The Esmerelda, Chapters 3 & 4

The Esmerelda


Chapter 3


          Kadivan Korwyn kept his thoughts to himself as he lead his men down a forest trail that was visible only to the trained eye. The first son of the Perla leader, Kadoc, he had learned early on that men with loose tongues had a harder time winning the respect of their fellows. Those who spoke less were often heard better, as his father continually reminded him. So while the men traveling behind him whispered among themselves, Kadivan remained silent. He had learned to be a quiet man.
         For three full days, they had watched the strangers from the shelter of the deep forest. They had learned much in that time, but it wasn't enough. Kadivan wished the strangers occupying the beach would move on, but they showed no signs of leaving. If anything, they seemed to settle in more deeply. Kadivan and his men knew that the stranger's ship was lost, but they were puzzled as to why they didn't begin the four-day journey that would take them to Acco, the nearest town.
         Many things were puzzling about the newcomers that had set up camp on the Perla's beach. They spoke the common tongue, but with a strange accent that Kadivan had never heard before. Their strange clothes looked hot and heavy, not at all suited to the warm summer weather. His first thought was that they must have come from the far north, but he reconsidered as he thought about what he knew of the northern peoples. Magic was common in the northern countries, and these people had shown no signs of having those particular talents. They were not from the east, as only Loths and Shapeshifters resided in those lands, and these people were neither. Perhaps they were from the southern islands, but that didn't seem to fit either.
         Kadivan and the other warriors of his village had watched the strangers closely since their arrival, and reported their findings back to the council at the end of each day. Finally, after being sure that they were not slave traders or pirates, the council had decided that it was time visit the newcomers and ask what their intentions were. Kadivan had been chosen to lead the small party of Perla warriors that would go to meet the strangers.
         The Perla men grew silent as they moved closer to the beach. At the edge of the trees, Kadivan signaled that they should move farther west before leaving the shelter of the woods, so as not to surprise the strangers in the middle of their camp. Once they came to an area where they could leave the trees and still be some distance down the beach from the settlement, Kadivan nodded, and the men stepped out onto the beach.
         It was a few moments before anyone took any notice of them. The newcomers had quickly grown careless with their guards. They were almost at the edge of the camp before a woman screamed, announcing their arrival.
         As men began to come rushing in their direction, Kadivan and his warriors placed their weapons in the sand and held out their arms to show that they came in peace and meant no harm. The men of the camp stopped a short distance away, their voices raised in excited exclamations and questions.
         " Who are they?"
         "Whatdcha walk right out of the woods?"
         "By God, we're not alone in this dammed jungle!"
         Kadivan stood for a moment, unsure of whom he should address. Then he turned to the man closest to him, "I would speak with your leader. Will you bring him to me?"
         The man, a pudgy individual with a red face nodded impatiently, "Hold yer horses, the Captain's comin'. Who'd you say ye were?" The man squinted up at Kadivan.
         "I didn't." responded Kadivan, falling silent again. The crowd surrounding them grew steadily bigger, the women joining their men as they realized there would be no threat to them, but Kadivan refused to answer any of the dozens of questions that came flying in his direction. The other Perla followed his lead and remained closemouthed. They would wait for the captain.
         It was several more minutes before the crowd quieted, as they parted for the man who Kadivan had already placed as the group's leader. The captain had a calming effect on the crowd, and Kadivan could see immediately that this man carried his authority well.
         The captain held a hand out towards Kadivan, and he looked at it, puzzled. He did not understand the gesture, and the captain dropped his hand after a moment, not missing a beat.
         "Good day, sirs. I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to see fresh faces after the adventures we have been through in the last few days! I am Captain William Middleton, and you are most welcome at our camp."
         When Kadivan did not respond immediately, Captain Middleton frowned and turned to a tall, burly man beside him. "Perhaps they do not speak English?"
         "We speak the common tongue, as you do," Kadivan spoke up. "I am Kadivan Korwyn, son of Kadoc, of the Perla people of Otora, and you have landed on our beach. I have been sent to discover your purpose here."
         Captain Middleton raised an eyebrow as he listened to the young warrior in front of him. "We were unfortunately shipwrecked here, as I am sure you know. Our course was lost and we hit the reef at the edge of the cove. She went down fast."
         "I am sorry for your loss. Perhaps my men and I can be of service to you in some way. There is a town, Acco, four days journey from here by land. I am surprised you have not already started to travel. It is not safe to remain camped on the beach."
         "Is that where you and your men are from?" asked Middleton.
         Kadivan shook his head. "Our own village is not far from here, but we do not have the means to help the number of people here. If you do not know the way, we can guide you to Acco, but we can offer no more than that."
         Middleton nodded. "We would be grateful for any assistance your people can provide. I must say though, I have been a sailor for many years, and I have never heard of a place called Acco, nor do I recognize this land. Perhaps you could give some information about this particular area?"
          A small disturbance among the surrounding crowd prevented Kadivan from answering immediately. A solidly built middle-aged man with graying hair and a sense of formality about him shouldered his way through the crowd to take a place at Captain Middleton's side.
          "Captain Middleton I was not aware we had guests." The man turned towards Kadivan and his warriors, letting his sharp gaze rest for a moment on each of them. Kadivan noted the hardness in his eyes.
          "Sir John." Middleton replied tightly. Kadivan sensed that this newcomer rubbed the captain the wrong way and it made him wary. Just then, a movement to his left distracted him from the conversation and he turned to see that there were more newcomers to the circle. Two girls, a few years younger than himself, had made their way to the front of the crowd, ignoring the disapproving looks of the men around them.  Both girls were pleasing on the eye, despite the night-and-day differences between them. One was as golden as the sun, while the other had beautiful chocolate dark hair and bronzed skin. Kadivan thought they made a striking pair.
          He drew his gaze away from the girls as he heard Middleton introducing him to the unsmiling Sir John.
          "Mr. Korwyn and I were just discussing the lay of the land. He and his men have offered us assistance in reaching a town only a few days walk from here."
          "How gracious of them," replied Sir John. "Mr. Korwyn, it is indeed kind of you to rush to our aid in our time of need."
          Kadivan chose to ignore the sarcasm that accompanied Sir John's words, and instead sent a smile in the man's direction. "Just Kadivan is fine. And it is our pleasure to help you on your way."
          Sir John made a disgruntled noise, sending a sideways look at his captain. The captain chose to ignore him and returned to his conversation with Kadivan.
          "We were speaking of the town Acco, I believe?"
         "I find it hard to believe that you have sailed for so many years and not heard of Acco." Kadivan shook his head in disbelief. "I do not travel much, but I know that it is a busy port town, with ships coming and going all year long. It is part of the kingdom of Otora. Surely you have heard of that?"
         Middleton shook his head, an uncertain frown on his face. Sir John took the opportunity to re-enter the conversation.
         "Obviously your island is not as well-known as you have been led to believe. Were you born here, or did you settle in the last few years? I'm sure it must be the former, as you appear to have mixed with the locals and forgotten all the customs of your homeland. I hope you have not lost God in the process. I have never heard of Otora in my life, and I have strong connections back in England."
         "Mr. Burnell," admonished Captain Middleton softly, but with a dangerous edge to his voice. Kadivan spoke before he could continue.
         "I'm afraid I misunderstand you, Sir John. My people have lived on this land for hundreds of generations. This is our homeland. And it is no island. You could travel north for months, and you would never hit the sea, only impassable mountain and barren land."
         "And you must joking about England, surely," came the chuckle from Calden, one of the youngest of the Perla warriors. With coffee-colored skin, he stood out from the other men, who all had fairer complexions.
         "I do not joke," huffed Sir John. "If you claim to have no European background, so be it, but I have eyes and I have ears, and both senses are telling me otherwise."
         Before Sir John could continue, Middleton interrupted, "Perhaps we will find the British settled in Acco?"
         Kadivan shook his head, his confusion growing. "I know of no British. These British people must reside in a land far from here. Where did you say your destination was?"
         "The Americas. Georgia." Middleton responded. "My crew and I thought we were still smack-dab in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, several weeks from any sort of land. We must have traveled far off course without even realizing it."
         Kadivan was silent for a moment. He looked to his warriors, who were just as silent, some with confused looks on their faces. After taking a moment to organize his thoughts, he let his gaze drift over the tired crowd, seeing men and women who were trying to survive and looking for hope. He didn't understand why these people would tell such an elaborate fib when they were so obviously in need of help. But upon closer look, he could see that the strangers surrounding him truly believed what the captain was telling him. Their faces told him the truth. And that frightened him more than he cared to admit. Kadivan took a deep breath before opening his mouth to impart his next bit of news.
         "If all that you tell me is true Captain, then it would seem that you are now in quite the predicament. You truly sailed from England?"
         Middleton nodded, waiting for Kadivan's next words.
          "Then you have drifted even further off course than you could imagine, Captain," he continued slowly, not wanting to look the man in the eye. "My men and I have heard of this place England, though only in legend. If what you say is true, then I must tell you that you are no longer in your Atlantic Ocean, and you will not easily reach your Americas from here. You are now looking at our Ancient Seas, and you rest in the Land of Ashes, a land divided into many kingdoms, including this Kingdom of Otora. This is no longer your world. You have passed into another realm."

          Passed into another realm? No longer our world?
          The man must be joking, thought Anna as the silence that descended after Kadivan's speech grew in length. It sounded like something out of a fantasy tale. What kind of game did he think he was playing?
            Captain Middleton's thoughts echoed her own.
          "What kind of game do you think you're playing here sir?" he growled. "You think to tell me that in all my years sailing this ocean I've missed a giant landmass smack-dab in the middle of it? Or that by magic I've sailed my ship clear through to a fantasy land? Like the mythical Atlantis?"
          "No game, Captain," Kadivan said, shaking his head. "You have passed through to another realm. You're in Ashes now, not on Earth. There is a barrier in place to prevent things like this from happening, but your ship has obviously slipped through. Perhaps we can send for a Mage out of Kamaria or Lothair and they will know how you can return home. I know that my people cannot help you. Like I said, we have only heard of such things in legend, none have actually seen it happen. There is little advice I can give you."
          "The barrier was put up to keep our monsters out of your world," this input came from one of Kadivan's warriors, a wiry man with long brown hair and deep scars across his left arm. "If you entered our land through a crack in that barrier, it must be resealed. We'll have to send a messenger to the Loths."
          Anna's head was spinning with all the information that was being presented. Mages and barriers? Loths? None of it made sense to her, but the Perla warriors were deadly serious, and the expressions on their faces were troubled.
          "These men are mad!" Sir John burst out. "Obviously they find it funny to tell such ridiculous stories. Or they find it an amusing way to scare people off their land. Not on Earth, indeed!"
          He turned to Captain Middleton, "These men must be toying with us. It must be a large island we are on, perhaps one that has not been discovered before now. Perhaps our location was miscalculated and we are much further south than we thought. We shouldn‘t waste our time listening to such uncivilized men."
          "You call us liars, and uncivilized?" Kadivan asked with deadly calm. Anna could see that he struggled for control; he did not like to be insulted.
          "You are on Perla land," he continued. "You may not like what you hear, but you will have to accept it. I doubt you will be able to return home on your own, if indeed you are from this place, England. While you say you have never heard of my home, I have only ever heard of yours in myth. Perhaps I should no more believe you than you believe me. Perhaps you are settlers come from Kageri to take over our land, and I should call all my warriors together and make you leave."
         He stood then, and Anna noted for the first time what peculiar clothing he wore. His belted tunic was sleeveless, showing off arms that were muscular and strong. Trousers that were loose and fell only to mid-shin covered the tops of soft leather boots that laced up the front. His dark, reddish-brown hair was swept back at the top by a beautifully jeweled clip, while strange tattoo markings covered his wrists and peaked out from the top of his shirt. His skin was dark, but no more so than any of the sailors. It was the colour of someone who spent much of their time outdoors. Overall, Anna thought that Kadivan and his warriors looked rather odd, but not quite as uncivilized as her father had implied.
         "Please, good sirs, forgive Sir John, and myself," started Captain Middleton, "I'm sure you can understand that the news you have imparted to us is rather...unsettling, to say the least."
         Kadivan turned to Middleton once more as he and his warriors prepared to depart, "I will give you time to talk. In two days, I will return and you should be prepared to leave this beach. That is all the time I will give you."
          He nodded at Middleton once, and then turned to leave, letting his eyes pass briefly over the spot where Anna and Rhonwen stood.
          It was then that Anna turned to her cousin.
          And saw the curious fascination in her eyes that could only mean trouble.





Chapter 4


          "Whatever thoughts are in your head, get rid of them. Now!" Anna hissed at Rhonwen as she dragged her cousin away from the assembly of people who were beginning to talk loudly and animatedly.
          "I'm not thinking anything- ouch!" Rhonwen yelped as she felt a pinch to her side.
          "I know that look all too well, Rhonwen Marie Hill! You are getting some terrible notion in your head that will get us both into trouble!"
          "I am not! I swear it! I was only thinking of the grand adventure we have found ourselves in! My imagination is running wild with thoughts about what those Perla men were saying."
          They had reached a large boulder that sat at the edge of the water, out of earshot of the crowd. Both girls climbed up to the top and settled themselves facing each other. Rhonwen smoothed down her skirt, devoid of its many petticoats and stained and shabby now, before she looked at Anna with excitement in her eyes.
          "Do you really think we're in a different world? That the Esmerelda sailed into a mythical realm by mistake?"
          "Hardly," replied Anna. She did not have the same imagination as Rhonwen, as it had been tempered by her father's rough and practical nature all her life. "I'm sure Papa and Captain Middleton are right. We've simply sailed far off course by mistake, and those men are only telling of their own myths and legends. They are not educated enough to know of the greater world at large. They are obviously the descendants of some early British sailing adventurers. "
            "They didn't seem uneducated to me," said Rhonwen. "And they were very firm in their belief that this was the mainland, not an island."
          "Well who knows?" shrugged Anna. "Perhaps it is large and they have never bothered to travel far from home."
          "What about how we got here? We were both on deck most of the day before the wreck. You could see for miles, the sky was so clear! If there was land, surely someone should have spotted it. But no one saw anything resembling land, and of course, they shouldn't have, considering our location. Then as soon as the sun sets, crack! The ship hits a reef and all of a sudden we're on dry land? It doesn't make any sense Anna."
          Anna's face took on a troubled look. She absentmindedly wrapped a wayward curl around her finger as she tried to digest what Rhonwen had pointed out to her. She knew that what her cousin said was true, and that it gave validity to the Perla's story, but the whole idea of entering another world was just too bizarre to even begin to comprehend.
          Luckily, Rhonwen was too keyed up to linger on one subject, and Anna found that she had quickly moved on to the appearance of the Perla warriors.
          "Aren't they exotic-looking?" she asked her cousin. "And handsome? I didn't realize that savages would look so magnificent!"
          Anna let her eyebrows lift, but she didn't respond. She had though the men looked curious and rather peculiar, but she hadn't thought of them as handsome. They were too different, with their strange hairstyles and unusual clothing.
          "I should like to meet one up close," Rhonwen continued, ignoring the look on Anna's face. "Did you see their clothes? Some of their jewelry was quite exquisite. And the tattoos! And I would really like to see how they live. I wonder if they live in houses, or in caves, or maybe little huts-"
          "Papa will never let you get close to them!" Anna interjected, scandalized. "I agree, they are fascinating, but Rhonwen do not try and meet them on your own!"
          "Oh I would never do such a thing," Rhonwen said, waving a hand. "But I am captivated all the same."
          Anna snorted. "Oh, of course. I hardly trust you Rhonwen, I know you too well. You'll act first and think second. Believe me, we've had enough of an adventure just being shipwrecked; please don't go looking for trouble. The last thing we need is for you to be kidnapped by savages!"
          Rhonwen laughed at that, with a twinkle in her eye, and Anna was sorry for putting the idea into her head.
          "Come," she said, sliding down off the rock and gesturing to Rhonwen. "I know you would love to talk about every tiny detail of the Perla's clothing, but I want to know what Captain Middleton is going to do about this. And after that, I would like to find something other than baked clams for lunch!"



          Back in camp, the girls found that Captain Middleton and the more important men from the Esmerelda -including Sir John- had shut themselves up in Middleton's large, makeshift tent to discuss the situation with some degree of privacy. Guards had been posted outside of the tent to make sure that no curious bodies would get close enough to eavesdrop.
          They were just about to give up and find lunch instead when Sir Melvin Springford emerged from the meeting, fastening the remaining buttons on his coat. He nodded to the girls and then headed in the direction of the cook fires.
          "Oh perfect!" exclaimed Rhonwen, steering Anna towards the man. "Sir Melvin can be persuaded to tell us everything."
          "This was not exactly what I had in mind," muttered Anna. "You know I can't stand the man."
          "Too bad. I'm curious. Sir Melvin!" she called ahead. He turned at the voice, then stopped to wait for Rhonwen and Anna to catch up.
          "Good morning ladies. Or afternoon, I suppose. I was just on my way to see if there was anything edible over Lady Eliseth's fire. Perhaps you would care to join me?"
          Rhonwen cut Anna off before she could refuse the offer. "We would love to, sir. And perhaps during the meal you could be persuaded to tell us a little about the meeting from which you have so recently adjourned?"
          Springford had to stifle a laugh. "Miss Hill, I didn't realize that you were such a forward young lady. But yes, I suppose I could impart a little of what I have learned, so long as Miss Burnell promises me a seat beside her."
            Anna rolled her eyes heavenward at that, but nodded her acquiescence. 
          The threesome made their way companionably to where Lady Eliseth Richardson and her cousin Catherine shared a cook fire with Anna and Rhonwen.  The four women had quickly realized that aside from Leah, the procured ladies maid, only Lady Eliseth had any talent for making edible meals. As such, she generously agreed to do all the cooking for the five women, plus Sir John, and somehow managed to work wonders with the limited amount of foodstuffs that were available. As a result, others often made their way to her fire in hopes of snagging a decent meal.
          As they approached the modest campsite with its two little lean-tos and single fire, a wonderful aroma emerged.
          "Mmmmm," said Anna. "Whatever it is, it's not clams."
            They were in luck, as Lady Eliseth was just serving when they arrived. "Rabbit stew today, courtesy the young Kirby boys," she announced cheerfully as she poured the meal into an assortment of cracked china bowls and teacups. "They were quite proud that their snares managed to catch anything. They'll be back for their share in a bit."
          Lady Eliseth was a lively widow in her late thirties who was always as busy as a bee. Despite her title, she enjoyed the domestic tasks that were generally left to the lower class. Idle was not a word in Lady Eliseth's vocabulary.
            "I hope you don't mind if Sir Melvin joins us," said Rhonwen as she settled herself on the ground. Chairs were non-existent in a refugee camp. "But he has promised to tell us of the captain's meeting in exchange for a meal."
            Lady Eliseth waved a hand dismissively. "There's plenty to go around. And I wouldn't mind hearing the details first-hand myself."
          "Yes, I much better than hearing the gossip make its rounds later," added Lady Catherine, a much quieter and more subdued version of her cousin.
            "Truthfully, it was damned hot in that tent, and I couldn't sit there another moment while all those old men argued back and forth. That's why I left before a final decision was made," he spoke leisurely, taking the time to enjoy his stew before it cooled. "But the general agreement was that no one wants to move all the women and children from this spot until we know exactly where we are. One, it's too difficult to uproot the entire camp, especially with no clear destination in mind. Two, if there are Europeans in this land we want to be sure that they are our allies and not enemies. And three, if indeed we are in another "realm", what good does it do us to move everyone through unknown and potentially dangerous territory? It would make us extremely vulnerable.
            "So it looks like the captain will try and make an agreement with the locals. Let the majority of the camp stay here while a party is sent forth to this Acco place that their leader was talking about. He said it was a town, so presumably we should be able to find out the information we need there, or even see about getting us all on a ship.
            "Eric Littleton, the new first mate, thinks that we should try and get ourselves into the Perla village as soon as possible also. He thinks that the more we know about these Perla people the better, and I'm inclined to agree. We need to figure out if there's a hundred of them or a thousand."
            "Does that mean there's going to be an expedition to the Perla village?" asked Rhonwen eagerly.
          "Most likely at some point. If we can find it. We'll know for sure once the meeting has finished."
            "Oh, how exciting! I should love to go with them!"
         Springford shook his head. "If it happens, it'll be no place for you. Not to mention that your uncle would never allow it. Besides, it's been decided that the only people allowed to step one foot beyond those trees are the armed men that go out to hunt."
         "Well that's a silly thought," said Rhonwen. "Who will go to get water and collect the apples and other fruits?"
         "Oh, I'm sure the men will be appointed to that now as well, though none will be too pleased about it," replied Springford with a smile.
         "And what about tomorrow, when those men come back?" asked Anna.
         Springford shrugged. "Well, hopefully they can be made to see reason. It shouldn't be too hard, as long as your father stays out of the mix. He's got a short fuse, that one. But really, the men we met today seemed little more than savages. It shouldn't be hard to convince them we need to stay here until we have a better idea of where "here" is."
         "I'll wager they only have half our numbers," said Lady Eliseth. "We probably have more fighting men than they do."
         "Perhaps, but they will know this land like the back of their hands," Rhonwen responded.
         Sir Melvin let out a laugh. "Truly, you are no better then the men I sought to escape in the tent! Come now, let us eat and forget about this dire situation, if only for a few moments. We can worry about this all tomorrow."