The Bretwalda (The Casere Book 4) (22 page)

~oo0oo~

Aga was gone well before dawn and Conn did get a few hours of sleep before seeking out the baths and then breakfast. Logistics had taken over the kitchen in the barracks and he found Derryth nursing a coffee, his third.

Soon after he arrived, they were joined by Farrun and Eldarr, and to their surprise the Aebeling himself.

‘I hear that you have something called coffee. Larena said I should try it. Also something called sugar cane juice. And something called pancakes.’

They watched him eat several servings before they talked.

‘So,’ he started, ‘What is the cost of my demesne back. Other than my head if your rebellion doesn’t work.’

‘Nothing you can’t afford, Sigkarl. But first, are there any other of your Jarl that are harbouring folgere or Axum wiga?’

He thought for a moment. ‘No. When the Jarl of Sipan was invaded, we gathered all the extra wiga from the neighbouring demesne to sort out the problem. Once they arrived here, we sent them by ship to Sipan, no one else had any. The head folgere, Wilgurl, the one you killed first, had been very confused. He was expecting replacement troops from Olbia but they didn’t arrive when expected – and when the messenger he sent didn’t return, he was getting very agitated. Nothing was how it should have been. It was strange because the only ship that arrived from anywhere except our fishing boats was the ship from Sipan which struck me as unusual. He was worried enough to keep a large force of wiga here to protect himself. This summer has been unusual to say the least – and now you are here. Mystery solved.’

‘That being the case, you should invite your Jarls to celebrate the proclamation of Eldarr as Aebeling and yourself as Healdend. First I need to find the cirice. Do you know where it is?’

He thought for a moment. ‘Does it have an altar of some kind?’ When Conn nodded he continued. ‘There is a place in the corner of the castle – in the basement. It has a large piece of stone there -- huge. It was also my hidey hole – I knew that the folgere never looked for me there.’ He smiled reflectively. ‘Many a young boy, and even sometimes a girl, found pleasure at my hands down there.’ He stood up. ‘Come, I’ll show you where it is.’

As they walked into the donjon, they were joined by Larena and she followed them down the stairs to the basement and through a myriad of room until they found the cirice. It wasn’t even walled up – though the altar had been moved to the side.

Larena looked around the room and looked at the Aebeling in surprise. ‘I remember this room. You brought me here for my “lessons”. I was fifteen.’

‘I remember well – I wasn’t going to let that bastard folgere have his way with you. He was very disappointed you were no longer pure.’ As if it was nothing, he turned back to Conn. ‘So what do you want done here?’

‘A lot. But I’m still very confused.’

Over the next few days, the room was cleaned, the windows reopened by removing the outside buildings and the altar returned to the centre of the room. All the while Conn looked for signs of the final resting place of the folgere. In frustration, Conn sat and opened his mind fully to Ishtar – there was nothing. There was no sadness, no pain, and there was no explanation.

At lunch, he explained the problem to Derryth and Wilric.

‘Everywhere else the folgere had been gathered together and boarded in and left to die. But there is no evidence of that happening here. Did they run – or were they just killed?’

‘You said that Ishtar was too strong to let anyone kill her acolytes. Perhaps Makuria was the last place that was subjugated? With all her folgere gone, they were able to kill them without reprisal?’

They searched out Sigkarl and asked him what he knew of the conquest. He told them that Makuria was indeed the last that Geirfrith subjugated because of the terrain.

‘Not that he did one at a time – he had fyrds in all the islands engaging the Healdends because he knew that united they were more dangerous to him than apart. You know, it took five years for him to conquer the Southern Isles, and lots of battles, but just one year for his brother to order his assassination. Envy is a cruel master – makes us do things that we later regret.’

‘But this was the last place his folgere visited to banish Ishtar?’

‘I presume so – our history teachers tell us nothing of Ishtar.’

Conn pondered for a moment. ‘There is one explanation. A strange one but plausible. Aebeling, I need your assistance to determine if it is right or wrong.’

‘Whatever you need.’

Later, Sigkarl had his town crier wander the streets of Makurai-jo asking that all former female wiga assemble in the bailey that afternoon. He had a request of them. All current ones were ordered to attend by the Folctoga.

By mid-afternoon, over a hundred women of various ages waited in the bailey. Sigkarl invited them into the great hall, and Conn stood at the door as they entered. They smiled and bowed to him as they passed. One stopped. She was dressed as a servant.

‘Hello Eaorl – or at least it was Eaorl when we last met. I hear that you are in fact the Marquis of Kerch. Do you remember me; my name is Alkia.’

Conn looked at the striking middle aged woman for a moment. ‘Alkia … of course, Alkia il Makuria; you were briefly my captive in Rakiak. That is some time ago. The folctoga – Torvarr – took you as his second after Kutidi surrendered to me.’

‘Yes, you remember well. He sold me when we got back – despite me doing everything he wanted. He hated that you stole Kutidi from him.’ She looked around. ‘She is not here. Is she still alive?’

‘She is fine – she is the bedda of the Jarl of Aeaea – I sold her.’

She was surprised. ‘Against her will?

‘No. I would never do that. It is what she wanted.’

‘I am happy. I loved Kutidi. Until later then.’

She moved into the hall and they all sat on the ground. Conn moved to the front of the hall beside the Aebeling. Behind them were Farrun and Derryth.

Sigkarl did the introductions, and explained that the Marquis of Kerch needed their help.

Conn decided to start with a history lesson, and he told them of what he had found in Saba and Himyar when he looked for the cirice of Ishtar, and that there was nothing in Makurai to indicate what the fate of the folgere were. He then got out a white haligdom. It was the largest one he had. It had been in his mother’s collection. It was at the end of a chain. He let it swing from side to side and continued to speak, softly and slowly. The women’s eyes were transfixed on the haligdom.

‘So, it is my theory that Ishtar banished her folgere herself – before Makurai-jo fell to the Axum. She sent them away and they disappeared amongst her people and have been hiding for three hundred years. So where would she hide those called to be folgere? Perhaps Ishtar would have hidden her chosen as wiga because they could still serve her in the debaucheries of being a second to an Axum wiga.’

He paused to look at their faces. Most seemed oblivious to anything around them. He continued. ‘Amongst you are those that feel that call – still. It is strong. You see yourself reflected in the haligdom. You feel the heat of passion, of sacrifice, of devotion. I want you to stay seated. Those who don’t, I would like you to quietly stand and leave. When you get outside and feel the sun on your face, you will forget that you saw the haligdom. You may move now.’

Quietly women of all ages got up and moved; leaving the hall behind and going home. Soon there were just five girls still sitting. One of them was Alkia. Conn broke the trance. ‘When I count to five, you will come back to the present. One, two, three, four, five.’

Five very startled women found themselves all alone in the room, and all a little flushed. Alkia was the one that first spoke.

‘Marquis – what happened to us? Where has everyone gone?’

‘You were in what is called a hypnotic trance. I asked Ishtar to help me find her folgere.’

‘Ishtar speaks to you?’

‘Alas no. But she has other ways.’

Still confused, she looked at the women who stood beside her. A couple were serving wiga; others were older. ‘And what makes you think we are folgere?’

‘At the moment it is just a guess. Come with me.’

He led the five very curious women down through the donjon to the newly renovated cirice. Unlike Meshech, there were no carved naked idols but cleaning had revealed that the walls had been painted with elaborate pictures – mostly naked – that seemed to show the story of the Gyden. Here they were old and faded, but Conn would have sworn that the colours seemed to brighten as soon as the women entered the room.

Conn looked into his pouch and selected one of the dozen or so white haligdoms he had collected so far from Saba and Himyar. As it came out into the room; it flared and the ten women gasped – almost a sexual gasp – as if they had been touched intimately for the first time. Alkia even took a step backwards. Conn walked up to her and held out the pendant. He indicated to Farrun as he spoke.

‘This, I think, is for you.’

Her hands now trembling, she clasped them around the haligdom and promptly fainted. Farrun caught her and laid her on one of the bunks that had been prepared in the adjoining room.

Worried and now scared, the other girls watched her being carried away. They however didn’t move. ‘Is she all right?’ one asked.

‘She is fine’, Conn assured her, as he went along the line and handed out the haligdoms. Each fainted, and was caught and placed on a bunk.

Guards had been posted outside his door, and Conn returned to the hall in search of food – and alcohol. He had a monster of a headache. He tried to explain to Sigkarl what had happened without too much success. It was impossible to explain when you could only tell half the story.

It wasn’t long before Larena came in search of him. She seemed a little flushed. Conn had wondered about her as well.

‘Marquis; I need to speak to you urgently. Not here – in my room.’

Shrugging, he dutifully followed her up the stair to her room. She closed her door and immediately stripped. Naked, she started to help Conn undress.

‘For some reason’, she explained, ‘I have an insatiable desire to fornicate. I have already worn out two of my maids.’

An hour later, she was sleeping and Conn was about to dress and leave when there was a knock on the door. Larena’s maid opened it.

‘Master, there are two women here to see you. One says her name is Alkia.’

Alkia walked in with another of the folgere – all now resplendent in white sheer gowns; the white diamonds shining around their necks, and their naked oiled bodies glistening underneath.

‘You were right; we are folgere. We have come to say thanks. Who is the woman?’

Larena started to stir and although initially surprised, that emotion was soon replaced by one of lust. Conn could see it on her face. He did the introductions.

‘I think she would like to get to know you better.’

Alkia dropped her gown and went to Larena and they passionately embraced. The second girl, walked to Conn and dropped her gown.

‘While they are busy, perhaps you and I might get to know each other better? I need to be initiated into the service of my Gyden.’

Hell of a job but someone had to do it.

~oo0oo~

A tired Conn arrived in the hall a couple of hours later.

‘You don’t look so well,’ Derryth pinioned as he handed Conn coffee.

‘Alkia came to see me – right after Larena had had her way with me.’

Derryth burst out laughing. ‘The others came looking for Sigkarl, Eldarr, Farrun and a few others. It has been interesting to watch it all.’

‘How is Sigkarl? He is not so fond of women.’

‘He seemed fine – I’m sure he was able to do his duty.’ Derryth looked at him seriously. ‘You know one day that kind of stuff is going to kill you. I have never understood the Ancuman or the Priecuman and their obsession with fornication. You could also say no.’ Derryth suggested.

‘Are you crazy? Why would I do that – one day I’ll be old. One needs a few memories to have. Anyway, I noticed that you haven’t been able to say no to Elfrea.’

Derryth almost blushed. ‘It is true that that girl has her skills – she is impossible to refuse anything to.’

~oo0oo~

The next day, Conn had a meeting with the Aebeling. He was curious about what was happening next. He had sent out requests that all Jarls attend a Witan as soon as possible. Derryth and Sir Njil were also curious – it was now officially winter, and it was starting to get cold. The fyrd had to bed down until spring.

‘The Witan is to confirm you as Healdend and Eldarr as heir. Larena tells me that there could be some opposition.’

‘It is possible – there are many here who are descendants of the Aebelings of Makuria – and all are descendants of the Healdends. But the Jarls don’t have a thousand wiga between then so I think that you should get your way.’

‘Perhaps, but I hope that it doesn’t come to that. More importantly, I will be your guest for the winter – I don’t think invading Alwa in winter is a good idea. I would like you to officially confirm me as the Thane of Ushu.’ Ushu was the marshy demesne that he had purchased a few days earlier.