Windows Into the Fair
I wrapped my face against the cold morning. These southern climes had nothing on the cold northern slopes of home, but could still leave a body chilled. Especially when the body isn't the one I came in on. I hate the soft, small body of the boy I wear. I long for the huge, muscled frame I was born with. No respectable Jarl would be found following such a small southerner. No longer am I Einarr the Giant. Now I am simply Firdaus.
Contents
Dalm Eberhard, Erdach Kodesh, The Tarrigan Castinate
Sure and true, I have never seen anything like the world of Erdach Kodesh. We arrived here in what passes for the early dawn here. I could tell everyone was surprised at the sudden move in places, and it was the first time that I was really sure that we had shifted places...usually it just seems that we are traveling from one place to another...and then we are just there. I have found myself worried about my memory often of late, never quite sure that what I am remembering is right or that my brain is curdled like old milk.
I had been lying down on my bunk, thinking that my Lord Theodoric would be coming by soon to talk with me about the day, when the whole world seemed to fall away, and then roll decidedly into a Hades spawned hole. When my brain coalesced once more I was struggling not to vomit my nights supper all over myself. My head split like two woodsmen were cutting at it with axes. Blood ran from my nose where I had fallen down somewhere in the earth rolling moments. I wiped my face clean and went out into the night. Where before we were in a grassy park, our tents scattered comfortably near a brook. Now we were situated on a flat frying pan of gravelly earth. Where the night should have been spread with a panoply of stars, instead there was only a gulf of unbroken black. There were no cook fires burning, here and there folks were kindling fires, but everyone seemed to be suffering the same vertigo and disorientation that I was. I quickly wiped the blood from my face and lit a torch so I cold see in the near complete inky darkness. Having lit a way to see, I dashed to the area of camp where my Master should have been.
Theodoric was not on his story telling platform. I circled it quickly, and was near panic for my Master when he grabbed my arm, coalescing from the darkness and holding my flailing torch at a small distance from himself. His silver gray eyes locked on mine and I felt a wave of calm overtake me. "Fear not Eben. I am of good health, and would not care to be set afire with a careless swoop of yon brand." he gently remonstrated me. I relaxed and my Master released my arm. "Now, it seems we have entered a new dheghom, and I fear it is not a safe place for anyone. I had hoped that Sender would wait a mēnsis before trying this, but he has never been good at taking advice. Quickly Eben, let us see where we are."
The two of us moved through the dark, me clutching the torch for life, while a swirling mist of shadow moved just ahead of me and to my left. I could only see Theodoric for brief moments, as he turned or altered his pace. Otherwise the vampire seemed a moving piece of the ink around me. His reaction froze my spine. Most often, my Lord seemed to causally move from place to place, indolent and unimpressed by the world around him. When story telling he was animated and charismatic, but in my brief time with him I had never seen him so focused and steel hard. His mein was frozen ice, and there was no effort on his part to be the human that he showed the punters most nights.
At the edge of camp there was a crowd of people, mostly camp followers and truckle workers. Not even seeing him the cattle moved aside before the oncoming force that was my Lord. He strode to the edge of the people, looking out at the bleak darkness. Aegon stumbled to our side, his blade bare in the night. I was glad to see he had returned to the Pageant before we shifted. His dark hair was disheveled and his face still wet where he had splashed water on it. As we watched, a small, blue moon rose quickly. It only took a couple of minutes for the whole moon to appear and then rise fully.
The crowd gasped in awe, as our placement became apparent in the bright blue light. Near as I could tell we were in some sort of bowl, and in all directions around us rose broken cliffs. As everyone looked around us, a whispered, sibilant prayer went up, invoking the forces of God to protect them from evil. Everyone stood transfixed for some time, only small sounds of weeping and fear coming from the crowd. As we watched a ruddy, yellowish glow suffused the horizon again. In a few minutes it became apparent that another moon was rising, and this time people were struck silent with awe. Every person standing here was solidly assured that they were far from earth and the protection of God.
I came to my senses as I noticed that Theodoric was gone, evaporating back into the Pageant as if he had never been at my side. Aegon seemed to notice this about the same time, and together we re-entered the Pageant grounds looking for our Master. A clarity that seemed to have been lacking for some days seemed to have taken me, and I noticed a number of worn tents and places where the bright paint of the Pageant wagons was showing. A general shabbiness that I was most times unaware of showed now, the silver gleamed less, the gold with chipped spots on it.
A Tallying of Allies
We found Theodoric seated cross legged on his story telling platform, staring contemplatively at the small fire that Aegon's men had kindled. When we approached Theodoric began to speak in the deep mellifluous tones he used when conveying a parable or history onto the punters at the Pageant. After he had spoken for a few minutes about Gods, Giants, Titans, and the Universe, Glaucian grabbed my sleeve and pulled me aside. "The Master wishes you to contact Dui and Mongfind. He wants them to secure the Shrine of the Mother. It is possible that it could be taken and held to keep the Fools from acting in our best interests. If Ibn Saqr were forced to protect it, he would do most anything here." Glaucian said, glancing from side to side to make sure we were not being watched or overheard.
I nodded and moved off through the camp at a fast pace, trying to surreptitiously reach the Canvas of the Mother. Where before I needed a torch, various cook fires and night markers lit the byways of the Pageant grounds now. The Canvas of the Mother is a huge tent of crimson and gold satin canvas rare as kings tears. The main entrance was swung closed, though I could see torch light flickering inside the massive tent. I stepped inside, the air warming slightly inside with the heat of the oil-cloth torches. Huge beams of ancient wood propped the satin up at strategic points around it, old and polished with years of use and care. Dui, Mongfind, and Saskia were working as a well oiled machine packing different pieces of the Shrine of the Mother away for travel. Two large truckle tents stood nearby, partially loaded with items commonly used in the performances held here.
Dui and Mongfind were Celts. They hailed from the areas south and west of my home. Both were marked with the blue woad in their hair, Dui wearing it in lines down his face. Both are thin but wiry, tough as boot leather and capable with the small knives they carried. Light brown hair hung loosely down their backs, and their lively green eyes watched me closely.
Saskia was from stock more like mine, though her feminine curves left no doubt as to her sex. Her pants were a reddish brown, and a brown tunic was mostly hid by the vest she wore to help her carry her rack of knives. Saskia's eyes were narrow, and I knew that other than perhaps Dui and Doboroslav, she disliked men intensely. Even though we had known each other some months now, she would not willingly be within arms reach of me at any time.
I approached them slowly, keeping my hands out in the open so they could see that I was not coming in as a threat. The three as a team spread out in a triangle of death. One wrong move and they would tear me to pieces, I would be dying in the manner of a thousand cuts. I made a slight bow, "My friends. I bring word from Theodoric. He is concerned that the Shrine is in danger." My words wrought a change in them, with Saskia and Dui looking to Mongfind. I noted with a slight shock that the Celt woman was the leader of this group. Her eyes glittered and she bared her teeth. Mongfind seldom spoke. After a moment I accepted her grimace as an answer. Again I gave a short bow and retreated, not baring my back until near the door.
I speak with Rais Ignatius, Aegon returns
Leaving the Canvas of the Mother I once more felt the fast increasing chill of the darkness outside. I had taken no more than four or five steps when a torch sputtered to life nearby, revealing the massive scarred face of Rais Ignatius. His ruddy face and scraggly beard standing out under his glittering dark eyes. Those eyes were flat and dead, like those of a animal who is starting to cool. He worked a plug of something in his mouth and spit, not moving out of my way.
"Rais, something I can do for you?" I asked. He simply stood there for a moment, only his mouth moving, then all at once it was as if life filled his body and he took on personality and life.
"Shah, vants happening Eben? Woulda thought that the phage wouldont had you packing the curt for a move out, you didna har that we was moving soon?" the big man asked, his words gurgling out.
"The boss has me running errands, you know, I am just a messenger." I said. No point in annoying the man. I might be able to beat him in a fight, but he would cut me up some doing it.
"Shah. I get da drint. Gos ya'll be sure an make sure you don't fall behind inna durk there Eben. Won't be lert for sommat toim, werdn't know y'urn not wit us. Hate fer dat to be da ting." The enforcer said. His threat was clear, stop talking and get back where I belong.
I moved around him,bobbing my head. "Thanks Rais, I will make sure we are ready to roll soon. I'm sure Glaucian and the others have everything wrapped up. See ya around." My shoulder blades itched, but the pugilist let me go, not stopping me or driving a knife between my shoulders. After I had made it back to the firelight where Theodoric platform had sat I heaved a sigh of relief.
Everything was being packed in wagons. Glaucian, Godda Agrippa, and Aquila Glaucia were rapidly folding tents and packing things away. I jumped in and helped them finish. The three wagons of Theodoric were lightly and evenly packed, so the stock could move them easily. The Storyteller didn't need much, so it was easy for him to keep the load light.
Aegon rode in a while later as the camp was nearly ready to move. His horse were lightly lathered from the ride, even though the night had begun to chill deeply. Black six winged bugs dipped and bit our flesh, leaving itching welts where they made contact. The drone was increasing, and I had noticed bunches of them landing on the stock where they couldn't swat them away. The gruff Goda Agrippa had begun to move among the yoked stock belonging to Theodoric, driving them away. After several passes, Aquila Glaucia draped blankets over the oxen, giving them some protection.
Vulo moved through the rows of wagons on his red and white stallion, telling members to mount and begin moving along. His quirt moved continuously swatting away the black "flies" From the relative darkness of the sky began to come hoots and caws, with the sound of larger wings overhead. By the light of the large moon and the flickering torches I began to see large leather skinned flying creatures. They had long, thin heads filled with teeth, swooping and snapping up the black bugs. More than once I got the disturbing feeling that they were looking at us deciding how much trouble an attack would be. Soon the long sighing of their wings became commonplace and I stopped looking up as they glided overhead as we moved out, the wagons creaking and grumbling as a cold breeze came across the hardened ground.
The temperature kept dropping, as the wind rose, and soon the black bugs were no more. The wind sometimes carried with it small stinging pieces of sand. The breeze tasted like dust, my sweat drying immediately on my body. Overhead a shriek split the night, and a monster I would have called a dragon back home crossed the moon overhead, taking one of the larger "birds" from the sky. I shuddered an hoped that it would find all it's meals in the sky.
I knew that Theodoric told most of our men to sleep, saying that this part of the Tarrigan Castinate was fairly safe, unless the flying monsters decided to launch and attack. At that point no one would sleep.
Musings before Dawn
Out of the inky black of night a ruddy glow subsumed the horizon behind us. Soon I was able to make out details I hadn't seen before. I had slept for a time as Theordoric drove, though I am not sure how long. He had handed me the reins some time ago with instructions for Aegon and his men, then vanished into the night. It was brutally cold, and I had wrapped in several loose blankets I found, in addition to the coat and cloak I had carried. The howling wind had stopped several hours before, making it easier to keep our torches lit. With the cessation of the wind came the occasional howl or shriek from the waste around us. Several times I heard the whisper of wings on the air above us, though never did see the flying beasts.
Aegon joined me at the seat before the sun had shown, surly and unkempt in the darkness. Not a physically big man, his personality and presence were like a physical weight. We sat together in companionable silence for a time. I passed him the reins, as he is a better wagon driver. Aegon was my sword brother, having shared blood and dirt together.
We fought at the battle of Louvinion together. Back to back at the end, holding our enemies away, so for a time I felt him a brother, and that I had grown to know him. In the Levant we took coin from Androcles Cassander, a worthless piece of trash whelped by a Assyrian whore to stain our days. We had been hard pressed at the time for coin, and it had been a poor choice. Told at first that we were putting down thieves and butchers, it became apparent that we were in fact killing Jewish farmers and their families. Aegon and I left him staked to a wall after Cassander and his right hand Mendora had raped children.
Then came Alexandria. We took our coin and worked our way to Alexandria. In the City of Memory, we had stopped, gotten some rooms at the Joyous Harpy. There was some coin, so there were some women to entertain us. After a few days, the itch to earn had started, we didn't have empty purses, but they wouldn't stay full forever. We had bathed and shaved, gotten a cup when the Dreamer Rambert came in. He spoke of needing some blades to enter a crypt of some kind. Possible danger, earn some coin. The crypt turned out to be a temple of Ereshkigal. Trapped, and full of nasty creatures, things I had never seen before. Albino scorpions, shuffling cultists covered in disease.
I watched as my friend Aegon was stabbed by the huge albino scorpion, and I was sure he died. Rambert called the expedition to a halt, and the we retreated to the Pageant. There I was introduced to Theodoric...and within a couple of days Aegon was back among the living.
Aegon is different now. If anything deadlier. Before there was a fire to him, a passion that existed in him as he fought or drank. Now he is like watching a block of ice in deepest winter. Everyone in camp sees it, and treats him with grudging respect. More than a roustabout, especially since he began hiring men in Germanica. Aegon is moving up in the world...and I'm not sure he remembers his friend Eben, and if he does, what tool am I to him?
The Sun Rises
The sun rose above the horizon, it's huge, apricot glow coloring our wagons and the powdery desert around us. It's heat was powerful and pervasive, in just a few minutes my body was no longer cold, and we began to shed clothing. After the harsh cold of the night, the heat was startling in it's speed of change. Aegon said something about there not being water vapor in the air for stabilization. In less than ten minutes the horizon took on a pure white glow.
The ruddy orange glow washed to a harsher white, as a smaller, blue white sun crested the horizon and hit us like a hammer blow. Theodoric had said there would be two suns like the two moons of the night, but I had hoped that it was some storytellers fancy and not a fact. His melodic voice had told us the suns were called Boontetese and Megolte a Naapot, or the Punishing sun and the Killing sun. Aegon cursed and ordered a halt. He instructed that we watered and fed the animals.
With the rising of the killing sun, the desert was no longer just hot, it was a killing force. Megolte a Naapot was crossing the vast sky at a remarkable pace, I was glad to see that in only a few hours it would reach the other horizon, we just had to live with it until then.
