Valkyrie's Shadow

Chapter 2

“How do I look?”

“You look like Xoc.”

Xoc flicked her ear and sent an exasperated look up at Winter Moon. The Dragon – or was she a Beastman who could turn into a Dragon? – looked back down at her with an innocent expression.

“What?”

“Didn’t you say that the Sorcerous Kingdom’s delegation is almost here?” Xoc asked.

“I did,” Winter Moon answered.

“Then I can’t just look ‘like Xoc’. I need to look like il-Enxoc.”

“Do you realise that your guests will be ignorant of all of your customs? You could wear anything and they would smile and accept it.”

She turned her attention back to her polished jet mirror and fussed with the iridescent feathers dangling from her head. In addition to the feathers, the Human tailors had fashioned colourful garments for her to wear for the occasion, complete with a red cloak woven from Nug hair. It looked utterly silly to her and Winter Moon wasn’t being much help.

“If something goes wrong,” Xoc grumbled, “I’m blaming you.”

“What could possibly go wrong?” Winter Moon asked, “Do you realise the lengths they’ve gone to to make this visit happen? It’s not a trip from which one returns empty-handed.”

“I hope you’re right…”

Despite Xoc’s progress in Rol’en’gorek and its surrounding territories, she was continually reminded of the reality of their situation. Whether due to word of mouth or just sheer desperation, more and more clans sent representatives to secure any food they could get. Even the rivers and lakes, which many had turned to for sustenance, were being rapidly depleted of fish, shellfish, snakes, crocodiles, and everything else. Far to the east, the Jorgulans continued to press their invasion with no sign of relenting.

The floodwaters had stopped rising, but they wouldn’t recede fast enough to save the herds. Knowledge of fungus farming spread quickly, but not quickly enough. All Xoc could do was continue to bring tribes under her influence and encourage cooperation between them. It was working so far, but her doubts grew as food supplies grew scarcer. Anything could go wrong at any time and there was little she could do other than agonize over the outcome.

“Xoc?” Her father’s voice came from outside of her room, “Are you finished in there?”

Xoc shuffled out into her home’s central chamber. Her father licked his lips upon seeing her.

“I knew it,” Xoc sighed.

“I’m sure you look wonderful by Human standards,” her father said. “But is there any need to dress like a Human in the first place?”

“I-I don’t know! I went around asking what I could do to make the Humans feel welcome and this is what happened!”

Her embarrassing garments weren’t the only thing that happened. Though Master Leeds and his fellow Humans had never heard of a place called the Sorcerous Kingdom, they still went into a flurry of activity as they prepared for their guests’ eventual arrival. The clanhold was swept up in their excitement as well, creating all sorts of confusion.

“Well, I suppose it’s a sacrifice a lord must make.”

“Father!”

Xoc’s father cleared his throat.

“Master Leeds wishes to speak with you. The Elders also have some questions.”

“Where are they?”

“The Elders are waiting for you in the courtyard. Master Leeds is at the Merchant Guild office.”

“I guess I’ll see the Elders first. Let Master Leeds know I’ll be with him soon.”

“I will. Also, I have a concern…”

“What is it?”

“The accommodations we’ve prepared for our visitors…are you sure they’re large enough? What if the delegation has a Human Lord?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Our Human dwellings are built for regular Humans. A Human Lord is surely much larger.”

“Uh…”

She stared blankly at her father. Did they need to make some last-minute changes?

“The two Humans you spoke with are both Human Lords,” Winter Moon told her.

“Are you sure?” Xoc asked, “One was pretty tall for a Human, but the other one was about as tall as the other Humans I’ve seen.”

“Human Lords aren’t bigger than other Humans just because they’re lords,” Winter Moon said.

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Xoc said. “Wouldn’t that put Human Lords at a disadvantage in a fight?”

“That may be so,” Winter Moon said, “but I didn’t make up the rules. We went over this back in the Sorcerous Kingdom.”

Someone made up the rules?

Xoc shook her head free of the stray thought. It wasn’t the time to be entertaining silly ideas.

“We went through so things so quickly while we were there,” Xoc said. “My memory isn’t perfect!”

“Well, mine is.”

She entertained the idea of swatting Winter Moon for her ridiculous claim, but decided against it. Everything would fall apart if she was eaten.

The elders in the courtyard exchanged looks between themselves as Xoc emerged from her home. She did her best to look nonchalant as she took her seat.

“Someone wanted to speak with me?” She asked.

An elderly Ocelo male by the name of Cha’ac rose amidst the rows of seated elders.

“Il-Enxoc,” he said, “there are growing concerns amongst us that the influence of these Humans grows too great.”

Cha’ac’s words caught Xoc completely off guard. Why would the elders bring up Human influence when there were so many other things to worry about?

“Is this really the time to bring this up, Cha’ac?”

“I am afraid if we wait any longer, it will be too late. Even now, more Humans are about to arrive, bringing with them their foreign ways.”

“What’s your problem with ‘Human influence’ anyway? Their help has been invaluable. We wouldn’t have gotten as far as we have without them.”

“Not everyone agrees with that assessment,” Cha’ac said. “They have certainly introduced many new techniques to our artisans, but what have they done in terms of our survival that we were not already capable of? We already had the ships, people, and leadership – at best, all they did was help us enact obvious measures slightly faster.”

After some thought, Xoc decided that his unkindly phrased statement wasn’t too far from the truth. Even without the Humans, there was nothing she would have done differently even if it did take a bit longer.

“Though that may be the case,” Xoc said, “every bit of help is appreciated.”

“But what is the cost of this help?” Cha’ac gestured toward the nearby terrace where the Humans dwelt, “I cannot help but notice that the Humans are imbalanced in their outlook on life. They toil endlessly in the pursuit of trade and wealth. Our resources and energy have gone towards supporting this to the detriment of every other aspect of our lives. So many of our people have fallen under the Humans’ sway and our youths now commonly seek to become artisans and Merchants.”

“We had artisans and Merchants before I brought the Humans here,” Xoc noted. “With the growth of the clan, we will need more of them.”

“It is not the same as before,” the elder told her. “Before, our Merchants and artisans served the needs of the people, earning an honest living in the process. Now, they are adopting the Humans’ ways, becoming self-serving and independent. The very fabric of our society will begin to fray if this continues!”

“You’re exaggerating,” Xoc said. “Most of the people who are now working with the Humans came from the city. They were clanless and always had to look out for themselves in the first place. It makes sense that they’re attracted to how the Humans do things.”

“By entering under the…tutelage of the Humans, they kept from returning to our ways.”

“It isn’t as if our people are being tied up and forced to adopt the Humans’ customs and values,” Xoc said. “If you’re so concerned about this, why don’t you run your own thing to teach them ours?”

Cha’ac flicked his ear, uttering an exasperated sigh.

“Because the incentive to follow Human ways is too great, especially in desperate times like ours. By the time we emerge from this crisis, our clan will have been irrevocably changed.”

Many of the elders murmured in agreement. Xoc tapped her foreclaws against the stone surface of her seat. Why couldn’t they have come to her with their worries when she wasn’t so busy?

“I can’t exactly chase the Humans away,” she said, “nor do I think it would be a good idea. What do you propose we should do about this, exactly?”

“Our ways must be able to compete with those of the Humans in the eyes of our people,” Cha’ac said. “You’ve been successful in raising warriors and hunters for our security, so we thought that something similar might be done for those who would teach and uphold our values and traditions.”

In other words, they need to pay the people who fill the roles that they’re looking for. No, that’s only the smallest part of it…

It was a surprisingly difficult problem to solve. The clan saw to the basic needs of its leaders – including herself. For anything extra, they were dependent on contributions from the people. Cha’ac was right about the life of an elder, lore keeper, or other vocation with a similar arrangement being far less attractive to the people of Ghrkhor’storof’hekheralhr than the promising future of a Merchant or artisan.

“Paying someone to occupy a place of honour feels like it would be highly problematic,” Xoc said.

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“I agree, il-Enxoc,” Cha’ac replied. “Unnecessary displays of authority would also risk attracting the wrong sorts. Honestly, we are at a loss as to how we can attract people to a life of service to the clan. With the arrival of more Humans to our land, we fear we will be overwhelmed.”

Xoc wondered if other clans faced similar issues. Then again, the other clans had established histories that their members probably felt connected to and took pride in. It was a far cry from Ocelo Pa’chan, which had only been the faded memory of a clan and the vast majority of its members were dissociated cityfolk until recently.

“Time is the only cure for this problem,” Xoc said. “Time and work. We can’t expect people who were clanless until a few months ago to have any kind of attachment to Ocelo Pa’chan and we have no known history for our members to take pride in. Everyone understands that what we’re doing right now is important and they know that we’re doing it as a clan. I think that’s good enough for now.”

“And what if the Humans influence our people even further with their foreign ways?” Cha’ac asked.

“They’re coming to establish trade,” Xoc answered, “not take over Rol’en’gorek. Also, I understand the importance that our traditions hold, but we can’t remain the same as we’ve always been. We must change with our circumstances or we’ll cease to exist. I’m not saying that we need to discard the past: we can keep what already works while changing what needs to be changed.”

The Elders didn’t look very pleased with her answer, but they voiced no further arguments. She would have to continue the discussion once things had settled down. Winter Moon fell into step beside her as she made her way down to speak with Master Leeds.

“You seem to be growing as a Lord,” Winter Moon said.

“It feels more like I’m being squashed,” Xoc replied. “What makes you think I’m ‘growing’?”

“Your public speaking continues to improve and answers to your subjects’ concerns come more easily. You’ve also literally grown: four centimetres in the past two months.”

Xoc stared down at her paw. She hadn’t noticed any growth at all. At this rate, she was going to be as big as a Nar by the time the Deluge came around again.

A dazzling array of bright colours greeted them as they entered the gaily decorated lanes of the Human district. Master Leeds and his guild members had spared no effort to impress the delegation from the Sorcerous Kingdom. The streets were swept clean and the artisans put their best work on display; every man, woman, and child wore newly tailored garments. Xoc navigated her way through the dizzying sights to the Merchant Guild office, where the Guildmaster was reading something at the front desk.

“Sorry for the wait,” Xoc said, “I had to hold audience with the elders.”

“It’s not a problem,” Master Leeds replied. “I just wanted to go over some last-minute things with you.”

“Like what?”

“First of all, I’d like to show you the accommodations we’ve prepared for our guests.”

The Guildmaster rose from his seat and gestured for her to follow him. He made his way to one of the newest buildings in the Human part of the terrace, which had been expanded slightly to make room for new families. Like the rest of the construction in the clanhold, the home was built out of carved stone.

“What do you think?” Master Leeds asked.

“It’s um…nice, I guess?” Xoc answered, “I still don’t know what makes an attractive house for a Human.”

“Well,” the Guildmaster gestured to the scenery beyond the house, “it’s at the edge of the new development, so it still has a view. We’ve put in some of the best furnishings our people have made during our time here and there are even a few pieces of art to give the place a luxurious feel. I’d say the quality’s up there with the best inns a Human city can offer.”

Any Ocelo appreciated a comfortable branch with a good view of the surroundings, so maybe Humans weren’t so different in their tastes, after all. After looking around the house, they returned to the market square to view the shops and stands.

“Our guests will be surprised to find a market here that wouldn’t be outdone by a plaza in the Draconic Kingdom or any other Human country,” Master Leeds said proudly. “Everyone just can’t wait to show their stuff.”

“Have you figured out anything about the place where the Human delegation is from?” Xoc asked.

“Countries don’t spring up overnight,” the Guildmaster answered, “and there isn’t one called the ‘Sorcerous Kingdom’ anywhere in the region. There aren’t even any rumours about the place as far as my people have heard. Of the two people you spoke with, Corelyn sounds like a surname from Re-Estize while Wagner sounds imperial. Both Re-Estize and the Baharuth Empire still exist, though. Are you sure you travelled northwest? There isn’t anything but Argland and the ocean past those two countries.”

“Yes, I’m sure we went northwest.”

“Strange…then maybe they aren’t who they say they are.”

“Why would they do something like that?”

“Who knows?” Master Leeds shrugged, “People can try some audacious things. Falsely claiming to represent someone powerful hoping to open doors and secure deals isn’t uncommon out in the world – neither is taking advantage of people in desperate situations.”

She was fairly certain that it wasn’t the case. The Human lords had a huge clanhold and their territory stretched as far as the eye could see. Who would go to such great lengths to lie about who they were? Then there was the fact that Winter Moon brought her specifically to them…

“What about the Undead that attacked the Draconic Kingdom?”

The Guildmaster rubbed his pointy chin.

“You mean to say that the same Undead horde that overran the Draconic Kingdom also attacked Re-Estize and the Empire? And then whoever destroyed the Undead on that side founded the Sorcerous Kingdom out of the ruins?”

“Maybe they got rid of the Undead in the Draconic Kingdom, too.”

“That would explain how they can come up the river to trade with us,” Master Leeds said. “I suppose we’ll find out soon enough.”

“Are you ready for our negotiations?” Xoc asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” the Guildmaster answered. “It’s going to be an interesting challenge given what we have available.”

“We’re not asking for anything fancy,” Xoc said. “They said meat would be difficult to come up with, but fodder for the herds would be reasonably priced.”

“That’s the assumption I’ve been working under,” Master Leeds replied. “Assuming prices haven’t changed much from what they were last year, we should be able to alleviate the grazing problems of the nearest tribes…at least for a little while.”

‘A little while’ would go a long way. Every week that they could sustain the herds was another week more fungus farms were established. That being said, it was only a small step towards saving Rol’en’gorek as a whole. At some point, the vast majority of the confederation would be starving and she couldn’t for the life of her figure out how Ocelo Pa’chan and its allies would deal with that.

“They’ve reached the lake,” Winter Moon said before running off.

How does she know that?

Not that she dared demand an explanation. According to their visitors from the Beastman Confederacy, Winter Moon and her companions were part of an ancient and advanced people that she was better off not getting on the bad side of. The way they tended to stay aloof made that pretty hard to do, but it also made it hard to get to know them.

After informing the elders that the Sorcerous Kingdom’s delegation would soon arrive, Xoc went to watch their guests’ arrival from atop the cliffs. There, she found Chimali leaning over the railing, his tail twitching back and forth in excitement.

“I was wondering where you were,” Xoc said.

“I couldn’t stay still once Winter Moon told us they would arrive today,” Chimali said. “Do you think our negotiations will go well?”

“You Merchants have been preparing for this for weeks,” Xoc said. “Shouldn’t you be confident that you’ll be able to get something done?”

“If we were dealing with another of Rol’en’gorek’s clans,” Chimali replied, “I would be nothing but confident. But these Humans…we’ve already benefitted so much from the guidance of Master Leeds and his people. What we have to offer seems like a pittance compared to what we have to gain from trade with an entire country!”

Xoc felt that way, as well. From what she had seen of the Draconic Kingdom and the Sorcerous Kingdom, Rol’en’gorek was so far behind that she didn’t know how many centuries it would have taken them to catch up without help. Her people hadn’t even conceived of things like smithing, alchemy, and many other crafts that the Humans had long employed.

“I get where you’re coming from,” Xoc said, “but remember that we’re mostly trading for food. Everything else they have to offer must wait until later.”

“I understand that,” Chimali said. “But what if there’s something we’d want to take advantage of right away?”

“Like what?”

“I-I don’t know! What if they have something that can help us fight the Jorgulans?”

“They’re here to trade,” Xoc told Chimali, “not fight. Even if they could help, why would they? With this visit, we’ll have only just met them.”

The clanhold’s residents started to trickle in, chattering excitedly as they gathered atop the cliffs. The first of the visiting ships arrived half an hour later, drawing crowds of curious onlookers along both riverbanks. Xoc leaned forward on the railing alongside Chimali as three more vessels appeared following the first.

“That barge in the front is the largest ship I’ve ever seen,” Chimali said. “It must be four times larger than the ones behind it and those are twice as large as any of ours!”

“I can’t say I’ve seen anything like it, either,” Master Leeds said. “It’s not just the size: it looks like the whole damn thing is made out of metal…”

“Th-That can’t be right,” Chimali said. “How can there be so much metal in the world? Maybe they’re only metal-coated. They say that Human warriors have iron armour, so why not their ships?”

“I wonder what it’s carrying,” Xoc murmured. “Do you think it’s used to ship livestock?”

No one had an answer for her, so she continued to watch the approaching fleet as it smoothly glided up the river. That was another thing: the ships had no paddlewheels like Rol’en’gorek’s barges did; nor were there any oars or other visible signs of what drove them forward.

“What’s that thing on the front of the first ship?” Xoc asked as the barges came closer.

“It looks like a big hut,” Chimali answered.

“Why would a ship have a hut?”

“I don’t know,” Chimali said. “The more important question is why are the Humans green?”

Master Leeds squeezed in beside Chimali and peered at the ships below.

“Those aren’t Humans,” he said. “If I’m not wrong, they’re Goblins. There are a few other races on the deck, as well.”

“I thought you said the Sorcerous Kingdom was a Human country,” Chimali turned a suspicious eye on her.

“It looked just like the Draconic Kingdom!” Xoc protested, “And the only people I saw there were Humans!”

“There are Humans down there, too,” the Guildmaster said. “This is getting stranger by the minute. A Human country that counts many other races as its citizens is unheard of.”

“Can it even be called a Human country anymore?” Xoc said.

“We may want to rethink how we handle this,” Master Leeds. “We don’t have enough accommodations prepared for so many, for one thing.”

Isn’t that the least of our problems?

As the ships closed with the port, Xoc retreated to the courtyard to reconsider how she should negotiate with the Sorcerous Kingdom. For one thing, she wasn’t familiar with outside races aside from Humans. What if she had to speak with a Goblin or something else?

“il-Enxoc?”

Xoc looked up from her seat to find Elder Patli giving her a questioning look.

“There are more than just Humans on the incoming ships,” Xoc said. “Does anyone know anything about Goblins?”

The assembled elders looked up at her wordlessly. As expected, they knew as little as she did. Living in the heart of Rol’en’gorek didn’t expose one to anything aside from Beastmen.

With a drawn-out sigh, Xoc gathered her tail in her lap and steeled herself for the arrival of the Sorcerous Kingdom’s delegation. Her father – who had volunteered to receive their visitors as they disembarked – appeared at the top of the stairs to the courtyard ten minutes later. Behind him were five Humans: three tall and two short. Two she had spoken with before: the Human Lords named Corelyn and Wagner. There was another golden-haired Human with them, as well as a brown-haired and white-haired one. They all wore colourful garments of different styles, but she didn’t understand what each one meant.

As they made their way between the rows of elders to stand at the base of her dais, Xoc straightened in her seat.

“Welcome to our clanhold, esteemed guests from the Sorcerous Kingdom,” she said. “I am il-Enxoc Ocelo Pa’chan, Lord of the Pa’chan Clan.”

“We thank you for your welcome, il-Enxoc,” the third golden-haired Human said. “I am Enflorine Kadia Dale Gagnier.”

“Pip!”

Xoc blinked as a bird appeared atop the Human’s head. What did it mean? Was it a symbol of importance? All Xoc had was feathers; the Human had a whole bird. She hoped it wouldn’t negatively affect their negotiations.

“This is Enludmila Zahradnik,” Enflorine continued. “il-Enliane Loretta Dale Wagner. il-Enclara Odilia Dale Corelyn.”

The Humans each made their greetings in turn. The white-haired Human didn’t get an introduction. Maybe she was an attendant.

“It is a pleasure to meet you all,” Xoc said. “My people have not known you Humans for long, so I hope our hospitality is appropriate. Speaking of which, you’ve brought more people with you than we’ve prepared accommodations for. My father’s inn should have room for them if they don’t mind.”

“We’ll let them know and see what they decide,” il-Enflorine replied. “Our ship has room for everyone so many may not leave the cabins they’ve become accustomed to.”

Maybe that’s why that one ship was so big…

“In that case,” Xoc said, “please let my father know. Ah – he’s the Ocelo who guided you here. Hmm…we’ve prepared a feast for our evening meal, but, since it’s still early, how about a tour of the clanhold?”

The Humans exchanged silent looks. After a long silence, Enflorine addressed Xoc again.

“Given Rol’en’gorek’s dire situation, my lady, we would like to begin discussing trade between our peoples immediately. There is much to explore, and, the sooner we do so, the sooner we can begin bringing in much-needed shipments from the Sorcerous Kingdom.”

Xoc held in a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the Humans were willing to forego all the formalities that Xoc found so awkward.

“Your sense of urgency is appreciated,” Xoc said as she rose from her seat. “We look forward to seeing what you have to offer.”

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