I slept late. A knock at my door woke me and Drue’s morning greeting brought me back to where I was. I sat up quickly and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. The overly bright walls of the bedroom surrounded me, hurting my eyes. I reached for the eye-shields I’d placed on the table beside the bed and put them on. The relief for my eyes was immediate.
My body felt strong and energized after such a long night. The dust-free air on this farrin was likely the reason why. I dressed quickly and descended the stairs to join Drue in the eating room.
Again the delicious aroma of the food stopped me cold. Drue noticed me and smiled. I simply stared, unsure of what to say or how to respond.
“Sit. I’ll serve you.”
I sat, feeling again like a child under my mother’s care.
Drue set a plate before me full of things I didn’t recognize. I ate greedily, hardly noticing Drue sitting down across from me. Everything I ate was so full of flavor, bursting in my mouth like dry kindling in a hot fire. I was tempted to ask for another plateful but resisted the urge, choosing instead to watch Drue eat her food at a leisurely pace. I wondered what it would be like to have all the food I wanted, my cravings always satisfied.
After our morning meal, Drue led me from the house and took me down a cobble-stoned pathway. She carried a basket over her arm. I never asked her what was in it. I was consumed with the feast for my eyes. I couldn’t stop looking at the sky above us. It was so blue and clear and the sun was visible. On the day I arrived there’d been some cloud cover and hadn’t been this bright. The eye-shields hugged my face and allowed me to look without too much pain. I’d never seen such a bright sky before. Only on occasion did the fierce winds of our farrin settle enough to see any of the heavens at all and then it was still blocked by the constant dust in the air, leaving a dingy view.
Drue walked ahead of me allowing me the privilege of studying the settlement layout, the buildings and the scenery. Everywhere I looked beauty surrounded me, filling me with jealousy and a renewed anger. I couldn’t understand why this place was so astounding and peaceful while every other farrin I knew was primitive by comparison, where constant wind, endless tension and threat of insatiable war ruled. My home was a beggar’s hut compared to the houses that filled this settlement. Why were they keeping all this wealth and abundance hidden and locked away from the rest of us? What had we done to deserve the lives we lived?
The colorful houses were organized in orderly rows, separated by neatly constructed cobblestone roads. I was astounded by the number of homes, the tidiness of the place and the symmetry in the arrangement of things. Leaving the houses behind, we passed a street with other buildings. I was unsure of their purpose.
Drue pointed to the unusual buildings and said, “This is the business section.” She pointed to the one on the left. “This is Roe’s Bakery. She makes the best cakes. I’ll take you later.” She pointed to a tall building beside it. “That’s our library. It’s full of historical writings, books and chronicles. I think you might enjoy visiting it if you have time.” She pointed across the street. “That bright red building is full of the finest frocks in all of Tarmon. Women from all over our farrin come here to inspect Alina’s newest designs.”
The sign over the building read ‘Alina’s Astounding Apparel’.
I had no clue what a bakery was or an apparel house. Bread on our farrin was scarce but I had tasted it occasionally. While my mother lived, she would trade treasured items for valuable wheat, grind it and bake a rare loaf from time to time. I wondered if that was what Drue was referring to.
“Do you have a building that provides leather wear?” I asked
“We do. It’s at the end of the business section.”
I was tempted to ask if they had an armory house. I wasn’t sure if they prepared for war here or not. We left the strange street, followed a pea-gravel path through a field of wild flowers and long grass and soon entered a forest. The smooth and neat pathway through the tree and underbrush growth looked foreign to me. I’d never seen so many trees in one place with such abundant green undergrowth. The thick cover overhead made me nervous. Too many things could hide in those branches above me. The chirp of birds filled my ears and the flapping of wings filled me with caution. I reached to touch the hilt of my throwing knife at my waist just in case I would have need of it.
A noise alerted me and the whooshing of wind above me drew my eyes to the leafy cover over my head. For a brief moment, a shadow blotted out the sporadic rays of sun filtering through to the forest floor. I cringed, the memory of the Noble Ones still fresh in my mind. The shadow passed and was gone.
I looked ahead on the path and noticed that Drue hadn’t slowed with me. I hurried to catch up, my ears and eyes alert for any warning of the mighty beasts. We eventually stopped at a clearing. A roof-covered dais stood at one end of the expansive clearing. Wooden seats with back supports, too many to count, filled the remainder of the area and faced the raised platform. Six tall-backed chairs were situated on the platform. There were people milling about. Jovial conversation passed between them. Some were already seated on the raised area while others sat on the lower level.
Drue led me to the front row and many people stopped to stare at me. I was clearly the center of attention at this meeting and it made me feel anxious.
Their clothes were all different from each other. Some had light, flowy shifts like Suma wore, other’s had strange colored leather pants with shirts and blouses made of soft material. All of them wore well-made shoes of the most unusual shades. I’d never seen such diversity of clothing before.
Drue said, “Sit here. I need to take my place on the stage.”
I nodded, not sure of what was about to happen. I watched as she took the few steps to the dais and sat beside a distinguished looking man. The seats filled quickly after that and fear rode my back as I watched all the people congregate. The number of clan members that were gathered was akin to the total population of my farrin.
I kept my eyes glued on Drue, it kept my fear somewhat in check.
Someone sat beside me and I turned at her greeting.
“Hi Xiomara.”
“Suma. You’re here too.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t miss this for anything.”
I wondered then if it was Suma who had flown here on one of the Noble Ones.
“Why are we here?”
“My mother didn’t tell you?”
“No.”
“Then we’ll both find out together. Every meeting has a unique agenda. All I know is that it was arranged because of your visit.”
“They’ve come because of me?” I felt threatened by the crowd and to know I was the reason for the gathering filled me with fearful thoughts.
“Don’t worry. We all want to help you understand. I don’t believe you’ll be required to speak. Just listen.”
I nodded but felt completely out of my element. I should be at war training this time of day on Akoni Farrin or training others. I felt for the knife at my waist but touching the single weapon didn’t reassure me, it only reminded me how vulnerable I was. If the members gathered in this forest hideaway were here to do me harm, there was no way I could escape. The scale was too unbalanced.
I forced my mind to change direction and focused on the members sitting on the raised dais. Drue caught my eye and smiled but it didn’t reassure me.
Drue turned her eyes to the crowd and said, “Attention. Everyone quiet please. We are ready to begin.”
The place hushed quickly.
“As you all know, we have a special visitor with us today. Let’s make her feel welcome.”
The whole place erupted in clapping and cheering and some began to chant my name. I didn’t know what to do so I kept facing the front and kept my eyes peeled on Drue.
She stood, held up her hands and silenced the crowd. “Try not to frighten our visitor. This is all very new to her.” Turning to the others on the stage she said, “I have selected a young man to stand in Xiomara’s stead and he will ask us questions. The six members on the stage will take turns answering them. We have called this assembly for the express purpose of contributing to Xiomara’s increased understanding of our farrin.”
Drue turned back to the crowd and smiled brightly. “This is a wonderful day, a day that Towsaj has orchestrated for everyone’s good and for future providence. Let us not take it lightly or misuse this great and grand boon. Let him be present and oversee all that is accomplished.”
I didn’t hear much after that. Her short proclamation brought a myriad of questions. Who was this Towsaj? Why did Drue speak with such respect of this man? Did he rule here? And why did Drue refer to him in such an unusual way? How could he oversee a meeting where he wasn’t present? Towsaj, as far as I could recall, had not been introduced. Was he like the Tonrar? Was he a wraith? Should I fear him? Was he like the legends of Mowae?
All the questions filled my chest with anger. It was said that Mowae was a great leader who left when Casimer was chosen to rule our world. This happened so long ago that I’m not sure if it’s simply a tall tale retold or whether any of it is based in truth.
As I processed all this, I noticed a man, no older than I, walk up the few steps to the dais and stand to one side.
Drue said, “This is Lalam. He will stand in Xiomara’s stead and ask questions that she may have and we, the panel, will answer them to the best of our ability.” Drue looked at me and said, “I don’t question your ability to ask your own queries but I also know how overwhelming Tarmon Farrin has been for you. This will give you the opportunity to learn without being made to stand before the members of our settlement.”
I didn’t answer or respond. I wasn’t used to such an assembly and didn’t know the correct procedure. I wondered why they bothered with this charade. Why not simply show me Tarmon instead of having a question and answer session?
Drue seemed to know what I was thinking because, in her next breath, she answered my question. “I could have simply taken Xiomara on a tour of all of Tarmon but that would have been cruel. It would have only burdened her with more information than she would physically be capable of processing. Seeing Tarmon without understanding would overwhelm her and might have very well plunged her into a state of shock.” Drue took her seat and gave Lalam a nod, the signal to begin.
Lalam cleared his throat. Some in the crowd cheered and some yelled out his name in encouragement. A smile spread across Lalam’s face making him appear much too cheerful for my liking. I didn’t trust him.
“Okay. Here goes.” Lalam looked my way and nodded. Turning to the panel, to the man closest to him, he asked, “Why is there so much growth and greenery on Tarmon?”
The man turned to look me in the eye and said, “My name is Dainan. Welcome here, Xiomara.”
I didn’t respond.
“I’m sure you know why we have so much profuse growth. You’ve seen many farrins and know a lot about our world. You know that for plants to grow we need rain, we need sun and we need warmth. We have all three in abundance on Tarmon.”
I’d already gathered as much and appreciated that Dainan acknowledged my wisdom.
Lalam continued with the next one on the panel. “Xiomara has seen The Noble Ones. What other animals does Tarmon Farrin have?”
My ears perked up with this one. I’d not really considered this possibility before. I’d already noticed the birds in the trees but I wondered what other animals they might have.
The lady sitting next in line smiled. “Xiomara, my name is Olexa. We have more species of animals than you can imagine. There is so much for you to see. Some of our animals are large and appear intimidating. They are not as large as The Noble Ones but they are impressive. We have animals of every shape and size. Some are as bright as our houses while others are more muted and blend in to their surroundings. The tiniest animals are hard to spot but no less important to our farrin.”
My mind spun from the revelation. I couldn’t keep my mouth from opening in surprise.
Olexa gave me a compassionate gaze. “I’m sure Drue will show you some of our animal variety in the next few days but be careful not to demand to see too much. We don’t want to render you speechless.”
Lalam said, “Okay. On to the next question. Atlaf, how tall are our grandest buildings on Tarmon?”
Atlaf, an older gentlemen, I’d say he was close to fifty, said, “We have a tower in Ritsa Citadel that is twenty houses high.”
My mind cramped at the information and I doubted it was true. How could any building be that tall? The houses in Suma’s settlement were higher than any structure I’d seen before. The tallest thing on our farrin was the watch tower located high on a cliff overlooking the Talulah Sea. But the only reason it was tall was because of its location upon the mountain bluff.
Atlaf went on. “But there are many multi-storied buildings in our Citadels. Ritsa has some of the tallest buildings and the most beautiful. It’s always a treat going to visit Ritsa. The wealth of Tarmon congregates in that place and no other settlement or Citadel compares to it.”
Ritsa was more beautiful that this settlement? How could that be? I stood and faced Atlaf. “In what way is Ritsa more beautiful than this settlement?”
Atlaf nodded in understanding. “Perhaps Drue could take you there for a brief visit. A picture is worth a thousand words.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Seeing would explain it better than all my words combined.”
“Yes,” is all I said as I took my seat. They had such unusual sayings. It brought to mind one of our own sayings – A knife in an enemy’s back is better than one in your own. But I didn’t think there was much similarity in the adages.
Lalam faced the next person sitting on the dais, a woman. “Yein, can the population of this farrin venture to the outside, to whichever farrin they desire?”
He had my attention. This was my greatest fear. If this farrin decided to attack Akoni, we didn’t stand a chance.
Yein answered, “Yes and no. We can venture outside of our farrin but only at the express command of Towsaj. No one leaves without his consent and only when sent on a special mission. The other farrins must remain unaware of our presence and our work. We perform our missions under cover at all times. We go in, do our work and leave undetected.”
Lalam asked, “What kinds of missions do we perform?”
“We are not allowed to speak of them, unless Towsaj deems it prudent for its overall success. I cannot discuss specific assignments at this time.”
Lalam asked Yein another question. “Is everyone sent on these missions?”
“No. There is a select group called the Noble Warriors. This group is made up of people that desire it, pass the tests required and are wholly committed to the vision of Towsaj.”
So they did have warriors! I was curious about the details of their missions.
Lalam nodded and directed the next question to a young man in his teens. “Rafeeg, how do the children on Tarmon pass their time?”
Rafeeg turned and looked at me. “Hi Xiomara. Welcome to Tarmon.”
I responded with a hard stare.
He cleared his throat and appeared cowed by my response. I felt somewhat more in control after that.
“Our children spend a lot of time in school, learning to read, write and the protocol of their future on Tarmon, serving Towsaj.”
They didn’t train for war? Every child learned to read and write? What a waste of time! Although my mother had taught me that skill, I’d also been fully trained as a warrior.
Lalam asked him, “Why do all the children need to learn these skills?”
Rafeeg smiled. “To learn is to grow in knowledge. To be become skillful with the pen and paper provides the tool of examining one’s heart more fully. But it also allows us to truly understand each other as well. Learning more about Tarmon’s protocol’s and Towsaj’s requirements fuels each child’s destiny and purpose. And who can live without purpose?”
At that moment I concluded that this whole farrin was deluded. These skills would be useless in a war. Every single one of them would be dead in the first heat of battle. What good was knowing how to read when a knife was whirling toward your heart with deadly intent? What was the point of knowing one’s heart fully when it was about to be ripped asunder by an enemies weapon?
“I have one other question for you, Rafeeg.”
Rafeeg nodded.
“Have you ever trained for war?”
“No. There is no war here on Tarmon. The Noble Warriors do train but it’s not as intense as the war training on the other farrins. We have no enemies.”
My mind stalled with the information. How could that be? What would that be like? I couldn’t imagine such an existence. War is what fueled my farrin and gave me reason to keep plodding on.
Lalam was speaking again and I forced my ears to listen.
“Drue, what is the average life span on Tarmon?”
Drue threw me a look of concern before answering. “We live a long time. The air quality, moisture in our atmosphere and general absence of toxins advocate a long life. I know of a few in some of the bigger settlements that are nearing five hundred years. The average life span tends to be around three-hundred-and-fifty.”
I suddenly found it hard to breathe.
Lalam asked, “Isn’t this problematic? If the average person lives this long, won’t we eventually run out of livable space for everyone?”
Drue was shaking her head. “Towsaj has ways of dealing with the population growth. Lately he’s given ideas and plans of building our settlements up as in higher structures. When we outgrow the land, the buildings will increase in height. He’s also been known to stretch out our land mass, increasing Tarmon’s size. It’s documented in the chronicles, the four-hundred-and-thirteenth volume. About eight hundred years ago, Tarmon Farrin dramatically increased in land mass. There were many who observed it and documented it. Everything is listed in the chronicles, all the witnesses and the measurements.”
The meeting continued with Lalam asking more questions and more answers were given but my mind couldn’t take anymore. I don’t remember much of the rest. I felt overwhelmed by the massive differences and didn’t understand any of it. If Towsaj has the power to increase land mass he must be very powerful. The very idea of his existence terrified me.
When the meeting finally ended, I gratefully followed Drue away from the forest clearing. She took me by another path that led us to a stream that ran clear, which showed the bright colored rocks that lay on the riverbed. We followed the stream for a ways. Drue remained silent and I was glad for it. I felt like screaming or killing something. My lungs felt ready to explode, like I usually did after our clan fulfilled one of Casimer’s demands. His mandate always included the death of someone. My heart palpated strangely, leaving me feeling both undone and furious simultaneously.
Drue seemed to sense my turmoil. Her tentative glances my way told me she was concerned.
A thundering noise slowly grew louder and the flow of the stream beside us picked up and grew more turbulent. I thought of the treacherous water falls that I’d seen on Gormly Farrin a few years back. Some of our warriors slipped on the wet rocks above the massive falls and went plummeting over a steep cliff. None of them survived. We decimated the Gormly clan’s numbers that day but we also lost a few to the slippery rocks.
Drue stepped through a clearing and stopped. Moving up to stand beside her, I was mesmerized by the sight before me. If it was simply a waterfall I could have endured the view but what I saw took my breath away. I placed a hand on my heart and knew that I couldn’t take much more shock.
