The Black Sword Trilogy: The Four Nations (17 page)

             
“Would I be in trouble if I said yes?”

             
“Of course not.  I know what the history books say.  Faraday made three men and one woman rulers of this continent and for five hundred years, it’s been sort of expected by most that it stay that way.  But I don’t remember Faraday creating any law that said that it had to.”

Kenner thought there was something curious about the way she said “Continent” instead of “World”.  A voice from the back of the room then spoke up.

              “The Sacred Chronicles of the Lady say that the head of no woman should be higher than any man’s.”

Everyone turned to look.  An older, large man wearing a solid, black suit and having long, white hair stepped out from behind a chair and stood facing directly opposite the Admiral. 
Kenner and Terri both noticed a tension build around the room.

             
“It’s a good thing I’m short, then isn’t it?” Janna answered him.

The men and women began to laugh again, but the older man interrupted them.

              “This is no laughing matter, Madam.  Your rule here is an affront to the Holy Scriptures and the will of the Lady.  You bring shame upon this realm and tempt the wrath of the spirits.  I implore you again as I have many times before to step down and give the Spear to a man before it is too late.”

             
“Well, you certainly don’t waste any time, do you Tulles?” She asked the man.

             
“Madam, I speak only for the good of this…”

             
“Kenner and Terri,” Janna interrupted him, “Allow me to introduce Captain Tulles; one of the more opinionated members of The Council of Captains.”

             
“You can ignore me as much as you want, Madam, but the fact remains…”

             
“The fact remains that we have guests,” Edum said angrily and cutting him off.  “And this is not the Council floor.”

The old man then made a dramatic gesture of raising his ar
m toward Kenner as if pleading with him.

             
“My Lord, Kenner,” He began to say.  “As the Great Lady has blessed you with the Black Sword, surely you are here to set right the wrongs of this nation.”  He then dropped to his knees.  “Oh ye who bares the holiest of relics of The Lady, I pray you have mercy on us poor sinners.”

Kenner couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

              “I know you’re not talking to me.” He said incredulously.

Still on his knees, Tulles extended his hands toward Kenner as if praying directly to
him.

             
“I know it is your holy mission to strike down the wicked who have defiled the sacred laws of the Lady, but I beg you.  Spare the faithful subjects of The Lady who have kept her commandments.  Use your wisdom to choose a worthy hand to bear the Holy Spear and lead our nation in this time of strife.”

             
Nearly paralyzed with disbelief, Kenner looked around at a room where all eyes seemed to be set on him; all except Edum who’s head was bowed, his eyes closed and he was gently rubbing his forehead as if in pain.  Looking at Janna, Kenner saw an expression that seemed to be saying, “Well?”  Terri, of course was fighting back laughter.

             
“I think the Spear’s in pretty good hands at the moment.” Kenner finally said.

             
“There!” Janna yelped.  “That’s settled.  The bearer of the Black Sword has spoken.”

She then tapped the Spear and two guards came in and tried to help Tulles to his feet.

              “But my gracious Lord!” Tulles pleaded with Kenner, “You are the answer to our prayers.  You have come to bring righteousness to a corrupt and decadent realm.”

             
“No I haven’t.” Kenner answered him.

             
“It’s time for you to leave now.” Janna said to Tulles.  “If you don’t go of your own free will, I’m going to have to have these nice gentlemen drag you out…again.”

             
“But my Lord…”

T
he two guards put their hands under the old man’s shoulders, but he wrestled away from them and leapt at Kenner’s feet.  He grabbed Kenner’s ankles and began kissing his boots.  The guards pulled him off of Kenner, pulled Tulles to his feet and then hurried him out of the room.

             
“Please tell me you arranged that for our entertainment.” Kenner said, still bewildered.

He then looked over at Shela who seemed to be saying with her eyes and face, “What just happened?”

              “I wish I could say I did.” Janna sighed.

             
“I don’t know why you tolerate him.” Edum said to Janna, still rubbing his forehead.

             
“Because he’s still a member of the Council and therefore entitled to speak his mind; until he gets on my nerves, that is.”

             
“That’s the problem with you liberals.  You’re far too tolerant.”

             
“And you conservatives have no sense of humor.”

             
After that, the Admiral and her entourage took Kenner and Terri on a brief tour of the palace.  There were long hallways with large windows, like they had seen leading to the library they had just left opposite walls that were filled with brightly colored paintings of animals, dramatic scenes with ships at sea; Kenner recognized Kallesh in one painting and even one depicting a boat going down a river with its banks flanked by black trees.  There were statues of men and women in stone and bronze; plants and flowers; there were even tables upon which sat fruit, dried meats, cheeses and glasses of wine that Janna and others would occasionally pick from as they passed by.  All of this was lit by the bright sunshine flooding the corridors.

             
Down another corridor and opposite the windows were paintings of men and women (mostly men) in grand dramatic poses and all wearing similar military uniforms as Janna.

             
“This is the hall of the Admirals.” She said proudly.  “Every man and woman who has ever sat at the head of the Admiral’s Table is set here for eternity.  While their bodies turn to dust, their images remain just as handsome and beautiful as the days that they ruled…except this one,” She said pointing at one.  “This one’s ugly as sin.”

             
The floors of every corridor were the same marble and all polished almost to look almost like glass.  Men and women in uniform stood at intervals of about every twenty feet of the corridors and all snapped to attention as the processes passed in front of them.

             
“Couldn’t help but notice that you seem to have women in your military, as well as men.” Terri observed.

             
“Oh absolutely,” Janna answered.  “We deny no one the privilege of serving their country.”

             
“Though never in positions that might directly endanger their lives.” Edum added as if a reminder.

             
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Terri questioned.  There was something about the way Edum said it that she wasn’t comfortable with.

             
“Edum is still of the belief that women should be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen.” Janna said with a grin.

             
“You know that’s not true, Madam.  My wife is a serving officer in the fleet.”

             
“Her position is in administration and she’s never served on a ship.”

             
“That’s so she can be mother to our children, Madam.  There is no higher calling for any woman.”

             
“If Edum had his way,” Janna said to Terri, “No woman would ever step foot on a ship.”

             
“Every woman that dies at sea means more children that won’t be born.”

             
“And men, of course have nothing to do with the birth of children?” Terri asked him sarcastically.

             
“The soil brought forth women to bring forth children.” Edum answered.

             
“Now you’re starting to sound like Tulles.” Janna teased.

             
“He’s not completely wrong, Madam.  He simply takes his theology a bit too far.”

             
“So should women stay at home and only be wives and mothers?” Terri pressed him.

             
“It is a higher calling that we men are not worthy.” He answered.  “The fact that they can fulfill other destinies only continues to prove that women are blessed above men.”

Janna giggled and whispered in Terri’s ear, “He’s probably been rehearsing that one for years.”

              After the tour, Kenner and Terri were shown to their own rooms in the palace, as Janna supposed that they were probably tired from their journey.  When Kenner walked through the doors of his own room, he couldn’t believe that a room that size was meant for only one person.  The room alone was twice the size of his little house in the hills.  The floor was covered in the same red velvet as the library.  There were plush chairs located around the room and an enormous four-poster bed in the center that Kenner guessed could fit an entire family.  Covering the bed was a scarlet blanket with the golden chalice emblem in the center.  Draped across the blanket was a robe and pants that appeared to be made of the same thin and shiny material as the dresses he saw earlier; which were also red.  The posts which rose to a ceiling at least 20 feet high were also draped with curtains of the same color.

             
The posts and headboard of the bed were of a rich, dark wood, but not quite the black of Blackwood.  The headboard had a carving of a spear and battle axe crossed as if in battle and all of the wood had a soft sheen.  Built into the far right wall of the room was a large fireplace with soft, warm flames flickering.  Its light danced off of the headboard and posts of the bed.  Leading from the bed to the fireplace was a rug with an image of a ship embroidered into it.  Kenner also noticed that his belongings, including his black armor had been brought into the room.  As she strolled into the room and sniffed around, even Shela looked smaller in the huge room.

             
On the opposite end of the room as the fireplace were two glass doors that Kenner thought to be large enough for Shela and her kittens to easily pass through.  The doors were open and Kenner saw that a balcony of a stone floor and iron bars lay just beyond them.  There was a table and chairs appearing to wait on him with food, glasses and a bottle of wine that looked to have just been set.  He picked up one of the glasses, which was as light as a feather and upon closer examination seemed to be made of very thin crystal.  He lightly tapped on it and it made a clear, yet light ringing sound, not unlike the Sword being drawn.

             
The balcony overlooked a large, open courtyard that looked almost the size of his village.  In the waning light, he saw in the courtyard perfectly square patches of neatly kept green grass and a fountain, like a much smaller version of the fountain and pool at Kallesh in the center.  Surrounding the courtyard were the windows and balconies of other rooms and to his mild surprise, some of them were larger even than his.  They all had soft firelight coming from within, but in the corner of his eye, he thought he caught a glimpse of blue light from inside one room.  He turned his head to look, but couldn’t see it anymore.  Looking to where he thought the light had come from, he saw a thick curtain waving.

             
“Great Lady, look at the size of this room!” Kenner heard Terri exclaim.

He went back inside and the first thing he saw was Shela laid across the enormous bed.

              “I think, this time we can share.” He said to her.

The Ladies of the Woods

             
Not much is known of the early history of the nation known as The Blackwoods.  For centuries it existed only as a legend of a land west of the seemingly impenetrable forests of the hills marking the border of Walechia.  Travelers spoke of huge black trees that were impossible to fell.  These trees were rumored to be able to whisper to each other and even move of their own accord.  Travelers spoke of the trees watching them and the creatures within these forests having minds and wills of their own like people.  However, these strange tales were dismissed as mere stories.  Although most people were convinced that such stories were fantasy, curiosity remained about the mysterious land hidden deep within the woods.