The Easy Way

[tyro]

Somewhere early into Chapter 13

Sill bound and very angry, Cory was led toward the tallest building there was to be seen in this new village. The front room had a spire with open windows. From these openings, Cory could see the faces of several men who looked down on him with unsympathetic curiosity. He was extremely tired from his struggling, but he still resented being pushed into directions and he wanted his feelings to be made clear. As they passed the massive wood doors, he could see the light they permitted into the room diminish, and with a resonating boom, the doors were closed. The guards did not slow down their pace and Cory was pushed and herded into the right rear corner room. The guard to Cory’s right grabbed him by his upper arm and pushed him with such force as to spin him around. Cory regained his footing and glared at the guard. The second guard came up from behind Cory and both of his hands pounded down onto his shoulders in a way that caused him to stumble down and forward. The hands did not let go as they guided him into a kneeling position. Unaware of exactly what was expected of him, Cory tried to get up. Each time a painful blow onto one shoulder or the other was delivered to him from behind. After 4 blows, Cory slumped his weight down and was sitting on the heels of his boots. He was thinking more than observing. His eyes were focused on some distant metal object when the hands were removed and two spears fell, one each on either shoulder. The intricate shape of the spears interlocked at their tips and Cory could clearly see sharp trailing spikes pointing backwards at him. Just as suddenly, the two spears were pulled back and the spikes were closer to his face than the length of a thumb. The purpose of these elaborate weapons was clear, and Cory felt that this was not the time to give them a cause to use them. Resigned for the moment to be still, he looked about the room for some indication of what might happen next.

The ceiling was at least twice a man’s height and most of the light was coming from windows that were confined above the upper third of the wall. Was this to keep prisoners like himself in, or invaders out? The room lacked any furnishings but there were pillows and blankets in various places, mostly about a central rock mantle that rose from the floor by a height as to suggest it was a table for anyone seated on the floor. The rock was square in shape and either direction was approximately a man’s height.

Cory noticed a small sculpture located at the center of the rock table. While he had never seen such three dimensional renditions before, the subject was unmistakably that of the Great Lender. Perhaps because he was desperate for a feeling of control or power, and despite the strong sense of fear and alienation that had gripped Cory, the sculpture gave him a feeling of hope and kinship. Almost immediately, he feared the carving was deliberately placed to disarm him. Perhaps, far from being a common bond with these coarse savage people, it was a methodically placed symbol of their knowledge of him his religious beliefs and their power over his thinking. As best he could, he looked about the otherwise barren room and was unable to find any clue to suggest if the omen before him was a promising one or not.

Cory’s one hope was seriously under question. He was so lost in his fears and doubts that he was unaware that a regal presence had entered until he heard a calm voice ask, “You are the outcast?”

He looked towards the voice as though he was wakened from a deep sleep. A tired face of Cory’s age looked back at him with a patient expression. Uncertain about too much, Cory simply stared at the man, and he thought about how he might break the spell that had fallen on him, how he might find some comfort.

“He is.” Came a reply from behind.

“Thank you Trader Goren, but I was addressing your acquirement you have kneeling before us. Perhaps he is either deaf or mute.” With that, the man looked at Cory with concern. “Can you speak? Do you hear me?”

A powerful voice of recently acquired reason told Cory to respond in a way that did not answer the question. Perhaps he should just stare back and blink. Once again, looking into the face of the man who seemed to be in charge, Cory placed his instincts aside and began to nod his head. “Then you can hear me, but can you speak?’ asked the man with obvious concern.

Cory put his head down in fear and confusion, uncertain why he was answering question that might deplete any bargaining position he might have. “I can speak,” he muttered quietly.

There was a short pause and then Cory was startled as an object slammed onto the table in front of him. His eyes opened wide in surprise as he recognized one of the Books of Destiny now sitting on the table, less than an arm’s reach away. Again Cory was made hopeful that his captors were Of the Grant. The likeness of the Great Lender was standing just behind the Book.

While Cory looked between the Book and the sculpture for some clarification, a second noise disturbed him. The man had dropped a pillow before the table and to the immediate left of Cory. He sat down heavily, leaned onto the table, into Cory’s face, and asked, “How did you become an outcast among the Sources?”

“Sources?” asked Cory with genuine confusion.

“The people you were staying with,” hissed the man. “Do you mean to say that you don’t know the Sources? In the name of the Lender, you lived among them and you don’t know how they call themselves?”

“I only know them as the Hordes,” said Cory. “That is what we have always called them.”

“Hordes?” laughed the man, “Hordes? He laughed even harder as he repeated the title. The laughter would stop as he thought, but then it would start up again. Cory could feel the spears, still resting on his shoulders, shake. It first disturbed him until he realized that the guards too were laughing. He was uncertain why they were so amused, but it made him uncomfortable and he didn’t consider it to be a good sign.

Still smiling with obvious delight, the man asked “So who are ‘we’, who call the Sources – the Hordes?”

Cory was certain that his future would be on better grounds if he could minimize the release of any information he had. “We are the children of the Lender.” Said Cory carefully as he stared at the statue, and hoping it would be sufficient.

“Of course you are, my guarded friend. We are all children of the Great Lender. I and my fellows,” spoke the man, waving his hand lightly. “We are the Hill People. You were given over to us by the Sources. But no one seems to know where you came from. At least, no one has been able to inform me. Personally, I’m quite certain that the Sources know much more than they are telling us. It wouldn’t be like them to be completely forthright. So tell me this simple thing, by what name are your people known?”

Cory was genuinely confused and worried. Given the context of the question, he never thought of his people as having any particular name. There were the Hordes and there were themselves. “I am not aware of any additional title that we might have, although I do recall hearing the elders refer to one another as plains-men. But it seemed to be a term of derision, judging on how they used it.”

“Plains-Men,” repeated the man. “Then you lived on a plain?”

The simplicity of Galt’s conclusion intimidated Cory. As a child he witnessed the old men calling one another ‘plainsman’ and he understood them to mean common and ordinary – an insult. They certainly used the name to slur one another, which was easy even as a child to tell. The fact that they lived on a plain had never broken into his understanding of the term. Cory had a sudden flash as he remembered Leander’s first lesson. He had failed to question the validity of a long held belief. But if they were in fact Plainsmen, then why did they belittle one another with their true title?

“Yes,” said Cory weakly after some time, “we do live on a plain.”

“You don’t sound very sure of yourself,” the man retorted. “Were you by any chance the village idiot?”

Cory was lost in his own thoughts and perhaps embarrassed that he might never have understood the significance of ‘Plainsmen’, he was particularly sensitive to the man’s derisive comment. He glared back at the man and then thought that perhaps it would be wise to let him continue to underestimate him. And so he said nothing.

The man continued to stare at Cory and looked him over for any clues. “No,” he spoke slowly and quietly. “An idiot could not have traveled alone this far from the nearest plain.”

There was a pause as the man continued to contemplate Cory. “My name is Galt,” he announced in a loud clear voice. “I am Galt of the Hill people.” He continued to eye Cory with an inquisitive look. “And what would be your name?”

“I am called Cory.” The speed of his reply surprised Cory, but he was struck with the realization that he was talking to the man identified to him as “Galt the Deceiver”. The people he now knows as the Sources, both despise and admire this man. Cory was beginning to wish he had allowed Galt to believe he was mute.

“Cory of the Plainsmen, why do you call the Sources, the Hordes?” inquired Galt with an invitingly playful lilt.

Cory’s hatred towards the Hordes, rose in him and he blurted out, “Because they routinely steal from us. They surprise us with their attacks, give us little time to flee, and then they take our food.”

Galt looked squarely into Cory’s eyes and waited for secure eye contact, when he knew he had Cory’s attention, he asked, “They steal your food?”

“Yes.” Replied Cory with frustration.

“And you hate them?”

“Of course I hate them, they killed my father.”

Galt drew back and reconsidered his next question in the light of this personal revelation. Satisfied that it was still an important question, he rephrased it slightly as “Did your father not have enough time to flee?”

Cory almost jumped to his feet in rage. The guards sensed his movements and pulled the spears back into his face, causing him to fall back. Two hands grabbed his arms and pulled him back to the kneeling position.

“Be very careful Cory, these men are not accustomed to treating a prisoner with patience. I wouldn’t want to lose you to a short outburst of emotions and sharp metal. You see, you said that the Hordes don’t give you time to flee, as they come to steal from you. This is a peculiar complaint. Why do you not stand up to them and defend what is yours?”

Once again Cory felt a flush of anger and embarrassment. “Because their weapons exceed ours by far too great a margin. It is near suicide to resist them – as my father once did.” Cory shook with pent up frustration and anger. “I attacked one of their sackers with nothing but the rocks at my feet. I bludgeoned him to his feet, only to learn that the archers opened fire on my people, killing and maiming them.” Cory realized he was rising to Galt’s bait and had revealed himself. This was how he had made his mistake with the Sources, this is how he makes his own trouble.

“Your only weapons are rocks?”

“That and sticks we can get from the forest.”

“ You don’t have copper?”

“No. Not right now, but my uncle has been working on it for some time and he is very close.” Cory nearly croaked his words out. After staying with the Hordes, he knew that the essential ore was not to be found anywhere near his home. But he was once again taunted into grandstanding before Galt.

Galt rose back and looked sympathetically towards Cory. He knew he was listening to the truth and that his prisoner was not a threat to him. Far from it, he was looking at a man who admits to fleeing from his enemy. Galt stood up and said, “Look at me Cory.” Galt waited for Cory to meet his eyes. “Do I look like someone who would tremble before your Hordes?”

Cory had no difficulty is assessing Galt’s might and resolve, but it was awkward for him to acknowledge it. He looked down in shame and then back up at him. Finally he decided to reply while looking straight into Galt’s eyes. “With you by my side, I would gladly face the deadly arrows of the Hordes and in so doing, defend my property.”

Galt looked down at Cory, who continued to maintain eye contact. “Can you read?”

The sudden changes in the conversation was having a draining effect on Cory. First his bravery was questioned and then when his strength was nearly depleted on that, he was being asked if he could read. “Yes, of course I can. Who cannot?” he asked with sincerity.

Galt sat down. A clear change had taken place in his mood and he was controlling his words. “This,” said Galt as he spun the Book of Destiny to Cory. “Read it to me.”

With a quick gesture from Galt, someone approached Cory from behind, and removed the ropes that bound him. Cory looked down onto the table and took comfort in the sight of an old acquaintance. The Four Books of Destiny were as familiar to him as friends who don’t change, or drift away. Having massaged his wrists, he reached forward and opened what proved to be the Book of Development. Cory opened his mouth to read. Suddenly, Galt’s hand slammed down onto the page and then he opened the book to an apparently random page very near the center. “Read now.” Instructed Galt with an edge of defiance in his voice.

Cory knew every page of all four books. The Book of Development was neither the easiest, nor the hardest. Obediently, Cory leaned in to make the best use of the weak light and he read.
“Being that the earth is varied and that the Children of the Great Lender are of themselves also varied and being that this diversity is a gift from the Great Lender, then be it sacred and acknowledged that richness comes from all things being free to endure. Speak not in shallow tones of those things you do not, on your own volition, embrace. Be aware that strength lies in others, where it fails in yourself. Growth only comes from conflict. Growth is the quiet achievement of wise men. It cannot be traded nor stolen; indeed, it may not be loaned nor borrowed. The growth that a man makes in his life will be his only asset when he is returned to the Great Lender.”

Cory became more animated in his reading and found comfort when he heard Galt following along with him.

But suddenly, Galt reached forward, and slammed the book shut. Cory was taken aback, such an act was one of impropriety – the words of the Books were being read. How dare someone interrupt? Once again, Cory looked into Galt’s eyes. But this time, it was to search for the nature of a man who would call for a reading from the Books, and then make it stop.

Galt stared back at Cory with equal inquisitiveness. “Why did you stop?”

“Because you closed the book,” Cory complained in growing surprise and anger. How dare Galt infer that it was he who had stopped?

“But you saw the page. You even read from it. Do you mean to say you could not finish reading a page that you have seen?”

Cory was once again feeling as though Galt was mocking him. “Can you?” he replied.

“Why can you not continue? You saw the entire page and read from it very clearly. How could the picture be clear in some parts and not though out?”

Cory was unable to understand what his captor was asking. “What picture,” he asked. “There are no pictures.”

“If not a picture, then what did you see when the book was open?” asked Galt.

Cory was fearful. “Words,” he replied. “ I saw the words.”

Galt slid the book further away from Cory and motioned to someone from the back. A shadow approached from behind Cory and handed Galt a scroll. Galt made a second motion to the unseen servant and his steps could be heard as they passed into the distance. Galt looked quietly into Cory’s eyes and asked, “You would gladly stand by my side and fight the Hordes?”

“Yes!” replied Cory without reservation. Even though he was unable to follow what Galt was getting to.

“Then listen to me because your life depends on it.” With that Galt motioned to the guards who immediately removed their spears from around his throat. “I too have a cause with the Hordes. I need the help of someone such as yourself. But someone I can trust. Someone who will stand with me.”

Cory was basking in the sense of relief that came when the spears were withdrawn. Furthermore, he could not believe his ears to hear that Galt wanted him to stand with him against the Hordes. “If as you say, our cause is common, then you can trust me as you might trust your most cherished confidant.”

“He’s dead.” Replied Galt dryly. “My most cherished confidant was only waiting to learn the secret of the Sources. Once he believed he had stolen that from me, he was gone. Although I’m sure he has come to realize that he didn’t turn on me with sufficient understanding of the secret. He is however, truly dead now. I make a point of reminding people of that. I hope it acts as a deterrent to others. Don’t you agree that his death would cause others, who think they can cheat me, to place a value on their own lives? If you are uncertain, then let me describe in detail, the fitting events surrounding his death. I made damn certain that it would disturb my most valiant and daring friend, because that is what he was. Obviously, I didn’t succeed in impressing upon him my singular desire in being alone in my obsession. And you, Cory of the Plainsmen, how would you compare your chances should you deceive me?”

“Why would I deceive you?” Cory asked with authentic uncertainty.

“I don’t know,” answered Galt. “I quite well imagine that it is my unpreparedness that makes for a successful deceit. That is why my guard is up and that is why your life will come to a stop before mine.”

The two men were searching each other for some unspoken clarification. “Why did you have me brought here?” asked Cory.

“I will explain that soon, but first, show me a word.” With that Galt pushed the unopened scroll towards Cory.

Cory was perplexed, but intrigued by the scroll. He opened it and instinctively began to read. The open palm of Galt’s right hand broke through his vision and came down upon the scroll. “I didn’t ask you to read to yourself. I asked you to show me a word.”

If it wasn’t for the tenuous position he was in, Cory was close to violently protesting the frivolous game like demands to which Galt was submitting him. In an intended act of insolence, Cory placed his finger at the top of the page and said, “There! That’s a word.”

“Say the word.” Asked Galt with no acknowledgement of the sarcasm.

Cory looked up at his captor and wondered if he was toying with him. He looked back down at the scroll and said “The.” He looked back up at Galt to prove that he was not reading any further, and he waited.

If Galt understood that now he was being mocked, he didn’t show it. “And the next word, what is it?” he asked with almost child like enthusiasm.

Cory looked back down at the scroll. “Fertile.” He replied, returning his attention to Galt.

“Continue, but slowly and place your finger on the word as you speak it.”

Once again Cory read from the scrolls, his index finger moved along as he slowly spoke aloud. “domain, being all devoted to the cultivation of grain.”

Galt’s hand jumped out and obscured Cory’s sight of the scroll. He looked at Galt with a blank expression that hid his puzzled amusement.

“Do not ever underestimate me, Cory of the Plainsmen.” Before he had finished speaking, Galt had pulled a knife from within his clothing and was brandishing it before Cory’s eyes. “Does the Plainsman who flees from his enemy and chooses his weapons from the rocks at his feet understand me, Galt, ruler of the Hill people?”

Cory was taken by surprise. The conversation seemed to be less intimidating and yet his captor had produced a knife in less time then it took for Cory to sense a movement.

“Why did you have me brought here?” Cory asked again.

Still holding his knife very close to Cory’s face, Galt uttered a command. From behind him, Cory could hear the guards stomp their feet, as if in some ritual, and then march away. The door to their room closed behind them. The sound of their marching ceased immediately after the door closed. Cory concluded they were standing, just outside the door. Galt made a point to wave the knife well to the right and left of Cory’s vision and then he ceremoniously returned it to a sheath, somewhere under the table.

“I am about to tell you more than I am comfortable revealing,” announced Galt. “More than I have shared with any other member of my village, more than my trusted confidant knew and more than those guards outside our door could suspect. I am about to place in you a great trust because I believe we share an attitude about the Hordes and that our mutual dislike for them could benefit us both. However, if I should ever suspect that you are betraying this trust, should I ever discover you are acting alone with any of the knowledge that I make known to you, I will take your life from you in a manner that will astound you almost as much as it makes you beg for death. I did it to my brother, my confidant, and your loss would be less tragic. Do you understand me?”

Cory raised his eyes to Galt and contemplated a man so dedicated to a secret as to torture and kill his own brother, so that it would serve as a warning to the others. “If you will assist me in ridding the Hordes from attacking my village, you will have my support in this matter.” Said Cory with confidence.

Galt turned to pick up the statue of the Great Lender. He handed it to Cory and said, “Pray it so.”

Cory took the image and held it before his eyes. “In the name of He who lent me my life and who will, in the time of His choosing, call my debt to Him, I do further subordinate my dues in this pledge before Him.” Cory closed his hands around the figure and then, with outstretched arms, he uncapped his hands and presented the sacred statue back to Galt. Satisfied that he could move to the next step, Galt accepted the offering and the promise.

“The Sources - the Hordes – have many secrets that give them unfair powers over us. They intimidate and steal from you because they have more powerful weapons than you. Similarly, they demand that we surrender the goods that we produce, and then compensate us unfairly.

“They compensate you?” Cory was surprised that he spoke, but the fact that the Hill people were compensated at all, didn’t make him feel as though he and Galt had much in common.

“They need our produce and they know we won’t flee from them,” Galt replied as though he was reciting an element to a well-maintained strategy. “To a man, we are much stronger and far more resolved. They would never present their arms here among us. However, their magic protects them in their village. They arrive here to collect from us according to a long established sacred trust. When we meet them in their markets for trade, the rules are less clear and variable.”

“Then why do you permit them to collect their portion? Why don’t you refuse until they accept your terms?” Cory inquired.

“What?” accused Galt, “Such a broach of honour would place us in disfavour with the Spirits. The ill fortune that would be certain to follow, would threaten our survival. Besides, we need the goods we receive. The Sources’ magic has given them, amongst other things, the secret by which they remove copper from the ground. Without that, we would be at their mercy,” Galt’s eyes opened with the realization that he then shared: “We too would be defending ourselves with the rocks at our feet.

Cory realized that the Hill people had some unusual views regarding how seemingly unrelated behaviour could bring upon them either good or bad fortune, but he had come to believe that Galt was both intelligent and versed on the teachings of the Lender. How could one believe in Him, and still fear some overriding power of some unwritten deities? Who were these spirits and how did they acquire the rights to inflict punishment?

“But,” said Cory interrupting his thoughts. “If such ill fortune befalls those who abuse their honour, then why haven’t the Hordes been punished?”

“That is a great question,” Galt replied quickly. “That is just another reason why we know they have some power that exceeds those of the fates. I believe it is explained in their writing. We have a number of books and scrolls like these, which he took from them in a raid.”

“You plundered these writings from them? And yet you both continue to have dealings with one another? Asked Cory. “I don’t understand how that could be. How can you face one another in business after such acts of hostilities?”

“That’s easy,” shrugged Galt. “We need to have dealings, otherwise the hardship we both would meet would greatly exceed any losses we incur with our occasional disputes.”

“Then what is to be gained in continuing your dispute?” argued Cory. “If you both stand to lose if you don’t do business, then how much is there to be gained in any disruptive acts?”

“Growth only comes from conflict,” said Galt, quoting the passage from the Book that Cory had just read. “Constant conflict keeps an all-out war further from reality. If we don’t show the Sources that we value our work and ourselves, they will grow to discount them both. They struggle for their interests and we for ours. Currently, our interests are unfairly judged,” Galt explained. “We are working much harder than they do, to produce the goods that are exchanged in trade. I am convinced that they have come into possession of something that has given them the power to cheat and prosper. And that this something, is explained in these writings. Once I know what it is, I can take it.”

Cory had a sudden sinking feeling that he and Galt were looking for the same object – the talisman. Cory hadn’t come this far to help someone else come into ownership of his father’s birthright. But he had pledged his fidelity to Galt, before the Great Lender. The conflict was tying up Cory’s mind. With nowhere to go for solace, he desperately concluded that the conflict would either resolve itself, or he would be guided to the truth. Still, he felt a strong need to distance himself from Galt’s quest. Cory looked at the written material that Galt had motioned towards. He knew The Great Books intimately, and was certain there could be nothing in them that would lead him to the talisman. The scrolls however, were new to Cory and could very well explain the whereabouts of his father’s treasure. With that simple conclusion, Cory felt a pang of fear. The conflict within him to fulfill his goal and yet not dishonour his word before the Great Lender rose up in him with overwhelming dread. His eyes returned to the Book of Destiny.




“I do not know how to read these documents. For that matter, no one living among us can read.” Galt paused to sense how Cory would respond. Reasonably certain that his confession was not taken as a weakness, he continued. “This is your strength and it is my hope that you were sent to us to reveal the messages they contain. Galt noted that Cory was staring at the book and concluded that he regarded it with greater anticipation. Since he was not sure he trusted Cory, he decided to start with the scroll.

“You will begin,” announced Galt as he pushed the scroll towards Cory, “by reading this aloud to me. You will point to the words as you read them, and if I should interrupt, you will look up at me immediately. Do you understand?”

Cory nodded in agreement. He looked down at the scroll and leaned in closer. He judged the direction of the light and turned the paper to catch the illumination. It had been getting darker and now there was no help from the setting sun. He felt uncomfortable because he knew that Galt was suspicious if he seemed to be reading to himself. “I need better light,” he said, making sure to look directly at Galt.

The leader of the Hill People considered the comment briefly. Concluding that it was reasonable to need more light to read the small scrolls, he brought a burning lantern over to the table. Cory moved the scroll to the right side of the flame and made himself comfortable. He placed his finger below the first word, and began to read aloud.

“The Fertile Domain, being all devoted to the cultivation of grain. Being unable to expand, its outer periphery being excessively of rock and precipitous:

Also, the growing demand and importance for goods made of the new material drawn from the earth and known as copper, being a labour demanding activity in its whole:

These being so, it has come of late that our social order is lacking the means to produce adequate food stuff to ensure full supplies deemed wise in the planning and management and allowing for the known risks for loss:

This too being so, then let these records stand and attest to all who should need, or ask for clarification, that the Realm of the Domain so ordered by Karl IV will be expanded as described following, but contained in this document:

To this fulfillment then, let none be averse, neither through ignorance nor by design THAT:

Redac, youngest son of Karl IV, will first select no more than 20 of his fellows and they shall gather up their combined share of one year’s allotment of provisions. They will then, without delay, ascend the mountain for a journey in excess of one day’s travel, and then they will seek out a settlement site that suits their collective needs. They shall then proceed to make themselves comfortable and to build whatever structures and conveniences needed to produce foodstuff in excess of their requirements. This is to be achieved prior to the end of the second year, and all excesses will be surrendered to their beneficiary, the Realm, who shall arrive at a time of their own choosing, for collection. Once the quality and merit of this harvest has been determined, the appointees, heirs or assigns of Redac, may convert this value into goods produced by the realm and placed in the markets, at an exchange established by the legal ruling body at that time. The time period provided to evaluate the harvest, and in so doing, provide for goods in exchange, shall not exceed 6 days.

FURTHERMORE, and: To this fulfillment then, let none be averse, neither through ignorance nor by design THAT:

Sten, second son of Karl IV, will then select no more than 20 of his fellows and they shall gather up their combined share of one year’s allotment of provisions. They will then, without delay, descend into the valley for a journey in excess of one day’s travel, and then they will seek out a settlement site that suits their collective needs. They shall then proceed to make themselves comfortable and to build whatever structures and conveniences needed to produce foodstuff in excess of their requirements. This is to be achieved prior to the end of the second year, and all excesses will be surrendered to their beneficiary, the Realm, who shall arrive at a time of their own choosing, for collection. Once the quality and merit of this harvest has been determined, the appointees, heirs or assigns of Sten, may convert this value into goods produced by the realm and placed in the markets, at an exchange established by the legal ruling body at that time. The time period provided to evaluate the harvest, and in so doing, provide for goods in exchange, shall not exceed 6 days.

FURTHERMORE, and finally: To this fulfillment then, let none be averse, neither through ignorance nor by design THAT:

The eldest son of Karl IV and designated first in line to assume the title Sten VII, shall oversee the divisions, departures and subsequent settlements described herein. His responsibilities shall also provide that he officiate the trade and see to the reasonable and fair exchange.

THIS then being the desire and proclamation of Karl IV, made into law and enforced by the might of the realm, let none contend it to be otherwise.

Subsequent debate and clarification, as provided for by the powers bestowed upon the Regency are here forth recorded. Nevertheless, be advised that these are not in anyway to be construed neither as amendments nor as additional provisions.

Member of the Regent: “Guider of the Realm, having placed the lives of some 40 of your people under the rule and whim of your younger sons, would you kindly advise the people as to who is their ruler?”

Karl IV: “Let it be known that I continue to be the ruler to all of our people. However, these new settlements will require daily control and direction which by virtue of our distance, require a trusted representative to act in my capacity.”

Member of the Regent: “Guider of the Realm, we concede the importance of a designated representative, in view of the distance that separates us from the new settlements, however; why have you chosen to dictate that they be at a minimum, one day’s journey away form the Fertile Domain? Would not a shorter distance eliminate the unprecedented need for a division of power, and furthermore; permit an easier process by which the goods of trade are exchanged, not to mention the distress of friends and loved ones, that their acquaintances are effectively taken from them?”

Karl IV: “I am prepared to reply to that worthy question, but I must first require that all of the members of the Regency acknowledge and accept that the information that I would share, is of utmost issue and must be guarded, never to be made public.”

Let the record show that the Regency requested a recess to confer amongst themselves. With the benefit of unanimous consent they did return and accepted the condition made upon them.

Member of the Regent: “On behalf of the entrusted members of this Regency, we are prepared to hold secret your explanation provided this new information is open to us for further inquiry.”

Karl IV: “And do you acknowledge that all subsequent revelations subtending from this discourse will be so bound in your collective oath to hold such information from public knowledge.

Member of the Regent: “We do.”

Karl IV: “Very well. Let none repeat this. There is grave concern that these new settlements may fail, or at the least, their members will be unable to succeed on their own. Should they deplete their supplies, believing they may easily return, then we will all be in greater peril. Furthermore, and of greater likelihood, the distance is also a barrier to any small number of weak members who might desert their brethren and thereby increase the risk to both the new settlement as well as to place a burden on us, should they return.


Cory raised his eyes from the scroll and focused into the dark distance. All this time the Hordes had been claiming their share of the harvest and his people had never gone to collect their goods in trade. How had this understanding been lost? How had it come to stealing and bloodshed? The plains were far wider, easier to plow and quite easily more fruitful than the land the Sources had called the Fertile Realm. It would have been relatively easy to produce more, and with the promise of trade, Cory’s people could be living a far more enviable life than the average Hoard. A life of farming required a great deal of work at specific times of the year, but there were many hours available for other activities and simple relaxation was far more common for him than what he had seen while with the Sources. Not only did they put their time into the fields, but the mining and purification of copper was a most unpleasant undertaking and everyone was expected to assist in it. Cory wondered how Galt could be so sure that his people had worked harder and deserved more. He glanced towards Galt and was surprised to find him asleep. Cory looked back at the scroll and marveled at the fascinating explanation it had given him. He looked over the remaining paragraphs and concluded that they only chronicled the questions and answers. There didn’t seem to be much more information of value.

With that sense of completeness, Cory allowed the scroll to curl shut and he too laid his head on the table and went to sleep.



Copyright 2010 by Alan used by the Plan B with permission, all other rights reserved

[Gob]

Fuck me pink, that's good!

Work in progress?

[The Hen]

I agree with my husband, ('cept without the profanity).

You have a captivating writing style. My eyes enjoyed reading your words.

[tyro]

Thanks to you both for your kind words.

Some many years ago I got the idea for a full-length book and eventually started to thrash it into words. It didn’t take long before I was hopelessly off track from the central idea that I wanted to make.

Still, I thrashed out about 5 chapters and left holes where another 5 would be required just to help the first 5 hang together.

I failed to continue the thrashing some time in 2005.

[tyro]

I thought I would insert Chapter 1 at the beginning but apparently there is a limit to the total size of a post. So I started a new thread.

[loCAtek]

It's riveting, pls continue.