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*** Fifty-One ***
The next morning I went looking for Habieb and Marshall.
While trying to sort out my relationship with Merrykara, I had come to appreciate the seemingly uncomplicated friendship of my male companions.
Upon reaching the chamber they were supposed to share with Brutus, I found it empty. I linked up with Moira, immediately apologising for my physical absence and lack of mental attention to her.
She seemed distracted, mentioning that she had been entertained by Lance and could also give me the same apology.
I asked her if she knew where Habieb was.
She replied that he was at the stables, looking after the horses.
Not intruding further, I disengaged the conscious telepathic link and made my way to the stables where I found Habieb, busy grooming Blueglare, his black gelding.
*Hi* I greeted, taking up a brush, starting to groom Windshine.
*I am glad that you have finally found some time to spend with normal people* he told me, upset at my lack of attention.
*We all knew this would happen when I took up the duties of a King* I reminded him that I did not belong solely to him.
It was actually ironic how everyone wanted me for themselves. No-one seemed to want to share equally in my attention. It was as if each of my friends always needed all of my attention for themselves, vying against each other, where the winner was considered to be the one I favoured most.
"I really missed you" I told the horse, stroking his gleaming neck.
"I am glad" Habieb replied, thinking I was talking to him.
Keeping quiet, we enjoyed our companionship, working on cleaning the horses properly. We refilled their water buckets and gave them extra hay before leaving the stables.
"Do you know where Marshall is?" I asked Habieb.
"I have not seen him since the wedding. It is actually strange, but it seems as if he has disappeared. I have been busy with the horses and the Huracan while you were indisposed. Maybe Brutus or Drake would be able to assist us."
We found Brutus at the Guard Station playing a game with copper discs on a chequered board with one of the off-duty guards.
"Hello, Han, Habieb!" Brutus greeted enthusiastically. He was winning this round and seemed in really good spirits.
"Have you seen Marshall?" I enquired and he laughed at his opponent, cleaning all the darker coloured discs off the board.
"No, but I have an idea where you can find him" he replied, standing up, pocketing gold coins that were stacked on the table next to the game board.
So even here, on Leilaka, gambling was present.
We followed Brutus to an area of the City I was not familiar with. The houses were built in communal-block style, two storeys high with small apartments. It seemed to be housing for the less affluent and the area was not as clean as I had experienced around the Castle area.
This area also seemed older than most of the city, but definitely not run down as recent repairs were evident on many housing units. I privately thought that King Lancet would not allow any of his people to become so poor that they could not house or feed themselves.
We entered another street and found ourselves in a better maintained neighbourhood. Here the walls of the houses were painted red, with the doors a mixture of bright primary colours.
A man was stumbling down the street, bumping into Brutus who shoved the drunkard aside. He landed on his backside against a wall, cursing at Brutus.
"I actually should not have brought you here. This vicinity is not as innocent as I would have wanted you to think of Leilaka" he told me.
"We are just people" he apologised, "and as all people, we have our own perceived problems and solutions which includes the abuse of substances."
I could relate. In my early days of Han Storm on Creata, I had been a Peace Officer and had seen my fair share of abuse; domestic, drug and psychic. I was familiar with human nature and did not shun people for the choices they made. It was their right to experiment and to live their lives whichever way they wanted to.
As long as it did not bring harm to those around them, I had no qualms with it. But if their substance abuse impacted negatively upon innocents, I would retaliate, becoming my old, original self. Not the very nice Han as these people had experienced so far.
We stopped at a house with a red door and Brutus thumped on the door with his fist.
A woman clad in a scanty dress opened the door, smiling seductively at Brutus, eyeing Habieb and I with interest before returning her attention to Brutus.
"And what can I help one of the Kings' men with?" she asked, fully aware of who was standing in the street in front of her door.
"We are looking for the lad called Marshall, the one with the red hair" he told the woman.
She laughed softly, standing out of the way to make space for Brutus to enter.
"You will have to carry him out" she told Brutus. "His account is also not yet paid" she mentioned after Brutus' back as it disappeared down a passage.
"Morning your Highness" she greeted me as we followed Brutus.
Brutus peered into all the rooms opening off the passage, to the dismay of the occupants, some swearing at him, others giggling, one uttering a shriek that was quickly stifled.
We found Marshall in the last room, alone and spread-eagled across a bed, his head hanging off the one end, his feet and legs dangling off the other.
"Help me here" Brutus told us as he moved a naked Marshall into a proper sleeping position before throwing his clothes at us.
"Dress him while I pay the bill" he ordered and we proceeded to dress him, not bothering to try and wake him. It was not easy to wake a drunkard. You just had to wait until the alcohol-induced slumber had worn off.
Brutus retuned and shouldered Marshall's weight, carrying him as if he did not weigh more than a bag of potatoes.
"Please come and visit again" the lady bid us goodbye, a naughty glint in her eye, blowing a kiss after Habieb's handsome dark looks.
Well, that settled my suspicions that Leilaka was just as any other place in the Universes. Booze and prostitution would always be freely available, no matter where you travelled to. As long as there were Higher Conscious entities, substance abuse would prevail. They would experiment with different experiences. It was the nature of free-willed entities.
To prevent an embarrassing situation, Brutus took Marshall to the stables were we made him comfortable in an empty stall.
Brutus gave us strict instructions to stay with our friend and to water Marshall properly if he should wake up before Brutus' return. He would collect Reif and be back shortly.
Turning a pail upside down, I seated myself, watching Marshall, feeling sorrow for my friend.
"Why do you think he had done such a thing?" Habieb asked me, shocked by what he had experienced, but also intrigued at our culture that was so totally different from that of the Bedien.
"I am not sure" I replied, but I knew that Marshall had lashed out at the idea that his true love had to marry his best friend and that it was me that had bedded her and not him.
He found the whole idea to be unfair, but still accepted that he was just a Horseman and not seen as fit to marry a princess. He knew that he did not stand a chance in the first place.
It was just easier for him to cope by substituting his love with a superficial experience. It did give him the physical release of his pent-up emotional and physical feelings for Merrykara.
The downside was that Marshall would probably continue to misbehave whenever I was home alone with Merrykara.
I sighed deeply, reflecting that Life was sometimes complicated and that this was one of those lifetimes where one was plunged into the intricacies of relationships on all fronts.
I seemed to be at the heart of many people's emotional turmoil. Not even Habieb was spared. He was probably the worst affected by my relationships with other people. Due to his connection with Lance, he experience Moira's negative feelings as well, for Lance inadvertently shared her feelings through his bond with Habieb.
Brutus arrived with Reif and Drake and we made way for the grown-ups to attend to our friend.
"Take Habieb, go for a ride, check up on the Huracan. Spend the day out but return this evening to our quarters" Brutus ordered.
We did not argue, immediately fetching our saddles from the racks provided for storage, noting that our tack had been cleaned and oiled.
We saddled in silence while Reif struggled with Marshall, trying to bring him around.
As we left the stables to mount outside, we could hear Marshall complaining, then struggling before the familiar noise of expunging followed.
We left them, knowing that Marshall was going to have a bit of a hard time for the next few hours. Reif was not very sympathetic regarding too much drinking. We had witnessed a few cases where he had helped to sober up guards that had over-indulged. It was not a pretty sight.
Riding towards the area where I had felt Moira to be while we were in communication earlier, I tried to link with her, finding her closed.
Habieb had the same reaction from Lance, causing us to speculate that they, too, might be indulging in the act of pro-creation.
Well, so be it. It was Spring and love was in the air, was it not?
Not intruding on our Huracan, we took a leisurely ride along the shores of the lake, releasing the horses when we found a sheltered valley with lush blue-green grass.
We settled down under a tree, looking out across the lake, the Castle pretty as a picture on the shore.
We did not need to chat. We just sat there in harmony, together in our shared friendship, happy and content for a moment.
For the very first time in coming to Leilaka it did not feel as if I had to be somewhere else. For this very moment I was exactly where I was supposed to be. It felt awesome and I soaked up the feeling of the moment, ingraining it into my Cosmic make-up.
This was definitely a feeling to strive for. To be. Content at where you were. Even if it was just for an instant.
Sitting thus, cross-legged in my meditative position, I drank in the tranquillity and the unconditional love and companionship I felt from my friend next to me.
Not intruding on Habieb's thoughts, I did look over at him, seeing him lowering his eyes, as if self-conscious that I had caught him watching me.
It broke the moment and I sighed deeply, knowing that emotions were running deep on all fronts, diverting the attention from where it was supposed to be.
I sat up straight, a feeling of doom settling around me, my aura becoming a dark cloud that enveloped me, shielding me from the absolute love and tranquillity I had felt just a moment before.
Unpleasant work was looming. Destiny was pressing down on me. Cosmic duties needed to be performed.
I stood up, dusting myself. I had work to do and was suddenly in a foul mood.
Habieb stood up as well, unsure of what had just happened, for one moment I was Love itself, the next as Dark as darkness could get.
"Did I offend you?" Habieb asked, taking a few steps away from me, just for in case he was the cause of my change in mood and in serious trouble.
"No, Habieb. Fun and games are over. It is time to continue with real serious issues."
I sighed again before whistling for Windshine to come.
"I had wished this life to just be a bit normal, but timelines do not lean in the direction of indulgence. I guess these three days we had is all we are going to get for the foreseeable future."
"Then you are not angry with us?" he wanted to ascertain and I was not sure what he meant.
"Why would I be angry with you guys?" I enquired.
"Nothing. I was just making sure that your dark mood does not involve something we might have done. That is all."
Ignoring him, I mounted Windshine, riding off before Habieb was ready. He hurried Blueglare to catch up with us and together we rode back to the Castle.
It took two days of intense rehab for Marshall to recuperate from his over-indulgence in strong alcohol and women. Habieb and Drake tended to him while Connor, Brutus and I spent most of our time making preparations to travel to Longhorn.
There were numerous things to think about, lots of plans to put in place, lists of things we were in need of and then getting everything together and everyone organised.
The worst was the unproductive meetings with the Crosshaven Council and King Lancet. It seemed as if they tried to derail our plans around every corner, belittling every suggestion I came up with.
Eventually Connor called a private meeting in our quarters.
"As it does not seem as if we are going to get much support from King Lancet, I suggest that we break into the emergency fund and just go ahead and purchase whatever we need, pack up and leave.
I will ask Master Craig and Captain Brair to make sure that King Lancet adheres to his end of the bargain by sending us some of his troops."
Connor looked at me. "You will be able to relay our instructions to King Lancet through Merrykara?" he wanted to confirm, fully aware of the issues I had with her and the period of abstinence suggested by The Lady of Love. He felt sympathy with me, knowing that it was not the ideal way in starting any marriage.
"It would not be a problem. She is a professional in this regard. She will not compromise her loyalty to me" I assured my men.
"Then you all agree that we get on with our own arrangements?" he asked, scanning over us, meeting every man's eye, holding Marshall's who looked away, ashamed about his behaviour.
"All right, men. Then get to your various duties . . . "
We received some welcome news when Ragghwaart informed us via Dharfien that a few more Huracan Riders had joined them and that they would go into training as soon as they had adjusted to the bonds with their Huracan.
Gladien and his men had returned to Glyden. He had promised to relay my message, allowing anyone with the sign of the Huracan to travel to the Floverne Elfes in order to become Riders if they so wished.
Gladien had assured me that he would make sure that a consignment of volunteer soldiers would meet me at Longhorn before the end of Autumn.
I had the same promise from Elbien, Habieb volunteering to personally remind him before our time ran short.
Braak had insisted on travelling to Fernlands to personally deliver King Lancet's challenge. He would only leave after receiving confirmation that we had arrived at Longhorn.
Everything seemed set and in place to stand against Dronier, should he decide to take me as a serious threat. None of my people really wished to go to war. Everyone hoped that it would not come to that.
Although I felt that we would have a fight, feelings of doubt reigned supreme. I did not have access to lines of possibilities on Leilaka. I felt unsure whether I was making the correct decisions for these people.
Ten days after the wedding, I left Merrykara in Crosshaven. Taking my handful of men, each one leading a heavily laden pack-horse, we started out on our journey to the deserted Castle of Longhorn.
The road was difficult and it took us three weeks of careful riding to reach this abandoned place, nestled securely into the face of a cliff, both protected and dominated by this towering mountain.
As we reached the closed castle gates of Longhorn, Brutus and Connor removed the beam that kept the gates closed to the animal kingdoms, pushing open both heavy wooden doors to allow us entry into this place that would soon serve us as Headquarters.
As we rode through the gates, I had a critical look at Longhorn. She looked puny compared to the other Palaces and Castles I had encountered to date and the building itself did not seem to be able to house that many people. Considering that Longhorn was primarily used as a Hunting Lodge, I wondered if it would be up to its task as a proper fort in a war against Cudrl.
The castle was enclosed by a thick wall with a protected walkway along its full length. This could be reached with ladders that rested against the wall. The only perceivable entrance was the thick wooden gates that were set securely into this wall.
The fort itself was built right into the cliff, three storeys high at the front with the roof being part of an overhang of the cliff itself.
Even if someone should drop rocks from the top, it would not damage the rock building.
There were two large wooden structures with thatch roofs to the one side of the fort. Our source of fresh water consisted of a spring that trickled directly from the cliff face into a deep well-like reservoir right next to the kitchen entrance of the main building.
We stopped the horses in front of one of the wooden buildings. Brutus and Connor inspected it, finding it to be a stable complex in good repair. Orders were given to unsaddle and release the horses so they could start on clearing the inner area of Longhorn of the lush grass that had taken over in the absence of humans.
We unloaded all the gear in the shelter of the stable shed before releasing the horses to their duty of mowing the lawn.
Then we all trooped over to go and inspect Longhorn, entering through the unlocked kitchen door.
A kitchen of ordinary size with all the necessary amenities greeted us. Drake seemed impressed, inspecting the cupboards to find every conceivable luxury in kitchen equipment neatly stacked as if the owners had left the day before.
"Well, this is going to be fun" he told Connor with a happy laugh.
"I am so relieved" Connor replied. "Marshall, start on finding whatever wood is available. Check the storage bins first, they should be full. Then you help Drake get dinner ready. I am starving."
Leaving Marshall and Drake to kitchen duty, we moved along to investigate the rest of Longhorn.
"Have you never been to Longhorn?" I wanted to know from Connor, as it seemed as none of my companions had ever visited here before.
"No, none of us had, although I know that Krish had accompanied his father here a few times" he told me, stopping in the passage to watch me. "Do you not possess memory of these events?" he queried.
Krish's memories were mostly painful reminders of a dreadful life, but if I concentrated, I could filter out the emotional experiences from the physical, practical memories and found that it did become easier with practice.
"I do" I replied excitedly, taking the lead down the gloomy passage.
The first door on our left was a dining hall with low bunks set out around long tables that could probably seat a hundred people.
I opened the dusty drapes that kept the light out from the room, Habieb taking heed, helping to open the other drapes. It did not help much for the lighting as the outside shutters were still closed. We would have to open them up if we want any light to spill into the castle.
A separate table with chairs stood on a raised platform that would give a good view out of the windows. This was the King's table and I remembered Krish's fond memories of the few hunting trips he had been allowed to accompany the King on without the interference of his siblings.
These were happy memories where he had the attention of his father for himself, even if it was only for short periods of time as the King was usually occupied with his other interests.
Turning away from Krish's emotional memories, we continued on our exploration.
The only windows were at the front of the buildings. Ground floor level consisted of the kitchen with a door that led immediately to a huge cold storage area cut right into the mountain.
This was for all the meat that was hunted through the summer and then transported frozen or reworked into dried strips or pickled meat to FernlandsCastle for the winter months.
The Dining Hall was next to the Kitchen.
There was an entryway closed with double doors between the Dining Hall and the next rooms. This was the official entrance to the castle and this area had marble flooring.
The next two rooms took care of accommodation for soldiers, with double bunks, windows providing natural light during daytime, and sufficient personal storage space assuring me that this would provide pleasant lodgings for my men.
A fully equipped infirmary was found beyond a closed door in the corner and Reif seemed satisfied that he would be able to attend to any eventuality that might occur.
Bathing and ablution facilities were on the mountain side, sharing a wall with the kitchen. Then followed a huge exercise or dancing hall, without any natural light as it was excavated into the mountain side.
This whole first floor was built with quarried granite blocks. There were two staircases giving access to the second level. Each one was situated at the ends of the passage, one just after the kitchen and one right across from the infirmary.
The second floor had a large meeting hall. Next to it was a smallish private meeting room that could pass as a drawing or writing room due to the equipment on hand. Opening the last door, we came across a private library, disappointingly, almost totally devoid of books.
There was also an armoury to the mountain side, spanning the whole length of the castle. Connor was excited at this find, but we were disappointed as the weapons it harboured were limited in amount and specialized for hunting. It was impressive though. A separated area, tucked away into a corner, seemed to be a smelter where one could actually forge your own weapons.
There was a chimney connected to the raised hearth area and Connor suggested that, if he had it correct, was probably right above the kitchen chimney and the two would probably be connected.
After superficial investigation, we found a metal plate that closed or opened the vent. It was a clever devise to avoid unnecessary smoke from entering this area. It would not be a problem when there was a fire going here, but it would be a problem when it was not in use.
One thing I did note was that the ventilation in the castle seemed exceptionally good, for the lanterns we had to light in order to inspect the darkened areas burnt well, without leaving any lingering smoky residue.
Inspecting the ceiling, I found that there were air vents every few metres. This must surely lead outside and acted as extractor fans, for it would otherwise have been an ordeal to stay in this castle.
From this level there were three staircases leading to the top floor. Two at the ends of the passage and one in the middle, splitting the armoury in two.
The top floor had proper private living areas and I immediately chose the room in the corner for myself. It had two sets of windows, one looking out over the valley towards Fernlands, the other to the side, facing towards King Lancet's lands. This room did not feel as claustrophobic as the rest of this castle and I would be able to feel comfortable here.
All the rooms had fireplaces with connecting chimneys to take the smoke outside. If not in use, a metal shield could be placed over the entrances, as was currently the case.
Reif took the room next to mine, telling Habieb that he should share with me.
The rest of the people could pick and choose to sleep wherever they wanted to.
Directly across from my room was a staircase cut into the mountain rock that led to a dead end, presumably the start of a fourth level into the mountain.
It had never been completed and the staircase was turned into a separate worshipping area with a huge weaved carpet sporting the coat of arms of King Dameous hanging over the back wall.
There were candles and flint lighters adorning one of the steps. A stack of very dry incense sticks lay next to it.
What concerned me was that Krish was only aware of one entrance to the Castle. As far as his memories could tell me, there was no escape routes from this residence and it could become a death trap in the event of a drawn-out siege. I sincerely hoped we would never find ourselves in such a situation.
After these inspections, we re-grouped in the kitchen, receiving well-deserved mugs of tea from Drake, a small fire merrily burning away in the hearth.
"The wood stocks are quite low" Drake complained.
"There is a lot of work to be done" Connor conceded, sighing, not looking overjoyed at the prospect of cleaning out a Castle. Even a little hovel like this one took time to clean and make functional again.
Help would really be appreciated about now. The odds were stacked against the seven of us and the workload seemed overwhelming.
Through the opened kitchen window we saw the Huracan land on the paved area in front of the Castle, with Moira depositing a whole sheep almost in front of our doorstep.
I left my warm tea, joining her outside, hugging her in thanks for the effort she had gone through in bringing us a few days worth of food all in one go.
**I saw that you had storage space for meat, so decided to bring a whole one instead of only a piece** she smiled at me, the corners of her mouth turning up in the way she had started to mimic and express human emotions.
*Thank you. We are in your debt.*
**Is there anything else we can help out with? I felt you become apprehensive.**
*Tonight we will rest and tomorrow we will start on making this our new home. I think you two can be on wood duty for the fires. Any deadwood will do, except the Blackwood and Yew that are poisonous. We cannot cook with that. Let Lance show you what we need.
I would also appreciate a flight early tomorrow morning to scout the area from an aerial perspective.*
**Sleep well, Han. I will see you tomorrow morning early.**
Habieb had been in communication with Lance, giving him a last stroke before he followed Moira into the air.
Brutus and Marshall had already moved the sheep to a slaughtering area where Drake was waiting for them.
Dusk was settling in around us and Connor went to close the gates. We helped him to place a huge beam across both doors, battling to lift the heavy log, eventually managing to complete our task.
With the castle secured, we did not bother to bring the horses into the stables. They had enough food and we filled a water trough hewn out of rock for them to drink from.
While the others were taking care of the sheep, Habieb and I took the brushes and started grooming all the horses. Just casually walking up to them where they were grazing, cleaning them thoroughly, moving with them when they changed position to reach for a tastier bit of grass.
By the time we had cleaned the last horse it was dark and Connor called us from the kitchen.
Lanterns had been lit and it was a cheerful sight to walk up to the door with the light shining invitingly through the windows.
Our packs had been brought in, as well as all the provisions.
Dinner was almost ready so we proceeded to wash up in a bucket of warm water Drake had placed on a chair.
"We will start on the ablution facility tomorrow" Connor told us in general, knowing that everyone felt better when clean.
"Tonight we will sleep here as I do not trust the beds, not after they had been abandoned for so long. There is an immense load of work to be done here.
Han, we need more help. Tomorrow you are going to have to ask people to start committing to their agreements."
I did not reply verbally, just nodded at him.
We feasted on grilled mutton before turning in. Using our own blankets and our saddles as pillows, we all found sleeping spots in the warm kitchen.
The adults stayed up for a while longer, smoking and talking in hushed tones about what still needed to be done.
I listened to the droning of their voices before the comfort of true sleep claimed my consciousness.
**Han?**
An urgent query into my mind woke me. I opened my eyes to the soft glow of the last of the embers in the hearth.
It was quiet and everyone was sleeping.
There was still darkness outside.
Getting up, I took my boots and jacket, tip-toeing over my companions to join Moira outside.
The door did not creak as I opened it just far enough to slip out, securely closing it behind me.
It was cool this morning and the mountains to the East barely showed a discoloration of day arriving. Overhead, the stars were shining so brightly that it felt as if one could reach out and pluck them like ripe fruits.
After donning my jacket and securely tying my boots, I mounted Moira and she took to the starlit sky.
Blending with her, I inspected the route towards the BlytheValley. BlytheValley was actually the name of the ancient road that had been built along the edges of several valleys.
It led along magnificent views of deep gorges and ran along the edges of some nasty cliffs dropping down into a waterway. This road eventually levelled out as you reached the FernlandsValley. From there it was another two or three day's ride by horse to reach FernlandsCastle.
We did not enter the FernlandsValley, turning back along our route to overshoot Longhorn as the day broke over this area.
We continued on, flying in the direction of Elfs Wood. After passing over more mountains, we reached the chasms that I had heard tell of but now saw for myself for the first time.
Asking Moira to take me down to them as the light increased, she set me down near the edge of one of these very deep chasms. It looked as if the earth itself had been scored by gigantic earth working equipment and, on inspection, it really did seem as if huge blocks of granite rock might have been removed in whole sections.
This did not seem to have been a naturally occurring event and I wondered briefly if this was also part of Leilaka's ancient history.
Knowing that my people would panic if I was not near when they woke up, I asked Moira to return to Longhorn.
The top of the cliff directly above Longhorn ended in a very steep and jagged raised ridge, stopping anyone from being able to climb over, preventing any attack to the Castle from above.
Hovering above this area, Moira informed me that most of the protruding rock here was obsidian, therefore the strange, spiky appearance from our vantage point.
At some point in time this had been the site of a volcanic eruption, leaving this specific area useless and extremely hard to negotiate.
She warned me that the protrusions were as sharp as flintstone and would cut to shreds any flesh that touched it.
There were not many protrusions on the cliffs above Longhorn, not even enough space for an eagle to nest.
With peace of mind that it was nearly impossible to be ambushed from above, Moira flew me over towards the Castle itself.
Upon our arrival back at the Castle, I found my people to be already up, attending to their morning duties, not perturbed as to where we had been off to.
**I told Lance that I was flying you around this morning** Moira explained to me and I briefly hugged her before joining my companions to start with the really hard work of cleaning this place out.
On Connor's request, I contacted Samual to ask for physical assistance from Gladien as we needed a few more helping hands in cleaning this place. Samual replied that he and Greava would be able to bring at least two more Elfes to help out with the manual work.
Habieb had agreed to fly Lance to his father's lands to secure some men from there. This mission might take some time as he would have to return with the men by horseback.
Upon this announcement, Brutus agreed to leave with Habieb in order for him to guide the men here, opening up Lance for more urgent duties.
While discussing this over a meagre breakfast, the Huracan had already begun their duties, arriving with deadwood clutched in their claws, dropping it at the designated area without touching down.
It was organised that everyone would share equally in the workload as this would allow all to receive the different exercise each separate task required, giving all of us a decent workout without having to schedule any formal training sessions.
Connor asked me after breakfast to assist him and Reif with the bathing chamber and ablution facility. There seemed to be a problem with the plumbing and, as I was considered to be an Ancient that might have knowledge of how these systems worked, perhaps we could get the antique plumbing working again.
I laughed at this. It was no fun doing plumbing. I should know. I had unclogged numerous ancient facilities in my previous life as Han Storm, tracing water lines, drains and sewerage systems to the point of boredom. At least most of the underground facilities worked approximately the same, but some did not and I was not sure how old this castle was or what systems it used.
Upon reaching the bathing chamber, I found it to be similar in layout to that used by the Elfes, with raised wooden tubs standing in the middle, cordoned off with latticed screens for privacy. Cauldrons were placed against the kitchen wall, sharing the same chimney. Then it dawned on me that I did not have any idea where the chimney led to for the smoke of our fire did not emerge outside anywhere that we could see.
Something kept on bothering me, seeking my attention but I could not just yet place a finger or thought on it.
Against the back wall were several private ablution stalls with proper raised toilets that actually had wooden seats!
This was quite a find for me as this was the first proper toilets I had come across in this world with its dominantly pit, pot or longdrop systems.
Looking down one of the toilets I could see that there was a simple water-channel used to take the waste-products away. There should be a faucet somewhere that needed to be opened for water to constantly run through the channel.
After explaining my findings and what I was looking for, Reif seemed impressed by the simplicity and cleanliness of the system.
I told him that this was great for such an ancient place, but my concern was for where the system terminated.
While Connor and Reif hunted for the running water system, I went outside in search of the sewerage outlet.
It did not seem to be inside the Castle walls and I asked Marshall and Brutus that had started on wood chopping, to assist me in taking down the beam that kept the gates secured.
Drake and Habieb were freshening out the bedding so that we could have a decent rest in beds tonight.
Having noted the angle and direction of the channel, I walked around the outside to the Eastern face of the wall that faced Crosshaven.
With the Summer growth of deep blue-green grass, one could not really discern if there was an outlet anywhere. This Castle had not been used for more than two years, so no moisture or smell could indicate the location of the outlet.
Asking Moira to blend with me, I had to wait a few moments for her to first land before continuing with the blend.
Sharing Moira's Huracan sight I found what I was looking for - a proper septic tank with an overflow into a rock-filled trench making for a wide seepage area.
This was advanced technology, as the tank was larger than most I had ever come across and seemed to have also been constructed from solid granite.
It had a hatched outlet at two areas and I thought to myself that we would have to inspect those lids in case it had rusted, posing the danger of a horse falling through.
Satisfied with my inspection, I returned to Connor and Reif that had found where the water could be opened. The baths also drained directly into the ablution system, so every time a bath was emptied the drain received a proper flush of water at the same time.
Not bad for a medieval world.
As we stepped out of the bathing chamber I noted what had been bothering me.
The granite from which the passage and the area inside the mountain had been excavated from, differed in texture to the blocks used in the construction of the rooms facing the valley. It was not noticeable immediately, but it seemed as if the area facing into the mountain had been around much longer than the more recently constructed front-facing rooms.
This seemed weird, causing me to pause in my stride. Connor stopped to ask me what was amiss.
"Do you know the history of Longhorn?" I enquired from him.
"No, but Drake might be able to assist you with any questions" he suggested.
We joined the men outside where I found Drake beating out a mattress. It was made from canvas stuffed with dry pine-type needles, still smelling fresh and acting as a natural deterrent for insects. It was just a bit dusty from the long period of disuse.
I selected a straight hardwood branch from the pile of deadwood the Huracan had piled up. Armed with this staff, I started to beat the mattress Drake was busy with. We worked in turns, getting a good rhythm going.
When done, flushed and breathing hard, I asked him if he knew anything about Longhorn's history.
To my disappointment, he also had no answers for me and I had to leave it at that. Maybe I would get more answers from Jamal, although I had not come across any information regarding this castle in any of the Archives I had studied of Leilaka.
It was a long busy day which ended in luxurious baths for all of us. Being clean really made one appreciate the finer things in life and I thought that I probably enjoyed these privileges more than my companions, seeing that I came from a world where amenities were simply accepted as a given.
Leilaka had brought me back to earth, back to the very roots from which civilisation had emerged from. The only difference I had found between my previous life and what I had found here on Leilaka was in the physical level of comfort.
Back in my Universe of Kraita, everything seemed easy to come by, mostly purchased at the click of a button on a computer.
Here you had to plan ahead to make sure you had the basic survival material at hand.
The human species had not changed at all. In that department everything was unchanged. People stayed people, no matter how advanced they became or how primitive they might seem.
Turning in right after dinner we slept like logs in our freshened out beds until raised by Moira the following morning.
We had overslept as daylight was already strong. I woke Connor who in turn woke the rest of the team.
Noisy squawks and voices could be heard outside and we hurried to dress, seeing that Samual and Greava had arrived. They had flown through the night to be able to get here as soon as possible.
We greeted each other with enthusiasm, taking turns to hug both friends. I briefly greeted Strongclaw that had joined Greava on this adventure.
Two Elfen volunteers had accompanied them. Grateful for the help they could offer, these men we greeted by hand.
Both were familiar with the language of man and spoke it fluently.
With the new arrivals to lend a hand we could really start planning and it was decided that Samual and Habieb would leave with Brutus the very next day to collect the men from Elbien.
Taking a few minutes to focus, I linked telepathically with Dharfien, inquiring how far the training had advanced with the new Riders. He informed me that training was progressing superbly; to such an extent that Ragghwaart was planning on leaving soon to bring the four pairs of Riders and Huracan showing the best rapport.
Arrangements seemed on track and we spent the rest of the day assisting Habieb, Samual and Brutus to prepare for the journey to the Karan desert the next day.
The next morning Greava was sad to see Samual leave. Coming to stand next to me, she took my hand in hers as the two Huracan disappeared over the mountains.
I felt regret that I could not join Habieb in this adventure, but he had reminded me that I needed to stay at Longhorn in order to act as the leader for these people. They would not go ahead without my say-so.
"They will be back in a few days and I can communicate with them should anything be amiss" I consoled not only Greava, but myself as well.
Strongclaw volunteered to serve as sentry while we were short on people, allowing us to leave the gates open so the horses could come and go as they pleased. We would eventually have to build paddocks to keep them contained when more people arrived, but it was not a problem at the moment.
Greava and the two Elfes settled down to their tasks and the fort started to become a properly functional home.
A week later Ragghwaart and the other Riders arrived, heavily laden with more Elfen volunteers and extra weapons. To my surprise, these were Floverne volunteers. I even recognised some of them as people I had trained horses with.
They seemed to find it an honour to share my adventure and to do battle next to me. We shook hands while I voiced my appreciation of their presence.
And so the influx of people began. It took a lot of mental input to organise large groups of people into functional units. I burned the candles late into the following nights while planning with Connor and Reif so that everything would run smoothly.
When Habieb and Samual returned, it was the turn of the Glyden volunteers to be collected. Of course the first two to volunteer were our old friends Raico and Judya! The rest were Elfes that I had trained in the special fighting skills through the winter. Elfs Wood was a days' flight away, so every few days we spent two days to collect more men until we had brought everyone that had volunteered to help us out.
A month passed before Brutus arrived with the Bedien cavalry. Language had been a bit of a hindrance which Brutus had solved by learning the Bedien language instead to trying to teach them to communicate with him in common Leilakan.
Marshall then arranged to teach all those who wished to learn common Leilakan, giving lessons that were held every evening after dinner.
One morning Strongclaw woke us urgently, stating that there were men at the gate.
As it had now become custom to close the gates at night, Connor climbed the ladder to the top of the wall to see what these men wanted. To our utter surprise we found these men to be a group of defectors from Dronier's lands.
"We came to serve the rightful King" their leader announced and, after careful scrutiny, they were allowed into our home.
Summer was long gone and Autumn was advanced. Our stores were full with frozen meat hunted in the area. Grains purchased from Crosshaven and Eindstead were stored in the cellar we had found under the kitchen. One shed was packed with hay we had made ourselves. At least we would be able to feed all these people and animals.
I had given Merrykara the message that we were prepared to face Dronier. All we still needed were the troops her father had promised.
She told me that they had been sent for from the Western Borders and should meet up with us before the start of Winter.
With this boost of people, I felt sure we would be able to ward off an attack from Dronier.
Not trusting King Lancet, I nevertheless asked Ragghwaart to take Raman and meet Master Craig halfway. We really needed those troops.
I also spoke to Dharfien again, advising him to ask Ishmay to send an emissary to the King of Gobajia to see if he would not reconsider to send us some men.
With all our planning completed there was nothing more to do but train to work as a unit and wait for Dronier to make up his mind.
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Han Storm: The Chronicles of Han, Leilaka. Copyright © H Gibson 2013-2020
ISBN: 978-0-9921928-7-7
For more free reads or to purchase the complete book visit www.chroniclesofhan.com
Creata Adventure: Published - Preserving Creata; Reclaiming Duback; Taming Encha; Sovereign Dōhr; Negotiating Limïer; Opening Almeria; Soon to come - Engaging Chlophilia; Managing Solerno
Leilaka Adventure: Published - Leilaka; Saving Leilaka; Soon to come - Recounting Leilaka; Return to Leilaka
Other Books: Behind the Scenes Blog Booklet, Living a Multidimensional Life (Autobiography)