The Temple of Arrival
Page 15
“Not long now Tiberio. We’ve crossed the halfway point according to the captain.”
Tiberio nodded before rushing to the rail and chucked up that morning’s breakfast. With a groan, he wiped his lips.
“Only halfway?” he moaned.
“For such a strong, brave fighter you’re a bit of a wuss on the open sea,” Visp teased.
“I’m built for the land, not the water,” he replied weakly. The big man leant against the rail and looked to the horizon. Already they could make out the landmass of the Eastern Imperium, but thanks to the sea mist it was just a black shadow looming above the waves. To reach Arikar they would have to sail south for another day at the least. Already the air was changing from the coolness of the north to the humid heat of the south.
“It won’t be long before we reach the Imperium naval blockade. Remember, if the worst comes to the worst, we are refugees seeking to flee the fighting in Asta.”
Tiberio shook his head and crossed his arms across his broad chest.
“You think the Imperium will fall for that? This tub looks exactly how I’d imagine a smugglers boat to look. We’ll be lucky they don’t blow us out of the water as soon as they see us.”
Tiberio was no doubt correct in his appraisal of the situation. The seas around Arikar were a warzone. Naval engagements were a common occurrence as the Arikar fought to control the Dividing Sea. Neither it nor the Imperium had been able to gain mastery of it and the Arikar would never stop fighting. To do so would allow the Imperium to raid Arikar’s coastline at will and land troops that would open up a new front in the brutal land war that had raged for over a century.
“You worry too much Tiberio. Our captain assures me that this ‘tub’ as you put it is more than capable of outrunning an Imperium ironclad.”
Tiberio nodded but didn’t look convinced.
“So, if we do make it onto the land, then what mistress? You’ve been away from Arikar for many years, what makes you think they will help us?”
Visp spread her arms wide to take in the distant land.
“They will help us because I am a daughter of Arikar. One that knows how the criminal underworld works in the Imperium, and one who is a close confidant of the leaders of the Liberators. With my help, we could launch a full-scale invasion of the Imperium. In fact, that is what I am going to propose.”
Tiberio raised his eyebrows in surprise at the audacious plan.
“What of the Empowered Ones? Isn’t Arikar where they reside?” he added.
Visp paused at the question and the smile on her face dropped. She recalled what Vavius and Elian had done at the Battle of Asta. Such power had, well, she wasn’t afraid to admit it; scared her. It wasn’t a secret that the only reason Arikar had resisted the Imperium for so long was down to the fact that those Empowered Ones who had managed to escape the clutches of the Supreme had fled to Arikar and had taken up the cause to fight for its freedom.
“Debris in the water,” came a shout from the crow’s nest. Visp narrowed her eyes and looked towards where the lookout was pointing. At first, she thought the objects bobbing up and down in the water were barrels, cargo discarded by some smuggler spotted by a patrol but as they got closer the shapes became clear. They were bodies, hundreds of them. She stepped back from the rail in shock. The sea was filled with corpses. Some had already been feasted upon by scavenging birds or the sharks that stalked the Dividing Seas cold waters. The smuggler’s ship sped on and out of the gloom appeared the broken hulks of a dozen vessels. The lookout shouted down to the helmsman telling him when to steer to avoid a collision. From the wooden flotsam in the water, it was clear that several Arikar galleys had engaged an Imperium warship. Close by the broken hull of a galley still burned.
The ship’s crew all looked petrified as they gathered on the deck and took in the horrific sight. The captain, a tall man wearing a long brown leather coat stood at the bow. Visp walked over to him and could tell from the look in his pale blue eyes that he was terrified.
“We should turn back,” he said his hands gripping the railing tightly.
“No captain, we should not. I paid you more than enough for this exact possibility,” she responded. For a heartbeat, there was a flash of defiance in the captain’s eyes, but few men could hold their nerve under Visp’s fierce gaze. Reluctantly he nodded.
“Hoist the mainsail and let’s get away from here as fast as we can,” he shouted to his men. Visp smiled as his harsh tone had the desired effect on the scared crew. Hastily they went back to work, doing their best to avoid the carnage around them.
*
As she had predicted it had taken them another day of sailing to reach Arikar. During the night the smuggling vessel had ensured that no lanterns had been lit and the sails had been swapped from white ones to black. More than once they had sighted the lights from other vessels on the horizon, but fortunately, none had spotted them. Now it was late in the afternoon and once again they were relying on speed to avoid any Imperium ships. The seas had altered colour from the dark blues of the Dividing Sea to the lighter almost turquoise waters of the Straights of Aeran. Visp looked to the west, the direction where lands of Aeranyth lay and shuddered. Even she felt her skin crawl when she recalled the tales of what had happened to that once mighty kingdom. The Supreme’s wrath had obliterated it and according to legends the seas surrounding it had turned blood red, remaining that colour for over a century. She chided herself for believing such nonsense and turned her attention back to the fast approaching landmass in front of her. They were now close enough to clearly see the high cliffs that ran down the westward side of Arikar. Their height and steepness meant that there were only a few spots on the coast suitable to dock, a fact that had ensured the Imperium had been unable to attack en masse from the sea.
A call came from the lookout in the crow’s nest. This time the man called out to warn the helmsmen that they were sailing too close to the rocks that added to the difficulty of navigating Arikar’s coastline. Fortunately for them, the crew of the smuggling vessel had ample experience and safely brought the ship through intact. Once through the deadly reef, they rounded a headland and there before them was a narrow beach. On the cliffs surrounding it were six squat stone structures.
“Cannon batteries,” Tiberio muttered from beside her. Sure, enough they could make out figures moving along the cliffs. At seeing them the captain hurried to the bow and drew a pistol from the holster on his hip. He pointed it skyward and pulled the trigger. The gun kicked and the gunshot boomed to echo around the inlet.
“Raise the flag,” he commanded. Two of the ship’s crew hastily affixed a piece of white cloth and raised it high into the air.
Visp tensed, waiting for the cannons to open fire and send them to the bottom of the bay. A few moments passed and no cannon balls flew their way. The captain laughed at her.
“Have no fear Visp, I have done my part. You will set foot safe and sound on Arikar. After that, however, is up to you. I cannot guarantee that they won’t shoot you down as soon as we dock, and to be honest I don’t give two shits if they did it. Now, give me the money you promised me. All of it,” the captain said with a smirk.
Tiberio bristled at the man’s disrespectful tone but Visp placed a hand on his chest.
“You always were a bastard Henri, but- what makes you think I won’t just tell them about the weapons you’re smuggling.”
Henri’s smile dropped. His brow furrowed into a frown, but after a few tense seconds, he burst into laughter.
“Ah Visp, I’ve missed that arrogance of yours,” Henri said his smile dropping. He drew a pistol from the holster on his hip and aimed it menacingly in her direction. Tiberio bristled again but this time three of the ship’s crew drew their cutlasses.
Visp sighed.
“Very well. I know when I’m beaten. Tiberio hand over the coin.”
Reluctantly Tiberio reached into his tunic and took out a heavy looking pouch that chinked with the movement.
Henri stepped forward and cautiously took the bag. He knew Visp’s reputation for backstabbing well, he wouldn’t underestimate her. With the coin purse in hand, he stepped back and smiled.
“Well, I’m glad that you’ve seen sense Visp. Now then, turn around and get off my ship,” he said gesturing to the side of the vessel with his pistol. He should have kept the gun aimed at Tiberio. With surprising speed, the big fighter lashed out and gripped the pistol by the barrel. With a yank, he pulled it from the surprised Henri’s grip. In the blink of an eye, the tables had been turned. Now, the pistol was pointed at him. It was Tiberio’s turn to smile. The ship’s crew watched the scene in stunned surprise, unsure what to do.
Visp stepped close to Henri and took the coin purse out of his hand.
“As I’m a generous person and you did stick to your end of the bargain you can have,’ – she opened the coin purse and took out a single Suprim – ‘this.”
“You bitch,” Henri growled.
“Now, now Henri don’t be like that. You just tried to rob me. By all rights, I should have Tiberio shoot you dead.”
“Do that and my men will gun you down!” Henri shouted angrily.
Visp shook a finger and clicked her tongue against her teeth.
“You forget where we are Henri. Your men shoot us and those gunners up on the cliffs will blow this ship to splinters. I would bet my life that they’re a little trigger happy.”
Sweat broke out on Henri’s forehead. He knew what she said was true. With a frustrated sigh, he waved for his men to stand down.
“Fine. You win Visp. I won’t forget this. Good luck getting back to the Imperium,” he said bitterly.
Visp held his cold stare.
“Come, Tiberio, it’s time we were leaving.”
*
Visp watched the ship depart the bay from the beach. Henri hadn’t waited around to reclaim the small rowing boat they’d stolen before setting sail and fleeing out of the bay. She and Tiberio were now alone in a land she hadn’t set foot on in almost thirty years. She breathed in the warm sweet air and prepared herself to greet the group of men marching towards them.
At their head was a tall well-built man. His bald head and dark skin glistened in the sun. On his stern face was a tattoo of four blue streaks that ran from his scalp to his chin. He ordered for his men to halt and approached Visp and Tiberio. His blue eyes regarded them with curiosity.
“Who are you?” he said shortly.
“My name is Visp and this is my servant Tiberio. We are here to offer a deal to the Arikar Masters,” she replied, her tone equally as hostile. The man stared at her. Visp held his gaze. Tiberio watched the scene in confusion. He had spent many years as Visp’s slave and then servant and had learnt that the Arikar communicated a lot via looks. To anyone with no knowledge of the Arikar and their ways, it looked as though the two were about to beat the living snot out of each other. The two maintained their stare off for a good five minutes before the man suddenly smiled.
“A true daughter of Arikar you must be. Even my own men could not match me for such a time. My name is Artubai, captain of the Blood Seekers Regiment,” he said offering his hand to Visp and then Tiberio. “Come.”
Without another word, Artubai turned on his heel and his men fell in behind him. Visp chuckled at Tiberio’s bemused expression.
“You can take the woman out of Arikar but not the Arikar out of the woman,” she muttered. They followed the soldiers up the beach until they reached the top of a high sand dune that loomed over the shore below. They could now see that the gunnery stations were each manned by four armed warriors.
The steep incline levelled out onto a flat wide plain that lay before them as far as the eye could see. The sand of the beach had given way to dusty soil and grasses.
“It is not every day that we receive visitors from the Imperium. Normally, we kill anyone foolish enough to come close to our shores on sight, but we know Captain Henri. He is a wretch of a man, but one who had provided us with many muskets and much black powder over the years. You were wise to use him,” Artubai said as they walked.
Ahead of them stood a walled structure that flew the black and red flag of Arikar. The fort was in an ideal location as it overlooked much of the bay below and guarded the only route off of the beach.
“Tell me, stranger. You claim to want to address the Masters, but what makes you think they will want to speak with you? What is this offer you speak off?”
“I know the leadership of a rebellion that is spreading throughout the Imperium. You may have heard what happened in Asta?” Artubai nodded.
“We have heard. It is hard to believe that a city of slaves could rise up and defy an Imperium army in open battle.”
“That’s because those slaves were led by the Liberators and were assisted by Empowered Ones.”
Artubai halted and looked at her in disbelief.
“Impossible. There are no Empowered Ones in the Imperium. Those that still live reside here in Arikar.”
“I assure you there are at least two. I saw them fight at Asta; it is something that I will never forget. It was because of them that victory was almost achieved.”
Artubai looked for any sign of a lie, but once again Visp held his gaze. Finally, he turned to one of his men.
“Turak ride ahead to the citadel and tell the scribes to send word to Grand Arik to summon the Mentors, our guest here has news they will want to hear.”
“It will be done captain,” Turak answered with a salute. They watched the young soldier jog towards a horse that was tethered to a post nearby.
“In the meantime, you are my guests for the evening. Come and experience the famous Arikar hospitality.”
*
That night Visp and Tiberio were wined and dined in the coastal fort. For Visp, it was a surreal experience as the soldiers asked her a million questions about her past and how she had ended up in the Imperium. More than a handful flirted with her and she learnt that in Arikar culture the men loved strong women. Tiberio meanwhile was mostly ignored save for a few hostile looks. The spicy food was alien to him, and the heat of the dining room made him uncomfortable. The Arikar sang songs of their homeland and of heroes from their history, something that no one in the Imperium ever did. They couldn’t forget their history and identity, unlike those of the peoples of the Western Imperium which had been destroyed or consumed by the Supreme and her acolytes.
Seeing his mistress at the centre of her countrymen’s attention also made him feel uncomfortable. He knew he was her slave; he had served her for decades and would willingly die for her if needed, but that hadn’t stopped him from dreaming of the impossible. Deep down he loved her in his own way and a part of him believed that she cared for him too, despite the way she often spoke to him. He had protected her from her enemies, had won countless bouts in the Arena for her, which in turn had made her incredibly wealthy for a time. He shook his head as he realised that he had been staring at her and forced himself to look away. He rose from his seat and exited the rowdy dining hall. He walked outside into the fort’s courtyard and grumbled. Even at night, the air was unbearably hot.
“You do not like it here?” came Artubai’s voice from the doorway behind him. The captain approached and offered him what looked like a cigar. One was already lit and smoking away in the captain’s mouth.
Tiberio took it and Artubai struck a match to light it.
“It’s too hot. I grew up in Asta in the northern Imperium. There it’s always cooler than this place.”
Artubai chuckled.
“Your Imperium soldiers don’t like it here too much either eh? Many times, the Supreme’s armies have tried to cross the great desert and every time they have perished under the merciless sun. To us Arikar that ball of fire in the sky is our Supreme, for it decides on who thrives or dies in these la
nds.”
Tiberio drew in the sweet flavour of the cigar and breathed out with a contented sigh. It was excellent tobacco, far superior to anything he had tried back home. In the Imperium the only tobacco a man could get his hands on was that which was either smuggled into it or stolen from the nobles. Even the supposed ‘good stuff’ paled in comparison to the Arikar substance.
“They are not my soldiers and I have no love for the Imperium. Did you not hear what my master said?” Tiberio said irritably.
Artubai shook his head.
“Ah, my friend but they are. You are a slave are you not? That fact alone means you are complicit, a willing advocate of the Imperium and the Supreme. Those soldiers too are slaves to her will just as you are.”
Tiberio bristled at the man’s words.
“I was a boy when they took me from my home. They put me in chains and sold me like a commodity. You have no idea of what you speak.”
“Don’t I? You are full of excuses for your inaction I see. Any man who allows himself to be taken as a slave is not a man at all. Look at Arikar,” he said spreading his arms wide. “We are all free men and women. Your Supreme tried to put us in chains too, but we resisted. We did not roll over and let her enslave our children for generations. Visp tells me you are here to gather support in a rebellion against the Imperium, I say if all the men of the west are like you then we shouldn’t waste our efforts.”
Tiberio spat his cigar onto the ground and stamped on it. Slowly, he ground it into the dirt.
“You don’t know what you’re saying,” he growled.
“Ah, but I do! Why should the brave warriors of Arikar come to aid you when you are so weak, so willing to surrender? For three centuries my people have fought her, yours are all in chains.”