We settled into our new home but our hosts, Brone and Almana, were extremely nervous and seemed eager to keep their distance. Their gazes of revulsion and the twitching of their noses gave indication that perhaps we smelled badly. Spending weeks at sea without much fresh water for washing didn’t lend to cleanliness.
They had a good home with space and a yard with fruit trees and shrubs, gardens and fruit vines. I’d never in my life seen that much green anywhere. Obviously Dwarkaa gets a good amount of rain, more than any other farrin I know of.
Their yard was surrounded by a wooden barrier, what they called a fence, and there was some metal lattice that covered the surface and also extended above the boards. I assumed the partition was to keep thieves out.
Neighbors surrounded them but they also looked affluent and as though they were also business owners. All the homes in the vicinity were large and surrounded by significant yards and tall fences.
When we arrived there was little talk. We were given a light meal. Our hosts kept peering through their windows for any sign of trouble as we ate. Right after that we were given instructions of what to do in case Dwarkaa Royal Guards were to come looking for us. An exit door at the back of the house, close to our bedrooms, would help us escape. They then explained that, in the tall wooden fence around the yard, there was a small, indiscernible hatch close to the ground for escape. Taking a ninety degree angle from the back door should place us directly at the secret exit. They also clarified how to unlatch it and reattach it once safely outside. After the lecture, they insisted we retire for the night. I didn’t object. Fatigue weighed on me like an anchor.
After a restless night I awoke early, dressed in the scratchy, beggarly clothing I’d been given and went to find our hosts. The light was just beginning to shine through the cracks of the shuttered windows.
I found Almana sitting in a chair at a window; the shutters pulled open an inch, revealing a sliver of dim light that struggled through. Her eyes were glued on the outdoors and she bit her lower lip in worry while holding a steaming mug in her hands.
“Did you sleep?”
She jumped at my question, spilling some of the mug’s contents, turned to stare at me and placed a hand to her chest. “Don’t ever do that again.”
“All right. But did you sleep?”
“No.” She turned back to look outside.
“Is there trouble brewing?”
“We didn’t notice anything but that doesn’t mean nothings afoot. The Tonrar, they seem to know everything.”
“Where’s Brone?” I asked.
“He went to check on his shop, make sure everything is in order and to sell our produce. He opens the shop at certain times during the day. He’ll be back in an hour to eat with us.”
So, we were expected to eat together. I wasn’t used to that. With the light meal they’d given us the night before and the restless sleep I’d had, I was starving and craving the dried meat hung in my hut back home.
Almana turned to look at me. I hadn’t moved from my spot and my eyes were scanning the street outside the window, at least the best I could with the limited view. Through the sliver of window I noticed a few passers-by, likely some neighbors were out and about at this early hour eager to get to their shops as well.
“There’s a well in the back yard and buckets by the back exit. Take one, get some water and wash up. By your smell you haven’t bathed in weeks.”
“Isn’t it dangerous for me to walk outside?”
“The back yard is surrounded by foliage, trees and vines. The fence will hide you. No one will see you. The well is hidden from prying eyes.”
I nodded and headed to the back door, found the bucket and exited the house. The greenery that greeted me was like a balm to my troubled soul and the secluded oasis brought a peace that had eluded me all night. I noticed a secondary building on the property toward the corner of the yard, next to the fence. I wondered what they used that for.
Sounds of animals creating a ruckus, deep guttural growls, stopped me in my tracks. I heard the pounding of their legs on the ground and didn’t wait to see what was coming. I turned and ran for the door, closing it firmly behind me just in time.
The racket became outrageous as the creatures scratched and mauled the opposite side of the entrance. I stared at the door in terror, my chest pounding furiously as I tried to calm the crazy racing of my heart. They attacked the door with wild clawing and carried on with ferocious howling, the cacophony of noise deafening.
Almana came rushing from the front of the house. “I should have contained them. I did not think of it. I will go and secure the dogs now.”
“Dogs?” I asked. “What are they?”
Almana stared at me. “You’ve never seen a dog?”
“No.”
Her look of amazement would have made me chuckle but I was still too spooked over my encounter with the wild animals outside.
“You don’t have dogs on your farrin?”
“No. We have some sheep but very few other living things besides people.”
“That’s hard to believe.”
I didn’t know what to say so I simply stared at her.
“I’ll go secure them and then I will take you to see them. So you know.”
She slipped outside and I waited patiently for her to calm the raging beasts and lead them off. There was no window this side of the house so I couldn’t see a thing. I heard footsteps on the wooden floor and looked to see Akiko emerge from her room.
“What are you doing? And what’s that unearthly noise?” she asked, while she rubbed sleep from her eyes.
“I was told to wash up at the well outside. I was nearly attacked by some wild animals. Almana is taking control of them.”
“Wild animals?”
I never answered.
Akiko said, “Where’s breakfast?”
“We’re apparently all eating together later.”
“Why? I’m starving and could eat a sheep single handedly.”
“You’ll have to wait. Almana will likely expect you to wash before the meal.”
“I’m going back to bed. Call me when the morning meal is ready.”
I watched her walk away and allowed my heart to further settle. There was so much to learn here and it made me feel exhausted already. The outside door eventually opened and Almana signaled for me to come. Cautiously I stepped back outside and followed her. We rounded the corner of the house and there, next to the fence, two ferocious animals were tied to a post in the ground. They were about the size of sheep but more agile, with longer legs and certainly much more vicious. Their teeth were exposed and they snarled at me when we got close. They started making that racket again and the noise they made caused me to place my hands over my ears in protest.
Almana moved her arm to signify the wild beasts and said, “These are our dogs. They help protect our property from invaders and thieves. They also notify us when the Tonrar are coming. They feel them in the air and bark wildly when they sense them closing in.”
“That’s what you call the racket? They bark?”
“Yes. That’s what we call it.”
“Will they hurt me?”
“Yes. They are trained to kill. They go for the neck. I would suggest you spend time with them. Let them get used to you. The more time you spend with them, the more they will grow familiar with your presence here.”
“I would kill them long before they ever get a chance to kill me.”
“Then you would no longer be welcome here. Don’t you dare touch them.” Almana eyes looked fierce and determined.
I guessed she was also good at war and probably carried a weapon with her at all times.
I nodded, feeling new respect for her. I turned to the noisy dogs, amazed at the strange beasts before me. I was surprised that Almana managed to contain these crazy animals without getting hurt and was astounded at her ability.
“Now go use the well and wash. There will be no morning meal for you without a wash.”
Her bossy attitude grated on me but I had no choice. I needed food.
Almana was about to turn away when I noticed something at the edge of the property close to the fence.
“What are those,” I pointed to the three mounds of dirt covered by flowery growth and outlined with rocks.
“You ask too many questions. Some things are best not discussed.”
“Were they your children?”
A look of pain filled her eyes and, after a moment of silence and a heavy sigh, Almana said, “Position doesn’t matter to Casimer. Privilege always comes with a cost.”
“What happened to them?”
“Two of them were executed for playing in the street as Casimer’s Royal Guards were passing by. The other mound is empty. He was taken as a babe. No one knows what Casimer does with them. But I assume the child is dead.” Her eyes watered as she spoke but she bridled her sorrow and grew stoic, her lips tightening into a stubborn line.
“I’m sorry for your losses. I should not have asked.”
She turned away and walked toward the back entrance.
So even the privileged Dwarkaa-born were also forced to endure Casimer’s cruelty. No wonder there were some of the population eager to join the revolution. I was doubly glad I’d decided never to bear a child. I’d never needed or wanted that kind of heartbreak.
I headed to the well and inspected it. The well was built up with stone walls and the rope attached to a pole to the side made it clear how to access the water in the deep pit.
I’d become used to my stink during the long voyage. All of the crew members had and we ceased to notice the smell that floated between us. My head was crawling with all sorts of critters and it would take a few washings to rid my scalp of the unwelcome guests.
A small bench was located beneath one of the trees and I went to it and sat for a few moments before starting the daunting task of cleaning myself. Birds chirped in the branches above me. The sound was comforting. There were so few birds on my farrin.
Later, after a good wash, I felt so much better. My head itched less and my body didn’t smell quite so badly. Almana promptly sent Akiko outside to wash when she emerged from her room. Brone came home and waited with Almana until Akiko finished her washing.
I sat at the table with Brone while Almana finished preparing the last of the meal.
“I need to warn you,” Brone said, “don’t ever place your hand on the fence. It is electrified and will cause damage to your body if you touch it.”
“I don’t understand.”
“When you go into service for Casimer you will discover he has many modern conveniences. Electricity is one of them. We, Almana and I, and others like us, business owners, are allowed a stipend of electricity to protect our produce from thieves and the like. We decided to put our allotted amount into protecting our border. Some business owners put less of their allotted electricity into border control and choose to have a light in their home. They pull a chain and a light magically comes on. This is powered by electricity. Because we have such a wealth of produce growing on our property we have become a target for the starving masses and thieves, thus our decision in protecting our border. We light our house the way the masses light theirs, with oil lanterns.”
“I noticed them last night.”
“Is this how you light your homes on Akoni Farrin?”
Akiko entered the room at that moment, her short wet hair clinging to her scalp and rivulets running down her neck to soak her rough garments. She said, “Yes.” She took the chair on the end, crossed her arms and stared at Brone.
He then went ahead and informed her of what he had just warned me about.
“Shouldn’t we have been warned before we were sent out into your yard?” She asked, accusation and mistrust in her eyes.
“You look unharmed. That’s a good sign you stayed away from it.”
Akiko responded by a hard glare.
Almana came to the table bearing a large metal bowl and set it in the center. “Let’s dig in.”
We allowed the two of them to help themselves before Akiko and I dished the meal onto our plates. Almana was clearly not the best cook, despite the wide variety of produce she had at her disposal. I would have preferred my own dried meat back on my home farrin.
We finished our meal, regaling Almana and Brone about our long journey to Dwarkaa on the rough seas. They’d never traveled by sea before, not even in a small vessel. They were fully land dwellers. They didn’t even know of any sea captains in their circle of acquaintances. They’d heard of a family whose son had gone into service for Casimer years ago as an Appolake Warrior, a ship crew member who went on farrin patrol. He had died on a cursed trip on the rough seas many years ago, the ship assumed to have perished on the turbulent waves.
After the meal, Almana gave us each a mug of strong brew.
The taste was extremely bitter and the liquid dark as night.
I grimaced after the first sip, pointed to my mug and asked, “What is this?”
“The concoction is made of coffee beans. They grow on the far side of Dwarkaa and Casimer has commissioned a crew that harvests it every year. Only the wealthiest are allowed purchasing it.
“It must be an acquired taste,” I said.
“The effects of it are worth it. The dark liquid gives a temporary surge of energy.”
I nodded but placed my mug on the table, not sure if I was brave enough to down it.
That’s when I heard the dogs outside start making that ruckus that caused goose bumps to form across my flesh.
Brone and Almana stood to their feet immediately. Almana began to clean up the kitchen, hide what she could and remove all signs of our presence.
Brone pointed to the back of the house. “Get to your rooms now! Close the doors. Remove all signs of occupancy. Hide beneath your beds and cover yourselves.”
Akiko and I scurried from the room while Almana’s frantic clattering in the kitchen continued.
As I reached my bedroom, pounding from the front door reached my ears. I threw everything of personal value below the bed before I pulled a blanket with me, crawled underneath and concealed myself the best I could.
The house was warm and being covered by a blanket only made things worse. I was sweating profusely and struggled to breathe. I pulled the blanket down slightly to give myself some air and so I could hear what was coming from the other room. I also removed the knife at my waist to defend myself if it became necessary.
I heard voices, Brone speaking to whoever had come to visit or check up on him. Fear rode my back as I thought of the worst case scenarios. If the Tonrar had come along with guards from the Royal Palace Grounds we were done for. With that thought, I threw the blanket back over my head. With my entire body covered I hoped I would go unnoticed.
The voices kept on for some time. They didn’t seem agitated and the noise level didn’t seem to shift. I was tempted to go on out there, reveal myself. I wasn’t a coward and I could take anyone down, anytime. Hiding wasn’t my style. Confrontation and war was my specialty.
There was no sign of the Tonrar’s presence, no heaviness in the air, no dark foreboding presence floating about, crushing me and making it hard to breathe. At least we weren’t forced to contend with the untrustworthy wraiths.
Suddenly I heard my bedroom door swing open and I froze.
