Sea of Dekatos

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

“Provide an animal with a keen mind and a skin of bronze and you have created a man.”

-- Sento of Yang

Wentai reached Yang not quite knowing what to expect. Yang had always been the enemy, and with the sky sharks gone and the desert cleansed of their reptile pit, he was not sure the temporary alliance of men would hold. When the massive bronze gate was raised, he felt like he was walking into the belly of a beast, willingly marching to his death. As usual, Idalika was craning her neck, looking around her, enjoying the sights while Wentai tried to soothe his rebellious nerves.

More temples were under construction. Columns and obelisks were being assembled to flank the building entrances. Unlike the utilitarian construction of Char, Yang was becoming crowded with even more of the exquisite buildings, towers, and flaring bridges for which it was famous. Everything was built of the same sand-colored stone, giving it a uniform appearance, all designed by the same architect. It was almost dizzying, and he found himself looking up at the arches that spanned from one peak to another, their curved forms defying what his senses told him should happen to stone elevated so high up in the air.

When their chariots had been destroyed by the scaled ones, an equal number of men from Yang and Char had been left to sear in the heat of the desert. Except for those killed by the spiders or the fungi, all had marched with him back to Yang. The men of Yang – hot, dusty, sore – sang his praises, telling the gathering crowds of his leadership. It was like being hauled out of the sea when one thought he was going to drown; his knees suddenly weakened, and relief overwhelmed his senses for a moment. 

They wove tales of his leadership and his courage, and he could not help but feel they saw more in him than he did. He remembered his fear while they remembered his confidence. Most of the men of Yang went to temples to pray to the sun, thankful that they had survived its burning wrath. While they did so, Wentai and Idalika were brought forward to again speak to the parliament of Yang.

The wise ones were in a garden, standing amid the sprawling vines and flowers. It was artificial, kept alive only by constant watering, but served as a beautiful focal point for city life. The five leaders of Yang took council there, answering questions of the citizens, receiving reports, and debating various points before making decisions and issuing orders. Wentai stood by, half listening to the reports of the various experts, waiting his turn. After the five rulers authorized the construction of a ninety-columned temple just outside the city walls, they turned to Wentai and spoke.

“It is clear that the men of Char are our brothers,” said a male ruler named Kulsive. “You have brought our soldiers back to us, despite great hardships. A statue of you will be erected in our city, its base inscribed with the story.”

“Thank you,” said Wentai. “I will come to lay flowers at its feet once a year. What of the rest of the chariots?”

“They returned to Char safely, and a hundred returned to the desert to look for you. They followed your tracks and realized that you had entered a crevasse in the desert, and they were forced to abandon the search for you. Some of the chariots are here, while the rest are in Char.”

Wentai nodded. “Good. Then you know of our success in the reptile pit.”

“Yes,” said one of the two female rulers. “We know more than that. Three chariots, with men of Yang beside them, went north to follow the new river. They discovered another sea, filled with strange ships crewed by the scaled ones.”

“Then our path is clear,” said Wentai. “We must assemble a fleet and strike. They have ravaged our sea for too long; a reckoning is at hand.”