Chapter XIX
Jinopolis
Riding out of Jinton, they took the road to Jinopolis. It was a short bustling route, passing a wide variety of travellers and caravans of merchants on their way. They discovered the only obstacle to gaining access to Jin’s own city, was the Garrison City at Jinopolis. Over a hundred thousand well-armed, well disciplined, professional warriors led by the notorious Marshal Ti. They surmised that as long as they appeared innocuous enough they would pass through any checkpoints unnoticed. The Garrison was a major complex. Line after line of stone made barracks. There were many fighting arenas and large gymnasia with military academies throughout and facilities for leisure, especially there were camps full of female as well as male slaves that were there to fulfil every service the army required. Marshal Ti’s large stone austere headquarters was at the centre of the site; built in the shape of a pentagram with the points curving up on themselves, and at its centre was a great glass dome. It was called ironically enough the Penthouse as if to denote some luxury that did not exist. It looked out in all directions over the Garrison. As they passed, they could see how important their mission was. There were extensive building programmes going on. Large siege engines being built, row upon row of ballista, catapult, and also metal cylinders on small carts similar in appearance to the Dragon Chambers developed in Findolin. Achil watched the work going on; there was no pretence of secrecy. This was no army of defence but an army of conquest, built to conquer a world. The thing was with the armies available to Jin, he could have, indeed should have subjugated the whole of Western Suberia right up to the sea. And the question was, why hadn't he done such a thing? Did that mean there was another purpose to it? Or was Jin like most men of his type, building big because big matched his ego. Perhaps in a zero tolerant empire, failure at that level, meant death and therefore he had to be assured of success. No! Achil thought looking around at the Garrison as he passed it by. If you have the power, you make the rules. Zero tolerance was used only on those without means. The magistrates in the Imperium certainly turned a blind eye to anything from land theft, to murder, for the right price.
The Imperium like most well-greased machines was working to form. The four travellers were not the ones being looked for and were therefore, beyond the scope of the search being undertaken. Once passed Garrison City, they began a steady climb up and round the Hills of Jin. From their vantage point it was not long before they looked down upon a distant gleaming star, Jinopolis, built by the straits of Phass between the sea of Mur, and the great ocean of Pacifus. Across the straits, were the Barren lands, a large expanse of untamed wastelands where only a few minor settlements were thought to exist. And Beyond the Barren lands lay Baronia and the feared Witch King.
Jinopolis was the wonder of the known world. Its walls were the highest and thickest in Suberia with huge impenetrable buttresses of stone shaped in the image of warriors. Above each carved stone warrior a turret shaped like a crown. As Achil and the others stopped to gaze at it, they were completely awed, the view was truly breathtaking.
“I have not seen the like,” gasped Andreas.
“How many people do you think live in that city?” asked Nicholas.
“As many as there are stars in heaven,” replied Nishga quietly.
“Big enough for us to get lost in,” murmured Achil.
They could see gleaming palaces on manmade hills. In fact there seemed an outer wall and an inner wall to the city. Lining the road leading up to the city were brightly coloured banners that danced gracefully in the wind, a wolfs head inset a full moon, the next banner was that of a black pentagram with each point like a scimitar curving round within a full moon, and around which was a blood red background; the banners ran alternately. The mighty gilded gates were open and inside could be seen large domed temples, open boulevards, parks, the main centre of commerce, right in the heart of the city with its tall towers and wide municipal buildings. Statues gleamed covered in silver, and gold, some were made of marble and stone they stood as tall as the highest building, they were imposing, a sign of strength to all that viewed them. A city of such wealth and size that Findolin and the other cities of the west could have fitted within it. To the side of the city, canals ran into the straits of Phass which led then into the city through a tunnel entrance. A carriage line followed by the side of the canal and stopped just before the city, where smaller horse drawn carriages waited to take people into the city. People and commerce were streaming in and out. Achil looked around at his three companions.
“So, it is time for the plunge. Are we all ready?” he asked
“No, but that’s never stopped us before,” replied Nicholas.
He urged his horse forward followed slowly by Nishga, Andreas and then Achil. They slowly wound their way down from that high point, onto the vast plain below, and then on into the city. As they rode through the gates passing the lightly armed gatehouse, people were milling around just outside the walls. There were market stools and stands where slaves were being auctioned. As they entered they were immersed into what was a tide of traffic flowing into the heart of the city. They had not imagined the size of the task fully until that moment. The guards within the city all had the appearance of giants. Head and shoulders above Achil the way Marshal Ti had been, in fact they all looked of a similar appearance with long blond or black hair, piecing blue or black eyes. Their armour was ceremonial. They were dressed in the Imperial colours of purple. At their sides were short swords. The crest on their purple tunics had the wolf's head inset a full moon to the front and the pentagram insignia on their backs. Their breeches were light woven cotton material, a deep purple colour tucked beneath black boots. The brightly burnished silver helmets were in the shape of a wolf with a Pentagram stamped on the forehead. They strode around in pairs or in companies of twenty or so. An illustrious elite force, with a status higher than that even of the Shadow Warriors.
They paused to ask someone where they could stay for a few nights. The man shouted for a small boy who would be able to take them to such a place for a small fee. The boy then directed them down a small side road along a residential street of terraced town houses. At the end of which was a narrow alley way, the four had to dismount their horses, and were led through the city, in the distance they could hear a kind of chattering, getting ever closer. As they came to the end of the alley way it led directly onto a park area. There were fountains of marble statues of the Gods. Giant rockeries with solid silver mermen carrying water pitchers on their shoulders sitting on small islands in the middle of large pools. The sight was truly incredible, another wonder to bewitch the passer by. To one side of the park was what looked like a large palace. In fact it was one of the places that key merchants would stay when visiting the city. The boy introduced them to the concierge who appeared to have some formal relationship with him, and was gifted a silver coin for providing the custom. They were shown over to the reception desk where they registered and paid for a suite; before leaving for their room, Achil was offered a map of the city, and shown places that he might like to visit. A page boy then led them to the nearest elevator, and took them to their suite. It had a lounge area, two bedrooms, two bathrooms with heated hot and cold running water. It was incredibly luxurious, the type of facilities you would find in a palace. In the lounge was a large table in front of a burning open hearth, six mighty wooden chairs were situated around it. In the centre of the table was a candle stand. Achil shut the doors leading onto the veranda and drew the curtains in front of them, he then joined the others at the table, Andreas had already lit the candles, the small flames affording them some light, shadows glided across the walls from the fire from the hearth which had also been lit. The four of them sat in silence a moment.
“We’ve made it,” said Nicholas.
“Not yet we haven’t, there’s still a long way to go,” said Achil placing the map of the city on the table. “We have to get to here.”
Achil pointed to where the high tow
er of the merchant's guilds was situated.
“When we get there what are we going to do?” said Nishga.
“We can use the vials you purchased in Jinton which contain enough oil to set everything ablaze,” said Achil.
"I've been studying them," replied Nishga, "And unfortunately they can only release a certain amount of oil at a time. They have a magical safety valve within them preventing the release of all the oil at once."
"Can you break it?" asked Achil.
"I might be able to, if I had something that could reverse such a spell."
"And what could do that?"
"I could unleash the power of the Orb, which might do the trick but then we will lose all ability to call home."
"So be it, but first inform the Alchemist if you can, of what we are about to do, and tell him there will be no further communication from us should we succeed, if though you feel when you use the Orb that you might be discovered then break off contact immediately. Remember, we are now beyond the realms of second chances."
"Understood," replied Nishga.
“How difficult will it be to get close to the building,” said Nicholas.
“Nishga wearing her cloak and with the help of her crystal power can get through whatever security system they have in place whether its magical or not,” said Achil, staring across the table into Nishga’s eyes. She nodded back at him. “Andreas, you and Nicholas begin working on a plan to get us home.”
As he spoke a piece of paper was pushed beneath the door. The four conspirators fell silent. Achil went over picked it up and smirked letting out a shallow grunt.
“It appears our friend Telallamain knows of our arrival, it looks like I’ve been summoned,” Achil passed the paper to Nishga.
“Are you going?” asked Andreas.
“It would be prudent to hear what he has to say. He knows more about the Imperium and the way things work out here than we could hope to find out in the short time allowed to us,” said Achil. “Everyone needs to study this map and then go out into the city and see if it is accurate. We need to see the lay of the land and minimise all surprises.”
As the others began to rise from their chairs Andreas remained seated he appeared agitated.
“There’s one thing. This Telallamain is someone we know nothing about. Why do we trust him?"
“I told you the Mandrake Imperium and the Guild of Merchants have made it impossible for the free traders to work, unless they attempt something drastic they’ll cease to exist,” responded Achil.
“Oh come on Achil,” said Andreas. “This is more than drastic; we’re talking about knocking out all the major Syndicates and Guilds with one act. Who's to say what the real implications of such an act will be. Telallamain told you that it would create a power vacuum that the Imperium would not recover from for years, if at all. Are you really sure that will be the outcome? I think the need to buy more time for our people back home has blinded you to what might be the real purpose of this Telallamain.”
“What do you believe that is?” rasped Achil.
“I don’t know but that’s not the point,” said Andreas. “The point is we don’t know Telallamain from anyone else, he had Ventrigar murdered but we don’t really know why, and the only thing we do know is that he is certainly using us for his own ends.”
At those last words silence filled the room. Achil was trying to digest them. When Nishga reached into her holdall and pulled out the Orb placing it on the table.
“There's only one way to be sure, this might tell us something,” said Nishga.
She began to concentrate until the Orb began to glow in her hands. Inside there were at first swirling deep grey clouds. They began to clear as a small figure came into view as if seen from a great distance, it got ever larger, it was the Dragon Typhon. It stared back at Nishga asking her where she was and who she was. Nishga tried to pull away but Typhon was too strong. In the end with a strained effort she managed to wrench herself free. The Orb dimmed and she sat back breathing heavily.
Achil watched concerned for her safety. "That did not look like it ended well."
“Sorry, I’m afraid that wasn’t much help, for some reason due to our recent encounter with Typhon. I had some connection with him. When I began to concentrate it was Typhon who came to the fore. Don't worry I managed to pull away before he found anything out. It‘s just…” said Nishga
“It’s just what,” murmured Achil.
“It’s just it means we cannot contact home to inform them of our plan and the Dragon now knows something’s afoot,” replied Nishga.
“Well that cannot be helped now. We will have to accelerate our plans. If Typhon suspects anything, and there is some relationship between him and Jin. Then Jin will soon be aware of it also. Look I had better go, I’m already late for my meeting with Telallamain. Nishga you know what to do. Everybody remember this, the empire outside that door, is not a pristine marble statue encrusted with gold and pearls, it is like a marble sarcophagus, all pristine and clean on the outside but inside it's as dead as can be. So let's keep to the task at hand. Are you with me?”
"We've been with you from the beginning," replied Nishga.
The others nodded. Achil rose from the table. He looked at everyone gave a grim faced smile and left. Nishga put her cloak on disappeared from view and followed after him. Andreas sat back in his chair grating his teeth together. Nicholas could tell he felt troubled.
“You still think we’re being set up don’t you?” he said.
“Like the proverbial kipper,” replied Andreas.
The two stood up from the table and left to begin their reconnaissance of the area.
Achil was making his way over to the statue of Jin outside the Colossum, the largest stadium he had ever set eyes on. The map gave it a big introduction. It could probably hold a hundred thousand people. The statues that were between the columns were beautifully painted and decorated. And there were more, even greater in size running through the centre of the concourse leading up to the Stadium. There was a hustle and bustle about the place, as Achil walked down toward the statue of Jin. He could not help but feel a little sad at what he saw. This empire which had crafted so many incredible and wondrous things had been built on slavery and the pillaging of foreign lands. The Grain supply came from the wide flat planes of the Quinn. So much of the man power came from the willing but unnatural Wrath, or from the once free Marauders and the now conquered Berserkers, and Vandals and many others. The legions of such an empire were vast because of this fact. So it was that you could swap freedom for so called civilisation. As for the few that owned this brave new world. The Merchant Guilds whose long controlling hands seemed to stretch from the Barren Lands in the east to Mead in the west had an iron grip on all trade, on all life. Achil reached the statue of Jin. A tall man slender built stepped from behind the plinth. His eyes were a clear light blue he regarded Achil with an icy stare. He had long blond hair with a brown jerkin and black breeches which hung loosely over his tanned leather shoes. He spoke the code words that had been passed to Achil with a measured stoic tone.
“Will the Guilds ever rest,” said the man.
“We hope they all sleep well,” replied Achil.
“Come, my name is Atrophus. I am to take you to Telallamain.”
Atrophus strode off followed closely by Achil; they passed through quiet lanes, through open doorways, and in and out of deserted houses. Every now and then he would stop to glance back to see if they were being followed, or chased. Atrophus was of the city. He had been born there, had heard tales passed down through his family of how the seemingly ageless Jin had arrived and turned a small provincial town on the shores of the straits of Phass into Jinopolis. In only a few generations of men it had surpassed everything that had passed for a City. He stopped a moment at the end of a terrace of houses, checking once more to see if he had been followed. He ushered Achil forward, down some steps and on into the cellar. At the bottom there was a door, the green pai
nt had all but peeled of it, he knocked three times. The door opened, and Achil stepped into a long corridor which stretched the length of the terraced houses, at the other end was another door, which opened into a darkened room except for a burning hearth. The room was sparsely furnished; there were two chairs in front of the hearth. A desk to one side with a chair to the front and rear of it and a candle stand on top of it. The walls in the shadowy light appeared to be greying, probably due to the embrace of the smoky confines. The small window at the top end of one of the flank walls had curtains drawn across it. Achil could see a figure seated in one of the chairs by the burning hearth; an arm stretched out and beckoned him to sit down. Achil took up the invitation.
“So you made it through the wilderness. You are every bit the fearless resourceful hero aren't you; I am glad we're associates. I would hate to be your enemy, you are after all a very dangerous man indeed,” said Telallamain reflectively.
“Are not all men dangerous underneath?” replied Achil.
Telallamain smiled, “Of course they are. After all scratch the surface and you never know what you might find beneath it. Have you devised a plan to do what needs to be done?”
Achil regarded Telallamain, “We're still thinking about it; we have journeyed far, too far to make rash decisions now, too far to make mistakes, so I have one question.”
Achil stared into those unflinching, hard eyes.
“Ask away,” said Telallamain not betraying anything.
“You have said that the Merchants Guilds would take years to recover from such an attack. How do we know that Jin won’t just seize control over everything?” asked Achil trying to study Telallamain’s face in the flickering half-light.
“That cannot happen, imagine the Merchants Guilds are the gallows and Jin is the noose, when the gallows are destroyed, the noose drops to the floor and becomes nothing more than a rope. When they are gone Jin will be finished also, his power gone. You see the Merchants Guilds have a cast system, same as the army. Power will be transferred to other members of the guilders who do not favour the tyrant. And as for the army, Jin has many enemies within it; they will take the opportunity to get rid of him. The Merchant Guilds and the army will then struggle for years among themselves to seize control. And by the time someone takes power, the empire would have splintered into a thousand pieces. And after that the only interest will be in trying to control what's left, there will be no one left alive to care about the Barbarian lands of the west. No disrespect meant.”
Achil gave out a grudging grunt, “None taken. We have a fair idea of what to do.”
“I hope you have more than that, as in two days there is a meeting of the top Merchant Guilds.” Telallamain pulled out a map and pointed to the area of the city he referred to, “Here, this is the place, where they will all be gathered. I have something for you.” He pulled a small vial from a pocket. “In this vial is stored all the power of a raging mountain. It is a one of a kind instrument of war. It will destroy everything. When the lids removed you will have ten minutes before the infusion of substances coalesce causing the conflagration.”
“I understand,” said Achil hesitating a moment before reaching out to take the small innocuous bottle from Telallamain.
Achil stood to leave.
“Two days, just think of that, should your courage fail you; in two days you will have no more problems from the Imperium,” murmured Telallamain as he leant forward gazing into the flames.
Achil stood up and strode out of the room led by Atrophus, and was taken back to the Colossum, where the two separated, Achil making his way back to the comfortable surroundings of his room, as he entered closing the door behind him. Nishga removed her cloak.
“I really do not trust that man,” said Nishga flinging her cloak down on the bed.
“He works from the principle of what he has to gain from us,” said Achil. “In this case it is a return of his power and prestige. It was good of him to provide us with a means to destroy our enemy.”
“You mean his enemy. You see for us this is about survival. But does that excuse the act of all the killing to come. I think not. This does not feel right. Don’t get me wrong, I hate the idea of the Merchants Guilds as much as anyone, but what we are doing seems particularly nasty and underhand.”
“Underhand they gather their wealth through the most underhand means possible,” replied Achil. “They are getting their just deserts.”
“There’s that word, just,” said Nishga more withdrawn than ever. “Is that what we are doing Achil, handing out Justice?”
“No Nishga, what we’re trying to do is keep our freedoms, to keep from being conquered and maybe bring an end to slavery.”
“Are you so sure, if our acts bring an end to such things, all well and good, but what if instead we unleash the beast within them, what if such destruction instead of splitting this empire asunder actually unites it as never before, with a single purpose, revenge? How many more deaths will we be guilty of causing then?”
“Firstly, empires are built on subjugating other peoples, you are aware of that,” replied Achil.
“Of course I’m aware of that,” said Nishga folding her arms in agitation and frustration.
“Then you must know that the only way to defeat an empire is to have it overthrown from within rather than without. Empires defeat themselves because they are parasitical in nature, they are not self-sustaining, indeed rather the opposite, they are like cannibals that devour their own children, in the end there’s nothing left to devour.”
“Can you be so sure," replied Nishga. “If that’s the case then why have there been so many of them. I grant you none before on such a scale. But each state and principality conquered by the Mandrake considered itself a great power once, what I‘m saying is that empires don‘t die, they‘re merely absorbed by other empires.”
“Yes and that’s why those other lands fell so easily into the Imperium’s hands. Each new kingdom conquered became simply another wife to the king. We are different. Especially since the Dragon people of Osgaroth, and the Finns consider all men equal. I do understand the dilemma you're talking about, but we need to prepare ourselves to the task in hand; either this empire falls, or we do. There can be no other way. No compromise with such opposing points of view. I have considered the alternatives and I would go with the destruction of the Merchants Guild over that of Findolin anytime.”
“And what if the destruction of the Merchants Guilds, leads to the destruction of Findolin, what then?” said Nishga.
The room fell silent, Achil instead of answering lay back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling he got the map out and began studying it as if it might reveal some hidden plan that he had yet to think of. Nishga frustrated removed herself to one of the chairs. Andreas and Nicholas were not back from their sightseeing of the city. All they could do now was to wait. When eventually Andreas and Nicholas returned, they had some more ominous news. They had been down to the harbour area along the straits of Phass; it appeared that the Imperium was building a massive armada.
“What do you mean a thousand ships,” said Achil, disconcerted by this new threat.
“What I’m saying,” Andreas shuffled his hands together uncomfortably as he spoke. “They’re building the largest fleet the world has ever seen. The ship yards are working round the clock, for what purpose I cannot ascertain. It was as though the entire workforce of the empire was down there, like ants guided by a single purpose. The ships are huge; they are built to withstand the might of the sea. The empire does not appear to be looking inland anymore.”
“What are you saying Suberia isn’t sufficient for them? They are off to distant lands,” cried Achil, “Does Jin not know the meaning of the word, enough.”
“But this is good right, if they are off to conquer far off shores that will give us more time to prepare,” said Nicholas excitedly.
“Time in this case is not our friend it's our enemy,” cried Achil. “All that means is that the Em
pire knows no boundaries. We need to cut off this serpents head before it's too late.”
“What if we’re not cutting off the serpents head, but the lizard's tale, what then,” replied Andreas.
“There is no time to second guess the situation. The day after tomorrow we strike,” said Achil placing the map on the bed. “You know what to do. Nishga and I will deal with the Merchants Guilds.”
Nishga entered the room less agitated than when she had left. She was quickly informed of Andreas and Nicholas’s findings.
“What about the fleet,” said Andreas his tone betraying his disquiet. “We’re not just going to leave it. It poses a real risk. I know you think that it has another purpose, but the Mandrake could sail round and attack Osgaroth from the sea, whilst attacking Findolin with a full on assault. We would then be caught between a hammer and an anvil.”
“Nishga you have those vials that we were going to use on the Guilders right,” said Achil.
“Yes” she sounded dubious. “If you're suggesting what I think you're going to suggest, that’s suicide.”
“This whole business has been one suicide mission after another, and yet we’ve survived up to now. If that fleet is moored up row upon row you two will have to get close enough to the centre. And fire one of the ships, and you won't need an Orb to release their full energy, since all the ships are in close proximity of each other, the entire harbour will be like a tinderbox. Everything will go up in flames. With a little luck in the confusion you'll be able to make your escape, steal a boat and meet us at this small cove here. From there we'll follow the coast as far as is possible.”
“Taking a boat won’t be a problem,” said Andreas, nodding his head thoughtfully. “There is an area where some of the smaller ones are moored; it's not well guarded probably because all of the manpower has been transferred to protecting and building the fleet. Which means the problem will be accessing the harbour without being discovered, Nicholas and I will do so by disguising ourselves as dock workers, we'll set the harbour ablaze, after that we can then sneak around to the cove, just in time to meet you.”
“Then let's explore one last time,” said Achil. “You two tomorrow go down to the harbour area but make sure you don’t raise suspicions, and Nishga and I will go to where the Guilders are situated.”
Andreas and Nicholas looked at each other, swiftly nodded and left. Achil lay back down on the bed lifting the map above him to scan it once more.
“Nishga if things go wrong we’re going to need a contingency plan."
She was now curled up in one of the chairs staring at Achil. “What do you suggest?”
From his holdall he removed the silver sphere and passed it to her. She looked at it and smiled.
“Do you think you can do something with that now you have the incantation,” said Achil.
“Not even a minor problem,” replied Nishga.
She cupped the Silver sphere in her hand thoughtfully. Their plans were now well laid, there journeys end at hand or so they thought.
Achil & The Kingdom of Jin Page 26
