Web of Deceit

by Richard S. Tuttle

  “Mistake shot a glance towards the watcher and scowled. “I hate being watched all of the time,” she whispered. “You find us a place to hide and make sure Bakhai is ready when we get the chance. I am not staying here much longer.”

  Mistake rose and stormed into the women’s sleeping quarters. Rejji rose to find the watcher a few paces away from him. “She’s a fiery one alright,” he said.

  “She just had a bad day,” commented Rejji. “I think she was embarrassed to tell me about it and afraid someone else would hear it too. She’ll be fine in the morning.”

  “You are the Bursar’s boy, right?” asked the guard.

  “Yes,” smiled Rejji, knowing that the guard already knew the answer to his question because of the pin on his tunic. “I enjoy working for him. He has taught me much already.”

  “I heard you were a smart lad,” nodded the guard. “Any idea what the chances are of us getting more horses? Some of our stock is getting quite old.”

  “Well,” Rejji said as his eyes darted around the room, “I shouldn’t be talking about the Bursar’s business. I mean, if he wanted it to be known that he was already checking prices on new stock, he would have probably announced it by now.”

  “You’re a good lad,” chuckled the guard at he slapped Rejji on the back. “You sleep well now.”

  Rejji smiled and nodded at the guard as he entered the men’s sleeping quarters and fell onto his mat. As he dozed off, he wondered whether information from the Bursar’s office was worth gold to anyone.

  Rejji was one of the first to wake up the next morning. He hurried up to the kitchen and got a couple of plates of eggs and bread and scampered up to the Bursar’s office. Wicado was in his office humming and Rejji entered and placed the plates on the desk.

  “You are up early this morning,” Wicado smiled. “What do you know about numbers?”

  “I am good at numbers,” grinned Rejji.

  “I don’t doubt that you are,” Wicado said as he started eating his morning meal. “I reviewed the clova flock with our lord yesterday evening. He was very impressed. Bakhai has worked wonders on them. Of course Rymaka beamed and took the credit. What did you say to Rymaka anyway? He has been coming in here several times a week with harebrained schemes to make money. Ducks, geese, even a fish farm. You name it and he has suggested it.”

  “I had to get him away from the flock so Bakhai could cure them,” explained Rejji. “I told him that if he let Bakhai tend to the flock, he would have more time to devise profitable schemes for the estate. Was that wrong?”

  “Not at all,” laughed the Bursar. “It was clever. I am not sure what to do with Bakhai now though. Now that Rymaka has been praised for the flock, I imagine he will spend more time there. It would not be good for Bakhai to stay there.”

  “Perhaps he could work in the stables,” suggested Rejji. “Anything to do with animals would please him I think.”

  “I will speak with Seneschal Trang about him before I leave,” declared Wicado. “I have to go to Khadoratung, the capital city. There are a series of meetings being held that are important to our clan. Whenever I go to Khadoratung, I take advantage of my time there to record prices in the marketplace. With this meeting schedule, I would have to stay additional days there this time to accomplish that and I do not like being away from here for too long. I am planning on taking you with me, but I must have assurances of your behavior. When we are there you will be seen as a representative of the Pikata clan and I will not stand for any embarrassment. Can you give me those assurances?”

  “Certainly,” beamed Rejji. “I will be the model of good behavior. I can take care of the marketplace for you while you attend the meetings.”

  “That is what I planned,” smiled the Bursar. “You will be on your own for three days. I will arrange a room at one of the inns and your meals will be included. We will travel by barge to get there and I have arranged for a traveling merchant to provide transportation back here. Go to the kitchen and get us some provisions to take with us. We shall leave when you return. Do not dally.”

  “Yes, Sir,” grinned Rejji as he hurried out the door.

  Rejji walked as fast as he could, as running in the mansion was frowned upon. He mentioned provisions for the trip to one of the kitchen staff and they seemed to know exactly what was required and how much of it. Rejji tossed the sack over his shoulder and hurried upstairs. Wicado was not in his office when Rejji got there, but he entered moments later and indicated they should go.

  When they exited the mansion there was a carriage at the bottom of the steps waiting for them. Rejji marveled at the craftsmanship of the carriage and almost tripped getting into it. Wicado smiled and shook his head. Instead of heading for the road out of the estate, as Rejji thought they would, they proceeded around the mansion and took a road that Rejji had never been down. The road led through fields of vegetables and ended at the Khadora River.

  There was a huge dock on the river and an even larger barge tied to it. The barge was loaded with crates of vegetables, but in the center of the barge was a structure similar to a large hut. The Bursar led the way to the structure and they entered it. The inside consisted of two large rooms and a ladder going upstairs. One room was a kitchen and the other was like a sitting room. Wicado indicated for Rejji to put the sack of provisions in the kitchen and then handed him a small bag and asked him to put it in the room upstairs.

  Rejji climbed the ladder and saw a large room with bunks and a door to a smaller room. He opened the door and saw that the small room contained a bed, a chair, and a desk. He placed the bag on the desk and returned downstairs. Wicado was outside watching the bargemen cast off and Rejji hurried out to join him. Huge ropes that were looped over posts on the dock were removed and thrown onto the barge. The bargemen jumped onto the barge as it started moving downstream. Rejji watched as the river took the barge swiftly away and the fields of the Pikata estate grew distant.

  The banks of the river alternated between forests and estates as Rejji made his way up to the bow and sat on a vegetable crate. The river was fairly narrow here although Rejji knew it was wide enough that he could not throw a stone across it. There was little other river traffic to be seen. They passed a few small fishing boats and a ferry that moved goods and people from one side of the river to the other.

  One of the bargemen came forward and sat next to Rejji. The Bursar’s slave boy started a conversation with the bargeman and asked him question after question. The bargeman did not seem to mind and filled Rejji’s mind with tales of his escapades over the years. He described the trip they would be taking and what sights there would be to see. Around high sun, the bargemen left to get food and Rejji decided to eat as well. Rejji found the sack he had brought with him and fished around inside until he found some cheese and dried meat. He climbed the ladder to the sleeping quarters and found Wicado in his private room at the desk.

  “I have brought you some food,” announced Rejji.

  The Bursar turned and smiled at Rejji. “You are a good lad,” he said as he sliced the cheese in half. “I see you were grilling one of the bargemen up in the bow. Did he satisfy your curiosity?”

  “Some,” grinned Rejji, “but I guess I have more curiosity than most.”

  “Well that can be a good thing,” replied Wicado. “I still remember the first time I made this trip many years ago. I was a young man then, about your age. It seems so long ago now.”

  “Were you a slave at the time?” questioned Rejji.

  “Oh heavens no,” Wicado answered. “My father was a Cortain in the Pikata army. I was an apprentice to the Bursar at the time.”

  “You mean like me?” asked Rejji.

  A sadness fell over Wicado’s face as he answered, “No, Rejji, not like you. You are a slave and will always be a slave. You can not be my apprentice even if I wanted you to be.”

  “Then why did you purchase me?” queried Rejji. “I thought you saw promise in me to be your assistant.”

&nbs
p; “I do see promise in you, lad,” Wicado stated. “You have more sense than most of those who reside in the mansion, but that does not mean you can become one of them. Why did I purchase you? I am not sure. I have had two apprentices in the years I have been Bursar, neither worked out. The last was Rymaka who was forced on me. It took over a year before I could convince our lord that he could not handle the job. I think I liked your spirit and cleverness. I guessed you were being helpful so that you would be selected, but your suggestion on Bakhai was a good one. It showed that you are a thinker and I guess I just wanted someone around who could think.”

  “You mean you purchased me to be company for you?” Rejji pushed.

  “Yes I guess that is why I purchased you,” chuckled the old man. “A terrible waste of estate funds if I do say so. And me the Bursar no less. Still your suggestion of Bakhai and your handling of Rymaka have proved to be profitable to the estate, so I can hardly complain.”

  They ate in silence for a while and finally Wicado put his food down and looked at Rejji. “Were you just trying to get out of the cage, or is that girl that was selected someone special to you?”

  “She is my friend,” admitted Rejji. “I did not want to be separated from her.”

  Wicado nodded as Rejji’s thoughts turned to Mistake. He did not have the time to tell her he was leaving and now his thoughts grew dark about what she might do without him there to temper her rage.

  “And Bakhai, is he your friend too?” the Bursar asked.

  “I have only known him a short time,” responded Rejji, “but yes he is. He was already in the cage when Mistake and I were captured. I have not had friends my age before. My village was mostly older folk.”

  “This must be a traumatic event for the three of you,” suggested the Bursar. “How is it that you are handling it so well?”

  “I do not want to be a slave,” admitted Rejji. “None of us do. If I were not a slave I would be having the greatest adventure of my life with you. You have taught me much and I am eager to learn. You treat me well enough that at times I guess I forget that I am a slave. It saddens me when I hear someone say that I will always be a slave though. That is not right. I have done nothing wrong to be punished this way.”

  “There is truth to what you say,” sighed Wicado. “I could say that I am sorry for purchasing you, but that would be a lie and I do not lie. Besides, you would have been purchased at the next estate anyway. The best I can offer is to try to make your life as carefree as possible. I will not be able to justify keeping you though if our lord comes up with another apprentice for me.”

  “Is that going to happen?” Rejji asked.

  “Eventually it must,” conceded the Bursar. “I am getting quite old and our lord has already mentioned the need for me to pass on my duties to someone younger. Only the lack of available talent has allowed to me to be without an apprentice for so long.”

  “What will happen to me then?” queried Rejji.

  “I don’t know,” admitted Wicado. “You will become Seneschal Trang’s problem. He will probably put you into the fields to harvest. Let us not dwell on such things and spoil this fine outing. Return to the bow and watch this great nation of Khadora pass before your eyes. Before nightfall we will pass Sintula, the city where the Lituk River meets the Khadora River.”

  Rejji nodded and rose. He returned to the bow and hopped up onto a crate. He tried pushing the dark thoughts out of his mind, but it took quite a while before he was interested in the river again. The river had widened somewhat and Rejji saw a barge going upstream. It was being towed by a boat with many oarsmen. He had wondered how the barges were returned to their homes and now he knew. In the distance, Rejji began to see the tops of buildings appearing over the trees and his excitement grew. The river traffic increased dramatically and the river widened further.

  Suddenly, the trees gave way and Rejji could see the city approaching. It was a huge city and there was a large bridge over the river. Rejji stared up at the bridge as they passed under it and he could hear the horses clomping over it. He saw where the Lituk River joined the Khadora River and the boat traffic was immense. He could feel the movement of the barge as its handlers tried to avoid smashing into other boats.

  Rejji tried to peer at the city on both sides of the river, but the barge was moving too fast for him to dwell too long on any one sight. He was amazed at the huge number of people moving every which way. Both sides of the river were lined with long wharves and all sorts of commodities were loaded on the barges tied up there. The people of the city were all gaily dressed in a multitude of colors. He had never seen such a wealth of color in one spot before.

  All too soon, the city swept by and Rejji was presented with banks of forest again. The sun dipped below the horizon and Rejji made his way back to the kitchen. He grabbed some bread and dried meat and ate it before climbing the ladder and finding an empty bunk to bed down in for the night.

  Sometime during the night, Rejji was awakened by the sound of horns and he scampered down the ladder and out onto the deck. He saw three huge barges loaded with some type of ore and it looked as if the Pikata barge was going to ram them. The three barges were tied together and the Pikata barge turned almost sideways as the handlers fought to fight the currents. The river made a right turn as its direction was changed by the large mountains ahead and Rejji saw another city at the base of the mountains.

  “Deep Bend,” said a bargeman standing behind Rejji. “Half the city is built into the mountain. They mine iron there. I guess they did not see us when they launched the triple barges.”

  “Will we hit them?” Rejji asked.

  “Not likely,” the man declared. “The skipper knows this barge well. It’s not the first time he has run into this sort of thing. The ore barges are pretty hard to handle. They usually like to know the river is clear before they launch, but I guess the darkness hid us well.”

  Rejji stared at the city in the mountain and saw the lights all over the mountainside twinkling in the darkness of the night. He could hear voices drifting across the water, but he could not make out any of the words. There was a strong odor of sulfur hanging in the air and as soon as the barge straightened out and the danger was over, Rejji went back inside and crawled into his bunk.

  When he awoke, Rejji met Wicado in the sitting room and they had their morning meal together. Wicado returned upstairs to his private room and Rejji ventured out on deck. There were mountains on both sides of the river and a bargeman told him that the river ran between the Bear Mountains and the Three Sisters. The banks here were almost all forest and there was little to see. With nothing to entertain him, Rejji’s mind returned to the Pikata estate and his friends.

  He knew Mistake would not last very long under slavery, but he could not find a way out of their predicament. Both Lam and Wicado had made it sound like there was no way out, but Rejji refused to accept that. He knew if he worked on the problem, he would find a way. He just hoped that Mistake could hold out long enough.

  Late afternoon brought the city of Chantise where the Charl River joined the Khadora River. It was enough excitement to drag Rejji’s mind away from his dark thoughts. Sintula had been the largest city that Rejji had ever seen, but Chantise was much larger. Rejji turned from side to side as sights sped by. He had learned that each clan in Khadora had its own colors. Pikata’s colors were white and blue. In Chantise, Rejji saw a whole rainbow of warriors traveling by barge and wagon convoy. It appeared as if all clans came to Chantise to market their crops.

  The land around Chantise was different as well. Here the land was flatter and the river wider. The forests also gave way to large estates that came right to the river’s edge. Rejji marveled at the wealth of Khadora as he floated past flourishing fields of every crop he could imagine, and many that he did not recognize. Wasooki herds were plentiful and clova flocks were numerous. The estate mansions also appeared to get larger as they progressed downstream.

  Eventually, the sun set and Rejji
made his way back to the kitchen. Wicado was just finishing his meal and motioned Rejji into the sitting room.

  “In the morning we shall be in Khadoratung,” declared Wicado. “Get a good night’s sleep tonight because tomorrow will be a long day for you. I have written up a paper for you to carry with you. You must keep it on you at all times. It states where I can be found if the authorities have any problems with you. I shouldn’t have to remind you of your pledge, but if you get into trouble in the city, the consequences will be dire and I will not be in a position to help you. You are not allowed to leave the city walls. If you do, you will be killed. In short, if your offense is minor, they will summon me and demand I punish you. If the offense is major, they will kill you and then summon me. Do you understand?”

  “I will not embarrass you, Sir,” Rejji stated. “I will gather the information on prices that you have requested and I will stay out of trouble.”

  “I know you will,” smiled the Bursar as he gave Rejji a small pouch. “There are a few coins in there that you can use to amuse yourself. As I said earlier, your meals are included at the inn, so you should have everything you need to last a few days. Get some sleep and I will gather you in the morning.”

  Rejji smiled and nodded and climbed upstairs to his bunk.

  Chapter 9

  Khadoratung

  When Wicado woke Rejji, the sleeping quarters were already empty and the sun had risen. Rejji hurried down the ladder and grabbed the last of the bread from the food sack. He carried the empty sack with him as he left the structure and went out on deck. Wicado was waiting for him on the dock.

  “We must move swiftly,” Wicado stated. “I have little time before my meeting starts and I want to get you settled at the inn.”

  The Bursar turned and strode off the dock and Rejji hurried to catch up. The wharf area was lined with warehouses and taverns and men were busy unloading barges that had arrived during the night. The smell of old vegetables and fruits filled the air so strongly that Rejji was glad they were hurrying. Several streets past the wharf area the warehouses were replaced with shops for the various trades. Rejji peered down the cross streets and was amazed at the variety of services offered in this one area. There were several shops dedicated for each trade and anything that could be made was available here. Rows of metalworking shops were followed by rows of carpentry shops. Tailors, jewelers, bakeries, and leather shops filled street after street.