Chapter 17
Elfwood bordered the north central region of Centauria with Awlland to the northeast. The dead country of Slagg bordered from the western shores at the Maximus Ocean to the north to Sheramm's Lake, which was nestled between Elfwood and Slagg for some hundred or so lake front miles. The vast Plains of Rhammahadra spanned from the Maximus Ocean to the Minimus Ocean, the entire width of Morrah's largest of three continents, largest threefold of the other two combined. The plains spread deep into the south, including the twenty mile wide coast to coast strip of land between southern Centauria and Mantadia, the Land of Lost Memories, to finally terminate where land met sea. It is to say that the Plains of Rhammahadra were very, very big. It was onto these plains that Mia's Stand did enter from the southeast corner of Elfwood. It was also onto these same plains, a hundred miles to the west, that Marigaff and Aaramerielle had been captured before being taken to Slagg, two day's hard march to the west.
The two sat bound back to back in a hut made of adobe mixed with straw. Few buildings in Slagg were of wood; there were now few indigenous trees from which to build. Slagg humans built the twenty-foot diameter hut. The Slagg patrol had liberated this particular hut for their Captain to use as his command post, and the heads of the evicted tenants were on pikes a quarter of a mile down the road, giving those who didn't belong there an understanding of the extent of their welcome. A small table with a single chair was the only furniture in the adobe hut, if it could at all be called furniture. A raven was tethered to a post at the only window. The bird stared at them with black, unblinking eyes. The small room didn't stink much, at least not when the Slaggs weren't there. Right now the two women were alone.
"How is your head, dear?" Marigaff said through parched, swollen lips, one eye blackened from a blow she'd taken.
"It does hurt, Lady Marigaff." Aaramerielle had a goose egg on her forehead from a fall aided by their abductors. She blinked hard, having trouble focusing her eyes. "Why did they leave us alone?"
"I believe they've summoned their commander," she said. She appeared unwell, she being unprepared for the forced march they'd taken, not in the top physical condition Aaramerielle was. Not that Aaramerielle herself looked all that good. Both had undergone considerable beating. "This will soon be over, child. When they discover that we are not who they seek, they will try to kill us. But I assure you that will not happen."
"What will we do?"
"Oh, I don't know. Something dreadful, I can assure you. They've not been proper hosts." Marigaff smiled in spite of the pain in doing so. They fell silent for a while. Soon one of the guards outside snapped the cloth doorway open. The commander strode in.
He was big, big even for a Slagg, which was probably how he got the job of commander in the first place, brutality being the driving factor for chain of command in the field for this army. He was ugly as a gnort. His brown stringy hair was matted and his rusted light armor was stained with blood. The rest of his filthy loose clothing might have been gray at one time. Maybe. The insignia on his breast, two swords crossed over a blue diamond, marked him as a Captain.
"The Book. Hand it over!"
"How shall I, that you have bound our hands?" Marigaff said. The Captain struck her a hard backhand across the face. It sent them both to the floor. One at a time he pulled them to their feet by the hair, then, at the same time, slammed them into the wall face first, the old adobe dusting their eyes.
"Do not toy with me, wench!" His voice was a gritty whisper as he frisked her. Striding to where the large black raven was tethered, he said something to the spy bird, then pointed out the window. He released the black raven from the tether. The obedient bird flew fast away.
He threw the women to the ground. "Where is it?"
"As you can see, we have it not." Marigaff smiled at him.
"You think you're funny?" he roared as he drew his sword.
Marigaff used Saa: “Nah Slagg o onso remma korotah anso maas beleteel!” (This Slagg and all his lessors be you crickets!)
The Slagg Captain dropped his sword as his eyes widened. A green glow surrounded him. In seconds he was transformed into a cricket. A seven foot, three hundred pound cricket. Aaramerielle's quick reflexes fixed the problem. “Eme haska beleteel!” (A small cricket!) The Captain then shrunk to a mere inch long.
Marigaff spoke in a normal tone. "Nahayan anso lok duo!” (Bonds be off us!). The leather thongs binding them loosed their cutting grip and fell to the ground. She went on: “Ete shomosn o torolia.” (Two ales and fruit). Two large mugs of ale appeared on the table with a bowl of various fruits, including the nourishing, healing motherberry. Marigaff grabbed her ale. She drank. "I needed a drink," she said, her voice a little clearer. "So do you, dear." Aaramerielle drank of her ale. She took a few motherberries and handed some to Marigaff.
"What about the Slaggs outside?" Aaramerielle lowered her mug in alarm.
"I took care of them, too. Tonight they shall chirp a love song." Both of them were too spent to laugh.