Retribution

by Benjamin J Boswell

  “Hello, Ann-Marie. I just wanted to come up and check on how your young charge is doing?”

  “Wonderfully! I was very grateful to have you assign such an interesting aide to help me in my work. He’s a bit clumsy at times, but wonderfully intelligent. In fact, he should be returning shortly. I had sent him to the marketplace this morning to get a few things that we needed.”

  “You sent him to the marketplace in Valsgärd alone?”

  “No, no. Of course not. Gregory, in a marketplace? Alone?” The woman chuckled. “No, I sent Airman Baird and Dani with him.”

  “Ah, I see. Where are you going to put more stuff? This room is packed so full, you don’t even have a fire going because you’ve got boxes stacked against the fireplace. No wonder it’s chilly in here, though to tell you the truth, not having the soot from the fire get all over everything, including the nice, expensive clothing that Marigold has me wear is probably nice. That’s a big downside to the fireplace. I wish there were a better way to heat living spaces, including my cabin on the Retribution. The enclosed stove does a pretty good job there, but the soot still finds its way onto the white cloth.”

  “Yes, soot is a constant problem,” Ann-Marie agreed. “Maybe I’ll see if Gregory can come up with some ideas on that. He’s very innovative.”

  “Actually, that’s one reason I came by. There are a couple of ideas I wanted to see if you and Gregory could help me out with. I haven’t been able to develop them fully and I wanted to see what you thought of them.”

  “Oh?” replied Ann-Marie, “Such as?”

  “Well, how much do you know about the workings of an airship?” Esther asked.

  “I’m fairly familiar with the theory behind most airship functions,” Ann-Marie stated, “It is part of the regular studies at the University in Lancaster.”

  “Good, then you probably know more about it than I do.” Esther paused a moment. “You know, I envy you a bit.” Ann-Marie raised her eyebrows in surprise. “I always wanted to study at the University,” said Esther.

  Ann-Marie nodded. “Well perhaps you may still have a chance, or perhaps more likely at a University in Hadiq.”

  “Yes, I hope so. Anyway, have you thought much about what improvements could be made to airships?”

  “Not really. My interests have always been more in theoretical areas than applied concepts.”

  “Alright, well, do you have any idea what it would take to make it so the keel masts could be secured, and then stick sails and spars on them?”

  Ann-Marie thought for a moment. “Well,” she said at last, “The biggest challenge is to have the ability to secure the keel masts when they need to be, and stowed when they aren’t needed, such as when an airship lands. Regardless of how you do it, there will always be a weakness with those masts because they aren’t seated into the structure of the ship like a normal mast would be.”

  “Yes, that is the problem that I keep getting stuck on. Do you think it would be possible to secure the keel masts in a practical manner, so that even though they would be weaker than the normal masts, they could still function?”

  “To tell you the truth, I’m not sure,” she responded, then she smiled. “But it would be an interesting problem for Gregory and me to work on. Would you like us to?”

  “Well, yes, if you have time, I would like to know if it’s at least possible.”

  “I will need additional funding,” Ann-Marie said a bit sheepishly. “I’m afraid I’ve spent all that you provided us initially. Gregory and Baird took the rest of the funds to the marketplace to procure some supplies that I needed.”

  “Of course,” said Esther. “I will provide a written script to Mr. Najafi, who will arrange to get the funds from Mr. Zaid, Retribution’s Purser. Currently, he is handling both the ships funds and my own.”

  “Thank you Esther. It sounds like a wonderful project to study. Like I said, I can’t guarantee anything, as I usually only study theoretical matters, but I will do my best to provide you with a practical result.”

  “Thank you. There was one other thought I wanted to run by you. At the Hall of Scholars in Al Farnaka, I’ve seen them use metal gears for various purposes. I know that the crafting techniques for created such items can make them quite expensive, but I was wondering about our propeller operations and…”

  “Say no more. I will work on that as well.”

  “Thanks Ann-Marie, I really appreciate—”

  The door opened suddenly and Marigold walked in. “Everybody is beginning to gather back in the council room. Adeline was wondering if you were on your way and I told her I would come up to get you.”

  “Alright, thank you Marigold.” Esther turned back to Ms. Graves. “Thanks again Ann-Marie. And tell Gregory, Baird, and Dani hello for me.”

  “I will, Your Majesty,” she said, surprising Esther by remembering to use the correct honorific. Marigold’s presence had probably reminded her.

  Esther walked swiftly out the door, trailing Marigold as they walked hurriedly down the hallway to the lift platform that would lower them to the second tier of the palace where the Council room was located. At first, it had seemed strange to Esther to be on a platform lift inside of a building. She was used to them aboard ships, but the Hadiqan palace only had stairways and ramps. Using these lifts had made her a little uncomfortable—putting her life in the hands of someone other than the crew of the Retribution—but the lifts were a necessity in a building as vertically constructed as the Cielian palace was.

  As she walked into the Council room she noticed that the Cielians, Lothaekins, King Randolf and the various Ambassadors had all returned. She was the last to arrive, and she felt a twinge of guilt. She had gotten so involved talking with Ann-Marie that she had lost track of time.

  “I apologize for being late, Your Majesties,” she said, walking swiftly into the room.

  “No need,” said Queen Rúna, “We just arrived ourselves.”

  A low grunt from King Agnarr indicated his disagreement. He was obviously impatient to proceed, but didn’t say anything.

  Lady Adeline stood and waited for everyone else to take their seats. “Your Majesties, Honorable Ambassadors, honored delegation members,” she said. “I wanted to summarize our discussion from this morning. First, however, I know that we are all concerned about the recent aggression that the seemingly newly united Kingdoms of Madraus have shown by its blockade of Ardmorr, as well as the more recent attack on the Hadiqan city of Oxathres. A state of war now exists between Madraus and the Hadiqan-Ardmorran alliance. Ardmorr may not be part of the Northern Kingdoms political unit, but traditionally and culturally, there have been many ties. Most still group it as part of the Northern Kingdoms geographically. The purpose of these negotiations are to attempt to show Madraus that we are all united against this sudden aggression.

  “Without Hadiq’s timely intercession, Ardmorr would likely have been overrun. We are a strong nation, with an economy and industry that rivals nations much larger than our own, and with one of the best professional Navies in the world. But against this foe, the likes of which hasn’t been seen since the time of ancient Pax, I believe that individually, we would all be overrun by the tide of Madrausan aggression. Only together can we withstand them.” Adeline paused a moment, looking them each in the eye. “From Ardmorr’s point of view, Hadiq is the primary target of this new Madrausan aggression. Hadiq has been the traditional enemy of Madraus for as long as anyone can remember.”

  Esther bit her lip. As difficult as it was to hear Adeline throw her adopted nation under the wagon, she knew that it was part of their preparation and planning. Coming at the Northern Kingdom’s emphasizing the treaty that was already in place between Ardmorr and Hadiq would be the wrong approach. Adeline was trying to put a little distance between them, and at the same time, emphasize how dangerous the Barbarian Kingdoms were to them individually.

  “But Madraus doesn’t care that Ardmorr wasn’t their enemy,” continued Adeline, “We were j
ust in the way—a resource to be gathered and used in their war machine. And they are smart. They are manipulative, and they know that individually, we cannot withstand them. Once they set their eyes upon us, it was over—and they have set their eyes up on all of us. Maybe not all at once, or first, but their voracious appetite for war and pillage is one that cannot be quenched, and with each one of us that falls, we will be less able to resist them.”

  Esther listened while Adeline continued to talk, but her thoughts were focused on the negotiation sticking points that they had run into, and how they might be able to overcome them. All parties had been able to agree that a defensive pact made sense, which would include logistical support, as well as Northerner ships being sent to Ardmorr, and to cover areas in the Sea of Ibb south of Ardmorr. But what the Northerners did not want to do was send ships to be a part of a combined offensive fleet—at least not under Hadiqan control. However, the Northerners did want the support of Hadiqan ships stationed at the Mandalay Archipelago in the Great Western Ocean of Shizukesa. The word meant ‘tranquility’ and the waters there were said to be calm, clear, and beautiful. The Northerners were worried that being drawn into a conflict with the Madrausan’s would stir-up Kamakuran ambitions enough that they might try and re-seize the Archipelago.

  Esther knew that Hadiq had no desire to be drawn into the age old feud between the Northerners and the Kamakuran Empire over the Mandalay Archipelago, however. While the people of Mandalay were racially Kamakuran, culturally they were a mixture of island peoples that had more in common with the Northern Kingdoms. They had no desire to return to Kamakuran rule and were considered a protectorate of the Northerners. That had been the end result of the war ninety years ago and was still a hot bed of contention between the Northerners—to include Ardmorr—and the Kamakuran’s. Esther began to think that the only way to lure the Northerners into committing to a more comprehensive alliance would be to accede to their wish and station at least a few Hadiqan ships in the Archipelago as a sign to the Kamakuran’s that the Northerner’s now had Hadiqan support and the Archipelago was off limits forever.

  Esther shook her head. Asserius wouldn’t go for it, and the nobility would throw itself into an uproar if that were included in the treaty. Perhaps if she could play upon the greed of the nobility by somehow getting the Northerners to allow Hadiqan investment in the Archipelago. That might entice them to consider acceding to the Northerner’s wishes. Esther was afraid that would be the only way to get a treaty signed…if Riaseth ever showed up, of course. This whole exercise would be for naught without that.

  Chapter 24

  No Room In The Inn

  It was Christmas Eve and Esther had decided that she wanted to get away from the palace and the city. The last few days had been full of talks, discussions, and negotiations, and now the delegations had taken a break. The Lothaekin’s had departed Valsgärd and returned to Hjálmarr to celebrate Christmas. Those in the far north tended to have a few pagan traditions left from before and celebrating Christmas in Ciel probably wasn’t quite the same for them.

  Esther had visited the Christmas market in Valsgärd yesterday and had loved the festive atmosphere. The thought of spending Christmas Eve in the big Cathedral excited her, but this was her first Christmas away from home and she really felt like she wanted something a little more…rustic. She missed her family in Tewksbury. She missed going to the church with them on Christmas Eve and having Mr. Rutherford read about the birth of the Redeemer. She missed the scent of Mrs. Rutherford’s cookies and hot apple nectar at the back of the church and how all of the kids were eager for Mr. Rutherford to finish reading so they could rush back and eat.

  She had asked Ambassador Rashad if he knew of a little village that she could visit and spend her Christmas Eve there. He had said he knew of just the one, and it was only about an hour and a half away by carriage. Esther had thought about flying there in the Retribution, but had decided that going there unannounced and without fanfare would be preferred, so she had elected to take one of the big Cielian carriages.

  She hadn’t been surprised when Marigold wanted to come, but she had been surprised when Adeline and Geoffrey had asked if they could come as well. And of course, Mac, Oluchi, and Nkiru went everywhere Esther went, and Joel, Dani, and Baird also seemed to always turn up as well, so they had ended up taking four carriages—one with her, Adeline, Geoffrey, Marigold, and Oluchi; one with Mac, Nkiru, Joel, Dani, and Baird; and two others full of marines from the Retribution and members of the Cielian Palace Guard.

  “I’m actually kind of excited to spend Christmas Eve in a small village,” said Adeline, as the carriage bumped gently down the road, “I haven’t done that since I was a little girl.”

  “I’ve been in plenty churches in plenty of little villages,” said Geoffrey. “Once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.”

  Esther just smiled. She knew that Geoffrey would have preferred to celebrate in Valsgärd—he was more urbanized than Esther. She wasn’t sure why he had come, other than to spend time with her perhaps. She felt herself grow a little flushed at the thought.

  “How do they celebrate Christmas in Hadiq, Esther?” Adeline asked.

  “Well, this is my first Christmas away from Ardmorr so I’m not sure, to tell you the truth. Most of Hadiq doesn’t have evergreen trees, so I know that they don’t cut down trees and decorate them. Other than the fact that they also tend to spend Christmas Eve in the churches or synagogues, I can’t tell you much about it. The normal worship services are different than Ardmorran one though.”

  “My father attended your wedding,” said Adeline. “He told me about the Temple of the All-Seeing Eye. It must have been amazing to be married there, what with it being one of only two temples still standing that were built by Pax, and the only one not looted at some time in its history. The plan is for Frederick and I to be married in the Lancaster Temple.”

  “It really was quite amazing,” Esther admitted. “I’d never seen architecture like that before, and the craftsmanship of everything in it was masterful. Many call Al Farnaka the jewel of Hadiq. In fact the name means jewel, but it’s the Temple in the foothills next to the river east of Al Farnaka that is the jewel, and easily outshines the palace.”

  “Where’s the other surviving Paxian Temple?” asked Geoffrey.

  “It’s in northern Madraus,” said Esther, “in the Dunai province. According to what I’ve read, there’s an intact Paxian palace with a coliseum there as well. They have been looted many times, however, and have changed hands from one Madrausan warlord to the next. Amazingly, neither the Temple, nor the palace and coliseum have been destroyed. Then again, the more barbaric Madrausan kingdoms are in the south, and crossing the Dunai desert can be troublesome unless you travel by airship—otherwise I think they would have been destroyed long ago. I didn’t know this before marrying Asserius, but supposedly the new Madrausan Emperor, or High Warlord, or whatever he calls himself, spends his summers in Dunai.”

  “But the Madrausan’s are pagans. What do they use the Temple for?” asked Geoffrey.

  “Well, I don’t know about how things are under this new Emperor, but prior to him, they haven’t used it for anything. Supposedly it’s taboo and off-limits. No one really knows why. Some think it’s just superstition, but others who have spent some time among Madrausan’s in Dunai have written that it’s because they are protecting it. Neither theory has been substantiated though because the locals tend not to like to talk about it, especially to outsiders.”

  Esther thought for a moment. Growing up she had always pursued knowledge and she knew that the Madrausan’s that had defected were from the Northern Province of Dunai. She might be able find out from one of them why they kept that Temple off-limits. She detested the thought of contacting them though. In her mind, she still considered all Madrausan’s evil, but the thought of leaving knowledge unsubstantiated when she had the means of revealing truth was extremely undesirable as well. She’d have to think about w
riting the leader of the defectors a letter. Esther turned her attention back to her companions. “Adeline, I…well I just wanted to offer…I mean if you and Frederick wanted to be married in the Temple of the Eye, I could arrange for that.”

  “That’s very kind of you Esther,” she said, touching Esther’s hand. “I wasn’t asking about your wedding to try and elicit an offer, just so you know. I would like to visit it someday, but all of our families are in Ardmorr and the Lancaster Temple will be much easier for everyone to get to. I do thank you for the offer though.”

  “My pleasure, I just wanted to offer, in case you really wanted that.”

  “And I really do appreciate it.”

  “I have an idea. You and Frederick should honeymoon in Hadiq. There are some wonderful beaches on the western coast, or even some smaller, more secluded ones along the northern coastline,” said Esther, suggestively.

  “Now that I just might take you up on,” said Adeline with a laugh.

  Esther looked out the window of the carriage and noticed houses and farmsteads more frequently along the road they had been traveling. They must be nearing the small village of Áslaug. Ambassador Rashad had told her that it was about the same size as Tewksbury, with a nice little church. Per Esther’s instructions, they hadn’t sent word ahead that they were coming and, as they rode into town, the few villagers that were outside stared at the carriages. It was late afternoon and dusk was settling in. Most everyone had gone home to spend time with their families for the evening. The Inn, of course, was well lit and light spilled out of its windows as the carriages pulled to a stop in front of it. If Áslaug was anything like Tewksbury, friends and family members of those in the village would be staying at the Inn for Christmas if they couldn’t fit into the houses of those they were visiting, and there would likely be a gathering or two in the Inn as well.