Rings of Peredisia
Nathaniel Pearl
Chapter 1
Auryk sat back and looked at his handiwork. It was not bad considering the small amount of effort he had spent on it. The small two person table would be a perfect addition to his new home someday. A large well calloused hand went through his curly brown hair as Auryk brushed the sawdust out and wiped his wide tanned face. His mother said he was handsome but what mother wouldn’t. He thought his nose was too broad and his arms too long. Whatever the case, Auryk was glad it was his eighteenth birthday; it meant he could grow a beard and hopefully improve upon his looks.
"Auryk, I hope you aren't working. You know you’re supposed to have the day off," said a voice from the next room.
"Of course not. Just passing the time till the party," Auryk said and stood up. He strode to the shop's water basin and plunged his head in to wash the rest of the dust out. Normally his mother, Lana, loved a hard worker and encouraged him to do his best to make the quotas. His father and siblings did as much as they could each day also, but it was only once in a lifetime that a man or woman had a day off and she had been trying her hardest to make sure Auryk didn’t work today. But Auryk loved his work in his father's carpenter’s shop and from the day he could walk he carried his small tools around and helped out.
"Well go outside, I can still see the dust on your shoulders," said Lana. She stood in the doorway to the shop that connected to their house. In one hand was a large ceramic bowl and the other a big spoon she used to stir whatever was inside. Her blonde hair and fair features were a sharp contrast to Auryk’s broad shoulders and blunt face.
"Thought I got it all. Fine, I’ll go help father with the-"
"No you won’t. Here, take this muffin and just relax. Sit down and close your eyes if you want, but stop working," Lana said with a scolding voice. She sighed after seeing him grin and kissed the top of his head. "You’ll make a fine husband someday, Auryk. But you can be so pig headed."
"You always say that. Fine, I’ll relax. But can I have two muffins?" Auryk said and tried to give his best smile.
"Don't push it. Now go."
Auryk laughed and took one muffin from the table inside and went out the front door. Their house was attached to the shop and was maybe an eighth of its size. Like most of the Servants who worked for the Chosen, they lived in a small hamlet that served their district’s Servant farmers. They didn’t call the hamlet any particular name other than ‘home’. Most of them never traveled out of the boundaries in their entire lives if they could help it. Like most hamlets it was set in the side of a hill facing south to protect against the harsh winter winds. Auryk's family had the last house on the west end of the row of houses and shops that stretched the entire length of the hill. Only the fronts of the houses poked out and they blended in to the rocks and dirt without a seam. A tall wooden palisade stretched around the hill to protect them from wild animals or the few bandits that roamed the countryside.
Next to their home was a feed store and livery. Auryk walked over and waved to Leonid, a boy a few years younger than him. Leonid stood up and half walked and skipped over to Auryk. His long legs and lanky frame made him look like a scarecrow but his goofy smile and straight black hair wouldn’t scare any bird. "Auryk, I can't wait for the party tonight."
"Thanks, Leonid,” he said and shook his hand. “Did you hear District Mayor Enry is coming over too?"
"So, does that mean Julia is going to be here?" Leonid gave a knowing grin and playfully punched his shoulder.
"Maybe, I hope so."
"Well Weaver Kariil is coming, so that means Ruslan will be here too. My guess is that she does come, but not for the cake and beer."
Auryk scowled. "Yea, I heard those two were hanging out more. But what does he have that I don't?" Auryk asked. He held up both of his arms and flexed.
Leonid laughed "Uh, coin and his own place? You know his father helped him get the Beech's old home. A little work and now he’s raking in the coins."
"Yea, but who wants to be a weaver's wife?" Auryk could not stand the noise and smells from Kariil’s shop just down the street, but he had to admit the work was steadier and much more profitable.
Leonid put away his tools and made sure to double check that they were locked up and oiled. Metal was hard enough to come by as it was, loosing tools would sentence any man to a lifetime of working the most menial jobs to earn even half of them back. Auryk felt his own knife at his side just to make sure it was still there. It was an early birthday gift from his father and had been in the family for generations. The handle was made from smooth blackwood, just like their own family name. It was longer than most knives, almost a dagger, and the swirled steel of the blade was unheard of for most Servants to own.
"Well I'm finished for the day, want to watch for guests?" said Leonid
"Sure, have half a muffin." Auryk split the muffin in half and the two young men chewed on the hearty snack until the first wagon pulled up to the gate.
"Looks like Farmer Iosaf," said Leonid. The taurok pulling the wagon was probably the oldest that Auryk had ever seen. Servant farmers were allotted one taurok by the district and it was up to the farmer to feed and take care of it. Iosaf’s beast looked like it should be illegal to own with a drooping back and permanent limp. Even though it was old, the eight foot tall animal still had power and was pulling a wagon loaded with children. The taurok gave a low bellow and swiped it horns back in forth as Iosaf brought it to a halt.
Iosaf had seven children, mostly girls, and a wife who had the energy to keep up with them all. The grand majority of Servants worked on farms outside of the smaller hamlets and their only purpose was to support the thousands of farms dotting the countryside surrounding the Chosen cities. Each small hamlet was set up with at least a livery for harnesses and some small tools, a carpenter, a weaver for clothes or textiles, and if they were lucky, an inn or brewery. The district towns, which were larger, had all of that on a larger scale plus a very small blacksmith shop that was run by a Chosen citizen.
"Hello, Iosaf, Klara, kids," said Auryk. The oldest of their children, Gina, could not be more than fifteen and Auryk vaguely remembered when Iosaf and Klara were married.
"Hello yourself, Auryk. I hear you are the only one we are celebrating tonight" said Iosaf.
“Yea, no one else is turning eighteen this year.”
“That’s fine, dear. It is so good to see you. Sorry we are a bit early but we wanted to make sure we got here at all," said Klara and looked warily at their taurok. She shifted a small baby girl to another shoulder and started to pat her back. Moments later she was rewarded with a burp.
"No problem, let me put this big guy here up and you all can just enjoy yourselves. The tables should go out soon and there are some games for the kids. I made some small bows today for them, if they want to shoot, that is," said Auryk. He helped Leonid unhitch their taurok and get ready to lead it to the livery. Leonid’s father had volunteered to take care of them for the night.
The children looked expectantly at their mother. "That sounds fine, it’ll be nice to put up our feet for an evening," she said and the youngest children scrambled out to play, yelling and screaming.
As Auryk was leading the taurok into a massive stall he spotted his father coming up the way with two huge kegs, one on each shoulder. His twin brothers, Tymur and Tomur, struggled with another one between them.
"Auryk. I know you aren't supposed to work today, but you think you can help your brothers out? It would be a waste to drop Brewer Lev's beer everywhere," said his father, Stepan.
He was the spitting image of Auryk save for a massive brown beard that went down to his sternum and his broad nose which was broken and pushed to the side, the result of an unfortunate incident involving a ladder and a wayward log.
Auryk gave the halter to Leonid and raced to help out. Brewer Lev was one of the best brewers, at least according to everyone who lived nearby. The few small glasses Auryk had been able to sneak as a boy confirmed that opinion. "Here, let me get that," he said and lifted the keg easily from between the twins and both of them collapsed dramatically on the ground.
"Thanks," they chimed together.
"Don't mention it. I know you are a bit scrawny, but when I was your age…" Auryk started.
"We know," they said. "You could lift a horse with one hand," said Tymur.
“And clean his hoofs with the other," said Tomur. Even after fifteen years Auryk still had trouble telling the difference between them. They took after their mother and had light pale skin and fine blonde straight hair with the Blackwood brown eyes. Despite their relative youth they were mature for their age, in soul if not in body.
"You know it," said Auryk and followed his father.
Stepan set the kegs down on one long table and greeted Iosaf and Klara. They were distant cousins of a sort and Stepan always made sure they had enough food to last through the long winters if they had trouble getting in their crop quota. All Servants were distantly related anyways and if they didn’t help each other the Chosen would take it out on everyone in the district.
"Hey, Auryk. Think you might want to change your clothes?" asked Stepan.
Auryk looked down and realized he was still wearing his shop clothes. They were stained and dirty with grime and dust.
"I don't think I have any clean ones," he said.
"Go see your mother then, I'm sure she can take care of it."
Auryk ran back in to their house, worrying about how he was going to look tonight in front of Julia. On most Manverden day celebrations, which took place after the second to last harvest of the year, each boy who turned eighteen since the last year’s celebration was honored at a party in the hamlet. The history behind Manverden, and Froverden which was held in spring for the women, had been lost through the years but it was accepted that it was the age when their ancestors were sent on a month long hunt with nothing but the clothes on their back. They had to kill an animal and it would become their totem for the rest of their life. Whatever the history, it now meant that they were of an age to live by themselves and raise a family.
This year, Auryk had the distinction of being the only boy turning eighteen. So in the hamlet of nearly a hundred and the surrounding farms of a few more hundred, he would be the center of attention. It would be his best opportunity to impress Julia and somehow he had forgotten all about his clothes.
Auryk muttered and went inside where he saw his sister, Mareeya, with a package in her arms. Gaby, Iosaf’s daughters, was with her and giggled when she saw him before turning away and running back out the door.
"Here. I thought you might have forgotten something," Mareeya said and stood on her toes to give him a hug while putting a package down on the table next to him. She took after him and their father but had dark green eyes, blonde hair, and the softer features of their mother; she was as short as her too.
"Aw, thanks sis. I'll be sure to get you something special for Froverden Day next spring," Auryk said. He opened the package and realized he was looking at a brand new set of fitted formal clothes, worth a few months’ wages for most men.
"Don't worry about it, besides this isn’t what I got you,” she said as she saw the surprise in his face. “Weaver Kariil made them. Besides, I'm sure you’re going to have a wife within the year and you’ll need to save up all your presents for her."
“Ha, like that will be anytime soon," scoffed Auryk. He took the new clothes from Mareeya and climbed a ladder upstairs to his room to put them on. After a quick run through with a comb in his hair he put on the dark brown clothes and was amazed at their fit. It didn't even feel like he was wearing cloth as the fibers from the Peter's Plant that made up the cloth moved with him and were as light as a feather. He was careful not to rip them on the ladder as he made his way back down from his attic bedroom and asked his mother and sister how he looked.
Mareeya turned and whistled when she saw him and ran to give him another hug and his mother smiled and turned away, a tear rolling down her eye.
"You look just like your father when we first met," was all she could say.
"Thanks," he said and hugged her.
"Now get out of here and help your father putting those horses up, I hear some more people coming in now," she said and wiped the tears from her eyes. It was impossible for her to cry as she tried to juggle cooking several items that still needed some last touches.
Auryk went out and his heart leapt when he saw the perfectly matched pair of white geldings pulling a stately looking wagon painted all in glassy black. The street running through the village was cobbled and as the horse's hooves struck them the sound of metal hitting rock told Auryk that the Mayor was indeed one of the richest and most powerful Servants around. Even the Chosen middle class would be lucky to afford horseshoes. Several boys raced to help him and Auryk tried to walk in a natural manner to offer his assistance but his heart fell. Julia was not with him.
"Hello, Mayor Enry. I hope you are healthy," said Auryk.
Enry laughed and handed the reins to a small boy. "And I you, Auryk. But your disappointment shows. Julia is riding with Ruslan, they should be along shortly," he said, guessing what was on the young man's mind.
"Oh, uh thanks. How is District Twenty Seven doing these days?" asked Auryk. Unlike the Chosen cities with proper names, every farming district was numbered instead.
"Great, we have met all of our quotas and none have been arrested for crimes against the Chosen," said Enry. His voice spoke confidence but Auryk was sure he could sense a hint of worry in his eyes. "I hear that Brewer Lev donated some kegs for this night’s festivities, care to point the way?" he said, changing the subject.
"Sure, right over at the far table," said Auryk and pointed.
The Mayor walked away and left Auryk standing by himself. I wonder what could have him rattled? he thought but pushed that aside when he saw the next wagon coming up the road. It was Ruslan, and next to him giggling and laughing, was Julia. Her honey blonde hair and perfect porcelain features matched Ruslan’s bright red hair and rosy cheeks. They were both tall and moved with an easy kind of grace that Auryk knew he could never master.
"You are too funny, Rus. Honestly though, I don't think I could stand living in a small village. Especially one this small," she said.
"It's not that bad, really. Besides, I'm thinking about applying for a district permit and move next year. Business has been good enough that I’ll be able to- oh, hello Auryk," said Ruslan, looking up. He was wearing the exact same cut and color of clothes as Auryk and they exchanged an awkward nod. "Well, it looks like my father decided to give us both his latest fashion. It looks good on you," Ruslan said. His voice was calm and measured but there was no mistaking the hint of challenge underneath.
"It looks good on you too, Ruslan. Mind if I lead your horses to the stables? Hello Julia," he said and gave a small bow to her.
"Oh, hi Auryk," she said and gave him a small smile. Auryk grinned and helped her down, reluctantly releasing her hand once Ruslan came around and handed him the reins.
"Happy Manverden day, Auryk. I hope yours is as good as mine was a few years ago," said Ruslan, reminding Auryk who was older.
"Well father got Brewer Lev to break down and give out the good stuff so I'm sure it will be," Auryk said. He took the horses before he could respond and led them to their stall. For the next half hour he was busy as the farmers and a few more from the next hamlet came to celebrate. Soon the tables were packed to overflowing and Mareeya came into the barn.
"Father said that is the last of them. Come on out and take a break, everyone is asking where you are."
Auryk stepped out but stopped when a last minute guest arrived on a large black horse. He could not help but shudder a little as the district Healer, Rose, jumped down with an agility that bellied her age.
"Auryk, how good to see you. I hope that leg of yours isn’t giving any trouble?" she said. Rose was wearing the standard garb of a Healer. A raven's feather worn on a leather string was around her neck and it rested on top of a black robe with a hood lined in red. The hood was down now and her shiny black hair was pulled back from a smooth pale face. In actuality, she was a very pretty woman and her brown eyes gleamed mischievously.
A few years ago a mad taurok had kicked Auryk and broke his femur. His father had raced to the district and brought Rose back to help him. All Auryk could remember from the ordeal was blinding heat and ice running up his leg and then clutching Rose's robes as he looked into her eyes. That moment had seemed endless and full of pain and sorrow. It had scared him then and he had never gotten over it.
"No troubles. Did you come all the way over from the district?"
"Of course, Brewer Lev is using his good stuff tonight; I wouldn't miss it for the world."
"I'm beginning to think people are coming for the beer and not the one being honored," said Mareeya. She was still waiting for him to finish and hugged Rose while he put the horse up. Mareeya and Rose had always gotten along and she was considering going into healing but was getting to be a bit old to start. Most Healers were either orphans or given to the order by parents who could not afford to raise their sons or daughters.
Rose walked with Mareeya, arm in arm, outside and Auryk quickly put the massive beast away. He noticed that it too had horseshoes and shook his head at the expense.
Auryk finally made it out and was happy to see the transformation in the street. The serving tables stretched nearly twenty yards and they were loaded down with the food everyone had brought out to celebrate. A massive mursteen, a wild pig several times larger and meaner than its pig cousin, turned on a spit. The men were gathered at one end and watched as Brewer Lev prepare to tap the kegs and the women were busy running after the children or carrying more food to the sagging tables. Long benches made by splitting a tree in half and using a few branches for legs were spaced out in a random pattern and a few boys were busy getting the last of the horse droppings out to the fertilizer pits.
From the back of the crowd Auryk could hear three sharp claps and the noise died as mothers shushed their babies and them men stopped shouting for a drink. Auryk's father stood up on one of the benches and called Auryk over to him. The crowd parted as he made his way forward and stood red faced beneath his father. Usually there would be more boys turning men, but by himself he felt more than a little self conscious of everyone staring.
"I want to thank all of you for being here on this special day. Manverden is not something you approach lightly," he paused and looked Auryk in the eyes, "But tonight we will forgive you if you act like a child one last time," he said and the men laughed.
“Manverden is more than just becoming a man. It is a symbol that you are changing from a child that needs support, to a man who supports others. Just as the Father Protector holds up Peredisia and supports us, you’ll support your family and friends. According to legends of our ancestors, they say that men and women who reached this age had to go into the wilderness and fend for themselves, hunting and eating what they could find. If they succeeded they were welcomed back into their homes with open arms. In the case of failure,” he looked hard at Auryk. ”They were considered children for the rest of their lives and had to live as such. I expect much out of you Auryk, and so does everyone else.” This time his smile came back and Stepan raised his mug of beer high in the air.
"So eat, drink, and enjoy welcoming Auryk into the fellowship of man," he finished. Everyone cheered and a large frothing mug of beer was pressed into his hands. Auryk sniffed as he lifted the glass in toast to all present. He looked over at Julia and Ruslan had his glass raised but must have said something funny because Julia was laughing and not looking over at Auryk.
"To the Father and Mother," Auryk yelled and quaffed his drink in one long gulp. The beer fizzed and tickled his nose and everyone cheered when he turned his glass over and no drop spilled. It was the start of Manverden and the feasting could begin.
Another beer was pressed into his hands but Auryk took a moment to concentrate as the sky spun around him. For the next few minutes Auryk did not touch his glass other than a polite sip as his head cleared and he found himself standing at the gift table and looking at what everyone had brought for him. Shame went through his body as he looked at the sparse offerings and he realized each and every one of the villagers must have been saving the entire year to give gifts this year. He was the only one becoming a man so it would all belong to him rather than casting lots with others. A new set of blankets and pillows had to be from his mother, he recognized the stitching, and the bags of seeds from Peter's Plant made a high stack on one side. The seeds were as good as coins for trading and were staple crop of servants and Chosen alike. A few fire hardened wood tools would be welcome in the shop and a few sets of new clothes rounded out the gifts. A small basket was in the middle and when Auryk looked in he drew in a hissing breath. Steel coins covered the bottom, stamped with the head of the first Chosen Elector, Peter. Peter had introduced the coin system hundreds of years ago and each coin would be enough to feed a family for nearly a week. When he lifted the basket nearly a hundred coins filled his hands and he did not know what to say. A hand touched his shoulder and Auryk Spun around. It was Julia.
"Happy Manverden, Auryk. I almost forgot we were the same age. Here, I got this for you," she said and held out a small leather coin pouch.
Auryk took the gift, not knowing what to say.
"You could thank me, you know," she said and laughed. “We always got along as children, I hope we speak to each other more in the future too. It gets lonely in the district,” she finished and gave him a small hug.
'Uh, thanks," Auryk stammered as her tinkling laugh filled the sky and she went back to the group of young women who were busy talking and looking at the other young men.
Auryk put all the coins in the pouch and secured it tightly to his belt. It would take a strong hand to get it off of him now. His gloom lifted from the impromptu gift and he got another mug of beer when the twins ran up holding his bow.
"Auryk, come shoot for us. None of the others from out of the hamlet believe how good you are," said Tymur.
"Yea, they say Wilsen from the district is the best, but he isn't even shooting over fifty yards," said Tomur.
"Well, we can't have wild rumors started that I let some outsider best me in my own home now can we," said Auryk. He took his bow from them and the twins whooped as they ran before him out of the palisade and to the archery range.
It was a short walk and Auryk could see several younger men and older ones there. All of that was ignored as he saw Rose in her black robes looking at the shooting men. Another involuntary shiver went down his spine but with a few beers already drank he tried not to show it.
"Hello Healer Rose, are you joining in the fun?" he said with as much forcefulness as possible.
"Oh no, not for me. I'm afraid my powers are only good for healing, never had any luck with a bow," she said in that perfect clip of hers, eyebrows rising in humor.
"Too bad, that would have been fun," said Auryk.
A tall lanky man stood with his bow in one hand and he leaned lazily on a fence post. The target was fifty yards out and was studded with arrows in a loose grouping. "They say you shoot well, Auryk. Care to put up a wager?" the man said.
"You must be Wilsen," said Auryk.
"That's right, three time archery champion of District Twenty Seven," Wilsen said, not even trying to keep the pride out of his voice. "I shot ten arrows at fifty yards just now, didn't miss a one. Think you can beat that?"
"I see that, pretty loose grouping though," said Auryk as he strung his bow and limbered up
Wilsen frowned. "That's maximum distance for championship standards. If you think you can shoot better than that why haven't I seen you at the contests?"
"Been busy, working."
"Of course, you folk in the hamlets are... hardworking," he said and several of the others laughed.
"Thanks, I'll take that as a compliment. How about we shoot out to a hundred yards then. Best grouping of ten wins?"
Wilsen's frowned even deeper. "A hundred yards? We don’t shoot that far in the tournaments."
"Or we can just stick to fifty, if that if easier for you," said Auryk and it was the villagers turn to laugh.
This time Wilsen's face turned red. "Fine, a hundred yards. Let me take some practice shots first. Care to make a bet?"
"No, I don't feel like taking your coin. How about this. I win and you sing us a song. You win and I’ll give you my knife here," he patted his side at the heirloom. Wilsen's face turned serious and he shook his head.
"I wouldn't want to take that from you. That much metal might attract the wrong kind of attention. Tell you what; if I win you have to sing a song and dance for us too. Sound fair?"
"Sounds good, take you practice shots first," said Auryk as he strung his bow.
Wilsen lined up the target, a bale of straw wrapped in a brown sack with a white circle set on top of a rock, and took his first few shots. Auryk had to admit his technique was solid, if basic, and after a few arrows he was able to find his range and hit it a few times.
"That's not as bad as I thought," Wilsen said with relief in his voice. "Care to take your practice shots?"
"Nah, go ahead and take your ten. I'll go last," said Auryk.
Wilsen shook his head and started to shoot. The first few arrows made a wide grouping on the straw stuffed target and the fire hardened tips punched through with ease. At the fifth shot though, he missed his mark and an arrow flew to the right. Wilsen gave a grunt of disgust and overcorrected his next shot too far to the left. He took a moment to compose his breathing and the next four hit the target in the center and he leaned back in approval.
"Not bad at all, I'm sure you’ll have a hard time beating that."
"We’ll see." Auryk took his place and notched the first arrow. The other nine he held in his hand between his fingers and Wilsen scoffed loudly at his technique. But Auryk zeroed in on the target and when it felt right released. The arrow did not waver from its path and flew straight and true to plunge in the center of the white circle.
"Lucky shot," said Wilsen, but his voice was nervous.
"Maybe," said Auryk and shot the next nine in rapid order, hardly pausing to breath as his fingers shifted arrows and his arm drew back in a rhythmic pattern. The cheers grew louder and louder as each one hit near the center and the last one Auryk shot at the two hundred yard target his brothers had prepared earlier that day. It flew down the range and hit just above center mass and sunk down to the black raven’s feathers. The crowd, which had grown, erupted in cheering and Auryk gave them a lopsided grin and wave.
"Guess I missed the last one," he said to Wilsen, who was standing with his mouth open wide. "But you missed twice so I presume I'm the winner."
Wilsen shut his jaw tight and looked with new found respect at Auryk. "That was the best damned shooting I have ever seen. Why have you never entered the tournaments?"
"Never had the time.”
"You would be a shoe-in for the district competitions next year. You know the Mayor pays the prize, usually a few metal tools or coins? Last year it was a whole Protector’s coin, too bad I didn't win then," said Wilsen and Auryk whistled. A Protector’s coin had a bit sized piece of gold in the center and named after the Protector’s position in the Chosen Capital. It was easily worth several years wages to a farmer, or a couple for a new carpenter. The only higher currency was the Elector’s coin, but Auryk sincerely doubted it actually existed. Who would use gold to make an entire coin?
"I'll keep that in mind," he said and gave his bow back to the twins. They carried it away and Auryk took more well wishes and a mug of beer while Wilsen started singing and dancing. Rose caught his attention and gave him a smile. Auryk could see the sorrow in her eyes, the same as it was when she healed him, and could not help but look away.
The mayor came up and offered a distraction as he shook Auryk’s hand. "Best shooting I’ve ever seen, I might as well give you the prize coin right now rather than wait till next year," he laughed.
"Thank you, mayor," said Auryk.
“Call me Enry.” The mayor clapped him on the shoulder and steered him through the crowd. "Come with my, my young man, and join us in the livery. Several men are there I want you to meet."
"Sure, but won’t they miss me out here?"
"No, don't worry. Come on now."
They walked back inside the palisade and to the livery. It was getting a little dark but a single lantern hung from a rope and gave off enough light to see who was there. His father was in the center of a group of men from the hamlet and district. Ruslan was there too and looking a little perturbed at being away from Julia but his father Kariil had a hand on his shoulder and nodded politely at Auryk.
"Glad to see the clothes fit, Auryk," he said.
"Thank you, Weaver Kariil," said Auryk. "What are you all doing here?"
"Come here Auryk," said Stepan and Auryk went into the center and his own father put a hand on his shoulder.
The Mayor closed the outer doors and the noise from the party was snuffed out and Auryk's ears buzzed with the sudden quiet.
"What do you know of the Servants, Auryk?" Stepan asked.
Auryk thought about the question for a while. Each child was required to attend two years of Chosen education in their hamlet and he thought back to what he had learned. "We are the Servants. Basically we grow the food and make the textiles for the Chosen."
"An answer from your lessons, but what of our history?"
"I know that the Servants are descended from a people called the Shrall, a small tribe of barbarians that the Chosen found after coming out of the earth. They taught us agriculture and how to use new tools, they gave us Peter's Plant and in return our ancestors promised to serve them."
"Another answer from the books," sighed Stepan and turned to the group.
“Who are we, Servants?" he asked them.
"Slaves," they said back to him, bowing their heads in respect. Even the mayor showed his father reverence and Auryk was more than a little shocked at the tone they were taking.
"That’s right, a slave to the Chosen’s every whim," Stepan said as he spit on the floor and turned back to Auryk. “I know you do not see it much here in our little hamlet but if you ever go to any Chosen city you’ll see that is what they think of us. Did you know that Servant have no rights to our lives and livelihood? At any moment our land could be seized and we could be put into the mines to work until we die?"
“Yes, father. But that has never happened around here,” said Auryk. He was a little frightened by his father’s tone but tried to not let it show.
“No, not in recent years. However, last spring several hamlets were taken by district Overlords and turned into hunting reserves and the Servants were moved further into the frontier with no warning and families split up to make them more productive. This was only a district away. I’m afraid our district has been rather protected through the years."
“Yes, at the expense of most of the other Servants trying to protect us,” said Enry with venom.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Take a seat, Auryk. This might take a while,” said Stepan.
Auryk obligingly took a seat on a small stool. The other men sat down on the wooden floor but Stepan remained standing.
“The Servants are not what you think. As a matter of fact we used to be Chosen ourselves. Well, half Chosen anyways” he began. “Over five hundred years ago, our common ancestors, the Chosen, came out from out of the caverns after a few thousand years in hiding from the massive war that nearly destroyed the world," he said and Auryk nodded. Chosen history was a standard part of the education he received.
“These people were unprepared for what lay above the surface. One man, a Patriarch of a minor family, knew that they would struggle to survive and he took it upon himself to bring forbidden tools up from the deep cave. His name was Erik.
“That's sort of like my name,” said Auryk.
“It’s who you are named after, a popular name among the Servants but the Chosen cannot tell us what to call our sons without revealing the truth. Anyways, the entrance to their caverns was destroyed in an accident and it buried the rest of the Chosen’s supplies and tools and killed hundreds, leaving the Chosen stranded outside and with little hope of survival. So that night their leader, Peter, called them together. One of the Erik's friends betrayed him and told Peter about the forbidden tools.”
“Peter, the first Elector of the Chosen?” said Auryk.
“Yes, the Council at that time decided to banish Erik and all of his family and as they saw the bringing of forbidden tools to the surface as punishment for disobeying their ancestors orders. Forty nine people in Erik’s family had to leave but Peter made them give their children to other families so they could be used to help find more food and plant the seeds they were able to bring with them. Erik left a son behind and was forced to leave. His wife was killed after a few days and many more fell sick and died on the way. Just when it all seemed hopeless a young woman from a group of people that had survived all those years on the surface found them. Her name was Shokra.”
“I’ve heard of her, she’s like the mother of our people or something,” Auryk said.
“In a way. She was on a ritual hunt to become a warrior for her people when she happened by Erik and his family. She led them to her tribe, called the Shrall to the south. Now you have to understand that when Erik was banned he was supposed to travel south for at least two weeks before he was permitted to stop. The tribe was only ten days travel from the Chosen so this caused problems later when they found out. The Chosen, meantime, soon found another group of people, called the Murs, and they taught the Chosen how to hunt and they traded their knowledge for food. You know who the Murs are right?”
“The High Servants of the Chosen?”
“Right. At first everything was fine, they had enough food and they started to spread out and hunt. Unfortunately they spread too much so the Shrall attacked and killed some of the Chosen's hunters. Eventually they learned that Erik’s group did not travel two weeks but just ten days. Rumors were started and soon Peter’s group came to blame the Shrall people for all their misfortunes.
“Peter eventually sent a group of his people after them to drive them off after a few years but when he did, Erik’s son, Maleki, ran away from the Chosen and tried to find his father. He was a born warrior and over the years as tensions escalated between the two groups there were quite a few battles. In the first battle, Peter was killed by Maleki and a few years later the Forsaken found a way through the barriers and attacked the Shrall and Chosen for many years, you know this time as the Border War."
Auryk felt the hair on the back of his head go up as he thought about what he knew of the Forsaken. They were cannibalistic killers that used to be barricaded behind a mystical ring of fire to the west and had escaped to wreak havoc in all of Peredisia.
“A group of Keepers helped the Shrall to drive the Forsaken off but eventually the Forsaken stormed the Shrall's stronghold and it was only the courage of a Healer, a male, that the Shrall were saved and the Forsaken defeated. The Chosen showed up on their heels to offer assistance but when they saw the vanquished Forsaken and the defeated Shrall, they removed the Shrall from their lands and marched them to the Chosen's farmland to be used as field workers. Erik died in that last battle and Maleki, who had come into the powers of a Keeper some years prior, ran away.
Auryk’s head was swimming. All his life he had taken for granted the Chosen classes that taught Shrall history but it was nothing like what his father was saying. The Chosen made it out like they were the ones helping the Servants and had saved them from the Forsaken scourge. They should be grateful for anything they got. Something else was bothering him too. “Father, aren’t the Keepers all dead?”
Everyone laughed. “Oh no. The Chosen would like you to think that, but they are very much alive,” said Stepan. “The Keepers were friends of the Shrall for generations before the Chosen decided to come back to the surface. Now that you are old enough to know the truth you should know the truth. The Keepers have always been a friend of man and are here to guide and protect us." Stepan's face fell. "But the Chosen killed most of them in the years following the Border Wars."
“They used the Shadows?”
“Yes. The Chosen sent their deadwalkers to kill them about a hundred years after the Border War. They nearly succeeded but some of the Keepers got away and joined the Free Tribes in the south for protection along with the Shrall that were able to get away from the Chosen. There are quite a few tribes down there now and someday, I hope we all can go.” Stepan stopped and sighed. The men around him were melancholy in their stances while they contemplated what freedom must feel like. Auryk sensed it and tried not to look confused at their reaction.
“Why are you telling me this? What does this have to do with anything?” asked Auryk.
“Simply put,” said Stepan. “We are the heirs of Erik and Shokra.”
Auryk reached up and rubbed his chin. "So what does that mean?" he asked. All of this new information was too much to take in.
"When the Chosen invaded the Shrall lands they killed all of Erik's offspring, or so they thought. Shokra had a baby boy just five days prior and when the Chosen came over the city walls she gave him to a local farmer. He hid him while the Chosen tortured her to tell them where the baby was. She did not give up her son’s location and she died after a week of the worst sorts of torture. The boy was raised as the farmer’s own and a coalition of the Shrall made sure to protect the boy and his line. That is why we live where we do today, in the same hamlet where our ancestors lived. The first male our line has stayed at this place. That is why it is important that you stay here and continue what others have done for many years.”
At that point the other men kneeled down and Stepan led them in a simple pledge directed at Auryk. “We pledge our lives and our hearts to the true Shrall leader, sixteenth of his line and true son of Erik. May our lives protect yours and may you protect us with the hope of one day being free.”
One by one they stood back up and patted Auryk's shoulder and filed out of the barn in silence.
Auryk was still beside himself. His father had a hand on his shoulder and his presence helped to calm him somewhat, but it all felt like a dream. “Is this the truth?” he said.
“Yes, it took me a while to get used to it as well but it is true. Your grandfather, before he passed away, told me of his experiences and his father’s experience all the way back. The line has not been broken for sixteen generations now. You do have some cousins elsewhere but they do not know they are of the true line of Erik. It’s better to keep that a secret if something does happen to us. Come and sit down,” Stepan said and sat in front of Auryk on another stool. Auryk sat.
“Most of the Servants outside our group don’t even know who you are. There is an even larger group of adherents to our cause, bigger than even you or I know that have been funneling coin to us for the past fifty years called the Network. We have been using these funds to bribe the local Chosen Overlord, Wylem, for as long as our line has existed. Before that we had to rely on just contributions from the hamlet but the Network has made it much easier. We bribe the Overlord enough that our life here has been sheltered and safe compared to the rest of the Servants. You have never been outside our hamlet except a few times to the district before, have you?”
“No,” said Auryk.
“Outside our town people are most often locked up in the palisades at night and the Chosen Guard roams freely and has their way with Servant women. Lands are seized to be broken up among the ever growing noble class who turn them into hunting reserves and push the Servants further and further out into the frontier. This makes them have to work even harder to make the harvest quota. It is only a matter of time before our coin is no longer good around our hamlet. The group of men you just met are the only ones who know your true identity and their sons will eventually take over for them in what they do. Trust them and when I am gone you’ll have to tell the story to your son as well.
“Now this is important, I am going to tell you our family line. Erik and Shokra birthed Enry, father of Hekter, father of Symon, father of Harys, father of Eryk, father of Marcus, father of Mykel, father of Jered, father of Leonyd, father of Kramer, father of Wyl, father of Mat, father of Setar who your grandfather and my father, Myself Stepan, and you, sixteenth in the line. Now repeat it back to me."
Auryk and his father said it back and forth until Auryk was sure he had it and they stopped for a break.
“But what if I forget?” Auryk asked.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be around long enough that I can tell it to you until you can repeat it forward and backwards. Now let’s go inside and finish drinking that beer, we only have a few hours until midnight and the party is over.”
Auryk stood to go back out but his father’s voice called him back. “Hold on, I almost forgot the most important part.” His father reached under his shirt and pulled out a shiny object on what looked to be an iron or steel chain. “This has been in our family since the time of Erik. Take it and keep it hidden under your shirt. There is enough gold and iron here to feed the village for a generation but you should never sell it.”
On the iron chain, made up of shiny links were three rings melded together in a clover pattern.
“This is a necklace that has been in our family since even before the Chosen came out of the earth and the three gold rings come from the three brothers of our family. They stand for compassion, justice, and courage," Stepan said and touched the rings in order, naming each one. "Only you and I know about it now and we need to keep it that way.”
He took the necklace off and he gave a slight shiver in the night air. "I forgot what cold feels like, but I need to get used to it I suppose. Here you are." He handed the rings and chain to Auryk and he hefted it in his hand. Never in his life did he think he would hold that much gold. There was enough there that he would never have to work again if he didn't want to. That thought didn’t cross his mind though and he only thought of the duty he owned his father and those who were putting trust in their line. He put it around his neck and immediately the air turned to a perfect temperature and he stopped sweating from the heat of the closed up barn. Suddenly a voice came from the front of the stables.
“Carpenter Stepan? Are you here? Speak up man, I haven’t got all day,” Auryk turned around and saw that it was the Overlord Wylem. He was a tall man, and handsome as most Chosen were with his bright green eyes and thick head of dark brown hair. Wylem sneered through his thin trimmed beard and glared at the two men. His forward leaning posture told Auryk that something was not quite right.
“Put it away, quick,” Stepan murmured and stepped in front of him as Auryk hurriedly finished putting the necklace under his shirt.
“Overlord Wylem, how nice to see you. I hope you can stay for our feasting and drinking this fine Manverden day,” Stepan said.
“I do not celebrate pagan holidays Servant. You should know that. But isn't it your son’s eighteenth birthday this year?” he said.
“Yes, how kind of you to remember, Overlord. I apologize for suggesting you participate in a pagan holiday; I do pray you forgive me,” said Stepan.
“Think nothing of it," said Wylem and dismissed his apology. Two of the Chosen Guard stepped up behind him and Auryk could not help but feel nervous at the sight of the wide iron swords at their hips, and steel armor on their chest. Usually only captains and higher could afford steel armor and these men just looked like thugs.
"I came for my coin. I hope you have it ready?"
"Of course, Overlord," said Stepan. He reached inside his vest and pulled out a large bag and Wylem held out his hand. Stepan deposited the bag in his hand and Wylem grunted at the weight. "A hundred Protector's coins for the year. Please let me know if it is all there."
Auryk knew his face was going pale. A Protector's coin was more than just a bribe, it was an outright fortune. One of them was equal to a thousand normal steel coins. Wylem probably made the amount his father gave him in a year but it was effectively doubling his income.
"I trust it is, or we shall see more of each other than you would wish. Now that your boy is taking over the business I suppose I’ll deal with him from now on?"
"Not quite yet, Overlord. I think I’ll be around for a few years more anyways to help him along."
“Fine then. Carpenter Stepan? I expect your boy here to do as good a job as you have been. This business of yours has made me the most profitable Overlord in all the southern districts. Please make sure it stays that way.”
“Yes, Overlord Wylem. I’ll teach him well,” said Stepan.
“Do that,” said Wylem and walked out the door. His bodyguards followed and the silence was overwhelming.
Stepan and Auryk both breathed a sigh of relief. Auryk had only seen the Overlord once before and was surprised at how familiar he was with his father. “Is he always so mean?” said Auryk.
“He was actually nice. I told you our town is sheltered Auryk. Most other Overlords would be as happy to have someone slit your throat as speak to you. The bribes we collect from our sponsors helps us. By the way, he thinks we are part of a smuggling operation so that's where the coin is coming from if he asks."
Auryk could only nod. They both went back to the party but the arrival of Overlord Wylem had caused a stir in the proceedings and people were starting to leave. Auryk watched Ruslan leave with Julia first and then stood out in the street until the last guest left and it was only him and his family left standing arm in arm in the dirt road. Each of them savored the togetherness but a forstwolf howled in the distance and the peace was over.
"Just leave the mess for tomorrow, it’ll keep," said Lana. She led them all inside and Auryk wearily climbed the latter to his attic loft while the twins bedded down to sleep next to the fireplace below. There was a nip in the air but Auryk could not feel it as the rings around his neck glowed with warmth. He was too tired to change out of his new clothes and promised himself to ask his father more about the rings tomorrow and as he thought about all that had happened that day he fell into a troubled sleep.
***
A man dressed all in dark robes raced toward the sleeping hamlet. His eyes pierced the night and his ebony skin blended with the shadows. In one hand he carried a long wooden staff and the other held the reins of a dark brown stallion that churned up the grass in his passing. Seven horses galloped through the meadows at his side breathing hard. "Come on, my friend. We can't be late," he whispered as they found the trail. The man disdained it for a straight shot through an open meadow. Some farmer was going to be angry at the destroyed crops, but the price would be worth it if he could reach the hamlet before it happened.
Nathaniel Pearl
Chapter 1
Auryk sat back and looked at his handiwork. It was not bad considering the small amount of effort he had spent on it. The small two person table would be a perfect addition to his new home someday. A large well calloused hand went through his curly brown hair as Auryk brushed the sawdust out and wiped his wide tanned face. His mother said he was handsome but what mother wouldn’t. He thought his nose was too broad and his arms too long. Whatever the case, Auryk was glad it was his eighteenth birthday; it meant he could grow a beard and hopefully improve upon his looks.
"Auryk, I hope you aren't working. You know you’re supposed to have the day off," said a voice from the next room.
"Of course not. Just passing the time till the party," Auryk said and stood up. He strode to the shop's water basin and plunged his head in to wash the rest of the dust out. Normally his mother, Lana, loved a hard worker and encouraged him to do his best to make the quotas. His father and siblings did as much as they could each day also, but it was only once in a lifetime that a man or woman had a day off and she had been trying her hardest to make sure Auryk didn’t work today. But Auryk loved his work in his father's carpenter’s shop and from the day he could walk he carried his small tools around and helped out.
"Well go outside, I can still see the dust on your shoulders," said Lana. She stood in the doorway to the shop that connected to their house. In one hand was a large ceramic bowl and the other a big spoon she used to stir whatever was inside. Her blonde hair and fair features were a sharp contrast to Auryk’s broad shoulders and blunt face.
"Thought I got it all. Fine, I’ll go help father with the-"
"No you won’t. Here, take this muffin and just relax. Sit down and close your eyes if you want, but stop working," Lana said with a scolding voice. She sighed after seeing him grin and kissed the top of his head. "You’ll make a fine husband someday, Auryk. But you can be so pig headed."
"You always say that. Fine, I’ll relax. But can I have two muffins?" Auryk said and tried to give his best smile.
"Don't push it. Now go."
Auryk laughed and took one muffin from the table inside and went out the front door. Their house was attached to the shop and was maybe an eighth of its size. Like most of the Servants who worked for the Chosen, they lived in a small hamlet that served their district’s Servant farmers. They didn’t call the hamlet any particular name other than ‘home’. Most of them never traveled out of the boundaries in their entire lives if they could help it. Like most hamlets it was set in the side of a hill facing south to protect against the harsh winter winds. Auryk's family had the last house on the west end of the row of houses and shops that stretched the entire length of the hill. Only the fronts of the houses poked out and they blended in to the rocks and dirt without a seam. A tall wooden palisade stretched around the hill to protect them from wild animals or the few bandits that roamed the countryside.
Next to their home was a feed store and livery. Auryk walked over and waved to Leonid, a boy a few years younger than him. Leonid stood up and half walked and skipped over to Auryk. His long legs and lanky frame made him look like a scarecrow but his goofy smile and straight black hair wouldn’t scare any bird. "Auryk, I can't wait for the party tonight."
"Thanks, Leonid,” he said and shook his hand. “Did you hear District Mayor Enry is coming over too?"
"So, does that mean Julia is going to be here?" Leonid gave a knowing grin and playfully punched his shoulder.
"Maybe, I hope so."
"Well Weaver Kariil is coming, so that means Ruslan will be here too. My guess is that she does come, but not for the cake and beer."
Auryk scowled. "Yea, I heard those two were hanging out more. But what does he have that I don't?" Auryk asked. He held up both of his arms and flexed.
Leonid laughed "Uh, coin and his own place? You know his father helped him get the Beech's old home. A little work and now he’s raking in the coins."
"Yea, but who wants to be a weaver's wife?" Auryk could not stand the noise and smells from Kariil’s shop just down the street, but he had to admit the work was steadier and much more profitable.
Leonid put away his tools and made sure to double check that they were locked up and oiled. Metal was hard enough to come by as it was, loosing tools would sentence any man to a lifetime of working the most menial jobs to earn even half of them back. Auryk felt his own knife at his side just to make sure it was still there. It was an early birthday gift from his father and had been in the family for generations. The handle was made from smooth blackwood, just like their own family name. It was longer than most knives, almost a dagger, and the swirled steel of the blade was unheard of for most Servants to own.
"Well I'm finished for the day, want to watch for guests?" said Leonid
"Sure, have half a muffin." Auryk split the muffin in half and the two young men chewed on the hearty snack until the first wagon pulled up to the gate.
"Looks like Farmer Iosaf," said Leonid. The taurok pulling the wagon was probably the oldest that Auryk had ever seen. Servant farmers were allotted one taurok by the district and it was up to the farmer to feed and take care of it. Iosaf’s beast looked like it should be illegal to own with a drooping back and permanent limp. Even though it was old, the eight foot tall animal still had power and was pulling a wagon loaded with children. The taurok gave a low bellow and swiped it horns back in forth as Iosaf brought it to a halt.
Iosaf had seven children, mostly girls, and a wife who had the energy to keep up with them all. The grand majority of Servants worked on farms outside of the smaller hamlets and their only purpose was to support the thousands of farms dotting the countryside surrounding the Chosen cities. Each small hamlet was set up with at least a livery for harnesses and some small tools, a carpenter, a weaver for clothes or textiles, and if they were lucky, an inn or brewery. The district towns, which were larger, had all of that on a larger scale plus a very small blacksmith shop that was run by a Chosen citizen.
"Hello, Iosaf, Klara, kids," said Auryk. The oldest of their children, Gina, could not be more than fifteen and Auryk vaguely remembered when Iosaf and Klara were married.
"Hello yourself, Auryk. I hear you are the only one we are celebrating tonight" said Iosaf.
“Yea, no one else is turning eighteen this year.”
“That’s fine, dear. It is so good to see you. Sorry we are a bit early but we wanted to make sure we got here at all," said Klara and looked warily at their taurok. She shifted a small baby girl to another shoulder and started to pat her back. Moments later she was rewarded with a burp.
"No problem, let me put this big guy here up and you all can just enjoy yourselves. The tables should go out soon and there are some games for the kids. I made some small bows today for them, if they want to shoot, that is," said Auryk. He helped Leonid unhitch their taurok and get ready to lead it to the livery. Leonid’s father had volunteered to take care of them for the night.
The children looked expectantly at their mother. "That sounds fine, it’ll be nice to put up our feet for an evening," she said and the youngest children scrambled out to play, yelling and screaming.
As Auryk was leading the taurok into a massive stall he spotted his father coming up the way with two huge kegs, one on each shoulder. His twin brothers, Tymur and Tomur, struggled with another one between them.
"Auryk. I know you aren't supposed to work today, but you think you can help your brothers out? It would be a waste to drop Brewer Lev's beer everywhere," said his father, Stepan.
He was the spitting image of Auryk save for a massive brown beard that went down to his sternum and his broad nose which was broken and pushed to the side, the result of an unfortunate incident involving a ladder and a wayward log.
Auryk gave the halter to Leonid and raced to help out. Brewer Lev was one of the best brewers, at least according to everyone who lived nearby. The few small glasses Auryk had been able to sneak as a boy confirmed that opinion. "Here, let me get that," he said and lifted the keg easily from between the twins and both of them collapsed dramatically on the ground.
"Thanks," they chimed together.
"Don't mention it. I know you are a bit scrawny, but when I was your age…" Auryk started.
"We know," they said. "You could lift a horse with one hand," said Tymur.
“And clean his hoofs with the other," said Tomur. Even after fifteen years Auryk still had trouble telling the difference between them. They took after their mother and had light pale skin and fine blonde straight hair with the Blackwood brown eyes. Despite their relative youth they were mature for their age, in soul if not in body.
"You know it," said Auryk and followed his father.
Stepan set the kegs down on one long table and greeted Iosaf and Klara. They were distant cousins of a sort and Stepan always made sure they had enough food to last through the long winters if they had trouble getting in their crop quota. All Servants were distantly related anyways and if they didn’t help each other the Chosen would take it out on everyone in the district.
"Hey, Auryk. Think you might want to change your clothes?" asked Stepan.
Auryk looked down and realized he was still wearing his shop clothes. They were stained and dirty with grime and dust.
"I don't think I have any clean ones," he said.
"Go see your mother then, I'm sure she can take care of it."
Auryk ran back in to their house, worrying about how he was going to look tonight in front of Julia. On most Manverden day celebrations, which took place after the second to last harvest of the year, each boy who turned eighteen since the last year’s celebration was honored at a party in the hamlet. The history behind Manverden, and Froverden which was held in spring for the women, had been lost through the years but it was accepted that it was the age when their ancestors were sent on a month long hunt with nothing but the clothes on their back. They had to kill an animal and it would become their totem for the rest of their life. Whatever the history, it now meant that they were of an age to live by themselves and raise a family.
This year, Auryk had the distinction of being the only boy turning eighteen. So in the hamlet of nearly a hundred and the surrounding farms of a few more hundred, he would be the center of attention. It would be his best opportunity to impress Julia and somehow he had forgotten all about his clothes.
Auryk muttered and went inside where he saw his sister, Mareeya, with a package in her arms. Gaby, Iosaf’s daughters, was with her and giggled when she saw him before turning away and running back out the door.
"Here. I thought you might have forgotten something," Mareeya said and stood on her toes to give him a hug while putting a package down on the table next to him. She took after him and their father but had dark green eyes, blonde hair, and the softer features of their mother; she was as short as her too.
"Aw, thanks sis. I'll be sure to get you something special for Froverden Day next spring," Auryk said. He opened the package and realized he was looking at a brand new set of fitted formal clothes, worth a few months’ wages for most men.
"Don't worry about it, besides this isn’t what I got you,” she said as she saw the surprise in his face. “Weaver Kariil made them. Besides, I'm sure you’re going to have a wife within the year and you’ll need to save up all your presents for her."
“Ha, like that will be anytime soon," scoffed Auryk. He took the new clothes from Mareeya and climbed a ladder upstairs to his room to put them on. After a quick run through with a comb in his hair he put on the dark brown clothes and was amazed at their fit. It didn't even feel like he was wearing cloth as the fibers from the Peter's Plant that made up the cloth moved with him and were as light as a feather. He was careful not to rip them on the ladder as he made his way back down from his attic bedroom and asked his mother and sister how he looked.
Mareeya turned and whistled when she saw him and ran to give him another hug and his mother smiled and turned away, a tear rolling down her eye.
"You look just like your father when we first met," was all she could say.
"Thanks," he said and hugged her.
"Now get out of here and help your father putting those horses up, I hear some more people coming in now," she said and wiped the tears from her eyes. It was impossible for her to cry as she tried to juggle cooking several items that still needed some last touches.
Auryk went out and his heart leapt when he saw the perfectly matched pair of white geldings pulling a stately looking wagon painted all in glassy black. The street running through the village was cobbled and as the horse's hooves struck them the sound of metal hitting rock told Auryk that the Mayor was indeed one of the richest and most powerful Servants around. Even the Chosen middle class would be lucky to afford horseshoes. Several boys raced to help him and Auryk tried to walk in a natural manner to offer his assistance but his heart fell. Julia was not with him.
"Hello, Mayor Enry. I hope you are healthy," said Auryk.
Enry laughed and handed the reins to a small boy. "And I you, Auryk. But your disappointment shows. Julia is riding with Ruslan, they should be along shortly," he said, guessing what was on the young man's mind.
"Oh, uh thanks. How is District Twenty Seven doing these days?" asked Auryk. Unlike the Chosen cities with proper names, every farming district was numbered instead.
"Great, we have met all of our quotas and none have been arrested for crimes against the Chosen," said Enry. His voice spoke confidence but Auryk was sure he could sense a hint of worry in his eyes. "I hear that Brewer Lev donated some kegs for this night’s festivities, care to point the way?" he said, changing the subject.
"Sure, right over at the far table," said Auryk and pointed.
The Mayor walked away and left Auryk standing by himself. I wonder what could have him rattled? he thought but pushed that aside when he saw the next wagon coming up the road. It was Ruslan, and next to him giggling and laughing, was Julia. Her honey blonde hair and perfect porcelain features matched Ruslan’s bright red hair and rosy cheeks. They were both tall and moved with an easy kind of grace that Auryk knew he could never master.
"You are too funny, Rus. Honestly though, I don't think I could stand living in a small village. Especially one this small," she said.
"It's not that bad, really. Besides, I'm thinking about applying for a district permit and move next year. Business has been good enough that I’ll be able to- oh, hello Auryk," said Ruslan, looking up. He was wearing the exact same cut and color of clothes as Auryk and they exchanged an awkward nod. "Well, it looks like my father decided to give us both his latest fashion. It looks good on you," Ruslan said. His voice was calm and measured but there was no mistaking the hint of challenge underneath.
"It looks good on you too, Ruslan. Mind if I lead your horses to the stables? Hello Julia," he said and gave a small bow to her.
"Oh, hi Auryk," she said and gave him a small smile. Auryk grinned and helped her down, reluctantly releasing her hand once Ruslan came around and handed him the reins.
"Happy Manverden day, Auryk. I hope yours is as good as mine was a few years ago," said Ruslan, reminding Auryk who was older.
"Well father got Brewer Lev to break down and give out the good stuff so I'm sure it will be," Auryk said. He took the horses before he could respond and led them to their stall. For the next half hour he was busy as the farmers and a few more from the next hamlet came to celebrate. Soon the tables were packed to overflowing and Mareeya came into the barn.
"Father said that is the last of them. Come on out and take a break, everyone is asking where you are."
Auryk stepped out but stopped when a last minute guest arrived on a large black horse. He could not help but shudder a little as the district Healer, Rose, jumped down with an agility that bellied her age.
"Auryk, how good to see you. I hope that leg of yours isn’t giving any trouble?" she said. Rose was wearing the standard garb of a Healer. A raven's feather worn on a leather string was around her neck and it rested on top of a black robe with a hood lined in red. The hood was down now and her shiny black hair was pulled back from a smooth pale face. In actuality, she was a very pretty woman and her brown eyes gleamed mischievously.
A few years ago a mad taurok had kicked Auryk and broke his femur. His father had raced to the district and brought Rose back to help him. All Auryk could remember from the ordeal was blinding heat and ice running up his leg and then clutching Rose's robes as he looked into her eyes. That moment had seemed endless and full of pain and sorrow. It had scared him then and he had never gotten over it.
"No troubles. Did you come all the way over from the district?"
"Of course, Brewer Lev is using his good stuff tonight; I wouldn't miss it for the world."
"I'm beginning to think people are coming for the beer and not the one being honored," said Mareeya. She was still waiting for him to finish and hugged Rose while he put the horse up. Mareeya and Rose had always gotten along and she was considering going into healing but was getting to be a bit old to start. Most Healers were either orphans or given to the order by parents who could not afford to raise their sons or daughters.
Rose walked with Mareeya, arm in arm, outside and Auryk quickly put the massive beast away. He noticed that it too had horseshoes and shook his head at the expense.
Auryk finally made it out and was happy to see the transformation in the street. The serving tables stretched nearly twenty yards and they were loaded down with the food everyone had brought out to celebrate. A massive mursteen, a wild pig several times larger and meaner than its pig cousin, turned on a spit. The men were gathered at one end and watched as Brewer Lev prepare to tap the kegs and the women were busy running after the children or carrying more food to the sagging tables. Long benches made by splitting a tree in half and using a few branches for legs were spaced out in a random pattern and a few boys were busy getting the last of the horse droppings out to the fertilizer pits.
From the back of the crowd Auryk could hear three sharp claps and the noise died as mothers shushed their babies and them men stopped shouting for a drink. Auryk's father stood up on one of the benches and called Auryk over to him. The crowd parted as he made his way forward and stood red faced beneath his father. Usually there would be more boys turning men, but by himself he felt more than a little self conscious of everyone staring.
"I want to thank all of you for being here on this special day. Manverden is not something you approach lightly," he paused and looked Auryk in the eyes, "But tonight we will forgive you if you act like a child one last time," he said and the men laughed.
“Manverden is more than just becoming a man. It is a symbol that you are changing from a child that needs support, to a man who supports others. Just as the Father Protector holds up Peredisia and supports us, you’ll support your family and friends. According to legends of our ancestors, they say that men and women who reached this age had to go into the wilderness and fend for themselves, hunting and eating what they could find. If they succeeded they were welcomed back into their homes with open arms. In the case of failure,” he looked hard at Auryk. ”They were considered children for the rest of their lives and had to live as such. I expect much out of you Auryk, and so does everyone else.” This time his smile came back and Stepan raised his mug of beer high in the air.
"So eat, drink, and enjoy welcoming Auryk into the fellowship of man," he finished. Everyone cheered and a large frothing mug of beer was pressed into his hands. Auryk sniffed as he lifted the glass in toast to all present. He looked over at Julia and Ruslan had his glass raised but must have said something funny because Julia was laughing and not looking over at Auryk.
"To the Father and Mother," Auryk yelled and quaffed his drink in one long gulp. The beer fizzed and tickled his nose and everyone cheered when he turned his glass over and no drop spilled. It was the start of Manverden and the feasting could begin.
Another beer was pressed into his hands but Auryk took a moment to concentrate as the sky spun around him. For the next few minutes Auryk did not touch his glass other than a polite sip as his head cleared and he found himself standing at the gift table and looking at what everyone had brought for him. Shame went through his body as he looked at the sparse offerings and he realized each and every one of the villagers must have been saving the entire year to give gifts this year. He was the only one becoming a man so it would all belong to him rather than casting lots with others. A new set of blankets and pillows had to be from his mother, he recognized the stitching, and the bags of seeds from Peter's Plant made a high stack on one side. The seeds were as good as coins for trading and were staple crop of servants and Chosen alike. A few fire hardened wood tools would be welcome in the shop and a few sets of new clothes rounded out the gifts. A small basket was in the middle and when Auryk looked in he drew in a hissing breath. Steel coins covered the bottom, stamped with the head of the first Chosen Elector, Peter. Peter had introduced the coin system hundreds of years ago and each coin would be enough to feed a family for nearly a week. When he lifted the basket nearly a hundred coins filled his hands and he did not know what to say. A hand touched his shoulder and Auryk Spun around. It was Julia.
"Happy Manverden, Auryk. I almost forgot we were the same age. Here, I got this for you," she said and held out a small leather coin pouch.
Auryk took the gift, not knowing what to say.
"You could thank me, you know," she said and laughed. “We always got along as children, I hope we speak to each other more in the future too. It gets lonely in the district,” she finished and gave him a small hug.
'Uh, thanks," Auryk stammered as her tinkling laugh filled the sky and she went back to the group of young women who were busy talking and looking at the other young men.
Auryk put all the coins in the pouch and secured it tightly to his belt. It would take a strong hand to get it off of him now. His gloom lifted from the impromptu gift and he got another mug of beer when the twins ran up holding his bow.
"Auryk, come shoot for us. None of the others from out of the hamlet believe how good you are," said Tymur.
"Yea, they say Wilsen from the district is the best, but he isn't even shooting over fifty yards," said Tomur.
"Well, we can't have wild rumors started that I let some outsider best me in my own home now can we," said Auryk. He took his bow from them and the twins whooped as they ran before him out of the palisade and to the archery range.
It was a short walk and Auryk could see several younger men and older ones there. All of that was ignored as he saw Rose in her black robes looking at the shooting men. Another involuntary shiver went down his spine but with a few beers already drank he tried not to show it.
"Hello Healer Rose, are you joining in the fun?" he said with as much forcefulness as possible.
"Oh no, not for me. I'm afraid my powers are only good for healing, never had any luck with a bow," she said in that perfect clip of hers, eyebrows rising in humor.
"Too bad, that would have been fun," said Auryk.
A tall lanky man stood with his bow in one hand and he leaned lazily on a fence post. The target was fifty yards out and was studded with arrows in a loose grouping. "They say you shoot well, Auryk. Care to put up a wager?" the man said.
"You must be Wilsen," said Auryk.
"That's right, three time archery champion of District Twenty Seven," Wilsen said, not even trying to keep the pride out of his voice. "I shot ten arrows at fifty yards just now, didn't miss a one. Think you can beat that?"
"I see that, pretty loose grouping though," said Auryk as he strung his bow and limbered up
Wilsen frowned. "That's maximum distance for championship standards. If you think you can shoot better than that why haven't I seen you at the contests?"
"Been busy, working."
"Of course, you folk in the hamlets are... hardworking," he said and several of the others laughed.
"Thanks, I'll take that as a compliment. How about we shoot out to a hundred yards then. Best grouping of ten wins?"
Wilsen's frowned even deeper. "A hundred yards? We don’t shoot that far in the tournaments."
"Or we can just stick to fifty, if that if easier for you," said Auryk and it was the villagers turn to laugh.
This time Wilsen's face turned red. "Fine, a hundred yards. Let me take some practice shots first. Care to make a bet?"
"No, I don't feel like taking your coin. How about this. I win and you sing us a song. You win and I’ll give you my knife here," he patted his side at the heirloom. Wilsen's face turned serious and he shook his head.
"I wouldn't want to take that from you. That much metal might attract the wrong kind of attention. Tell you what; if I win you have to sing a song and dance for us too. Sound fair?"
"Sounds good, take you practice shots first," said Auryk as he strung his bow.
Wilsen lined up the target, a bale of straw wrapped in a brown sack with a white circle set on top of a rock, and took his first few shots. Auryk had to admit his technique was solid, if basic, and after a few arrows he was able to find his range and hit it a few times.
"That's not as bad as I thought," Wilsen said with relief in his voice. "Care to take your practice shots?"
"Nah, go ahead and take your ten. I'll go last," said Auryk.
Wilsen shook his head and started to shoot. The first few arrows made a wide grouping on the straw stuffed target and the fire hardened tips punched through with ease. At the fifth shot though, he missed his mark and an arrow flew to the right. Wilsen gave a grunt of disgust and overcorrected his next shot too far to the left. He took a moment to compose his breathing and the next four hit the target in the center and he leaned back in approval.
"Not bad at all, I'm sure you’ll have a hard time beating that."
"We’ll see." Auryk took his place and notched the first arrow. The other nine he held in his hand between his fingers and Wilsen scoffed loudly at his technique. But Auryk zeroed in on the target and when it felt right released. The arrow did not waver from its path and flew straight and true to plunge in the center of the white circle.
"Lucky shot," said Wilsen, but his voice was nervous.
"Maybe," said Auryk and shot the next nine in rapid order, hardly pausing to breath as his fingers shifted arrows and his arm drew back in a rhythmic pattern. The cheers grew louder and louder as each one hit near the center and the last one Auryk shot at the two hundred yard target his brothers had prepared earlier that day. It flew down the range and hit just above center mass and sunk down to the black raven’s feathers. The crowd, which had grown, erupted in cheering and Auryk gave them a lopsided grin and wave.
"Guess I missed the last one," he said to Wilsen, who was standing with his mouth open wide. "But you missed twice so I presume I'm the winner."
Wilsen shut his jaw tight and looked with new found respect at Auryk. "That was the best damned shooting I have ever seen. Why have you never entered the tournaments?"
"Never had the time.”
"You would be a shoe-in for the district competitions next year. You know the Mayor pays the prize, usually a few metal tools or coins? Last year it was a whole Protector’s coin, too bad I didn't win then," said Wilsen and Auryk whistled. A Protector’s coin had a bit sized piece of gold in the center and named after the Protector’s position in the Chosen Capital. It was easily worth several years wages to a farmer, or a couple for a new carpenter. The only higher currency was the Elector’s coin, but Auryk sincerely doubted it actually existed. Who would use gold to make an entire coin?
"I'll keep that in mind," he said and gave his bow back to the twins. They carried it away and Auryk took more well wishes and a mug of beer while Wilsen started singing and dancing. Rose caught his attention and gave him a smile. Auryk could see the sorrow in her eyes, the same as it was when she healed him, and could not help but look away.
The mayor came up and offered a distraction as he shook Auryk’s hand. "Best shooting I’ve ever seen, I might as well give you the prize coin right now rather than wait till next year," he laughed.
"Thank you, mayor," said Auryk.
“Call me Enry.” The mayor clapped him on the shoulder and steered him through the crowd. "Come with my, my young man, and join us in the livery. Several men are there I want you to meet."
"Sure, but won’t they miss me out here?"
"No, don't worry. Come on now."
They walked back inside the palisade and to the livery. It was getting a little dark but a single lantern hung from a rope and gave off enough light to see who was there. His father was in the center of a group of men from the hamlet and district. Ruslan was there too and looking a little perturbed at being away from Julia but his father Kariil had a hand on his shoulder and nodded politely at Auryk.
"Glad to see the clothes fit, Auryk," he said.
"Thank you, Weaver Kariil," said Auryk. "What are you all doing here?"
"Come here Auryk," said Stepan and Auryk went into the center and his own father put a hand on his shoulder.
The Mayor closed the outer doors and the noise from the party was snuffed out and Auryk's ears buzzed with the sudden quiet.
"What do you know of the Servants, Auryk?" Stepan asked.
Auryk thought about the question for a while. Each child was required to attend two years of Chosen education in their hamlet and he thought back to what he had learned. "We are the Servants. Basically we grow the food and make the textiles for the Chosen."
"An answer from your lessons, but what of our history?"
"I know that the Servants are descended from a people called the Shrall, a small tribe of barbarians that the Chosen found after coming out of the earth. They taught us agriculture and how to use new tools, they gave us Peter's Plant and in return our ancestors promised to serve them."
"Another answer from the books," sighed Stepan and turned to the group.
“Who are we, Servants?" he asked them.
"Slaves," they said back to him, bowing their heads in respect. Even the mayor showed his father reverence and Auryk was more than a little shocked at the tone they were taking.
"That’s right, a slave to the Chosen’s every whim," Stepan said as he spit on the floor and turned back to Auryk. “I know you do not see it much here in our little hamlet but if you ever go to any Chosen city you’ll see that is what they think of us. Did you know that Servant have no rights to our lives and livelihood? At any moment our land could be seized and we could be put into the mines to work until we die?"
“Yes, father. But that has never happened around here,” said Auryk. He was a little frightened by his father’s tone but tried to not let it show.
“No, not in recent years. However, last spring several hamlets were taken by district Overlords and turned into hunting reserves and the Servants were moved further into the frontier with no warning and families split up to make them more productive. This was only a district away. I’m afraid our district has been rather protected through the years."
“Yes, at the expense of most of the other Servants trying to protect us,” said Enry with venom.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Take a seat, Auryk. This might take a while,” said Stepan.
Auryk obligingly took a seat on a small stool. The other men sat down on the wooden floor but Stepan remained standing.
“The Servants are not what you think. As a matter of fact we used to be Chosen ourselves. Well, half Chosen anyways” he began. “Over five hundred years ago, our common ancestors, the Chosen, came out from out of the caverns after a few thousand years in hiding from the massive war that nearly destroyed the world," he said and Auryk nodded. Chosen history was a standard part of the education he received.
“These people were unprepared for what lay above the surface. One man, a Patriarch of a minor family, knew that they would struggle to survive and he took it upon himself to bring forbidden tools up from the deep cave. His name was Erik.
“That's sort of like my name,” said Auryk.
“It’s who you are named after, a popular name among the Servants but the Chosen cannot tell us what to call our sons without revealing the truth. Anyways, the entrance to their caverns was destroyed in an accident and it buried the rest of the Chosen’s supplies and tools and killed hundreds, leaving the Chosen stranded outside and with little hope of survival. So that night their leader, Peter, called them together. One of the Erik's friends betrayed him and told Peter about the forbidden tools.”
“Peter, the first Elector of the Chosen?” said Auryk.
“Yes, the Council at that time decided to banish Erik and all of his family and as they saw the bringing of forbidden tools to the surface as punishment for disobeying their ancestors orders. Forty nine people in Erik’s family had to leave but Peter made them give their children to other families so they could be used to help find more food and plant the seeds they were able to bring with them. Erik left a son behind and was forced to leave. His wife was killed after a few days and many more fell sick and died on the way. Just when it all seemed hopeless a young woman from a group of people that had survived all those years on the surface found them. Her name was Shokra.”
“I’ve heard of her, she’s like the mother of our people or something,” Auryk said.
“In a way. She was on a ritual hunt to become a warrior for her people when she happened by Erik and his family. She led them to her tribe, called the Shrall to the south. Now you have to understand that when Erik was banned he was supposed to travel south for at least two weeks before he was permitted to stop. The tribe was only ten days travel from the Chosen so this caused problems later when they found out. The Chosen, meantime, soon found another group of people, called the Murs, and they taught the Chosen how to hunt and they traded their knowledge for food. You know who the Murs are right?”
“The High Servants of the Chosen?”
“Right. At first everything was fine, they had enough food and they started to spread out and hunt. Unfortunately they spread too much so the Shrall attacked and killed some of the Chosen's hunters. Eventually they learned that Erik’s group did not travel two weeks but just ten days. Rumors were started and soon Peter’s group came to blame the Shrall people for all their misfortunes.
“Peter eventually sent a group of his people after them to drive them off after a few years but when he did, Erik’s son, Maleki, ran away from the Chosen and tried to find his father. He was a born warrior and over the years as tensions escalated between the two groups there were quite a few battles. In the first battle, Peter was killed by Maleki and a few years later the Forsaken found a way through the barriers and attacked the Shrall and Chosen for many years, you know this time as the Border War."
Auryk felt the hair on the back of his head go up as he thought about what he knew of the Forsaken. They were cannibalistic killers that used to be barricaded behind a mystical ring of fire to the west and had escaped to wreak havoc in all of Peredisia.
“A group of Keepers helped the Shrall to drive the Forsaken off but eventually the Forsaken stormed the Shrall's stronghold and it was only the courage of a Healer, a male, that the Shrall were saved and the Forsaken defeated. The Chosen showed up on their heels to offer assistance but when they saw the vanquished Forsaken and the defeated Shrall, they removed the Shrall from their lands and marched them to the Chosen's farmland to be used as field workers. Erik died in that last battle and Maleki, who had come into the powers of a Keeper some years prior, ran away.
Auryk’s head was swimming. All his life he had taken for granted the Chosen classes that taught Shrall history but it was nothing like what his father was saying. The Chosen made it out like they were the ones helping the Servants and had saved them from the Forsaken scourge. They should be grateful for anything they got. Something else was bothering him too. “Father, aren’t the Keepers all dead?”
Everyone laughed. “Oh no. The Chosen would like you to think that, but they are very much alive,” said Stepan. “The Keepers were friends of the Shrall for generations before the Chosen decided to come back to the surface. Now that you are old enough to know the truth you should know the truth. The Keepers have always been a friend of man and are here to guide and protect us." Stepan's face fell. "But the Chosen killed most of them in the years following the Border Wars."
“They used the Shadows?”
“Yes. The Chosen sent their deadwalkers to kill them about a hundred years after the Border War. They nearly succeeded but some of the Keepers got away and joined the Free Tribes in the south for protection along with the Shrall that were able to get away from the Chosen. There are quite a few tribes down there now and someday, I hope we all can go.” Stepan stopped and sighed. The men around him were melancholy in their stances while they contemplated what freedom must feel like. Auryk sensed it and tried not to look confused at their reaction.
“Why are you telling me this? What does this have to do with anything?” asked Auryk.
“Simply put,” said Stepan. “We are the heirs of Erik and Shokra.”
Auryk reached up and rubbed his chin. "So what does that mean?" he asked. All of this new information was too much to take in.
"When the Chosen invaded the Shrall lands they killed all of Erik's offspring, or so they thought. Shokra had a baby boy just five days prior and when the Chosen came over the city walls she gave him to a local farmer. He hid him while the Chosen tortured her to tell them where the baby was. She did not give up her son’s location and she died after a week of the worst sorts of torture. The boy was raised as the farmer’s own and a coalition of the Shrall made sure to protect the boy and his line. That is why we live where we do today, in the same hamlet where our ancestors lived. The first male our line has stayed at this place. That is why it is important that you stay here and continue what others have done for many years.”
At that point the other men kneeled down and Stepan led them in a simple pledge directed at Auryk. “We pledge our lives and our hearts to the true Shrall leader, sixteenth of his line and true son of Erik. May our lives protect yours and may you protect us with the hope of one day being free.”
One by one they stood back up and patted Auryk's shoulder and filed out of the barn in silence.
Auryk was still beside himself. His father had a hand on his shoulder and his presence helped to calm him somewhat, but it all felt like a dream. “Is this the truth?” he said.
“Yes, it took me a while to get used to it as well but it is true. Your grandfather, before he passed away, told me of his experiences and his father’s experience all the way back. The line has not been broken for sixteen generations now. You do have some cousins elsewhere but they do not know they are of the true line of Erik. It’s better to keep that a secret if something does happen to us. Come and sit down,” Stepan said and sat in front of Auryk on another stool. Auryk sat.
“Most of the Servants outside our group don’t even know who you are. There is an even larger group of adherents to our cause, bigger than even you or I know that have been funneling coin to us for the past fifty years called the Network. We have been using these funds to bribe the local Chosen Overlord, Wylem, for as long as our line has existed. Before that we had to rely on just contributions from the hamlet but the Network has made it much easier. We bribe the Overlord enough that our life here has been sheltered and safe compared to the rest of the Servants. You have never been outside our hamlet except a few times to the district before, have you?”
“No,” said Auryk.
“Outside our town people are most often locked up in the palisades at night and the Chosen Guard roams freely and has their way with Servant women. Lands are seized to be broken up among the ever growing noble class who turn them into hunting reserves and push the Servants further and further out into the frontier. This makes them have to work even harder to make the harvest quota. It is only a matter of time before our coin is no longer good around our hamlet. The group of men you just met are the only ones who know your true identity and their sons will eventually take over for them in what they do. Trust them and when I am gone you’ll have to tell the story to your son as well.
“Now this is important, I am going to tell you our family line. Erik and Shokra birthed Enry, father of Hekter, father of Symon, father of Harys, father of Eryk, father of Marcus, father of Mykel, father of Jered, father of Leonyd, father of Kramer, father of Wyl, father of Mat, father of Setar who your grandfather and my father, Myself Stepan, and you, sixteenth in the line. Now repeat it back to me."
Auryk and his father said it back and forth until Auryk was sure he had it and they stopped for a break.
“But what if I forget?” Auryk asked.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be around long enough that I can tell it to you until you can repeat it forward and backwards. Now let’s go inside and finish drinking that beer, we only have a few hours until midnight and the party is over.”
Auryk stood to go back out but his father’s voice called him back. “Hold on, I almost forgot the most important part.” His father reached under his shirt and pulled out a shiny object on what looked to be an iron or steel chain. “This has been in our family since the time of Erik. Take it and keep it hidden under your shirt. There is enough gold and iron here to feed the village for a generation but you should never sell it.”
On the iron chain, made up of shiny links were three rings melded together in a clover pattern.
“This is a necklace that has been in our family since even before the Chosen came out of the earth and the three gold rings come from the three brothers of our family. They stand for compassion, justice, and courage," Stepan said and touched the rings in order, naming each one. "Only you and I know about it now and we need to keep it that way.”
He took the necklace off and he gave a slight shiver in the night air. "I forgot what cold feels like, but I need to get used to it I suppose. Here you are." He handed the rings and chain to Auryk and he hefted it in his hand. Never in his life did he think he would hold that much gold. There was enough there that he would never have to work again if he didn't want to. That thought didn’t cross his mind though and he only thought of the duty he owned his father and those who were putting trust in their line. He put it around his neck and immediately the air turned to a perfect temperature and he stopped sweating from the heat of the closed up barn. Suddenly a voice came from the front of the stables.
“Carpenter Stepan? Are you here? Speak up man, I haven’t got all day,” Auryk turned around and saw that it was the Overlord Wylem. He was a tall man, and handsome as most Chosen were with his bright green eyes and thick head of dark brown hair. Wylem sneered through his thin trimmed beard and glared at the two men. His forward leaning posture told Auryk that something was not quite right.
“Put it away, quick,” Stepan murmured and stepped in front of him as Auryk hurriedly finished putting the necklace under his shirt.
“Overlord Wylem, how nice to see you. I hope you can stay for our feasting and drinking this fine Manverden day,” Stepan said.
“I do not celebrate pagan holidays Servant. You should know that. But isn't it your son’s eighteenth birthday this year?” he said.
“Yes, how kind of you to remember, Overlord. I apologize for suggesting you participate in a pagan holiday; I do pray you forgive me,” said Stepan.
“Think nothing of it," said Wylem and dismissed his apology. Two of the Chosen Guard stepped up behind him and Auryk could not help but feel nervous at the sight of the wide iron swords at their hips, and steel armor on their chest. Usually only captains and higher could afford steel armor and these men just looked like thugs.
"I came for my coin. I hope you have it ready?"
"Of course, Overlord," said Stepan. He reached inside his vest and pulled out a large bag and Wylem held out his hand. Stepan deposited the bag in his hand and Wylem grunted at the weight. "A hundred Protector's coins for the year. Please let me know if it is all there."
Auryk knew his face was going pale. A Protector's coin was more than just a bribe, it was an outright fortune. One of them was equal to a thousand normal steel coins. Wylem probably made the amount his father gave him in a year but it was effectively doubling his income.
"I trust it is, or we shall see more of each other than you would wish. Now that your boy is taking over the business I suppose I’ll deal with him from now on?"
"Not quite yet, Overlord. I think I’ll be around for a few years more anyways to help him along."
“Fine then. Carpenter Stepan? I expect your boy here to do as good a job as you have been. This business of yours has made me the most profitable Overlord in all the southern districts. Please make sure it stays that way.”
“Yes, Overlord Wylem. I’ll teach him well,” said Stepan.
“Do that,” said Wylem and walked out the door. His bodyguards followed and the silence was overwhelming.
Stepan and Auryk both breathed a sigh of relief. Auryk had only seen the Overlord once before and was surprised at how familiar he was with his father. “Is he always so mean?” said Auryk.
“He was actually nice. I told you our town is sheltered Auryk. Most other Overlords would be as happy to have someone slit your throat as speak to you. The bribes we collect from our sponsors helps us. By the way, he thinks we are part of a smuggling operation so that's where the coin is coming from if he asks."
Auryk could only nod. They both went back to the party but the arrival of Overlord Wylem had caused a stir in the proceedings and people were starting to leave. Auryk watched Ruslan leave with Julia first and then stood out in the street until the last guest left and it was only him and his family left standing arm in arm in the dirt road. Each of them savored the togetherness but a forstwolf howled in the distance and the peace was over.
"Just leave the mess for tomorrow, it’ll keep," said Lana. She led them all inside and Auryk wearily climbed the latter to his attic loft while the twins bedded down to sleep next to the fireplace below. There was a nip in the air but Auryk could not feel it as the rings around his neck glowed with warmth. He was too tired to change out of his new clothes and promised himself to ask his father more about the rings tomorrow and as he thought about all that had happened that day he fell into a troubled sleep.
***
A man dressed all in dark robes raced toward the sleeping hamlet. His eyes pierced the night and his ebony skin blended with the shadows. In one hand he carried a long wooden staff and the other held the reins of a dark brown stallion that churned up the grass in his passing. Seven horses galloped through the meadows at his side breathing hard. "Come on, my friend. We can't be late," he whispered as they found the trail. The man disdained it for a straight shot through an open meadow. Some farmer was going to be angry at the destroyed crops, but the price would be worth it if he could reach the hamlet before it happened.