Once they had made a comprehensive plan of attack, Sumaci finally made her fire and fashioned a torch for Corco to use in his exploration. Now armed with light, as well as an axe salvaged from the shipwreck, he returned back to the center of the island. Meanwhile, Sumaci reorganized the salvaged materials along the beach and stoked the fire further, to be used later.
Although he had talked a big game, Corco's stomach began to churn as soon as he got close to the first cave's entrance. While he certainly didn't believe in the mystical powers of the evil bats, the stories were still stuck in his head.
The instincts of his formative years were hard to overcome, and even without them, bats were still flying rats with erratic movements and really sharp teeth. Entire swarms of them waited for him somewhere beyond the darkness of the caves, so he wasn't filled with confidence.
On silent feet, he sneaked up to the first cave, with the torch in hand that Sumaci had fashioned him out of driftwood and cloth.
“Echo!”
Rather than march straight in, he tried to shout into the opening first and count the seconds until his voice returned. He hoped to gauge the depth through this method, but his plan wasn't a very good one. Not only would the distance be so short that his voice would take more than a single second to return no matter how large the cave was, his voice didn't return at all in the first place. Before it could, an infernal screeching from inside covered his own sound.
This was the noise that no doubt made so many cultures fear and abhor bats. Soon, the owners of the voices followed. A cloud of black charged out of the hole and enveloped him in an instant. Without a second thought, the King of the South launched a tactical retreat.
Swinging his axe and torch wildly, he charged through the forest in a panic. When he came to a stop, he was out of breath and there were no more bats around. By now he was far away from the original cave, and in his investigation he had learned nothing.
At least no one was here to see me.
Once Corco had regained his composure, he returned to look for another cave. After the first small faux-pas, he decided that trying to be smart wasn't the way to go here. Instead, he went up to the second cave and simply marched inside. The torch wasn't overly bright, only enough to light up a small circle around him. However, its sparse rays still bounced off the wet cave walls in the distance, which was enough to let him estimate its rough dimensions.
Meanwhile, somewhere above his head would be countless bats resting and waiting for their next hunt. Maybe they were ten meters above, maybe they were only a sliver away. However, Corco decided that the best choice was to remain ignorant for once. To his luck, the first cave he properly explored wasn't too large in size.
Even just a few dozen steps beyond the entrance, he could already estimate the approximate ending of the cave. Large enough for their purposes, not too large to smoke out. It was perfect. Even better, he could hear a faint gurgling sound from deeper inside. Somewhere hidden in here, they would find a source of water, of that he was certain.
Not long after, he had brought Sumaci over to help him set up a bat deathtrap. Together, they had heaved part of the ship's sail that the princess had cut to size all the way to the cave. Heavy from the water, the cloth was a chore to transport, but at least both of them were in good physical condition.
“You know, this reminds me of that time when I helped you get rid of a dead body,” Sumaci joked.
“Oh yeah. Good times,” Corco replied with a smile on his face.
As they joked around, they fastened the cloth into the ground above the cave entrance with some hammer and nails from the wreck. While it wasn't the most sturdy bit of work anyone had ever done, it didn't have to be. All their impromptu cloth needed to do was hold in a bit of smoke and some tiny animals, should the bats get agitated and try to escape. Since they could fly, Corco felt that bats would have hollow bones and be light like birds, so he didn't expect them to push open the heavy cloth. Though in truth, he really didn't know one way or another. Without any better options, they just had to hope for the best.
Once the curtain was set up across the entrance of the cave, they lit a fire underneath it. First, they set up some dry branches and took a burning stick from the beach to ignite it. Then they began to add more fuel. First the rest of the wood, then the guano they found lying all around the island.
In the end, it burned a lot better than even Corco had expected, at least sufficiently well for their purposes. When they didn't get the smoke they had hoped for, Sumaci began to add some green wood she had harvested on her way to and from the cave. Of course, Corco did his best to help out as well.
Thus, after they had put out the previous fire on the beach to avoid detection, they sat in front of the blocked cave with nothing better to do but wait until the bats showed a reaction or had died from the smoke.
“It's getting late,” Sumaci leaned back and looked to the sky. By now it was markedly darker than it had been when they had arrived on the island. They had maybe another hour or so left until sundown. “At least these things sleep during the day. That way, we still have all of the evening and dusk left. Should be more than enough to smoke those beasts to death, even if they've come straight from the underworld.”
“Actually,” Corco spoiled the fun. “While a lot of bats are nocturnal, there are plenty of crepuscular species. That means they come out to hunt for food during twilight hours.”
Sumaci sat up straight and stared at Corco with wide eyes.
“Wait, if they come out in an hour already, wouldn't that make us the first food they see?” she asked in a trembling voice. However, despite her concerns, the king simply put his hands behind his head and laid down.
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“Nah, they don't go for people,” he said. “At least I'm pretty sure they don't. We're too large, and too nasty to deal with. I think.”
“Damn beasts,” Sumaci still huffed, but Corco's attitude had infected her and she was already much calmer than before. “Once we get off this place, I'll personally lead an expedition and wipe out every single colony on these damn islands.”
Although her words were strong, her expression still looked a bit insecure. Thus, he didn't take her idea too heart, no matter how bad it was from an ecological perspective.
“Well, before we can think about getting out, we'll first have to get in,” he said instead and pointed towards the cave.
As the day darkened even further, Corco and Sumaci continued to stare at the cloth cover, hoping beyond hope that their plan would work. After all, they didn't have many others beyond it.
----------------------------------------
The morning after the bath house incident, a lonely ship set sail and left Saniya's harbor. Aboard was the verdant princess with her crew, as well as – unbeknownst to almost everyone – the King of the South. In the earliest hours of the morning, before anyone else had boarded the ship, he had sneaked his way aboard.
Ever since, he had been hiding out in a private cabin within the ship's hull. To guarantee secrecy, he wouldn't leave the cabin for another day and a half while living off of food and water he had brought with him.
Only in the early hours of the third day, when his reserves had run out, did his host make contact. By the time the door to Corco's cabin opened again, they were already well out at sea, far away from any spying eyes.
“There you are, teacher. I brought you some food.” The one who entered was, of course, Sumaci. With her she carried a tray with some rice and pickled vegetables, as well as a cup filled with water.
“Ah, thank you very much.” Corco stood and took the tray off of the captain's hand. “I ate the last of my rations last night, so I'm starving. I'll dig into it right away, if you don't mind.”
Although he sat back down and dropped an obvious hint, Sumaci made no attempts to leave the room. Rather than tend to her crew or do whatever a captain would have to do, the princess stayed to talk.
“So... the bats are important?” she began.
“You have no idea.” Corco said between bites. “Imagine the most important thing you can, and then multiply it by ten. That's how important the bats are.”
Maybe it was Corco's unusual phrasing, but Sumaci's mind seemed to drift into a strange direction.
“More important than your kingdom?” she asked out of the blue. The profound words made him look up from his food. With none of his usual whimsy, he looked at her to indicate his sincerity.
“No, they aren't. Nothing is, not even my life. Still, the bats will play an important part in my kingdom's construction. Since the bats will help the kingdom the most right now, this has priority over everything else.”
“Even over your own personal life?” Sumaci frowned. “This could be a dangerous journey, and you are still without an heir.”
“At the moment, the development of the kingdom is the most important. Building infrastructure, educating the people and encouraging a new culture, all of that requires a lot of work. It's certainly more important than my relationship status. I have no time to worry about stuff like that right now.”
“You know, the people in the city are talking about your lack of female company,” Sumaci insisted. “Even if they're not married, other lords would at least have a mistress or two at your age. Since you have neither, there are some strange rumors going around. Some claim that you may be infertile. Some are even worse.”
“Eh, I can live with that,” Corco shrugged, unconcerned about his public image. “Once I get married, they'll all shut up anyways, so it's the best kind of problem: The kind that'll disappear on its own. I won't have to do anything. Though that's something for the future anyways. No matter what, I'll only consider potential partners once I'm crowned emperor of Medala, and not a second sooner.”
“And there is nothing that would change your mind?” Sumaci asked with fluttering eyelashes. “No one you have in mind already?”
In response to her advances, Corco only sighed.
“Look I understand what you're trying to do here, but you really should stop.”
“What am I trying to do?” she asked and moved closer. In response, Corco stood up and stepped back to increase the distance again.
“This is a terrible idea,” he insisted. For a moment, the two stared at each other with cramped faces, until Sumaci stepped back with a deflated expression.
“Am I that unappealing?” she asked in a sour tone.
“This has nothing to do with you.” Corco sighed again. “Nor does it have anything to do with me. With our standings in society, this can't be an emotional decision. It has to be a political one. And politically, we're not a good fit. You should understand that as well as me. Mayu's been interested in you since the first time he met you.”
“And conversely, I have had absolutely no interest in him ever since.” She sneered. Corco had no doubt that she would have spat on the ground if they hadn't been inside.
“Sure, he's kind of an asshole and his fancy, red fur cloak makes him look like a douche, but we're nobles. We can't and won't partner up with whoever we think has the best tinder profile. No matter what, we'll always have to choose what's best for our countries. That is our responsibility, what we owe to our people. Forget about Mayu for a second, and whether or not he's a good fit for you. What about his standing? He's the governor of the south, and lord of one of Medala's most powerful estates. Meanwhile, you're the daughter of the green king, but you're not a direct heir and have no real power. As far as your respective status goes, you're properly matched.”
“No one can force me to marry a man I dislike, neither you nor my father,” Sumaci insisted, now in a stubborn tone.
“But no matter what partner you choose, it won't be me,” Corco replied to put the discussion to rest. “Mayu has been courting you for years now. You really think he won't mind if I steal 'his' woman?”
“I am not his.”
“Of course you're not, but that's not how he'll see it. Ever since he was born as Sonco Saqartu's eldest son, that guy has been getting whatever he wanted, all throughout his life. His parents even exiled his more talented younger brother, just because he felt threatened. If I dare to compete with him for a woman that he believes is his, he'll raise all hell. Or rather, he'll raise an army and march straight to Saniya to 'save' you. We already have enough enemies. I won't incite a civil war over something as selfish as feelings.”
“So you do have feelings then.” Her eyes narrowed as she showed a small smile, attractive as ever. Even so, Corco wouldn't be baited into a romantic conversation.
“Look, I think it's best if we all understand our roles in this, and maximize the good we can do for our people. If you marry Mayu, he'll be happy and won't make trouble in the south. Plus, the Verdant Isles will be connected to the southern kingdom through marriage then, which means I can give your people more support without complaints from my lords. The Verdant Isles win, the Southern Kingdom wins, House Saqartu wins... it's an ideal solution for everyone.”
“And I lose. And you lose as well.” By now, Sumaci's fleeting smile had long escaped the room.
“That's the hand we've been dealt. In return, we get wealth and power. It's not the worst of deals.” Corco shrugged, unconcerned with his own fate. “No matter what, I won't change my mind on this, even if the sky falls on our heads.”
No sooner had Corco spoken his words that the heavens challenged his resolve.