The Aebeling

by O'Neill, Michael

  ‘Another fine mess you’ve got yourself into!’

  ‘Well, he had it coming. Surely it is against the law to sell a Twacuman theow?’

  ‘I’ve never heard of a Twacuman becoming a Theow – I guess she could have allowed herself to become theow, but that doesn’t happen. This supports your argument that the Ancuman have been in Rakia for a long time – over ten years. They would be the only ones to have the money to pay for a Twacuman theow.’

  ‘What recourse does he have?’

  ‘If he pays a fee he can have the magister summon you to account. You have to pay another fee to agree to the hearing. If you don’t, the judge finds in his favor. It’s expensive which is why it doesn’t happen so much. But he is Gatinan…’

  Octa was right. A summons was hand delivered by one of the town guard and Conn accepted it and sent back his deposit – a gold Ryal. He then went to the keep library and sought out the Librarian.

  ‘Thane, what do you need?’ Everything in the library had been on scrolls; cumbersome and inconvenient, and thanks to Conn, everything was actively being copied to Codices. Conn was popular in the library as it was now a beehive of activity.

  ‘Have your notaries finished the Book of Laws yet?’ Conn asked the Librarian.’ The library had been compiling a single book that contained every proclamation and edict every made by a Healdend, anywhere. It had been the largest task undertaken by the library, and whilst not complete, it covered the laws of Lyciak.

  ‘I believe they have. Would you like to see it?’

  ‘Please.’

  At the appointed hour the next morning, Conn turned up at the keep with Octa, his men, the Librarian, and Caronwyn. His accuser, the merchant Jory, as he discovered to be his name, was waiting, looking self-satisfied in that he had been able to get this sitting as soon as he had, without realizing that Conn had facilitated the speed of the hearing. Octa directed Conn where to sit and retired to the visitor’s gallery.

  The official in charge of the hearing was the Sheriff – Oswald – and he brought the session to order and asked the accuser to state his charge, and his case. The person who sat in judgment was the aging Magister of Lyciak, Herewald; a man that Conn had spent some time with discussing the history of the laws of Meshech.

  Jory stood and answered ‘Coercion’, then explained how Conn had used force to make him sell his property, the Twacuman theow, for much less than she was worth. It was not his concern that the theow might be illegal; he had purchased her in good faith, and that he demanded that not only should Conn return her to him, he should also be made to pay as fine of twenty thousand Ryals for the humiliating he had suffered.

  At the end of this long address, Conn stood and addressed the court.

  ‘Magister, in answer to the charge levelled against me, I wish to counter accuse the merchant of Larceny and Deprivation of Liberty.’

  Jory stood in opposition. ‘What is the meaning of this – I have never heard of such things.’

  The Magister acknowledged his point. ‘Thane, those charges are new to me as well. I will note your accusation for now, but I will need more information.’

  ‘Magister, they should be withdrawn.’ Jory didn’t like the way things were going. ‘The Thane is to be brought to account for his actions alone.’

  ‘Merchant, you will have your chance later. Thane, please proceed.’

  Conn continued. ‘Very well; first to his case of Coercion. The merchant claims that I forced him to sell the girl to me, and he is quite right that forcing someone to sell you something – even at a fair price is against the Law. But my question to you is how can I force him to sell me something or someone that he doesn’t have a right to have? According to the ancient laws that apply to theow, there are only two types; those taken as prisoners of war, or those that sell themselves or their children as theow. These are laws that have been in place since the time of the last Casere. If a theow is not of one of those two types, then the person who tries to sell such a person has broken the law and has to pay a Wergild. That is also the law.’

  Behind Conn, Jory started to become more vocal, increasingly unhappy.

  ‘So where is this Law that you are speaking of?’ he called out.

  Conn looked to the Librarian and Aldfrida came forward with the “Book of Laws”.

  ‘Magister, I understand that you have received one of these Codices?’ Conn had copies done for all the Magisters.

  ‘Indeed I have – a magnificent effort. So which page are we reading from?’ He chuckled to himself. ‘I don’t believe I said that – I didn’t even know what a page was a year ago!’

  ‘Page 345 – Librarian, would you please read from the book.’

  Aldfrida cleared his throat. ‘Magister, this is an account of the proclamations of Oswah, the first Healdend of Moetia, in the year of 580.’

  Rory called out again; ‘that’s almost three hundred years ago – that doesn’t apply.’

  The Magister directed Jory to keep his peace until it was his turn to speak, but added ‘Unless there is a ruling of a later date that invalidates the previous Law, then it is current. The laws that the first Healdend proclaimed were the laws of the last Casere – and they were proclaimed by all the Healdend. Please continue, Aldfrida.’

  ‘It reads, ‘By the grace of Badb, I proclaim that no Twacuman shall be made a theow except by personal sacrifice, by penalty of fine equivalent to the blood value of an Eaorl’.’

  Conn turned to Caronwyn. ‘Caronwyn il Halani; how was it that you came to be made theow – was it by personal sacrifice?’

  She stood and addressed the crown. She had had a bath and was dressed in some of Conn’s finest clothes. She was beautiful, graceful and regal. ‘No it was not; by my oath, I was taken captive by Rakian slavers who killed half my company and sold me as theow in Rakia.’

  Conn addressed the court. ‘Is the word of a lady of Halani considered truthful in the Domhus?’

  ‘It is indeed. Never in history has it been recorded that a Twacuman has been untruthful.’

  Conn continued. ‘Magister, the evidence thus concludes that that Caronwyn il Halani was never a theow – and by having her as a prisoner, the merchant has tried to profit from stolen goods – which is the crime of Larceny, and has kept her as an illegal prisoner – the crime of False Imprisonment. I would ask that he be brought to account for those crimes.’ Conn sat down; the eyes were all on Jory now.

  He stood, ‘Magister, I withdraw my accusations as it seems that I have been misinformed by my client in Gatina…’

  Conn interrupted Rory; ‘Does he accuse and name his client so as to relieve himself of guilt? If he wishes to relieve himself of guilt, he must do so.’

  Rory was now in more trouble – he could hardly name a Gatinan Eaorl. That would ruin him as a trader.

  ‘No, I do not.’

  ‘Then, in my understanding of the Law, you are unable to withdraw the accusation.’

  The Magister addressed the Merchant. ‘The Thane has made some very good points, Merchant. Can you prove that you did not know that the Twacuman was not an illegal theow? Do you have any documents that show how you purchased her?’

  After twenty minutes of protestation, Jory had to admit that he had no documentation, and he knew or had reasonable grounds to suspect that the Twacuman was an illegal theow. Rory was starting to realize that he was in disastrous trouble, and it could be seen on his face.

  The Magister consulted with some of his staff, and then made his judgment. ‘As to the question of the charge of Cohesion, I have determined that the Thane il Haran is not guilty but virtue that our lady of Halani was not a legal object for sale. In contrast I have decided that the Merchant Rory is guilty of both charges; Larceny and False Imprisonment, as he knowingly kept imprisoned a person that he knew was not a legal theow, and had expected to make a profit on the sales of such a tainted object. I order that he pay the wergild equivalent to that of the murder of a Thane – as is written in our ancient texts �
� for each crime. I give the merchant Jory one moon to pay three hundred thousand Ryals, or have his goods and family confiscated and sold. In the event that he is unable to provide his goods and family as payment, the penalty is … death.’

  The Magister was about to dismiss the court when Conn interrupted.

  ‘If you will, Magister, I agree to pay the fine of the Merchant on his behalf.’

  The Magister looked in surprise at both him and the Merchant. Jory was also stunned. The Magister asked Jory if he had any problem with the Thane paying his fine.

  A very contrite and despondent Jory shook his head. ‘No, Magister, I have no complaint.’

  ‘Very well, it is so ordered.’ The court was dismissed.

  Conn addressed Jory. ‘Get your men and the theow you have left and come over to the “Boar’s Head” Inn – we need to work out how you are going to pay me back the money you owe me.’

  Jory stood stunned, while Conn left to return to the Inn.

  Since his arrival in Halani, Conn’s economic progress had been stunning. The excellent summers and mild winters combined with new technologies to create wheat harvests so large that the markets in Lykiak were currently over supplied and prices declining. Luckily Conn had the resources to export large quantities to Silekia, Trokia or Moetia. Silekia needed everything that they could send, and Trokia and Moetia were still profitable destination. Eggar, son of Abrekan, now controlled over ten schooners and Junks travelling the coastline transporting goods.

  An increasingly larger percentage of Conn’s income was coming from the sales of spices, beer, cloth, and the manufactured household goods being produced in Hama. Osdred was expanding as well, building Emporiums everywhere to sell the goods. He also had an increasingly large chain of Taverns that Brictdred was creating – he had just started renovating his first Inn in Moetiak, and had already purchased Inns in Trokia and Silekiak thanks to Abrekan, and these were outlets for alcohol and food.

  His craeftiga were also spreading their wings; a guild type organization called Fellowships had been had been established for over eighty crafts, and the Fellowships were setting up shops and factories in all major centers in Lykiak, Trokiak, Moetiak and Silekiak. There they produced goods close to their markets. Behind every new enterprise was finance provided by the new “Meshech Finance and Insurance Company” set up by Godric, son of Abrekan.

  Despite this advances, Conn had yet to make inroads into three markets – Kania, Gatina or Rakia – due to the fact that Trokia was in the middle of some kind of dispute with Gatina, Rakia was at war with Silekia, and Kania had a huge problem with pirates that made access expensive. Business was business, and Conn was determined to not let politics get in the way of gold.

  Jory and his party arrived very quickly at the Inn; Conn directed them to sit and had more food and drinks delivered. With the very confused Gatinans sipping their drinks, Conn opened negotiations.

  ‘I’m sure that the turn of events is not as you would have expected, but it may well be that this doesn’t end so badly for you all.’

  ‘I don’t understand how I can benefit from this situation...’ Jory was surprised at Conn’s suggestion.

  ‘Every cloud has a silver lining. How much are your theow worth, and why are they theow?’

  Jory said that the four men, aged in their twenties, were theow because they had committed petty crimes against their Eaorls, and were unable to pay the wergild, whilst the other two, both young girls, had been sold by their parents to be servants due to economic circumstance. They were all Gatinans, and the total value was about thirty thousand Ryals.

  ‘Very well; so you now owe me two hundred and seventy thousand Ryals.’ To the theow he said, ‘You now belong to me, you will work for me until the debt is repaid; then you will be free. Do you agree to that?’

  They all agreed with delight. Conn got Wilgar to take them out to the Inn keeper who promptly set them to work – it was a big night. Jory was still watching events with bemusement.

  ‘Okay – the silver lining. You might not realize that I control the supply and distribution of most products in Lykia.’

  ‘I did not know that – but then I did not have any reason to know. The fact that you are rich has not been lost on me.’

  ‘Have you heard of Abrekan of Trokia?’

  Jory nodded, a faint smile of understanding appearing on his face. ‘Five years ago, he was nobody – a small trader who scratched a living trading in leather. Now I hear that he is the most powerful merchant in Trokia – possibly Meshech – and now I understand why. I presume you are his patron.’

  ‘I am. As you know, Abrekan trades with all nations excluding Gatina and Rakia. He was starting to trade with Gatina and then this war came up. So that is what I want you to do form me.’

  ‘You want me to trade with Rakia? I heard in Sabatah that trade with Rakia was banned – which is why I had a hard time when I arrived.’

  ‘It is – but it also has a need of food and other goods and gold is gold. Do you not already trade with Rakia from Gatina?’

  Jory nodded; ‘We have our contacts there.’

  They waited as another round of mead was brought in by the buxom mead ‘wenches’. The two new girls looked like they were going to fit in perfectly; they seemed to take well to the lack of clothing. When privacy was returned, Conn continued.

  ‘I understand that you lost your ship?’

  ‘Yes; we lost our sail in a squall and then struck a sand bank that appeared out of nowhere – but at least close to shore. We were unable to save much. We had no intention of visiting Lykia – but we were given no choice.’

  ‘I gather you were on your way to Kania?’

  ‘Yes; there is always a market there for theow.’

  ‘Even a Twacuman theow?’

  Jory nodded apologetically. ‘One of the Eaorls … he even prepaid.’

  ‘Some justice there as well.’ Conn continued. ‘Anyway, I will provide you with whatever money you need to purchase a ship so that you can trade in whatever you want – except weapons.’

  ‘What about theow? It will be strange if I stop…’

  Conn took a deep breath. He hated the concept but saw the reality in what he said. ‘Provided that they are legal…’

  Jory nodded. ‘Very well – I don’t think I’m in any position to refuse. In fact, you are being extremely generous so I will actually be in your debt more ways than one. But how will I get around the trade blockade?’

  ‘Moetia – you will travel to Moetiak and buy everything you need there. They are still dealing with Rakia and Gatina. The important thing is that it is not obvious that I’m trading with Rakia; but as you already do – it shouldn’t raise too much suspicion. Do you have any questions?’

  They had a few, and Conn answered them all, and it was late by the time that everyone had left and when Conn retired to his bed – with a couple of very grateful new members of his staff. All in all, it had been a productive day.

  Inside the week, Jory and his crew had left for Atrak, where a ship – not a schooner – with a cargo of goods was being prepared for him. In plain colors he would continue on to Moetiak and sell his cargo, and reload there for Rakiak. He had a letter of introduction to the “Meshech Finance and Insurance Company” would take care of all his needs. Before he left, Conn had a separate and private meeting with Jory that outlined some other requests – the events of the past year had given Conn a greater need for information, and that was Jory’s other task. Unfortunately Jory knew little of the conflict with Trokia except to say that he was very surprised to hear that Trokian vessels had attacked and sunk Gatinan vessels; it would never be to their benefit.

  With the departure of Jory, Conn prepared to leave for Halani. Caronwyn was undoubtedly eager to return, though she made no comment of it to him. She was very quiet; and when she spoke she asked him questions of his experiences in Meshech, and he told her about Derryth, Caewyn and Oisin. She didn’t ask anything about how he got to Halani,
and he didn’t mention Jowan or the medallion. It seemed a strange thing to bring up.

  She was delighted to hear that they were still all alive and well – she explained that Caewyn’s mother was with her when she was captured, but she did not know where she was.

  Weeks later they camped at the edge of the great forest; he had sent a pigeon to say he was coming. It was late as Conn stood sentry, and he sensed movement in the trees and ducked under cover. He couldn’t see movement, but he knew they were there somewhere; and they would be creeping up on him. Taking his bow, he fitted an arrow and fired it into the forest. He heard the thud a moment later.

  He heard the abuse come from the trees. ‘For the love of a Gyden – you missed me by a fingernail!’

  Conn stood, and was soon surrounded by Twacuman who greeted him warmly.

  ‘Thought you could creep up on me, did you?’ Conn asked. ‘And I missed you by a foot.’

  Derryth walked out and handed Conn his arrow back. ‘Well, it felt like a fingernail. It’s a very big arrow.’

  ‘Why so late.’ Conn asked as he guided Derryth down to his camp.

  ‘I haven’t been home for days and didn’t know you were coming but saw the fires. Your damn pigeons don’t always work, you know.’ They arrived at the camp and as Derryth got close he saw Caronwyn, who was standing and waiting. He stopped short. He looked shocked.

  ‘Caronwyn? Is that you? By the Gyden, it is. But how...?’ He raced and grabbed her, drawing her to him, and held her tight. They both burst into tears.

  As the rest of the unit joined them at the fire, Caronwyn was soon surrounded, and to Conn’s surprise they were all soon in tears. Conn came to her rescue again and urged them to sit down. Derryth immediately sent several Wiga to the Cotlif, and when Conn asked him about it, he explained that Brina would want to know.

  Caronwyn spent the night telling of her rescue – but little of her recent life. Derryth raised a toast – Conn had brought a supply of his wine and Derryth had insisted on trying it.