Guardian of Heaven and Earth
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Kanbal
Part 4 - The Crown Prince's Pride
Chapter 2 - The Herders
It had taken time to reach the Herders’ gathering place; it took more time to reach their actual homes. Chagum was so exhausted by the time he and Balsa reached the Herder village that he was dizzy; he had to move slowly so that he wouldn’t fall. By the time and and Balsa reached the house where they’d be staying, he was wild for rest. He didn’t even notice the pervasive goat smell in the Herder village.
Everything in the Herders’ homes was built to a miniaturized scale. Chagum’s head bumped the ceiling when he entered; he bent his knees a little. Though things were small and unfamiliar, the space looked homey and felt warm. Dried goat dung burned in the hearth. Kitchen pots and pans hung on pegs. Cooking smells wafted through the air.
Several Herder children clustered around Balsa and Chagum, driven there by burning curiosity about the strangers. After the children looked the house’s guests up and down, they returned to the hearth and waited for their meal.
This house was owned by three women: one young, one old, and one middle-aged. Chagum was vaguely aware that the Herder women and children were asking him questions, but he was far too exhausted to do anything more than nod.
Balsa stretched out on the floor as soon as she entered the house. She should probably have chosen a spot closer to the fire where it was warmer, but she’d fallen asleep the moment she’d closed her eyes. The Herder women had placed a blanket over her and let her be.
“I wish she’d eat first,” Chagum muttered, moving to lift the blanket off of her.
The old Herder women shook her head firmly. “Let her sleep for a while. We’ll take care of you both, as we agreed. A meal for you will be ready soon.”
The young Herder woman was frying bam on a stone pan over a fire in the kitchen with quick, precise movements. She flipped the bam over on the pan so that it would be completely coated in the oil as it cooked. When the bam pieces were done, she placed them in a basket to the side of the pan. The middle-aged Herder woman spread hardened butter on top of the fried bam. The smell of the frying bam was heavenly; the butter melted the moment it touched the bread’s surface.
In addition to bam, the young woman was boiling vegetables in water for a soup. Chagum saw her add chicken, goat’s milk and potatoes to the soup. Chagum usually hated goat’s milk, but the young woman added leaves to the broth that took away the bad odor that Chagum remembered from the last time he’d drunk it.
Chagum took a cautious sip of the soup and found it well-seasoned and tasty. He ate as if he was starving, consuming his soup all in one go and dipping fried pieces of bam in honey. The children all ate their fill, too, as the Herder women bustled back and forth in the kitchen.
Chagum realized how much he’d eaten while he watched the children eat. He was much taller than everyone else here, so it made sense that he would need more food, but he felt guilty, somehow, like he’d stolen food out of the children’s mouths. It was winter, and everyone in Kanbal was poor; this family likely didn’t have much to spare.
When Chagum put his thoughts into words, the older Herder woman laughed at him. “Well, you’ve eaten it all up now, like a starving wolf. It’s not like there’s any way to get it back now.”
The children giggled.
Chagum reddened slightly and looked down. “Forgive me,” he said. “I haven’t even thanked you, and I have no way to pay you...”
The middle-aged woman raised a hand to interrupt him. “Please don’t concern yourself. Travelers pass through from time to time, and we help them even if they don’t have money. Kanbal is poor; where would we spend it? And if we find ourselves short this winter, our neighbors will all share with us.”
The younger woman smiled. “Besides, it’s been a good year for us. The growing season was warm and the goats are producing a lot of milk. Please don’t worry, young man. Eat as much as you like.”
“Thank you. I’ve eaten my fill already,” Chagum said. He placed his hands on his knees and stood up slowly, being careful not to hit his head on the ceiling. He went over to Balsa and knelt down to feel her forehead. She was burning up with a fever. Her lips were shriveled from thirst and she seemed to have trouble breathing.
The middle-aged Herder woman placed something in a wooden bowl of steaming water. “Lift her head and give her this to drink,” she said, holding the bowl out to Chagum.
Chagum lifted Balsa’s head carefully, supporting the nape of her neck on his knees. Balsa opened her eyes, but her gaze was unfocused. Chagum helped her drink the contents of the bowl, which smelled like a salty broth, but he wasn’t able to do it without spilling some on his sleeve. When Balsa was done drinking, he lay her down on the floor again.
When the middle-aged woman noticed Chagum’s worried expression, she smiled kindly and said, “Don’t worry. That soup is made with the roots of an ukka tree, which is very effective medicine. Her fever should go down by tomorrow morning.”
The old Herder woman was sitting near the hearth, chewing on something tough. She glanced at Chagum in sympathy. “She raised you, didn’t she?” she asked.
The middle-aged woman looked scandalized. “Grandma! This man is the Crown Prince of New Yogo!”
The old woman’s eyes widened at the revelation.
“You’re right,” Chagum said. “Balsa did raise me. She saved my life when I was a child, and she’s still protecting me.”
The old woman nodded sagely. “That’s what I thought. You have the face of a boy worried about his mother.”
A smile tugged at the corners of Chagum’s lips. Chagum had never heard of ukka root before, but Balsa’s breathing already seemed to be easier.
The children at the table started clamoring for something. The middle-aged woman scolded them into silence. The oldest boy apologized to his mother.
Chagum sat next to Balsa and brought his knees to his chest, observing the children without really understanding what they were doing. He got the sense that every day was the same for this happy little family. They would pass the winter in this house, supported by their community.
I wonder what will happen to me this winter...where will I even be, a month from now?
He fell asleep listening to the children’s laughter.
Chagum slept like a log until past noon the next day. He dreamed about being tied up in Kahm’s cellar with Balsa. Kahm’s confession and the attack by the assassin happened in an endless loop, over and over again.
Even after Chagum opened his eyes, but image of Kahm’s face lingered in his mind. His heart beat fast even though the danger was already past. He tried to shake himself free of the influence of his dream, but there was something pressing about it, something urgent that he absolutely had to remember. But whenever he reached for the memory, the critical information that he was looking for vanished like smoke.
Chagum sat up and felt pain radiate through all his sore muscles. It was quiet inside the house. He looked around and saw no one moving. Balsa was no longer near him. She sat near the fire, staring into it as if she were lost in thought. She had a bowl in her lap, so at least she’d eaten something. She was still very pale, but she seemed steadier than she had the previous night.
“What are you eating?” Chagum asked.
Balsa shifted the bowl in her lap. “Leftover soup from dinner,” she said. “They heated it up for me this morning.” Balsa looked and sounded a lot like her old self.
Chagum sat down next to Balsa near the fire. “Who are the people who live here, anyway?
“They’re weavers,” Balsa said. “The children look after the goat herds. I’m not sure of anything else--they were all gone when I woke up.” She set her empty bowl down and sighed. “I’m sorry. I brought us all this way for nothing.”
Chagum shook his head. He stared into the fire as he answered, “You couldn’t have known how things would work out. The future is never certain.” He rubbed his chin, finding it smooth and free of hair, unlike many of the Herder men he had seen who had full beards. He remembered the youngest Herder woman’s terrified face when she’d told the oldest woman that he was New Yogo’s Crown Prince.
“I guess there’s nothing for it,” Chagum said. “We tried. We have to get back to New Yogo now.”
Balsa nodded. “The Herders will put us up wherever we go--for a night, mind; they’re poor and don’t have much to spare. We should be able to rely on their hospitality until we reach Yonsa Clan lands. My aunt will give us food and supplies for the journey home.”
So much time had passed since Balsa had last been in New Yogo. She felt the weight of it, like sand in an hourglass falling on her chest and burying her. Chagum probably felt similarly. It would be good to go home, even if there wasn’t anything else they could do.
Chagum extended his hands over the fire.
“There’s a well outside,” Balsa said. “Go wash your face, then get ready. We should be able to reach the next Herder village before sunset if we leave soon.”
Balsa and Chagum thanked the Herder women for putting them up for the night and for sharing their delicious food and medicine. They went outside to retrieve their horses from the goat pens in the village. Chagum saddled Balsa’s horse and tightened the straps around its stomach. Balsa patted her horse and mounted up with a little laugh.
“It feels good to be back in the saddle again,” she said.
Chagum smiled, then prepared his own horse for departure. The sky was clear and cloudless when they set out on their journey. The wind was cold; it finally felt like winter in Kanbal. They rode past the goat pens of the village and got back on the mountain road. Tiny birds flitted from tree to tree overhead; some flew directly in front of Balsa’s face.
Surprised, Chagum pulled up on his reins. One small bird landed on his shoulder and stayed there as if it were tame.
“What a weird bird,” Chagum muttered.
Balsa frowned. “I’m pretty sure Chirari followed us.” She pointed toward the forest. Chirari and a young Kashal man were standing there; they waved.
Chagum felt his heart beat faster. Rota needed Kanbal’s help to rebuff the Talsh, but Chagum had no choice but to go home and abandon them to their fate.
What should I do?
“We need to go to them,” Balsa said. “I’m not strong enough yet for us to run away.”
“You were gone so long that we guessed the alliance must have failed,” Chirari said quickly. “But I was worried about you. I think it would be safest for all of us if we escorted you home.”
The Kashal man had a little bird on his shoulder. “We managed to find your other horses, so we can all be mounted for the journey.”
“One thing concerns me, though,” Chirari said.
Chagum glanced over at Balsa.
“What’s wrong?” Balsa asked.
“Kahm Musa is searching desperately for you,” Chirari said quietly.
“We’ve had our animals scoping out Kahm’s castle,” the Kashal man said. “Kahm ordered his servants and retainers to find you. He’s having them search the villages and lassal, not the royal palace.”
Balsa frowned. “And what about the Talsh assassin?”
“Kahm tied him up and threw him in prison after you left. He’s under heavy guard. The man did try to kill him, after all.”
Chagum frowned. He felt like there was something that he should remember; the Kashal man’s words nearly brought the memory to the surface, but whenever he tried to grasp it, he lost it. He felt the same sense of urgency that he had from his dreams the previous night.
Kahm tied up the Talsh assassin. The Talsh assassin tried to kill him. And that means...
“Balsa,” Chagum said, reaching out for Balsa’s right hand. “We missed something. Why would the Talsh assassin be targeting Kahm if he was working with the Talsh? What reason would they have to kill him?”
Balsa looked at Chagum as if he’d gone mad. She blinked, but then she nodded slowly. “There was something that Kahm wasn’t telling us. I think...”
Chagum’s eyes shone bright with hope. “The Talsh assassin was listening to us,” he said. “He tried to kill Kahm because we were getting through to him. He knew that Kahm wouldn’t stay loyal to Talsh.
“I was so sure that there was no way to convince King Radalle to change his mind, but with Kahm’s help, we have a chance.” Chagum’s heartbeat was racing. “Balsa, I don’t know Kahm or the King of Kanbal at all, but from the information we have, it’s clear that the southern lords of Rota are being manipulated by Prince Hazar, not Prince Raul. Kahm told us that himself. Why would he tell us something like that if he didn’t intend us to use it? The Talsh are fighting each other from within. We wouldn’t know that if not for Kahm.
“Kahm never intended to betray the king at all,” Chagum breathed. “There was no need to attack me, or him, but the Talsh knew that if I told King Radalle that the Talsh weren’t a united front, it would be all over. Kahm and King Radalle were wrong to trust the Talsh. We know that, of course, but they wouldn’t have known unless we told them what was happening in Rota. The Talsh assassin was scared of what I’d say.”
Chirari’s eyes went wide. She coughed, then said, “I think you’re right. We knew in the north that the Talsh had split into two factions, so of course we didn’t trust them. They can’t even trust one another.”
The Kashal man nodded. “I suspect that’s why Kahm is searching for you two in such a frenzy. He must have figured out what’s going on in Talsh and wants to rethink Kanbal’s alliance with them.”
Chagum felt too warm, like he was burning up with a fever. Balsa was looking straight at him. “Are we sure we want to see Kahm?” Balsa asked. “Even if he wants to convince King Radalle to reconsider, it might not be worth the effort. King Radalle hates changing his mind once it’s made up.”
Everyone looked toward Chagum. The bird on the Kashal man’s shoulder cheeped.
“Let’s go to see Kahm,” he said. “Even if we can’t convince King Radalle, the King’s Spears should know the truth of what’s going on. We might be able to win them over, at least.”
Chagum faced Balsa. “It may be a long shot, like you say, but I’d like to try.”
Balsa nodded. “All right. But I intend to meet with Kahm first, alone.”
“Uh...”
Balsa cut in before Chagum could say anything. “Don’t worry; I don’t intend to fall for the same trick twice. I’m sure that Kahm’s castle is being watched by Talsh spies. It’s safer for you not to be seen, Chagum.”
Chagum’s shoulder’s slumped. “Yeah. You’re probably right.”
“Cheer up,” Balsa said. “I think this is worth a try, too. And I’m a bodyguard; I know a few ways in that normal people don’t.”
Chagum appeared puzzled.
“Bandits and thieves are as common here as everywhere else,” Balsa said. “Most houses have a back door to escape from that’s hidden from prying eyes. That applies to castles, too.”
Balsa extended an open palm to Chirari. “I’m sorry to ask, but I need money. I’ll pay you back when I get our l get our things from Kahm.”
“That’s fine,” Chirari said, “but what are you planning to buy?”
Balsa smiled. “I want to buy goat cheese and rakkal wine from the Herders. It’s to thank them for their hospitality. They won’t accept charity, but they will accept money if I buy something.”
Several traveling merchants visited Kahm’s castle the next morning. The merchants were all women who had come to sell food after hearing that an important storage warehouse had recently burned down. They carried baskets and packs on their backs and went into the castle through a rear entrance.
The women entered the west wing of the palace and walked past the kitchen. Several baskets of food were lined up on the polished stone floor. There was a large woman standing in the kitchen, prepared to make purchases. She was the head kitchen maid. She looked over the merchant women’s stock of butter and pickled goods, deciding which ones the castle would buy.
The merchant women sold most of their stock and went home with smiling faces. Only one woman remained behind, looking uncomfortable.
“You there,” the head kitchen maid said. “You can’t just sit around when you have nothing more to sell.”
The remaining woman stood up. She was uncommonly tall and wore a Rotan-style shuma face covering. When she removed her face covering, the head kitchen maid gasped.
Balsa smiled. “It’s been a long time, Martha.”
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