Lair’s Day of Reckoning

Prologue:  (20 years ago)

Lord Sebius Kantor cursed as he inspected his horse drawn wagon. The axle had cracked nearly in half. Why did I come out this way? He thought that it would have been a shortcut on his way to the village of Thesden. This should have been done by Hazot. That stupid servant had to get sick in the exact moment that these woven clothes had to be delivered. Lord Sebius kicked at the wheel, wondering why he hadn’t trusted someone else to have done the journey. He unhitched the horse from the wagon and let it graze. He looked around the mountainous terrain, pondering what to do next.

A rustling sound startled him. Lord Sebius turned to look at the shrub. Another rustling sound, this time from a different direction. His horse was nowhere to be found; his quick escape was gone. He found himself confronted with what looked to him to be an arrow, it was inches from the soft skin between his eyes. He gasped from the sudden sight of it, he stepped back and it followed. From the corner of his grey eyes, he saw figures emerge. A group of four men and a woman appeared, they were dressed in fur vests and dark leather pants. Their skin was as dark as the leather they wore and their hair was long and black. The woman and one of the men started arguing in their language. It seemed that the louder their voices got, the closer the arrow got to his face. It poked at his flesh. Lord Sebius had continued to step back, until he lost his footing. He almost fell backwards into a chasm, he teetered on the edge and straightened. He was breaking into a sweat and he was trying to speak, yet his mouth was dry. Then the arrow retreated back to the woman, they had stopped arguing. She glowered at Lord Sebius and stomped off. Lord Sebius wiped the sweat off his brow with his handkerchief. He assumed that these people were the Mesai and that he had crossed into their land near their village of Soma. He remembered what he learned about these people. These people are savages who lived in the mountain range of Nunuk. They dealt in mysticism and possibly sorcery. One of them started to speak. Lord Sebius didn’t know Mezi and he shook his head. Another member spoke.

“Oh, thank the Agea Gods, you speak Agean. My wagon broke. I’m on my way to Thesden. Can you help me?” Lord Sebius spoke deliberately.

The Mesai who spoke Agean, glanced at his group and replied.

“We do not have the tools to fix your wagon. We would have to go back to Soma. You can come with us.” He waved to Lord Sebius to follow them.

One of the men saw the horse and took its reigns. Lord Sebius followed, then went back to his wagon when he realized he was leaving his clothes behind. He grabbed as many as he could carry. Lord Sebius and the Mesai group passed pine trees and shrubs full of berries. The air was full of the sounds of birds chirping. He could see the tiny ones flitting from pine cone to pine cone; nibbling at the seeds. The sun was at its apex, yet it barely reached through the density of the forest. The ground was uneven with large stones and gnarly roots sprung out. He was careful with his footsteps in his leather flats. The Mesai men were sure-footed and seemed to have no issues. They walked down in elevation and the land began to flatten out. Lord Sebius noticed that a river gurgled nearby, its sound was almost deafening. He followed the men passing the river on their right side. They approached a wide clearing with huts and vegetation clustered about. The Mesai holding on to the horse, tethered it to a post next to another horse. Many of the Mesai stopped what they were doing to look at the man with the colorful clothes; they had never seen such harshness. Lord Sebius noticed the woman who was part of the group, she stood by with a few others staring at him. She still had the glower.

“Come.” The Agean speaking Mesai said.

They entered one of the huts. Inside it was hazy with smoke and darkness. The only light was from the entrance. Lord Sebius could make out shapes of people sitting on the floor. They seemed to be smoking. The Mesai crossed to the other side of the hut and pulled back a flap to let in more light. Lord Sebius can see that there were four of them. They wore the same clothes, except there was a woman among them. She had her black hair tied up and she wore a loose top instead of a fur vest. This group was comprised of older people. Their faces were wrinkled like aging leather. The Mesai spoke to them. They nodded, taking in short drags of their pipes. Every few words, they would glance over to Lord Sebius. Maybe they don’t know how to help or they don’t care to. The Mesai turned to him.

“They agreed to help you. It will be tomorrow morning. Now it is too late, the sun will be setting. You can stay here for the night.”

“But I’m already late with my delivery!” Lord Sebius said as he looked back at the elders.

The elders narrowed their eyes at him and said nothing. Lord Sebius chose not to say anything else. He had no choice, but to settle down for the night in Soma.

Later that evening, Lord Sebius sat in a circle with the other Mesai, after having eaten a meal of venison with pumpkin. A bonfire was set in the middle, the light bouncing off the figures who were dancing and singing. They appeared to be celebrating. The helpful Mesai, whose name was Hun, tried explaining to him what was happening.

“My people are celebrating the first full moon of Spring. They dance and sing, to pay respect to the lower Agea gods.”

“The lower Agea gods?” Lord Sebius said.

“Yes, the lower Agea gods are the ones that provide for us. They are the ones that created the monolith, Okut. It gives out energy and life, which gives us food, supplies us with ways to make shelter and it gives us good health.”

“You and your people believe that the monolith was put there by gods?” Lord Sebius said.

“Yes. Your people believe in gods, how is life created?”

“You’re asking about sex?”

“No. How did life start?” Hun rephrased his question.

“The God Leader put us here and then he ordered the other gods to provide different things to us. We have a god for weather, we have a god for harvest, we have a god for water. There are many of them that serve us.”

“The gods serve you?”

“Yes, in a way. What else do they do?” Lord Sebius said.

The dancing and singing continued. Lord Sebius noticed some of the elders from earlier were present. They were smoking again, the wisp of smoke curling near their faces. He noticed that there were others smoking.

“What is it that your people smoke? Is it an herb or plant like the rest of Agea smokes? It smells different….” Lord Sebius said

“No, my people smoke Lyka or Teepia. It is from lichen. It is crushed and put into a pipe. It is only grown here in the mountains. It is very special.”

“Why do you say it is special?”

The Mesai pointed to a woman entering the center of the circle. With her stomach exposed, she wore a loose top and pants. She glided around on the balls of her feet, then swayed back and forth. Languorously, she sashayed to the bonfire, her hands outstretched to it. Lord Sebius tensed up as she got closer. Then she lifted her arms upward and a ball of fire followed. He blinked at what he was seeing. The performer had taken part of the fire and had lifted it up above her. He glanced at Hun, he smiled. She danced around with the ball of fire, tossing it between her hands.

“How is this possible?!” Lord Sebius said.

“It is the Lyka. It provides magic to most people who smoke it.”

“Is it the same magic that the woman used to try to kill me today?” Lord Sebius remembered the strange confrontation.

“Yes, Uta. She is able to make things fly.” Hun said.

“That is amazing! I have read about magic as a child in tales, but they were just tales to us. How long have your people had this magic? What else can you do with it? Are there other plants that can do this?”

“We have been using the lichen since it was first discovered, along with Okut. The lichen is the only kind of plant that has this ability. Depending on the person, it can do different things. To this day, we are still finding out its limits.” Hun said.

“But why not sha— .” Lord Sebius stopped short. An idea was forming in his mind. He needed to find out more about this lichen and to somehow bring it to the other kingdoms. It would give him fame and riches. The kingdoms would love the abilities that they would get and would pay anything for it. It would go down in the history books as a great discovery. He would be awarded for his bravery for entering the primitive village of Soma and taking their share of the lichen for everyone to enjoy. There would be paintings and statues commissioned of him and they would be put up in the Vault of Agea museum. Lord Sebius’ skin tingled with excitement. He had to be smart about this. Hun had gone back to looking at the dancer.

“This is a great thing for your people, Hun. They are very fortunate.” Lord Sebius paused for effect. “Since you and your people don’t have what the kingdoms have, the Lyka would take its place.”

“Yes, we do not possess the tools and advancements that your kingdoms have.”

“Yes, yes. We have no use for Lyka. Our people have great minds at work to make the tools we need. We even have healers that have done such incredible things.”

“We have another type of lichen that heals. As long as the person is not too close to death.”

“There are other types of lichen?” Lord Sebius tried to control his voice.

“Yes, there is lichen that we make into Lyka for abilities, lichen that we make into Heala for curing, and lichen that we make into Teepia for enjoyment.” Hun said.

“I see.” Lord Sebius said, thinking of how he was going to take a sample of the lichen.

Uta sat down besides the elders as she stared at the gongon-og, ugly-clothed man, talking with Hun. She crossed her arm in front of her. Hun didn’t believe her when she told him that he was a bad sign and he was disappointed in her desire for violence instead of peace. The elders will listen to me, I am certain that I can make them see. Uta approached the elders.

“My elders, thank you for allowing me to speak with you.” She bowed her head, speaking in Mezi. “This gongon-og, should not be here. He is trouble. He was sent here to be our downfall.”

“Another one of your dreams, Uta? Why do you ruin our celebration with this talk of the echi-og? One of the elders asked.

“My elder, he is not a stranger man. My dream had his face and there was darkness. I believe he is a challenge that the lower gods sent us. We are being tested and we are failing by allowing him to be here.”

“He will be gone in the morning and you will forget your dream. We will come to forget that he ever came here. Now, celebrate and smoke with us.” Another elder said.

Uta hung her head, disappointed that the elders didn’t agree with her. She thanked the elders once more and left. Inocha, her friend stood by.

“What did the elders say?” Inocha said.

“They told me to ‘celebrate and smoke’ and to not worry about the gongon-og.” Uta said. “Hun doesn’t make it is easy to convince the elders of this. He has always been so open to strangers. Such a waste of time! No one from the outside is going to change their minds about us.”

“Hun is never going to turn people away if he believes that he can make them see the truth.” Inocha said.

“I know that! It’s frustrating, I spend time in the forest chasing off anybody that comes close and here he is letting one of them in our home.” Uta waved an arm at Hun and Lord Sebius. “This is not going to turn out well.”

“As much as I believe you whenever you have a feeling about something; I hope that you are wrong this time.” Inocha said as she placed a hand on Uta’s shoulder. For all the 18 years since birth, that they have known each other, Inocha had admired her for that. They sat on the other side of the wide circle, away from the gongon-og and Hun.

Hun placed the smoke pipe in Lord Sebius’ hand and sprinkled a bit of the Lyka into it. He lit the Lyka up with a small dry stick that was being passed around by the Mesai. It had been awhile since Lord Sebius had smoked, he took gentle puffs from the pipe. He noted that it had a rich, grain-like taste. At first nothing happened, he handed the pipe back to Hun and he passed it along to the others. Then Lord Sebius’ mind began to float. He had a strange feeling on his tongue and his eyelids fluttered. He wondered what his ability was going to be. Time passed and he still had no inkling as to what his ability was. He looked over at Hun.

“This gongon-og looks like he is enjoying his Lyka very much. His eyes won’t stay open.”

“What is a gongon-og?” Lord Sebius asked.

“I didn’t say….” Hun’s eyes opened wide. “You are reading my thoughts!”

“I can?!” Lord Sebius’ eyes snapped open.

“Yes, yes! I didn’t say anything out loud. It was in my mind.”

“That’s my ability?”

“It appears that it is. We have other Mesai with that ability.” He slapped Lord Sebius’ back.

Lord Sebius’ mind began to clear as he concentrated. He tried to focus on other people’s minds to see what they were thinking. It was all garbled and he couldn’t make sense of it. It slowly faded away. Again he tried and got back nothing.

“It’s gone.” Lord Sebius said.

“You only took two puffs. You have to smoke more Lyka to hold on to the ability longer. The abilities can be strong, yet they do not last unless you keep smoking. Eventually, one stops getting the effects of feeling tired and can handle it with a clear mind.” Hun said.

“May I see what it looks like?”

Hun took out the small pouch from a pocket and gave it to Lord Sebius. He pulled the ties apart and dumped out the Lyka onto his palm. It was leafy and spongy to the touch. It appeared to be chopped up. He peered inside the small pouch and saw that they were all the same. Lord Sebius dropped the pouch on the ground.

“Oh! I’m sorry! I’ll pick it up.” He said as he dropped to the ground to scoop them up. Lord Sebius glanced around to see if anyone had noticed. He took one and shoved it down into a pocket of his tunic. He smiled.

He got up and gave the small pouch back to Hun. Lord Sebius caught Uta staring back at him through the writhing bodies. Did she see what I did.

“Ula seems to be still upset with me.”

“It’s Uta. Yes, she does not like you. She doesn’t like strangers coming around here.”

“Do you often get strangers?”

“Not as often. When they do, we scare them away. We know of what your people say of us and we use it to stay safe.”

“You do? Is that how you have come to learn Agean?” Lord Sebius said.

“I learned Agean to help my people. We needed to know what was happening outside of Soma. Some of my people, who speak Agean, would go to the nearby villages to speak to its people. The villages are more welcoming than the kingdoms. We know that you think that we are savages and fear us for our mysterious nature.” Hun shifted on his wooden seat. “Are you afraid of us, Lord Sebius?”

Lord Sebius gulped and shook his head. He was looking forward to leaving tomorrow, with his bit of Lyka stashed away.

The next morning, Lord Sebius woke up in one of the huts that was provided for him. He stretched languidly like a cat and was impressed by how restful his sleep was. His head felt foggy and he wondered if it was the Lyka. He dressed hurriedly and headed out to the middle of the village. He didn’t see Hun anywhere, he decided to follow the Mesai, who appeared to be heading to an open area with a temple nearby. As he got closer to the temple, he could see how massive and ancient it was. There was a procession of people heading into it. They were dressed in long tunics with bits of fur strung from the shoulders. Their heads were bowed and he could hear low murmuring.

“They are heading into the Abora temple for a Potgathering ceremony.” Lord Sebius was startled by the voice. It was Hun.

“A Potgathering ceremony?”

“A child was born yesterday morning. His parents and elders will gather together to choose a name for him in the ceremony. This is a special occasion, especially since it happened on the day of the first Spring full moon.”

Lord Sebius and Hun continued to watch. The procession was long and slow.

“Come, let us have a morning meal. Then we can gather the tools needed to fix your wagon.” Hun said

Hun led Lord Sebius to a communal area where there were long wooden tables accompanied by chairs. Some of the Mesai were there conversing and eating. The air had a fresh smell of pine as the breeze blew the scent across the opening. There was a coolness, yet the sun was out beaming down upon them. Hun and Lord Sebius served themselves a bowl of some sort of grain that Lord Sebius wasn’t sure of, with wild berries tossed in. After wards, they headed to a smithy shop. The smithy gave Hun a couple of tools and a piece of wood to secure the axle of the wagon. With those in hand, they went back to Lord Sebius’ hut, where Lord Sebius gathered his woven clothes. He was tempted to leave Hun a piece, but thought it was better to sell all of them in Thesden. Lord Sebius unhitched his horse from the post. It was being stubborn at first. As they were leaving Soma, they were confronted by Uta and her companion coming back from the forest. She eyed them narrowly. Hun spoke to her in Mezi. Lord Sebius can see in her body language that she was still harboring anger. Uta eyed his tunic and Lord Sebius began to feel uncomfortable. Does she know that I have some of the Lyka in my pocket? 

 Her companion spoke and she stood in front of her. Lord Sebius felt a stab on the back of his head. He yelped as he reached to touch where the pain was. His hand wrapped around an arrow, the same arrow that was pointed at him the other day. Lord Sebius threw it down and stomped his foot on it. He glared at Uta as she made a sound between her teeth, much like a snake. Uta’s companion and Hun exchanged heated words. Lord Sebius didn’t care about knowing what they were saying, all he wanted was to attack Uta. It took all of his strength to remain where he was, he knew it was important that he did nothing. The conversation ended with Uta being pushed away and Hun grabbing Lord Sebius’ arm and dragging him into the forest.

“What was said?” Lord Sebius said as he watched them walk away.

“I told them that I would tell the elder of what has happened.” Hun said, he tore off a piece of clothe from his top and gave it to him.

Lord Sebius dabbed at his wound and said nothing. I’m leaving and I don’t have to worry about that wretched woman anymore. They reached the area where his wagon had broken down. Lord Sebius was breathing heavily and his clothes were stained with sweat. He groaned as he realized that they still needed to repair the wagon. He tied up the horse to a tree and helped Hun. The repair took some time and it annoyed Lord Sebius. He was hoping not to waste anymore daylight. The horse was hitched back to the wagon and Lord Sebius mounted. He took a few steps with the horse pulling and it appeared that the repair would hold.

“Thank you, Hun, for the hospitality. I have enjoyed your company.” Lord Sebius said.

“You are welcome. Please tell your people of what had happened. Perhaps it would show us in a better light.” Hun said as he waved goodbye.

Lord Sebius waved back and murmured to himself. “I will tell them alright.” He patted his pocket.

#

Chapter One

Lair took puffs of the Luzid and focused on the woman who was swindling people with her cheap cup game. Lair found it annoying when people, would cheat to make a living. She took pleasure it thwarting their plans as much as getting paid to. The woman, who was dressed in a long hooded gown, was enthralling the audience she had in the main square with flourishing hand gestures. There would be a flash of an olive to the crowd and then she would place it under one of the three cups that she had on a table in front of her. Then she would slide the cups around faster than she could possibly do without having taken some Luzid. Just to be sure that nobody guessed which cup had the olive; she would drop it down to her feet. There was no chance of any of the audience members figuring out where it was. Lair found this job to be easy and boring; yet it paid. It was more than what she had expected. The man heard of her talents and was hard pressed for her to do something to the woman who cheated him. Somehow he learned that she did, Lair didn’t care about that part.

Leaning on the corner of a building across from the woman and her hoard of onlookers, Lair tied her red hair back into her hood with her keepsake hair tie to concentrate. She watched the woman’s hand movements. The movements started to slow down and the woman’s eyes widen. She had no control of her hands. The woman glanced up and cracked a smile. Lair felt her resist and fight back, yet she was no match for Lair’s strength. The cups stopped moving and she lifted the cups that she had in her hands. There was no olive hidden underneath in either one of them. Which left one cup behind for the man in the pan hat and tights to point at. She reluctantly lifted the cup up and everyone gasped. Then the accusations started. This was where Lair left. She had to get the other half of the money from her client. She put away her pipe and pulled her hood down to cover her face; making sure to keep her face out of view. She walked under a archway and turned into an alley. There she found the pub that she was told to meet in, the Galloping Pony. The air inside was hazy and it smelled of unwashed bodies and fermented malt. She glanced around and caught her client sitting at a table wearing dark clothes, his hands wrapped around a cup. Lair sat down across from him.

“Is this place any good? I’m starving.” She said.

“Is it done?” Her client asked.

“Would I be sitting here, if it wasn’t? Take a look for yourself, she’s being sacrificed.”

“Alright…here.” He tossed the bag of coins to her.

Lair opened it to count. “Thank you. It was a pleasure.” She stood up.

“Wait! I know of another job for you.” He said.

“Alright, I’m listening.” She sat back down.

“A friend of mine heard from another friend, that a lord had heard of your service and would like to hire you.”

“A friend of a friend and possibly another friend, huh? Sounds like a wagon full of horse shi—”

“It’s not like that! It’s true! I can arrange for you to talk to him.”

“What’s in it for you?” Lair asked.

“If you need to know, I get a cut from it. This here lord promised to pay everyone involved.”

“Involved?! I would be the one doing all the work!”

“Yeah, but they told me and now I’m telling you. That’s what we’re getting paid for. It’s not like you are easy to find.”

“That’s because I have made some enemies! Some of them remember my face and I have to move around. Not that it’s any of your business.” Lair rolled her eyes. “Go ahead and make this arrangement. Meet me back here three nights from now.”

Lair ordered a wild pheasant leg to go from the bartender. She watched as her client finished his drink and left. She wondered if she should have asked for his name, usually she didn’t exchange names to be safe. Yet now she have another job with him. Lair smelled the roast scent of the pheasant leg and her mouth began to water. With it in hand, she left the pub. She laughed to herself as she realized that the leg made for good cover. Lair made her way towards the outside of Thesden.

She had to navigate around people bartering goods. Market day seemed busier than normal, perhaps because Spring was coming. She wasn’t interested in celebrating Spring like everyone else. Mostly because she didn’t have much money to spend and because she didn’t want to socialize. She’s been by herself for about twelve years and have never had the need to be with other people.

Passing between two homesteads which was part of the perimeter of the village, Lair continued walking next to long stretches of farm land. She noticed a man with no top, plowing the land with his ox. The air was cool, yet the farmer was sweating from the exertion. Lair felt a tingling of desire in the pit of her stomach. The man stopped to wipe the sweat from his forehead, she leaned against the wooden fence to admire. He noticed her and waved. She waved back with a smirk.

“Ever thought of plowing something else besides whatever it is you’re grow here?” Lair asked.

The man laughed and walked over. He leaned on the fence too. Their elbows were inches away from each other. Lair can smell earth and musk from him and it made her head spin. Sweat continued to drip down his ribbed abdomen.

“I’ve been thinking about that. It’s been a while since I’ve tried something different.” He gave her an up and down look.

“Perhaps I can suggest something. I’m something of a farmer myself.” Lair said.

“You are?”

“No, I lied, but you can teach me. Especially the plowing part.”

“Why don’t you come around this way. My home is over there.” He said as he pointed.

Lair did as he said and hoped that he would give more instructions of a different kind once she got inside his house.

Ermick was making his way to the altar room, he tilted his head back as he tossed a nut into his mouth. He noticed a crack on the floor of the tunnel and swung his injured leg over it. The earthy smell of the tunnels filled his nostrils and he shrugged off the chill that emanated. The tunnel bent upwards and he took his time going up. He pushed through the wooden doors into a small space, he noted the robes hanging on hooks on the walls, swaying from the breeze that he caused from entering. Ermick found Uta in the next room, waiting for him. She was dressed in a leather gown, with a feathered headdress and she had her animal carved walking stick on her lap.

“Ermick, I’ve been waiting here for a long time. What could you possibly have been doing that was more important? She spoke in Mezi.

“You know I have a limp. It takes me longer to get to places.”

“I’m going to make your other leg limp, if you make me wait again. I have been here for over an hour, just because I am blind doesn’t mean I don’t know what time of day it is.” Uta said.

“Alright, I’m sorry. I had a late start to my day.”

“Let me guess, you and Jairo were smoking Teepia and playing cards all night?”

“Perhaps…”

“I am wasting my time asking… I have news to share with you.” Uta adjusted herself on the wooden seat. “I have word from one of my scouts that they have found Lara Hanolo. She is now living somewhere outside of Thesden. You know what to do.”

“They found Lair? How long ago was that? She might have moved on by now? Ermick asked.

“Just the other day.”

“I’ll take Jairo with me.” Ermick turned to leave.

“No, you’re not. Jairo will only distract you. You go alone. This is important Ermick, you know that.”

“I understand. I will bring her back.” He tossed a nut into his mouth and winked.

She didn’t remember getting back to her hut last night, yet she remembered the time spent with the farmer. Lair smiled as she pushed back hair away from her face and yawned. She didn’t know what time of day it was, yet it had to still be morning because there was a bitter chill in the hut. She layered more clothes on top of the ones that she slept in. Lair’s head was splitting, she knew she had too much to drink and smoke last night. The farmer, she couldn’t remember his name, though he did tell her, had non-magical Luzid. Every time she had some of it, she would not remember much of what happened. He on the other hand was not as affected by it. She hated that she was one of the ones that had more of an impact by it. Lair at least remembered that the sex was great. She smiled to herself as she prepared a small fire to set a pot of water on.

Today was an off day for her. She tried not to have too many jobs back to back since she had to be careful not to be spotted.  Lair’s plan was to go into Thesden and return her library book. It wasn’t as big and as popular as the one in Strumold, yet she loved going there. She loved the smell of the books as she cracked them open and reading the tales of knights fighting for glory and valor. After her meal of hen’s eggs and pig sausages, she packed a bag with her book inside and headed out. There was a mist surrounding the trunks of the trees. Lair could only see a few feet in front of her, she wasn’t going to let it keep her from going. Even though she was only there in that abandoned hut for a couple of months, she knew her way around. She was blessed by the Agea gods, that she had a place this time, before she arrived at the hut she was living in a cave near the village of Dunebury. As she approached the unmarked road to Thesden, she pulled on her hood, her red hair is distinguishable and she knew that her wanted posters described her as having that color of hair.

Once in Thesden, she noticed a new poster next to one of her wanted poster that was torn with age, there was a crowd of people in front of it; murmuring to each other. It was a message from the town government:

                                             Thesden Announcment:

                                       There will be a shortage

                                       Of Luzid in the foreseeable

                                       Future.

The crowd grumbled complaints. This is not the first time that an announcement is made concerning the shortage of Luzid. This happened often before big events. Since Spring was coming,  all of Agea would celebrate, especially the kingdoms; which had more money for elaborate festivals. And it also meant keeping most of the Luzid for themselves. Lair had a mutual discontent with the people here. She made a living with Luzid, as much as the next person. If she could she would grow her own, but it was impossible. She took comfort in knowing that this would not be for long and her next job would probably be after the festivities have passed. Lair proceeded to the farthest corner of Thesden, where the small library shop was located. There was a tinkling sound as she entered.

“Welcome!” A cheery old woman greeted her. She had on a saggy dress and glasses. A cat slept on the counter in front of her.

“I’m returning this.” Lair pulled the book out of her bag and placed it on the counter. “Do you happen to have more like this?” Lair asked.

The old woman squinted her eyes at the book cover and smiled. “Yes, in this corner here.” She walked over and waved her arms at the shelf.

“Thank you.” Lair placed her bag on the floor. Her skin turned into goose flesh as she scanned the shelf.

It took her eight books to find the one she wanted to read the most; she wished she could take all of them. It was a tale of a woman who wanted nothing more than to be a knight. Lair handed the woman the book and she placed a seal on the inner back of it. With the book in her bag, Lair made her way out into Thesden. She reached the market area and had to maneuver again around people. There was a mixed pot of smells in the air of baked bread, smoked meat and sweets. She almost wished that she could indulge in some of it. A man with a tray of pies barely missed colliding into her and he hissed with anger. As he moved on from view, Lair caught someone staring at her. He shifted his eyes and pretended to be looking at a dress. That was two things that sent her into anxiety. Her heart pounding in her ears, she hunched over and walked as fast as she could between two shops. She tried to create an indirect path to the exit of Thesden, to throw off the man. I might be over thinking this, he might have just been attracted to me. Yet her instincts told her to get out of there, quickly. She tried to remember what he looked like in case she saw him again; black hair, tall, muscular, good looking. She managed to get through into the path out of the village and she kept going without glancing back. Lair didn’t get back to breathing normally until she cut into the forest towards her home. She peered back and noted that nobody was around.

Ermick barely got a glimpse of her entering the forest. He was breathing hard and was hidden behind a scarred tree. He noticed that she had glanced back. She was cautious, but not that cautious. He was about to follow and decided against it. Ermick realized that he needed her with her guard down, he made the mistake of getting too close back in Thesden. She could easily move on. He will wait and see if she comes back out of the forest. If she doesn’t, then it means that she had forgotten about it. He wasn’t planning on waiting all night, though. Ermick was looking forward to sleeping on a warm bed in one of the taverns. If there was anything that he missed when he was growing up in Strumold, it was the comfort of a bed.

King Dolan Trull and Lord Sebius Kantor were enjoying themselves in the courtyard of King Trull’s castle. The flowers were starting to bloom and trees were new and green. Hummingbirds flitted by as they chirped the heralding of spring. Each dressed in loose royal garbs, the men took puffs out of their pipes. The servants would drop off trays of fruits and nuts and would pour copious amounts of liquor into their goblets; though it was only mid-afternoon.

“Ah, Sebius, how I love spring. We leave behind the cold bitterness of winter and get a chance to a new start.” King Trull said.

“Yes, yes. Spring is a great time of year. I rather like autumn. I like the colors that the trees take on.”

“Yes, autumn is a good season. I am most looking forward to the Spring festival next week.” King Trull said.

“You mean, the ladies?” Lord Sebius said.

“You got me there!” King Trull slapped a hand on his lap.“I’d gather them in a group to my room… oh, the things that we do.”

“Honestly, Dolan, I don’t know how your queen puts up with that.” Lord Sebius said.

“She puts up with it because I give her everything that she wants. She is spoiled by me. I take care of her.” King Dolan said.

“Unlike you, if I was still with my wife, it wouldn’t be that easy. She was the jealous type and I would have had a good beating from her.”

“You would have let her? My queen wouldn’t even think of doing such a thing.”

“I wouldn’t hit her back, if that’s what you’re asking.” Lord Sebius said as he placed his goblet down. He didn’t realize that he had not placed it down properly and it fell off the table. What remained of the drink splotched out and stained the ground. A servant rushed over to clean it up.

“Sorry about that, Dolan.”

“Sebius are you having trouble seeing? I have noticed this before. The other day you almost lit my rug on fire when you accidentally dropped your pipe.” King Trull said.

“No, no. I’m fine. I have unsteady hands, that’s all.”

“Maybe you should have some more Luzid?” King Trull said.

“Yes, don’t mind if I do.”

“Would you believe I was told the other day, that there might not be enough of the Luzid for the Spring festival?” King Trull spat on the ground.

“It seems that it’s getting more difficult to get supplies of it.” Lord Sebius said.

“It’s those god forsaken savages in the mountains!” King Trull slammed his fist on the table and his goblet fell to the ground. Another servant rushed in to clean.

“You mean the Prims or as they like to call themselves the Mesai.”

“I don’t care about what they are called! I need them to be gone! It’s time to get rid of them once and for all. We have been too nice to them, by leaving them alone. They’re the ones that are being difficult and not sharing enough.”

“It might not sit well with the kingdoms to eliminate them, Dolan.” Lord Sebius said.

“I will speak to them. We will have a meeting and I will make them see that the only way we will always have our supplies is to kill them all. Enough of this sending armies of soldiers to get what should be ours. You know that for every one soldier we send over there to gather the lichen, two get killed by them?” King Dolan said.

“No, I didn’t know that. They’re tougher than I thought.”

“They have been recruiting more people on their side and in addition to their magic; our weapons are no match for them.” King Dolan puffed at his pipe fiercely.

“Have you thought of recruiting your own people?” Lord Sebius asked as he tossed his Strummy coin in the air.

“What do you mean? I have an army and they’re one of the best in all the kingdoms. They have never failed me.”

“Yes, but do any of them do magic?”

“No, they are not allowed to take Luzid. You should know that by now. Don’t you remember? I decreed it after the debacle with several of the soldiers getting into fights in the taverns and pubs. They don’t know how to behave when they take it.”

“Oh, yes, that is true.” Lord Sebius frowned. “What if you made an elite guard of soldiers who are allowed to take Luzid. You can choose the best of them to be part of this group. Then you should be able to stop the Mesai.”

King Dolan clapped his hands. “That is brilliant! Why have I not thought of this before? This is why I have you here, Sebius. You are a true advisor. I will work at this at once!”

“Of course, your highness.” Lord Sebius.

“Alright, alright. Say, would you like to be part of the committee of finding these elite soldiers?” King Dolan asked.

“No, I’m not interested in that. I’m only good at advising and smoking.”

King Dolan laughed as he left to his office to plan out his recruitment. Lord Sebius put his Strummy back into his pocket and left the courtyard. Once in his room, he splashed water onto his face from the water basin. Why am I having so much trouble remembering things lately? He shook his head, even his vision was giving him concern. He stared at himself in the ornate mirror. At first, he had trouble clearing his vision and then his image came into focus. Lord Sebius left his room and went to King Dolan’s healer. Perhaps the healer can suggest an herb or maybe even a vacation from advising. He hadn’t taken one in a long time, or maybe it only seems like it was.

“I see.” Said the healer after Lord Sebius told him what was happening. “Have you ever thought that it might be the Luzid that is causing this?”

They were in a small chamber with tables along the walls, covered with instruments of healing and a small table in the middle of the room, on which Lord Sebius was sitting on.

“No, why would it be the Luzid? It’s just a lichen, it’s natural. According to the Mesai people, it’s given to us by the gods. Why would the gods give us something that would make us sick?” Lord Sebius said.

“If that be true… I doubt that the gods would have wanted many of us to be consuming so much of it. I have been having my suspicion of —”

“And you do good to keep it to yourself, healer. Word of this getting out would be disastrous.” Lord Sebius said.

“Yes, yes, of course.” The healer said.

Lord Sebius hopped off the table he was sitting on and eyed the healer. The healer lowered his head and gathered his instruments to put away. Lord Sebius left with a small dose of the healing kind of Luzid. I don’t see why they couldn’t just name it differently like the Mesai people have. He stuffed it into his pocket and went back to his room.

Lair had decided not to go back into Thesden until the day she had to meet with her client again. She would have left right away if it hadn’t been for that arrangement. Her plan was to meet with the client, move to Strumold for a short while and then what happens afterward is up to her. She knew she couldn’t stay in Strumold for too long, they replaced their wanted posters more often than in the villages. Lair packed light, she didn’t have much in the way of possessions. She packed her drinking cup and a few pieces of clothing in a big sack.

On the second day she packed the library book, and some dry meat and bread for her journey to Strumold. Lair left behind her big sack, making a promise to come back for it. She tugged on her hooded cape, put her hair tie around her wrist, and was out the door. The night embraced her with a chill as soon as she walked out. There was a thin layer of mist creeping among the frail tree trunks. The full moon was starting to change into its next phase, though it provided good light for seeing. I couldn’t have picked a better night to move out. Lair made her way into Thesden, keeping an eye out for the man from the other day. She stopped to see the newest poster on the stone wall.

The Spring Festival will be Held

 Tomorrow Night.

There will be Dancing, Banquets,

And Performances.

Only People of Royal Line

And Business Owners Can Attend.

Lair rolled her eyes. Such arrogance! It appeared that most of the people were indoors, she could hear laughter and loud talking from the dwellings she passed by. She got to the library, as expected it was closed, yet they had a hole on the door as a drop off. Fortunately, Lair had finished reading the book during the time she was hiding out. There was a screech from the cat as she heard the book land on the floor with a thud. Lair made her way to the Galloping Pony.

There was a muffled cry. She turned to look into the darkness of an alley. A lone lantern cast upon groping shadows. Lair strained her sight to see. It appeared to be a man grappling with a woman, she struggled with him. The woman stopped and clutched at her neck, her eyes bulging. The man continued to molest her, he was raising her dress. Lair quickly tied her hair back and focused on the man. The magical hold that was on the woman released and she collapsed to the ground; weeping. The man’s arms were tightly clutched to his sides, he fought against it. C’mon get up! Run! The woman crawled out and then got to her feet. She sprinted away, whimpering. The man yelled in frustration. Lair smirked as she thought of what to do to the man. She made his hand turn into a fist, his eyes widen. He took a swift punch to the groin and yelped in pain. He took another and howled. Lair almost laughed out loud. She released him from the magic and he bent over, his hand on the wall. Lair snuck away, tugging at her hood.

Lair entered the pub and was met with the raucous sounds of a typical night of rowdy pleasure. The stench of mead, cooked meat and sweat was profound. She peered around dancing people and cups clanging together. She found her client; again he was sitting by himself with a cup in hand. She stumbled over feet to get to him and stopped. A man sat down next to him and began a conversation. Lair wasn’t sure if she should continue. I’ll stay standing in case I have to make a run for it. She approached them slowly.

“I see this is the pub to be in. To be heard and to be seen.” Lair said.

“What took you so long?” The client said.

“I’m here now, ain’t I?”

“This here is the Lord I told you about.” He waved his hand at him.

“Lord Malice Curdy. I own a clothes shop here in Thesden.” He brought his hand up for a handshake. His voice was high and he looked out of place in his tipped hat and colorful tunic. Lair frowned at the hand and name. Lord Curdy blushed and removed his hand.

“Alright, what’s the job?” Lair said.

“I need you to attend the Spring Festival at Strumold. I want you to embarrass the king.” Lord Curdy said, his hands cupped around his mouth.

“How do you suppose I do that? I can’t walk in without being caught. In case you haven’t been told by this one here, I’m a wanted person.” Lair said.

“Yes, yes. I’m aware of that. You will be part of a harem. I know for a fact, that the king likes to have ladies enter his bedroom… to do things.” Lord Curdy said.

“Do what?” Lair said.

“You know what. I don’t have to explain it.” Lord Curdy closed his eyes.

“You want me to have sex with the king?!” Lair said.

“SSHHH. No! That’s not what I’m asking. Unless that’s what you want to do.” Lord Curdy said.

Lair turned to leave.

“No! Please! Sit, what would you like to drink or eat? Let us talk and work it out.”

Lair sat down. “I want an apple mead and sausage links with pickled cabbage.”

Lord Curdy stared at the other client.

“What?” He said.

“Gornon, can you please get her that, while I talk to her?” Lord Curdy said.

“Alright.” He said and got up to go to the bar.

“Look, I’m sorry. You don’t need to have sex with the king. All you have to do is embarrass him. I don’t know much about how your magic works. What I know from Gornon is that you can make the magic work against people. Just do that in an… embarrassing way. That’s all.” Lord Curdy said

“Ok, let me get this straight. You want me to dress up and be part of a harem. Go to the king’s bedroom. At one point everybody is going to get naked and I have to see this. Then I have to figure out a way to embarrass the king while he is having group sex. Is that right?” Lair said.

Lord Curdy closed his eyes again and nodded.

“This is going to require a lot of money.” Lair said.

“What—”

“Do you think it’s fair to pay a small amount for someone to have to be looking at private parts?” Lair said.

“No, no… you’re right.”

Gornon returned with Lair’s meal. This might be my last good meal for a while.

“Will you be able to make it to Strumold on your own?” Lord Curdy said.

“Yes, I can.” Lair said, her mouth full.

She wiped her mouth on her sleeve, and her eyes came across a familiar face.

“Actually, it would be faster, if you can provide me with a way there.” Lair said

“Alright, I can have a driver with a carriage take you there. What else?” Lord Curdy said

“Is there a way I can stay close by for the night? I live outside of Thesden and it would better if the driver didn’t have to wait for me.”

“Fine. Is that all?” Lord Curdy said

“Yes. Are you not coming?” Lair said

“No, I don’t want this to come back to me.” Lord Curdy said.

He doesn’t trust me. He thinks there’s a chance I will get caught. “Alright, I understand.”

Lair finished her last sausage link and drop of mead. She stood up, Lord Curdy followed. She glanced over to where the man with the black hair was. He was hiding behind his cup.

“Who’s going to pay me back for the meal?” Gornon said.

Lair looked at Lord Curdy.

“Alright.” He said and he gave Gornon some Strummy coins.

Lair walked out with Lord Curdy and Gornon. She felt that she had a better chance of escaping from Lord Curdy, if he tried anything, than with the man with the black hair. Gornon went on his way and Lair followed Lord Curdy to a nearby inn. He paid for her night stay.

“Meet me at my shop, the one with the red roof next to the governing building. Tomorrow late morning.” Lord Curdy said.

Great, that’s the last place I want to be. “Alright, I will be there. By the way, why do you want me to embarrass the king?”

“He made fun of my voice.” With that Lord Curdy spun around dramatically and walked off.

I wonder why the king would do that. Lair grabbed the key from the innkeeper and headed up to her room. She opened the door and ran to the bed. She couldn’t remember the last time she slept on one. She jumped on and held onto the pillow. Before she could fall asleep, she needed to secure the room. Lair took the wooden chair nearby and jammed it under the door handle. She looked for any holes on the walls and peered under the woven rug on the floor. Lastly, she glanced out the window. For a moment she thought she saw a glimpse of the man with the black hair walking towards the inn.

#

King Dolan was standing in the middle of his grand room surrounded by servants tending to him. He was completely naked, except for his crown on his head. There was a servant combing his hair with scented oils. One trimming his fingernails. Another scrubbing his legs with salt imported from the coast. Yet another servant was cutting the hair in the area of his genitals. The ladies are going to go wild with the way I smell and look. King Dolan heard the sounds of footsteps, but couldn’t turn around to see who it was. The servants stood up immediately and left. Frowning, he turned to see his wife with her arms on her hips.

“Alestia, my dear. Why did you send the servants away? King Dolan asked.

“You know why. Put your clothes back on.” Alestia said.

“No, I will not. I am not finished here. Send the servants back in — now.”

“You disgust me! You call yourself my husband! For the past five years, it’s the same. Well I’m sick of it!”

“Careful, Alestia. Not only am I your husband, I am your king.”

“Is that supposed to give me fear? What are you going to do? Have me thrown in prison or killed?”

“I can have you sent back to where you came from. Back to your poor mother and father. I saved their kingdom, your kingdom. They mishandled everything in Corvia.”

“That’s what you think our marriage was about? An arrangement? We were in love once, Dolan. You remember that?”

“You mistook our courtship for love? I was told you were one of the most beautiful women in Agea and they were right. What I didn’t expect is that it would come with a witty mouth.” King Dolan said.

“You’re telling me that you were acting for all those years? Why don’t you admit that you are having a middle age crisis and are afraid of growing old and that you have to surround yourself with younger people; especially women.”

“Alestia—”

“Women who have to use Luzid in order to have sex with you! You can’t even please—” There was a slap on the face and Alestia stumbled sideways.

“I warned you.” King Dolan said.

“You’re a coward, Dolan.” Alestia said as she clutched her face. She rushed out and slammed the door.

“EVERYONE BACK IN HERE NOW!” King Dolan said.

Lord Sebius Kantor was running late for the meeting with King Dolan and the rest of the Kings and Queens of the other kingdoms. He had trouble remembering where he had put his tights to wear under his red tunic. He asked a servant to help him and it turned up in the one place he should have looked in first. Lord Sebius rushed into the oval chamber that held a circular table, everyone was there. They looked up as he entered. He made his way to sit beside King Dolan. Lord Sebius held his nose to keep from sneezing, the scent of flowers that was wafting from King Dolan was overwhelming.

“You took a bath with every known flower that grows in the kingdom?” Lord Sebius said.

“You overslept?” King Dolan said.

Lord Sebius scoffed. He glanced around all eight of the royals were dressed in their finest. Their outfits were fitted and patterned with the best fabrics the kingdoms had to offer. Their hair were slicked with oils and their crowns gleamed in the late morning light cast from the top windows. Their appearance made the tapestries that hung all around them seem drab. King Dolan stood.

“Thank you Kings and Queens of Agea for coming! Before we entertain ourselves tonight, I seek your approval on an important matter.” King Dolan paused. “As you all are aware of from the messages that were sent to your kingdoms, we have a shortage on our hands of Luzid. Your kingdoms have been receiving a rationed portion from Strumold because of how difficult it has been to obtain it. My soldiers have been battling with the Prims for far too long. It is my wish to create an elite group of men and women who possess the most potent power from the use of Luzid to vanquish the Prims. It will be magic against magic. I believe we will have the upper hand, once we recruit the best fighters.”

“What of the decree against soldiers using magic?” One of the royals said.

“These will not necessarily be soldiers. We will be seeking anyone who has the power we need.”

“How do you suppose we find these people?” Another king said.

“All of the kingdoms will post messages out to the citizens for recruitment. Anyone who believes that they have the power will come to Strumold to be tested. Once we have found the ten that is needed, the recruitment will be over.” King Dolan said.

There was murmuring among the royals. King Dolan glanced at Lord Sebius. The murmuring continued as Lord Sebius stood up.

“It will not be long before we have a revolt on our hands from our citizens. If they haven’t already, they will notice the shortages and will complain. Luzid is what makes most of our economy now. The days where mining, farming and trade were our pride, have been replaced by Luzid; an even greater product. Do we want to go back to those days or do we want to keep having our most prosperous times in the history of Agea?” Lord Sebius said.

There was more murmuring. A queen stood up to speak.

“Would it not be wise to accept the Prims? There can’t be that many left of them. Our citizens would see us in good standing if we opened our arms to them.” She said.

“I doubt the people care about the Prims.” A king said.

“That is true. The citizens only know them as savages.” King Dolan said.

“Are they?” The queen said.

“Of course they are. I’ve met them. I barely escaped with my life.” Lord Sebius said.

“How did you escape?” Another queen said.

“I had to leave my wagon full of woven clothes behind as I rode my horse as quickly as I could out of the mountains.” Lord Sebius said.

“That is another issue here. They can’t claim the mountains as their own. We have been mining and harvesting from the area for many years.” King Dolan said.

“Up until 50 years ago when Luzid was discovered. Now many of our people are afraid to go there.” A king said

“I agree this civil war has gone on long enough, yet slaughtering a group of people, who are the last of their kind; is barbaric.” One of the kings said.

“Is it not barbaric that they have been picking off my soldiers one by one? Soldiers who are giving up their lives to suit your lifestyle? Without Luzid we wouldn’t have what we have now. Look at you all! With your outfits and jewelry! Was this not given to you by the selling of Luzid?” King Dolan said.

Lord Sebius placed a hand on his shoulder to ground him. King Dolan sat back down, leaving Lord Sebius to talk.

“The Prims are quite powerful, they are not as weak as you would think. We can’t stand by as they keep killing to protect a land they feel belongs to them. Without them there, we can go back to mining and harvesting that area; along with having all the Luzid we can possibly have. The kingdoms can even populate that area and give jobs to people. They can live and grow Luzid when we reclaim that land. You can’t say that your people don’t need jobs.” Lord Sebius said.

Many of the royals were nodding. King Dolan stood up and patted Lord Sebius on the back.

“Let us have a vote on this.” King Dolan said. “All of you in favor, raise your hands.”

King Dolan raised his hand along with six others.

“All those against raise your hands.” King Dolan said.

The remaining two raised theirs meekly.

“Wonderful! We will post the message of recruitment soon after the Spring Festival.” King Dolan said as he clapped. “You are dismissed.”

The royals rose and left the oval chamber. Lord Sebius and King Dolan were left behind.

“This is all thanks to you, Sebius! You were able to convince them.”

“They saw how distraught you were about the situation. It wasn’t all my doing.” Lord Sebius said, pulling out his pipe and a bit of Luzid.

“Tomorrow I will create a committee to oversee the recruitment. I don’t see why I would need to start right away. The worst part has passed. Tonight we can celebrate not only of the coming Spring, but our new venture.” King Dolan said.

“As you wish, your highness.” Lord Sebius said as he puffed from his pipe.

Ermick had watched Lair leaving in a carriage heading towards Strumold. From what he could tell between the pompous man from the Galloping Pony and Lair; they had made some kind of arrangement. He saw through the inn’s window, that he had paid for her to stay at the inn. Which, incidentally, was the same inn he was staying at. Ermick had made sure not to be seen when he entered it. He had already made the mistake twice of letting her see him. To be on the safe side, he didn’t follow too closely when he left on horseback from Thesden.

Now in Strumold, the sun was starting to set and the air began to feel chilled. As he passed through the wide, tall archway of the walled kingdom, Ermick noted the hustle and bustle of the citizens. So much excitement over a silly festival. He didn’t miss Strumold and the life he left behind. He didn’t care to mingle with the high society and the royals. His parents loved being part of that. Most of the time he was left behind because he would cause them  trouble when he was with them. He didn’t mind so much, he wasn’t lonely because he had his Nano. Nano understood Ermick and he saw not only his grandfather but a best friend in him. When Nano died it was the same night that he left Strumold for good. Ermick cleared his throat, there seemed to be something stuck there.

He rode the horse to a stable. After securing the horse with someone, he walked the pathways towards the castle. He remembered his way around and had to push past hoards of people getting ready for the festival. The neighborhood that he walked in was where the lower wage people were. They also had their own festivities to attend to, just not as lavish as the one in the castle. He continued on and reached the neighborhood that he used to live in. Ermick was hoping to find the carriage. He had a feeling that it would stop in this neighborhood, he would have to keep looking and hope to the Agea gods that he would see Lair. The idea wasn’t sound, yet it was the only thing he had; it had to work. 

The crowd started to thin out as people settled into where they needed to be, night was closing in slowly. From atop a hilly path, he could see the castle and the people streaming through the security entry. My parents are probably there already. The guests’ outfits shined under the lights of the lanterns that were set on the path. He noticed a group of ladies that were dressed provocatively, then he saw it — the red hair. It was brief, the woman had tucked it in under her hat. It had to be Lair. Ermick made his way to the castle and stopped. He realized that he wasn’t dressed for the occasion. He looked around to see if there was a clothes shop still open. An older woman was coming out of a shop not to far from where he was, he ran over digging into his pockets.

“Excuse me! If you could be so kind as to let me shop for an outfit for the festival. I won’t be long and I have Strumold money to spend.” Ermick said.

The older women had a squinty eye. “How much?” She said.

“Enough for a whole outfit.” He pulled out the money from his pocket.

“That’s only enough for a top. You want to go bottomless?” She said and started to walk away.

“Not enough? How much could it possibly be?” He said.

“Prices are going up. Also, you are asking me after hours, there’s a price for that.”

Ermick rolled his eyes and dug some more into his pockets. A small pouch of his Lyka fell out.

“If that’s what I think it is…with that, you can have yourself an outfit.” She said.

“But — fine.” He shoved the pouch of Lyka and the money into her hand.

The shop owner unlocked the shop and waved her hand for him to go in.

The harem dress wasn’t what Lair was used to wearing. Particularly the hat, when she got a chance, she would get rid of it. For the time being, it was doing a good job of covering her hair. After her initial scare of facing the security entry, she made it in with the harem. Each of them wore soft, sheer dresses; barely concealing their bodies. As instructed by Lord Curdy, she arrived at the mansion housing the harems, where they had obligingly helped dress Lair. They were grateful that she had shown up since there would have been one missing from the group and were afraid of what the king would do.

Lair and the harem followed the crowd of gaudy festival goers through the vast, vaulted hallway. On each side of the wide dark blue rug, entertainers stole the attention of all who passed with juggling, baton twirling, body contortioning and dancing. As Lair glanced at them, she caught the eye of one of the harem. Her light eyes flashed at Lair, yet Lair held her gaze.

“Don’t mind her, she’s just upset that her friend couldn’t come and you took her place.” Another harem said close to Lair’s ear.

“Believe me I don’t.” Lair replied.

The crowd entered the grand hall and were greeted by musicians excitedly playing, some of the guests were already dancing. An usher came by for the harem, they were asked to be escorted to the king’s chamber and to wait for his arrival. Lair couldn’t help but roll her eyes. She glanced towards the festival goers and noticed a familiar face. Is that the man again? She peered again, but didn’t see him.

Ermick managed to hide behind a pillar as Lair looked away. He chanced a look and saw that Lair and the harem were walking up the stairway out of the grand hall. This is going to be more challenging than I expected. I probably to wait for her to come back. In the mean time, I’ll have something to eat. Ermick eyed a table overflowing with mouth-watering plates of pig, sausage, potatoes, cabbage and the like. As he made his way over he caught sight of a couple standing at the corner of the table. Ermick paused as goosebumps rushed along his skin. Mom? Dad?

He knew that there would be a possibility of his parents attending the Spring Festival, yet it didn’t keep him from being shocked at the sight of them. Ermick was fifteen years old when he last saw them. After seven years, it doesn’t seem that his parents had aged. Grays touched the sides of their hairs, yet everything else was the same. Ermick’s mother’s doe-like eyes flitted to one person to the next. Her nose gave her a sculpted profile that would make any woman envious. She wore a flowing gown of crystalized blue. His father on the other hand had a warm face, with welcoming small eyes and a arrow shaped nose. His loosely fitted black bottoms matched with his long sleeved top. Every so often a couple would greet them, Ermick’s parents never strolled among the guests, as they always did with their own gatherings. They felt that the attendees should come to them.

As the latest couple drifted away from Ermick’s parents, his eyes crossed with his mother’s. For a moment time stood still as their eyes met and his mother’s face changed into an expression of knowing. Her eyes grew large and her mouth opened, it was then that Ermick turned away.

Lair leaned against a wall in the massive bedroom away from the harem. She fidgeted with her hair tie. How long do we have to wait here? I swear if he doesn’t show up, I’m leaving. Lair sighed. A cool breeze entered through the open window making the heavy curtains shake slightly. It made Lair sleepy and she glanced at the bed. The bed was the largest bed she had ever seen. It must be good to be king.

The wooden door opened with a deep creak. For a moment, Lair was afraid that whoever  was coming in would recognize her. She tucked more of her hair into her hat. They probably are drunk and wouldn’t remember where they saw my face. Everyone is busy having fun.

The king entered with a flourish of his furred cape. He clapped his hands and giggled as the harem began to dance seductively. Lair continued to lean. I expected him to be taller. He had a pudgy nose with a reddish beard that matched his tousled hair. The king placed his crown on a side table and swung off his cape. The harem cooed and feigned delight. Lair rolled her eyes. I better get into the act, if I’m going to do this job.

Lair made her way into the group as they guided the king onto his bed. She wasn’t surprised that all six of them along with the king could fit on the bed. The harem stroked his body and he purred like a house cat on a lap. Lair absentmindedly stroked his foot, not wanting to go any further. One of the girls began to strip him of his bottoms and the others followed suit. The king was completely naked and his arousal was indelible. Not much there. Lair smirked.

Glancing at the other ladies, Lair thought of how she would embarrass the king. It came to her when she peered at his hand clenching the bed sheets. She concentrated on making the king’s hand move to his genitalia. His eyes popped open as he tried to take control of his hand. The harem paused as the king began to masturbate rapidly. His face scrunched into a mix of humiliation and pleasure. Lair divided her focus to the wooden door. She knew that there would be someone outside guarding. The door gently opened revealing two guards and what appeared to be a chamberlain passing by. Perfect timing.

As all three of them peered in by instinct, the king let out a lustful moan. His love liquid spilled out onto one of the harem and she squealed; retreating off the bed. The rest of ladies gasped as they noticed the door was opened. Lair put a hand over her mouth to cover her amusement. That’s when she saw her, the one that gave her a look earlier.

“She did this to the king!” She shouted.

Everyone turned to look at Lair.

“What are you talking about?! He was the one touching himself.” Lair said.

“I know who you are now. I knew I saw your face before. You are the one that they are looking for – Lara Hanolo!” The woman said as she ripped the hat off of Lair.

Lair’s bright, red hair tumbled down and the others gasped.

“Seize her!” The king said, feebly.

The two guards dashed in with their halberds in hand. Lair scrambled off the bed and tied her hair back. She focused on one, but before she could manipulate him, a shadow came into view behind the guards. One after the other, the guards crumbled to the ground. The king and the harem cried out. There stood the man with the black hair. He followed me here?!

“Come on!” The man said.

Lair paused for the briefest moment and then ran with him out the bedroom, past the chamberlain who had pressed himself against the wall with a shocked look on his face, and down the hallway.

“In here!” The man said, pushing Lair into a room.

He closed the door behind him. The room appeared to be a small waiting room with shelves of books and a chaise in the middle. Ornate tapestries hung on the walls. The man scrapped the chaise across the floor and shoved it underneath the doorknob.

“We can’t stay here!” Lair said.

“I know!”

The man glanced out the window. He turned in place and peered at the tapestries.

“Help me pull it down.” He said.

Lair and the man yanked on the tapestries, using all of their weight. It came crashing down. As he tied one corner of the tapestry to the metal window decoration, someone tried the doorknob. Between the banging and kicking at the door, the man tied another piece of the tapestry to the first and pushed it all out the window.

“You go first!” He said.

Lair glanced out the window. She saw the moat and she also noticed that the tapestries barely reach it.

“Are you crazy? We’d never make that fall.” Lair said.

“Do you want to stay then?” the man said, as the banging grew louder.

Lair groaned and swung over the ledge of the window. She grasped the tapestries and slowly lower herself until she could go no further. Above her, gravel from the man’s shoes drifted into her hair.

“You have to let go!” The man said.

Lair’s arm began to ache from the weight of her body. Without realizing it, she was falling. Her limps pedaled in the air. Her back took the brunt of the water. Sinking in, Lair began to paddle, she burst through the surface just in time to see the man barreling down towards her. Lair dived down and felt the force of his body against hers. She was being pushed down further into the dark waters. Panic spread through her as if her blood was on fire. Lair flailed trying to get back to air. She was grabbed by the arm and pulled up. Spluttering, she brushed off the hair from her face. The man was still holding her.

“Are you alright?” He asked

“Yes.” Lair replied, coughing.

She glanced back and saw guards staring after them. Lair and the man swam to shore, they yanked each other up and dashed into the woods. Their pace slowed as they reached the deepest part of the woods.

“This is where I leave you. Thank you for saving my life, whoever you are. Not sure why you did it, but I don’t care. Maybe some day I might return the favor.” Lair said as she started heading away from the man.

“That day will be coming up quite soon.” The man said.

Lair glanced back and narrowed her eyes.

“My name is Ermick and I was sent to get you.” Ermick said.

“Look, it’s been a long night and it’s not even over. I had to wear this awful costume and make an old man masturbate. So, if you would excuse me.”

“I can’t let you go, Lair. It’s important that you come with me.”

“How so?”

“The fate of my people lies with you.” Ermick said.

#

Through a sliver of an opening of her bedroom door, Queen Alestia watched as Lord Sebius entered her husband’s chambers. She smirked as she closed the door, returning to her bed, she thought of what happened earlier. Alestia was speaking to a couple of her guests, when her maiden whispered in her ear. The news took her very much by surprise that she yelped out loud. She had to cover her mouth and apologize to her guests.

It didn’t take long for the word to go from mouth to mouth as to what happened to King Dolan. The chamberlain who had finally peeled himself off the wall and scampered away to collect himself, came across the kitchen help. After being asked if he were alright, the chamberlain let loose his thin lips as to what had occurred. The news spread like a wild fire amongst the staff and eventually the guests.

Before Alestia had a chance to go upstairs, she caught the whispered conversations between the guests of how the king had embarrassed himself in bed with a harem. Upon reaching the king’s room, she was stopped by the guards who informed her that the culprits behind it all were out there and that her husband didn’t want to see her. Through their helmets she could see the bright redness of their faces. Alestia demanded to know what had happened, one of the guards gave in and recounted the event with a tight grimace.

The Queen stretched out in bed and giggled to herself. He got what he deserved! I need to meet this Lara Hanolo, she has earned my respect.

Cicadas lent their cadence to the shuffling footfalls made by Ermick as Lair followed close behind. Having found a river, they navigated near it by the light of the full moon. Lair shivered beneath her heavily drenched clothing. Hoping to find warmth it was one of the main reasons why she decided to go with Ermick; the other being that she was awfully hungry.

Ermick broke away from the path along the river and headed upward. Having barely any light, the climb was arduous; their breathing shortened and deepened with each step. Lair was about to complain to Ermick of how long it was taking when she noticed a flame dancing in mid air.

“What’s that?” She asked.

“I think I know” Ermick said.

Cupping his hand around his mouth, Ermick made a bird call. Not too far ahead there was a similar response.

“Come, it’s alright.” Ermick said, waving Lair to come forward.

Lair and Ermick approached the hanging flame. As Lair stared at it a face appeared as if floating out of the flame. She jumped back with her fists up.

“No! This is my friend. He doesn’t mean any harm. He can manipulate fire, when he smokes Luzid.” Ermick said, holding his hand up in front of Lair.

“Ermick! You found her! Now Uta won’t yell at you.” Ermick’s friend said.

“Hi, Jairo. Yes, this is Lair. Lair this is Jairo.” Ermick introduced.

Lair nodded her head and Jairo tilted his head as if he was an owl taking interest in a prey.

“We’re almost there.” Ermick said.

“Where is there? Lair asked.

“Soma, that’s our village.” Ermick said.

“We are Mesai people.” Jairo said.

“You are the ones that they take all the Luzid from.” Lair said.

“Yes.” Ermick said, curtly.

“So, you’re expecting me to help your people, the Mesai? Against the people of Strumold?” Lair asked

“In a way.” Ermick said.

“You’re not much for explaining are you? By the Agea gods don’t ever become a teacher.” Lair said.

Jairo guffawed. “She already knows you so well, Erm!” He said.

Soma was as quiet as the moment before a sunrise as Lair, Ermick and Jairo entered the village. Lit torches guided them on the path to a dilapidated temple.

“Uta is waiting for you.” Jairo said.

“She’s not asleep?” Ermick asked.

“She was until she dreamt about the both of you coming. That’s why I was out there.” Jairo said.

“Who’s Uta?” Lair asked.

“She’s a Mesai elder and our leader for the resistance.” Jairo said.

“Jairo! Let Uta explain it to her.” Ermick said.

“Oh, sorry.”

“As long as I can get out of these wet clothes and have a meal, I’ll listen to her sing the Agea gods hymns.” Lair said.

Uta sat in the middle of the altar room, she wore a deep red night gown and had her purple hair tied back; she leaned forward on her walking stick. Lair, Ermick and Jairo stopped before her.

“Jairo, go get this poor child some clothes. Their are extra clothes in the storage room here.” Uta said and pointed down a hallway.

How does she know my clothes are wet?

“Yes, Uta.” Jairo said, lumbering away.

“What about me?” Ermick asked.

“I am Uta and I have been waiting for you.” Uta started, ignoring Ermick.

“It’s nice to meet you. Can I also have some food? I didn’t get to eat any of the fancy, royal food.” Lair said.

“Ermick, go change out of your clothes and get her some food.” Uta said.

Ermick grumbled as he walked off.

“I would ask you to sit, but I don’t want you to wet the chair.” Uta said.

“I understand.” Lair said and rolled her eyes.

“I saw that! Just because I’m blind doesn’t mean I don’t see things.”

“I’m sorry!”

Jairo came panting back with a folded pile of clothes in his arms.

“There is a small room around the corner. Go ahead and change. I will wait for you.” Uta said.

Lair grabbed the clothes and shut the door behind her to the small room. It’s too big for me, but it would have to do. As Lair left the room, she noticed an opening that led to the outside. For a moment she thought of leaving, yet curiosity kept her in place. I need to know what plans they have for me.

Having had her fill of venison and tuber vegetables, Lair sat facing Uta, Jairo and Ermick. Jairo made little flames dance on the palm of his hand, while he smoked. Along with his child-like manner, he also had a juvenile face to match. His frame took up most of the chair he sat on.

“I dreamt of you, Lair. That you would help us take back our land and our lives.” Uta said, her milky eyes digging into Lair’s being.

“I don’t believe in foretelling the future. I believe in controlling it yourself.” Lair said, picking at her teeth with a fingernail.

“It doesn’t matter if you believe it or not. It’s going to happen.”

“Well, and I say that it’s only going to happen if I let it. And that only happens when I get paid.”

Jairo’s eyes widened and Ermick huffed. Uta stared for a while.

“There is a bed for you. Sleep. I have something to show you in the morning.” Uta said and dragged herself up onto her walking stick.

Sunlight pierced through the torn curtain of the small room where Lair slept. She rolled over, ignoring the morning. After struggling to fall back to sleep, Lair rose out of bed and stretched. For a moment she forgot where she was. Oh, I’m in Soma. That means that what happened to King Dolan did happen. Lair smirked at the memory. The harem costume was splayed out at the end of her bed. Instead of wearing those she stayed in her clothes that Jairo had gotten her.

Making her way out of the temple and into what seemed like the center of Soma, Lair searched for Uta, Ermick or Jairo. She turned towards the sound of chatter and followed it. A communal area was set up with long wooden tables and fire pits being tended to by a few of the Mesais. Lair couldn’t remember when was the last time she heard laughter. Something stirred in her, a feeling brought on by a memory. A time when Lair was a child with a family.

A scraping footfall yanked her back from her reverie. She turned to see Ermick watching her. Jairo was huddling behind him, smiling.

“Got enough sleep?” Ermick said.

Lair nodded, the feeling was still there like a fog clinging to a canopy of trees.

“Here, we’ll take you to Uta.” Ermick said and headed towards the communal tables.

“Can I have breakfast first?” Lair asked.

“You mean midday meal?” Jairo said.

“It’s that late in the day?” Lair said.

Ermick shook his head as the three of them walked past the smoking fire pits and through the fragrance of roasting corn and meat.

The three of them reached a flat area dotted with medium sized mounds. In the center stood Uta, she leaned on her walking stick as the wind rustled her long dress. Facing Lair, Ermick and Jairo, she beckoned them forward. As Lair stepped among the mounds, she noticed that each were marked with either a name or a symbol on a river stone.

“Are these burial mounds?” Lair asked.

“Yes.” Uta said.

Lair waited.

“These are the mounds of the people who have died fighting near Soma. They are Mesai and Strumold people.”

“You even bury the soldiers from Strumold?”

“We honor the dead whether they are our enemies or not.”

“What are these symbols?” Lair said as she bent down to examine a mound.

“The symbols are of the Strumold soldiers, since we didn’t know their names. Except for one. I knew his name. He lies there.” Uta said and pointed to a mound.

They moved towards the mound. Lair read the name.

“Soren? How did you know his name if he was from Strumold?”

“I know because he wasn’t always a Strumold, he was a Mesai.” Uta said.

“He was a Mesai? How did he end up in Strumold?”

“Soren was the son of my close friend Inocha. She died a few years back of a heart condition. It was some time before that, that Soren left. His father had died fighting the soldiers, so Soren left for Strumold hoping to make a fortune at their expense. Instead he was taken in by the allure of their society.” Uta said.

“I don’t understand what people see in that kingdom. It’s run by arrogant hypocrites that know nothing about what life is like for people in the lower class.” Lair said.

Jairo clapped, beaming at Lair.

“I don’t either and I don’t care. All I want is to stop the fighting, we all do. We have been in constant battle for the past thirty years and have lost many people.” Uta said,

“And they don’t seem to mind losing their own Strumold soldiers. They will keep sending more. Their obsession over Lyka has no bounds.” Ermick added.

“Why not destroy the Lyka. Don’t grow it anymore.” Lair said.

“We don’t farm it, it grows wild all over this area. As Mesai we would never try to destroy it because it is part of our way of life.” Uta said.

Please write in the Comments or Vote below whether you would like me to continue writing this story or not. The post with the most votes will have a continuation. You, the reader, gets to decide!