Of Tyrants and Gods

by Slawomir Rapala

Table of Contents
Part 1 appears
in this issue.

part 2 of 5

Harish poured the wine into the two globes and handed one to the General.

“Let’s drink to it!” the King said.

The two men gulped the wine and then broke the crystals to cement their agreement. Outside the sun was slowly beginning to rise from behind the horizon to spread its crimson rays over the sleeping City of Arkeen.

* * *

All the major roads leading into Arkeen, the Estratian Capital and home of the tyrant Harish were lined with small establishments eager to receive travelers and merchants. They offered sleeping quarters, a place to rest the tired horses, a decent meal, mead, wine and beer, and – for those willing to pay the price – young women and girls ready to share their bed with a stranger. The large number of these small inns were a result of a decade-long growth of trade that Estrata experienced some time ago, before Harish assumed the throne.

Merchants from all over the Southern Realms eagerly entered Estratian borders to barter with the willing and often over-paying the indigenous red-haired folk. In return, the merchants received highly valued skins of the only sea-faring crocodile, a dangerous man-eating creature which the Estratian hunters trapped in underwater caves and starved to death. The hunt was a perilous venture as one man was needed to act as bait and lure the giant beast into the cave before escaping both its massive jaws and the fast-approaching portable gate which the remaining men immediately used to seal the opening. Many men failed to make their way out and they were left behind as prey to the furious reptile.

The skins of these creatures were highly valued and fetched great sums of gold in the South. Even after Harish assumed the throne and placed a heavy tax on foreign merchants, leaving his cutthroat troops to patrol the roads and enforce it, many traders risked their lives to come into the possession of these unique skins and continued to enter the Kingdom. Some crossed the hostile No Man’s Desert, hoping to avoid bandits and marauders, while others trekked the roads under the cover of darkness for fear of meeting the Royal troops whose greed and ruthlessness was no less than the bandits’.

Harish’s iron-hand rule and his endless greed slowly put an end to the flourishing trading business that had for a time made Estrata so alluring. Many of the inns, pubs and brothels that speckled the countryside around the Capital were forced to lock their doors as the roads became less traveled, and the establishments now were mostly visited by Royal soldiers who took everything without pay. A man was lucky if he escaped with his head intact after such visits. Only a handful of businesses remained open: trade was slow and many a day the barkeep would spend alone behind the counter, sipping warm beer and cursing his luck.

One such inn, boasting a great Royal name, “The Crown and the Scepter,” was one of those verging on closing. Its owner, a tall, red-bearded Estratian by the name of Felix, had long contemplated moving within the city walls. But had thus far decided against it, realizing that the competition in the capital was stiff and the income would be just as meager as in the countryside. Also, the price of leasing or buying an establishment in Arkeen was ludicrous, while the taxes alone were high enough to drive the business into the ground.

Though Felix could barely make ends meet, he was in fact one of the luckier innkeepers. “The Crown and the Scepter” was in a great location, and during the initial growth of the trading industry, the inn had often been forced to even turn guests away. Even after Harish began his long-termed tyranny, the inn was popular among those merchants who continued to travel to Estrata. Felix’s cousin was a member of the Royal troops, a Captain in fact, and his protection allowed the small establishment to continue prospering without the Estratian patrols’ hassling it.

As the years went by, though, business continually dwindled. After almost two decades of Harish’s rule, only a trickle of merchants remained from the initially enormous wave and today Felix was lucky even to greet one patron a day. The guest rooms mostly stood empty; the whores had long disappeared and moved to the capital where they sold their goods at half price or gave them up for free to the Royal troops in exchange for “protection.”

“And now this cursed war!” Felix exclaimed presently, the comment directed to the only other person present in the otherwise empty room.

The stranger raised his eyes from his meal and studied the Estratian innkeeper. Felix was a round-faced man, slightly overweight but not so much that it would slow his movements. His tall frame supported his weight easily, and he moved gracefully behind the counter — his Kingdom, as he laughingly referred to the small space. A long fire-red beard covered most of his face. Only his intensely blue eyes remained entirely visible. They fixed on his guest presently, as their flushed owner continued:

“Twenty years Harish spends wreaking havoc on the Kingdom, and now there’s three of them wrecking the countryside!”

“Three?” the patron asked, drawn into the discussion somewhat against his will, but growing more interested. He had not yet touched his meal; he eyed the flies crawling over the lamb chop he had ordered along with the beer. Like any other day in the desert Kingdom of Estrata, this one was hot and invited all sorts of insects to the sweat-stained clothes and bodies of travelers.

“Clearly you’re not from around here, stranger.” This was more of a statement than a question on Felix’s part. He swung the stained cloth he used to wipe the counter over his shoulder and leaned against the bar. “I said three, for if Harish, the Lord of all Monkeys, and Yagdish, the cursed Wizard, are both a plague to this Realm, then Aezubah the Butcher is a disease that will cripple this Kingdom altogether!”

His eyes dilated suddenly and he drew back in fear, his tall frame shrinking behind the counter so as to almost disappear.

“You’re not a spy, are you, stranger?” he whispered, his face ashen. “I lost my temper and burst out without even knowing your name, your alliances. How stupid of me! You’re not one of the King’s men, are you? Or the Wizard’s spies?”

The patron laughed whole-heartedly upon seeing the innkeeper’s authentic fear and approached the counter. “Have no fear, good man,” he put his arm on the shaken barkeep. “I am new to this Kingdom, having crossed the border not more than three days ago. I know nothing of local alliances and they are none of my concern. I travel to the Northern Kingdoms on business. They call me Peregrinus.”

“A Nekryan name?” Felix relaxed somewhat, but his nervousness did not cease entirely and was betrayed by the trembling of the cloth-wielding hand with which he cleaned the counter of imaginary dust. “They don’t like Nekryans in the North.”

“Whom do they like in those frost-bitten countries?” Peregrinus laughed again and then added in explanation, “My master is an weapons dealer. They will welcome his messenger.”

“Well, in that case,” Felix stopped wiping the bar and a smile returned to his face, “if it is as you claim, I should have no fear of you denouncing me to the King. Still, I should be more careful before I speak; he has ears everywhere and does not like to be called the Lord of Monkeys.”

The Nekryan took a seat by the counter now, abandoning his fly-covered meal with a slight wave of hand.

“You spoke of the war,” the patron began. “Forgive my ignorance, but I spend much time traveling and know little of what goes on in the world. I have recently been to Surath and I can tell you of the trouble brewing in that Kingdom, but know nothing of what has recently happened in Estrata. I know of Yagdish and Harish, and I’ve heard of Aezubah of course, but know nothing of his doings here.”

“He is a cursed man, I tell you,” Felix poured his guest a cup of cold beer and handed it to him, himself having poured another. “Harish may be a tyrant and Yagdish may be a wizard, but Aezubah, that one is a killer. I drink to his timely death.”

“He’s no friend of the Nekryans, either,” Peregrinus touched his cup with the innkeeper’s and they drank. “How is it that he has such power in Estrata?”

“Harish is a tyrant,” Felix repeated, “but he is no warrior. Two years ago when Yagdish, a renegade priest, first assembled an army, Harish laughed and dismissed the rebellion with a shrug. But then the cities began to fall and Royal troops began to be rounded up and murdered. Many deserted and joined the priest. Many of the commoners, tired of Harish’s tyranny, swelled the Wizard’s ranks as well. They hid their wives, children and goods, and went to war to overthrow Harish. The countryside emptied.”

“They joined a Wizard?”

“Fools!” Felix spat. “They chose evil to fight evil, but they knew nothing of the priest’s power. Today they are a dark army, a mass of religious fanatics who have long forgotten why they joined the war. They fight for Yagdish now, poisoned by his dark magic, not for their families or for the Kingdom.”

“One should not mingle with wizards; they are a dangerous breed,” Peregrinus agreed.

“Yes, but the people were desperate. They believed anything would be better than Harish. And who knows? Perhaps they were right?”

“Maybe you will know soon? If the King is no warrior and the Wizard’s followers as fanatical as you say, they should claim victory, no?”

“They would have, a long time ago,” Felix replied. “Yagdish sacked each city he came across, destroyed each army and garrison, wreaked havoc on the countryside, and all the time his ranks swelled with commoners and deserters, some willing, others less so. He marched towards Arkeen and everyone knew that it was only a matter of time before the tyrant would fall. But Harish, though hardly a warrior, is not a fool. He hired Aezubah to fight the war for him. Two years ago, cursed be the day, that murderer took charge of the Estratian army!”

Felix spat once more and poured another round of beer into both cups. They drank again, relieving themselves of the heat for another moment.

“And?” Peregrinus asked.

“And?” Felix mocked. “And he sprang forth like a mad dog, starting a war that decimated the population and left Estrata in ruins. Ash and rubble wherever you look, you must have seen this as you crossed the Kingdom.”

“I crossed at night for fear of the Royal troops,” Peregrinus replied. “However, I have hardly met anyone for three days.”

“Ash and rubble,” Felix repeated, pouring more beer. “Young men die by the thousands and stain the deserts red. Dead men wander the ruins and howl to the moon. You are lucky to have made it this far without meeting either of the armies or, even worse, the marauders that lurk all around.”

“It seems peaceful here,” the Nekryan remarked.

“We’re half a day’s travel to Arkeen,” the innkeeper shrugged. “Aezubah keeps this area clear of any trouble, keeping his promise that Harish will not see a single one of the Wizard’s soldiers near the walls of the capital.”

“Is the end of the war near, then?”

“Who knows? Yagdish was sure of victory, but Aezubah is a madman and a genius, one must admit. Rumor is that the Wizard is running out of gold and that his powers have weakened as well. He cannot defeat Aezubah whose control of the Estratian army is so great that they follow him into fire. He needs no magic to make his men fight. They follow him like wolves follow the leader of a pack and he leads them to blood and victory. Many fall, but each time they lock with the Wizard’s troops, they collect a bloody harvest.”

“And Harish?”

“Harish!” Felix scorned. “He sits in his Palace in Arkeen, laughing, whoring and oppressing the people! Nothing else is he good at!”

The innkeeper leaned over the counter and lowered his voice. “Word is that Aezubah is not pleased with Harish,” he said quietly, his eyes darting in all directions though they were alone in the inn. “It’s rumored they had a row some time ago. Aezubah spent two years in the desert, bleeding and sweating to fight the King’s war, while the King lives it up in the Palace. The General was not happy.”

“What did the King say?”

“He laughed.” Felix shrugged and moved to wipe the sweat of his forehead. “He treats Aezubah like a dog on a leash.”

“That’s a dangerous game to play,” Peregrinus said. “The General is not forgiving, and he always has a plan of his own.”

“Harish thinks he will get rid of Aezubah once the Wizard is gone,” the innkeeper nodded his head in agreement.

“Easier said than done,” the Nekryan smiled. “Aezubah is not to be taken lightly.”

“Harish is not fit to rule anything but a herd of monkeys. Greed and power have long corrupted him and left him blind to the world. He does not see the following that Aezubah has amidst the army. Harish thinks he will buy their loyalty in the end.”

“I saw the General once,” Peregrinus mused. “He rode at the head of an army numbering in thousands. Proud and tall. He needed no command to lead his men, they followed him like sheep following a shepherd.”

“It’s in his eyes, they say,” Felix added. “Once you look into them, you will give him everything. The General is a god among his men and no one, especially not Harish, will be able to tear him down from those heights.”

“Unless he steps down himself.”

“Why should he?” the innkeeper asked feverishly. “Once he defeats Yagdish, he will be the only power in Estrata. Who will oppose him? The handful of aristocrats who gathered around Harish? The two troops he keeps in Arkeen? Harish is blind. He is a dead man.”

“The General had many opportunities to claim a throne,” Peregrinus shook his head. “Even in Bandikoy when he saved the Dynasty. He gave the throne back to the King.”

“Yes, and he was banished for it soon after.”

“He was a threat; the King knew it. Aezubah could not be killed; but banished, yes.”

Felix mused for a moment, playing with the cup of beer before him. “Perhaps you’re right,” he said finally. “Perhaps the General does not seek the throne. Some say he has been meeting in secret with Baron Bahadur, the King’s brother. It’s well known that the two brothers dislike each other and have always competed. Bahadur has survived several attempts on his life orchestrated by Harish. Perhaps this means something?”

To be continued...