Chapter Fourteen #3
“Not by ordinary means, no,” he said. “As I said, I am Weysa’s champion. I am immortal so that I may do her bidding in this world. Now will you consider my request?”
“Most readily,” the empress said, still sounding very impressed.
“I dare not incur the wrath of such a powerful goddess. But I feel I must warn you. As ocean dwelling people, we are loyal to Diathus. I cannot see many of us going to a temple for Weysa. Although, perhaps we would be wise to since the hand of the goddess herself has come to beg prayer from us.”
“I only ask that you raise five temples in her name. Whether they are prayed at is a matter left to your people.”
“Five! I will raise two and no more. We do not wish to anger Diathus, after all. If her people were to turn on her …”
“I do not expect you to turn on your patron goddess. Believe me, if there is one thing I understand, it is what it feels like to know the wrath of the gods. I only hope that you will broaden your prayers … to spare some thought to Weysa. Three temples in her name. Three and Weysa will be satisfied,”
The empress thought on it a moment, then conceded with a nod of her head. “Three temples. This is ail you ask? How am I to know you won’t come back and ask for more later? Or ask for other things?”
“I speak for my goddess. If we agree on three, then three will be all Weysa asks. And there is nothing else I want from you or your people.”
“So you say.” She narrowed her eyes on him for a long moment. “Very well. I will agree to your temples. However, we cannot start work on them immediately. There are more pressing concerns at the moment.”
“I will be satisfied with your promise of the future. Let us say that construction will begin before the next full moon?”
She thought on this a moment as well. “Very well.” She raised her chin and called out in a high-pitched sound that cut through the water.
An instant later a man hurried up to her and bowed his head. “Yes, Great Majesty, what can your humble servant do for you?” he asked.
“You will see to it that three temples are raised in the name of the goddess Weysa. They do not need to be too large or too prominent, but I wish them to be where the people can see them as they pass. One in the upper caves, one in the lower caves, and one on the path to my palace.” She raised a brow at Jaykun. “Will this suffice?”
“Yes, Majesty. It is exactly what I would have asked for. You are thoughtful and generous.”
“I am not in a position to anger the goddess of conflict,” she said grimly. “The gods know I have enough of it here.”
“Trouble, Majesty?” Jaykun asked.
“Always trouble. I have a room full of courtiers plotting my downfall or their own advancement at every turn, and I have those who don’t attend me at all because they do not respect my rule.
And that is to say nothing of my kingdom’s outside enemies.
” She eyed him a moment. “You rule many cities. Perhaps you have some insight that can help me to manage the unruly beings that surround me.”
“Perhaps I do. I will be here until the next full moon, Majesty. You may avail yourself of me and any advice I can impart to you at any time you choose.”
She narrowed her eyes and considered him.
Then she smiled. “Come. I would talk with you awhile.” She turned her back on the room and swam away, down a corridor.
People Jaykun could only assume were servants quickly moved out of her way and made obeisance to her.
She didn’t seem to notice them as she led Jaykun and Jileana to a room deeper within the castle.
Once there, she pulled two combs from her hair and let the mass of it float free.
She sighed in contentment as she scrubbed her fingers through it.
It was a rich red color, deep and dark, and Jaykun imagined it would have coppery highlights in the sunshine.
She was a fit woman, like most he had seen, with small breasts and strong legs.
He didn’t think she was pretty—that was too girlish a thought.
She was handsome and serious, but she was not old.
She looked as youthful as Jileana did, but her air was one of much deeper maturity.
She turned to look at Jileana and Jaykun. “There are two things plaguing my reign at the moment. Well, two major things. There are dozens of little things as well, I assure you.”
“Something I know very well,” Jaykun said with a smile of sympathy.
“The first is Horgon. He is a selkie of great influence and power amongst my people. There are even those who believe he should be emperor. Little plots are constantly at work toward that endeavor. It is never ending.”
“Does he have a claim to your throne?”
“He does. He is my cousin and next in line to inherit if I do not bear any children. He commands a great deal of respect and favoritism amongst my people. There is probably a plot to put him on the throne as we speak.” The empress clenched one hand tightly in the other for a moment, her temper and stress at her words clearly reaching a high point.
“He even has loyalties from amongst my standing army. Jileana, I know your father is loyal to me, but I would not put it past Horgon to take troops from under your father’s purview and turn them against their own kind in a civil war simply to put himself on my throne.
Sometimes I think to-myself … just let him have it.
If it means keeping brother from killing brother, simply give in and let him have the throne. ”
“And why don’t you?” Jaykun asked.
Her eyes flashed with anger. “Because he is a cruel and sadistic bastard. If he had that much power, he would subjugate and ill-use every person within his reach. The people would suffer … whether they realize it or not. Those who are loyal to me understand what the alternative is truly like. But there are those who know of his cruelty and still wish for him to rule because they think he is stronger than I, think he could better stand up to our enemies. Which brings me to the second issue that plagues me and my people.”
“One particular outside enemy?” Jaykun asked.
“Yes. The sirens.”
“Sirens?”
“They are sea creatures like us,” Jileana explained, “only they live more like humans in the Overworld do. They eat fish like we do but also hunt animals on the island and cook them for their sustenance. They live in huts along the beach on the other side of the island.”
“They own the other half of this island. There is a very distinct border, one that was agreed upon many years ago by our forefathers,” the empress said.
“Lately there have been instances where hunting parties have been found on our side of the border and skirmishes have broken out between them and my guards. My guards are posted along the border, you see. They cannot cover every inch of it every minute of the day—there simply aren’t enough of them—and the sirens look for weak spots and plan incursions.
The siren roja, their leader, claims they are just hunting parties who have gone astray, but I believe they are testing my borders for a darker reason.
I have an ambassador and aides in her court and she has hers in mine.
‘Ambassador’ and ‘aides’ being the kind words for spies.
They know of the trouble I am faced with because of Horgon, and I feel certain they are simply waiting for the opportunity to strike us when we are weakest. They want to oust the selkies from this half of the island. I am sure of it.”
“Why do they want to do that when you have enjoyed peaceful borders for so long?”
“The hunting on their side of the island has grown scarce,” Jileana explained. “I suppose the wild boar and deer and smaller animals know where they are safest. Our side of the island is rich with the meat they desire.”
“So it’s resources they want.”
“They do indeed.”
“So why not let them hunt on your side of the island?” Jaykun asked.
“It’s not as though they are going to stay and take it over.
You don’t use the meat from the animals very often, as I understand it.
Let them have controlled hunting parties.
Have them put together a hunting party and have selkie soldiers accompany them on their hunts.
If you do this, they get what they need and it keeps the peace between you,” Jaykun said.
“They won’t need to take the resources they are freely given.
At the end of the hunt the party is escorted back to its side of the island and that is the end of it. ”
“Why … I …” the empress said with some reluctance. “In truth, I never thought of such a thing. We’ve always been so militant about protecting our borders. It’s what we’ve always done. But as you say, if I give them what they want … then there is nothing for them to take by force.”
“Exactly.”
“They still want the entire island to themselves,” the empress said with a frown.
“The sirens and the selkies have never cared much for one another. There is much hostility there. It will be very hard for hunting parties to get along. I shall have to choose tolerant guards. Those with slow tempers … those who can take insult and abuse without losing their tempers. I am sure the sirens will be very provocative at first.”
“Especially if they have no love for the selkies,” Jaykun said. “They will not like being controlled in the hunt, but over time they will get used to the way things must be done. Or so one would hope.”
“This is remarkable,” the empress said. “Only ten minutes in your company and already you have been more useful to me than my entire cadre of advisors has been for months. But I still fear giving them this concession. I feel if I give them a little they will want to take much more. This is why the hunts must be controlled.”