Spring had passed and the season of verd, the greening, was well on its way. The young goats were nearly old enough to begin the long slow migration to the alpine pastures for the summer, but first the tribe would visit the market towns along the river to trade some of their cheeses, wooly goat pelts, baskets, textiles and culls that hadn't already been roasted and eaten for tools, clothes and food they couldn't grow themselves.
Most of the older boys had already started herds of their own and many had goods to take and trade. Unwilling to wait for their slower parents, they packed up a few donkeys early and began herding their goats to the river markets. They had traveled those paths for years, so they weren't paying a lot of attention when a large group of farm boys suddenly stepped out across the path blocking them.
"Where do you think you're taking those animals?" The leader was nearly a foot taller than Somek, the tallest of the boys present. He had a square head with small close-set eyes peering from under a heavy brow. His high hairline made his forehead look like a wall of skin. He gestured at the surrounding farmland on either side of the path. "You do know this is our land, don't you?"
Pronos shrugged. "We're just going to N'shia-Potoma like we've always done."
"Well that could be a problem. You see, we feel like you've been taking advantage of us, using our land without paying us."
"Paying you?"
The guy to his left with a wide toad-like face replied with dripping sarcasm, "Payment. It's what you give someone when they generously let you use their stuff. But then I don't suppose you hillbillies know about that sort of thing."
The other boys lined up next to Somek, their herdsman staves held low and at the ready. "Sorry," Garick smirked. "A contract can only be changed if both parties are agreed, and we don't agree." Bazma frowned at his brother, expressing at a glance what Karux suspected they all felt. How did he know this kind of trade talk?
During this exchange, a tall skinny farm boy had slipped over near one of their goats as the herd piled up around them. He reached for the goat and Theris brought his staff down on the farmer's wrist. The skinny fellow recoiled, rubbing his wrist, then launched himself at Theris with an outraged roar. Theris reacted instantly with rapid blows to the left and right side of his head. The farm boy collapsed and Theris followed up with a thrust to his stomach. Had a spearhead been attached to his staff, the skinny boy would have been pinned to the ground. As it was, he'd had the wind knocked out of him and lay gasping.
The other farmers roared and charged forward.
Garick tripped the forehead and placed his staff on the farmer's neck, leaning on it to let him know that it would be better if he didn't move.
Somek and Pronos flanked him in defensive positions. When the farmers came the pair laughed as they crushed noses, knocked out teeth, broke bones and flung flecks of blood in all directions.
The farmers fell back gaping. Even Karux was stunned at their ferocity.
Amantis looked around at the fallen and smirked. "Hey, you left your crap littering our path. Come back here and pick it up!"
The Forehead rolled away and scrambled to his feet, looking around frantically as if counting his losses. The farmers still outnumbered the herdsmen, but the herdsmen seemed more than ready for them. "We'll get them, but you have to back up first."
"Very well," Amantis said magnanimously.
The goats had scattered a bit and the herdsmen began rounding them up further back on the path. The farmers helped their friends back up on their feet, dragging a few off across the fields.
"Hey, stop!" Macander yelped.
Everyone turned and Karux saw one of the farmers making off with a small bleating kid under his arm. Amantis flung a staff at him, but the farmer was already gone. The other farmers laughed derisively as they limped away across the fields.
"Man we really showed them," Somek shouted, blood lust still shining in his eyes.
Amantis ignored him, stomped up to Macander and slammed him in the chest. Macander staggered backwards, lost his balance and sat down hard.
Theris swung his staff at Amantis, bringing it to a rapid stop just under his chin. "Don't hit my brother," he growled.
Amantis glared at him and slowly pushed the staff away. He turned to Macander and towered over him. "Why did you let him go?"
"I-I don't know."
"You, of all of us, were best able to stop him, yet you let him go."
Macander hung his head.
"You don't stop until the enemy is defeated," Amantis shouted to the group. He turned and stomped away muttering, "Void take it!"
The enemy? Karux wondered. Do we now have enemies?
-=====|==
They got their animals sorted out and headed on to N'shia-Potoma. Just before they arrived, Amantis stopped and gathered everyone around. "I need you each to give me two goats."
"What? Why?" they all demanded.
"I'm going to buy you each something. It would normally cost you more than two goats, but by buying so many, I think I can talk him into it."
"Why? What are you going to get?" Pronos asked.
"I want it to be a surprise."
"I don't know..." Garick shook his head
"I promise you, you won't regret it. In fact you're going to like it a lot."
The boys all looked at each other, measuring the others' skepticism.
"Trust me. Please."
"Very well," Somek said.
"Why not?" Pronos shrugged.
One by one the other boys agreed. Finally it came to Karux who hesitated because two goats was no small matter. He knew his father would notice and would demand an accounting.
"Come on Karux, you have to believe me."
"Yeah!" Pronos added.
"You've got to!" Somek insisted.
Reluctantly, he agreed.
About half an hour later, as the boys crested a low rise in the farmland, the river and the market town it supported appeared before them. A monstrous collection of houses seemed to stretch endlessly along the Pardos' banks. The smell of fish and marshy river-bottom land, of raw sewage and hundreds of unwashed bodies living packed together, greeted them as they neared the north gate. Also called the sheep's gate, it lay near the stockyards where they drove their animals into special stalls just inside the town. A man counted the animals as they entered and slid a handful of differently shaped clay beads onto a string representing the total number of animals penned. In his father's day, Karux knew, the counter just tied knots on a string in a certain pattern. His father had even shown Karux once how to read the pattern, but Karux had mostly forgotten it.
After the animals were counted and the beads strung, the counter pressed the string into a palms-sized square of wet clay and asked him to make his mark. Karux knew wealthy merchants had special signet rings to press into the clay and was relieved when the counter handed him a cut piece of reed. Karux hesitated with his hand over the clay. His father had always placed his mark for their animals. Should he use the same mark or make up his own? The counter waited impatiently. Karux's tribe wasn't the only one to bring their animals down from the hills today. He pressed the reed into the clay, carving a triangle to represent the sacred mountain and then drew a line bisecting it at the base representing the stone he had got there. He started to explain it to the counter, worried his mark might seem too presumptuous, but the counter didn't care to listen. He just handed Karux a corresponding string of beads and sent him on his way.
Everything about the town amazed Karux. The houses were made of fired clay bricks, rising up two and three stories and plastered over in ocher, tans and yellows. Everyone dressed in linens which put the herdsmen's rough spun cotton and wool garments to shame. Even the butchers in the meat market wore finer clothes beneath their blood covered leather aprons than the wealthiest herdsman in his village.
Amantis disappeared into the crowd almost immediately and Pronos and Somek wandered off soon afterwards. It was difficult enough to stay together, as they dodged and bumped through the thick crowds. Though the locals tried to avoid any physical contact while ignoring them at the same time, it was impossible for all three to walk together.
"So what are you going to do first?" Bazma craned his neck around staring in all directions at once. It was his first time in the market, but they had all filled the days before with stories of what he could find there.
Theris laughed. "I'm going to get me a big tub of beer!"
"Yes," Garick agreed, "and then I'm going to find some lads and teach them a thing or two about playing 'four sticks'."
They all laughed at the thought of the city kids losing their valuables to the crafty herdsmen kids.
"I wonder if the harpist is still in front of that tavern." Macander said.
"What?" Theris gave him a playful shove, "That was a year ago. I imagine he's moved around a bit since then."
"Well, I really liked his playing, and I have a hard time remembering the tune."
"I keep telling you, you've got it wrong."
"That's why I want to hear it again."
"What about you, Karux?" Theris asked. "What are you going to do?"
Karux had already dropped behind to watch a copper smith working at a charcoal fire shaping an ornate copper bracelet on a small anvil with a tiny hammer.
Theris, Garick and Macander, paused to watch him watching the smith. "I think Karux has someone else to shop for," Theris laughed and nudged Garick. "We'll meet up with you later," he called out.
"Let's meet at Khovan's just before sundown for some roasted fish," Macander suggested.
"Yeah! That fish is good," Theris and Garick agreed.
Karux loved exploring the town, and discovering its wondrous secrets. After seeing himself the way he must appear to the locals, as a simple and crude herdsman, he began to wonder how he must appear in Charissa's eyes. He looked at some of the fancy tunics, with their patterns of colored stitching on the hems and laughed at the mental image of himself wearing it. He was sorely tempted by a simpler tunic that a shop keeper refused to let him touch for fear he would soil it, then grew distracted by a nice pair of winter boots and some dyed woolen cloaks. He ended up walking away from all that and, on a whim, purchased the copper bracelet.
He felt strangely grown up negotiating a price for the copper bracelet, promising part of one of his goats in payment. Karux couldn't figure out how one could sell just part of a goat, but when the man thrust a small slab of damp clay out on a wooden board in which he had pressed some strange symbols, he guessed they had a way of keeping track of such things. He made his mark on the clay and was told that, since he was from out of town, the merchant would have to verify his worth before he could give him the bracelet and to come back tomorrow morning.
Karux left, giving up on the bracelet and wondering if he had been tricked. He reassured himself that he hadn't actually given the merchant anything but a mark on a piece of clay, though he hoped it wouldn't come back to haunt him.
He met up with his father and the other adults from the village that afternoon and they all ate roasted fish from Khovan's. They camped together on the commons near the north gate and their fathers finished their trading the next morning. Karux went by the copper smith's shop feeling foolish. He was certain the man would have some sort of excuse for not giving it to him. He might even just laugh at him and tell him to go away since he was just a stupid goat turd.
To his surprise, the man recognized him and produced the bracelet as soon as he walked up.
"Here you go," he said handing it over.
It really was a beautiful piece of work. The polished copper gleamed in the morning sun. "Thanks. Er, do I owe you anything?"
"Nope, everything's been taken care of. I hope your girl enjoys it."
"What? How did you know?"
The man gave him a wink. "Just a lucky guess."
The boys all met at the northern gate as they prepared for the return trip. Somek and Pronos both wore the fancy tunics the people of the plains wore.
"What do you think Amantis got?" Somek asked.
"Who knows?" Karux shrugged.
"I just hope he didn't squander it all on himself." Theris said.
"I hear that some of the local women will even trade their affections for a copper bracelet or a pair of earrings," Garick suggested.
"I wouldn't know, but I suspect they'd want more for smelly goat turds like you," Amantis laughed.
Everyone turned to find Amantis walking up behind them.
"Amantis!" Pronos crossed his arms. "What did you get us?"
"What? Can't you even wait until we've left the city?"
"How do we know whether we'd want to sell it back or not?" Garick laughed.
"Very well." Amantis reached into a new belt pouch and pulled out a handful of triangle shaped bits of clay.
"What?" Theris shouted. "What is this trash?"
"These are kerma, trading tokens," Amantis explained. "Merchants here often give them to customers who've paid for things that they are waiting to be delivered."
"So what are they good for?" Macander asked.
"I got you each a pair of these." Amantis reached into his tunic and pulled out a massive bronze spearhead nearly as long as his forearm. Its razor sharp edge seemed to slice the sunlight into gleaming shards.
"Wow!" Somek and the others gasped.
Karux thought it was, in its own way, as beautiful in form as his bracelet, though deadly as a viper.
"The smith will be done before we return for the winter grazing," Amantis said. "We fix a few of these to some hardened oak staves and anyone who wants to take our goats will have something to be wary of."
-=====|==
Returning to Korion-Garanth, dozens of small laughing children met them on the trail, dancing around them. "What did you bring us? What did you buy?" they demanded. Most received some small sweet and a simple toy which sent them capering off in joy.
Karux, having remembered Eiraena, had brought her a sweet. He knelt down on one knee next to where she played in the dirt and held it out to her. Except for multiple layers of dirt, she was still naked, her filthy hair matted. Eiraena stopped her stirring of the dust and stared at the sweet.
"I brought you something," Karux said in a soft voice. "It's a sweet. It's very good. Do you want it?"
Eiraena didn't respond. She didn't look at him or move to take the sweet. She just stared at it motionlessly.
"Take it." Karux suggested, waving it under her nose.
Eiraena made no move for it, though her eyes crossed as she tracked it.
Karux rubbed it against her lip, hoping a taste of it would interest her, but when he held it out, she still continued to do nothing but stare at it. Finally, he took her hand and placed the sweet in it. "Taste it," he suggested.
He sat back on his heels and watched as she slowly raised the sweet to her lips. Karuk smiled, enjoying a small victory as she put it to her upper lip and rubbed it back and forth. She did this a few times, then threw it away.
Great, Karux thought. With a sigh he pulled out his one remaining gift, a small square top with one to four dots painted on its sides in different colors. He set it down in front of her and gave it a spin and rose to walk away.
Eiraena's eyes widened and she made an excited hooting sound, "Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!"
Well, at least I got something right, he thought as he walked away.
"Ah! Ah!"
Karux turned at the distressed sound. The top had fallen over. She looked at him for the first time that day, albeit with a panicked expression. "What have I done?" he sighed as he walked back and spun the top for her again. She watched it excitedly only to demand he spin it again when it fell over. Fortunately, other children came to watch and soon they were spinning the top for her. Karux rose and walked away; Eiraena gave no sign she noticed.
She has known our names and shapes from birth, but she has no voice to tell them the servant of the Most High had said.
Maybe that vision was wrong, he thought, because he certainly wasn't going to get anything out of her. If she were the only one who could tell him how to command the servants of the Most High, what hope did they truly have?