"Great!” exclaimed Marak. “This is the chance I have been waiting for. Finally, I'll have the right to talk to the slaves. You don't mind doing the greeting, do you?"
"Mind?” queried Tagoro. “I can't think of anything I would rather do. It is not often that a lowly Squad Leader gets to meet the six Lords of the Situ Clan and their Marshals. Being noticed is the fastest way to promotions in a Clan."
"Wonderful,” remarked Marak. “Today we will both get what we desire the most. I better get back and get cleaned up."
Marak gathered his gear and joined Tagoro on the walk back to the barracks. The estate was busy this morning as laborers and household staff ran around preparing for the guests. Every spring, Lord Ridak summoned his five estate Lords to Lituk Valley to report on matters of importance to the whole clan. Each of the five Lords would be accompanied by his Marshal and a contingent of forces to protect the Lord. Lord Ridak was not one of the most powerful Lords in Khadora, but his estates covered more territory than most as the Lituk Valley area was sparsely populated.
Marak rushed through the barracks and into his room where he could wash up and put on a clean uniform. As he emerged from his room into the communal officer's area, he saw that Cortain Koors was waiting for him.
"Having a little trouble getting it together this morning, Squad Leader?” snapped Koors. “I have been looking for you for over half an hour and I didn't appreciate finding you missing."
"My apologies, Cortain,” offered Marak. “I felt the need for some early morning sword practice and have just returned."
Koors turned and looked at Tagoro who was neatly attired and standing at attention. “I have special duties for your two squads for the next three days,” declared the Cortain. “Squad Leader Rybak's squad is being moved out of the fields to serve as a greeting guard and his people need to be replaced."
Marak tried to hide his smile as the Cortain stared at the two Squad Leaders. “Lord Marshal Grefon has given the honor of providing greeters this year to me, and two of my squads will be required. Tagoro, your squad will replace Rybak's and manage the slaves. Marak, your men will form up with Rybak's and perform greeting duties."
"But...” protested Marak.
"But nothing,” snarled Cortain Koors. “I am in command of this Corte and I will decide which squads perform the duties we are required to provide. You will provide greeting services for the next three days, Marak, and if one of your little misfits gets out of line, you will be visiting the slave quarters on a permanent basis. Get your men ready to assemble."
Cortain Koors spun and marched out of the barracks leaving the two Squad Leaders gaping. As soon as the door to the communal officer's room had closed an Omunga Star flew through the air and lodged in the wood.
"You must control your temper,” admonished Tagoro. “He is purposely trying to goad you into a confrontation."
"Perhaps,” mused Marak, “his elimination would be seen as a service to Lord Ridak. Every estate strives to rid itself of vermin."
"This decision must have been hard for Koors,” suggested Tagoro. “He knows you desire to speak to your mother and, yet, it is an honor to be on the greeting squad. He had to give you one of the two and he would have preferred to give you neither."
"I think Cortain Koors will have other difficult decisions ahead of him,” remarked Marak as he retrieved his Omunga Star and entered the main room of the barracks.
Both groups of men were already dressed in clean uniforms and were busy checking their attire for spots or tears that might embarrass the squad when the visitors arrived. Marak and Tagoro snapped orders to the men and they filed out of the barracks in two smooth columns. Rybak's Squad was already assembled and was holding pikes in addition to their usual weapons.
"I will have my Squad handle the gate and road,” suggested Squad Leader Rybak when Marak appeared out of the barracks.
Marak simply nodded. Both squads would have the prestige of performing greeting duties, but Rybak's men would get to stand down once the Lords had arrived. Marak's Squad would be pressed into long hours of duty while the Lords met day and night during the next three days. The fact that Rybak's men already had formed with pikes was not lost on Marak. Cortain Koors had made sure that his pet Squad Leader would have the easiest duty while still retaining the honor.
While Squad Leader Rybak's men drifted off towards the main gate of the Situ estate, Marak ordered his men into a tight column and marched them towards the mansion. Lord Marshal Grefon, with the distinctive yellow and green plumes and gold trim on his helmet, stood on the porch by the front steps conversing with his two Lectains, whose helmets were adorned with only green plumes. Each Lectain commanded three Cortains who were each responsible for three or four squads. The officers watched Marak's squad approach and stopped talking when Squad Leader Marak halted the column and saluted the Lord Marshal.
"Squad Leader Marak reporting as ordered, Lord Marshal,” recited Marak.
Lord Marshal Grefon's face frowned as his eyes roved over the assembled squad. “I thought Squad Leader Tagoro was handling this detail,” stated Grefon.
"Squad Leader Tagoro has been assigned to duties in the fields, Lord Marshal,” Marak answered the unspoken question. “Squad Leader Rybak is handling the main gate and road."
"Very well,” Grefon remarked. “Lord Ridak and myself will be personally greeting each Lord and Marshal as they arrive. You will assign one man to each Lord and one to each Marshal to act as liaisons. They will have their own aides, but your appointed men will be responsible for whatever they need during their stay. Two of your men will remain on guard outside the Meeting Chamber, day and night, and two will remain on guard inside the chamber. You will remain with me while I am in the chamber and supervise your men when I am not. Squad Leader Rybak's men will take care of the mansion entrances after the last Lord arrives, but your men are responsible until then. Arrange the schedules of your men and make sure they know the penalty for failure in their duties."
"As you command, Lord Marshal,” recited Marak.
Grefon returned to his conversation with the Lectains as Marak issued orders to his men. Security provisions were never this severe at previous meetings and Marak wondered if the Lord Marshal was expecting trouble. He smiled a bit as he realized that Rybak's men would have to share in the duties, after all. He also wondered what orders were issued to Cortain Koors. The Lord Marshal expected Tagoro to be here instead of himself. By the time Marak finished issuing his orders, the Lord Marshal and his Lectains were gone from the porch. Marak led four of his men into the mansion which he had entered only once before and that was six years ago when Lord Marshal Grefon accepted his request to join the Army.
Marak marveled at the grandeur of the mansion as he led his men towards the meeting room. The floors were made of fine, polished marble and the high ceiling was painted in a grand scene of Lord Ridak strolling through a lituk orchard. Tall, marble columns supported the next floor and a wide, carpeted staircase wound its way to the second level after splitting into two separate staircases. In between the columns were pedestals with carved busts of men, only one of which Marak recognized as Lord Ridak. He assumed the others were the Lord's Situ ancestors. On the far right wall of the massive entry foyer stood the large double doors to the Meeting Chamber. It was in this room that Grefon had accepted Marak's petition. The two selected men immediately took up positions on either side of the doors and Marak led the remaining two men into the chamber.
The Meeting Chamber was completely done in dark wood. The floor consisted of smooth wooden panels and the ceiling sported large wooden beams that were carved in the same pattern as the large wooden columns that lined the walls. Between the columns, large tapestries, depicting battle scenes in which the yellow and green forces were conquering armies wearing different colors, hung on the wall. At the far end of the room was a massive marble fireplace and over it hung a portrait of Lord Ridak. The center of the room was filled with a huge wooden table whose dar
k wood was so finely polished that you could see your reflection well enough to shave. There were enough chairs around the table for Marak to seat his entire squad for dinner.
Marak posted the last two men beside the doors and returned to the entry foyer. Marak was halfway to the doors leading out to the front steps when an elderly woman with gray hair stepped in front of him.
"My, my,” she smiled as she looked up at him, “if it isn't young Marak. Don't you look decked out to impress the women?"
Marak looked down at the diminutive woman dressed in the traditional staff garb of a pale yellow tunic with the broad embroidered belt and an embroidered lituk tree inside a green circle on her left breast. His face broke into a wide grin as he recognized the Lord's Minder. Flora had taken charge of Marak when he and his mother arrived at Lituk Valley. Marak was only six at the time and he was hysterical for days while his mother was dressed in slave browns and assigned to the slave shacks. Flora took it upon herself to soothe the small boy and she had been his only friend in those early days. Five or six years old was considered old enough to take the Vows of Service and everyone else treated him with scorn for acting so hysterical. Only Flora offered him comfort and Marak had not seen her in years.
"Flora!” exclaimed Marak. “You are as beautiful as ever."
"So, you have the tongue to impress the ladies, as well,” blushed Flora. “You've turned into a mighty handsome man, young Marak, and a Squad Leader already. Oh, I've seen you occasionally through the windows, but to see you close up like this brings joy to my heart. Your mother must be proud."
Marak's face turned into a deep frown at the comment. “I would not know,” Marak replied bitterly. “I only see her from a distance. I would love to just talk with her and hold her hand."
It was Flora's turn to frown as she studied him. “I have never been one to contemplate disobedience,” Flora finally said, “but a young man should be able to visit with his mother, even if she is a slave. I suppose there are people who resent a slave's boy being in the Army, but when you make Cortain you will be able to speak with her whenever you are off duty."
"Should we both live that long,” remarked Marak. “I will speak with her soon. I must."
"Marak,” cautioned Flora, “do not jeopardize your position for this. I am sure your mother is proud of you and it would kill her to know her son is also a slave. Bide your time, young warrior. Time changes many things, even people's attitudes."
Marak saw Lord Ridak and Lord Marshal Grefon heading for the front doors and nodded to Flora as he made his own way to the porch. Lord Ridak was a bull of a man, broad in the shoulders with thick arms and legs and a rusty brown mop of hair on his head. His floor length cape was similar to the Lord Marshal's except for the length, half yellow and half green with a large embroidered lituk tree in a circle. Marak exited the mansion as two of his men held the doors open for the Lord and Lord Marshal.
The excitement on the porch was building as in the distance an approaching Lord and his escort could be seen. Lord Ridak strained to see which Lord had arrived first, but the distance was still too great. Marak's men formed a corridor as stable hands, dressed in the green tunics that were standard Situ garb, gathered to take the arriving horses.
"Your cousin, Lord Wernik, and Marshal Cadam of Stony Brook,” announced Lord Marshal Grefon.
Lord Ridak smiled as the impressive column of soldiers wearing the green and yellow colors of the Situ Clan rode forward. Stony Brook was home to the mines and quarries of the Situ Clan and Lord Wernik was the oldest ruling Lord under Lord Ridak's colors. Two squads of Stony Brook warriors rode on horses sporting blankets of green and yellow and showing the crest of the lituk tree. Holding their lances pointing skyward and gleaming in the morning light, the column of soldiers filled Lord Ridak with pride.
Lord Wernik showed gray hair under his headband and helmet, which was adorned with the green and yellow plumes. He grinned openly as he approached the front of the house. Marshal Cadam held a dark and foreboding glare as he glanced around at the placement of soldiers present. His black hair and goatee clashed with the gay yellow of his uniform. All Situ armies were dressed the same regardless of which estate they came from, except the Lord Marshal and Lord Ridak, who had gold trim signifying the head of the Situ Army and the head of the Situ Clan.
Lord Ridak and Lord Marshal Grefon greeted their counterparts and waited patiently as Squad Leader Marak introduced the assigned liaisons. As Lord Ridak led the visitors indoors, Marak led the Stony Brook soldiers to a waiting barracks and saw that they were settled in before returning to the porch. He arrived back just in time to repeat the procedure for Lord Zerik and Marshal Roak from Raven's Point, the Situ estate located on the seacoast which specializes in seafood.
After an hour of idleness in which Marak talked with Squad Leaders from the other estates, Lord Caruko and Marshal Flutay from River's Bend arrived. River's Bend was downstream from Lituk Valley and supplied cloth and clothing from the herds of clova kept there. Any river shipments to the rest of the country also left from River's Bend.
The aura of excitement subsided as the day wore on, until mid-afternoon when Lord Horkad and Marshal Simi arrived from Forest Deep, the estate which bred the Situ horses and wasooki. The contingent from Forest Deep included a wagon with six, large wasooki which Lord Horkad presented to Lord Ridak to feed the household while the meetings took place. Marak gazed at the strange, massive beasts and their long, red-haired coats. Unlike most estates, Forest Deep bred their wasooki for tenderness and taste, not for their ability to pull loads.
Lord Marshal Grefon kept Marak busy for the rest of the afternoon by continually requesting men to run errands or organize activities for the visiting soldiers. Just before sunset, Lord Lashendo and Marshal Garouk arrived with the contingent from Fardale, the estate furthest away, which produced grain and vegetables. Fardale was Lord Ridak's newest estate and was his opening attempt at increasing his holdings into areas close to rival Lords. Unlike the four traditional Situ estates, Lord Ridak had claimed Fardale only four years earlier and most soldiers considered it the frontier.
Squad Leader Rybak's men followed the Fardale contingent to the mansion and, after greetings were completed, dispersed to guard the perimeter of the mansion. Marak posted two of his men in the entry foyer and ordered the rest to get some sleep so they would be available to relieve the Meeting Chamber guards later. Marak followed Lord Marshal Grefon into the Meeting Chamber and stood behind his chair.
When Lord Ridak seated himself at the head of the table, the room fell quiet and the meeting officially began. The Lord of all Situ asked for the status of his holdings and, one by one, the Lords reported the condition of their estates. Most of the reports dealt with finances, markets, and population counts and Marak became engrossed with the dialog as he began to realize the full extent of Lord Ridak's holdings. He already knew that the Situ were not a major clan in Khadora, but the impressive numbers presented at the meeting gave him an idea of how large the holdings were. The Estate Marshals reported on the strength of their armies and Marak was awestruck. He always believed that the real strength of the Situ was in Lituk Valley and that the remote estates had only token forces. The reality was much different. Each estate had its own army only slightly smaller than the one Lord Marshal Grefon commanded here.
The meeting broke for dinner and Lord Marshal Grefon pulled Marak aside. “Your men behaved admirably today, Squad Leader,” the Lord Marshal praised. “You will, of course, remind them that whatever is heard within these walls is not to be spoken of. Take this opportunity to check on your squad."
Marak made the rounds of his men and reaffirmed the need for silence on the affairs of the Situ Clan. Marak and his men were fed separately by the household staff and Marak was waiting at the doors to the Meeting Chamber when the Lords and Marshals returned from their dinner. Everyone took their places and, once again, Lord Ridak convened the meeting.
It was during this second session that Ma
rak got some idea of the need for the increased security. Lord Lashendo of Fardale was telling about his attempts to clear the Sitari Valley and the attacks of the Chula. His loss of men was considerable, but not devastating because of the size of his estate.
"The message was, My Lord,” Lord Lashendo stated, “that the next time we entered Sitari Valley, the Chula would not only kill all of our men, but would attack the estate, as well."
"Marshal Garouk,” Lord Marshal Grefon interrupted, “have you made any further attempts to enter the valley?"
Marshal Garouk looked towards Lord Ridak before answering. “We have not, Lord Marshal,” he stated. “I think it is best if we beef up our estate defenses before we make another attempt. I have little doubt that the Chula will attempt to actually attack the estate and it will present the perfect opportunity to wipe them out, once and for all. After we lay the perfect trap at the Fardale estate we will send in a small expeditionary force to provoke them. Once the Chula are eliminated we can clear the Sitari Valley."
"And you feel that you have sufficient forces to accomplish this task?” Lord Marshal Grefon questioned.
"Yes, Lord Marshal,” assured Marshal Garouk.
The Lord Marshal fixed Lord Ridak with a questioning gaze and the Situ Lord nodded. “We shall discuss your plans before the meeting days are over, Marshal Garouk,” Lord Ridak stated. “Lord Lashendo, please continue with your briefing."
The reports from the far estates continued for several hours and the meeting was ended for the day. Marak made another check of his men and ordered the replacements to take their posts while those guarding the Meeting Chamber were given leave to sleep.
When Marak was returning to his barracks he saw his mother leaving her shack. Impulsively, he decided to intercept her and talk with her. Knowing the punishment for getting caught, Marak covertly slid behind the barracks and made his way towards the slave quarters.
Young Lord of Khadora [Forgotten Legacy Book 1] Page 3
