I stood before the revolutionary leaders once more and waited for them to give me my marching orders. I felt dread over what I was sure they would say.
Razmig was the first to speak. “We’ve discussed what you’ve told us and we’ve come to a decision. But first…you need to hear what Vanora shared with us.”
Surprised they didn’t immediately crush my plans, I turned my attention to Vanora and she gave me a look of reparation.
“I should have spoken up earlier to defend you. But I didn’t know all the information. Plus, we need to hear further on your situation.”
“What information?” I asked.
“When you told us that Towsaj had appeared to you, I was astounded. Not many are granted such an encounter.” Her eyes flitted from my face to Kuno’s. “Although I hear some have been more fortunate than others.”
Glancing over to him, Kuno diverted his eyes and studied the floor. He looked uncomfortable with the insinuation. I determined to speak with him later, see if he could tell me more of Towsaj.
Vanora continued. “A few nights ago I had a dream. You were in it. There was a bright cloud encircling you, shielding you, moving along with you wherever you went. You were running at a very great speed and, although there was a dark cloud hovering with a sense of danger, it could not catch up to you. This light-filled mist kept you safe as it surrounded you. No matter how fast you moved, this bright cloud kept up the pace along with you. I saw the darkness close in a number of times but when it neared the shimmering vapor around you, it immediately backed off as though it were being zapped by lightening. You seemed completely invincible.”
I waited for her to continue but she remained silent. I finally said, “So, what does it mean?”
Razmig said, “Tell us again, what were Towsaj’s exact words when he appeared to you?”
Thinking back to that night in the garden, I searched my memory for his precise words. “He told me not to fear, that I’m on the right path and that no harm will come to me.” Comfort rolled over me at the retelling. “He told me to not be afraid to stay. He said Narcissa’s plan is good and he encouraged me to join the women’s cause.”
“Who’s Narcissa?” asked Luixa.
“She’s the wife of one of the most important men of High Society. Her covering is Furud, one of Casimer’s Inner Circle Advisors. She is the one who told me of the women’s secret club, who encouraged me to join them.”
I began to see a new respect on some of their faces as I continued. “Towsaj also told me that I was surrounded. I don’t know quite what this means except that perhaps Tarman Farrin is on the lookout, watching out for me.”
“Is that all?” asked Razmig.
“He said another thing that surprised me. He told me that when I feel afraid and sense the Tonrar closing in, to call on his name and his protection would be there.”
Vanora released a sound of surprise and a wisp of a smile touched her lips. “That is amazing!”
Ordway said, “Could this be? Will Towsaj actually keep us all from harm? Will he surround us in a cloud of safety everywhere we go?”
I said, “I don’t know. But this was his promise to me.”
Kuno said, “I know he is always watching. He knows everything that is going on. Nothing is hidden from his eyes. But whether he will keep us all safe is uncertain. What I have learned is that our lives are important to him. This revolution has its beginnings in Towsaj. None of us would be here without his orchestration or favor.”
The group grew silent, all lost in their own thoughts and formulating what instruction they would give me.
Vanora was the first to speak. “I for one give my approval to continue the work you’ve begun, Viveka. Perhaps this revolution will move more quickly than anyone of us anticipated.”
Relief flooded me at her affirmation.
Razmig spoke next. “Although I still feel some trepidation over your reckless decisions, Vanora’s dream does hold merit. I do admit that what Towsaj told you lines up with Vanora’s vision and that eases my concerns to a degree.”
Kuno was the next to speak. “I have also made my decision. I sanction your work and encourage you to continue. If Towsaj approves, so do I.”
Luixa said, “I begrudgingly give my assent to your plan. Although I still believe it holds great danger and could back-fire. I want you to promise us that you will not start any new ventures without our approval. You must pass your ideas through us from now on. We must work as a group and not launch out wildly on our own. We are always stronger as a unit. We must all submit to the greater good.”
Vanora said, “But isn’t Towsaj the greatest good? In this case, we must bow to his wisdom. He has clearly given his approval.”
Luixa nodded and said, “Yes. I agree. It appears that he has sanctioned Viveka’s mission and affirmed her. We will never be sure whether she has actually told us the truth of the matter. Did Towsaj in reality say these words to her? That is something that cannot be verified. We will have to take her at her word, a dangerous move at best, total destruction of our movement at the worst.”
“I see that I am clearly outnumbered,” Ordway declared scathingly. “I do not give Viveka permission to continue her rebellious and contrary actions that place all of us in great danger. Launching out on your own is arrogant and reeks of self-promotion and desire to be lauded as a hero. Your recklessness does not impress me in the least. If I were Towsaj I would leave you to your own devices, allow circumstances to play out in such a way that you would be taught a lesson you would never forget.”
I hated him more by every minute that passed. “And what lesson is that?”
“That self-centered, egotistical rebels don’t live long.”
Straightening my back, I said, “It’s a good thing then that I am none of the derogatory things you listed. I have willingly placed my life in great danger by joining this revolution, leaving my home farrin and taking on the sacrifices and risks of this mission. Initially upon my arrival, I was thrust into utter poverty and grew thin and gaunt, scrambling to find enough food to keep me alive. I then agreed, begrudgingly, to give up my freedom, tie myself to an unfaithful man and surrender my independence, all for this cause. We have all given up a great deal to serve this revolution. This war against Casimer has required great sacrifice from all of us, the very reason I came to Dwarkaa in the first place. I am not at all the woman you portray me to be and refuse to be depicted as such.”
Silence blanketed the room for a moment. My rant halted Ordway’s tirade and I was glad. No one added to Ordway’s outburst and no one commented on my diatribe.
Vanora finally said, “All right, that’s four votes to one. Viveka, you have been given permission to continue your work but with caveats in place. You must contact us before introducing any new mission. We must come to some type of consensus on every decision, at least by the majority of the leadership.”
Razmig stared at me and added, “I know that your clan leader, Xiomara, promised that you would be one of the leaders of this movement and that still holds true. We as leaders must strategize together before we make any major decisions. We must all attempt to remain on a parallel agenda and remain a united front.”
Luixa said, “We cannot allow fissures in our movement, one breaking away on their own. This could cause a great divide. We must avoid that at all costs.”
“I understand,” I said. “I would hate to be the cause of the revolution tearing apart from within. I promise to avoid this pitfall. And I promise to pass every new venture by the leadership before moving ahead.”
Razmig nodded. “Okay, you may leave.”
I turned and left the room, great relief flooding me that I was allowed to continue my work. Aggravation was also vying for my attention. That I was excluded from interviewing the others clearly showed my inferior position in this leadership. They were not treating me as a fellow leader and it angered me. I was being treated as all the rest were, those beneath.
The manner in which Ordway had smeared my character and name infuriated me. He had his own faults that reached to the farthest farrin. The man was too full of himself, wanting the glory for this movement to fall to him. I didn’t trust him and determined to keep an eye on him. I didn’t know if this would be possible. This was our first encounter and it left a bitter taste in my mouth.
I chatted with a few others in the room while waiting for all the interviews to finish up. The others proceeded quickly as they were all likely affirmed for their advances in the cause.
When the interviews ended, the leaders entered the large room and Razmig addressed the group. He shared of the advances made by the various factions throughout Dwarkaa Farrin and also warned of things to watch out for. His recounting of the progress was encouraging.
“Thank you for coming. I can tell you that I and the other leaders are very encouraged by the advances made so far. There are some excellent ideas put into place and gaining great ground in various quadrants of Dwarkaa Farrin. Keep up the great work. The runners will continue to spread news between the different offshoots and units of this revolution. If you have any news to share, please summon a runner and send him to us. We will make sure that anything newsworthy will be spread to all. And of course, these meetings will be held from time to time. Runners will be sent to gather you all.”
Vanora added, “These get-togethers are important for this movement. We need the camaraderie and friendship between us, exchanging ideas and the encouragement that is built when we meet with one another. I realize how lonely this work can be. Meeting this way will be a reminder that we are a great team, a unit of rebellion against a tyrannical ruler. You are not alone.”
A man in the crowd spoke up. “When will more members of this secret Cadda army arrive on Dwarkaa?”
Ordway said, “That is not for you to know at this time. That decision has not yet been made. It will depend on how quickly we can advance in the different cities, villages and hovels of Dwarkaa. There is a lot of ground to cover and we will not risk members of this army prematurely. We must investigate thoroughly and move cautiously.”
A fellow warrior from Akoni Farrin said, “So Kranti and his grand Revolution are willing to risk the lives of those from other clans and those from Dwarkaa who join and yet not place any of his own people in danger?”
Ordway looked uncomfortable. “That is not true. Kranti was willing to send a large portion of his army with us but I dissuaded him from such a move. Transporting such a group of people, housing them and supplying food for them all would have been a logistical difficulty without setting things in place first. There are others that came with us from Cadda Farrin and are presently researching possible lodging for the army and arranging food supply for them. Until those things are fully in place we will not send them here.”
Luixa said, “We don’t know how long this preparation will take. We will not send our numbers here without a plan of survival.”
That answer seemed to quell the questions and dispel mistrust in the group.
Razmig once more took charge. “All right. I think we are done here. You may all begin to leave one by one and head back to your homes. Watch out for the Tonrar and stay safe!”
I had to wait for Razmig and Vanora to make their exit. They delved into conversation with Ordway and Luixa. I had no desire to hear what Ordway had to say. I wandered over to the man named Kuno.
He nodded as I approached. “Viveka,” he said.
“I am curious. How do you know so much of Towsaj? Have you spoken with him often?”
“A handful of times. Enough to assure me that there is nothing that escapes his notice. Each encounter has been mind shifting and reality altering.”
“How is it that one conversation with him can transform ones vision so completely?” I asked.
“I don’t know how he does it. He can not be manipulated or controlled. His answers are often different than what I expect and his preferred response is often voiced as a question. I have found his methods quite infuriating but very enlightening.”
“Yes. I found that he tends to answer my queries with questions of his own but ones that make me think deeply.”
Kuno gave a small nod. “He knows more than what you can imagine.”
“I wish he’d appear to me more often. His presence was like a shower of rain on a hot, dusty day or like a shelter from the constant, gale force winds on my home farrin. Now that I’ve encountered him, I long to meet with him again.”
“From the contents of Vanora’s dream, it sounds like Towsaj surrounds you all the time,”
“Why is it so impossible to sense his presence then?”
Kuno shook his head. “I don’t know.” Staring into my eyes, he said, “But look at where we are. We are standing on Dwarkaa Farrin soil. We are both from diverse, small, warring land masses that are far from the shores of Dwarkaa. How did we ever get here? No clan member from any other farrin is allowed to come here freely, unless they are taken as slaves. Our presence here is truly a shocking reality, not one I would have ever imagined possible a few years ago. And we came out of our own free will.”
“That is true. A logistical improbability.”
“So, Towsaj has been at work in our lives, whether we have perceived him or not.”
“Yes,” I said simply. Kuno had wisdom beyond mine and I respected his views greatly.
“I heard that you came from Akoni Farrin.”
“Yes I did. And you are from Renuka Farrin. Where is that located?”
“Renuka is due west of here. Our clan is very strong and we win most of the battles we enter. We have mighty warriors.”
I nodded and said, “My home, Akoni Farrin is far to the southeast. It is very close to Tarman Farrin, the land mass of mist and fog.”
“I heard your leader was summoned to Tarman, the place where Towsaj resides.”
“She was. And she returned alive. Our clan has never been the same since.”
“And the very reason that you are here.”
“Exactly.”
Kuno said, “Only by Towsaj’s doing could the two of us from diverse farrins ever rub shoulders with each other on this ruling land mass and work side by side in a united cause. It truly is astounding to consider.”
“Yes it is. Farrin clans constantly war with each other. Towsaj must be very powerful, more powerful than what we even realize. While Casimer encourages factions, Towsaj has brought unity.”
“A fragile unity, but a unity none-the-less.”
His eyes were smiling, although he remained stoic. Our conversation filled me with anticipation and I wondered if I was able to inspire hope the way Kuno could.
Looking at the dwindling numbers in the room, I noticed Razmig signaling me over.
Turning back to Kuno, I said, “It was a pleasure meeting you.”
“Likewise, Viveka. One more thing,” he said as I was about to turn away.
“Yes?”
“Don’t take Ordway’s hard approach too much to heart. He tends to be very protective of this movement and prefers to advance cautiously. You must remember that he was raised from baby on with this Revolution as his sole purpose in life. He has from his earliest memories lived and breathed this Revolution. He is extremely protective of it. His motives are good.”
“I will try to remember that.”
I walked away and followed Razmig and Vanora from the room and back up the stairwell. Razmig made sure the area was clear of all Tonrar before we stepped outside. The horse and cart appeared and we entered quickly.
Thirty minutes later we arrived back at Venilia Estate. I felt exhausted and didn’t know if I could make the trip back to Dwarkaa City. Vanora encouraged me to stay but, I was concerned that Magdalon might make another surprise visit to Krishay Manor and find me missing. I was determined to leave as soon as possible.
We had a speedy snack of pastries and tea before I prepared to leave. I was about to summon my carriage when a warning flashed through my mind. I turned toward Razmig and Vanora and said, “If Magdalon sends anyone here to question the reason for my visit, tell him that I needed to return to…”
Vanora said, “To hire a new Stable Master. Bedad grew sick and we believe he is on his deathbed. Razmig, as your House Steward, interviewed a few men a few days ago. In actuality, a fellow revolutionary will take the position. If Magdalon does send someone to enquire, we will tell them that you came to discuss this situation with your House Steward and help in the decision. You also came to pay a visit to Bedad, to wish him well.”
“I need to pay him a visit?”
Vanora said, “I think it would be wise and would help to affirm the story.”
“Hopefully this Bedad will in fact die. If I appear before him and he does not recognize me as the actual Tamasa, his testimony could do more harm than good.”
Vanora said, “Come with me. I will help you prepare. You must look the part.”
She pulled out clothes that had formerly belonged to the original Tamasa and handed them towards me. She then did my hair and placed a deep orange cloak over my shoulders. This was a color I would never normally use.
“Tamasa apparently loved this cape. Keep the hood over your head. Tamasa was known for keeping her hair covered a great deal of the time. It’s also a good thing that you look somewhat similar to her. Your features are fair like hers and your hair is the same length and color and will help in our grand deception.”
I pulled the hood over my head and Vanora led me from the house, around the back to the stable staff quarters.
I dreaded this visit and hoped my voice would match the former mistress of the estate. Vanora opened the door to Bedad’s living quarters and I stepped inside.
