Book I of III: The Swords of the Sultan (25 page)

Yaush answered, “Po visha blaka fe mao,
Yeea.” (33)

He next introduced the two, “Baltor. Yeea.
Yeea. Baltor.”

They nodded at each other with a small, shy
smile.

Only two seconds later, Yeea looked back over
at Yaush and asked another question, “Mensa pagor Jimnee?” (34)

Yaush answered, “Sap pagor peov—gemnes vas
bagusa!” (35)

Yeea then gazed at Baltor with beautiful
eyes, and after throwing a quick but equally beautiful smile, she
greeted, “Visha blaka fe mao, Baltor.” (36)

Baltor’s brain suddenly lapsed as his heart
took all the blood—he had already forgotten how to say “good
morning to you” even though she had just said it to him.

As if psychic, she repeated, “Visha blaka fe
mao.”

With a sheepish smile, Baltor looked back
down at the table. “Visha blaka fe mao.”

Yeea’s gaze fell over to Yaush as she asked,
“Larsa Yaush, lamars trisha Ta eutra mao po maos jaosaim vas
brasha?” (37)

Yaush responded after a point toward both
Baltor and himself, as he said, “Trisha maotaos pasant casa cal
barags vigi runags, paomche po richita, mentos oansa manati alasvo
leeta, pasant?” (38)

Yeea replied with a very chipper tone of
voice, “Onas lea!” (39)

Even though Baltor was completely lost as to
what they were saying, as well feeling a bit embarrassed and shy,
he silently listened anyway through their short conversation, while
continuously looking at the table.

That is, until Yeea had relayed her last
excited statement, causing Baltor to throw his glance back up at
her. She purposefully threw another sweet smile directed at Baltor
before leaving to place the order.

Once gone, he averted his gaze back toward
Yaush, and noticed that the giant had already begun to look
nonchalantly around the room—just in case he might have some more
of his language to teach, Baltor mainly kept his gaze on him.

A minute later, Baltor observed a look of
amazement and happiness suddenly cross Yaush’s face. Only a second
later, the giant abruptly stood up, which caused the sounds of his
chair to screech on the floor, while calling out, “Salami!”

Baltor looked toward the direction that Yaush
was looking and talking, and he saw a seven-foot tall, thin, and
older-looking giant who had light-brown skin. The color of his
neatly groomed facial beard and long braided hair was mainly auburn
intermixed with quite a bit of silver. He wore old brown leathers
throughout—why, even this giant’s wide-brimmed hat and boots came
from the same exact leather material.

With a gesture of his hand toward their
table, Yaush asked, “Salami, tai aserti jaosaim, yosbe mao pasant
sakti maitai vas brasha?” (40)

At this point, Baltor assumed that Salami
must be this man’s name—Salami’s gaze fell to Baltor for a moment,
and in the next, he looked back at Yaush while beginning to
approach.

Once near, Yaush said, “Salami, caloph hup
tai blaka pasusco, Baltor. Mit hrai semesa tai jaosiam trisha ara
loots e valon otra illansis, sot gap trisha net ara Valakanese. Ta,
lerta e breta oaste fretha yamika, trisha retis ara mautau wersa
dravinsky. Yosbe mao pasant aserti po kahusho shari mao trisha ara
cas vigi gap illansis, tai jaosaim?” (41)

Before the time that Yaush had finished
asking his question, Salami had already gotten himself comfortable
in a chair at their table.

Upon completion of Yaush’s question, Salami
puckered his lower lip out just a bit while scrunching his thick,
auburn eyebrows. He next nodded, looked back over at Baltor, and
tried speaking in three different languages, none of which Baltor
understood. The only thing that Baltor did could tell was that they
all sounded like a question.

Finally, on the fourth language, Salami asked
with an extremely thick accent in the language of Thorium, “Do you
perhaps know this tongue?”

Baltor beamed a smile that reached from ear
to ear before replying with just as much excitement in the same
language, “Yes!”

The man introduced with his own wide smile:
“My name is Salami—what was your name again?”

“My name is Baltor.”

In the next moment, Yeea came back with a
tray of food that contained two filled mugs and two heaping plates
of steaming food with forks stuffed into them—cheese and sausage
omelets. As she began to set everything onto on the table, Baltor
smelled a very pleasing and spicy aroma, which simultaneously made
his stomach growl in desire.

Salami asked, “You are from Thorium,
yes?”

Baltor looked from the food and back up to
Salami, while answering, “Actually I’m from Pavelus, but I fluently
speak this language, too.”

Because Baltor, Salami, and Yaush were all
extremely excited at the breakthrough in the language barrier, none
observed the desiring and wistful look in Yeea’s eyes—her eyes had
been firmly locked onto Baltor throughout the entire time she
placed all the food and drinks onto the table.

Almost right after Yeea had completed her
task, a slightly disappointed look crossed her face because Baltor
hadn’t even glanced at her once.

It was then that Yeea began to believe that
the strange and unexplainable feelings she had for Baltor obviously
weren’t mutual. A moment later, it dawned on her that she still had
one other table to tend to, so she turned to leave.

Just as she was about to head to that table,
Yaush noticed the movement and asked, “Yeea. Al puor, pasant?”
(42)

She turned back around quickly, asking with a
bit of excitement,

“Gav?” (43)

Yaush asked, “Salami, lamars yosbud mao jamir
vas brasha?” (44)

Salami turned his head to look at Yeea, and
answered, “Ta’ll casa yani laos’re casaoman.”(45)

Yeea’s eyes betrayed a bit of disappointment
reflected in her voice, as she said, “Onas lea…” (46)

Her tone of voice immediately drew looks of
confusion from all three men, as none understood the reason for her
disappointed look. Neither could they ask because she was already
rushing to the kitchen with her back to them, while bearing an
embarrassed and rather disappointed look in her eyes and face.

In unison, the three men looked at each other
in confusion while simultaneously shrugging, to which they began to
burst out laughing from all the parallelisms.

About thirty seconds later or so, Yaush was
the first one to stop laughing. Now bearing a serious look in his
face, he asked Salami a question. Once done with what he had to
say, several moments later, Yaush took a giant bite of his
food.

Salami interpreted seriously, but this time
in Thoriumite, “Yaush wants to know what brings you through these
parts.”

Baltor answered, “I am on a quest.” He took
his first bite of the deliciously spicy sausage, and both his
stomach and his taste buds craved more.

Due to Baltor’s response, Salami bore a
curious look but instead of probing further, he interpreted the
response to Yaush.

With a nod, Yaush said something with a bit
of excitement, which took about a dozen seconds to Salami. In turn,
Salami interpreted in the language of Thorium, “We are a people of
peace, but we know that there are other people who are not for
peace. Do you understand, and are you for peace?”

Baltor nodded while continuing to eat, and
once he had swallowed the remaining bit of eggs and sausage in his
mouth, he said, “Gav.”

Immediately Yaush appeared to relax, for he
picked up his fork and stuffed some food into his own mouth.

Salami added, “Even though Yaush has never
left Valakan, I am a world traveler and businessman myself, and
have even been to Pavelus several times on business. Had to hire a
Pavelian translator to assist me, of course. Anyway, enough about
me. My personal question for you is this: Is your quest for Sultan
Brishavus Helenus, perhaps to expand the Sharia Empire this
way?”

Baltor finished taking a long draught of the
sweet juice. He then looked up at Salami, shook his head, and
answered, “No—Busk. My quest is my own personal quest. I was trying
to pass through these mountains and east toward the jungles before
I was jumped.”

With a very curious look in his eyes, Yaush
tapped Salami, who in turn interpreted what Baltor had just
said.

Yaush almost choked on his food as he had
begun to laugh. After managing to get the food down the right pipe,
yet still continuing to chuckle, he said something to Salami.

Salami then interpreted, “Yaush says that you
were very, very lucky. He says that he was hunting for food when he
saw you on the ground; a scarain was sitting right on top of you,
already ripping and tearing into you with his claws and teeth! How
do you say scarain in your language?”

“White tiger with very long fangs.”

“Ah….white tiger with very long fangs.”

Baltor threw his gaze over to Yaush, and
after delivering a bow of his head, Baltor said, “Gemne mao,
Yaush.” (47)

Yaush nodded his head, and then he said
something for a few minutes to Salami. Once done, Yaush took
another bite of food.

Salami turned his head back to Baltor, and
interpreted, “Yaush says that you can stay at his home as long as
you like. He says that his wife Jimnee is making you and your camel
the proper gear to travel safely through these mountains, though he
does not know how long this task will take. He says that once you
have finished your quest, you are more than welcome to come back at
any time. He says that though he does not know why he likes you, he
does.”

Just then, a six-and-a-half-foot tall man who
was wearing a dirty apron, obviously the cook, brought out a
serving tray that contained yet another plate of an omelet stuffed
with sausage and cheese, as well a mug of drink.

Just after having swallowed another mouthful
of his own food, Baltor answered, “Gemne mao, Yaush.” He took
another large bite.

The cook not only placed this order in front
of Salami, yet he even decided to stick around, beginning his own
conversation with Yaush and Salami. (48-52)

By the time they finished this conversation,
several minutes later, Baltor had finished everything on his
plate—his stomach felt stuffed.

“Gemne mao, Paelsho.” (53) Yaush and Salami
replied in unison, and immediately the two began to roar out their
laughter from yet another parallelism.

Meanwhile, Baltor definitely looked confused
at the “second bout of laughter” without him involved, and so he
asked Salami, “What’s going on?”

After Salami had stopped laughing about ten
seconds later, he explained, “Oh—just a misunderstanding. Remember
when we were all laughing a bit ago? Yeea, our waitress, thought we
were all laughing at her right after she had taken my breakfast
order, which was just a big misunderstanding. Yaush explained to
Paelsho, the cook, that we were really laughing at ourselves!”

“That’s true—by the way, gemne mao,
Salami.”

“For what?”

“For taking the time to explain to me what
was going on.”

“No problem, Baltor. You, I can tell, are a
good guy!”

“Gemne mao,” Baltor answered with a
smile.

Though Yaush was nearly done eating his meal,
Salami had only eaten a few giant bites himself—seven-eighths was
still there.

Yaush said something for another thirty
seconds-or-so to Salami, in which Salami took this opportunity to
eat a couple more bites of food. Once Yaush had completed speaking,
Salami nodded his head and looked over at Baltor.

Upon swallowing, Salami interpreted, “Yaush
has changed his mind. There is something he definitely likes about
you.”

Baltor asked, “What’s that?”

Salami answered, “The fact that you are
willing to try to learn our tongue. Most foreigners never make that
attempt.” With that, he pushed back his chair, which caused his
chair to screech on the floor. He stood up from the table and said
in Baltor’s tongue, “I will be gone for most of the day as I have
important errands to tend. I will stop by Yaush’s home this
evening, and we talk more, okay?”

Baltor replied, “Gemne mao, Salami.”

Just before Salami left the restaurant, he
threw some foreign currency on the table, heartily waved, and said,
“Taumaploth.” (54)

Baltor figured this meant “farewell” and
repeated, as did Yaush.

By the time they made it back to Yaush and
Jimnee’s cabin, the two men began to target practice in the
backyard using a steel longbow and arrows—Yaush was quite impressed
with Baltor’s precise shooting skills! In turn, Baltor was just as
impressed by the giant’s incredible power and deadly accuracy!

That evening around eight, Salami stopped by
the cabin, and the four of them shared a great dinner that Yaush
had cooked in the cauldron for the last few hours or so—mutton and
spicy potato stew. Jimnee had been taking a nice break, relaxing in
her chair.

Once dinner was over, and mugs of ale were
placed into everyone’s hands, except for Jimnee’s, they all talked
long into the night—already had she begun to work like there was no
tomorrow in the far corner of the cabin. Periodically, Baltor
watched in amazement her sew like a pro, but not by hand.

Actually, she used a high-tech sewing
machine, and by pumping her right foot repetitively onto the
attached foot pedal, power was supplied that allowed the sewing
needle and thread to sew the fur skins together. Never had Baltor
seen a machine like this before!

Besides the “friendly and intelligent
conversations” the men shared, in which Yaush later admitted he was
the inventor of the sewing machine, as well a few other clever
inventions he had made: Baltor pointed out—late, late in the
night—that he needed to go to bed right away, as he had to leave
early the next morning.

Once Salami had interpreted this news, Jimnee
immediately made him interpret that she had only then just finished
making Baltor his new hat, coat, pants, gloves and boot covers, and
that she wanted him to try it all on, in case something had to be
altered.