Anton’s loud voice could be heard over the crowd as he passed through the soldiers assembled outside the main gates, “Hey Jessi, ya got yer brush? It’s a girl thing, Reese, a girl thing.”
*
The following week flew by for those left at Ramadine. Anton sent daily messages and John received communiqués from both Lepsis and Ophir. The Red Feathers Center had not been this busy in years. Lepsis was successful in securing Marone’s aid and was busy organizing an army. Marone was not as large as Esparia, but the people were a hardy lot and quite fierce by nature. Living in the northlands made them strong.
Ophir had his hands full with the people of Galland. The Gallish were willing to help, but were far from ready for a battle of any sort. Had Daenon been aware, he could have crushed the small country in less than a week. Ophir was frantically fortifying the border between Hent and Galland, and John’s first business was to send five divisions of ten thousand each to aid Ophir. He knew it was easier to maintain land than it was to retake it once lost.
John spent his days busy with maps, strategies, training and establishing supply lines. At the end of the first week, to his great surprise and delight, the animal preptor turned physician, Alberod from Ider Hoffle, rode into Ramadine. John wasted no time in training Alberod with crash courses on medical procedure. He wanted the taxidermist with him on the battlefront as a medical man. The kind of injuries they would encounter would require a skilled sewing hand and Alberod scored among the best John had seen.
Lyrista held to the promise she made to Jessica. Several times she nearly sat on John to make him take food and once she threatened him with bodily harm if he did not rest.
“I swear, John, I’ll take you out myself if you don’t go to bed. You’ll be worthless without some sleep. You cannot make the best decisions or retain what you’re learning without resting your mind for at least a few hours.” Realizing she was right, he agreed to take better care of himself.
At the beginning of the second week John met in his new office, formerly known as the conference center, with Larone. Several maps of the southern border lay open on the desk. John pointed to the Colossus Mountains, a thousand filon long barrier between Galland and Esparia. “Tell me about these mountains.”
“They are enormous. Even the plant life grows to mighty proportions. They are nearly three hundred filons wide and consist of over two hundred soaring peaks.”
“Gaylee once mentioned giants live in these mountains, is this true?”
“Yes, they live there, but we have little contact with them. They do not welcome outsiders. They do not speak Esparian, and I am not aware of anyone who knows their tongue. Anton met a giant once. He had wandered in the Colossus Mountains for several weeks, trying to make contact. Then one evening, a man, at least five heads taller than himself came into his camp and through basic sign language told Anton to leave.”
“Do you think they would talk to me?” The potential aroused John’s interest.
Larone thought for a moment. “Anything is possible, but you do not have weeks to wander around, John”
“I know, but I want to try. I have a gift for languages, maybe that’ll help. I’ll take Cordon and we’ll leave tomorrow. You and Lyrista can wrap up the details here. You know where to deploy the troops. We need to finish fortifying the western borders.”
“Lyrista and I will handle the western front. The giants would be valuable allies. In fact, if I were a few years younger, I would go with you. The possibility of seeing a giant is tantalizing.”
In the morning, John and Cordon began their expedition to the Colossus Mountains. John rode the magnificent Fireguard while Cordon used one of the best stallions Ramadine could offer. During the journey from Ider Hoffle, as well as the days spent at Ramadine, John had taken extra effort to care for his animal. As a result, a bond of affection had been forged between the two. John now felt confident as a rider, fully trusting the intelligent horse.
After nearly three long days of constant, high speed travel, the western rim of the Colossus Mountains came into sight. Each peak in the range rivaled Earth’s Mount Everest in size and height, the summits being lost in white, cloudy mist. On a clear day it would have been difficult to see the actual tips from the range base, they reached so high.
It took another day and a half to reach the range base. While the two men made their way into it, John admired the majestic redwood-like trees towering above. “If I were a giant, I’d live here, this place is spectacular.”
Everything in the forest grew to enormous proportions. Multicolored mushrooms, the size of dinner plates, spread across many of the tree trunks. Tall, feathery ferns arched up to a height of nearly twelve feet. Clumps of green vegetation with stalks the width of John’s arm and six foot long leaves dotted the forest floor.
“This is overwhelming,” Cordon said. “It makes me feel insignificant. I don’t like it. We could travel for weeks and never come across another soul. In fact, we’ve been traveling for hours now and I haven’t seen one sign of human life.”
“Larone did say they were masters of concealment,” John mused and he reined in Fireguard. Cordon stopped beside him. “They’re probably watching right now. I’ll bet they’ve been keeping track of us since we entered the forest this morning.”
“We passed a small clearing about half a filon back, why don’t we return there and make camp,” Cordon suggested.
“Works for me.” Upon reaching the meadow, John’s first course of action was to cut a sturdy sapling, then strip its branches with a dagger. Cordon held the new pole while John retrieved a Banner of Freedom from his saddlebag and attached it to the makeshift staff. After gathering a pile of rocks, they planted the flag.
“We’ll stay three days and nights, that’s all the time we can spare. Larone can handle things for a while, but I don’t want to be gone too long,” John decided. “Hopefully, curiosity will overcome their mistrust long enough for us to communicate. We only need a few minutes.”
Cordon built a blazing fire, a constant signal of their presence. They passed the long hours by practicing swordsmanship and exchanging stories of their youth. On their second night of camping out, John decided to broach a sensitive subject.
“Cordon, why have you never married?”
“You’re brave,” Cordon grinned. “Not even Lyrista has the courage to ask me that question.”
Fully expecting a reply, John waited, but when Cordon remained silent he felt a prod was needed. “Well?”
“I’m a career soldier,” was all Cordon offered.
“So was I, but I married Shallenon.”
“Were you ever home?” The question shocked John, but before he could answer Cordon continued. “My father is a career soldier, and he was never there. I remember how difficult it was for my mother to raise three kids alone. Late at night, when she thought everyone slept, I would hear her crying.” He shook his head. “I couldn’t do that to a woman I loved or my kids. A family deserves to have a real husband and father, not a phantom in their lives. If it weren’t for Lyrista, Reese would have been an orphan. After our sister died, his father came around even less often than mine did. No. Career soldiering and family do not go together.”
“I understand how you feel, but I disagree. My father was army. In fact I’m third generation military. We moved around a lot, but I have good memories of my dad. He went missing in action in a conflict my country was involved in many years ago. Until that time, however, he always tried to be there for us. Shallenon and I had a great relationship. I tried very hard to make her and Jessica my number one priority. I was home as much as I possibly could be. I never took on extra work, unless it was vital to someone’s life, and I found creative ways to keep in touch. My hobby was my family. Being married was my lifeline, it kept me grounded.” He threw another log on the roaring fire.
“I do understand how Reese’s dad felt though,” John continued. “Losing your greatest friend and lifelong companion is devastating. I kn
ow firsthand how effective hard work and new challenges are in filling the void. When Shallenon died, I was lost for a long time. Luckily, Jessica had Gaylee. It’s ironic, just when I’d decided to change my workaholic ways, she gets transported here. I just hope my fatherly efforts aren’t too late.”
“It’s never too late to be a dad. When I was newly graduated from the Esparian Defense Academy, Gammet and I came to terms. I was fortunate to work beside him these last fifteen years. I’d say I understood him better than anyone, even better than Ophir.”
John nodded. “I’d never give up the twelve years I had with Shallenon, even though the last ten have been tough without her. But I know how fortunate I am, I have a great daughter in Jessica.”
They sat in silence, both men staring into the fire. After a long time, Cordon spoke. “After the war, I’ll give family life serious consideration.”
John was beginning to feel like a boy scout again, sleeping under the stars and foraging for wood to keep the fire constantly blazing. Finally, on the evening of the third day, a loud thud shattered the quiet twilight. Mindful not to draw their weapons, John and Cordon stood and faced the sound.
After several tense moments a deep voice asked from behind, “Why have you come?” John jumped and Cordon whirled around, his hand instinctively on his knife. A towering man stood before them. At least thirteen feet tall, this giant would have made Anton feel small. He was clean-shaven with long, thick white hair pulled back in ponytail fashion. He appeared to be alone, but John sensed others were around. To his amazement, he basically understood what the giant said. He felt both relieved and stunned. He quickly gathered his thoughts.
“I am the Protector of Esparia,” John said. “We need help to defeat a murderer. If he takes Esparia, he will soon invade your mountain home.”
The giant regarded John suspiciously. “What is that?” he motioned to the Banner.
“Our Banner of Freedom, our flag. Blue is loyalty, silver is justice and red is courage,” John explained. “Our honor. A gift for you.”
The giant looked from the flag to John and then to Cordon. “Leave by morning,” he commanded. “Do not return.” He left as quietly as he had come. Within seconds he vanished into the darkening forest.
John and Cordon stood speechless. After sitting back down next to their fire, Cordon stared at John, mouth open and eyes wide. “How did you do that?” he asked breathlessly.
John was confused. “Do what?”
“You spoke Giant, John. I mean, YOU SPOKE GIANT!”
“No I was speaking like we are now, Edian.”
Cordon laughed. “No, you spoke Giant. I don’t know what language it was, but I was sure glad you could do it. I’m not a man who easily panics, but I was a little concerned when I saw that guy. And then there you go, just rattling off some weird language.” Cordon gave a brave smile.
After translating the brief conversation John shook his head. “Well I don’t know how I did it.”
“You must be tied into the Expanse of Gonta more than you know,” Cordon said firmly.
John opened his mouth to protest, but quickly thought better of it. He had no idea what had just happened and if it made Cordon feel better to think it was some sort of magic, then fine. He would ask Larone about it later. “Yeah, maybe. Let’s get some rest.”
The next morning John and Cordon awoke to find the Banner of Freedom gone.
“Well, what do you know?” Cordon gave a deep, heartfelt laugh.
“At least they took it. I hope it’s a good sign,” John said.
*
Troops and supplies poured in and Ramadine was never a busier place. It took John two full days before he could question Larone about the newfound ability to understand Giants. Larone seemed perplexed by the surprising ability also. “I have been pondering for some time now your ability to speak Esparian. I have questioned Gaylee and she has told me of her ability to speak both a language called Polish and your native tongue of English without even realizing she was speaking them.”
John was stunned. “What do you mean? My speaking Esparian? I’m speaking English.”
“No my friend, I assure you…you are speaking Esparian. It is impossible that our two languages would be this compatible. You are definitely speaking Esparian.”
“But there are some words that are foreign to me and Gaylee has had to teach me their meanings.” He protested.
“I can’t explain the full impact of what happened to you when you went through the Expanse of Gonta in the spiral to come here, but you definitely absorbed some power to communicate. Perhaps,” he mused, “not as much as Gaylee did when she traveled to earth or Jessica when she came through, but you absorbed something.”
“Something, huh,” John grunted. “What else happened to me in there?”
Larone shook his head. “I do not know. No one has traveled between our worlds in millennia. And the writings of those who may have made the journey have been lost. We may never know the full extent of how your travel has affected you.”
“And what about Jess?” John was feeling anger begin to rise in him. “Does she realize she’s speaking Esparian?”
Larone shook his head. “I doubt it. Has she spoken to you about it?”
“No,” John sighed, checking his anger. “And she has so much to think about right now, I’m not going to mention it.” He shook his head. “This is too weird.”
During the next week, before Anton, Jessica, Reese and Varnack returned, John filled his time with heavy training and meetings with division and regimental commanders from the eastern provinces. John liked these men, Reese had done a good job approving and appointing them to their positions. They seemed competent and unafraid. Several officers wanted to attack the Deserts right away, but John convinced them it would be suicide.
“Our maps of the Deserts are incomplete at best. Without knowledgeable guides, we would be walking into ambush after ambush. We will wait for Daenon to make the first move,” John commanded. “We can interrogate our prisoners and gain more knowledge of the terrain. I won’t go anywhere half-blind.”
Lepsis and Ophir kept daily communication with Ramadine. They hastened to complete their respective tasks. John sent another six regiments to Ophir. When men arrived, he deployed more troops to the western outposts and made sure the supply lines from the Northern Plains were well secured.
Having completed her tour of the western provinces, Gaylee returned one day before Jessica and company. Since the West lay in Daenon’s direct path, the western peoples had already begun mobilization under the Ider Hoffle soldiers.
Gaylee met with John and Larone in John’s new office to brief them on her tour when, halfway through her report, Lyrista burst through the door. Pale, her mouth set in a grim line, she handed John a small piece of paper. “I just received this.” She walked over to gaze out the window.
John read the neatly printed message out loud.
Commander Lyrista,
Enemy troops amassing on the Palium border. Received word of similar troop movements on the Snow Peak border. Please advise.
Fourth Bar Ru
Acting Commander Advance Scouts
CHAPTER 17
Green Persite
Esparia consisted of fifteen large provinces. The country stretched from the Eastern Ocean to the desert borders of Demar, and from the country of Marone on the north to Hent and Galland on the south. With Gaylee bound for the three western provinces of Verdure, Ramana, and Kine, Anton and company needed to cover the remaining ten in three weeks. Snow Peak and Palium were not on the list, for they were under Daenon’s control. Larone sent word through the Red Feathers to the provincial capitals and universities, or ramastars, informing them of the impending visits.
Anton mapped their course and put them on a strict timetable. Reese carried their standard, the Banner of Freedom, in a special holster made to attach to his saddle. Jessica kept the extra banners folded in a bag at her feet. The buggy she drove was small and handl
ed well. Web didn’t seem to mind the burden.
Varnack seemed quite content to run beside the buggy, every now and then darting in front of Web in a bizarre game of Trigal hound chicken. Feeling Web’s growing irritation, Jessica scolded the hound more than once. She noticed he didn’t bother the accompanying soldier’s horses.
“Not as much fun,” was his reason.
They headed northeast at a brisk clip toward Lyson Hoffle, nearly fifty filons from Ramadine, in the fertile province of Uberty. There was no time to keep things slow, so they pushed the well-conditioned mounts to their limits.
With the Banner flying before them, they made an impressive group. Reese looked handsome and stately in his crisp uniform, a direct contrast to Anton’s rugged, wild appearance. Varnack always made an impression, and Jessica was striking with her long, bright red hair flying behind her in the wind. The security detail rounded out the company. Some of these men would ride beside her, trading positions every hour or so. Some rode by Reese, but none rode by Anton. Jessica felt quite safe, as she was certain these men were the best of the best.
The last golden rays of sunlight were fading into the horizon when Jessica noticed the glow of distant lights. Anton maneuvered his horse next to her carriage. “That’s not Lyson up there. The dine’s at least another half hour away just over that little rise, so be on yer guard,” he warned. Within minutes a faint cheer drifted to Jessica’s ears. Hundreds of people, all bearing torches, lit their way. The glowing lights grew in number with every filon until, when they reached their destination; the night was lit almost as if it were day.
At Lyson’s gates, the High Olders met them with great fanfare. So many people came with greetings that barely enough room remained to maneuver the horses and buggy down the street. The four ambassadors were led to a spacious, brightly lit field where a platform had been erected. The field was packed with people from the city and the surrounding tierns.
The Protector of Esparia (The Annals of Esparia Book 1) Page 24
