The next day we sailed for Akoni Farrin. Downing my third mug of grog, I manned the ship myself. I’d wrapped my injured arm with some white linen but the pain had worsened and blood had seeped through. I ignored the pain, thankful that the grog numbed the throbbing to a degree. The drink also helped to desensitize me significantly for the day’s agenda. Meeting up with Akoni Farrin’s leader worried me. I knew virtually nothing about the man. All I’d been told was that the farrin clan was suspected of considerable insubordination and they possibly had some part in the disappearance of the last ship that was scheduled to arrive there months ago.
I charged Andrei to shuffle between differing roles on the ship. The two of us being the lone survivors from the attack the previous day, I was requiring a lot from him. Violent wind assailed us, the clouds were thick and dark and fog pummeled against the glass partition in front of me. I’d never manned a ship before but I’d been around vessels and sea captains long enough to instinctively know what to do.
Possible sea monsters bent on attack still worried me and I kept scanning the limited horizon for any sign of danger. Thankfully, we progressed without any disturbance. The sea creatures appeared to have vanished from the vicinity.
At noon I noticed the waves take on a familiar echo. We were entering shallower water and we were likely within an hour of Akoni Farrin’s shore. I noticed Andrei down below on deck waving a warning. I gave him a nod, informing him that I heard it too. I adjusted the rudder and watched as Andrei arranged the lines and sheets. The ship gradually slowed its advance and I kept my eyes peeled for any sign of land.
Within half an hour I began to see jagged juts of rock through the cloud and fog that were slowly dissipating. The beach was still shrouded in thick cloud and dirt filled air, like all land masses were. Hopefully the clan would be waiting, although with only the two of us to inflict the wrath of Dwarkaa I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do. I was convinced that Tarmon Farrin had taken over my assignment and I still felt furious over the loss of my men. I had not signed up for this, to see every one of my crew members murdered, save one. I never agreed to the slaughter of good Apolake Warriors under my command.
Killing while on farrin patrol, taking children and sacrificing young farrin warriors was all in a day’s work for me. Losing the men under my command was not.
Andrei adjusted the sails, running from rig to rig, altering the sheets and began to lower the halyards. There was too much work for one man which typically required multiple sailors to perform the multifarious tasks at hand. Andrei was decelerating the speed well in advance of the beach and dock. Sailing in too quickly would have risked the safety of the ship. Andrei was well aware of the dangers of not starting the slow down soon enough, especially since he was on his own.
I started hearing pulses of air rattle the glass in front of me. The sound was not typical and I scanned the area for danger. A screeching roar shattered the relative silence and my defenses went on full alert. A rushing noise burst around me and then it was gone, an eerie quiet replacing it.
Andrei stopped what he was doing on deck, his eyes scanning the sky above. He turned to look up at me, worry on his face. I shook my head and he went back to work.
The sound I’d heard was like Suma’s dragon and I wondered if she would be on Akoni Farrin with her beast to great us when we arrived. Anger burned in my chest thinking of her and what she’d potentially done to my men. I assumed she was the culprit that slaughtered my crew. Instead of protection she’d brought devastation and I couldn’t wait to confront her and demand an explanation.
Slowly the beach came into view as the dust-filled, blustery air released its prize. The clan was waiting as I expected. As best as I could, I steered the rudder to angle the ship parallel to the dock. I misjudged and heard the ship scrape wildly against the rough hewn boards of the dock but the structure held firm and with Andrei manipulating the masts, the ship finally came to a standstill. I breathed a sigh of relief. For our first attempt at docking, Andrei and I had performed exceptionally well.
Switching back into captain roll, I took up my weapons and prepared to meet Akoni Farrin’s leader. I had a lot of questions for the man. The main inquiry was to find out if the previous captain, Donagh, and his ship had made it this far.
As Andrei secured the mooring lines to the dock, I lowered the gang plank. The clan leadership stood foremost of the group on the beach, the rest of the clan members in vast number behind them. I was astounded at the calm over the farrin’s populace. No farrin clan was that composed in the face of a visit from a Dwarkaa ship. There was usually a mixture of defiance, at what we were about to bring, and defeat at what they knew would happen.
Blood-lust roared through my veins, the typical gut response I always felt when landing at one of the assigned land masses. We always brought death and despair with us.
Looking over the leadership carefully, I noticed a few women among the group and felt shocked. What in the world? My curiosity overrode my desire for the kill and I strode down the wooden planks of the pier toward the beach. As I reached the end of the dock, one of the women, standing with the group of leaders, came forward to greet me. She was tall, regal looking and appeared much too confident for a woman.
Removing the sword from my scabbard I held it out to her and said loudly, “Men, control your woman!”
The men in the farrin clan leadership removed their weapons as one man, quickly stepped in behind and beside her, held their weapons toward me and stared me down. Every one in a clan leadership position is renowned for being a mighty warrior. I knew I was outnumbered and at a clear disadvantage. Utter amazement filled me that they would step in to defend this female and her stupidity in approaching a Dwarkaa Ship Captain.
The woman smirked at me as though that were common and not completely out of place. No one smiles, especially not during a Dwarkaa ship visit. What she said next will be forever engrained in my memory.
“So, Razmig, the new ship captain, has agreed to visit Akoni and to pay homage to his new commander, a woman.”
I couldn’t speak. Her words completely stunned me into stupefied wonder and confusion.
Four strong, muscular Akoni Warriors stepped forward, their swords pointed at my head. One said, “On your knees! Now!”
I stared from one to the next until my eyes stopped at the one who had given the command. “I don’t get on my knees before anyone but Casimer.”
My knees gave way as two of the men kicked my legs from behind.
I heard Andrei rushing up behind me. He said, “What is this? We have come at Kranti’s instruction. This treatment is unacceptable.”
The woman kept her eyes locked on mine and I glowered back. She slowly lifted her gaze to look at Andrei, who stepped up beside me. The clan warriors held him back from advancing any closer.
“We know who sent you and why you are here,” the woman said.
“Tell us your name,” I demanded
“My name is Xiomara,” said the woman.
“Who are you?” asked Andrei.
“I am the leader of Akoni. From now on you will follow my commands.”
My mouth felt as though it were filled with lamb’s wool. How could I ever obey a woman? It would be worse than climbing a steep mountain bound and blind folded.
Xiomara said, “I can see that this is difficult for you to stomach. Be assured that any disobedience or rebellion will be handled with the utmost force and discipline. My position in this clan was orchestrated by none other than Tarman Farrin. You would do well to humble yourself to its plans.”
Tarman Farrin? I stared at her in wonder. So it was true. Tarman Farrin had affected this clan and influenced it towards revolt.
“I demand to know of the previous ship that came to the southeast. What do you know of Donagh and his crew? And where is the Dwarkaa vessel?”
A man stepped up close to Xiomara and spoke quietly to her.
She nodded and turned back to me. “The ship has survived, the men have not”
“What have you done?”
“Donagh made his choice and his men suffered for it.”
“They are all dead then? Everyone has perished?”
Xiomara stared at me for a time before answering. “Before we go any further, before I give any more information, I need to know your level of devotion to the cause.”
Fury filled my chest. I no longer knew my devotion, not after the slaughter of all my men. “I answered Suma’s request that I volunteer for this mission.”
Andrei said, “And so did I except my summons came from Kranti in a dream.”
Xiomara kept her focus on me. “That does not mean you are devoted. You just lost a lot of men. That can affect a man’s allegiance.”
Xiomara was wise. I looked at her more closely and wondered what made her so bold, so confident and so strong. She seemed able to see through to my heart and it bothered me, a lot.
I replied defensively, “What do you know of war and danger? You are protected by the power of Tarman and Casimer’s vicious rule does not seem to reach to your shores.”
Xiomara said, “I have been trained as a warrior since childhood. Do not assume you are the only one familiar with death and destruction. It will take some time for the anger you feel to dissipate. The loss of your men fans the flames of hate and bitterness. But you did volunteer for this mission and that is commendable. You will need time to decompress and realign your allegiance to Tarman’s plan.”
“Tarman Farrin is the reason my men are dead. Why should I trust anyone from there?”
“Tarman is the reason that you and Andrei are still alive and here on Akoni Farrin.”
She made a good point. We were very clearly spared during the attack.
Xiomara said, “Bring them.”
One of the warriors said, “Drop your weapons.”
I threw mine to the sand. Andrei did the same. Two men grabbed my arms, pulled me to my feet and shoved me forward. They took up the rear, their weapons at our backs.
Xiomara turned to two of her warriors and said, “Take the ship and secure it.”
“Where are you taking it?” I demanded.
“That is no longer your concern.”
“My dead warriors need to be disposed of, buried.”
“We will take care of it.” Xiomara’s words floated to me on the wind as she kept her back to me and kept walking.
We journeyed up a steep incline that winded me significantly, through mountain passes, over a plateau and through a barren valley. Another incline left me feeling exhausted. I’d barely eaten. The numerous mugs of grog I’d downed earlier had worn off, leaving me feeling hungry and weak. We crested a rise and traveled down a sharp decline. I couldn’t see much from this height. Much of the view was blotted out by the howling, dirt-packed air.
As we descended further, the mountains on all sides began to create a buffer from the violent wind above and the view that slowly appeared astounded me. A vast, lush green valley lay below and the Akoni Clan Settlement was the most amazing development I’d ever laid eyes on. The overwhelming amount of green everywhere astounded me. There were groves of trees growing on all the mountain bases. A river ran through the center of the settlement and green grass spread out in every direction.
The buildings appeared newly constructed and organized in neat formations. From our height I could see that every structure was nicer than what I call home and I noticed that one group of homes was designed to resemble the petals of a flower. Some clusters of homes were in the shape of an arrow shaft, or a tree, or a sword, or a bow. Neat roadways, I couldn’t see what they paved them with from our elevation, 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 was where they kill their enemies. I wondered if Xiomara considered me too much of a risk to the revolution.
I’d seen a map of the supposed Akoni Settlement, drawn up by a previous ship captain on his tour of the southeastern farrins. According to the map, the settlement should have been positioned just beyond the coast, in a sparse valley where the land is as dry and unproductive for produce as any land mass I know. I had imagined that it wasn’t far from where we docked our ship. The extended hike and hidden valley cancelled the accuracy of any map.
As we descended to the settlement and entered the streets I was shocked at the newness of everything. Clearly this settlement was only a few years old and the buildings all recently constructed. The design and beauty of the place made my city on Dwarkaa seem like a borough for paupers.
The entourage broke up as we continued walking. Clan members broke away to their homes. Only the leadership kept on with us and directed us to continue down the streets and walkways until I realized we were headed to the outskirts of the settlement, in the direction of the outdoor theatre.
Xiomara strode into the theatre and stood on the platform facing the seats. The Akoni leaders around Andrei and I pushed us toward the front row and told us to sit.
We obeyed and sat but I felt exposed and angry. The Akoni clan leadership stood around us, their weapons trained on us as we all waited.
Xiomara said, “You wanted to know what happened to Donagh.”
I noticed movement in the trees to our right. A man approached, dressed in base clan leather, and ascended the steps to the platform. Shock hit me as he turned to face us.
“Donagh!” I stood to my feet. He was my former sea captain from Dwarkaa Farrin and clearly alive. There was no way I could sit in his presence.
Donagh said, “Sit, Razmig. I will tell you what happened to my ship and crew. I will tell you why I’m still alive.”
