The Purlieu Experiment
Chapter 6
Copyright 2015 & 2021
Celyn woke with a start. She lay still, staring at the ceiling as she felt the vision coming on. As usual, she was flying. Below her, moss green bushes struggled to stay alive on a rock-strewn landscape. Two spires of rock thrust their way high into the sky, like two rosy fingers. A lepus darted across the parched ground and disappeared into a hole. She turned, following a ravine. As she rounded a bend, she saw a woman crouched low against the steep wall. The woman was watching an area ahead of her with an intent expression. As Celyn came close, the woman looked up. Her eyes were green and she had flowing red hair. Her clothes were dirty and torn. The woman shifted her attention back to the ravine and Celyn flew on.
She was on him before she realized he was there. He looked up at her with eyes of deep blue. His tanned body was exposed to the sun with the exception of some kind of hide over his lower torso. His feet were bare. If his manner of dress was strange, his haircut was bizarre. It was shaved except for a strip down the center, from front to back. His left arm had a white cloth tied around it. He was a stunningly handsome man with a beautifully formed body.
As the girl had done, he dismissed her and turned back to follow the ravine. He appeared to be stalking something. She soared higher searching for his prey. As she cleared the brush, she saw six riders. They were spread out, searching for something. The young man ran down the sandy floor of the ravine a little further and then stopped. He paused only briefly before climbing out of the ravine to approach the riders. The nearest rider spotted him and called out to the others.
Celyn caught her breath. The rider was Clud and the person who responded to his call was none other than her father, King Neirin of Anialwch.
She soared higher until she emerged from the vision. She lay still, staring at the ceiling. Sometimes it was difficult to distinguish dreams from visions, but in this case, she was certain it was a vision. What did it mean? Who was the blue-eyed man with dark hair and golden skin? What did he have to do with the woman? The red hair and green eyes identified the woman as being from the colony north of them; Lochfowk. Yet no one from that colony had ever been seen in Anialwch. The man was a mystery. The colony of Bergen had light blue eyes and blond hair, and the colony of Libertad had dark hair and brown eyes. She had never heard of any colony where the people had dark blue eyes and dark hair. Why was the man stalking her father? Did he intend harm? The couple carried no weapons that she had seen.
She rolled out of bed and dressed as quickly as possible. As a girl of nine years, she was still permitted to wear a short gown and leggings. When she became a teen, she would have to wear the traditional white robe of the Anialwch. She brushed her hair, wincing as she hooked into a snarl. Her hair was fine and naturally curly, so snarls were a common morning issue. Brushing over the top of the snarl to conceal it, she left it for later.
She opened her door and went to the rail, searching the palace lobby below for her father. He was probably preparing for the morning meal. She closed her door and descended the stairs to the lobby.
Her soft shoes made no sound as she walked across the polished stone floor of the lobby and entered the dining area. The tables were covered with crisp clean cloths and a wooden bowl of fruit had been placed in the middle of each. She leaned across the table to claim one of the fruits, but a voice interrupted her.
"Not yet. It will ruin your appetite."
Celyn turned to find her father in the doorway. He strode across the floor, his white robe flowing from the sash at his waist. His hood was pushed back, revealing long golden-brown hair like hers. Dark purple eyes searched her face.
"You are early, Celyn. Have you had a vision again?"
She hugged him. Sometimes she felt that she wasn't the only elw in the family.
He stroked her hair. "Would you like to talk about it?"
He took her hand and they walked out onto the terrace. There they sat on a bench in the shade of a coab tree. She told him about the vision and waited while he considered it. Finally, he spoke.
"I have heard of such a man, but the manner of dress, and the hair.…" He shook his head. "He would not be here. He lives in the colony of Bergen, far away in the mountains." He leaned forward, deep in thought as he rubbed his chin absently. "Still, he does travel, and he was raised in the colony of Libertad. I met his father once at a Mascot council, I think maybe thirty years ago…maybe more." His attention returned to her. "What do you think of this vision?"
She shrugged. "It is not clear yet."
It wasn't unusual for her visions to come in a series, each giving a little more information. She hoped she would have more visions about the man. She had always wanted to travel, but father said it wasn't safe for a young princess to be out and about without a proper escort. Father rarely left the palace and no one had the time to take her into the desert. It was said that the Lochfowk had vast areas of grass, mountains covered with trees and fields of flowers. Some day she would like to see those things - and more.
"The place you speak of is Two Fingers Rocks, southeast of here. It is a five-day trip, at least, by camelus. I have been there. It is hot and dry - rough country. It is no place for a woman, or a man dressed such as you describe. He rubbed his chin again. "Why would these two people be together?" His gaze fell on her again. "Perhaps it was only a dream."
She shook her head. He always said that when he couldn't explain her visions. "What was the man's name - the one you knew of with the blue eyes and dark hair?"
His smile mocked her. "No colony dresses or wears their hair like that."
He was certain it was a dream. It was futile to argue with him. She sighed and stood. "It must be time to eat by now."
He laughed. "You are always hungry."
Later, Neirin sat at his desk, his papers forgotten as he contemplated his daughter's recent vision. Celyn was mature for a nine-year-old girl - even a Mascot. She confessed to having nightmares frequently. Was it possible that this was nothing more than a nightmare? Yet it was too coincidental, and she couldn't have known about young Donte - if it was him. The last time he heard anything about him, Donte had a son. How old would he be? Donte couldn't be more than thirty. No, it couldn't be his son.
Sometimes their lack of contact with the other colonies was a point of concern. Of course, he did have his sources. The relatively new colony of Vlaktes had been friendly with them, even during the plague. Vlaktes had also stayed in friendly contact with Bergen after separating from them about 75 years ago. Anialwch and Vlaktes shared borders in a small area. Lochfowk took up most of their northern border, though, and Lochfowk did not welcome visitors.
That brought him to the Lochfowk woman. Why would Donte be in Anialwch territory with a Lochfowk woman? The girl being in Anialwch territory made a degree of sense. His sources had heard rumors that Nyumbani troops had conducted a raid on the eastern side of Lochfowk. If the report was accurate, they would have had to cross Anialwch. That concerned him deeply. The Nyumbani were getting bolder all the time. Eventually someone was going to have to confront Farasi. There hadn't been a conference of Mascots since before the plague.
That brought him full circle back to Donte. From what he had heard, Donte was a frequent visitor to at least four colonies - and he was welcomed by all. Vlaktes was one of those colonies. If Donte was in the area, he certainly wanted to talk to him. Donte possessed something no other Mascot had. He had learned all the colony languages. All the original Mascot leaders had been able to communicate through the old language, so they had never recognized the need to learn the languages of other colonies. This young man had never been to a conference. He wasn't old enough, but he was certainly prepared. What they desperately needed was another conference…and Donte's presence.
Neirin had sent a messenger nearly a week ago to verify the invasion of Lochfowk by Nyumbani raiders. Hopefully he would get some information on the location of Donte. It would be a long journey, traveling around Lochfowk territory. It might be weeks before he had an answer. It was ridiculous. They had the technology to communicate. He was as concerned about maintaining the environment as anyone else, but radio waves were not destructive to the environment. Of course, the issue wasn't actually the environment. It was their reluctance to communicate at all. The situation with Nyumbani should convince them that isolation didn't provide protection. In fact, the contact with other colonies, such as theirs with Vlaktes, provided trade goods. Since Anialwch was mostly arid, the growing of cotton was nearly impossible, but the sea salt, fruit and sulfur available made valuable trade items to the land-locked territory of Vlaktes. Aluminum and Iron mined in Bergen was melted down and cast to make many items in Libertad. All these things had become available to Anialwch through Neirin's efforts to make an alliance with those colonies. His father, the late king of Anialwch, had been very much against any contact at all. What did The Parliament have against communication?
Lochfowk and Nyumbani were the only colonies with whom he had been totally unsuccessful in forming any reliable contact. Farasi once traveled to other colonies, but had withdrawn in the last fifteen years for no apparent reason. Then the raids had started. Lochfowk would be a total mystery if it were not for the occasional contact of a few outlying farmers who traded with Vlaktes.
Anialwch had been given limited medical knowledge initially and Lochfowk the most advanced. The assigned method for Anialwch had been herbal only. Many still felt that was the best policy, but most wanted to increase their knowledge. That meant contact with colonies that had the knowledge. It seemed that all roads lead back to meaningful communication, and Donte might be the beginning of that process.
Two more days passed before Neirin was awakened in the middle of the night when his messenger arrived. The news had to be important or they wouldn't have interrupted his sleep. He dressed and hurried down to his office, where the messenger was waiting.
"You are back earlier than I expected," he told Clud.
Clud stood and gave a quick bow of respect. "I met a messenger who was coming to us from Vlaktes, Monomi."
Neirin sat in his chair and motioned for Clud to take a seat. "Did he have news about the raid on Lochfowk?"
Clud nodded. "It was true, but there is much more."
Neirin leaned forward, resting his arms on the desk. "Continue."
"Akira, the sister of President Sima, was visiting in western Lochfowk when the Nyumbani raiders attacked. They captured her and rode across the salt flats of Anialwch on stolen equines to return to Nyumbani."
Neirin rubbed his forehead in distress. "There are no reports of attacks in Anialwch? We have to do something about the Nyumbani."
"No Monomi. There were no attacks in Anialwch, but someone already did something about the Nyumbani."
Neirin frowned. "Who? What?"
"The message that was being delivered to us by Vlaktes was that King Farasi has been killed and his assassin was executed. They don't know what happened to Akira." He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Monomi, the Lochfowk want permission to cross Anialwch with a militia to Nyumbani."
Neirin stared at him, trying to put all the pieces together. "For what purpose?"
"To rescue Akira, Monomi."
Neirin leaned back in his chair. This could get ugly. He could understand why Lochfowk would not want to attack them from the sea. The Nyumbani were excellent seamen. Through the salt flats would be the shortest, most direct route, but they would have to cross the Kubeba Mountain range. At this time of year there would be snow in the passes - which would be why the Nyumbani would not expect them to take that route. If he granted permission for them to cross, then others would want to cross.
His gaze returned to Clud, who was waiting for his response. Neirin sat up in his chair. "What about Bergen and Libertad? Are they involved as well?"
"No Monomi. That was the strange thing. They were the ones who found out first. They said as far as they were concerned, it was over. Farasi was dead."
Neirin leaned forward, his arms on his desk and frowned. "Why was that so strange? Akira meant nothing to them."
"Because the assassin was Donte, the Prince of Bergen."
For a moment Neirin froze in position; Celyn's vision on his mind. Finally, he leaned back in his chair and mused to himself. "How do you like that? They have been delivered to our doorstep."
Clud stared at him. "Monomi?"
"He's not dead," Neirin said with a grin.
Clud clearly didn't know what to think. "Monomi?" he repeated.
Neirin stood and went to his door, calling to a guard. "Wake my daughter and bring her to my office."
He turned back to Clud. "She had a vision. I don't know what happened, but Donte is alive - and Akira is with him. We will find them near Twin Fingers Rocks."
Clud was silent, thinking it all over. Finally, he spoke. "You will use them both to open the borders?"
Use? Neirin frowned. "They have been sent to us for a purpose. It could be none other than to bring the colonies together. He is a peacemaker and she is his method of getting into their colony. He saved her - and we shall save them."
Clud looked unconvinced. "Your peacemaker just assassinated a king."
It was a sobering thought. One Mascot had killed another. Yet Farasi had become a threat to more than Donte. At that moment there was a knock at the door and Celyn came in. She looked at her father.
"You believe me now?"
He put an arm around her shoulders. "Yes. We know who they are. The woman is Akira, sister of President Sima. The man is Donte, the Prince of Bergen." He said nothing about the assassination. She didn't need to know that.
She gazed up at him, as if waiting for him to continue. Finally, she added. "He killed someone." When he said nothing, she continued. "He killed him to save his daughter."
Neirin gazed down at her for a moment. "I did not know that, but what we need to know now is when he will be in the area of Twin Fingers Rocks."
She shook her head. "I do not know. I know why he is here, though."
"Why is that?" Neirin asked.
"He will exchange vows with me…when I am nineteen."
She didn't appear to be upset by the thought. Donte was old enough to be her father. More than likely he would be far away and/or united with someone else by the time she was old enough to exchange vows with anyone. Neirin stroked her hair. "That gives us some time, yes? Right now, I believe he has a more immediate purpose. But first we must find him."
"You must go to the rocks and wait for him," she said with confidence.
"Now?"
"Yes, he will come to you, but she will not. He will protect her with his life - as he will me."
Neirin glanced at Clud and then back at Celyn. "Are you saying he will attack us?"
She shook her head. "No. He has no weapon, and he is wounded. He will not tell you where the woman is. He will walk out to meet you so that she can escape. He does not know you expect him."
"I see," he said. He stepped to the door and called the guard again. "I will need six mounted men to leave at first light. Prepare a camelus for Clud and me, as well as an extra camelus."
"Can I go too, Father?" Celyn asked.
"No. You stay here."
"But I will know him when I see him, and…."
Neirin held up a hand. "I do not think we will need anyone to identify either of them, and there is only one place like you described. You stay here where it is safe."
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