Chapter 36
Mud - Amanki
As we drifted along, I told Baskrod my dream, trying to remember as many of the details as I could. Baskrod listened thoughtfully, ignoring the mullets that jumped into the air and then flopped back into the water near our boat. Then, then he spoke:
“Bladar is the horseman you watched murder your mother. I knew him when he was a child hostage in Tzoladia. He is now the leader of the Sparaggi, the people you call mud beasts. It appears that he has been ordered to kill you and take the seal. In fact, all of this revolves around that seal you wear. As you know, many Tzoladian officials and wealthy merchants proudly wear cylinder seals around their necks as identification, as jewelry, and as amulets. The picture engraved on the rock or seal is used to roll an impression onto a surface. But your seal is special. It is one of the ancient Titilanzur Seals from the prophecy of the star. The Tzoladians believe that these seals contain the secret to finding a city of fabulous wealth. It is rightfully yours because long ago it belonged to a Webby named Rigiluk, from whom you are descended
I was so amazed at what I was hearing that I was speechless. It was difficult to take it all in. Could it be that the deep blue cylinder seal which I wore was really one of the seals from the prophecy of the star?
“The room in your dream is the throne room in the emperor’s palace in Tzoladia,” Baskrod began, slowly, stroking his braided beard. “I have been there many times. It is amazing how true to life your description is. The king you described with the long curls is the current Emperor Zoltov, the youngest son of the late Great Emperor Wazador. Wazador had three sons, each of whom had a different mother, and after the death of their father, the oldest brother became emperor. He soon died under mysterious circumstances, leaving no son as an heir, so the middle brother, Dazbun became emperor. I served as Dazbun’s vizier throughout his reign. Dazbun was a fair and just philosopher ruler but he too was without a son to be his heir. Zoltov was next in line. His ambitious mother, Serpotia, the older woman in your dream, plotted to depose Dazbun, so Zoltov could become emperor. She spread many rumors that turned the people against Dazbun.”
"At that time, Daqqara, the last living descendant of Rigiluk and the heiress to the seal, was a member of Emperor Dazbun’s court. Daqqara is the Webby woman who gave you the blue seal. As Emperor Dazbun’s advisor, I was present at a high level meeting involving Dazbun, Prince Zoltov and Serpotia that became heated. I remember it well:
'How dare you give the seal to that duck woman? You have no right. That is treason,' Zoltov yelled at his brother, the emperor, who was seated on the throne.
'It is not treason but justice to return the seal to its rightful owner.' Dazbun replied.
Zoltov jumped up and yelled 'Traitor!' Then he cleared his throat and spit directly in Dazbun’s face. Dazbun responded by pushing him away.”
"This threw Zoltov into a rage. He struck Dazbun, knocking his head into the hard rock throne. I can still hear the thud as the emperor’s head hit. His body crumpled limply in the throne. I rushed to his side and examined him. He was still breathing. I could have saved him, but Serpotia summoned her personal healer, whose slaves carried Emperor Dazbun out of the room. I was ordered to stand back. Since Emperor Dazbun was unconscious, Zoltov, as next in line to the throne, immediately announced that he was in control. Realizing that Zoltov would kill Daqqara for the seal, I slipped away to find her. We fled through underground tunnels to where my fishing boat was moored in the water. That day we became refugees. I thank Adon that I was able to escape the palace with my life, but that is a story for another day. As I’m sure you realize by now, Daqqara, the woman who gave you the seal, is your birth mother.”
I had suspected as much from what Manhera had told me earlier, but to hear it confirmed was still jarring. None of this seemed real to me. I remembered Anada’s indefatigable efforts to save me when I suffered from the illness that had killed my father. She had tended to me like she had tended to her babies that had died, repeatedly placing cool cloths on my forehead throughout the night, never leaving my side until the fever broke. To me, she would always be my mother. The story Baskrod was telling seemed like just that: a story or a dream, not real events that actually involved me.
Baskrod paused, closed his eyes, and shook his head, then looked up and continued, “I later learned that Zoltov pronounced the emperor dead that day and had him buried immediately. It was rumored that Dazbun was given lizard skins drugs and buried alive.”
“My dream…in it the emperor dreamt of his brother! It must be true and he dreams about it because he is guilty!”
“Yes, I believe that your dream confirms that the rumors were true.”
I shuddered. My life was linked to Daqqara through my blood, but I seemed to be linked to the evil Zoltov through my dreams.
“You need to know the truth, though you could lose your life for repeating it. Zoltov, the emperor in your dream, murdered the good Emperor Dazbun in order to become the new emperor. I know this is shocking news to you because the Webbies in Arvuk believe that Zoltov is their protector. I tell you the truth: he is a false protector. The “Emperor’s Harvest” is not a barley harvest. It is the harvesting of people, your people to be more precise. The Webbies of the Lanaduk are being killed upon his orders.”
“But why?” I could not believe that even an evil emperor would order the death of so many innocent Webbies.
“Zoltov employed torture to learn the prophecy of the star from a member of my society. It appears that he has interpreted it based on his own guilt and paranoia. 'Out of the depths of the rocks we call: Hear our cries! As earth’s secrets unfold, he who sleeps will arise.’ He fears that the brother he buried alive will return to haunt him, and that Daqqara still lives to reveal the truth of his treachery.”
“But what does this seal have to do with all of this?” I asked.
“Long ago, in a time of great justice, peace and prosperity, the empire was governed by a council of ten who possessed three cylinder seals made of rare stones from the throne of Adon. Each Titilanzur Seal belonged to a different group: Webbies, Gliders and Armored. The guards you described in your dream were men of the Armored race, sometimes referred to as Rocks. The royal blue seal you possess belonged to the Webby, Rigiluk, one of that legendary ‘Ten of Tzoladia.’ In a violent coup, a group of Humans, or Sprinters as they are sometimes called, broke into the cave of the round table in Tzoladia during a meeting of the council, slaughtered the revered council members, and attempted to seize their ancient seals. The Webby Seal was confiscated by the rebels, but the other two disappeared on that day. The brutal rebel leader, Getaroz, pronounced himself the Emperor of Tzoladia. He instituted the worship of his chief god, Z, along with a panoply of other gods. The Humans of the city who opposed Getaroz were forced to go underground or flee. Many fled west and joined with refugees from Xardis to found the city of Karsos.
"Getaroz dubbed the confiscated Webby seal the 'Royal Seal of Z' and it was worn by every emperor since that time, until Dazbun. Dazbun believed that neither he, nor any of the other Unwebbed emperors had a right to wear the seal because it was obtained through treachery. When Dazbun gave the Webby Seal to your mother, he was trying to right a wrong that had occurred hundreds of years ago.
“Through spies, Serpotia learned of the gift. She let it be known that Dazbun had given the seal to your mother, a Webby, and she implied that it was treason. The myth of the Titilanzur Seals has been embellished over the years, with many tales of a lost city with streets paved of gold, and jewels dangling from the trees. Serpotia convinced the crowds, through rumors, that Dazbun possessed all of the seals, and had secretly given them to women who were his lovers. Two of the accused women remained in Tzoladia, where Zoltov gave them lizard skin drug and buried them alive with Dazbun, although they never possessed the seals. You can see the danger Daqqara faced if she had not escaped with me,” Baskrod explained.
I pulled the brilliant blue cylinder out f
rom where it was tucked under my tunic and looked at it again. I could not make out a picture from the markings. It was hollow, with a large hole on one end, a smaller hole on the other and a small slit on its curved surface. “So this contains the secret to finding a city of gold?” I asked.
“I said only that many Tzoladians believe that it does,” Baskrod answered, mysteriously, as always. “In truth, the Webbies will not survive the destruction to come without that seal.”
He began his narrative again: “It is interesting that you have dreamed of Zoltov, since many of the problems in Tzoladia have been caused by Zoltov’s paranoia in the face of his own dreams. You see, he has dreamed of Daqqara’s child. He dreams of you.”
This was unnerving. I wanted to know more but we were interrupted when Manhera started to stir, mumbling softly where she lay on the blankets.
Baskrod smiled. “Your birth is, of course, where Manhera comes into the story.”
I looked down at the lovely young woman at the bottom of the boat. All of the features of her slender face were slightly curved. The tip of her nose curved up, leaving an impression of softness. Her long dark lashes fell onto her cheeks like a veil. When she opened her eyes, I could see the sideways tear drop shape of each eye with a wide lid above it and the pool of deep green within. I looked away quickly so she wouldn’t see that I was staring at her. Manhera unwound her braid from the top of her head, and the full auburn-colored braid fell to below her waist.
“Is anyone hungry?” she asked, immediately thinking of our needs instead of her own. The girls in Arvuk spent most of their time with their mothers cooking, grinding grain, spinning, weaving, and caring for children, while the boys went off with the men to work in the fields, fish, or care for animals. This meant that women in Arvuk spent their lives nurturing others. As a healer, Manhera had become ultrasensitive to other’s needs.
“Yes, thank you. I’d like to taste some of the bread that Vlabrez’ wife packed for us,” Baskrod answered.
“I’d like some too,” I agreed. “Assuming he didn’t poison it!” I added, chuckling a little nervously before I ate the bread.
As we rounded a bend, we came to a junction where another river joined the Lanaduk from the east to form a much wider river. In front of us, the larger river spread around numerous islands, some of which were floating islands made of reeds. Like the fingers of a hand, many tributaries branched off in every direction. As I guided our boat past the maze of islands I stared at the Webbies walking and working among houses made of reeds. Their homes looked like baskets turned upside down. They paid us no attention.
For a moment, we stared in wonder at the floating islands of reed. But I wasn’t going to let Baskrod end his story before it was finished.
“Baskrod was telling me a story about my birthmother, Daqqara. He was about to tell me about my birth,” I explained to Manhera.
“Yes, yes of course,” Baskrod said, as he straightened the red felt cap on his head so that the tip fell forward. “As for your birth, Manhera explained to you that I brought Daqqara to the birthing hut of Manhera’s aunt, who was a healer and midwife. It was important that it be among Webbies far from Tzoladia. By Adon’s grace, your adopted mother, Anada was also in the hut that night. Tragically, her baby was stillborn. Manhera placed you in Anada’s arms and she never knew that you were not hers. She loved you like her own. I am sorry that I could not have told you sooner, but you can probably see that it was safer for you not to know.” Baskrod looked into my eyes and laid a hand on my shoulder. “I have watched over and prayed for you all these years and the Lord Adon has been good. I know this is a lot to take in all at once and so suddenly, but I will do my best to help you in this journey.”
‘Thank you,” I replied. “It’s all so hard to take in. It doesn’t seem real.”
“It will take some time for you to adjust to all of this, I know.”
“What about my birth father, do you know who he is? Is he still alive?” I said, almost afraid of the answer.
“I am sorry, but your birth father has been dead for many years,” he said, dismissing the subject. “For now, let us concentrate on getting you safely to Tzoladia.”
Beyond the reed village, the further we went, the wider and busier the river became. There were many small reed boats like our own, but soon I spotted larger boats made of wood, some with much larger sails made from cloth. I carefully manned my oars so as not to run into any of the other boats. There were more boats crowded into this area of the river delta than I had ever seen in my life near the shores of Arvuk.
Manhera poured out some tea and handed me a cup. “We’re almost out of tea leaves.” She told Baskrod, seeming concerned.
“This tea is from what you call the Mesmeringa Forest, right?” I asked.
“Yes, the herbs and teas are rare and expensive. The fabric of my red tunic is also made by the Gliders. They keep their secrets closely guarded,” Baskrod said.
“Maybe when I meet that Glider, the girl you called, Brita was it…she will give us more?”
“Her name is Brina, and like you, she carries a Titilanzur Seal which is far more valuable than any cloths, teas or medicines.”
I was delighted to learn this. “So, I have the Webby Seal, and Brina has the Glider Seal. Who has the Armored Seal?” I felt I was finally beginning to put things together.
“That is a very good question. The Armored Seal could be a problem, since it went missing during the rebellion. I am hoping that Rhabdom may have found a clue. He has lived among the Armored for many years,” Baskrod responded, sounding concerned. “All three seals must be brought together in Tzoladia for the secret to be revealed.
The river, if I could even still call it the Lanaduk, had become wider and wilder. The wind was picking up slightly, and the air had a crispness and a strong smell that seemed to open my nostrils. Suddenly, Baskrod started hurriedly giving us directions.
“Soon this river will empty into the Ortaz Sea, which is such a large body of water that it is possible to go out so far that you can no longer see land in any direction. Fortunately the wind has picked up and is blowing to the southwest, which is the direction that we need to go. Be prepared for higher waves. Keep within sight of the shore, but do not go so close as to run aground. Stay clear of the larger ships. With the wind blowing steadily, we should make good time. When it starts to get dark, we’ll find a cove for the night. By tomorrow, we should be in the Webby capital of Waduk. We’ll obtain better transportation in Waduk and then head on to Tzoladia.”
I tried to concentrate on all Baskrod’s directions, but I would not let him drift away from the question that so bothered me.
“But why are you taking me to Tzoladia, where there is a murderous emperor that wants to kill me to take my cylinder seal?” I demanded.
“The prophecy says that in the last days the new star will appear. These are evil times Amanki. In order for the Webbies, the Armored and the Gliders to survive extinction, the three Titilanzur Seals must be brought together in Tzoladia, for together they hold the secret that will lead your peoples to safety and protect them from the destruction that is to come. This is the destiny for which Adon has chosen you. Sometimes we must go through things rather than around them,” Baskrod answered.
I looked down at the cylinder seal hanging from my neck and grasped it in my hand. Suddenly it felt like the weight of the world was hanging there.
“How much time do we have to do this?” I asked.
“Until the guest star stops glowing.”
“Guest star? But stars are forever.” I said.
“No Amanki, guest stars like this one sometimes last a few days, or even a few weeks, but never longer than several months.”
I tensed as I realized what Baskrod was saying.
“So…”
“Yes, we must hurry, Amanki.”
“But…”
“Trust in Adon with all your heart. He will sustain you,” Baskrod assured me.
I still felt frightened and alone. “I will try my best. But I miss my home,” I said.
“You have been a refugee all your life. Now, at last, you are going home to Tzoladia.”