Harvest of Ancient Sorrows
Preview Chapters 13-15
**Professional editing will come but its not here yet. Read at your own grammatical risk. Also, the contents of these chapters will be altered during the editing process so some events/scenes may change drastically.
Chapter 13
Kerma City, Zoru, An 5660, Day 72
Ben stood as Queen Nabra entered the room. “Your Majesty, thank you for meeting with me.”
Her babiakhom translator slid in behind her and made her way to the corner of the room.
The queen turned and shooed her massive bodyguard out of the room. “I’ve trusted this man with the safety of the entire city. I’m safe.”
The Ancients' indoor lighting reflected off the chiseled man’s filigreed breastplate as he shot Ben a warning glance. Ben gave the man his most disarming smile as the soldier backed outside.
When the door closed behind her, Queen Nabra addressed Ben. “It must be sensitive if you wanted to meet in private.” She sat in one of the four chairs arranged around a round table. She waved him to his seat.
Ben settled and asked, “How much do you want to defeat the ripvor?”
The Queen's frown intensified, and her forehead creased. “I’ll do anything to ensure that my city survives.”
“Let the entire Remulan army inside your walls?”
“Except that.”
Ben gave her a crooked grin. “I understand your reluctance, but I’ve gone over our options and don’t see another way.”
The queen leaned closer, placing her elbows on the table. “Maybe you should tell me what you’re thinking before I tell you no.”
Ben chuckled. “If the reports are correct, we are outnumbered three to one. I can assume each soldier armed with a gun can equal seven or eight ripvor. That means our weapons can account for about 150,000 reapers.” Ben’s lips drew into a line, and he shook his head. “Even with the city’s defensive walls, it’s not enough.”
“Go on.” The queen’s penetrating stare deepened.
“If we draw the ripvor into a trap, we might be able to tilt those odds in our favor.”
The queen tilted her ear toward him. “A trap?”
“A big one. I’ve spoken to your weapon masters about how much gunpowder they can produce in the next eight khonsu. Even after we complete millions of bullets, there will be tons of black powder left over.” Ben leaned toward her. “We lure the reapers into the Remulan forts and then blow them up.”
She leaned back, the fingers of one hand flexing back and forth over the surface of the table. “How do you lure them into the trap if the Remulans are in the city?”
“They won’t be inside.” Ben flashed her his off-kilter grin. “Not at first. The legionaries will man their fortifications. Once engaged, they will slowly withdraw using tunnels that lead into the city. When the ripvor overrun the forts, and the Remulans are gone, we will blow them up. If we’re lucky, we can kill a huge part of their army before we even bring our guns into the action.”
“And after we defeat the reapers, how do you propose to kick the Remulans out of my city?” The lowest points of the queen’s frown twitched with agitation.
Don’t blow this, Ben thought as he nodded. “We set up a staging area for the legions to assemble near the main gates. As soon as each legion gets reassembled, they will be sent outside the walls to destroy what’s left of the ripvor.” Ben held up a finger. “Did I mention that the holding area will be a giant pit with a single ramp that exits at the main gate?”
“And if they don’t march out?” Queen Nabra’s sarcastic words had been expected.
“Then we blow them up too.”
The Queen's head snapped back. “What?”
“If Octavius thinks the lamentations are won, he might be tempted to have some legions climb out of the pit and attack the city.” Ben shook his head. “The floor of the staging pit will be mined as well.”
The queen’s frown twisted into a sinister smile. “And you think you can arrange all of this and do everything else that needs to be done?”
“The biggest challenge will be diverting metal singers from other duties. We can’t spare any of them, so you must ask Grrommerrk for more. I’ll let you work out how many it will take to dig the giant pit and solid tunnels to each Remulan fort.”
“I’ll take care of that, and then I’ll propose the plan to Octavius. The fool will jump at the chance. We will build the staging area last, so he won’t have time to change his mind.”
Ben could hear the queen’s vengeful thoughts as if she were yelling them. Ben shook his head. “One last thing. My men will control the explosions. I wouldn’t want there to be any accidents involving our new allies.”
Queen Nabra narrowed her eyes at Ben, and then she laughed.
Chapter 14
Kerma City, Zoru, An 5660, Day 74
Abu felt guilty. Despite Dr. Ben, Umrao, and Lance Duffadar Ram leaving to chase the ripvor, his worry didn’t outweigh his relief. On multiple occasions over the past two days, he’d been embarrassed by walking in on Dr. Ben and Miss Louisa canoodling. Not just a morning or goodbye kiss, but every bit as amorous as any necking that Abu had ever done.
He shook his head. Where is their sense of shame? I’ve never done that where someone can see me.
Dr. Ben gave Miss Louisa one last hug and mercifully only a peck on the lips before he mounted his horse. Turning in the saddle, he said to Abu, “Hold down the fort.”
“You can count on me.” Abu waved.
Dr. Ben nodded and clucked his tongue. The mare stepped off. Abu returned Lance Duffadar Ram’s salute and then looked down the line of cavalry toward Umrao.
Bent over, the tall lancer kissed Esther with passion. Abu rolled his eyes. The couple separated, and Esther handed Umrao a golden Star of David. Even at a distance, Abu saw the young woman’s anguish. She clutched him in a desperate embrace. They kissed once more before she turned and marched away, tears in her eyes.
A rueful smile touched Abu’s lips. Umrao wasn’t sure, but Abu had no doubt. Esther loved the youngest lancer. Abu pondered the irony of it all. Even amid all the madness that Abu and the rest of the Earthlings had been through, even during an apocalyptic war. All around him, he found love growing.
Then Abu saw Jeevan standing beside Thoresten, reminding him that sometimes love dies. The column picked up pace, and Abu refocused on the parade.
“Take care of yourself,” Abu implored Umrao as his horse clopped by.
His friend smiled, “Don’t worry. You won’t be there to get me in trouble this time.”
The two shared a laugh.
Abu felt a hand on his arm as the last wagons pulled away.
“Have you had lunch?” Ningal asked.
“No.” His mind raced at her touch, and he tried to steel his resolve.
“Good, I know just the place.” Ningal smiled and grabbed his hand with hers.
She led him toward the second primary entrance to the campus. As they exited onto one of Kerma City’s crowded streets, she asked, “Are you worried?”
Abu stared at the stones of the sidewalk. “I am. They’ve been in danger before, but this is different. I should be going with them.”
“I understand. That’s one of the reasons I came here. I didn’t want to be so far from my father when he faced.” Her words trailed off.
Abu caught the gaze of her enchanting amber eyes. “Makes sense.”
“You know that’s not the only reason, right?” Ningal poked him in the side and giggled.
His smile stayed flat, not wanting to fuel her flirtations.
After a few blocks, she directed them to the dining room of a small inn. They made small talk over a meal of lamb and rice. The food reminded Abu of home. He pushed his plate away, his hunger satisfied, but with his homesickness growing.
Ningal grabbed his hand, her face flushed. She wouldn’t meet his eyes. “Abu, I have a question for you.”
Abu twisted his lips to one side, confused. “What’s wrong?”
Ningal’s golden eyes flashed to Abu’s for a heartbeat, and her voice trembled. “Nothing’s wrong.” She swallowed and then hurried to take a sip of wine.
Always confident, Ningal’s nervousness made Abu unsure of what to say, so he waited.
Her eyes followed her cup to the table, and she stared at it for a long moment. When she lifted her head, Abu saw a courageous glint, and she took his hand in hers. Small tremors transferred from her to him.
Ningal’s voice grew more confident with each word. “Abu. I want you to make love to me.”
“Uh.” Speechless, Abu sat stunned. A few days ago, he set out to pursue Ningal, hopeful to hear these very words.
Her eyes drifted to their clasped hands. “I’ve never done this, Abu.” Her hand tightened on his. “I care about you.” She found his eyes again, a hint of pleading in them. “I know we can never be more, but you are the first man I’ve met who makes me feel this way. I trust you, Abu.”
Abu’s heart broke. This beautiful young woman had laid her heart bare to him. Made herself vulnerable, trusting him with this most precious gift. A gift he could not accept.
He lifted her hand, caressing it in both of his. “I’m honored.” Ningal’s face relaxed. “But I can’t.” She sucked in a quick breath. Abu wanted to look away, but she deserved better, so he forced himself to see the hurt growing in her eyes.
“It’s her. Right?”
Abu nodded. “Ningal, you’re amazing. I enjoy every moment we spend together, but.”
Ningal pulled her hand from his, her eyes growing hard. “Do you love her?”
“I do.” Abu shook his head. “I hope you can experience that feeling with someone, but we both know it’s not me.”
She reached back for his hand. “Do you think you can ever love me like that?”
Abu chuckled. “Maybe. I don’t want to give you false hope. Besides, as you said, we’re nothing but a moment. A pleasant breeze that comes and is gone just as quick.”
“I’m embarrassed.”
“Don’t be.” He smiled. “Thank you.”
Her brow furrowed. “For what?”
“Trusting me. Are we still friends?”
“It will take me a few days to get over this, but we are much more than friends, and you know it.” She grinned. “I might be immortal, but just like you, this is my first time figuring out life. Unlike humans who only get one frantic go at living, welves instill patience in their children. If you can’t get something right away, wait. Everything changes.”
Abu tilted his head, not understanding.
Standing up, Ningal pulled him to his feet. “Abu. I might not become your first, but you can still be mine. Even if our time together takes forever and lasts only as long as a spring breeze, I will wait.”
__________________________
Louisa turned the sealed scroll around in her hands. Unsettled by Ben’s leaving and already missing his arms, she’d returned to their house to think. On the porch, she found a messenger. The Alexandrian soldier saluted her with a fist to his chest and said he had an urgent message from the Ambassador.
What message could Masako’s paternal granduncle have that required a soldier to deliver? The wax seal was imprinted with Alexandria’s altered Vergina Sun. Unlike the ancient symbol from her home, this sunburst held the Star of David at its center. Pushing her thumbs together, Louisa broke the wax in half and unfurled the scroll. Something fell, clattering to the wood floor.
Louisa bent down, and her heart stopped. Her hairpin, the one topped by a single pearl, lay on the floor. Her thoughts racing, she snatched up the pin and read the Greek letter.
Miss Louisa Sophia,
I return Princess Masako’s hairpin to you with a heart full of sadness and trepidation. The pin arrived late last night with a message from the Ambassador of Yuhi. As Princess Masako was leaving Kerma City, they were intercepted by the Remulan Emperor and taken captive. Apparently, the Remulans have spies in all the city’s embassies.
A few days ago, the ambassador saw the princess. She looked healthy but did not speak to the ambassador. The Yuhi Ambassador has been trying to secure the princess’s freedom since her capture. This is his excuse for giving us such late notice of the emperor’s transgression.
Before she left, Masako made me promise to deliver the pin back to you if something should befall her. I assure you that I am doing all I can and hope to begin negotiations soon. As awful as it sounds, the lamentations have given us a window to try diplomacy. The Yuhi government is also working on the problem.
I will keep you appraised if anything changes.
Prínkipas Archimedes ben Solan i Draco
Alexandrian Ambassador to Kerma
Louisa sat at the dining table and laid the scroll down. Visions of Masako came as a deluge, Louisa’s melancholy and fear growing at each remembrance. That poor girl had been through enough. Anger followed, and she focused on a different face, a man she had just met. Octavius, she fumed. You’ll pay.
Louisa pondered how to free the young girl. She had broken into many secure locations but had never tried to sneak into a legionary fort. Maybe Rrummblinss could dig a tunnel. But how would they find where they held Masako? Could a wind singer fly over the emperor’s fort and map it out?
Despite her experience and even considering Auran magic, Louisa couldn’t devise a plan that worked. After going in circles for a time, she decided she needed help but didn’t want to tell Abu until she had a reasonable plan. The young man didn’t need the worry. She’d start with Khepri and Rrummblinss. If necessary, she’d consult Thoresten and the twins.
When that little girl left, she took a piece of Louisa’s heart. She’d made a promise to Masako that she meant to keep. The princess deserved to live the life she chose.
I will free you, Louisa vowed.
Chapter 15
City of Nippur, Zoru, An 5660, Day 75
“Governess, you asked for me?” Commander Shanesha stood at attention, staring down into the golden eyes of Innana, the Governess of Nippur, who lounged in an overstuffed leather chair behind a desk piled high with scrolls.
Innana flicked some loose strands of her fire-blaze-red hair over her shoulder. “Yes. I have a sensitive mission for you. You cannot divulge this information to anyone until the time is right.”
Shanesha tilted his head. “Not even your daughters?”
“Especially the twins.”
Warning bells chimed. What was the Governess up to? “As you wish. How may I be of assistance?”
A perfunctory smile breezed across Innana’s face and disappeared just as fast. “Kutha’s Council of Governors has received an interesting proposal from the Remulans.”
A chill ran down Shanesha’s spine. Like being asked to wrestle with a cobra, Shanesha waited for the kabuah kick to come.
“Despite the lamentations, the emperor is determined to conquer all of Khemet, but he has also admitted that Kutha is too well protected to defeat. Thus, he has instead suggested an alliance.”
Shanesha’s eyes narrowed. “What would we gain from helping those zealots?”
“He offered to help us end the elves.” The sinister smile that grew on her face told Shanesha where Nippur’s governess stood on the proposal.
As much as he disliked elves, Shanesha didn’t have the same loathing and hatred as the survivors of the Origin Wars or the generations of welves that came during the first few thousand An after the so-called truce. Innana and most of the other rulers of Kutha’s city-states came from those early generations, and he could see how this offer might appeal to them. Yet, younger welves might think the coming losses too great a price to pay to wipe out the elves.
The politics of immortals consisted of rules almost as immutable as the length of their lives. Change came at a glacier’s pace. Opinions shifted by the millennia. A welf’s outlook on life usually reflected that of others born within the same one thousand An. Nippur’s recent three-way struggle for primacy came down to two older political factions and another of younger welves born after the Phantom Lamentations. Allying with Remus was a double-edged sword, and Shenesha wasn’t sure which side of the decision he fell.
He’d follow orders for now, but he still had questions and asked, “Why are you keeping this from the twins?”
“They have become too close to the Earthlings, and the Earthlings may become an obstacle that needs to be removed.” Innana picked up a scroll from the desk. “Memorize the details and then burn it. It says you will exploit the twins’ relationship with the Earthlings to access their manufacturing facilities. Map it out, and document the comings and goings. Send regular reports to the embassy. They will send the information on to the Remulans.”
He grabbed the scroll. “I assume the emperor will try to steal the Earthling’s secrets once the reapers are defeated, and we are to avoid direct action against the Earthers. If an attempt on the facility fails, we cannot be held responsible.”
Innana shook her head. “Yes and no. If the Remulan attempt succeeds, I want you to intercept everything they steal. Then, if it looks like the legionaries will take Kerma City, I want you to capture any remaining Earthlings and bring them back.”
Shanesha’s eyebrows shot up. “We are to double-cross the Remulans?”
“The council hasn’t decided, but is it not better to negotiate from a place of strength?”
He nodded, amazed at the deviousness of the governess and her fellow rulers. He still had one concern and asked, “And if the twins side with the Earthlings?”
“Hurt them if you must. But do not kill them.” A joyous sparkle lit the governess’s eyes, and she shrugged. “If the dwarf dies. He dies.” She stared at him with a burning intensity. “Do you understand?”
“Yes, Governess. Completely.”