Death is but a path that we must all walk to its inevitable conclusion.
- The Human Question by Gideon de Salavia 378 AC.
At a distance, where the human eye could still discern shape, walls of yellow sandstone rose against a backdrop of an iron gray sea. Before me was my journey’s goal, the fabled city of Al-Lazar and the symbol of my freedom. A symbol of a new life.
The horsemen from yesterday were soldiers of the city of the Dust, sent to escort and guide us there. According to them, the frequency of Mer sightings in recent days had increased, a prelude to a new period of conflict.
Our new escorts, for the most part, all bore uniform equipment. Each of them had a lance or lengthy spear, a bundle of jarids, and a long curved blade that was typical of cavalry. Their armor was notable. The fronts and backs of the soldiers were guarded by large, solid discs, connected by chain links of iron or steel. Around their open-faced helms, they wore keffiyehs checkered in black and white. They all had a disciplined and professional air about them. Yet, a closer inspection revealed something amiss, their gazes were oddly unfocused, eyes slightly glazed, betraying a subtle disconnect from their surroundings.
Laes offered them the hospitality of the camp, which they surprisingly rejected, instead preferring to set themselves a hundred yards away from us. It seemed that they were serious about their business.
We would arrive in the city tomorrow, or the day after, by my own rough guess. Preparing my things as best as I could, I was surprised when a young boy, obsequious in his manner, gave me a summons to Laes’ wagon. Interrupted, I could not help a small spark of annoyance light up in my gut, a spark I soon smothered with a smile. I informed the boy that I would be in the caravan master’s company shortly.
Something told me, a gut instinct perhaps, that I should not go to the caravan master alone. I looked over the current occupants of the wagon, looking for the perfect escort. Kidu was whittling away at a small block of wood, unlocking the secret shape it had hidden within. I did not take him for the artistic type, but then again everyone needs a hobby to while away the time. Kidu would be too imposing, more likely to threaten violence than settle for negotiation. Searching inside of myself, I did not have the reserves of patience to restrain him. In truth, I needed someone to act as a possible restraint on my own actions, a calm head, as you will.
As for Elwin, he was busy mixing and grinding away to make a paste, with the help of Larynda. What he was making eluded me, and several attempts at Identify just gave me the name of the various ingredients in the mixture. If I wanted to know the name of whatever it was he was making, I would have to ask him or wait for him to finish. I decided to wait. He was busy, and I doubted that Laes, or anyone in the caravan really, held him in high regard. His words would be as wind.
Larynda of course, charming as she could be at times, was, of course, off the table. That left Cordelia, the Temple Knight who was currently saying evening prayers to a faraway Goddess. Cordelia would be perfect. Her piety and holiness held great sway here among the believers, notwithstanding her own social rank and station. She would also act as a ward against my baser impulses, but at the same time, strong enough to back me in the worst of possible situations.
I found her outside of her wagon, on her knees, her eyes shut in devotion. She was imploring her Goddess for guidance, a deep need etched in every word. It was a prayer, perhaps, or maybe a hymn, flowing from her in a melodic rhythm, her lilting voice weaving a tapestry of sound that was hauntingly beautiful. Once she finished, she brushed the grass off her clothes, a few stubborn blades remaining, despite her efforts.
She greeted me with her beatific smile, an expression that was so serene that it gave a measure of solace to my heart. Sure in my choice, I informed her that Laes requested my company and that I wished for her to join me. Unarmored, she accepted with a simple nod of her head, slinging on her magic longsword. Unlike Kidu, her strength was understated. I finally understood why people hired female bodyguards.
Together we made our way through the camp to Laes’ wagon, finding Laes at his bolted-down desk and a grim-faced Khalam hovering beside him. Once again, my eyes were drawn to the pair of delicate swords hanging over some large horns, before I focused on the pair before me.
“Greetings Master Gilgamesh, I hope I did not unduly disturb you,” started the caravan master in a neutral voice. “We will arrive at our destination soon, my obligation to Master Alchemist Hamsa fulfilled. Now there are two matters we must see to,” he continued, running a hand through a length of knotted cord, the knots a tally and ledger.
“First, the last of your pay. I have included a little bonus for services rendered. It is, of course, much appreciated. Were it not for your company, our fates might have been different,” said the horse-faced man, his ugly face looking to Khalam for comment as he placed a small cloth purse on his desk.
Khalam's face was all hard lines and tension, but still, he gave a grudging nod. Without me, Laes and his people would have been doomed. However, an argument could be made that it was because of me and my little package that the Ravens had been in danger in the first place, but I digress. Internally quibbling over minutiae never amounted to anything.
I reached over to take my well-deserved pay, placing it into my tough satchel made of boiled leather plates. Reading the room, I decided it would be rude if I did not count out the money.
“Khalam has brought to my attention another matter that needs to be settled before you leave us,” added Laes, lines of worry adding their presence to his already uncomely appearance. “The matter of your… relationship with one of our recently widowed, Catalina Kalkassin."
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I kept an impassive expression on my face, hoping that the fool would get on with whatever accusation that he was going to make.
“I do not like to get involved with people’s private matters, much less a man who is obviously watched over by the Goddess herself, but there are matters of propriety that must be observed,” fussed the Caravan matter.
“Your point being?” I almost bared in annoyance, breaking my stony facade. I had gotten what I wanted and now just wished to make an exit as soon as was feasibly possible.
“You may not know our ways outlander, but for a man to lie with a woman whose husband has passed this mortal coil is a statement that he is willing to take responsibility. It is a heavy honor and duty,” cut in Khalam, breaking his silence.
“I was not aware…” I began, only to be interrupted by the irate Guard Master.
“You were not aware!” seethed the older man, his hands clenching into fists.
“Indeed, I was not,” I half-shouted, the only way I could get a word in.
Did Catalina know all along, that I had no knowledge of this custom, this foisting of responsibility after a simple tumble? Paranoid thoughts rushed through a mind that was searching for past hints. Had she been in cahoots with Laes all along? Had Laes been whoring her out to keep a useful asset with the Ravens? My mind whipped through various tangents, even considering a strange plot with Gelgor, the master of the Crows. Had my dreams been prophetic in nature?
“Will you do the honorable thing Master Gilgamesh? She is a mother with a young child,” said Laes, his voice calm and level.
It was clear to me then what their goal was, they wanted me to marry the woman. For me, she was nothing more than a bedwarmer, something to keep the otherwise tiresome journey interesting. I justified it as a transactional relationship, after all, she did owe me her life. The least she could do was spread her legs every now and again, and it was not like she did not enjoy the experience herself. It takes two to tango, or perhaps she was just a better actress than I gave her credit for.
It would serve me well to remember that in this world, general attitudes were far more conservative, extremely so, than they had been in my more advanced and civilized society. So backward were these barbarians.
But even this small pleasure had been tempered somewhat by her incessant nagging that I had completely ignored. Nagging that had increased as we got closer to our destination.
“Let me make this clear to the pair of you, I have no intent of marrying the woman. Nor did I seduce the woman, I was invited,” I stated matter-of-factly.
Sighing to himself as if he had been expecting it, Laes steepled his fingers before giving out his secondary plan. “Then you will need to pay her bride price, is it the least you can do. Understand, that as Master here I must maintain my authority, even in the face of Divine providence.
“Divine providence you say? That is rich coming from a man who would seek to shackle and control the Herald of the Goddess herself. Know your place,” voiced Cordelia with a saint’s patience and authority.
“You would dare!? You owe your life to Laes’ grace, temple witch,” spat out Khalam, the old man’s face heating with emotion.
“A temple witch, you say? Perhaps, if a Knight of the Penitent Heart can be one. But you would do well to remember that I am also the daughter of Duke Everard de Aserac. Your words could be taken not only as a direct insult to myself, but as an insult to my house and the Duke himself, ” she replied quietly, like a teacher dealing with a fractious child.
As far as I was concerned, this was all theater. The Ravens could not force my hand. They lacked the power to back up their demands. Still, a part of me wished to salvage the situation. We had, in the end, been traveling companions and it would do me no good if we ended up on bad terms. I sensed that Khalam was being overly emotional for some reason, there was more to this than met the eye. Laes, on the other hand, might be more sympathetic to my predicament.
Cordelia however decided to go on the offensive.
“You speak of bride price?” she snorted, giving out a weak derisive laugh. “I speak often with the women of the Ravens. It is a well-known fact that she boasts of receiving a good deal of money from the Herald, in his charity,” she paused for a moment, before delivering the final blow. “I daresay, I was not raised in rough company, but what is it that you call a woman who receives money from a man who visits her at night? And what would the bride price be of such a woman?” she finished lightly with a provocative smile.
Until that moment, I did not believe the human face could reach such heights of barely repressed confusion, outrage, and outright anger. It was quite the picture painted on the old warrior’s expression, and I saw his hand reach for the weapon at his hip. If he wanted violence, he was more than welcome to come at me. I would end him as I had ended all that had attacked me.
Laes, on the other hand, looked completely nonplussed, an expression that he quickly covered in the next two breaths. He was a professional, this one. A merchant through and through. The man probably thought this not as an insult, but instead a negotiation and bargaining tactic.
He took a deep breath to calm himself down, before looking me straight in the eye. “Then what would you have me do, Master Gilgamesh?” he inquired with a forlorn sigh.
“Laes, you can’t possibly…” started Khalam again childishly, his words and immature action throughout this whole exchange belying his advancing years.
“What would you have me do?” he asked again softly, completely ignoring his second.
“I will not let it be said that I am an unkind man. True, it is partly my fault that I was ignorant of your ways. Still, it could also be said that she seduced me,” I paused for a beat, trying to search their faces for clues. Laes gave away nothing.
“I will give the poor lady, in my charity, some money. Let me make this clear, however, this will not be the bride price,” I suggested, hoping that I did not sound overly pompous.
This option afforded me a way out of this mess. A mess that my innocent ignorance had birthed. My suggestion allowed for Laes to save face. It also meant that I could keep relationships with the Ravens neutral at least, at the cost of some coin.
In all choices it seemed, however, there was a price.