Architecture & Adversity

by Jeremy Dwyer

  A man in his early fifties spoke up and said: “Baron Vizakrid, my lord, the soil is rocky in many places. The Gradaken waters let us cultivate soil, not rock. We make the most of the arable land, and we negotiate for the best prices with the merchants for our crops, so that we can pay you.” Many others around him stood nervously, not sure if they should continue working or stand at attention for the baron.

  “Who are you, bold man?” Baron Vizakrid asked.

  “My name is Odhran,” the man said.

  “And you drink the Gradaken waters, correct?” Baron Vizakrid asked.

  “Yes, my lord,” Odhran said.

  “Can these rocks you mention be removed from the soil?” Baron Vizakrid asked.

  “Yes, my lord, but not by me, for I do not drink the proper waters to cut the stones and remove them,” Odhran said.

  “Let’s find someone who does. Come with me on a short journey, Odhran,” Baron Vizakrid said.

  “Yes, my lord. Yet, I cannot work the farm land to serve you while on this journey, which will only add to your disappointment,” Odhran said.

  “That is quite right, Odhran. Nor can you work to feed your family. You do have a family, don’t you?” Baron Vizakrid asked.

  “Yes, my lord,” Odhran said.

  “Bring them here at once. My troops will escort you,” Baron Vizakrid said.

  Ten (10) of Baron Vizakrid’s troops escorted Odhran as he went into the front room of a small two (2) room wooden cottage that was his home and he said: “Elise! Please come out from your room.”

  A woman in her late forties came out of the back room – the bedroom – and appeared before them.

  “Odhran, how can I be of service?” Elise asked.

  “The Baron is here. He wishes to see us,” Odhran said.

  Elise became nervous and said: “Yes, of course.”

  The ten (10) troops escorted Odhran and Elise back to the center of the village where Baron Vizakrid was waiting.

  “My lord, this is my wife, Elise,” Odhran said.

  “Are your children grown?” Baron Vizakrid asked.

  “We have no children, my lord,” Odhran said.

  “Your wife’s womb is as desolate as the land, then? Why am I not surprised? What water do you drink, Elise?” Baron Vizakrid asked.

  “I drink the Pirovalen waters, my lord,” Elise said.

  “The song waters! They’re almost worthless. Only a few talented singers exist. Most of them are nothing but trouble. Even the good ones are only good at being bad. These lands were under their musical hypnosis only two (2) years ago, working for that fool King Xander. We lost time pursuing mythical waters that everyone knows don’t exist. You lost out on profits. I lost out on taxes. You know that that means, don’t you, Elise?” Baron Vizakrid asked.

  “We must work as hard as we can, my lord,” Elise said.

  “No. You must work as hard as necessary. Your abilities are lacking. Your best is not good enough. Your husband says the soil is rocky. You drink the wrong waters. All I am hearing are excuses. I want solutions,” Baron Vizakrid said.

  “If someone who drinks the Kazofen waters and works at removing stones can come here and remove the rocks from the soil, our produce may increase greatly, my lord,” Odhran said.

  “Yes, Odhran. That is what we are going to arrange. You and your wife will both come with me, and make it clear to the residents of other villages that they are to come back here and help you.”

  Baron Vizakrid then led Odhran, Elise, the guard captain and the one hundred fifty (150) troops back to the riverboat. They continued traveling west until reaching another village.

  ~~~

  Patrick gave direction to several strong young men – all drinkers of the waters of the Nabavodel Ocean – as they pulled wagons filled with granite and sandstone toward the riverbank. There, they awaited merchants who would arrive on riverboats to pay for the stone. He would have to negotiate carefully, and do quick arithmetic to ensure a good deal. He drank the waters of the Medathero Ocean from his vial and was energized. Patrick could reason calmly and quickly, selling both the stone and future contracts on the stone at fixed prices, balancing risk and reward. Pricing those futures required a realistic assessment of how much work the stone cutters could do – and how much good stone was buried in the mountain, given its varying density. Quick arithmetic wasn’t enough when dealing with risky futures contracts: probability distributions and some calculus were involved, and all of it had to be done in his head, correctly, in his rapid negotiations with the merchants.

  He watched as a riverboat approached and he readied himself for the difficult-to-deal-with merchants. His heart sank when he saw the familiar – and most unwelcome – riverboat belonging to Baron Vizakrid sail into the riverside port.

  The guard captain and the one hundred fifty (150) troops stepped onto the riverbank, surrounding Baron Vizakrid, Odhran and Elise.

  “Baron Vizakrid, my lord, I hope we have not displeased you,” Patrick said.

  “Your name is?” Baron Vizakrid asked.

  “My name is Patrick, my lord,” he said.

  “Patrick, according to my records, your stone mining village has overproduced, so I am not here to correct you. However, Odhran and his useless wife are from a farming village just to the east of here, and they have disappointed me with their underproduction. Tell them, Odhran,” Baron Vizakrid said.

  “Large areas of the soil are rocky, making our harvest poor. We need assistance from drinkers of the Kazofen waters. If they can bend and cut the stone from the ground, we can increase our crop yield, and they can have the stone for sale,” Odhran said.

  “Yet, even when you send help, that does not excuse you from meeting your quota. Work harder, if you must. Since you have already overproduced, I fully expect success, despite this redistribution of the workforce,” Baron Vizakrid said.

  Patrick did a rapid mental calculation to determine how many people could be spared and still meet – even slightly exceed – their quota. “We can spare three (3) stone cutters, no more,” Patrick said.

  “Will that be enough, Odhran?” Baron Vizakrid asked.

  “It may be enough. It will almost certainly improve our yield,” Odhran said.

  “What is your cause for doubt?” Baron Vizakrid asked.

  “The quantity and quality of the soil after the rocky areas are cleared, and the speed of the stone cutters, will affect just how much improvement we can make, so I cannot yet put a number to it,” Odhran said.

  “I am alarmed at this. I was hoping for better news delivered with high confidence. Now, what you say has given me anxiety, that I may not receive my fair share of tax payments,” Baron Vizakrid said.

  “The more they send, the better,” Odhran said.

  “Where did you get your number, Patrick? Why can you spare only three (3) stone cutters?” Baron Vizakrid asked.

  “We must maintain our quotas, and I know their working speed and the varying stone quality within the mountain. These variables, along with fluctuating stone market prices, affect our profits, and then the taxes we can pay,” Patrick said.

  “The working speed? They can work longer hours, can they not?” Baron Vizakrid asked.

  “Without rest, they make errors, and reduce the yield by damaging the valuable stones, slowing their progress while they repair it,” Patrick said.

  “Let’s ask them ourselves. We shall go into the center of the village and bring them our concerns. Lead the way, Patrick,” Baron Vizakrid said.

  Patrick led the way into the village, followed closely by the guard captain, who led the one hundred ten (110) troops, surrounding Baron Vizakrid, Odhran and Elise.

  When they reached the center of the village, where the majority of the stone cutters were hard at work, Baron Vizakrid said: “Patrick, explain to them what is expected, and find volunteers who are willing to help these poor farmers meet their production quotas and avoid severe punishment.” Heads turned as Baron Vizakrid and hi
s troops arrived, and everyone worked harder, nervous that they had disappointed the baron, who would punish them cruelly.

  “Our gracious lord, Baron Vizakrid, has come to visit us to ask for our assistance. While we have overproduced, a neighboring farming village has under produced. They believe that it is due to the rocks embedded in their farmland, which they need for us to remove, so that they can better cultivate the soil underneath and improve their crop yields. I have offered the services of three (3) stone cutters, so that we can maintain our own quotas. However, the farmers believe they need even more help. Who can we spare?” Patrick asked.

  Ruth looked up and asked: “Spare? You have to be joking, Patrick.”

  Baron Vizakrid became angry when he heard this and asked: “Who are you?”

  “I’m Ruth. I’m working as hard as I can without falling over where I stand. I’m working for you. That’s how we overproduce. I’m glad you see it that way. If we lose anybody, we’re going to barely produce. Then what?” Ruth asked.

  “There will be punishment for failure, of course. There will also be punishment for refusal to help,” Baron Vizakrid said.

  “We lose either way,” Ruth said.

  “Yeah. We’re giving all we’ve got,” Sean said.

  “Sometimes, we can produce extra. Sometimes, we can produce just enough,” Ciaran said.

  “This is more than I can do,” Molly said.

  “If we overproduce now, can that be credited to us should we under produce later?” Patrick asked.

  “Of course not! You must never disappoint me! More now does not pay for less later. The quota is the least that is acceptable,” Baron Vizakrid said, and he grabbed Patrick by the throat, lifting him off of the ground, choking him.

  “Enough! We’ll help. I’m willing to go to their farming village,” Sophie said.

  “I’ll go with you,” Ciaran said.

  “Let him go and I’ll help, too,” Ruth said.

  “I’ll help, if I can,” Molly said. She did this out of pity for Patrick – she didn’t like to see anybody get hurt. She forgot, for a moment, her own difficulties with doing the job she had.

  “I’ll try to help. I don’t know what you expect, though. If we help out in their village, and it’s still not enough, are you going to choke us too?” Courtney asked.

  “No. I’ll just break your neck. And I’ll kill Ruth, just to quiet that mouth,” Baron Vizakrid said, releasing his grip on Patrick, who fell to the ground and struggled to catch his breath.

  “If they’re going to help, I’ll go, too. Better chance we all come out of this,” Sean said.

  “Wise move, little man,” Baron Vizakrid said.

  “Dear God, I pray to thank you for these kind souls, and I pray that they may help us in this time of trial,” Elise said, having dropped to her knees while everyone was distracted. She drank the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean so that her voice had a sing-song quality to it.

  “You think prayer will help you? Fertile soil, the Gradaken waters, along with these stone cutters and their Kazofen waters are your only hope. Stand up and get to work, and maybe you’ll survive, if you’re not totally useless,” Baron Vizakrid said.

  Baron Vizakrid then gestured to his troops to escort these volunteers, including Patrick, onto the riverboat. “Since you’re so smart, Patrick, you can keep them on schedule, and negotiate with the merchants for a better price for the yield. Sell whatever you must to pay the taxes – wheat, oats, corn and anything that grows, along with any stone you remove from the rocky soil on the farmland. If that’s not enough, sell the farmer’s wife as a slave. She’s not much good at anything else,” the baron said.

  Ruth was burning to say what needed to be said, but then she bit her tongue. This baron was an animal; however, fighting him wasn’t an option. All she could do was work hard and hope it was enough.

  “Time to get to work. Back to the fields,” Baron Vizakrid said. The guard captain led his one hundred fifty (150) troops as they surrounded Odhran, Elise, Patrick, Ruth, Sophie, Ciaran, Courtney, Sean and Molly.

  They boarded the riverboat and then headed east, back towards the farming village from which Odhran and Elise came. After the workers disembarked, Baron Vizakrid stood on the boat and announced: “I will be returning in eight (8) days. You had best meet your quota by then, or you will pay severely.” He then directed the guard captain to steer the riverboat back to the castle.

  CHAPTER 20: Harvest in Faith and Fire

  “Let’s move quickly. Give it everything we have. I have some extra Kazofen water vials here, so we don’t run out,” Patrick said.

  “I’ll show you where the rocky soil is,” Odhran said, leading Patrick, Courtney, Molly, Sean, Ciaran, Ruth and Sophie to a particularly problematic field. Elise followed, still praying quietly in a soft, sing-song voice after drinking anew of the waters of the Pirovalen Ocean.

  Ruth looked at the rocky soil and drank anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean from the vial she already wore. She was energized and then started to mold the rocks in the ground like they were clay, finding more rocks underneath. Ciaran, Sean, Sophie, Molly and Courtney followed her lead, looking in nearby areas and found the same thing.

  “The rock runs deep. There’s not much good soil here to work with,” Ruth said.

  “Let’s pick a few random locations, and sample those,” Patrick said.

  “We can do random. Sure,” Sophie said. She then took some dice out of her jacket pocket and started rolling them.

  “Allow me,” Patrick said, holding out his hands.

  Sophie handed over the dice and Patrick began rolling them on the ground, generating numbers for coordinates and assigning the stone cutters to different parts of the field.

  Odhran followed the stone cutters, looking to see where the most promise was. He drank anew of the waters of the Gradaken Ocean and was energized. Along the way, he visited the cottages of several other farmers in the small village, calling them to work together, and to invite the other farmers. Soon, the fifty-six (56) other farmers in the small village came to join Odhran, and they all started to work the field, also drinking Gradaken waters and planting new seeds very near to where the visiting stone cutters worked. However, there was very little additional soil being exposed. Elise followed Odhran closely, praying quietly as she went.

  Patrick followed Elise, Odhran and the fifty-six (56) other farmers and asked: “Is there enough new soil being exposed?”

  “No. I don’t think so. But this is the first day,” Odhran said.

  “This isn’t looking good. The rocks run deep – that’s pretty much all there is, not much more soil is going to get exposed,” Ruth said, as she was working nearby and overheard them.

  ~~~

  By night, the visiting stone cutters stayed in the cottages of the farmers. Ciaran and Sophie found no time for each other, being exhausted from the work.

  ~~~

  After the first two (2) days of labor, nothing improved significantly. On the morning of the third day, Ruth approached Patrick and said: “That’s it. No more.”

  “What do you mean? We’re running out of time. You know the baron will be here after the eight (8) days are over. We have to keep trying. If not this field, then one nearby,” Patrick said.

  “We’re digging our own graves, Patrick. This is a waste of time. He’s going to come back, see that not much more soil is available and not much more is going to grow. Then he’s going to start killing us,” Ruth said.

  “I agree. We need to get out of here. There isn’t much more we can do,” Sophie said.

  “I will work as hard as necessary, but this labor may be in vain. If something substantial were happening – if more soil were being exposed rapidly – then I would say work harder, for longer hours. We need another approach,” Ciaran said.

  “Beg the baron for mercy,” Odhran said.

  “You have to be kidding,” Ruth said.

  “I don’t think that strategy will work,” Patrick said
.

  “Pay off the baron?” Sean asked.

  “You’re smarter than you look. Wrong answer, but you’re heading in the right direction,” Sophie said.

  “What do you mean?” Molly asked.

  “You’re going to play a card game and cheat the baron?” Courtney asked.

  “The witty remarks and accusations never end! Think about it: he’s going to come back, get disappointed and want to kill some of us. If he kills all of us, he gets no benefit. Fear only goes so far. There’s no profit in dead farmers or stone cutters,” Courtney said.

  “He’s not always a rational thinker. His anger may override his greed,” Patrick said.

  “Your neck still hurts, doesn’t it, Patrick? Let none of us ever forget that. There is no hope of working to appease the baron. None. Ruth is right. We are digging our own graves. Save your energy for something better,” Sophie said.

  “Like what? We don’t have a ship to get out of here,” Patrick asked.

  “That’s a problem we have to solve, then,” Sophie said.

  “How? We don’t get paid enough to buy a ship,” Molly asked.

  “The only ships that travel this river are the baron’s ships and the merchants’ ships,” Patrick said.

  “When’s the next merchant due here? We can pay to escape on that,” Sophie asked.

  “I know, because we sell our crops to them. It will be six (6) more days,” Odhran said.

  “Same day the baron will arrive to collect,” Patrick said.

  “How convenient! Not much time is left, then,” Courtney said.

  “The baron may arrive early or late in the day, so we cannot be confident of an opportunity,” Ciaran said.

  “We’re going to have to fight our way out of this,” Sophie said.