FARHAYVEN: VENGEANCE (69 page)

     “Protest _ of this was conducted by all the inhabitants of these villages at Southverge Town. Violent _ the protests became of this so the minvian-in-command of the town’s garrison ordered a crackdown, in which 15 men and women were killed. Reason _ these people had of this to protest was the fact that the provincial governor did not provide aid to them but insisted on collecting taxes instead,” added Serene.

     Ray shook his head in disbelief. He wondered if the incident was a result of the lack of better judgement or due to intentional oppression.

     “Name _ what was his of this of the provincial governor at the time
?
” enquired Ray.

     “Name _ his of this was Key Sheppal, who is currently the administration minister,” answered Clover.

     “Villagers _ of them, what happened after the crackdown
?
” asked Ray.

     “Villagers _ it is unknown what has happened of them for all 10 villages were found empty and abandoned. Assumed _ the minvian-in-command did of this that the villagers had abandoned our kingdom and journeyed to foreign lands. Villages _ those of these were later resettled by war refugees from North-western Falls,” answered Serene.

     “Report _ we shall do of this to King Patrum now,” decided Ray and he walked out of his office, with Clover and Serene following closely behind.

     An impromptu meeting was called for by King Patrum. All the Provincial Guard Commanders, the Oceanic Guard Commanders, the Council of Ministers and the provincial governors were summoned. It was fortunate that Clover and Serene discovered the reports as early as they did, for most of the military commanders were scheduled to leave Palace Liberty the next morning to return to their posts. King Patrum sat on his throne with a grave expression on his face. Prince Patrum sat beside his father, to his left. His face was not any more cheerful than his father’s. Ray, Clover and Serene were seated behind the Provincial Guard Commanders.

     “Please read the reports laid out on your desks, gentlemen,” said the king coldly.

     All those who were present did so accordingly.

     The Sollenthars looked at Administration Minister Key Sheppal’s face as he read the reports. To their surprise, the minister’s facial expression was neutral.

     “Minister Sheppal, is the information in these reports true and accurate
?
” asked King Patrum firmly, after he felt that all those present had finished reading the reports.

     “Yes, Your Highness, they are,” answered Minister Sheppal as he stood up.

     “Why did you not provide aid to the 10 villages named in these reports and why did you continue to collect taxes from them
?
” asked King Patrum.

     “Your Highness, at that time my deputy who was in charge of this area was lacking in good judgement. He was young, inexperienced and desperately eager to prove himself. He thought only of collecting as much tax as he could to show how productive he was. He cared not for the welfare of the people under his responsibility. I was away on an errand at the time and when I came back, I overrode my deputy’s decision as soon as possible, but it was too late. The protests had become violent and the local minvian was forced to take firm measures to control the situation. I sent aid to the 10 villages but when the aid arrived, these villages were already empty. As a disciplinary action, I had sacked this deputy. Then I made arrangements for these villages to be resettled,” answered Minister Sheppal.

     King Patrum gave Minister Sheppal a stern stare. The minister shied his eyes away and gazed at the floor.

     “Why was this incident not reported to me
?
” asked the king.

     “I apologise, Your Highness
!
That was bad judgement on my part
!
I had thought that the issue was settled. All that could be done had been done. I had mistakenly thought that I should not trouble you with such a trivial matter. Furthermore, we were all occupied with handling the Aridytes. We were fighting the Third Liberation War, and I did not want to distract you from securing the freedom of North-western Falls. Obviously I was wrong,” explained Minister Sheppal.

     “Yes, you were
wrong
,
very wrong
indeed
!
Your
poor
leadership of your deputy and your mismanagement of the crisis has caused us a very huge problem
!
If you had reported this incident 20 years ago, regardless of the war, there were certain things we could have done
!
We
could have
sent agents to search for these farmers. We
could have
offered them our official apology. We
could have
helped them to resettle in their villages. There were several other methods which we could have tried in order to reverse, or at least reduce the effects of the damage that you had incurred. You
chose
the
easy
solution
instead of
the
right
one
!
You
were supposed
to choose the
right
solution
instead of
the
easy
one
!
Do you realise that it is because of you that the Shadow Deathmerchant Clan came into existence
?
If you
make
any more
mistakes
from this moment onwards, you will not be forgiven; is that understood, Minister Sheppal
?
” warned the king.

     “Understood, Your Highness,” replied Minister Sheppal.

     King Patrum looked around his throne room with cold, steely eyes.

     “Does anyone have any suggestions to offer in light of this latest development
?
” he asked.

     “Your Highness, I suggest roadblocks near the surrounding mountains of these 10 villages be put up and military patrols of these areas be increased,” suggested Recavian Hammer Genox, standing up.

     “We support that suggestion,” committed Recavians Hawk Loyz and Sabre Plazer, both of them standing up as well.

     “Very well, execute this suggestion. Does anyone else have a suggestion
?
” asked the king.

     All who were present were silent. King Patrum dismissed them all. Everyone left the throne room except for the king and his guards. The recavians congratulated Ray, Clover and Serene on a job well done. Members of the Council of Ministers gave the Sollenthars cold, begrudging looks. Prime Minister Trex walked by them and casually uttered the word ‘troublemakers’.

      The flames in the throne room burn ever so brightly. King Fulmar Patrum seats restlessly in his seat. He shakes his head in disbelief and wonders how such a disastrous handling of a crisis could ever have occurred in his kingdom and during his kingship. And worse still, he wonders why it takes him twenty years to find out about it. And finally, he wonders what sort of vengeance twenty years of offence, mistreatment, injustice, anger and animosity will bring.

AN ENCOUNTER WITH A RECEIVER

     The
5
th
Morning of Third Month of Dry Season
begins promisingly. The sun shines brightly, the breeze blows gently and the birds chirp melodiously. In the town of Southgust, at the southern end of Windswept Forest, the townspeople go about their morning activities just like they did the day before. Traders set up stalls and shops at the market-place. Buyers search, haggle and shop for items they require or desire. And petty thieves make quick snatches for a lazy living.

     Suddenly, the ground shook violently accompanied by a loud rumbling sound. The flimsy wooden structures of the market stalls began to collapse. Merchandise displayed on wooden stands fell onto the ground and were strewn in all directions. Men and women fell onto their knees and buttocks. Solid multi-storey stone buildings cracked and collapsed. Tall wooden houses fell apart. One fortunate thief had managed to escape from his captors during this confusing turn of events. He had stolen some gemstones only moments earlier. But alas, as he ran out of the market, he was killed by a falling stone balcony that got torn off a nearby building.

     Then just as suddenly as it had started, the shaking stopped. If took a few moments for everyone to recompose themselves. Several buildings had collapsed and there were calls for help coming from them. The masses rushed into these buildings and began digging, pulling out as many survivors as they could. They counted their lucky stars, for they only suffered a handful of injuries, but no fatalities, except for the unfortunate ‘fortunate’ thief, or so it seemed.

     Up on a nearby mountain range, the wall of a large dam began to crack. Several decades prior, the townspeople had constructed the dam to control the flow of water of the nearby river so as to reduce the likelihood of floods that frequently occurred here in Wet Season. Later on, large bamboo troughs were connected to the dam wall and this had brought water directly into the town. But now the troughs were shaken into disarray and the water wasted away onto the ground. Slowly and one by one, the stones and rocks that made up the dam wall began to fall loose. Drops of water trickled through the hairline cracks in it. Then finally, with a loud crack and boom, the dam wall gave way, and the vast volume of water the size of a small lake washed into the river. The narrow river then flooded its banks.

     The townspeople were caught by surprise as large waves of muddy river water gushed over them. Children and infants were swept against building walls and pillars, or pulled under and drowned by strong undercurrents. Men and women were washed away like sandcastles against ocean waves. Many long moments later, the waves subsided, but not the flood. The townspeople wadded in the waist deep murky waters and searched for survivors. Then they started crying as they held the lifeless bodies of their friends and relatives. The men and women of Southgust questioned in their hearts ‘Oh
!
Nature, why are you so cruel to us
?
Why indeed
?
’

     The fierce afternoon sun seared all the lands below it. A Royal Guard runner found Minvian Ray Iddell in his office and handed him a despatch. Upon breaking the waxed seal, unfolding the despatch and reading its contents, Ray’s eyes narrowed in disbelief, as if to read carefully every single word so as to be absolutely sure of its meaning. Taking out a piece of paper, he wrote down a short reply and then he folded it and sealed it. Then he handed it to the runner. The runner bowed and left the office immediately.

     Ray went into Clover’s office and was glad to find the Cousins Genox there. Without saying a word, Ray placed the despatch that the he had received onto Clover’s desk and the both of them bent forward to read it.

     “Mobilisation _ Serene, you are to get 1
st
and 2
nd
Rivers ready for the immediate of this to Southgust Town. Equipments _ of these, you are to bring tents, food and medical supplies; then your subordinates are to pack their personal equipment and the personal equipment of the rest of the pond and be ready to move out in one hour,” ordered Ray.

     “Understand _ I do of this, Minvian Iddell
!
” replied Serene, then she bowed to Ray and left immediately.

     “Procure _ Clover, you and 3
rd
, 4
th
and 5
th
Rivers are to do of this of as much building tools, chariots, carts and horses as you can get from the palace storerooms and stables and be ready to move out in one hour,” commanded Ray.

     “Understand _ I do of this, master
!
” replied Clover, then she bowed to Ray and left immediately.

     Ray found Lance and Spirit in Lance’s quarters, which was located just next to Ray’s. He told Lance to pack up and then he went to his quarters to do the same. Spirit the White Wolf wagged his tail in excitement. He sensed something interesting is about to happen.

     Two days later, at mid-morning, Royal Elementhar Pond approached the edge of Southgust. The ground was wet and soggy. Ray could see the extent of the devastation. The water level in the town was knee deep. The townspeople had piled up rubbles of rock and stone to form tiny pockets of elevated, dry ‘islands’ for them to cook, sit or sleep on. Their clothes were soiled and their facial expressions were hollow. Many were still mourning the dead, which were collected and placed on a few of these dry ‘islands’ since they could not yet be buried. What seemed odd to Ray, though, was the lack of stray animals or escaped pets running around.  Were all of these animals killed in the flood
?
Ray had expected to see a few bloated animal carcasses, but apparently there were none.

     Ray turned to Clover, who seemed shocked at the level of destruction that the town had suffered. Unlike her cousin, she had not yet been exposed to devastation on a massive scale.

     “Water _ Clover, can you manipulate of it so as to make it subside
?
” asked Ray as they walked in ankle deep water at the edge of the town.

     “Try _ I shall of this,” replied Clover.

     Clover closed her eyes and calmed herself. She raised both her hands to her shoulder level and held them casually apart with her fingers fully extended. Then she exerted her soul energy and tried her best to force the water to subside. Moments later, she began to sway dizzily. Ray caught hold of her shoulder to steady her, and then he held her left wrist. Serene took hold of Clover’s right wrist. Then together, both Ray and Serene exerted their soul energy, raw and unshaped, into Clover’s hands, which Clover converted into the water element with her mind. Her hands began to glow with a light bluish radiance. Gradually, the flood waters began to subside. Ray, Clover and Serene staggered slightly as they ended the spell, all of them equally drained of energy and feeling dizzy.

     A convian-ranked Provincial Guard walked up to Ray and bowed in salute. Ray reciprocated the bow.

     “Sir
!
Convian Grain Cronnar, 1
st
River, Three, Two, 4
th
Ocean, reporting
!
” said the exhausted Convian.

     “Identity _ mine of this is Minvian Ray Iddell, Royal Elementhar Pond, 1
st
Ocean. Proceed _ you may do of this of your report,” replied Ray.

     “Sir, at mid-morning two days ago, a massive earthquake caused many of the town’s buildings to collapse. The nearby dam to break. The resulting outpour of water caused this massive flooding. My commander was killed in the flooding. I have taken command. We have sustained 80 casualties and 30 with serious injuries. The dead and the injured amongst the townspeople, unknown. We have distributed food, medicine and whatever remaining necessities to the townspeople. We tried to organise them as best we can. The garrison wall still stands but our buildings sustained serious damage and are unsafe. We are headquartered at an ‘island’ of rubble just in front of the garrison. I await your further instructions, minvian,” reported Convian Cronnar.

     Ray listened to the report and mentally noted the pertinent points. Judging from the looks of things, Convian Cronnar had handled the situation quite well.

     “Coordinate _ you shall do of this with Convian Rod Sayson. Supplies _ we have brought of these, and you shall ensure that these are properly distributed amongst the townspeople,” instructed Ray.

     Convian Cronnar bowed and proceeded to search for Convian Sayson. With a casual point of his finger, Ray ordered the Sollenthars to disperse into the town and render aid to the survivors.

     The Sollenthars knew exactly what they had to do. They set up several massive ‘healing centre’ tents on the outskirts of town to treat the wounded and the sick as all of the town’s houses and structures were unsafe. They had also set up temporary tents for the surviving townsfolk, helped the survivors move into their allocated tents, distributed food and medicine and lastly, dug grave after grave to bury the dead. Convian Sayson was busy shouting orders and co-ordinating between the local pond and the Sollenthars. Spirit ran up and down the rubbles, sniffing for trapped survivors or crushed bodies, and whenever he found one; Lance, Clover and some of the soldiers would rush to dig the victim up. On the outskirts of town, Serene and a few of her soldiers had set up a command tent and sleeping tents for the rest of the pond. Together with her subordinates, they cooked for their comrades and the rest of the surviving townsfolk. Ray went alone to survey the damaged dam. He was concerned that the wet ground around the dam could trigger a mudslide, but after completing his survey, he nodded his head and was satisfied that the ground there was sufficiently dry and stable.

     Lance clutched his nose. The stench was foul. Even Spirit was disturbed by it. It took a while, but Spirit managed to pinpoint the exact location of its origin. Lance started to pull away large stones and debris. Some of the nearby soldiers came to help. About a quarter of an hour later, they had managed to clear away the rubble. There lay rotting and bloated, was the body of a little girl. She still clutched her little doll. Her body was bent unnaturally out of shape and it was quite apparent that some of her bones had been shattered.

     As Lance and the soldiers stood there stiff and shocked, an old man of unusual dressing walked over with a blanket. This strange man, in his late fifties, wore a white long sleeved shirt and long pants with a length of orange cloth wrapped around his waist with one long end extending from his back up and draping over one shoulder and then extending back down his front and was tucked in back into the part of the cloth that was at his waist. On his feet he wore not shoes but sandals. He gently wrapped the body of the little girl with the blanket that he had and carried her to one of the many graves that was dug on the outskirts of town. Lance and the soldiers were curious so they followed him. After placing the deceased little girl in an empty grave, the strange man performed some sort of ceremony and then buried her. Ray had just arrived and recognised this strange man for who he was almost immediately, a Receiver
!

     Ray approached the Receiver and bowed in respect. The Receiver bowed in return.

     “Wish _ of this, may you achieve serene enlightenment, Higher Recipient
!
Enquire _ may I do of this of your name
?
” asked Ray.    

     “And may you achieve nature’s wisdom, Master Elementhar. I am Higher Recipient Truthkeeper of the Receivers of Light. May I know your name, Master Elementhar
?
” replied the Receiver, noticing Ray’s bronze headband.

     “Name _ mine of this is Ray Iddell of the Order of Fire Elementhars, and this is my novice, Lance Arman, and the polar wolf, my loyal friend and companion, is named Spirit,” said Ray as he gestured to introduce Lance and Spirit.

     Lance bowed as Ray introduced him, and the Receiver returned the gesture.

     Recipient Truthkeeper looked slightly confused as he just realised something.

     “Do the Elementhars work with the government now
?
” he asked.

     “Elementhars _ the rest of them do not work with the government, only me and my novices, for we are the last of the Fire Elementhars and we have left the fold of the Grand Order,” answered Ray.

     The Receiver nodded to signify that he understood the explanation.

     Lance was extremely curious. The Receiver and his practices were entirely strange to him.  

     “Met _ I have never done of this to your kind before,” said Lance.

     “I am not surprised. Our kind is rare and gets rarer as time goes by. Our choice of how we live our lives is difficult and unappealing to the masses. But of course, we believed in what we believe in, knew what we know and therefore had chosen what we choose and we shall see it through to the end,” said Recipient Truthkeeper.