The Aebeling (42 page)

Arlen interrupted. ‘I’m still confused why you want to get involved?’

‘Because the Rakians are involved – this is not just a war between Gatina and Trokia. This whole thing has been masterminded by Rakia – and the Ancuman who are helping them. It has to be stopped – and only the Silekians can do that without bringing the whole continent into war – and that is exactly what the Ancuman want.’

Daray returned to the discussion, ‘Even so, I feel that I’m letting you down in a time of need. Is there nothing I can do?’

‘There is – you will have to protect Lykia, and particularly Hama and Haran. I have almost no wiga left there – even Salvia is low in numbers because he has sent a squad to me. Once they work out that the border is unprotected, they just might try something.’

‘What if I spend my first year as Aebeling in Erbil with my brother? I’m sure he won’t mind – and I would be close enough to deal with any problems.’

Conn agreed. ‘An excellent idea – but the rest you will have to leave to me.’

‘But you will be outnumbered...’

‘True – but I can compensate for that. Sileas has sent five hundred bowmen to Trokia and with everyone from Haran and Hama, and some local recruits, I hope to have close to two thousand.’

‘What about Moetians?’

‘I’m sure Driscol will overlook the participation of any local who might join my Fyrd. I’m hoping that Arlen will have a full company of Moetians to command.’

‘So just over two thousand against over five thousand – including a thousand Rakians who are relatively battle hardened?’

Conn nodded. ‘Yes; I agree that it does not seem a lot under the circumstances, but we will manage. I have no intention of going head to head – and we have something he doesn’t.’

Arlen looked confused.

Conn continued. ‘A supply chain that is inexhaustible – if nothing else, we will outlast them. A great general once said that a Fryd marches on its stomach.’

Daray still had his concerns. ‘Have you forgotten about Kania?’

‘No; I haven’t – but first things first.’

Daray then looked at him silently for a moment, apparently unsure of what to say next. ‘Conn, I’ve been trying to find words to say thanks. I’ve gone from just me, to – well – having almost anything that anyone could ever want. How do you find the words for that?’

‘There really is no need – the responsibility of the rule that I have foisted upon you is a double edged sword, and some days you will curse me. However, I have faith that you will rule both fair and wise. That is the only thanks that I need.’ Conn stood and gave the boy a hug. ‘I will go with you as far as Susa, and then I will go to Menia with Allowena and Devlin. The girl is desperate to become bedda.’

It was much later when Conn finally caught up with Aerlene. He asked her about the pregnancy – he didn’t even know how she could know, it had only been weeks.

She smiled. ‘Moana.’

‘Moana? Moana told you that you were pregnant?’

‘She did – she came to see me. She said that Badb had told her.’ She smiled radiantly. ‘It seems that both Moana and Badb will help me take care of these babies.’ She kissed him. ‘I am very happy – now I can probably keep my domain. Driscol and the Eaorl of Farah will not be happy, but I don’t care.’

Two days later, Cliona’s baggage and personal staff left for Lykia by ship; they boarding vessels that had just emptied themselves of large amounts of military equipment and supplies that were then loaded on horses and carts to be delivered to Susa. With the cavalry arriving from Haran and Hama, the needs grew day by day. The cotlif at Susa was also not the cotlif of some months before; Conn’s craeftiga had transformed the domain from being one of the poorest looking Eaorldoms in Moetia to one of the best.

Within two weeks of the ceremony, Daray and Cliona had departed for Lykia; Cliona choosing to ride the pinto all the way back to Lykiak. Driscoll had even travelled as far as Susa to farewell his daughter, and after they had watched them depart for the border, he sat with Conn in Aerlene’s new longhouse. He was admiring the work; twice the size of what she had previously, and equipped with fireplaces, paved floors and a second storey sleeping area. Warm, clean, and smoke free, there was room for her, the babies and her staff.

‘Taransay must be an amazing place – your wiga are stronger, your houses are bigger, and your wine is better. I’m glad it is a long way away. You must send your craeftiga to build one of the fireplace things in my keep. They did a marvellous job on the roof.’ He poured some of Conn’s wine into his mug. It had recently arrived. ‘So tell me, what are you going to do about Kania?’

‘I honestly don’t know. First I have to go to Menia with Allowena – and Aerlene who says she is coming with me – I’d expected her to stay now that she is pregnant.’

Conn hated himself for raising the pregnancy with Driscol – it seems that it still made him annoyed; but that was half the fun.

Driscol took a deep breath. ‘And twins too. Badb tells me that they will be born healthy.’ He toasted his sister. ‘I am pleased for you, truly I am. There are so few of our house left.’

Aerlene had previously had several pregnancies – never going full term. She explained to Conn that it was the curse of her house.

‘For many generations, the children of our house have been sickly and pregnancies few and far between. No one knows why. There are very few of us left. Driscol only had the one daughter and the one son, and one grandson – despite five bedda. His father only had me and him from several pregnancies and wiga; while our grandfather only had two sons survive – Arlen’s grandfather. Arlen’s father had the two sons – and that was considered remarkable.’

She thanked her brother. ‘Driscol, as to the question of the Eaorldom – as you know, my child is now entitled to inherit.’

He nodded. ‘That has been brought to my attention.’

‘Well, the Thane thinks that it is unfortunate that his involvement has presented you with such problems and wishes to make amends.’

‘For how many – it’s quite a list…’

She ignored the comment. ‘The Thane wishes to purchase Thane fiefs from me and I’ll purchase the domain of Susa from you.’

Driscol looked from one to the other. ‘He wants to give you enough money to buy the Eaorldom of Susa? That is a very large sum of money.’

Conn agreed. ‘My calculation is that you could have expected at most two and a half million Ryals if you were to try and sell the domain...’

Driscol agreed. ‘True, but two and a half million is not a sum of money that any in Moetia would be able to pay. Even I cannot easily find that amount of money.’

Conn indicated to one of his men and two of them carried in a largish wooden box. Conn released the catches and opened the lid. Inside were Lykian gold Ryals – five hundred of them. He showed it to Driscol. ‘There are three hundred thousand Ryals here. There are five more waiting for you in Moetiak – at the Meshech Finance and Insurance Company. I will arrange you them to be transferred into your account.’

Like the Eaorls of Moetia, even Driscol had found a need to borrow from the “MFIC” – he owed almost four hundred thousand Ryals.

Driscol was astounded. ‘Do you own a gold mine of something?’

‘I do as a matter of fact; and a very good one.’

It wasn’t the answer that Driscol was expecting, so he laughed out loud. ‘I should have known. I was wondering how you could afford to pay the wages of over a thousand wiga. I am a Healdend and I can’t afford to do that. This whole activity must be costing you three times what you have offered me for the domain.’

His sister asked again. ‘So will you accept?’

He nodded. ‘I’m not sure if I can afford not to – but what are you giving the Thane exactly?’

‘Six Thane fiefs – all I have spare – as well as two children!’

Driscol considered it for a while. ‘They must be very valuable children. Oh, very well, at the next Witan, I will have you confirmed officially as the Eaorl of Susa. But this is all very disconcerting.’

CHAPTER 21

With Susa in the far south and Menia in the far north, the trip between the two cotlifs would be the longest they could take in Moetia – it was at best a two week ride between the two Eaorldoms. Devlin had already returned home direct from Moetia, so it was just the four of them and an escort of twenty wiga and pack horses that left Susa for the initial nine day ride to the cotlif of the Eaorl of Aria. It was fairly slow going as they were welcomed and feasted in the keeps of the Thanes along the way, and they spent an extra day in Aria as Aerlene wished to rest. Allowena didn’t mind much, as Devlin was waiting for them in Aria.

Aerlene explained why she has wanted to visit Menia and travel with Conn – her family used to be the Eaorls of Menia.

‘And what were the ancestors of the Eaorls of Menia then?’

‘They were actually the Aebelings of Moetia.’

‘Aebelings – not Healdend?’

Aerlene nodded. ‘It was before the time of the Healdend.’

‘What happened – did they just swap domains?’

‘That is what I understand. Anyway, my ancestors lived in Menia for two hundred years prior to that.’

‘Do we know why they swapped?’

‘I believe had something to do with the last Casere.’

‘A lot of things seem to be connected to events surrounding the demise of the last Casere.’

From Aria, it would take another two weeks, the first to climb the mountain and the send to travel down the valley into the cotlif. As the northern most point in Meshech, and buffered on three sides by high mountains, Menia had its own sub-tropical climate, and the river that they followed down to the sea, appeared to be was navigable all year, being fed from the high mountain peaks in the distance. The nearer they got to the ocean, the warmer and wetter the climate actually became; every day they had to stop and hide from thunderstorms or squalls. Conn suspected that Aerlene was quickly regretting her decision to accompany him as she was increasingly uncomfortable in the saddle.

The wet climate, however, provided an excellent ecology for huge forests of trees.

‘Do these trees have a name?’ Conn asked as he inspected the bark and leaves of some very large samples growing close to the roads they traversed.

‘They have always been known as the “Casere Tree” – it is said that thousands and thousands of trees over a hundred years were planted here after the expulsion of the Ancuman.’

‘The Silekians planted them? I thought they never made it this far north?’

‘No – not the Silekians – I was taught that it was the Twacuman who planted them. Why do you ask?’

‘Interestingly I have forests of a very similar tree growing in Hama and now Atrak. They are very good for shipbuilding. What do you use them for?’

‘Nothing in particular – they are a bit big for our craeftiga – we only have a need for small fishing boats.’

Menai was a river port; and after following the river for seven day, they arrived at the outskirts of the cotlif at the point where the river met the ocean; the port was an excellent size, well protected from the ocean. The cotlif itself, sadly, was not in such excellent shape – it was old and desperately run down. Inside the ancient palisades, the streets were covered in mud, muck and stench; not aided by a lack of drainage and the daily squalls. The docks were only just functional, and most buildings would be harder to repair than replace. Conn could see Allowena’s disappointment, and she willed herself not to cry.

He rode up beside her, and placed his arms around her, and whispered.

‘Do not worry – it will be fixed. It is not for you to be concerned. Before I leave, all will be well.’

She whispered back. ‘How do they live like this?’

Conn laughed. ‘Your memory is short – you lived like this just a few years ago!’

She sighed, ‘I know – but I now know better.’

They were greeted on arrival by Eaorl Ciarrai and his large family. Ciarrai was almost fifty; and he had several children of various ages and a longhouse full of servants and bedda. Devlin’s mother had died young – he was an only child, but his father had made up for that with other bedda. They fussed and carried on trying to make Allowena feel welcome and comfortable in the dust and grime. She was thankfully overwhelmed by the warmth of their welcome.

Conn, however, tried his best to look a little displeased – and it was sufficient to attract the attention of one of the bedda who whispered into the Eaorl’s ear. He was more direct.

‘Thane, you seem displeased. Please accept our apologies if we have offended you in any way.’

‘No, no. I am not offended, but, its, well...’ he trailed off.

‘I insist – what can we do to remedy the situation. You are our honored guest.’

Conn sighed deliberately. ‘Well, I have an allergy – a sickness if you like – to dust and smoke – and I’m afraid that Allowena has similar problems. In Atrak and Hama we have made changes to our houses so that we don’t have such issues. I am in fear of her health...’ He stopped because he had to cough.

The Eaorl was distraught. ‘Well, that must be rectified immediately – we will not have Devlin’s new bedda – and your daughter – unwell. That cannot be allowed to stand. Tell us what we need to do.’

‘Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to put you out.’ Conn then had another coughing attack.

‘Not at all – please treat my staff as your own. I have heard much from Aerlene about what you have done in Susa and Atrak is apparently a marvel. We will follow your lead – in fact I insist you do what has to be done.’

‘Well, if you insist. I’m sure Allowena will have better health if we do something… just a few small things… ’

The next day Conn gathered every tilia and craeftiga in the village and, under the guidance of his wiga – all master craeftiga – he set them to work. There were a few grumbles at first but when Conn told them that the tilia would be paid fifteen Ryals a day and the craeftiga twenty five, they stopped complaining. Their efforts were assisted by the arrival of five ships from Atrak with two thousand tons of supplies and an additional hundred craeftiga. The supplies included a large supply of food and alcohol; some of which was promptly sold to the Inns. A lot was kept for the impending bedda feast.