Chapter Eighteen: Negotiations

Mollie woke early. Unlike her friend Finneas, she found getting up in the morning a rather easy task. She usually struggled to get to sleep, instead of sleeping in. She stretched her arms before crawling out of the bed the Fire Tribe had prepared for her. It was still rather early. Everyone was still asleep. But Mollie had the desire to get some fresh air.

The girl made her way to the deck of the ship. Sitting on top of the boat’s railing, Mollie looked down at the settlement below. Much like Finneas, she had a fondness for climbing. She just didn’t brag about it. There was something about looking down from a great height. It was a form of thrill-seeking she couldn’t find anywhere else. She noticed a few of Azhem’s men giving her weird looks. They probably were worried she would fall. To stop them from telling her off, she leapt off the railing and back onto the deck. She wandered to the common room. She sat down and watched as people came and went.

“Didn’t know you were an early bird,” a voice said. Mollie turned to see Brienne. One thing Mollie hated the most was when people sneaked up on her. Not only would it make her jump a mile, but Mollie also found that sort of behaviour kind of creepy.

“I try to get up early,” Mollie put simply. She didn’t intend to come across as gloomy. But she wasn’t really in the mood to talk to other people, especially Brienne.

“Why are you so grumpy?” Brienne asked.

"Why waste your breath?" Mollie snared. “I’ve nothing in common with you. Why should we talk?”

“You don’t like me, I guess.”

“True…”

“If this has to do with you and Finn… I’m not getting in the way. We are cousins, that’s all,” she explained. “You don’t have to see me as some challenger of his affection.”

“It’s not that. I just don’t like you.”

“Well… it seems irrational, don’t you think?”

“I just never got along with over girls,” Mollie explained. “They were always mean to me. It’s nothing personal. I prefer hanging out with boys anyway.”

Mollie sometimes wondered if the Maker had mistakenly made her a girl and her twin brother a boy. Perhaps, the Maker originally intended their genders to be swapped. Where Teller preferred to stay inside and devour a book, Mollie preferred to hang out with the boys. Although the matron would always grimace at her kicking a ball about, and getting covered in mud, Mollie’s rebellious boyish behaviour would always get the better of her. She hated the other girls. At least boys would state their opinions upfront, she always thought.

Knowing everyone was about to get up, Mollie was eager to find Kistoph. Although she was prepared for him to say no, there was something Mollie wanted to ask her friend. She found the older boy preparing for his journey, packing a backpack.

“Hey,” she asked her friend. “There’s something I want to ask.”

“What’s that?” Kistoph asked, sounding a little perplexed.

“This person you’re going to meet… you don’t think he’s dangerous.”

Kistoph laughed.

“Have you been talking Finn?” the older boy remarked.

“No?” she wasn’t sure how to respond to this question.

“Finn asked me this last night,” Kistoph explained. “I think he’s worried or something. You’re not worried are you too?”

“No… no… of course not,” Mollie answered. "I was just thinking… maybe I can tag along. Is that alright with you?"

“Do you think that’s wise?” the older boy asked.

“I thought you said this wasn’t going to be dangerous?”

“I didn’t say anything about this being dangerous,” Kistoph answered. “But I thought you’d want to stay here. Keep Finn company.”

“Finn’s got company,” Mollie replied.

She saw how Finneas looked at Brienne, the new girl. Maybe there was a bit of jealousy. But it was beginning to become apparent Finneas had a thing for the governor’s daughter. Mollie thought going with Kistoph would allow her to avoid the other girl.

“Look,” Kistoph explained, “I’ll talk to Azhem. No promises though.”

Kistoph had a conversation with Azhem, and it was decided Mollie could come along with them. Azhem was hesitant at first, but after Mollie brought up the fact that she was only a few years younger than Kistoph, and they were both kids, after all, the man eventually agreed.

After having a quick breakfast, the three set off for the meeting place. They travelled deeper into the forest. For the first few hours, the group remained quiet. Eventually, Mollie grew tired of the silence and decided to strike up a conversation.

“So… who exactly are we looking for?” Mollie asked the man.

“The man is Elias,” Azhem explained. “Know him from way back. A bit of a thug, in my opinion. A bad guy of some description. But we need his help.”

“Can we trust him?” Mollie said. She had met many shady people in her life. She knew very well not to wander the streets of Angluem alone at night in case she set upon the numeral street gangs that terrorised the city.

“Of course not,” the man laughed. “After all, he is a bad guy.”

Mollie decided to change the topic. She thought maybe recounting stories they had heard from sailors might lighten the mood. Azhem wasn’t too interested, but Kistoph decided to join in. They continued making their way through the forest, the two kids telling tales to occupy the time. Once evening arrived, they found a place to camp. The man told the kids to tend the small kindle, while he went out to hunt. Azhem was barely gone for less than ten minutes before returning with a large rabbit.

“Freshly caught,” he said.

The man carefully placed the rabbit on the wooden plank. With his knife, he carved the skin off leaving meaty insides. Azhem then lumped the rabbit in the pot, which had now begun to bubble. Steam floated into the air as the boiling water cooked the meat. Satisfied the food was cooking properly, Azhem sat back down on the tree stump. He lent his axe against his axe. The man seemed to always keep the weapon nearby. Mollie was convinced Azhem probably slept with it as well.

“Why’s that axe, you know, the blue thing,” Kistoph asked. Mollie wanted to ask that too but was too afraid. The man was intimidating.

“You mean Icebreaker?” the man asked.

“You named your axe?” Mollie remarked, trying her best not to sound sarcastic. Perhaps her statement did come across as sarcastic. But that couldn’t be helped.

“Of course, I named my axe,” Azhem laughed. “Every good weapon deserves a fitting name.”

“That’s Hawen steel,” Mollie queried. She remembered her brother yapping on about that stuff once. Usually, she ignored him. But for once she was glad, she paid some attention.

“You damn right,” the man acknowledged. “Best darn steel in the world. Shame it’s only found on the Island of the Pikemen.”

“Island of the… what?” Kistoph asked.

“It’s an island of blue-skinned people, am I right?” Mollie explained to her friend.

“Well… sort of. They paint their faces blue,” Azhem corrected her. “Not a place you’d want to go.”

“You been there?” Kistoph asked.

“Heck no!” the man retorted. “You wouldn’t get me a mile near that place. The people there are savages. More than likely put my head on a spike… hence the name.” He paused to breathe. “Won this axe on a card game a few years ago. Got a good hand. Couldn’t imagine my luck. Been with me ever since. Plus, Icebreaker is a great name. The axe’s a good talking point.”

“What makes it special,” Kistoph asked. “Besides the colour?”

“Hawen steel’s the best in the world,” Azhem explained. “Damn thing is impregnable. Hits like a rock, and but’s light as a feather. It’s also good for having boons.”

“Boons?” now Mollie was unfamiliar with this term. Maybe her brother would know.

“Enchantment of such. Allows me to channel my powers.”

Azhem placed his hand on the axe's grip. The moment he did so, the blueish tinged on the axe grew a burning red, and dark runes began to appear on the steel, etching unfamiliar to Mollie.

“Cool party trick,” Kistoph said dumbfounded.

Azhem stood up to check on the rabbit. The meat hadn’t been cooked yet. The man returned to the stump.

“So, what’s your story,” the man asked as he sat down.

“Why’d you want to know,” Kistoph said defensively. Mollie could sense her friend still didn’t exactly trust the man. Although neither a Sanlander nor a native, the man’s dark skin unnerved her friend. She didn’t mind the man – a bit rough – but Kistoph hadn't warmed yet to him.

“Since we’re travelling,” the man explained, “I want to know a bit about you two. Plus, I’ve already indulged about my baby.”

Things were getting weirder. Mollie wondered how attached he was to this axe. Was the weapon like a lost lover, or some child? She dared not ask. Neither did Kistoph.

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“Why not you first?”

Azhem laugh.

“If you insist,” he said. “I come from down south. Like, really down south. Not sure you know the place. Metsuni. A small village near the ocean.”

“So, a Sanlander?” Mollie asked.

“No… not a Sanlander,” Azhem corrected her. “My people are the Mouni. A proud bunch of people. I came here as a child. I was escaping a tribal conflict. Complex stuff.” He stopped for a moment. “What about you?”

“We’re from Estmere,” Mollie answered. “Angluem… to be precise.”

“Angluem,” Azhem sounded interested. “Been there once or twice. It is… say… an interesting place.”

“It’s a dump,” Kistoph interjected.

“What Kist means it’s not much to look at,” Mollie clarified. “But it’s home, I guess.”

“A lot like Metsuni, then?” Azhem asked. “Well… Angluem is far better than Metsuni. Unless you like old wooden huts. There aren’t many cities down south, as you would know. Angluem might be the southernmost big settlement.”

“There’s Orena. Finn and Kenelm have been there once. That’s apparently quite a big town,” Mollie remarked

“Big?” the man scoffed.

“Not as big as Angluem though,” Mollie corrected herself.

“You’ve been to the Imperial City?” Kistoph asked Azhem.

"Live there for a few months," the man explained. "They call it the marble city. They even claim to be enlightened. I looked past their disguise. They're cold-hearted industrialists. They couldn't care about us, normal people."

“The city itself?”

“Spectacular but shallow.”

Azhem woke the kids up early the next day. He told them if they moved swiftly, and didn’t stop as much, they might reach the informer’s meeting ground before sunset. The next few hours felt like a march. The fire tapper walked quicker than the day before. Mollie’s legs were starting to ache. She started to question whether it was such a great idea to go with Kistoph and the man.

After walking for another hour, they came across a deer slumped on the ground. The dying corpse of the deer had been hastily placed under a large oak tree. Whoever had attacked it had done a sloppy job. It was lying on its side, with its guts spread out like spaghetti. The poor creature was still gasping for air. Mollie approached the animal. Gently, she patted the deer’s head. She could see the whites of the creature’s eyes, in dire pain and scared of its own fate.

“Everything’s alright,” Mollie lied. “You’ll be in a better place soon.”

The man approached. Mollie could feel Azhem’s breath. The smell of rabbit could still be spelt. TMolliestood up and walked away. Watching from a distance, she observed the man drawing a dagger from his hilt. Kneeling down, Azhem also patted the creature’s head. He whispered something in the deer’s ear, before quickly slitting the animal’s throat.

“Damn bandits!” Azhem cursed. “Only they’d be so careless.”

“Are they nearby?” Kistoph asked.

“This seems a fresh attack,” the man said, examining the creature’s wound. “The attack must’ve happened at least a half hour ago. The poor creature’s been in pain all that time.”

“We’re in danger?” Mollie asked, feeling somewhat scared. The last thing they needed was to be set upon by thugs.

“No,” Azhem stated simply. “But we better be careful.”

They continued walking, now being a bit more cautious. If anything seemed suspicious, they would approach with caution.

Despite their best efforts to reach the meeting ground before sunset, night soon arrived. Nonetheless, Azhem insisted on journeying forward in the darkness. Once the last glimmer of light disappeared, Mollie could barely see anything in front of her besides Kistoph.

They walked for another hour. Slowly a light source started to appear in the far distance. Quietly, the man told the two kids to walk a bit slower. The man wanted to see what the source of the light was and if it was dangerous. With the knowledge poachers were in the area, they had to be careful.

As they drew closer, it became clear someone had set up a camp for the night. The fireplace stood out like a sore thumb. Not only was the fume rising to the sky, but Mollie could also smell the smoke. Whoever set the fire, it was as if they were wanting to attract attention. Four figures crowded the fire, each man wearing a leather trench coat. They appeared to be cooking some on top of the fire – Mollie was sure they were cooking a large boar. As they drew closer, the bandits started to take notice. One of the outlaws stood up – the tallest of the three.

"What do we have here?" he asked. Mollie wasn’t sure if he was talking to them, or to his fellow bandits. She chose to remain silent. It was best to let Azhem deal with this situation.

“Looks like we’ve company,” one of the other bandits remarked. He was sharpening his sword.

“Stay back,” Azhem told them. “Get behind one of those logs. Don’t come out until I tell you. You don’t want to watch this.”

The two kids did as they were tall, hiding behind a large fallen log. Although they were told not to look, Mollie and Kistoph glanced overtop the log, watching Azhem confront the bandits. By now all four men had stood up, grabbing hold of their weapons. One of the bandits aimed his crossbow at Azhem. Firing suddenly, the man quickly deflected the bolt with his axe.

“Don’t come any closer,” Azhem warned.

“Or what?” one of the bandits laughed. “You’ll kill us?”

“Worse,” the man said simply.

The taller bandit charged at Azhem first, trying to strike as quickly as possible. The man parried the attack with his axe, causing the bandit’s sword to fall onto the ground. Before the man could retreat, Azhem slammed his axe into the bandit’s chest. One swift swipe and the man was dead. One of the other bandits then charged at Azhem. Using the blunt side of his axe, the man thumped his weapon into the approaching bandit, knocking the man over. Azhem took another swing at the fallen bandit’s head, finishing the man.

“Damn it,” Azhen growled. “I warned you all.”

Bandits had obviously not learnt their lesson, still trying to take the towering figure down despite already losing two of their men. Another bandit approached Azhem, this time slower and more careful. Swaying from left to right, the bandit tried his best to seem unpredictable. Without warning, the man leapt forward. Again, Azhem parried the attack. Drawing a dagger from his side, Azhem stabbed the blade into the bandit’s stomach. The man screamed as Azhem pulled his intestines out.

Only one bandit remained, the smallest of the four. The man was already shaking as Azhem took down his friends. The man probably knew he was going to die next. Dropping his weapon, the man dashed away. Mollie was not sure how to react. She was worried the man was going to get reinforcements. Despite how skilful Azhem was with his axe, Mollie was sure the man couldn’t take on more bandits.

“Azhem!” she yelled. “He’s getting away.”

The man picked up a crossbow one of the bandits had dropped. Taking aim, Azhem took a quick shot. The bolt struck right into the man’s back, causing him to fall.

“Holy heck!” Kistoph yelled with excitement. “That was awesome! Can you teach me to do that?”

The older boy leapt over the log to congratulate Azhem. Mollie wasn’t as enthusiastic. She had never seen so many people be slaughtered before, especially in such a brutal fashion. She wished she’d taken the man’s advice and not looked.

“Maybe you shouldn’t be so… I don’t know… gleeful,” Mollie said, staring at the dying men. “We shouldn’t be celebrating these guys’ death.”

“Come on Molls,” Kistoph replied. “They would’ve killed us if they’d given the chance. Four less bad guys is good for the world.”

But were they bad guys? They must have had families and were loved once, Mollie thought. Something felt incredibly wrong. Although the bandits mightn’t have killed the kids, Mollie feared what they would’ve done to them if the bandits had caught them. She remembered the outlaws back in Estmere. Those two men certainly didn’t treat her friends with much care.

“The girl’s right,” Azhem remarked. “We shouldn’t celebrate death. But this was a necessary evil. Treat that as your first lesson.”

“You gonna teach me to fight?” Kistoph sounded surprised.

“Of course, if you insist,” the man said. “Once we’ve finished our task here, I can teach you a trick or two. Any experience wielding a weapon.”

Although the Kistoph had never used a sword or so before, he had thrown a few punches now and then. On a few occasions, he would find himself in the fight, defending his friends. He even once beat up a bunch of kids who were being mean to Mollie.

“Since we’re here, we might as well use their fire,” Azhem suggested.

Mollie wasn’t all too comfortable sleeping near a bunch of corpses. Being near dead bodies, especially of people whom they had just killed, just didn't sit well with her. But they had no choice. It was either this or trekking further in the darkness. Because it was too dark for Azhem to hunt, the group had to make do with the supply they had brought along – a loaf of bread. Better than nothing, Mollie guessed.

They awoke the next day. Mollie found it creepy that the bodies were still lying on the ground. She asked about whether to bury them, but Azhem said no. The man said, not only did they not have the time, but that if they had been the victims the outlaws wouldn’t have shown the dignity of burying them either. Mollie thought this was cruel – people should get a proper burial no matter who they are – but dared not question Azhem. As is, she was somewhat intimidated by the man.

For the next few hours, they wandered through the forest, crossing a small river along the way. Azhem remarked how the native population of the Riverlands called the Eternal River, the largest and longest river in the region, the Idimau. Mollie wanted to know what the word meant, but Kistoph injected with another question, completely off-topic. Typical boys, she thought. Scattered minds even at the best of times.

They soon came to a large clearing. In the centre was a large circular burial mound. An ancient stone wall encircled the large manmade hill. There were four entrances, each on the four corners of the mound. They were small passageways leading into the tombs themselves. Although no tree grew on top of the hill, the grass had overgrown. Clearly, it had been years since anyone had maintained the mound. Usually, Mollie would remember her brother mentioning something about the ancient structures they came across, perhaps retelling the history. But for some reason, she could tell not even Teller would know anything about this place.

“This place is old?” Mollie half-asked. She didn’t exactly expect a response.

“Indeed, it’s ancient,” Azhem confirmed. “Probably the oldest structure I know.”

“Even old than those temples?” Kistoph queried.

“Far, far older,” the man continued. “So old, it’s practically been forgotten. No one ever ventures this far. A perfect place to avoid the prying eyes of the Republic."

“This the meeting place?” Mollie asked.

“Yes, indeed,” Azhem answered. “Whenever my informer and I meet, this is always the place.”

The group entered the mound from the south entrance. Walking down a long staircase, they entered the small room. Flicking his finger, Azhem lit a torch, revealing the room.

“You’re a fire taper?” Kistoph sounded surprised. Mollie kind of guessed the man was a taper. The name Fire Tribe gave it away.

“Of course,” Azhem said. “You got anything against fire tapers?”

“No… no,” Kistoph said timidly. Mollie had never seen her friend sound so nervous before. It was a strange sight.

The chamber was where bodies would be prepared for burial. In the centre of the room was a large table. On the table was an assortment of embalming tools. The chamber had further doorways, each leading to other chambers. A stack of bones piled near one of the passageways. Mollie wondered just how old those bones were. Ten thousand years old, perhaps? There was no way to truly tell.

“We’ll wait here,” the man announced. “We must be early.”

"Or your informer already came and gone," Kistoph remarked cynically.

“Oh, he always appears,” Azhem explained. “And he always waits.”

With nothing else to do, the group waited. Mollie glanced at one of the other rooms. The sight of a mummified body made her somewhat jump. Although they were clearly in the tomb, she hadn’t prepared herself to come across an ancient corpse.

Mollie wondered if the townspeople were right. Folks had all sorts of superstitions. Surely there wasn't a bad spirit occupying the temple, causing the storm to occur. Mollie had never seen a ghost, nor knew anyone else who’d seen one. None of the sailors back in Angleum mentioned anything like that happening on their voyages.

They waited for a day or so until a person eventually turned up. The man wore the outfit of a sailor, but far rougher than the sailors Mollie remembered meeting back in Angleum. The sailor was dark-skinned, like Azhem. He either came from the Sanlands, or near there, Mollie guessed. The man’s breath smelt extremely rancid, worse than Azhem’s. She dared not ask what he’d been eating. She really didn’t want to know.

“You got my message,” Azhem asked.

“I sure did,” the man replied, holding out a coin. Azhem inspected it.

“Is Bazlel too busy to see his old friend?” the fire taper asked, sounding a little bit disappointed. “I thought he’d be here in person.”

“He wanted to come,” the man explained. “But he has his hands tied.”

“Dark tapers, or the authorities?” Azhem asked a further question.

"Both, it seems," the man answered. "Seems the Imperials are on high alert, and the dark ones keep attacking our fleet."

“You will be able to help?”

“If we can get rid of the Imperials, we’re in for sure,” the man responded. “The captain has agreed to the terms. Using our fleet, we will blockage the harbour; make sure the Imperial can’t slip in reinforcements.”

“That’s good to hear,” Azhem said. “Any ground troops?”

The man shook his head.

“We’re spread thin as we are,” the man explained. “But I will have to talk with the captain. I can’t promise anything.”

The two shook hands, and the sailor left. The meeting was a lot quicker than Mollie was expecting. Was that it? Surely there would be more.

“You sure he’ll commit?” Mollie asked. “You know… do that blockage thing.”

“Bazlel hates the Republic just as much as me, if not more,” Azhem answered. “He may have no love for the Riverlands. But he treasures freedom. And he knows we can offer that.” He paused for a moment. “We better get going,” he continued. “Who knows what trouble my girlfriend’s gotten into while we’re gone.”