novelraw Chapter 103: Markash
Chapter 103: Markash
We were traveling through one of the harsher sections of the Wastes. The winds were high, kicking up large amounts of sand. As expected, the amount of water gathered dropped by half. The novelty of the large dunes in the distance and strange birds soaring overhead quickly faded.
No matter the miles we put behind us, the scenery never seemed to change. It was expected of a desert, but I had to wonder how people managed to live in these environments without going insane. I traveled in comfort, ate well, and slept even better, yet I was still miserable. Perhaps I was becoming ungrateful.
~
After a wonderful morning meal of eggs, thick bacon, and caff, I strolled through our camp, watching as carts were being loaded and horses prepped for travel. Eventually, I made my way to the south corner to find six men, Nihl, Ben, and the rest, practicing thrusting with a spear. Leaf, the old man shouted orders, corrected stances, and occasionally cursed at Lester. Nubin’s son seemed particularly uncoordinated.
They seemed to put extra effort into their actions at my approach. Why they were in naught, but their small clothes while the sun was rising was a bit of male stupidity; I wasn't sure if I wanted to understand.
“Good Morn’, milady," Leaf said as I approached.
I nodded at his greeting and then asked, “How are the men?”
He sniffed in disgust and threw a reproachful glance at them before answering. "Ain't worth much. Nihl got some good sense from his trainin’ with Cramer’s men, so there is some hope. Might be a capable commander once he gets his mind straight. Ben’s eager but… simple, good to have at your back, and not be given to command. Lester, I think, just wants to make his da’ angry. And the last two, well… they're just here for the food.”
“Do you think you can turn them into a proper fighting force?”
“Aye, I can but…” Leaf rubbed his large, grey beard in contemplation.
“Go on.”
Leaf shrugged and continued. “Might have to get rough with ‘em. And food, they need more meat to put on more meat."
I spent a few moments in silent contemplation, then answered. “Ten royals each, for their arms and armor, once we reach the capital city. And the budget on food is unlimited…within reason. I doubt expensive wine will help build muscle, but a few luxuries as rewards for accomplishment, I'll not oppose. Speak to Lady Anicia about it. If you can buy it and bring it with us, then do so. As for getting rough…. We have a healer who's a decent apothecary and another who is training."
Without having to explain my meaning, Leaf smiled and nodded. “I’ll see to it.”
“As you do,” I said, turning to leave.
“A final thought, Milady.”
"Speak," I commanded.
“Well, these are young men, ya see; they can get restless sometimes… When our numbers swell, it might cause problems.” He trailed off, seeming to find the topic difficult. But I immediately caught on to what he was hinting at.
“If they need sexual release, well, there are always brothels in most towns and cities. As for the women in the camp, so long as it is consensual and produces no children, I don't care, but it must not devolve into prostitution. In fact, there is something you should drill into their minds. They will be representing me as we travel, and as such, I will not tolerate rape, extortion, or any kind of coercion. If this happens, I will execute the perpetrators and anyone who refuses to immediately report the actions of the perpetrators on the spot.”
“That is...honorable, milady."
‘Me? Honorable? How insulting.’
“Odd that you brought this up this early,” I mused aloud.
He chuckled under his breath. “It's just somethin’ that needs to be sorted. This is a new force you're making. The culture needs to be set early and reinforced.”
“I suppose that's what separates a band of marauders, raping and killing as they please, from a proper fighting force.”
“A bit, but there’s more to it.”
Raising an eyebrow, I nodded for him to continue speaking. “The horrors of war you describe don't happen as often as the stories say. But when those tragedies happen, most times, it’s commanders and generals who believe it is a cruel necessity. Sometimes it's desperation, hatred for the enemy.”
“Explain.”
“You ever fought in a war?” He asked.
“No.”
“It starts out simple; you get recruited, usually with friends from your village. You get trained, given a weapon, and you're told to charge. The man to the left and right dies, your friends die, and your brothers die. The fighting goes on and on. You hate the commanders and the enemy, and your hands are stained with blood. The hell’s your only destination after you die for all the lives you've taken. If the fighting is bad enough, there might be desertion or outright mutiny. Sometimes, commanders need to give their men an outlet for those feelings.”
“And what better outlet than the women of the enemy,” I added.
With a sigh and nod, Leaf continued. “But I won't, lie my lady; the heart of man is cruel, and sometimes there is no reason or explanation behind it. It's violence for the sake of violence.”
“Baron Redstone has demonstrated what blinded hate can motivate a commander to do. But as a woman myself, I certainly will not tolerate such actions. And if the situation got that desperate, then I would have failed as a leader. If I lose control of my men and they commit such an atrocity, then I would burn my army to ash and lose all that I would gain. I don't believe in victory at any cost.” I hadn't put on a show in some time, but as Leaf's old face softened with relief, I knew I could still lie as easily as I breathed.
”That is good to hear, my lady.”
Whether or not he'd seen or participated in such actions in his life mattered little to me. And if he saw this as some kind of redemption for himself, all the better.
“Why spears?” I asked. “I believe I saw you all practicing with swords earlier.”
He stiffened and smiled, seemingly glad at the change of subject. “I was speakin’ to Lady Corina earlier. Most of the damage will be done with the crossbow-women. So what we really need is to keep 'em safe and firein’. If we face enemy cavalry, then the spear is king.”
“That makes sense. Well, I’ll leave you to your work."
With a nod, Leaf continued to shout at the men who seemed to have lost the initial burst of energy they acquired from my approach.
~
I wore a thick cloth veil about my face to block the sun. Anicia and I rode side by side, cantering along the desert sand. We were atop sand steeds; the large tan mares traversed the sand with little difficulty. Travel was boring, and though I loved magic, even my mind could use a break from time to time.
“This place is a true hell,” Anicia said, shouting over the howling wind.
“Quite so. When's the last time we’ve seen a bird?”
“Three days ago.”
We were rather deep in the wastes, and for the first time in the two-week journey, I had to manually push my bindings to generate more water. Granted, if I didn't bathe every day, I wouldn't have to, but I’d rather be sentenced to the abyss than give up bathing.
“Fine, I'll admit it, I regret agreeing to ride ahead," Anicia said.
“Indeed, riding is enjoyable enough, but the damnable sun—I never realized how it reflects off the sand.”
“Shall we head back?” Anicia asked.
I nodded and turned my horse towards the train of carriages. It was only a quarter mile away. “Aye, let's."
Anicia pulled her horse up alongside me. “Shall we make it interesting? How about a race back? And a wager.”
I was willing to do anything to relieve my boredom. Shrugging, I agreed with a nod. “You make me a magical item at my request if I win."
“You’ll have to tell me what it is, though; it could be impossible.”
“Remember when you bathed beneath a waterfall after fighting a dragon. Now that we’re in this damnable desert, I can't help but think that would be rather refreshing. I can just soak in the bath without having to change the water after cleaning myself.”
I stared at her blankly, marveling at the utter genius of her suggestion. “Yes, that is entirely possible. A fantastic waste of water, but who’s exactly going to complain? And what do I get if I win?"
Anicia said with a smirk, “Anything you want.”
Before I could even process her words, she took off. Her steed sprinted away in a cloud of dust.
I pushed my steed as fast as I could, and slowly I began to catch her. Then there was a sudden rush of primal energy from my amulet to Anicia, and she took off even faster. It took me a few moments to realize she was reducing her weight with the amulet I gave her some time ago.
~
I hopped off my mount to see Anicia smirking while leaning against hers. “Reducing the gravity to give yourself more speed. Very innovative.”
"Don't tell me you’ve never thought of it.”
“I have.”
“Did you let me win, then?” She asked.
“You deserve a reward for all you’ve done, and based on the fact that I didn't immediately think of using that particular magic means, I deserve the loss.”
“I'm not sure that logic makes sense, but I’ll not argue,” Anicia said. “So how long do you think it would take to make?”
“I’ll probably have it done within the hour.”
Anicia grinned. “I can’t wait."
~
While the new kind of bath was little more than a trinket, I wanted to see how effective light was as an energy source. So, I started with a two-foot-wide metal circle mounted on a simple stand. After inscribing the runes on the outer edge, I used some more metal to cover the runes. So, it looked like a single steel mirror mounted on a base with three legs.
Dragging the sunlight generator to the rear of my tent, I created a binding between dragon’s breath on my right glove. After pushing the binding strength to its maximum, I observed the flame that was created. It was a rather pitiful two-inch-tall red-blue flame.
However, this wasn't disappointing, since most of the energy was used to make the air flammable. This single light generator could power most simple magical items, assuming ideal conditions. What pleased me was the scalability; one wasn't impressive, but what about a hundred or a thousand? I could imagine massive fields covered in these light generators. In even non-ideal conditions, the energy output would be massive.
For now, perhaps five of them would be enough for Anicia’s reward.
~
“So it uses the sun?” Anicia asked, staring at the large metal cylinder. It was simple in the end. It was just a larger water generator, roughly four feet wide and three feet tall. There was a constant rushing of air into the cylinder from the top for the moisture to be extracted. Attached to the cylinder was a tube that went directly upward, six feet into the air, then curved and pointed downward.
At the end of that tube was a wide cone with around twenty holes for water to flow through. At the base of the tube were dials; one controlled a circuit that pulled water up into the tube, while the other controlled a circuit that heated the water or cooled it, depending on the direction turned.
Underneath the water spout was a simple wooden platform. It was crude and not very aesthetic, but it would work. The entire setup was inside, a small tent near the rear of my own private tent for privacy.
“Seems like a pain to carry around.” She said, running her hands along the tube.
“Those can be removed rather easily. Then just turn the dial, and the water can all be dumped out. The container itself is only around 30 pounds.”
Anicia stood off to the side, away from the cone, and turned a dial. Water rushed through the pipe and then through the dozens of holes, creating a strong spray.
Anicia chuckled under her breath. “And how much water is that wasting?”
“Around 8 gallons a minute at maximum flow. With around 180 gallons of water in the container, you can stand under it at full pressure for around 20 minutes, more if you don't mind the constant rush of air from the container filling itself."
With a smile and a shake of her head, she said. “Thank you, Myr. I can't wait to try it.”
“Do enjoy yourself,” I said with a wave, then turned to leave.
Anicia opened her mouth as if she were going to say something but abandoned the pursuit midway. My mind was already bustling with how best to use this new source of energy. So, I couldn't be bothered to deduce her intention.
Instead, I went to my desk, took out a piece of parchment, and began to draw. While I lacked the technical skill to create a perfect magical carriage, I was confident I could modify existing carriages. The energy needed to rotate an axle weighed down by both the weight of the carriage and the inhabitants was simply impractical. But with bearings with minimal friction and a proper set of gears, it might just be feasible to create.
After nearly an hour of constant work, Anicia walked in with her hair still dripping with a heavy cloth wrapped around her. “That was heavenly,” she said, and then she walked over to the already-filled bath and sat inside.
“I’ll have to try it,” I responded, not paying much attention to her.
“What are you making now? You get like this when you're making new magical items."
“So many things, Anicia. Too many, I don't really know where to begin.”
“Want my advice?”
“Sure.”
“Just choose one thing, something simple but useful. The…rain-bath? Is amusing but still just a trinket.”
“I agree,” I said, deciding to focus on the magical carriage completely. Standing, I left the tent and decided to partake of the new trinket.
Standing on the wooden platform, I turned the tap, and water came pouring out, soaking me instantly. It took a few minutes of playing with the heating until I found the perfect temperature. I did nothing other than stand there, feeling the filth and sweat of the day wash away. I couldn't stop myself from considering how much coin could be made if I built a bathhouse with a few dozen of these tools. Even at a few bits per person, the profits would be massive.
After washing until the water ran out, I went back into my tent, which was only a few feet away. Anicia was sitting on a chair, in a thin shift, running a comb and the hair dryer I made for her through her hair.
She finished and tied her long hair back. Freshly oiled as it was, it shone with a bright red luster.
“Wonderful, isn't it?” she asked. “Come, let me help you with your hair."
While I sat on a small chair, Anicia ran a comb through my hair as she dried it.
“Three days from now, we'll reach the Capital. Time to lie, threaten, and bribe my way into power," I said.
“What is our goal in detail?”
“First is information and more orichalcum. Cramer has promised, and I will see if he can deliver. Next, I want to meet this baron. If he’s a man of any sense, he’ll try to cajole his way into my good graces. Like most nobility, he will be selfish, too consumed in his own vanity to ask for anything of real value. I will drain him for every ounce of gold he has and use that coin to strengthen our own forces. Proper steel plate armor, better weapons, proper sand steeds, and lighter and more durable carriages. I want at least 30 melee fighters and 50 crossbow men and women.” I said, paused, then asked. “Have you found anyone of use?”
“For my group? Not quite.”
“Nettie. What do you think of her?”
“Works hard… doesn't complain… nothing stands out about her.” Anicia paused and then added. “I suppose I can speak to her, and she does have a bit of cleverness about her. She’s the only one bold enough to return the coin after you gave her a better deal. Is that really the type of woman I can depend on for such things?”
“I’m not sure, but you can always test her. Is there someone causing a problem in the camp?”
"No…at least not from what I've seen.”
I smiled and said, “29 people isn't a large number. But once we get to the city and our numbers start to swell, well, it’s practically guaranteed that we’ll have problems."
“I can hardly wait to get started,” she said, smiling.
“Morianne, I think we should get rid of her," Anicia said suddenly. We were practically whispering to each other, and with the wind and constant work around us, no one would hear us.
“Why is that?”
“She knows too much, and I think if anyone talked to her, they would understand your intentions. I don't think she likes you; plus, she's smart, Myr, too smart. She’s not trying to turn anyone against you, but she also doesn't hold staying with you in high regard. If she keeps on like this, people might want to leave once they have enough coin from your generous pay or when their contract ends. Even if it's one in ten that leaves because of her words. It's still a problem."
“What of Meave? Any problems with her?”
“Luckily enough, no. She knows she’ll be our only healer, and that's a position of power. But she doesn't swagger about like Ben does,” Anicia said. ”I even saw her stitch up a cut that Lira got while chopping meat. So she definitely is learning.”
I paused, thinking about the situation for several minutes in silence. “I’ll invite Meave for a meal and show her a bit of favor and see how she acts. As for Morianne, we still need her to train Meave; however, if you can find someone in the city who’s willing to take a contract longer than those of Morianne and her husband, then you are free to do with them as you wish. I only have one requirement. None of our people must learn of their deaths."
Anicia took a deep breath and said. “This will take some planning."
“They have eight months left in their contract with me. That’s your timeline.”
“Right. Time to plot murder, I suppose," she muttered, as she started applying oil to the roots of my hair.
“They’re old and decrepit; it’s practically a kindness.”
Anicia laughed and said. “She does complain about her knees a lot.”
“Exactly, and it would be so cruel of us to let her live her entire life with that burden.”
Anicia laughed even louder and said, “Dear Goddess Myr, that’s terrible.”
In truth, I didn't care about Morianne and her influence on the people. I had enough charisma to enthrall them all if I put my mind to it. In fact, once I reached the city, I intended to do just that. But I quite liked the proactiveness Anicia had been showing, and any queen worth her salt would strive to nurture the ambitions in such a thoughtful subject.
“Are you happy, Anicia?” I asked, gently, as if her answer would weigh heavily upon me.
“Yes, Myr. I am happy.” I didn't have to look at her to know she was smiling in contentment.
Three days later
My carriage rolled towards a city in the distance. The roads were entirely compacted dirt. And along the path to the city were small dwellings made of red-brown clay.
The city had no wall. As we continued along the road, the density of the buildings increased along with the number of people. Everyone wore thick, light-colored linens to guard themselves against the desert wind and sun.
Boys and girls ran around the streets begging, stealing, and causing mischief. Oddly enough, quite a few were completely nude. Yet none of the adults were surprised by it. They were treated as any other homeless children were treated: like vermin or pests.
People lined the streets selling produce; occasionally, we would pass a stone building, inside which I knew was a well. It was guarded by burly men in simple cloth jerkins and leather pants, wielding cudgels.
There was always a line outside those stone buildings. We continued further in, and the clay houses turned to tan brick and increased in density. Compacted dirt roads transformed into cobbles. Occasionally, one could spot a tavern, smithy, inn, or tailor. The wells were more numerous the deeper we went. Occasionally, we would stop, but I trusted that Cramer would deal with whoever would question us about our large train of carriages.
The odd tan brick buildings grew larger and more complex, demonstrating that we were heading to a more opulent part of the city. Almost no building was made of wood. Eventually, the buildings changed from business to residential. Most were made of odd, gleaming white stone. The men and women wore long robes; gone were tans, grays, and browns. Bright colors: purple, blues, and green, with complex embroidery, dominated their sense of fashion.
“Quite the difference in fashion,” Anicia said. “Oh, look at that one."
She nodded to a woman who wore loose woolen breeches of bright blue; her stomach was fully exposed, and her chest was wrapped with a white silk cloth. Almost everyone had bronzed skin, a stark difference from the empire.
“Odd indeed.”
Finally, we turned into a large manor, a full two stories tall, instead of grass and flowers. There, the entire gardens were made of bright white sand with many stone sculptures. Somehow patterns were laid into the sand, which reminded me of water.
We followed the cobbled path towards the manor house until finally the entire train stopped.
“Well, now we have arrived. Quite a nice place Cramer has." Anicia said.
“Yes. A new place, new people, new problems. How about we get started?”
Anicia nodded with an eager grin, and after opening the door, we stepped out into Derk's capital, Markash.