“You are very young to be a Lord,” observed Rykoma. “Is Lord Ridak your father, or are you the son of another Situ Lord?”
“No,” answered Lord Marak. “I am the son of a slave who serves Lord Ridak. Before you ask how I became Lord of Fardale, I will explain it for you. Lord Lashendo wanted to clear Sitari Valley to gain more land to increase his amount of harvestable crops. Without an increase in the amount of crops, Lord Lashendo would not be able to deliver on contracts he has already made. Your murder of Lord Lashendo did not alter the problem for the Situ Clan, but it did alter the available replacements for his position. I do not know how my selection will help the Situ Clan if I fail, but Lord Ridak thinks there is some way it will help. Basically, they allowed me to be Lord because they didn’t want one of themselves to fail, but I do not intend to fail.”
“How, then, will you succeed?” asked Tmundo. “You face the same problems that Lord Lashendo faced, plus there will be no comforting support from Lituk Valley. Is there not more reason for you to seek control of Sitari Valley than Lord Lashendo?”
“I can not tell you how I will succeed,” admitted Marak, “but I can tell you that invading Sitari Valley will not be the solution. I am a warrior and I respect what I have seen of your warriors. It would be foolish of me to waste my men by fighting over a valley that would have little yield this year. If I am able to make my contracts for this year, I can reduce the amount for next year and not require any more tillable land. My problem is getting a large enough harvest this year. The extra men I brought with me may end up tilling the fields.”
“Your words ring with logic,” smiled Tmundo. “Will you be replaced as Lord of Fardale if you succeed?”
“Not if I can help it,” Marak said. “I have bargained for a pronouncement that makes me the absolute ruler of Fardale. Lord Ridak cannot order my people to do something other than what I want. If he removes me, he cannot force me to relinquish my people. He can enslave me for defying him, but there is nothing he can do to regain the Vows of my people short of killing me.”
“It would appear that Lord Ridak is playing with a tiger when he thought he had hold of a housecat,” interrupted Rykoma. “Why should the Kywara make the same mistake?”
“Do not the Kywara have better things to do than watch over their neighbors?” retorted Marak. “Lord Ridak has enslaved my mother and perhaps killed my father. His treatment of people is indecent. I wanted this position as Lord of Fardale to prove that things can work without enslaving people. Do you think I would unburden my people just to turn them back over to Lord Ridak when all of the problems are solved?”
“Do you really intend to free your slaves?” asked Tmundo.
“I have many changes planned for Fardale,” declared Lord Marak. “Freeing the slaves is but one. I have read that the Chula are capable of powerful magic. Is this true?”
Rykoma and Tmundo exchanged uneasy glances. “What would knowledge of Kywara magic have to do with Fardale?” questioned Rykoma.
“Situ magic is limited and not properly used,” answered Marak. “I said my mother was a slave to Lord Ridak. What I did not say is that she is also a soil mage. I spent my younger years in her care and met other mages of air, sun, and water. I believe that the four types can be combined into more powerful magic. I have read that the Chula have different types of magic that have been long forgotten to those whom you call the flatlanders. If your shaman could instruct my mages to increase the fertility of my fields, my yield would increase without the need for more land.”
“Kywara magic is never revealed to flatlanders,” Rykoma replied promptly. “If we were able to help your mages, we would not do so.”
Tmundo sensed the disappointment on Marak’s face, but said nothing about it. “Was your father also a mage?” the Kywara Leader asked.
“I do not know,” Marak answered. “I was young when we were separated and I do not remember him. All I have of him is my necklace and my mother’s memories. She never mentioned him having magical capabilities.”
Rykoma reached over and plucked the necklace from beneath Marak’s shirt so he could see it. “It is very handsome,” the Grand Shaman appraised as he gently pushed it back into place. “It is sad to lose your parents at a young age.”
If Lord Ridak comes with soldiers to forcibly retake Fardale,” asked Tmundo, “will your soldiers fight for you?”
“Lord Ridak will try many other methods of regaining control before he sends his soldiers,” Marak remarked. “I will have plenty of notice. I believe that by then the answer will be yes. I have much work to do to win the hearts of my people first.”
Tmundo smiled as he realized that he was taking a liking to the young warrior-turned-Lord. “I think your courage and devotion to your ideals will win their hearts soon enough. I am willing to make a pact with Fardale. This is the offer of my pact. If the people of Fardale will recognize Sitari Valley as the property of the Kywara and respect our boundaries, the Kywara will refrain from any attacks on Fardale . . . as long as Lord Marak reigns.”
“But what if . . . “, started Marak. “You are a wise man, Leader Tmundo. You not only seek peace with your neighbor, but seek to keep a peaceful neighbor. I am indebted to you on behalf of the Fardale people. It would please me to visit with you again, if that is permissible.”
“You are welcome to visit, Lord Marak,” extended Tmundo. “May I assume that you also offer such an invitation?”
Marak hesitated before answering. “I would welcome such a visit,” he finally replied. “I have a favor to ask in addition to our pact. When I return to Fardale I would like to be escorted by two of your warriors riding their beasts. It will help my people to accept you as friends and neighbors if they can see you as people instead of nightmares.”
“A wise request,” smiled Tmundo. “As long as we can keep your beast from shying, I think it will do us both well. I would like to send some of my people, unannounced, to look at your fields. Perhaps there is some advice we can give you. Will such a journey be safe for my people?”
“I will make it so,” guaranteed Marak. “Still, it would be best if they were small groups at first.”
“No more than one or two,” grinned Tmundo, “and they will leave their beasts behind. Now, we should all need time for sleep. I will have someone show you a place to sleep and in the morning two of my men will escort you to Fardale.”
Marak nodded his thanks and was led to an empty hut where he found his weapons waiting for him. A simple mat adorned the floor of the hut with fresh blankets folded alongside. Marak stripped off his uniform and covered himself with a blanket. The mat was very comfortable and the Lord of Fardale swiftly drifted off to sleep.
* * *
Squad Leader Zorkil opened the door and shook Tagoro. Tagoro rose up on one elbow and squinted at the rising sun. “What is it Zorkil? Has he returned?”
“No,” worried Zorkil. “He has been gone all night and I am worried about him. The Chula are barbarians and will torture him if he is caught. I wish you would tell me what his secret weapon is.”
Tagoro laughed as he scooped water from the basin to his face and wiped it dry with a towel. “You never asked what his secret weapon was, Zorkil,” chuckled Tagoro. “Lord Marak’s secret weapon is his mouth. He believes that many problems can be solved just by talking about them. The thought is quite foreign in Khadora and Marak and I have always joked about it. He has gone to talk with the Chula. That is why he did not want any company. They will not consider one man a threat, but two or three would be treated differently.”
“So that is why he was so adamant about me staying behind,” understood Zorkil. “But I do not think the Chula will stop to talk with him. They will kill him before he gets one word out.”
“Do not underestimate your new Lord,” laughed Tagoro. “Marak has many strange ideas, but they make sense after he has a chance to explain them. If anyone can talk the Chula into being peaceful, he will succeed. Still, I share your apprehensions. He should have been back many hours ago.”