The Bok of Syr Folk

by Russ L. Howard

  Ary took up the Prussian blue worm and felt the mucin coating over his hands. “By Woon, this is the biggest earthworm I’ve ever seen, and so heavy.”

  Siwel pointed out, “If your garden’s bowels are healthy, then your garden is healthy. These worms aerate the soil and digest the compost supplying the plants with much needed nutrients. No one knows what they taste like because their value for healing is too great to try.”

  Before Ary returned the worm to its domain, he noticed Long Swan wasn’t his usual self, his note taking lagged and he kept looking to the sun as though checking the time of day.

  Ary inquired, “Is there something wrong? You don’t seem like your usual inquisitive self, Fa Bro.”

  “I’m just hoping Xelph hasn’t offended the ambassador, he’s about as diplomatic as one of these worms.”

  Ary hid his amusement. “Perhaps we should detour to the village and check on him in case we need to do some damage control.”

  “No, that will not do. I know him. He would be offended.”

  But Ary could tell that Long Swan was straining against his own reasoning to go. Ary gave out a sigh. This was going to be a long summer.

  * * *

  Long Swan’s Log : The 4th day of Albispiene, 585 HSO.

  Arundel and I were shown all sorts of nature’s jewels today in the form of plants and animals and four foot earthworms, vermillion and blue in color. The Chartreuseans have definitely carried wyrt-cunning and herbal knowledge beyond what the Syr Folk have mastered. We stand to gain much knowledge from them.

  We were shown plants of which I have recorded the characteristics and uses of in my journal. Most of the plants bare names from their priestly language of Iliom, which is known only to the sages and sisters--although the sons of Eyf pointed out that the language of Iliom is far more in usage among the Ele-Anoreans where they all speak it freely.

  Both Arundel and I attempted to discover how the Nyrth-Ka was made and were told that it is a highly guarded plant spirit secret known only to the sages and sisters. They also revealed that the Ele-Anoreans have an even more powerful drink called Mirth-Ka for which Chief Eyf has persistently striven to find the formula of, but which the Illuloika refuse to reveal.

  During today’s tour of the gardens, the lads showed us a plant that looks like the herb we call syrean rue, from which they think one of the substances is extracted and placed in Mirth-Ka. Apparently, the mountain queen will not reveal all the plant spirits, because she fears the other Chartreusean peoples are too profane and do not sufficiently guard the secret lore. It is said she feels they would destroy themselves with these plants if they knew all their uses. Perhaps she is right. As I pondered this I realized that the thinking of the Illuloika is similar to our jealously guarding the secret of worm wool silk.

  Yorel pointed out to us that the Chartreuseans consider themselves, ‘children of the garden.’ He asked us who the Syr Folk are the children of. I answered, ‘We are the children of new hope and tolerance, three distinct people who hope to become one; that is three cords that make up one rope. ‘For’ I explained, ‘a two fold cord is strong, but a threefold cord is not easily broken’. I further declared that the mission of the Syr Folk is much like a garden and that we are attempting to prepare the ground for the planting of liberty, tolerance, and self-determination for each free people. Thereby, we hope to become the soldiers of elves, the Lofty Ones who will bring the ea-urth back as it was in the beginning of days so that what is above shall be below and the ea-urth shall appear as the Garden of Idunn.”

  * * *

  It was late afternoon when Ary and Long Swan returned to their camp on the peninsula. On the walk back Siwel explained that the village of Arym Gael was named after the great matriarch, who founded the village many years earlier. She was a remarkable plant wizard who introduced the greening through the ingestion of certain herbal essences and liquers.

  Xelph had still not returned. In the meantime Jackie Doo had some young bloods training in the ancient martial art Raummaukin, in war games, while others were setting up a new camp farther down the peninsula in the delta where it would be easier to engage Turtle Duck when he arrived at the Equinox as it had a deeper portage and greater visibility over the river mouth to the south.

  Inside the pfalz tent they catalogued the wonders of Chartreusean horticulture, with their cornucopia of new food crops, beautiful flowers, fiber, foliage, and medicinal uses. A burst of giggling drew Ary’s attention to the river, where Ilkchild was frolicking with a group of young Chartreusean maidens who were looking at him all dreamy eyed.

  Long Swan declared, “That boy is acting like he’s still fancy free and doesn’t have a bride-covey he needs to honor. Methinks if Sur Sceaf were here, he would have you instruct him in proper boundaries.”

  “Little good that would do, Long Swan, can’t you see, he is like a fisherman with women and keeps thinking the next fish will have a golden coin in her mouth. I fear he may be another Sur Child and Woonspear, both of whom have no end to the multiplication of wives.”

  Long Swan sighed and pulled out a specimen of a red flowered plant that the Chartreuseans called a fire poppy, handed some parchment to Ary and unconsciously ran his fingers over the flower blossoms. “You know that dancing girl we saw last night was just about the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on.”

  Ary’s interest was peeked. “You know that Xelph is enamored with her too. Did you notice at the beginning of our journey, he was fixated by the plants and flowers and now I fear he is lured by a far more intoxicating flower than he has ever known. How will he ever complete this expedition in this state of mind? You know how brilliant Xelph is, with plants and wyrt-cunning, but how difficult it is for him to deal with people, especially women. I just worry that somehow he is going to over water this rare bloom and when it dies, woe unto the lot of us.”

  Long Swan looked up from the blossom. “It would appear that he is already in another kind of heaven.”

  “What about you, last night, you seemed as enamored as him?”

  “I confess her performance moved me deeply. It stirred fire of a nature I have not felt for some time. It is a fire that does not want to leave no matter how hard I try to stomp it out.”

  “Aha, my fa bro, I believe the Norn sisters have become impatient with you and are going to try your heart once again in the arena of love.”

  Long Swan actually turned pale. “Who said anything about love,” he said in an irritated growl. “I merely said I enjoyed her dancing.”

  Ary smiled, “I stand corrected.”

  They worked in silence for a time while beyond the tent the sounds of lories filled the trees and the odors of a cooking eland wafted through the tent door. Still Xelph had not returned.

  Ary said, “I think it best that we leave these collected seeds for Xelph to store in his specimen chest.”

  Long Swan said, “Do you realize Ary, these plants could feed the millions on the main land of Panygyrus. I would very much like to know how they developed them. The various medicinal and nutritional values of these new plants alone will cause our civilization to leap in great growth above anything the Pitters can squeeze out of their slave-farms. I am very impressed. These crops will prove to be a tremendous boon to our people.”

  “Maybe they’ll even be equal to the whale oil.” Ary shook his head, “You know, the longer I live the more I admire my father’s keen sense of understanding the need for this exploration.”

  Long Swan nodded his head, “Isn’t it interesting, how the older we get, the more we appreciated the wisdom of our fathers. When I was your age, I thought father dwelt too much on preserving the old ways. Now, I understand why that was necessary, so as to bind all generations into one.” He laughed. “It amazes me how much ten years has taught me.”

  Ary laughed, “Is that a warning, or advice?”

  “Both,” Long Swan said as he gathered the leaf specimens and placed them on Xelph’s pallet. “I’ll let Xelph put the
rest of these away. You know how fussy he is about order. He’d just rearrange it anyway.”

  Ary stood up, arching his back to relieve the kinks. “Speaking of our moonstruck friend, perhaps we need to go in search of him.”

  As they emerged from the tent Ary noticed that Fairchild and Sunchild had stopped packing up the weapons and were staring up the path, nudging one another like schoolboys. Ary followed their gaze and saw the flame dancer approaching. The long blond of yestereve was dispensing dazzling smiles at all the young bloods as she glided past as graceful as a gazelle. She now wore a salmon colored sarong. And that long blond hair flowed over her shoulders to cover her breasts. Over one ear she had tucked a vivid orange hibiscus blossom with a blood red center and walked with a confidence befitting a king’s daughter.

  Where was Xelph? Ary wondered. He halfway expected to see Xelph trailing along behind like the adoring puppy he had become. Although she smiled at Ary, her gaze immediately shifted to Long Swan who stood frozen next to him.

  “Hail, man of the north,” she said in a low lyrical voice.

  Long Swan’s eyes took on the same dazed look Xelph had the night before.

  Finally, he found his voice. “Greetings, Ysys-Ka, welcome to our camp.”

  She had eyes of deepest blue and a perfectly balanced sylph face which he suspected the chief’s daughter was using for both fishing and hooking for she was getting a bite from Long Swan now. Ary had to admit, he too was a bit fascinated by this green sylph.

  “You have the advantage; you know my name, but not I yours,” Ysys said as she coyly fondled a bundle of lavender and hops in her hand.

  Long Swan cleared his throat. “I am called Long Swan, son of Sur Spear and descendent of Leofric the Wise.”

  This did not mean a thing to her, but would have surely impressed any Herewardi girl.

  She cocked her head to one side and regarded him with smiling blue eyes. “What is a Long Swan? Is it a tall tree?”

  “No,” Long Swan said, “A swan is a bird with a long neck similar to your geese. But in my language a long swan refers to the spine and a staff of power our lords hold. When I was born, I’m told because I was so long and skinny, my mother referred to me as a long swan. And so I was named. My friends used to call me Goose.”

  Ysys laughed and handed Long Swan the bouquet, “I brought this bouquet of lavender and hops to you for your beds. We use this to relax and to ease our way into pleasant dreams.” As she handed him the nosegay, it was as if Long Swan received a jolt. A visible tremor took Long Swan’s hands when he made contact with her.

  “This is most thoughtful of you, Ysys-Ka. I’ve met many peoples in my travels, but never a people so hospitable and so wonderfully welcoming to strangers as you Chartreuseans. I suspect we will be reluctant to take leave when our boat arrives for us at the Equinox.”

  She smiled warmly, “As we will be reluctant to see you go.”

  Long Swan returned her dazzling smile with one of his own. “Uh! Ary and I were just cataloging the plants that we saw today with your brothers so that Xelph may examine them. He went to the village this morning. Perhaps you saw him? He went to see Mack-Ka”

  “No, I was busy elsewhere this morning. I was with Mack-Ka last night. He was instructing me in the deeper lore of our peoples. My father mentioned your request to visit Ele-Anor-Ness, and I mentioned it to him.”

  “Oh!” Ary said eagerly, “What did he say?”

  “He said that you had already requested an audience, but as always that the decision, was Queen Zschamillah’s alone to make. I asked that he relay my own personal request for you to have an interview.”

  Ary struggled to hide his disappointment. “It was most kind of you to plead our cause.”

  Long Swan shifted his feet and cleared his throat once again. Reminding Ary of the awkward boy he must have been. “May we return your hospitality by inviting you to partake of some of Govannon’s ale?”

  Her face lit up, adding to her already delicate features. “I’d be delighted,” she said in a bubbly voice.

  Long Swan opened the tent door and beckoned her to enter. They sat on the canvas stools and chatted as Ary poured them each a krug of ale. It was readily apparent they were both equally entranced with one another, effectively rendering Arundel invisible. Both amused and amazed at his fa bro’s reaction, he decided he would just sit back and enjoy this little play that was being acted out before his gaze.

  At least an hour had passed when Yorel arrived with a message that Ysys was to return to the Mushroom Hall to bid farewell to the Ele-Anorean ambassador. Both she and Long Swan appeared disappointed. Long Swan accompanied her as far as the village gates, and bid her a courtly farewell, before returning to the pfalz tent.

  “Not one word to Xelph, Ary.” He warned with a surprisingly fierce look, so uncommon for the scribe.

  Ary nodded, “I wonder what sort of marriage ceremony the Chartreuseans have.”

  Long Swan actually snapped at him. “She merely came to deliver the message of the Ele-Anorean ambassador. That’s all. Why are you persisting in reading so much more into this?”

  “And she stayed for ale and an hour of conversation with you even after she’d delivered the message. And about Xelph, here we are in the middle of a wild land where it is imperative we act as a harmonious team, and we have four moonths or more to go before we leave this land. I foresee trouble with you two rams tangling horns before this expedition is over. Yet I don’t see any other way for this to play out without one or both of you coming out of it with some serious wounds.”

  Long Swan raised his eyebrow. “It’s like the tale of the Brothers Grimwald, isn’t it? They slew each other over a woodland faery they both coveted. And you’re right Ary, it must not come to that. It would be a great boon to the Pitters if we yield to internal conflict.”

  “I must agree with you, Long Swan. This could throw this expedition into chaos, but one thing I have learned from my mothers, my sisters, and my fiancées, is that when a beautiful woman wants something, she nearly always finds a way to get it.”

  * * *

  Just as Sunchild gave the dinner call, Xelph showed up in camp looking grumpy and out of sorts. Before Ary could say anything, Sunchild sidled up next to him and grinned, “Leaf Picker, your gorgeous lady love was here looking for you. From the looks of it Long Swan and Ary took very good care of her. Methinks you better act fast or Ary is going to fetch her up as his own faery-mother.”

  Xelph shot a quick look in Ary’s direction. “You are not seriously considering such, are you?”

  “No, my friend, “Ary said with a smile. “She is exquisitely beautiful, but I don’t think she’s the one to tame my flock. She’s way too gentle for that.”

  “Well, that’s good, because I’d hate to have to go fisticuffs with you. When we leave this place, she’s coming with us. I have read it in the plants, and they are never wrong. They have said, she will go north with us.”

  Ary sighed, and thought, yes she will go north with us, but not for him. From the way Long Swan and Ysys-Ka were looking at one another, I fear Xelph will be on the wrong end of this stick.

  * * *

  The following day Ary and Long Swan made it a point to take Xelph to see the gardens they had seen the day before. Xelph was enthralled by the horticultural magic he saw and asked Ary several times, “Can you believe this? It’s sheer plant magic. I’d be as happy as a lark to spend the rest of my life in this place.”

  Ary, with the showmanship of a magician circled his hand above his head and then plunged it into the fluffy tilth of the mulch-laden ground, gritted his teeth like he was pulling a tree up by its roots, then slowly withdrew a giant vermillion worm from the fluffy earth. With great ceremony, he presented the hefty prize to Xelph.

  “Shades of Melisienaean dragons,” Xelph backed up as he hefted the large worm and exclaimed, “Hah! No one will believe this.” Shaking his head, “No one!”

  After that Yorel pulled out the Prussi
an blue worms to show Xelph. His eyes opened wide with amazement. “If I had found a gold mine, I could not be any happier. The plant spirits are greater here than anywhere I’ve ever been and these worms can likely improve soil faster than a thousand of our earthworms.”

  Siwel said, “Well, wait til we show you the livestock.”

  Yorel and Siwel took them beyond the gardens to several paddocks and barn like structures. As they approached, Ary could smell the familiar and, to him, pleasant aroma of sheep and other livestock which made him yearn to be back home amongst his flocks. Xelph gave him a reassuring look and Long Swan said, “Now we come to Ary’s expertise.”

  Yorel said, “You are perhaps a herder?”

  “That I am. I have several herds of sheep and goats.” But as Ary looked over the paddocks he realized there were animals here he had never laid eyes on.

  The first pen had incredibly round small pigs. Siwel climbed over the fence and grabbed a ginger colored piglet with black spots and said, “This is a kune kune pig.” He smacked his lips loud, “Very good eating.”

  “And what is this long necked sheep,” Xelph asked.

  Yorel laughed, “That’s the alpaca flock.”

  Ary climbed into their paddock and Yorel gave out a humming sound which was immediately answered by similar humming coming from the alpacas as they moved in close where Ary could examine their wool.

  Ary said, “I can only say exquisite. What handle and silkiness. And the colors are so rich. What do you use their wool for?”

  Yorel said, “We trade it to the Ele-Anoreans or use it to stuff pillows and bed mats with.”

  “Look over here,” Xelph called out.

  As Ary climbed out of the alpaca paddock and walked over to where Xelph and Long Swan stood, he saw a powerful, large antelope like creature.

  Siwel said, “This is a kudu, they’re the best of horn and meat.”

  “Yes,” Long Swan commented as he recorded their observations. “I can see by the length and swirl of those horns, it’s a creature you don’t want to mess with.”

  “Let’s go into this barn.” Yorel directed. “I want to show you our rabbits.”