The Eaorl (The Casere Book 2) (9 page)

‘I agree completely. Please follow me…’

Conn followed the Eaorl whose pace quickened as they walked around the many turns of the higgledy-piggledy mess of building that made up the castle.

She found a door and opened it. ‘These are my rooms in the donjon. This will be a suitable place to conduct negotiations. Did anything come up while we were walking for us to negotiate about?’ Eachna was undoing her top as she followed Conn in.

‘Indeed something large did… its significance may be surprising.’

‘Gyden, I hope so…’

~x067~

By the time Conn returned to the Inn that evening, they were eating dinner. Halla gave him another ‘told you so look of disapproval’. Conn gave her the ‘what choice did I have’ look, and she responded with the ‘well, don’t look so happy about it’ look. A surprisingly jealous theow – though nothing was mentioned about Jofrid and her midnight visits.

Derryth expressed his surprise at the choice of demesne; he was still playing with the box. ‘Kuita – I’ve never heard of it – and I don’t know where it is.’

Conn smiled; ‘It is the most northern demesne in Trokia and faces the Kanian gulf; it is also near Cyme. I think we will find something very interesting there – after we fix up the pirate problem.’

Jofrid made no hint of her recent familiarity with Conn either. It suddenly occurred to Conn that her change in behaviour was caused by the fact that all the Valkeri would be returning to Cyme soon – with the departure of the Rakians, the Valkeri would leave as well. She looked up from her meal.

‘I know of Kuita – the pirate lord calls himself the Eaorl of Kuita I think – or at least Thane. Of course, the coast line is treacherous; which is why the pirates flourish without fear of retribution. They know their way in and around the shoals. It might also surprise you to know that my ancestor was the last Eaorl of Kuita…’

Everyone was surprised ‘I thought that Valkeri did not know who their fathers are?’

‘Generally that is true – but some stories pass down. Halla knows who her father is because the son of the Eaorl of Tindara bragged about the number of times he bedded Sibbe. The Rakians lack discretion about such things. Sibbe chose poorly.’

Conn had personal experiences with Sibbe. He doubted that the Aebeling was an innocent in the exchange – she would have known exactly what she was doing.

Jofrid continued. ‘I know because my ancestor was actually conceived in Cyme – which is very unusual. Leoganda, Aebeling of Cyme, had two daughters – one was the ancestor of Sibbe and Halla while the other was my ancestor. It is said that Inga, Eaorl of Kuita, went to Cyme to ask for assistance in defeating the Pirates – but Leoganda refused – she did however fornicate with him before sending him away, so at least he went away with a smile on his face. My great grandmother was the result. So how are you going to be able to do what others can’t?’

Derryth, still playing with the carved box, burst out laughing. ‘Jofrid, tell me what the Feorhhyrde has done that anyone else could do?’ He looked at Conn keenly, handing the box to him. ‘This box is driving me crazy. So what is your plan? Do you have a plan yet? Not that it matters, because most things we do, we don’t have a plan for… least not one that make sense before it is done.’

Conn ignored the comment, studying the box intently. ‘Firstly we need to get the fyrd there. There is no easy access by road; we could march over the mountains from Futah but that is dangerous because there are people guarding that road – and it’s a small road. It would be much easier if we could cross the mountains from Zedah because there used to be a road there...’

‘Road? What road?

‘The bocere showed me some ancient papers that mentioned the length of time it took to visit Kuita by road.’

Conn had brought over bocere trained in Lyciak to work in the Trokian library to train people here – the program to transfer all the scrolls to codex, as was being undertaken in Lyciak, Moesiak and Silekiak, was a massive task and would take decades to complete. Lykia had its first university in operation – and the main fields of study included engineering, science, medicine, law, and bocere. The latter discipline included librarians, teachers, scribes, and stewards, amongst others.

‘So what happened to it? Roads don’t just disappear?’

‘True but I don’t know – but if it was still there, somewhere, it would save us having to organize a full sea borne attack from Dor or Menia. Too many people are exposed when landing. I want to avoid that. … Derryth, pass me the bamboo pin.’

Derryth did so and Conn took the sliver of bamboo and pushed into a small hole on the bottom.

Derryth admonished him. ‘I tried that – it doesn’t work’

‘Ah, but did you try all four?

‘At the same time? Of course not… I only have one piece of bamboo…’

Conn broke off and inserted three more pins into the base and as he did so, the base separated into two – a piece the same width and two thirds the length of the box disconnected itself from the base. Conn pulled it down to display a secret cavity inside the box. Inside was that would have been an oiled cloth; it was now black and hard, and it crumbled as he took it out.

‘So what do we have here?’ Conn asked rhetorically. Brushing away the black powder he unveiled a gold bangle – quite solid, and about three inches in diameter. He inspected it before handing it to Derryth. “Do you have any ideas?’

‘The script is ancient – even I cannot read it – but I think it is Sythan. But it looks like a Torc. Just one too small for an adult. You don’t suppose…’

‘Surely not…’

‘If so, it means…

Halla and Jofrid looked at each other in confusion, and annoyance. ‘Will someone please explain – enough with the riddles… what is it?’

Derryth handed the band to the girls. ‘The only person ever known to wear a Torc in Meshech was the Casere. The last Casere was Goibniu – he died around 580. Supposedly he was wearing the Torc when he died, but it hasn’t been seen since. The question is how could it be something that has been lost for so long turn up here – in Trokia – in a wooden box?’

‘It is certainly not something you see every day.’

‘And what does it mean?’ Halla was still confused.

‘And what are you going to do with it?’ Derryth asked.

‘I’m not sure – I can hardly wear it on my wrist – it is too …’ Conn was going to say small as he held the band over his fingers wrist to show the impossibility and it slipped out of his hand and slipped over his wrist to then fit perfectly. Everyone looked shocked.

‘That I certainly didn’t expect to happen. Well, Derryth, that answers your question. I carry it around with me.’

‘Is it safe?’ Halla asked, grasping the band and trying to remove it. ‘It doesn’t seem to want to come off.’

Conn retrieved his hand from Halla. ‘I don’t think it will come off now. As to why and how, that is information for another day. Anyway; to bed. Kiley has invited us to breakfast with her in the morning.’

Not long later Conn was in his room and answered a knock on the door; he suspected it would be Halla.

It wasn’t; it was Jofrid, wearing almost nothing.

‘I was wondering if you needed to be tucked in again…’

‘Always.’

~x070~

Later, as they lay hot and exhausted on the bed, naked, Jofrid noticed the sword that he had been given, Kiley, out of the box. She asked why. Conn fetched it and showed it to her, explaining the issues he had with it.

She was about to pick up the sword by the handle but stopped. Conn asked what the matter was.

‘Nothing, I just changed my mind. Is it just me or is that gem glowing slightly?’

Conn looked at her, looked at the gem and shook his head in disbelief. He walked to one of his packs and removed tools, including a small kunai.

Jofrid suddenly looked surprised, also scared. ‘What are you going to do?’

‘Nothing to worry about. The gem is safe.’ He sat down beside the naked Jofrid and explained. ‘I’m going to remove the gem from the pommel – whilst it looks small, it isn’t. If I’m not mistake, this is a heart-stone.

‘Lilith’s heart-stone? You have found Lilith’s heart-stone in the pommel of a sword from Silekia? A sword that you think belonged to Osstan, the first Casere?’

‘I won’t know until I take it back to Silekia.’ Conn had been busily removing the gold – it was quite soft – until he had fully removed it from the pommel; the gold was definitely an afterthought – but the cavity in the sword wasn’t – it was as old as the sword. As expected, Conn revealed a golden sapphire – surprisingly large. As he rolled it around in his hand the gem picked up light from the candles and seemed to progress them around the room.

They both looked silently for a while, until Jofrid spoke, huskily.

‘Amazing – do you know what that gem makes me want to do?’

‘Go and tell Halla?’

‘Definitely not. It makes me want to fornicate again.’

‘You know, I was thinking the same thing.’

‘I know, I can see…’

To some extent the breakfast was Kiley’s attempt to reach out to her cousins – being called vow breakers was probably not pleasant even if you are a Wealdend. Even tonight, although they were cordial, the two Valkeri didn’t reach out at all. Conn was still curious – much of the story was unclear to him.

‘Wealdend – being new to Meshech’, not something he liked to point out but it worked this time, ‘I am unclear what happened with Asta and Caoite – there seemed to be a lot going on around then?’

‘There was – in 699 the Eaorl of Lykia rebelled against the Healdend of Moetia – and the rebellion succeeded because the Healdend was assassinated by poison in 700. The treaty allowed for the Eaorl to be called Aebeling of Lykia. Then in 720 our ancestors slaughtered their masters in Cyme and have been able to keep control ever since. The pirates made a big error in their greed and lust – when Lasair led the rebellion women outnumbered men three to one in the castle – mainly because after Lasair had made the pact with the Gyden in 701, none of the children born were males. Lasair was a Folgere she was also a master archer, and all women trained in secret under her guidance. So after their captors were exterminated, it was relatively simple to protect the island.’

‘So where did the Pirates go to?’

‘They lived on their ships and some of the small islands near Kuita – and harassed the Eaorldom until they were able to defeat the Eaorl of Kuita in 756 – which is their base now. Before that, in 747, Dubgall, Eaorl of Kania rebelled – he wanted to be called Aebeling as well. He is of the male line of Trokia, so it was treachery as well.’

‘I gather he was successful…’ Conn had done as much reading as he could, but oral histories are sometimes different to written versions.

‘He was – he defeated and killed his cousin Gaithe in a battle near Dor – the Healdend has lost interest by now and allows the east to separate at the mountains. Dubgall becomes Aebeling but changes that to Healdend when Caoite dies in 754.’

‘Isn’t there a civil war as well?

Kiley smiled. ‘Eaorl, you are well informed. The nephew of the Healdend, Imar, rebels because Caoite does not make him his heir. Aodhan, the brother of the Healdend is his heir as he has no children – many died young – except for one small girl. But when Aodhan dies of illness, Caoite makes his daughter Fastvi his heir instead.’

‘Fastvi is of course Asta’s daughter.’

‘Asta was very young when she fell pregnant – and there are difference opinions between our two branches as to why she was pregnant. Our history is that she was raped by Caoite – but they,’ she pointed to her cousins, ‘believe that she seduced the Healdend.’ Kiley shrugged. ‘I do not know the truth because it was never spoken by Asta – but both are possible because she supposedly was both very beautiful and very small. Caoite could have easily overpowered her but there seems little doubt that her beauty was such that she could have easily seduced him.’

Jofrid interrupted. ‘The cause of her pregnancy is a bone of contention, but not a matter that causes our differences. It is what she did after that made her a vow breaker.’

‘I gather she didn’t go home as is the rule?’

Kiley agreed. ‘No she didn’t – in fact she hid her pregnancy – and only after her mother had returned to Cyme and left Asta in charge did that they learn about the pregnancy, and not long after Fastvi is born, Aodhan dies, and Imar rebels because he isn’t named Aebeling. He attacks the donjon and kills the Healdend in this very hall. Unfortunately for him, the men who were sent to kill the Valkeri failed – and enough survived for Imar to die in a flight of arrows also in this hall.’

‘So the only heir was Fastvi?’

Jofrid interjected before Kiley answered. ‘No – there were many heirs.’

Kiley agreed. ‘True, there were others – but the only male heir alive was Dubgall of Kania – and he had been decreed traitor so was ineligible – as were his sons. They were also half Ancuman…’

Conn interjected. ‘Half Ancuman – now that is interesting. The official pedigrees say Rakian.’

‘Some pedigrees have been ‘cleansed’ – if a bedda is of Rakia, there is a possibility that they are half or full Ancuman – depending on whose daughter the bedda is claimed to be.’ Kiley continued. ‘So with Dubgall ineligible – and there being no other male heirs, the only nominated heir left was female – and that was Fastvi.’

‘What happened next,’ Jofrid added, ‘is the real problem…’ Hall nodded in agreement.

Kiley shrugged. ‘Perhaps. There were three Eaorl that rebelled with Imar – the Eaorl of Ridlah, the Eaorl of Temah, and the Eaorl of Gebal. They had sons – young sons – who were given a choice – to die or to take one of Cyme as bedda. They then repudiated the actions of their fathers and declared that the next Wealdend of Trokia was to be Fastvi. They also nominated that Asta should be Guardian of Trokia until her daughter was of age.’

Conn was all admiration. ‘Very skilfully done.’

‘What Asta lacked in size, she made up with in intellect.’

‘And that was the breaking of vows?’

‘Indeed – as soon as the three Valkeri took the young men as bedda, they lost their bands – and when Asta took the vows of office as Guardian, her bands fell to the ground as well.’

‘What of those that didn’t break their vows?’

‘Asta didn’t need them so she sent them back to Cyme.’

‘And is that why there is no Cirice here?’

They all shrugged. ‘There has never been a Cirice here – the original town was in the north and after it disappeared under water, the Cirice also disappeared. And with no Folgere anywhere – no one has been called to Lilith for centuries.’

It was untrue but Conn didn’t contradict the women. Every single Valkeri was actually a Folgere – they just didn’t realize it.

A question suddenly occurred to Conn. ‘What happened to Asta?’

A smile came over Kiley’s face. ‘That is not a question anyone has ever asked before. We do not know for certain, but when Fastvi was twenty she left. It is believed that she returned to Cyme – to be with her sister. In fact, all the so called vow breakers left together.’

Jofrid disagreed. ‘They didn’t go back to Cyme – I would know about that.’

‘Perhaps, perhaps not. Godelda loved her sister and I believe she accepted them back as novices – and they were given new names. Not to hide their past but to let them start afresh with Lilith.’ Kiley turned and addressed Jofrid directly, she was definitely reaching out. ‘Jofrid, when you return to Cyme, please check for me. I know that you will be leaving soon. And if possible, ask Sibbe if I too may come home. I have lived longer than most – I have a desire to join with our Gyden as well. Will you ask for me?’

Jofrid paused as if to decline, but it was soon clear that her view had mellowed. ‘Of course, Wealdend, I will ask.’

‘Thank you; you will do me great service if you can ask for me,’

The relationship hadn’t thawed, but at least the sun was shining on the block of ice.

Some weeks later, Conn had just returned from another of his early morning breakfasts with the Aebeling and was fetching coffee – the Aebeling had served up lots of things but no coffee, and was about to join the others at their table when they were disrupted by the arrival of Abrecan. He was not looking worse for wear – in fact he was looking fatter than ever before. Obviously being a rich merchant suited him to a tee, and Conn told him so.

He dismissed the criticism. ‘This is Trokia – austerity and simplicity does you no good here – if you have money, you have to show it or you get no respect. Anyway, I’m getting old – gold will be no use to my corpse. To business – I’m still disappointed that you became the Eaorl of Kuita… anyway, that is not why I am here. I have received a message from our agent in Ridlah. Ships have been seen heading up the coast – Rakian and Gatinan ships – and quite a large number of them.’

‘Why didn’t you send a messenger?’

‘I needed to get out of my longhus – being very rich causes a lot of problems – everyone always wants something! There is a lot to be said for being poor.’

Conn looked at him curiously. Abrecan continued quickly. ‘But there is a lot more to be said for being very rich. Anyway, now that you know, I’ll return to my hovel. You know, I might just divorce the lot of them – after all, I can afford it.’

Conn watched him leave. ‘He did that once already – and then got lonely and had to make them all bedda again.’ Conn sent for one of his wiga and sent a message to the donjon.

Halla looked at him disapprovingly again. ‘Why do you look wet?’

‘I had a bath.’

‘Didn’t you have one last night?’

‘I had another this morning.’ They looked at him curiously. ‘Alright, the Aebeling has got one of the new big tubs that we are selling in the Emporium – she wanted to know how to use it…’

‘Seriously – you just get in and sit and wash.’

‘That is not the way we were using it. Anyway, to something more challenging...’

‘I don’t know,’ Derryth piped in, ‘both you and the Ailsly in a bathtub fornicating seems challenging enough for one day. Why don’t we just skip the rest of today and come back tomorrow.’

Conn ignored them. Conn had sent his ransom demands and had expected a response. Given the large number of ships about to arrive, Conn assumed that they had accepted his conditions without negotiation.

‘We need to tell Wilga to ready everyone to leave from Ushu. Derryth, will you go? Jofrid should go with you to prepare the Valkeri.’

A look passed between the pair, and Halla made a request. ‘If my master would release me temporarily, can I go with Derryth? I still feel … unwell ... and the ride will do me good. Jofrid can help you while I am gone.’

Conn was not inclined to disagree, and the pair prepared their packs and headed out, while Conn headed to the donjon with Jofrid in tow to speak to Devnet.

Devnet was surprised. ‘How do you know if they have been sighted?’

‘I have my ways – anyway just wanted to let you know that you will be going home soon. How is your shoulder?’

Devnet still had his arm in a sling most of the time but was able to more it about more every day. The arrows that had almost killed him had done a lot of damage to his shoulder.

‘Is it still painful?’ Conn asked as he watched Devnet exercise his shoulder.

‘Yes – but much improved. Thank you again. I’m still surprised that you would go to this effort, Eaorl. We are enemies are we not?’

Conn shook his head. ‘We are former enemies, Devnet, one day perhaps allies. I think that it is inevitable that I confront the Rakians. When that time comes, you may have to choose a side. Because of your blood ties with Rakia, I know it will be a hard choice for you, and I hope you choose wisely. For the sake of your people, you can’t afford to make a second mistake.’

‘I understand but I do not also.’ Devnet paused. ‘If nothing else, I owe you for saving my life. One day, I will repay that debt.

Several days later the Gatina ships started to dock; unloading goods and loading people. Some of it was directly reloaded onto Conn’s ships; to go to Menia, Dor or Atrak. The gold was formally handed over in person by the chief delegates of both Gatina and Rakia. Conn arrived in the hall last, and they waited for him. His old friend was the head of the delegation from Rakia.

Conn laughed. ‘Well, well, well. Look who the cat dragged in.’

Alric, Aebeling of Rakia, was trying very hard to be polite. The voice in his head wasn’t.

‘Thane, I would like to say it is good to see you again, but it is not. You are really starting to become annoying.’

‘I’m an Eaorl now.’

He tried to laugh. ‘Eaorl, eh! And which one of the windblown paddocks did they give you?’

‘Kuita.’

‘Kuita! Ha! Kuita is a relic of the past – it doesn’t even really exist anymore; a fit reward and a poisoned chalice.’

‘You are not the first to say that.’

The head delegate from Gatina was introduced as Miach, the Eaorl of Eriak. He was standing with Demne, Eaorl of Eryx – a much thinner, harder man after his months building and digging.

Conn couldn’t help himself. ‘Eryx – so good to see you again. Are you ready for a second round?’

Demne shook his head quickly. ‘Thank you, Eaorl, but I will have to beg your leave at this time. Perhaps some other day.’

‘Perhaps. So, is the gold all here?

‘It is. And a very large amount of it too.’ Halla has been supervising the counting, and she returned to the room and stood next to Conn.

Alric stared in surprise.

‘Cousin – why do you stand at his side?’

Halla held out her arms – showing the band-less wrists.

‘You are theow? You are theow to HIM?’ Alric was beside himself – he fought to control his urge to reef out his sword and run Conn through but he knew he was unable to do that. He knew that was suicide. Through his eyes, the voice in his head saw Halla and its sense of loss was almost equal to the level of hatred it felt for Conn. It was powerless to do anything about it, and Conn could feel the frustration like an unspent volcano.

The arrival of the Ratakian Eaorl, Amargein il Motya, broke the silence. He greeted his cousin the Aebeling and Halla, his other cousin. They had spent some time together during his captivity.