jostled by the rough water. Each member of the crew executed their tasks with
immaculate precision, the result of years of experience and teamwork.
Satosh took note that J’ula and
J’em appeared on deck to watch with wide eyes. They knew to keep out of the
way, but they couldn’t seem to resist watching. This was not the first time
they had made this trip, but each time the ship approached Pevothem there was a
sense of anxiety that flowed from the two youngsters.
Suvi, who was at her post as well,
caught Satosh’s eye, and the two of them exchanged grins. They would take turns
teasing the young L’avan when they were safely back at sea.
It took several minutes of careful
maneuvering, but eventually
Zephyr
reached the designated meeting spot.
“Drop anchor,” ordered Zulimar in
his bass voice.
“Aye, Captain,” responded the crew
members responsible for the task.
The ship still jerked about
unsteadily, but there was relief on the faces of the crew. They had been
assured that their present position was safe, no matter how the waves beat
against them.
The tension did not leave
completely, though. There was a sense of expectation that weighed on each
person.
J’ula twisted her hair around her
fingers. J’em tried to appear unconcerned, but his fists were clenched at his
sides. Suvi moved over to stand by them and gave them encouraging smiles.
“I never get used to her,” she said
to the young L’avan in a low voice.
The brother and sister seemed to
appreciate the comment.
“Nor I,” they each admitted.
The
her
they spoke of soon
appeared.
The water began to swirl a short
distance from where the ship was anchored. Slowly, an enormous arrow-shaped
head emerged from the depths of the ocean, followed by a serpent-like body.
The Aekuor was a frightening sight,
even though each person on
Zephyr
knew that Kai was an ally.
“Good day, friends,” the sea
creature said in a gentle voice.
Zulimar was the one to answer.
“Good day, Kai.”
“Once again, you bring supplies
much sooner than expected,” the Aekuor observed.
The captain inclined his head. “The
ocean has been kind to us.”
“It is a good sign,” acknowledged
Kai. “Our work must be in favor with greater powers.”
“I hope so,” was Zulimar’s polite
response.
“Well,” said the sea creature, “let
us begin.”
Crew members were already hauling
cargo from the hold and setting it on wide wooden rafts that had been placed on
the deck. Everything was stacked carefully and then securely lashed down with
thick rope.
Zulimar waved J’em forward, and the
boy assumed a look of serious concentration.
Satosh had asked the young L’avan
to explain to him how their magic worked, and the explanation had not been very
enlightening. From what Satosh could understand, there were natural forms of
magic in the world around them and the L’avan used…something…to wield it. They
had called it
vyala
, and had said that every life form had it. However,
if that was the case, why couldn’t normal humans use magic as well?
The young L’avan had become rather
confused themselves, and had said something about the importance of blood
lines. Satosh had taken pity on them and stopped asking questions. He decided
to ask a L’avan whose education was a bit more specialized in that area.
J’em’s eyes began to glow and swirl
with a light blue color. He extended his hands toward the rafts of cargo and
his arms began to tremble with effort. The rafts lifted into the air and
floated slowly down to the water surface.
The boy expelled a breath of air
and then looked embarrassed by his evident effort. J’ula placed a hand on his
shoulder and beamed at him with pride, and J’em began to smile as well.
Kai gently took the lead ropes in
her mouth and submerged in the water, hauling the food and medical supplies
toward the cliffs. She was able to see where the dangers of the ocean were
located, and she steered the rafts to safety.
Satosh watched through a spyglass
as the rafts reached the foot of the cliffs. He could see the distant forms of
their L’avan counterparts standing high above the water. One of them lifted
their arms and the rafts were magically lifted into the air.
From there, Satosh knew that the
supplies would be transferred to wagons, even though he could not see them
through his spyglass.