A GAME OF ROASTS
SYNOPSIS
Taking its family name from a magical fruit that only grows on the cliffs beyond The Wall At The Ledge Of Winter in the northernmost prefecture of the Thon Dominion, Clan Kaffa oversees the harvest of the kaffa orchards. Used for a variety of products including medicine, ceremonial religious rites and a delicious stimulating beverage, kaffa production is the economic engine of the dominion and other clans scheme to seize control of the territory. But interclan rivalry isn’t the only threat clan Kaffa faces. Missionaries of the new gods from the Sunrise Continent have crossed the Ignescent Sea to convert by persuasion or force those that practice the old-fashioned customs of the old gods like those practiced by the traditional orchardists of the north. And of course, far beyond the wall, past the kaffa orchards, deep into the icelands bordered by the banks of the River of Three Crossings, an ancient evil lurks, an evil whose return was foretold by a prophecy still taught to frighten children into obeying their parents and taken as the Kaffa clan's motto: Bitter is coming.
MAP
CHAPTER ONE (part one)
KAFFA blossoms tumbled onto the Lake of the Drowned Imp, borne on the howling currents of winter’s bloom, the fade of autumn echoes washing in their wake. Landed petals decorated the deck of the icebreaker Oshun’s Drum in a splattering of pinks and yellows. The Drum’s hardened hull creaked and cracked against the season’s first ice, ferrying its cargo on their annual pilgrimage for the sacred harvest.
Arusha leaned against the forward rail and rubbed at the etching of his name which he carved as a young lad during his virgin sailing to the kaffa orchards. A faint smile cracked his stoic face recalling the presentation ceremony when his father gifted him the karambir right here on the ship’s deck more than twenty years ago. The curved blade, sheathed at his hip, represented a liminal rite of passage that bore with it the sacred duties that all children of the Kaffa clan inherited. Thousands of names ringed the ship’s rail - generations of Arushas, Mokas, Canephoras, Kaldis.
Arusha felt something rub past him and he turned to see a pair of boys chasing each other. They were his brother Ugan’s sons and this was the first time for his nephews, and the dozens of other families still asleep during the early morning hour in the cabins below, making the pilgrimage to the kaffa orchards. The boys paused over the railing, opened their mouths wide and tried to let out a scream across the waters. But there was no sound for this is the lake where Samat the Imp drowned and cursed the water so that no sound could be heard from any living creature who travelled upon it. They fell over each other voicelessly laughing at the strange silence. Arusha elbowed his brother Ugan and they let out silent chuckles at the playful sight. Ugan and his family would be taking up residence at the town of Peabury to manage the harvest for the season. A tinge of sadness pulled at the corners of his smile remembering his wife who passed before they could have children of their own. He choked back a tear and turned his face back into the wind which was knitted with a twist of citrus, ripe with autumn's end.
The kaffa orchards beyond The Wall at the Ledge of Winter were in bloom and the northern arctic currents carried their scent as far as Autumnheld. As they approached the port, pilgrimages of seasonal laborers could be seen trekking along the roads, making their way on foot to work the orchards for the winter season.
To be continued…
CHAPTER ONE (part two)
The port came into view and the bowrider bosun raised a yellow and blue checkered flag. Standing at the helm, the Mereväekapten performed a series of hand gestures and the starboard ensign raised a similar flag of red and white. Signal flags fluttered around the ship and the sails were spilled, furiously gathered up by the boatswains. The pier raced closer and the first midshipman pulled the anchor pins dropping the heavy iron hooks into the water. Deckhands scurried around the ship with pots of cloverine salve and rubbed the paste into the ears of every passenger and creature in the stowage below. Horses whinnied. Chickens flapped violently in their cages. Mothers worriedly rounded up their children and smeared their ears with the paste. Dockmen caught the thrown mooring lines and secured the ship to the pier. On the shore, priests swung silver thuribles suspended by chains releasing streaks of holy incense into the air. Gangways lowered and families disembarked, backs and arms loaded with belongings.
Arusha and Ugan descended a ladder into the ship’s hold where their warhorses and soldiers waited. Arusha pulled out a handful of jasmine petals from his tunic, offered it to his warhorse Glistvain who chomped at the stress relieving treat. Arusha signaled, the troop mounted their horses, and the cargo bay door slammed open onto the beach. Ugan lead the guard out onto land. A young girl broke loose from her mother’s grasp before she finished rubbing the cloverine salve into her ears and raced to the end of the pier and run onto the land. The instant her foot touched the land, she crumpled to the ground and writhed in pain releasing a shrieking yelp. Her mother caught up and slathered the paste into the girl’s ears and she immediately quieted.
Arusha grit his teeth as Glistvain trodded onto to the beach, stretched open his jaw, stuck a finger in his ear, and rubbed it until it popped. Arusha nodded to his brother and both exhaled sighs of relief at the return of sound.
To be continued…
CHAPTER ONE (part three)
Though a distant two leagues north, the massive outline of the great wall that stood one hundred faedm tall and stretched from the Bay of Pulp to the Yirga Sea reminded all who travelled here that this land was a foreboding land. Behind its impenetrable edifice grew a thousand hectares of kaffa fields.
The air pressure dropped and a light snow fell. Arusha tilted his head and exhaled a long chilly breath into the air. He whistled a sing-song cadence and the soldiers assembled into formation.
A pair twin girls rode forward, one carrying a furled banner and the other a birdcage. The one with the banner unfurled it setting it blowing in the gentle wind, while the other dismounted, set the cage to the ground and opened its door. A pair identical falcons tore out in opposite directions and the girl’s back snapped in a violent arch, her eyes rolling into her skull until there was only white.
Arusha pulled off his gloves and blew warm breath into cupped hands. “Remember working the winters with Uncle?”
Ugan rubbed vigorously at the inside of his ear. “The ringing in my ear reminds me.” He winced as he stretched his jaw. “The old bastard.”
“Ha! You nearly burned down the eastern orchard.” Arusha chortled. “You should be grateful Uncle only cracked you on the right ear.”
“I was only six!” Ugan snorted and discharged a wad of phlegm. “And boys will be boys, eh brother?”
“You were seven. Old enough to piss with your cock in one hand and work the moth smoker in the other.”
“The smoker was defective!”
Arusha playfully wrapped his knuckles against the temple of his youngest brother. “Your brain is defective.” Arusha’s steed whinnied. “Hear that? Even Uma thinks you be full of shite.”
The twin kneeling on the ground wretched forward and shot up. “Charging rider!”
To be continued…
CHAPTER ONE (part four)
The twins hurried back on their mounts and joined the first rank of the legion. One of them unfurled the banner while the other took a trumpet out from the side saddle and thrice played a short blast of triplet notes, assembling the soldiers into equidistant squads.
Third in command, the Praefec Castror, pulled his horse alongside Ugan, opened an armlength mahogany case worn at the edges and pulled out a pair of field telescopes.
Ugan put a scope to his left eye and adjusted the focus. “I cannot see shite in this weather.”
The Castror raised the other scope. “The rider is an apprentice guard of the castle’s order.”
Ugan had lost his jovial disposition and grumbled a scowl, “Bollocks, old man! No way you can tell that? The rider bears no banner and at this distance — bollucks.” He drew his sword and a the complement of soldiers followed suit, breaking formation to position themselves in a frontline defense.
“I recognize kin when I see it. He is the middle son of my third cousin or some such relation as that, my lord. I forget his name, but my eyesight has gotten better with age like the wine you guzzle by the flagon.”
Ugan looked through scope again, and again scoffed, “Third cousin my arse.”
The young rider emerged from the veil of snow and seconds before crashing into the line of soldiers, he yanked too hard on the reins. The horse bucked off the boy, thudding him to the ground. He scurried to his feet wheezing loudly, put his left fist to his chest in salute and managed to squeak out, “My lords, I am dispatched by the lord commander of Castle Ristret and bring urgent news.”
Arusha returned the salute and the soldiers sheathed weapons and went at ease. “Why does the lord commander send a boy who cannot stay put on a horse to deliver urgent news?”
“I apologize for my inept riding, my lord, but please, I pray you hear me post haste!”
Arusha tugged the fur-lined hood of his cloak over his head. “Proceed.”
The boy dropped the salute and stepped forward. “Peabody, my lord, has been attacked. Dozens wounded and dead. The lord commander has dispatched the guard to assist the townsfolk and Master Scout Cat’uai engaged in pursuit of the bandits.”
Arusha twisted in his saddle and pulled on his gloves. He pulled at his deerskin gloves and adjusted the fit one deliberate finger at a time.
The boy stumble forward. “My liege! Hear you not my words!”
“Silence, cousin!” The castror dismounted and rapped the lad on his ear.
Arusha whistled for the Signum.
The twins pulled forward, freckles dotting their faces. They snapped a salute, saying in unison, “My liege.”
“Addis, strike the the banner and relinquish your duty to your father. Ababa, trumpet calvary to the ready.”
The twins gave a bewildered look to their father.
The castror stiffened and delivered one of those fatherly glares that scolded them to shut the fuck up and do as they’re ordered.
In unison, “Aye, Vedic!” Addis clumsily unhooked the banner pole from its stirrup, rolled up the banner of house Kaffa, the green background with a bronze embroidered kaffa bean, their clan’s motto emblazoned across with the words BITTER IS COMING, and carefully stowed it away. She dismounted and unhooked the banner pole harness and handed it to her father. Ababa blew a different tune and forty soldiers mounted armored horses.
As the Castror nudged his horse forward, Arusha help up a hand and he halted. “You are staying behind. Finish organizing the pilgrims and escort them with the remainder of our soldiers safely to Castle Ristret as planned. I will lead the cavalry to assist in the rescue efforts and wield justice upon the villains.”
“My liege, they are but children, nigh seventeen. As their father I must insist I remain alongside them.”
“Did they not sign their contracts with my clan? As the head of your family’s house, you have the right by common law to break their contracts and return to your homeland. Because of your loyal service to this clan, I will grant you one month to pay the contractual breakage penalty. Additionally, I promise no dishonor shall be brought to your name or theirs and I will wish you well on your way. Is this your decision?”
The castror stepped in close and with a weakened voice called his liege of nearly thirty years by name. “Arusha, please. If anything happens them, their mother will have me hung by my balls.”
“Perhaps their superior intelligence is a curse after all, that they were able to pass the rite of adulthood at such a young age. But I will not be able to track Cat’uai without the their talents as graws. Arusha pulled him closer. “Stenoph, I swear to protect them with my life.”
Praefec Castror Stenoph swallowed the lump in his throat, nodded and marched to his daughters. He swallowed them up in a tear-repressing bearhug and whispered into their ears.
Arusha stuck out his tongue and let the snow tickle the tip. “Charge.” Arusha tapped his heels into Uma’s side and she launched into a gallop.
To be continued…
CHAPTER ONE (part five)
The earth, stiff with the first bites of frost, rumbled with the thudding charge of horseshoe and duty. A company of twenty cavalrymen pursued across the field, the horizon-bending Wall looming ever closer.
Only the foggiest of days could obstruct a view of the Wall At The Ledge Of Winter that stretched from the Pulp Sea, across the northern bluff, to the Forgetful Cliffs at Peabury. The Wall was impossibly smooth and square, as if cut from one giant slab of granite the size of a mountain on a lathe operated by ten thousand hands. His aunt schooled that the old gods built the great wall in preparation for man’s birth into the world, to protect them from evil long after their journey from winter to autumn. For the first time, Arusha prayed that were true.
But it were Kaffa who built Castle Ristret, built onto the wall eight centuries ago and the largest of the twelve castles that lined the wall. As Arusha and company approached, they should have seen hundreds of bustling farmers, craftsment and merchants. Instead, the concourse leading to the castle gate was empty. Smoke billowed in the distance in the direction of the town of Peabury where Ugan was to take up residence as the Lord of the Orchard for the season. More troubling was that there were no guards posted in the towers.
Arusha signaled and the cavalry halted several lengths ahead of the gate. The snow was only a light flurry now and the sun had started to beat away the fog, but the wind picked up its howl. He pulled down the hood of his cloak and listened. Nothing but the howl. Uma whinnied and pawed at the ground. Arusha patted her neck with a gentle shush. Nothing but the howl. Arusha turned to Ugan. “Where is everyone?”
Ugan scratched his balls. “Only one way to find out.”
The wind died down, but the howling didn’t stop.
Arusha kicked Uma and she tore off faster than before. The cavalry stormed past the gates. Dozens of wounded folks lay strewn about the castle yard, many writhing in pain from bloody wounds. Monks feverishly scurried from person to person, tending to the carnage or simply performing last rites. A contingent of guards approached towing a carts laden with more wounded.
One of the guards froze for a moment and galloped his horse to Arusha and saluted. “My liege!”
“Lord Commander, report.”
“Peabury came under attack just before dawn. The assailants are unknown, but whoever they be are merciless monsters slaughtering women and children. At twenty dead with dozens wounded. As you can see, we are bringing the wounded to the castle for protection and treatments.”
“Ugan, take the guard to Peabury and assist in the rescue effort. I will take the graws and catch up to Cat’uai.”
“Brother, I must object. We know not what this menace is —”
Arusha held up his hand and that was the end of the matter. He dismounted and pulled off his gloves. “Where is Galushai?”
The Lord Commander pointed to a stable filled with hay. “She hasn’t let anyone near her since giving birth.”
Laying on her side nursing a young pup was an amphicyon, a ‘bear dog’ as more commonly called, fur so white and soft she seemed like the gentle snow, but her innocent appearance hid a ferocious beast. She growled as Arusha approached. Arusha gingerly opened the stall gate and laid down next to her. Her growl intensified and she opened her jaw almost large enough to swallow his whole head. She nibbled and sniffed at his head. She stopped growling and licked his face.
Arusha sat up and pet her vigoroulsy. “You have birthed a beautiful pup. I know you want to stay to protect him, but I need you now.” The dog belonged to his brother Kaldi, but they had grown up together. She had left Autumnheld in the middle of the night several months ago to travel back to the ancestral land of the amphicyon to give birth. She grabbed her pup by the neck and lifted him up. “Alright, we will bring the pup.” Arusha remounted his horse, putting the pup in his lap. “Ugan, I will take Galushai and the graw twins to find Cat’uai. Once we’ve located the marauders, I will send for you to bring the guard.” Arusha, the twins and a dog headed into a tunnel and emerged out the other side of the wall and marched into the wilderness.