Charity laughed. “That’s all right. I’m used to having to repeat myself when talking with you. I was just asking if your mom had finished sewing our dance dresses yet?”
“Yes, they’re in one of the trunks in the wagon.”
“Oh, I’m so excited!” Charity said, practically jumping up and down, her head of curly red hair flying about. “Our dance is going to be the talk of the festival, what with your mom and Mrs. Charlotte making the dresses and all! And did you hear that the McMurdy’s are coming in from Worchester as well? That means Todd will be here to see us dance with those dreamy gray eyes of his.”
Todd McMurdy was the oldest son of Lord McMurdy. Their family owned a large tract of land between Worchester and the foothills of the Crymn Mountain Range. That made them a very wealthy family indeed. Lady McMurdy was born and raised in Tewksbury and still loved to come home for the summer festival whenever she was able. Charity had been infatuated with Todd for as long as Esther could remember. She had to admit that he was a rather handsome fellow. Rumor said he was searching for a bride and half the girls in Tewksbury wanted to marry him for his good looks, his wealth, or more likely both.
Charity continued to talk about how exciting the festival was going to be, and how she hoped she would have the opportunity to impress Todd. Her enthusiasm was infectious, but Esther couldn’t help but think about what news Merchant McKinney might bring. Things in the world surrounding the Island Kingdom of Ardmorr—their home—were becoming increasingly unsettled. She’d gleaned that much from overhearing conversations from her parents and other adults in the village when they thought she wasn’t listening.
The barbarian kingdoms on the continent of Madraus to the southeast of Ardmorr had stopped fighting amongst themselves, relatively speaking, and consolidated into the newly formed Empire of Madraus. United, they were now very large and powerful. How anyone had gotten the warlords to stop killing each other was anyone’s guess, but someone had, and now no one knew quite what to expect. This made all of its neighbors very wary—especially the Hadiqan Empire occupying the large continent to the west of Madraus. The two continents were connected by a land bridge as long as Esther’s Island Kingdom of Ardmorr—and the Hadiqan Empire was very wealthy. That wealth would be a tantalizing target for the warlike Madrausans, and nothing could consolidate a new Emperor’s rule faster than an outside threat.
Enmity already existed between the two cultures, for although the Hadiqans mourned the loss of life that the constant wars in Madraus had caused, they also realized that those wars had kept the Madrausans focused on each other. Esther wouldn’t be surprised if the Hadiqans had assisted in fomenting some of those conflicts. War drums beat on the horizon for any who were poised to listen.
CHAPTER 2
Tewksbury
I always loved the festival on the summer solstice in Tewksbury. The festive atmosphere and the food and drink made it a special time. Getting together with my friends Tanya, Marigold, and Charity always led to fun and exciting things, although Marigold usually seemed to get us into trouble.
As the wagons entered the loose ring of houses and shops that made up the town of Tewksbury, the festival atmosphere was infectious. The unseasonably warm heat of the late afternoon sun didn’t limit the preparations or dampen the festival spirit in the least. Kids and dogs ran up and down the streets as townsfolk hung streamers and unrolled banners out of second story windows. The sound of activity and people bustling about was pleasant to Esther’s ears.
The town opened up in the center to reveal a huge open area. The usual bright green grass of the Village Green was dulled somewhat by the heat and lack of recent rain. A Maypole would be raised in the center and decorated during the festivities tomorrow. An airship dominated the east end of the greenery, its hull suspended a few feet above the ground where it was tethered with thick ropes tied to hefty wooden stakes that had been hammered into the ground with sledgehammers.
The airships were the lifeblood of the Kingdom. Not only was the majority of its agriculture based on producing Saug oil used in airship construction and operation, but the economic stimulus from the trade ships that stopped in Ardmorr for supplies enroute to destinations farther away provided a significant revenue stream as well. The shipyards just outside Lancaster, the Kingdom’s capital on the northwestern side of the Island of Ardmorr, built the finest ships in the known world, using the best, most durable wood which grew readily in the northern climates. They were also some of the most expensive ships.
Each time she saw an airship, the sight amazed her and this time was no exception. Its large balloon sails floated like white clouds, fastened to its wooden hull by the same type of thick rope that moored it to the Earth. It was a fantastic sight that filled her with a longing to just float off the ground and fly through the air like a bird. Even now, the ship seemed to want to do exactly that as it floated there effortlessly, gently straining against its mooring ropes.
From her studies, she knew that warships didn’t have balloon sails like merchant ships did. Instead, they had sails like the fishing boats that sailed upon the seas, only larger. Bunkers were built into their hulls to hold the gaseous vapor that allowed the ships to float so easily. Ardmorran warships also had two sets of propeller’s on each side of the ship both fore and aft, whereas merchant ships only had aft ones. She had never seen a military ship before, and McKinney’s Merchantman was far from anything you could ever call a warship, but she longed to see one someday.
She had loved airships for as long as she could remember. She had tried to find out as much about how they worked as she could. It amazed her how these massive ships could so easily shake off that which held the rest of the Earth’s inhabitants so firmly. She had learned that the oil extracted from the Saug plant—which her family grew on most of their farmland—produced an amber colored liquid after it was heated and refined. When wooden beams were soaked in the refined Saug oil over an extended period of time, it caused the wood to become much lighter, without decreasing its durability or strength. In addition, when this amber liquid was combined with the finely crushed powder of a specific mineral, it turned into a vapor that was both a flame retardant, and had the ability to accelerate balloons into the sky at an amazing rate.
Scholars had been arguing for decades over what the liquid did to the wood that caused it to be so light as to almost defy gravity. It only worked on wood. Viewpoints ranged widely, some thinking that the liquid lessened the pull of gravity, or perhaps instilled a polarity difference from the Earth that only made it appear to be lighter. Others said that it transmuted the wood into something else entirely. The truth was, Esther didn’t think anyone really knew why it did what it did. Most were simply content that it did. Esther was determined to figure out how it worked, but knew that she was severely limited by the knowledge currently available, which was another reason she had spent her savings to purchase those books.
While transports used balloon sails, and warship’s used bunkers, and still others she’d heard about used many propellers driven by slaves, all ships she had ever heard of shared the same dual keel mast architecture. Large wooden beams as big around as the main mast that rose up above the ship, were anchored to the bottom of the ship on massive hinges—one fore and one aft. These wooden beams were treated in the amber Saug liquid for only half the time, and thus were heavier, which provided stabilization. During flight, these beams were lowered to extend down below the ship. Thick ropes were used to pull the beams up parallel with the bottom of the ship when it needed to land, as they were with Merchant McKinney’s ship now.
All airships also had huge rudders that extended from the bottom of the ship, up well above the main deck, to help steer the airships. The ships were still at the mercy of the winds for the most part, but a good Captain knew which way the air currents were blowing at different elevations and used them to his advantage, and the propeller’s helped out as well. Airships made the world a much smaller place. One where even a farm girl
could dream of something more.
The caravan stopped moving and Esther’s mother called her over. “Esther, why don’t you grab Charity and check around to see if the other girls are here yet? It might be a good idea for you to practice dancing together, before tomorrow.”
“Don’t you need my help unpacking?”
“The other kids can help. I want to make sure you have enough time to practice,” her mother replied
Esther nodded and turned to go get Charity, but her friend was already walking excitedly toward her with a broad smile on her pale cheeks. Esther’s father would be a little while unloading the festival supplies from the wagon, but she knew it wouldn’t be too long before he searched out Merchant McKinney and Esther was determined to be there when he did. Her family rented a room from an elderly widow, Mrs. Courtney, whenever they stayed in town and she knew her father would go there first after he was done with the festival gear to help her mother get settled. Hopefully, that would give her enough time to practice with Charity and the other girls, before she would need to head over to the Town Hall where she was sure Merchant McKinney would be talking with the town elders and other folks. Why did everyone call him Merchant McKinney anyway? No one called her father Farmer Kelley, or her friend Marigold’s dad Blacksmith Meriwether. Esther shrugged as Charity grabbed her hand and pulled her along to find their other two friends.
The town was not large and it wasn’t difficult to locate someone you wanted to find. Besides, they both knew that the most likely place to find Tanya Green and Marigold Meriwether— the other girl’s in their dance quartet—was over at the Rosebud Inn, drinking warm spiced apple nectar. Tanya often tried to get the innkeeper to slip her some malz beer instead, but he never would and only ever let them have the non-alcoholic drinks. Secretly Esther was grateful—she hated the smell.
Esther and Charity walked into the Inn and saw the girls sitting at a table, sipping at their drinks, chatting amiably. The light colored maple wood that the Inn was constructed from brightened the interior as the light from the afternoon sun shone through the windows spaced evenly around the seating area. The Rosebud Inn was one of Esther’s favorite places to visit in town. The atmosphere inside was always cheerful, and her mother always had good things to say about the place and its owner, Jürgen Schmidt, also a foreign immigrant, though he was from the Kingdom of Rodheim to the north and shared the same Northern blood as most Ardmorrans.
“Hi Tanya! Hi Marigold!” said Charity, practically bubbling with excitement as she skipped over to the table the two friends were sitting at. She gave them both a big hug. Esther followed and leaned over to hug them both as well, although a bit less exuberantly.
Tanya was a tall, blonde, large boned young woman. She had strong, strikingly pretty features, and was nearly as tough as half the young men in the village. Her blue eyes had an intelligence behind them that Esther knew made some men nervous. Esther was sure that she would be a mover and a shaker in the community in the not too distant future. She was just as young as Esther, but where Esther looked younger than her age, Tanya had the physical maturity that made her look several years older. The combination of her beauty, intellect, and strength of body and mind would be extremely attractive for the right young man, and suitors had already come calling. Tanya’s father had turned all of them away thus far, of course, given her age, but he wouldn’t be able to use that excuse much longer.
Marigold’s perfectly smooth, bronzed skin with warm copper undertones stood in sharp contrast to Tanya’s fair complexion—and although she was almost as tall as Tanya, she was very slim and fine boned, and of obvious Easterner heritage. Her father was the foremost blacksmith in town and did well financially—thus he could afford Marigold’s tendency to buy the finest clothing available south of the Crymn Mountains. Marigold also tended to wear some of the most progressive clothing, leaving much of her dark skin bare, to the dismay of the older women in the village. And today was no exception, thought Esther, shaking her head. Marigold was wearing a dress fashioned out of a silky material with a deep V-neck, and open sides laced with string. The outfit wasn’t completely scandalous—well, thought Esther, reconsidering, perhaps it was fairly scandalous. Where she’d gotten the thing, Esther didn’t know, though she had probably made it.
Marigold had become quite an accomplished seamstress due to her choice of fashion, though she rarely put her talents to more practical use. Ever since Marigold’s mother had died from illness a few years ago, Mr. Meriwether had been unable to say ‘no’ to his daughter. He said she reminded him too much of her mother. So Marigold did as she pleased. To her credit, she had a kind heart and didn’t overly abuse her privileges—most of the time.
Charity had always told Esther that she felt rather plain when she compared herself with Marigold and Tanya. Esther had to admit that hanging out with those two could be a bit tough on one’s self-image, but they never treated anyone differently, and it had never been an issue for the four friends—unlike some of the other girls in town.
“I thought you two weren’t going to be here until tomorrow morning?” said Tanya, taking another sip of her drink.
“Not that we’re complaining,” Marigold chimed in, “It’s just a pleasant surprise is all.”
“Charity’s brother Jed saw Merchant McKinney’s airship coming in and that got everybody curious,” said Esther, “We all packed up and came into town early.”
“And it gives us a little more time to practice our dance together,” Charity said excitedly.
Marigold let out a low groan, but Tanya nodded her head. “That’s probably a good idea. In fact,” she said, standing and finishing off her drink with a long pull from the oversized mug, “the sooner the better. There are celebrations to attend and money to be won.” Esther couldn’t help but smile at her boisterous friend.
Just then, Janey and Rebecca Payton walked into the Rosebud, smiling and laughing. As soon as they saw Esther, however, they froze, frowning. Without saying anything, the two girls walked the long way around the table where Esther stood next to her friends, trying to stay as far from her as possible. They sat down at a table in the corner, continuing to glare daggers at Esther.
Ever since she was small, Janey and Rebecca had been mean and spiteful. They and a few other families in the area didn’t like non-Northern foreigners settling in Ardmorr. They believed that if you didn't have the blood of the northern kingdoms, or even a respectable Easterner lineage like Marigold’s, then you were sub-standard and not worthy of respect—and heaven forbid if you were from the Kamakuran empire across the vast sea to the west. Esther had the privilege of everyone in town assuming that her mother was Hadiqan or possibly even Madrausan—given her light brown skin and dark brown hair—while they thought her birth father must have been Kamakuran, where the people were said to have almond shaped eyes. Esther had only met one man from the west. He had narrow, hooded eyes, not almond shaped. His hair was dark and he stood a bit shorter than your average Ardmorran, but he didn't really fit the descriptions that Esther had heard. Then again, an underlying animosity for those from the west festered in some places ever since the Kamakuran Empire and the Kingdom's of the North had fought a bitter war ninety years ago over ownership of the Mandalay Archipelago. In most places, the prejudices of the past were just that—past—but some people still clung to their bigotry.
Esther had experienced some of that first-hand here in Tewksbury from these girls who singled her out to torment more than most. Thankfully, these prejudices were only espoused by a few families and the majority of Tewksbury thought it all nonsense—but those families made sure that Esther and her family knew how they felt, as well as anyone who happened to associate with them. It didn’t help that the Payton girls had been blessed with remarkable physical maturity and beauty themselves. They felt this gave them cause to look down on anyone who they thought of as different, or not as blessed as they were. Esther just shook her head and she and her friends stood up to leave. Some people were
just born difficult, she thought.
Esther followed her friends around the side of the Inn and down the road past Marigold’s father’s blacksmith shop toward the Old Barn. Although the barn’s name accurately described its condition, it was a sturdy structure and the town often used it for festivals, dancing, and other community activities. Tomorrow, it would see heavy use, but today, it was the perfect place for the quartet to practice.
After her research and studies, dancing was the thing that Esther enjoyed most. Something about the grace that dancing entailed, the exertion that the body went through, and the satisfaction of completing complex moves excited her. The thrill of pushing her body to see what it could do, and the confidence that it provided as she was able to accomplish feats of dexterity and strength, provided her with that special something that she was able to wrap up in a nice little package and fit perfectly to fill a niche in her life that would otherwise have been empty. Esther knew that some considered her odd—the physical adroitness that dancing entailed contrasted with her bookish nature, almost as much as her physical characteristics did from that of her half-sister Alley. That was alright, she didn’t worry much worry about what people thought of her.
Dancing styles varied throughout the Kingdom of Ardmorr, but generally, the farther north and closer to the Capitol you were, the more formalistic the dances became. The southern portions of the Island were more loose and spontaneous in their dancing customs. Outside of the Kingdom of Ardmorr, the Southern cultures preferred a more rapid dance and rhythm than the formalistic North. Those to the West focused more on attaining grace and fluidity of movement, while those to the East were quite wild and jubilant.
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