A Dubious Peace

by Olan Thorensen

  Hetman Seaborn then spoke for fifteen minutes on Seaborn’s history. Yozef would have given good odds that Yulan had said the exact same words hundreds, if not thousands, of times. He then finished with a welcome to the Paramount. Maera had primed Yozef that he would be called on for a few words. Which is what he gave . . . a few words lasting no more than four minutes.

  Finally, Abbot Rupasz stood again in front of the people, read a passage from The Word, gave a homily on the duties of the devout, and closed with a short prayer asking for God’s grace.

  Yozef thought that was the end of the service until a small group of musicians began playing a familiar melody, and thousands of voices inside and outside joined in.

  Nearer, my God, to you, nearer to you!

  Thanking you for your gracious gifts,

  I feel nearer to you.

  Nearer, my God, to you, nearer to you.

  Forgive all my faults, Dear God,

  Strengthen my soul.

  Nearer to you, my God, nearer to you.

  Even if darkness comes,

  I draw nearer to you.

  Nearer to you, my God, nearer to you.

  . . .

  Yozef could only remember the first few verses of this song, one of the many music pieces that Heather Chen had introduced. “Nearer My God to Thee” was a favorite hymn of her mother. Yozef’s main experience with the song was from the movie Titanic he once watched on TV with Julie. Fifteen hundred passengers and crewmembers died when the ship sank. Of the several wrenching scenes, the one that affected him the most was the final band scene. The members, instead of trying to save themselves, continued playing music as the ship settled into the icy North Atlantic waters. The band’s final piece was “Nearer My God to Thee.”

  The song’s theology did not fit the common Caedellium practice, but a sister at St. Wyan’s in Orosz City had worked with Heather on creating appropriate lyrics. This version had been sung for the first time only a few months ago, and Yozef was surprised it had reached Seaborn so quickly.

  When the last verse faded, Rupasz called out, “Selah,” and was answered by the congregation.

  “I’m surprised this hymn got here so fast,” said Yozef to Reezo as they exited the cathedral. “It’s only a few months old in Orosz City.”

  “Only that old?” said Reezo, surprised. “Maybe one of the other members of my party heard it at St. Wyan’s and introduced it here.”

  Yozef endured half an hour of clasping forearms and being patted reverently on various parts of his anatomy before Yulan Seaborn whisked them away. Meetings were planned for the rest of the morning, leaving the afternoon open for further meetings requested by either the Paramount or the hetman. Yozef suggested “strongly” that he and Yulan first meet separately before involving others. Yozef had never met Yulan Seaborn until this trip and wanted time to assess the hetman before different dynamics occurred. At the suggestion of Maera and Shurla, Yozef’s tack should be bluntness. So he dove straight in as soon as the two men were seated at a table in the clan’s administrative headquarters overlooking the Brudermyn harbor.

  “So, Yulan . . . how do you feel about Seaborn being part of a united Caedellium, instead of being completely independent as you were before the Narthani came?”

  The hetman took several long moments to stare expressionless at Yozef before answering.

  “Getting straight to difficult issues, are we? Rumors have been that the stranger to Caedellium who now rules the islands is not fond of dancing around. I suspect what they say is true.”

  Yozef noticed Yulan used the plural islands when referring to Caedellium. In contrast, other Caedelli would have used Caedellium—the difference implying multiple islands that make up Caedellium versus the single main island. It was indicative of how Yozef suspected the Seaborners viewed themselves.

  “You asked,” Yulan said, “so I’ll assume you want an honest answer. I don’t like it. It’s hard enough being hetman to my people without having to account for the implications of being tied so tight to the other clans. My people have a long history of feeling only a weak connection to them. Oh . . . I’m sure much of that is the physical separation. Most Seaborners never leave our islands, so have little experience even with Pewitt and Swavebroke, the two closest. There’s also the sense those other clans view us as somehow more primitive than themselves—not something to engender fondness.

  “At the All-Clan Conclave that voted on the unified command for the war against the Narthani, I was one of the least supportive hetmen, as you well know because you were there and played a significant role in getting everyone’s agreement.”

  “Yet you did agree in the end,” said Yozef.

  “Only after seeing the inevitable. It was going to happen, and Seaborn staying out of the fight was irrational. If the Narthani had won, our fate would have been decided. Thus, our only chance for any kind of independence was if the clans won. Of course, if the other clans had won without us, who knows how we would have been regarded? I had to decide that our only option was to make whatever contributions we could.”

  “Your eight hundred men played an important role in the final battle,” Yozef assured him. “All the clans respect your contribution, particularly with the difficulty of getting your men across the Seaborn Strait while it was under Narthani control.”

  Yulan only nodded while stroking his beard.

  “On the other hand,” said the hetman, “all three of my sons disagree with me. Santee and Mykroft spent several months on the main island, with Santee spending six months serving as my representative in Preddi before the Narthani left. I don’t believe you met him, but it was a chaotic time. It gave them a chance to see the degree of devastation the Narthani inflicted on the Preddi Clan, along with the efforts to put the clan back together. Santee and Mykroft also fought at the Battle of Orosz City, which gave them connections to others who fought, and they witnessed the commitment and sacrifices of the other clans in ridding us of the Narthani scourge. Both of them returned to Seaborn with far different opinions than when they left. I didn’t experience what they did, but I respect them both. Plus, Santee will one day be hetman, and it is obvious he has more of a commitment to the other clans than I will ever have. It’s a poor hetman who insists on following a path he knows will change with his passing. If changes from my generation are inevitable, it’s my duty to assume a smooth transition, rather than suppress changes that will come more abruptly once I’ve passed into the next existence.”

  Yulan held up his hand to forestall what Yozef was about to say.

  “And then there’s Reezo. He’s my third son, and, with God’s grace to protect his older brothers and their sons, Reezo will never be hetman. However, while I would never tell anyone in my family, I believe he’s the brightest of all my children. Well . . . perhaps except for his twin sister, Thala.

  “I decided to send Reezo to deliver our invitation because I wanted to get another opinion of what was happening elsewhere and of you, Paramount. It also was a chance for him to broaden his experience.”

  Yulan smiled. “Although he came back with views consistent with his brothers’, as with many youths, he was more unrestrained in his opinions and is apparently a complete convert to the idea of a united Caedellium.”

  The hetman paused. Yozef sensed there was more to come.

  “I’ll also admit, Paramount, that the Narthani threat is reason enough to know Seaborn’s days of relative independence are over. Only the tradition-bound clansmen can believe we can exist in relative isolation.”

  “The raid on Nollagen,” Yozef stated.

  Yulan sighed. “It was a shock and forever banished the idea that we were apart from happenings elsewhere. Yes . . . the Narthani blockage of trade hurt us, but at least we felt our islands were physically intact and unmarred by violence. That ended with the burning of Nollagen and the killing and taking captive of its people.

  “I’ll also tell you that the return of Senwina Kardyl and her two children was
a thunderbolt possibly even more impactful than the original raid. Time had partially healed the wounds in our people’s souls. Then her return ripped open the scars. Any lingering resentment about Seaborn losing complete independence is gone from all but a very few of the most obstreperous Seaborners. And they have few people willing to listen to their complaints.”

  “So, where are we, Hetman? Do I understand you correctly that Seaborn’s reluctant membership in the Caedellium union is a thing of the past? If yes, then where do we go from here?”

  Yulan smiled wryly. “Isn’t that something you should be telling me, Paramount?”

  “I have ideas for the future, Yulan, but I don’t perceive myself to be an absolute ruler, as exists in many Anyar realms. Even if I believed I had that power, I don’t think it is the best way forward. The future of Caedellium cannot be my vision alone but must be our vision. Yes, I have strong opinions. I will try to persuade when I can and act on my own whenever possible, and when I think I’m not going counter to the people. However, in the long term and for the best future, we need to act together.”

  “That sounds good,” said Yulan, “and I will hope that’s the case, though only time will tell if you can or will do as you say. However, it begs the question of what are your visions?”

  “Safety of the people comes first,” said Yozef. “Nothing else is possible without that. As we are all too aware, this is a dangerous world. The Narthani are still out there. On the other hand, I want to avoid Caedellium being too involved. We’ve already suffered enough. I’m sure you recognize it’s a delicate balancing act.

  “My first vision is that Caedellium becomes too poisonous a morsel for any power to make serious attempts directly against us. The obvious major threat is the Narthani, but from what I’ve learned, some of the Iraquinik states are potential dangers. I would also not rule out Landolin. What happened to the Narthani army at Orosz City is a lesson I want to be sure is known throughout this part of Anyar.

  “What is certain is that we can’t be as unprepared as Caedellium once was. The likeliest threat is for the Narthani to eventually try to subjugate us again. It’s why we have a small core of permanent military units, the ready units from each clan, and the requirement that all Caedelli men and many women have enough training to form functional military units on relatively short notice.”

  Yulan shrugged. “I’ve done as required, and we have the assigned number of men forming ready units, but we have no permanent military on our islands. I assume you understand why. Were Caedellium to be invaded again, such units would be isolated. Still, even though I say I understand, it’s something that gives my clanspeople reasonable worry.”

  “There’s no denying that Seaborn is in a unique situation because of its physical separation from the rest of Caedellium,” said Yozef. “In extreme cases, your ready units might be required to come to the mainland to fight, leaving the rest of your trained people to mount a defense. The only thing I can see to do is for us . . . and by that, I mean you, the Seaborn people, and the rest of Caedellium through the powers of my position, to prepare mountain refuges to retire to until the threat is eliminated.

  “I know it’s not a palatable option, but is there really any other? And let’s be honest. How likely is it that someone, even the Narthani, will want to subjugate only Seaborn Province? Even as a base for other purposes, with its isolation, rugged terrain, and relatively small population hiding in the mountains, Seaborn is hardly an attractive target.

  “This is also why I propose some differences with the Seaborn military’s contributions. The other clan’s permanent military will be extremely well trained, down to the lowest ranks, because, in case of a general mustering of forces, those people will assume higher ranks. For example, a man who is a squad leader for ten men will jump to leading a platoon of forty men. A company commander will move to battalion commander. My thinking is that Seaborn would have a small number of key men three or four months at a time on the main island, rotating back to Seaborn and with other men taking their places. It’s not ideal, but it would allow Seaborn to be seen as contributing to the permanent military while maintaining a level of leadership at home.”

  The Seaborn hetman had listened intently, alternately stroking his beard and using a thumb to rub the opposite hand’s palm.

  “I’ll want to think on this some more and talk with the advisers and my sons, but my first impression is to agree with the general principles of what you say. The one problem is that to prepare the redoubts as the other clans did before the Narthani’s main invasion will take major resources . . . something the Seaborn Clan is short of. Things have eased in the last months, but we still suffer from shortages incurred from years of the Narthani isolating us from trade.”

  Yozef suppressed a smile. They were about to move to the point where he had some of the strongest arguments for the union.

  “That is just one advantage of being a genuine part of greater Caedellium: No clan has to depend totally on itself in times of need. Although each clan must make every effort to support itself, help is available. I haven’t been here long enough to know everything that needs doing, but you can provide ideas that will be seriously considered. For example, I noticed the harbor piers need significant repairs and several buildings in Brudermyn, likewise. I’m assuming such repairs were postponed because of a lack of resources. I’m confident we can help with those. Plus, doubtless elsewhere in Seaborn are roads, harbors, irrigation dams, schools, and other structures that need work.

  “Then there could be major new projects. I don’t know yet what those might be, but serious thought can be given to them. It might be a good idea if I send a team of people experienced in such projects here to Seaborn. They could work with your own people to make suggestions.”

  “But how would we pay for this?” asked Yulan. “The supply of coin is so low here that I had to mandate no changes in prices and establish a formal barter system.”

  Yozef’s left eyebrow shot up. “A barter system for the entire province?”

  “Yes. It was a desperate move. Oh . . . family and neighbors helped support one another, but the movement of food and other goods any distance had threatened to come to a complete halt. Now, we have local officials, scholastics, and theophists keeping detailed records, connecting relevant parties for barters, and investigating attempts to take advantage of people in dire need.”

  “And this actually works?” asked Yozef, dubious.

  “It’s a nightmare. But things are still better than the alternative, as it was before.”

  Yozef attempted to rub his chin, still harking back to his days before the beard.

  “Okay, so it sounds like you need an influx of coin. It can’t be sudden, or it would create chaos.”

  Shit, Yozef thought. Now I wish Mark or Heather were economists to deal with this. Hell . . . now that I think of it, the whole economic setup in Caedellium needs work, and I’m a person who skated through a required economics course, just paying enough attention to pass.

  “I may have to seek outside help. Maybe the Fuomi or Landoliners. I don’t know enough about economics . . . uh . . . how trade and coin flow to influence decisions. What we can do is try to stabilize your situation until we can have a real plan.”

  “Paramount, I think we’ve drifted into subjects best discussed with more people present. My advisers and sons.”

  “Oh . . . sorry. You’re right. We can bring these ideas up in the following meeting. I will give one more example of how we can help Seaborn. The silver ore that you’re shipping to the Iraquinik kahsaks. It’s got to be rich enough in silver to justify shipping. There are mining and smelting engineers from at least ten other provinces who could advise you on doing the smelting here in Seaborn.”

  “Engineer? What’s this? A craftsman?”

  “Uh . . . it’s a word from my original homeland. It’s the title for a particular level of craftsman who builds things or plans and directs certain tasks. So, there are mining engine
ers who are masters of digging mines, smelting engineers who direct turning ore into metals, construction engineers, machinery engineers, and on and on.

  “Since you have not been doing the smelting here in Seaborn, it’ll be necessary to bring in engineers from other provinces. I can arrange this. I would be very surprised if this did not turn into a major source of coin for Seaborn. However, even if it does, you need to carefully consider who will benefit. I don’t know who the owner of the existing mine is, but the smelters might be best owned by you or the entire people of Seaborn. I don’t know how you might arrange that for your province. From our previous discussion, it sounded like the ore came from a single mine.”

  Yulan nodded and, with an open hand gesture, asked why this was important.

  “There’s a good chance the ore deposits will support multiple mines. I also wonder about this because of what I was told about the stone used in many of your buildings. It’s also from North Island and is very similar to a type of stone from Amerika, where I come from. This particular type of stone has, at least in one case, been associated with silver deposits. There may also be other ores you aren’t aware of. I can send people here to carry out a mineral survey of all the islands of Seaborn.

  “I think we should stop here and move to meet with the other people you want to be involved in our discussion. However, I suggest we keep the idea about silver quiet for now until I can arrange for people to come to Seaborn. They can assess the potential for smelting silver ore here and to look for other potential mining sites.”

  Yozef and Yulan joined nine men in a larger nearby room. They went over much of the same ground that they had covered with only the two of them—minus the possibility of expanding silver mining on North Island. In addition to the hetman’s three sons, a single man each represented the clanspeople on North and East Islands, and four hetmen advisers completed the grouping—the latter included Urk Zalzar. Most of the men were either respectful of Yozef’s thoughts or supportive to different degrees. The one exception was a weathered, gray-haired man from East Island, the smallest of the three main Seaborn Islands. He reminded Yozef of the stereotypical Old Testament prophet predicting the wrath of God. After the man’s initial outburst, a loud grunt and a fierce expression from Hetman Seaborn suppressed the prophet’s vocalizations, but his scowls seemed a permanent fixture.