Zoran Chronicles Volume 1 A Dragon in Our Town (46 page)

            
“You can open your eyes now, dear. We are there,” Jarka teased Bernard.

            
“Oh, wow. It’s beautiful,” he exclaimed. He felt a bit sheepish, but then he had not
gotten ill during the trip.

            
Baron Hajime walked up to them. He looked so vastly different than he had at the
High Council that they hardly recognized him or his wife! Gone were the fancy blue suit
coat with twin tails and the billowing blue dress. He wore blue shorts; his chest was
bare; flip-flops were on his feet. Baroness Lami wore shorts as well, revealing her nicely
tanned and shapely legs. She had on a top that barely covered her breasts, leaving her
middle section open to the warm, balmy air. She, too, wore flip-flops. However, what
caught their attention was the huge string of creamy pearls about her neck and matching
pearl earrings.

            
The air was moist and balmy, about eighty-five degrees. A gentle sea breeze
fluttered strands of the baroness’ long black hair. “Welcome to Asami!” Baron Hajime
exclaimed, shaking Zoran’s hand first, then the others. The baroness gave each a hug
and fake kiss on each cheek in turn.

            
“We are most honored indeed that you have chosen our humble planet for your
honeymoons,” she said cheerily. “Come on inside, and let’s get you changed into
something cooler before you melt in your heavy clothes!” She got no argument from the
four.

            
Their castle and fortifications were made of imported gray granite. Here at Paru,
the island rose a whopping fifty feet above the sea level. The constructions themselves
were built to withstand heavy storms, and its walls were just ten feet tall. Even the castle
itself only had two stories, but it was a sprawling complex with many smaller stone
buildings. They were given a pair of adjoining bridal suites, and Lami had already set out
traditional planet clothing for the four. A half hour later, all four wore the typical blue
shorts and flip-flops, with the women also wearing a skimpy blue top identical to Lami’s.

            
Their hosts then led them to a dining room, where Lami had drinks already
prepared for their guests. Sipping their delicious drinks, whose taste was enchanting,
Baron Hajime chose this opportunity to tell them, Zoran in particular, a bit about his
world. Although he was classified as Neutral, he wanted Zoran to be favorably inclined
towards him. Hence, this vacation gift was really a political maneuver for him.

            
“Ah, much better. I see Lami’s choice of island clothes suits you four well.
Comfort, that’s the key here in the islands. By the way, do you realize that your Circle of
Ascension is the eighteenth built, not the seventeenth? Ours here in this castle is the
seventeenth,” Baron Hajime coyly began his history lesson and in politics.

            
“What? Eighteenth? Wait, are we missing a planet?” Zoran asked, suddenly quite
confused. To his knowledge, there were only sixteen planets in the Federation, sixteen
Circles — well now seventeen counting his new one.

            
Hajime grinned, knowing that he had Zoran right where he desired, playing him
would be child’s play. “Yes, yours is the eighteenth. Mine here is the seventeenth, the last
Circle that Bandar Zar ever created. However, there are only sixteen planets in the
Federation. You see, Asami had to have its rebuilt. Let me tell you our story.” All four
listened to his tale, none more so than Zoran.

            
“Baron Asami, who discovered this planet more than two and a half centuries ago,
had Bandar Zar build him a Circle of Ascension. Asami, as you have seen, is an ocean
world. Yes, we have many yachts that sail the seas. You are sitting on the largest land
mass on the planet.” He paused, allowing them to show their surprise, though it only
confirmed what they had seen as Zoran had shown them, while he was trying to find this
island.

            
“Yes, Shimamori is the largest island and this city, Paru, is the largest. Our world
has two hundred thousand six hundred and five islands scattered around the blue
waters. Most lie within a thousand miles of the equator. None are anywhere near the
poles. Indeed, you are sitting on the highest point on Asami.”

            
“Wow. Do you have storms here?” asked Zdenka, starting to understand the
world a bit better.

            
“Yes, that is our biggest problem, always has been. We get squalls nearly daily in
the equatorial zone, but that’s just rain, refreshingly warm usually. Each fall, we have a
hurricane season. Sometimes these hurricanes wreak havoc on our low lying islands.
We’ve had islands completely disappear during a hurricane. Back in the days of our
founding by Baron Asami, that is indeed what happened. A hurricane completely
obliterated his fortress and castle, submerging two thirds of the then largest island.
Today, only a long, thin strip of that original island remains. It is called Shima Yubi. Our
second largest city, Tesaki, lies on the extreme eastern edge of the island. We call that
our get-away island. You can walk or ride an open carriage for a hundred miles along the
thin strip of island that yet remains. On either side, but mere feet from the grassy knoll
on which the road lies, are some of the best beaches we have to offer. Spectacular. It is
remote and isolated, perfect spots for honeymooners. Yet, you can easily return to
civilization in Tesaki.”

            
“Along this thin strip, the swimming is superb. The waters are warm and shallow,
allowing you breathtaking views of underwater life which thrive here on Asami. I highly
recommend that you spend some of your private time riding along that strip.”

            
“I do hope that you like sea food, for that is our main dish here on Asami. All
grains, for example, must be imported and are thus highly expensive. In Tesaki inns, you
can find some of the very best the sea has to offer. Indeed, Asami exports all manner of
produce from the sea, from delicious sea weeds to a tremendous variety of fish to the
exotic, such as squid and octopus and oysters. I suspect coming from Brn on Adapazan
that you have rarely eaten much ocean fish. Hence, you might try the delicacy called
swordfish. Those fillets taste remarkably like your steaks. In fact, I once made a gaffe at
the High Council, complimenting the baron on such quality swordfish, when in fact it
came from a cow or so I was informed.”

            
“I highly encourage you all to travel that road and go for long swims. Since you
are all Mages, you can cast water breathing spells and truly enjoy and admire the
teaming underwater life which is so abundant here on Asami.”

            
“Oh you certainly must!” Baroness Lami interrupted her husband. “You’ve never
seen anything like our underwater world. So colorful, so wild, so magnificent. Why there
is nothing in the entire Federation of Planets like it. You just
must
spend time
underwater!”

            
Her husband picked up the conversation once more, “Speaking of oysters, I’ve
seen you admiring Lami’s magnificent set of matching pearls. Yes, pearls are our
number one export, beyond seafood. Pearls fetch an enormous price on other worlds,
allowing us to import the many necessities that we cannot produce. In fact, all this stone
you see in the fortification and castle came from Adapazan centuries ago. Pearls form
our main economic base, along with seafood.”

            
“So I must give you this warning which I give to all our visitors. Searching for
pearls is strictly forbidden in all areas but one. We have pearl hunting villages scattered
throughout our world. In fact, there is one called Ma-meido which is located at the
opposite end of Shima Yubi from Tesaki. These villages are heavily guarded, as you
might expect. No visitors are allowed in there. Don’t worry; if you drive your carriage to
close to Ma-meido, the guards there will let you know.”

            
“However, we know that many tourists would just love to try their hand at pearl
hunting. So we have set aside one location for this express purpose. Shimatou is a small
island totally setup for pearl diving. There, guides will assist you in finding the best
locations to dive and search for the oysters and pearls. You ought to plan to spend one
day of your honeymoon on Shimatou diving for pearls. Often visitors find some which
make lovely gifts for their wives and girlfriends. Of course, if you wish to purchase a set
of pearls, that can be arranged as well. Some barons prefer to just buy a matching set for
their wives, rather than dive for the pearls themselves.”

            
Baroness Lima interrupted him, “You must come to our sunahama yakara
tonight. Each evening, we have beach parties on our sandy beaches. Food is roasted over
a charcoal fire. You just must try our hoshinori kashu, seaweed wine! It is superb.
Musicians play and everyone dances barefoot in the warm, soft sands. I guarantee that
you will have the time of your life. Everyone does, you know.”

            
“Great! It sounds wonderful. Party time indeed! Bernard, we just must!” Jarka
exclaimed. Now they were speaking to her heart’s desire! He grinned and squeezed her
hand.

            
“Excellent, we’ll come for you at five tonight then. Be prepared to become stuffed
and dance until your legs fall off. Oh yes, you can also go for a swim as well. Many do
just that as well. Baron Zoran, I think you will rapidly see why Asami is and remains a
Neutral planet. We have no mighty armies and no means to equip them if we did. If we,
for example, took your side in your battle with Baron Kazimir, there is virtually nothing
that we could offer in the way of aid. It is folly for us to take sides, just useless. Yet, we
can offer much in the way of friendship and certainly a wonderful respite. Asami has
been called the vacation planet of the Federation.”

            
“I understand,” Zoran replied, realizing that he’d just been worked over
politically. He grinned, “Besides, any army trying to conquer Asami would have an awful
time of it. What would they do? Island hop while swimming in their plate armor?”
Everyone chuckled at his colorful jest. “No, I can see why you must maintain your
Neutrality with all planets. You can count on my support for just that, Baron Hajime.”
Zoran gave him what he thought the Baron wanted to hear. He hit the mark squarely;
the Baron smiled broadly.

            
“Oh, I almost forgot. Another activity that is quite popular with both tourists and
our own people is to go for a lengthy sailboat excursion on the ocean. You noticed my
personal yacht when you came, I’m sure. At nearly every town you can rent a yacht and
go for a sail. They can be rented with or without a crew to sail them. However, I must
insist that unless you are competent sailors, you take one with a crew to sail her for you.
There are some very nice yachts in Tesaki. I will send word to the harbor master there so
you can take any yacht of your choosing out for a trip. It’s on me. I trust that you don’t
get seasick however.” He teased them, for frequently guests did get seasick.

            
After the meal was done, the four got a tour of the castle and the city of Paru. By
the time they had seen the sights, it was time for the sunahama yakara, the sandy beach
party. It was everything Lami had said and then more! They dined on an exotic, but
delicious meal, heard the most fascinating local music, danced barefoot in the warm
sands, and even took a cooling-off swim, before more dancing. It was late before they
finally turned in for the night.

            
In the wee hours of the morning, Zoran had his nightmare once more, only this
time the images were even more vivid than before! Somehow his nightmares, he and
Zdenka concluded, must have or be tied to Asami! But how and why remained a
mystery. He hoped that one night these would end.

            
The next day, Baron Hajime took them to Shima Yubi and the town of Tesaki,
where he had another smaller fortress and castle built for his son, Duke Goro Yoko. “Hi
pop! What’sa up?” Goro teased as they walked in on his late breakfast on his patio
overlooking the beach and sea. Goro was a young lad, in his early twenties, a splitting
image of his father, tall, and thin. He was obviously very laid back in manner, which
Baron Hajime disliked.

            
“You must forgive the insolence of my son,” he apologized for Duke Goro. “You
embarrass our important guests. Baron Archmage Zoran Vladislov, Baroness Archmage
Zdenka, my impertinent son, Duke Goro.” He glared at Goro, whose cheery face became
instantly serious.

            
Dressed in very short shorts and flip-flops, he quickly rose and stood at attention,
as though he were some soldier being addressed by his general. “Very pleased to meet
you, Baron Archmage Zoran! Wow! You are the youngest Baron in the Federation! Way
cool!” He shook Zoran’s hand vigorously. He then shook Zdenka’s hand politely.