Xiomara gave me two days to choose between death and life. The intense darkness of my mountainous, rock-enclosed prison cell caused time to blend into one long horrible episode and I had no idea when the two days was complete. One meager meal a day was brought to me and it was impossible to tell what time of day they came.
A sound, from where I knew the entrance to be, was my first indication that my time was up. Light began to glow from the tunnel on the far side until five Akoni Warriors, three young men and two women, emerged holding torches and weapons.
Dwarkaa, my farrin, has no women warriors. They are kept subservient and docile, as much as possible. My mother was full of fire and grit but that worked against her in the end. My father could not tolerate her strong opinions and it brought about her brutal death.
Two of the warriors unhooked my chains from the post and divided the chains between them so that one arm chain and one leg chain was held by two warriors ahead of me. The other arm and leg chain were held by two warriors at my back. In this way they mitigated the possibility of escape as they led me from my prison.
Never had I been so glad to encounter the relentless wind and debris-filled air of a low based farrin as I was at the moment we left the rock tunnels behind. The dim light that surrounded me made me blink and the first gulp of air brought on a spasm of coughing. The strong gusts whipped at my bare skin, tearing at me, and my eyes stung with the onslaught. Even so I was thankful to be out of the dark cave. My fears had seemed to grow in there with every passing minute.
The warriors led me between some rocks, up a sharp incline and on through a long trail, quite rugged and steep, that finally leveled. After what I estimated was a good two hours of hiking, the warriors veered to the left and led me down a sharp decline toward a valley. I couldn’t see much of it from our height. Much of the view was blotted out by the howling, dirt-packed atmosphere.
As we continued the descent into the valley, the mountains on all sides began to create a buffer from the violent wind above and the view became clearer. I slowed considerably at the shocking sight.
The warriors up ahead urged me to keep up the pace by yanking hard on my chains, nearly tripping me. From then on I kept walking but my mind could not comprehend what I saw.
I was witnessing the most beautiful clan development I’d ever laid eyes on. The green of the valley floor is what first caught my attention. There were groves of trees growing on all the mountain bases and green grass spread from the wide river that ran through the settlement.
Dwarkaa Farrin didn’t have this much green and it is known to be the most advanced and the most beautiful of any land mass. Having the largest and grandest land mass of all is something that Casimer boasts about We received a fair amount of rain every year. We are, after all, the farrin that rules in our hopeless and godless world. Voicing these thoughts would be the death of me. Casimer is our God. But he wasn’t anywhere near to Akoni and the Tonrar refused to come. There wasn’t much threat of Casimer ever learning of my views now.
The buildings within the settlement appeared newly constructed and the abodes were organized in neat formations. From our height I could see that some of their shack clusters, I couldn’t really call them that – they were nicer than what I call home, were designed to resemble the petals of a flower. Some clusters of homes were in the shape of an arrow shaft, others groups were designed to resemble butterflies in flight. The main roads through the village, I couldn’t see what they paved them with, were straight and organized.
A large building on the outskirts, surrounded by trees, caught my eye. It looked somewhat like Casimer’s outdoor theatre where he murders those deemed a threat to his reign. The sight of it caused me to perspire. I wondered if this is where they’d kill me.
I’d seen a map of the supposed Akoni settlement, drawn up by a previous ship captain on a tour of the southeastern farrins. I’d always assumed their settlement was just beyond the coast, in a sparse valley where the land is as dry and unproductive for produce as any farrin I know. I had supposed it wasn’t far from where we docked our ship. This astounding view before me was shocking. Akoni Clan must have moved their settlement in the last few years.
My captors led me through the village, my eyes large and my shock hard to hide. When we arrived at the outdoor theatre, the Akoni Warriors secured my chains to a heavy metal post. I wondered where they got their hands on such precious metal. None of the other farrins have much of it, except what Dwarkaa is willing to ship to them, a minimal supply in trade for the number of infants Casimer demands. Most clans use the metal to form arrow tips or perhaps a rare cooking pot.
They left me there, shackled to the post for hours. I wished they’d given me some clothes. I felt naked and exposed. Although the wind was significantly less in the valley, it still blew strong and I was chilled to the bone.
I saw her coming and my flesh ached for her. Tilly looked like a mesmerizing temptress and the sway of her hips nearly hypnotized me. She stopped close to me and I was glad that she didn’t keep her distance. I could have easily grabbed her; killed her if I had chosen to do so.
She lifted a satchel that she carried and said, “I brought you an Akoni warrior uniform. The thick leather will keep you warm. There’s a wool undergarment that will help to soften the rub of the leather.”
“How am I supposed to dress with these?” I held up my hands to show the shackles chaffing my wrists. My chains rattled with the movement.
“Yes, it will be difficult.” Tilly withdrew a key and came closer to release me.
“You trust me?” I asked, shocked that she would take the chance. I could have already killed her but her presence was causing my heart to palpitate strangely and I wanted nothing more than to take her in my arms and kiss her.
“If you kill me, where would you go and where could you possibly hide to avoid your death?”
I nodded in reply.
After my wrists were free, Tilly pulled out garments one at a time and handed them to me. I dressed my upper body and Tilly replaced one of my wrist shackles. After undoing my leg shackles and chains, I pulled on the lower under garment and the leather pants. The clothing felt stiff and base to me but they did keep out the wind and the cold. I felt grateful for Tilly’s offering.
“They aren’t as fine as the garments you made me for me on Dwarkaa but they are practical for life on Akoni.”
I nodded, my way of saying thanks.
Tilly left me unshackled except for my one wrist. The seats facing the grand stage were within reach and she offered that we sit.
She reached into her coat pocket and handed me a wrapped package. “I brought you some food. I heard the fare they brought you in the rock prison was rather dismal.”
I opened it and ate the roasted meat with hunger I’d rarely felt.
Tilly then handed me a thin slice of bread. “We don’t have much bread on our farrin but I saved that from a loaf I baked a few days ago.”
“Thank you.” I devoured the bread in two massive bites.
“I should have brought you more but it’s all I could spare.”
“Surely your clan has more food than this. The settlement speaks wealth. You mean to tell me your clan still starves?”
“No, we are not starving. We all receive enough sustenance to survive but that doesn’t mean we have stockpiles of food like Dwarkaa. Our settlement, as you can see, has developed significantly since our collaboration with Tarmon Farrin. They have given us ideas and blueprints on how to improve our settlement and our farming practices.”
“Did they create this valley? I’ve never seen so much green in one place before.”
“No. But Tarmon’s Warriors showed us this valley. They say they shrouded it, kept it hidden from us until the time was right. We never knew it existed until they led us here.”
“Why? Why do they care what happens on Akoni? Why did they not attack and kill you all, take over the valley for themselves?”
“That is not Tarmon’s way. They are eager to help us, make our clan stronger, better and make sure we have enough to eat.”
Confusion swirled through my brain. I couldn’t comprehend such a thing. “Why?”
“I don’t know. It all started with Xiomara, her disillusionment with Dwarkaa’s rule and her willingness to visit Tarmon when they summoned her. That’s when things began to change and shift for us.”
I had so many questions and so much perplexity that I wasn’t sure what to ask first.
Tilly kept talking. “Tarmon showed us where to plant crops in the valley. We’re still learning how to get the best yields. Some years the harvests have been lean. This morning Xiomara shared with me the techniques she’s been taught by Tarmon Farrin in how to fertilize the soil to increase our harvest. They suggested using the manure the sheep produce and work that into the soil. The farmners apparently implemented the ideas and are expecting a bumper crop this year.”
“But why do they care?”
“Tarmon?”
“Yes.”
Tilly stared at me for a full minute as though she were deliberating whether to tell me whatever was on her mind. “It is where Mowae retreated to. It is where he lives.”
I hadn’t heard that swear word used in a long, long time. To speak that name is outlawed on Dwarkaa. No one utters that name without inviting a severe beating and threat of torture, sometimes death. I’d seen many men beaten and tortured to the point of death because elixer got the better of them and they were overhead in a tavern speaking what should not be spoken.
Tilly must have seen the terror on my face. “You don’t need to fear speaking his name here. No one will harm you on Akoni.”
“He’s real?”
“Why do you think Casimer is so terrified of anyone speaking his name?”
I didn’t answer her.
“Of course Mowae is real.”
My shock rendered my tongue speechless.
Tilly kept speaking. “He’s the one who summoned Xiomara to Tarmon. He’s the one who has brought about the changes you see on Akoni. He is the ruler that needs to be reinstated, the true ruler of this god-forsaken world of farrins.”
I’d never heard such wild ideas in my entire life. I thought Mowae was a myth; an old wives tale told in hushed tones within the safety of one’s dwelling with the surety of the Tonrar’s absence. I can recall only two times that I heard Mowae spoken of, once was by my mother. I was a very young boy and she told me a tale one night in hushed tones as she put me to bed. By her tenor of speech I knew that she reverenced Mowae but the warning she offered relayed fear as well. She told me never to mutter his name where the Tonrar or Casimer’s men could overhear.
The other time his name was spoken was a story by a campfire, told by an old ship captain that wanted to die. He was tired of life and the brutality of Dwarkaa. He had no family left and no reason to keep living and spoke of Mowae in glowing terms. His wish was granted the next day. Soldiers arrested him and burned him at a stake on Casimer’s Royal Grounds, his fire-lit body illuminating the Royal pathway.
“So it is Tarmon’s clan leader who brought about all these reforms?”
“His name is Mowae. On Tarmon Farrin, they call him Towsaj, but he is one and the same. Why don’t you try saying his name?”
I grimaced and refused.
Tilly’s eyes took on a soft glow. “What have you decided?”
“I have chosen death.”
Sorrow flitted across her irises. “And now? Now that you know what life can be like with a new ruler, what is your decision?”
I struggled to comprehend this new information. Life on Akoni seemed so diametrically opposite to everything I knew to be real. I still didn’t understand how one farrin could be so interested in improving the life and existence of another farrin clan. What was in it for them? Was it simply a trap? Was Tarmon Farrin trying to draw Akoni in to a feeling of safety before the blade would fall and they’d cut off all hope of survival? I couldn’t understand why there was such an elaborate effort being made to better the quality of life on this land mass if only to destroy them in the end? Tarmon’s ways seemed so diverse from Dwarkaa’s customs that it was hard to grasp the reason.
I finally answered, “I don’t know.”
Tilly stood. “They will give you a few more hours to reflect on all that you’ve seen and what I’ve shared with you. You will have the opportunity to speak with Xiomara, give her your decision and your wishes will be carried out. I will not come to you again, unless you choose to join us. This will be my final goodbye.”
I stood to face her and stepped toward her. She didn’t shy away. Wrapping my arms around her, I brought her close and my lips found hers. She melted into me as though she truly had missed me, desired me as I did her. After a passionate kiss I pulled away and looked into her eyes.
“You could lead me to my ship, escape with me back to Dwarkaa.”
Tilly stepped back, severing our intimacy. A hard glare returned to her eyes. “No. I would never do that. I belong here with my clan.”
“So my ship survived.”
“Perhaps.”
“And my men? Are they all dead?”
“Wait for Xiomara. She will answer your questions.”
“Why can’t you?”
“You were my covering and I your coverling. My tongue cannot be trusted.”
“The Akoni leadership no longer trusts you?”
Tilly held out a hand to stop me. “That’s enough. Xiomara will come soon. Maybe she will give you the answers you seek.”
“I want to hear it from your lips.” I didn’t want Tilly to leave. Being alone in the mountain cave for two days had been torture.
“Choose wisely, Donagh.” With that she turned and walked away.
I watched until she disappeared around a building. I looked down at the shackle holding my one arm. The iron was thick and the lock appeared secure. I finally resigned to sit.
My mind was a mass of swirling thoughts and conflicting options. The things I’d seen in the last few hours and the things Tilly had shared shifted my paradigm. I was no longer convinced over my decision to die. To join a lowly southern farrin in revolt felt like the epitome of stupidity and degradation. I would forever lose my position and power I held on Dwarkaa. The battle in my mind was excruciating as the two ridiculous choices warred back and forth. I was no longer sure which side would win.
My great promotion as an honored ship captain felt laughable with the chain dangling from my arm. But that irony was nothing in comparison to the shift from bringing the terror of Dwarkaa to Akoni and finding myself a slave to it instead.
I wished they’d killed me along with my men and taken the choice from me. I didn’t know how I’d ever decide and I dreaded Xiomara’s visit.
