Feast of Heroes

The journey back to Alkhadharam was thankfully uneventful even though they had to pass through a small section of Gizba. Admittedly, it was just along the coastline in the northern disputed territory, but still Gizba's reputation is well deserved. They were now flying south through Kasimir Province and were almost to Alkhadharam. 

Bisha was taking some time to go over what he had learned so far, connecting the scraps of information he had been able to piece together and the picture that was coming together he found more disturbing than he had even supposed before. Taking what the Celestial Emperor had told him added to what he had collected so far and Bisha was realizing that this was bigger than he had ever thought, also there was power at work behind the scenes that he was pretty sure that no one else was aware of. A lot of it pointed to mythological creatures from ancient legends that no rational adult believed in.

The Long Yi called them Yo Gai, evil creatures that lived in underground kingdoms and caused mischief and trouble for anyone who happened to come across one. The Michocano had the Axluk, small creatures that could be helpful but would turn violent or vengeful if they were mistreated. The Oristani had the Alsma, A small creature with large ears that live underground and are in constant battle with another race they call the Uqa that were associated with Mrtis. Even the Zwergin have Urk, a race of tricksters that live underground.

As individual stories they were pretty unbelievable, but when put into a whole it didn't sound that far fetched. Each myth had a piece to the puzzle and the what coming together seemed to put ancient history on its ear. Apparently these creatures had lived on the surface at some unspecified time in ancient history, but there was a war between them and another race that lived underground. At some point another people came from the stars or some spiritual realm, it was hard to tell, and at first were peaceful and lived in harmony with the Yo Gai, but something happened and there was a huge war that ended with the Yo Gai banished underground. The "Star People", as Bisha called them, seemingly vanished from history and mythology at some point so he wasn't sure how much faith to put into those stories.

During this war the Star People created a weapon that helped them defeat Mrtis and that was what Bisha hoped still existed. He wouldn't have believed it at all, but the Celestial Emperor had given him a part of the weapon. Although Bisha wasn't sure the right term was "weapon", it seemed more to be a device that robbed Mrtis of her power, allowing the Star People to defeat her. They used this device to trap Mrtis in a stone, thereby rendering her helpless. 

Bisha didn't like where all of this was taking him, it was full of too much bedtime stories and myths. Give him a mathematical proof any day, at least majic was real. He knew it was, he had seen a Jadu particle with his own eyes. He had spent his life perfecting the mathematical formula to describe the Jadu particle and how it behaved. All of this was too much, he had to think of something else, something a bit more real. Bisha needed a break.

Bisha came out onto the deck of Atlom's Axe, it was nice to be back in a warmer climate the wind didn't make his ears hurt. The snow was nice, he hadn't seen it before, but it was too cold. A cold that settled in the bones and made it feel like you would never be warm again. Bisha had a new appreciation for sun and sand. Alkhadraham was now visible in the distance, but it was getting late and they would have to land for the night. 

The party arrived the next day and landed just outside the western gate of the city. As they were getting close Bisha noticed several tall towers around the city that he didn't remember being there before. Each one had a cylindrical device on top that pointed to other towers, were they for defense? They didn't look practical for defending anything, they looked more like a miniature of the device that Adhika Yunavarasiti used to observe the Jadu particle. He was going to have to ask the Yunavarasiti about them.

As they were coming in to land there was a huge crowd that was there to greet them. Everyone was hanging over the railing to see the crowd. Nahla tapped Bisha on the shoulder to direct his attention and pointed to one person that stood out, because they were so much bigger than everyone else,  surrounded by what must be the Mahapratanidhi's entourage. There was only one person on Ardu that was that big that Bisha knew of, and he was married to her. Married. With everything that had happened he hadn't thought about it for months. 

He thought about the first time he saw her, she had been so intimidating, almost twice his height and made of huge rock like muscles, she moved like a desert cat hunting its prey. And then she spoke, her sweet golden voice enraptured him. Any nervousness about her dissolved like a thin mist in the morning sun. He would gladly listen to her recite statistical tables just to hear her voice. She was like the Gesharisi¹ back home, its beautiful call had comforted a very young Bisha living on the streets of Khunduz. It reminded him that even during the worst parts of life there was beauty, and Bisha had decided that he was not going to loose this one.

Coming back to reality Bisha had to think about how his news was going to be taken. So much of it was too fantastical, but it's where the clues led and he had proof thanks to the Celestial Emperor. When he considered everything that had happened so far on their journey, he realized that maybe it wasn't that fantastical after all. He just hoped that the Mahapratanidhi believed him. The sudden jolt of Atlom's Axe landing brought him out of his contemplation. Everyone was getting ready to disembark and the sounds of the crowd washed over him. As Devshi came down the ramp the crowd intensified.

The Mahapratanidhi and her entourage met them at the base of the ramp, she said something to the party as soon as they were off the ramp but Bisha couldn't hear a word of it over the roar of the crowd. He just followed along as the Mahapratanidhi and his party made their way towards the Kaunsala Palace.² He made his way over to the Narn Dargra and looked up into her eyes and he could see some apprehension. To help set her mind at ease he grabbed her hand and gave a gentle squeeze, her smile instantly filled him with a new sensation. He knew he would do anything to make her smile again and woe be to anyone who made the smile disappear. The rest of the trip to the palace was a blur and Bisha didn't care, he was with the most beautiful person on Ardu.

When they finally entered the palace grounds the walls kept most of the roar of the crowd down to a tolerable level, Bisha could finally hear again. The Mahapratanidhi turned to address Zhu Yeng Do.

"Who do I have the pleasure of addressing?" She asked pleasantly.

"I am Zhu Yeng Do, personal guard to the Celestial Dragon Emperor and emissary of the Celestial Empire of Chi Eng Zhou sent as representative to stand in the emperors place until he arrives." Zhu Yeng Do then bowed deeply from the waist with her arms forward in a circle. "May I ask who you are?"

The Mahapratanidhi stood up a little straighter and adjusted her shoulders, "I am Mahapratanidhi Praveena Ramjeeta Akishnabandahur, Supreme Rule of the United Provinces of Kishnagar." Zhu Yeng Do repeated her bow, but a little deeper and respectful.

The Mahapratanidhi turned to her entourage addressing them at large, "Bring the Representative of Chi Eng Zhou to some appropriate quarters, I'm sure she would enjoy a warm bath after such a long journey." One of the servants came forward to bring the representative to appropriate diplomatic accommodations, leading her off toward the castle. The Mahapratanidhi turned toward the rest of the party.

"I have prepared quarters for you in my palace. Bisha, as the husband of the Narn Dargra, you will be staying in the diplomatic wing with your wife, but first we need to have a debriefing with the council. I apologize for the rush, but the hopefully future members of the Great Council are starting to arrive and it's only going to get more chaotic from here. My assistant will show you to your rooms, we will meet in the council chamber in an hour." 

With that the Mahapratanidhi and her entourage left them in the courtyard. The Mahapratanidhi's assistant announced herself as Adyha and guided the rest of the party off to the castle, leaving Bisha alone with Shildeg. Bisha looked up at her and every thought left his head. He wasn't nervous, he had just looked into her beautiful golden eyes and now he had no idea what to say. After a moment Shildeg grinned.

"Maybe you would like a quick bath and some fresh clothes?" she asked.

Bisha's head gave a quick shake as he snapped out of his revery and returned to the moment, realizing how grungy he felt. He had been effectively wearing the same outfit for what felt like a month. 

"That is an excellent idea. Umm, where are our rooms?" 

Shildeg laughed and told him to follow her. As he was led to his chambers Bisha realized that when he was with her he wasn't afraid, or nervous for that matter. Her presence made that scared little child inside of him calm down, for the first time in his life he was truly calm. As they made their way Bisha tried to memorize everything he could about her, the way she smelt, the sound of her breathing, the feel of her skin as she brushed up against him. The more of her he thought about the less nervous he became. 

After a refreshing bath and some new clothes that Shildeg had given him Bisha felt a lot better. The outfit was a little unusual for him, not that there was anything wrong with it, quite the contrary. The quality of the cloth was beyond reproach and the tailoring was superb. It was that it was traditional Ashfani robes, but obviously made through an Oristani lens. It was flowing, breathable, and ornate, but at the same time it was very utilitarian and obviously very durable. It would be right at home on the trail or in a palace meeting room, which was good considering where he was. Shildeg had accompanied him to the debriefing, telling the guards that it was her prerogative to attend. She was Bisha's wife and the Leader of the Oristani tribes after all, the fact that she towered over them didn't hurt.

As Bisha and Shildeg entered the room they saw that the rest of the party was already there. The Kangarasa were in their seats waiting for the Mahapratanidhi to arrive. Nahla gave Bisha a light nudge with her elbow and looked significantly at his clothes giving a look of approval, Irene and Devshi did the same. Bisha blushed and was about to respond when the thin man with the ornate robes ceremoniously walked from his position by the Mahapratanidhi's entrance to in front of her throne and rapped his staff against the floor three times. This time the Mahapratanidhi bustled her way to her throne and quickly said "Alright, we don't have much time. Delegations from the other nations have started to arrive and it's going to be a busy night." Dispensing with protocol she continued, "Bisha, I'm sorry, Narn Kanij has your mission been successful?"

Bisha could feel his nervousness rising. He felt Shildeg's hand brush against him and it subsided.

"I believe so, however what has come out of this research is somewhat fantastical. It would seem that the Children of Mrtis are being influenced by an ancient evil that lives underground and that we have seen so far is part of a plan that has taken hundreds of years to come to fruition. An ancient underground race that the Oristani call the Uqa are in league with Mrtis and are manipulating Mrtis' followers to bring about the destruction of the surface world."

The Mahapratanidhi and the rest of the council gave incredulous looks at this revelation. Bisha continued.

I understand your response, I thought the same. But, when we met with the Dragon Emperor he gave us proof that changed everything." Bisha held up the nondescript cylinder that the Emperor gave them. Everyone squinted to see it. A Servant came forward holding out a cushion for Bisha to place it on. Bisha placed it gently and the servant hurried it over to the Mahapratanidhi. She picked it up and examined it closely.

"What is it?" She asked

"All the Dragon Emperor could say about it was that it contained a powerful energy, that isn't majic." With the last bit the Mahapratanidhi's eyebrows shot up.

"How is this possible?"

"I don't know. Theoretically it shouldn't be possible. I know that the royal artificers in Khunduz have been working on a type of majical battery to power their inventions, but as far as I know they are still very unstable." The Mahapratanidhi carefully put the cylinder back on the cushion and the servant brought it back to Bisha.

Bisha looked around the room before continuing. "I feel I should mention that the Dragon Emperor didn't seem to be acting altruistically, he has been planning something and apparently for a very long time. His personal guard Zhu Yeng Do arrived with us, I think she is part of the plan."

"Thank you for this. We will discuss this later, right now I have international matters to attend to. So if you will excuse me." Unceremoniously the Mahapratanidhi stood up and left, leaving the thin man with the staff and the rest of the council standing around looking around confused. Bisha turned to Shildeg and the rest of the party, not knowing what to do.

Shildeg answered his confusion. "Delegations from the other nations are arriving and there is going to a feast in your honor." She said gesturing to the party at large. "It's about the reforming of the Great Council. It's going to be full of formality, pomp, and circumstance. I hear there will be sweet spoons." As the party left to get ready they could see why the Mahapratanidhi was in such a rush. In the central courtyard was the Michocan God-King and his entourage being greeted by the Mahapratanidhi herself, Ten Rabbit pointed out the ship the God-King arrived in. It was huge, and strangely built. It looked like two ships held together by a bridge between them and each hull was easily three times the largest ship in the port. That was when Devshi pointed out the ships in the distance, it looked like a fleet all running white sails with a running red winged zevra. It was going to be a busy night.

Nahla gave the Narn Dargra a significant look and asked if they could have a moment, Shildeg agreed and they stepped away from the party for a quick private conversation. Bisha couldn't hear what they were saying, but he could fathom a guess. The incident at the monastery was the first time Nahla had struck him and the look of concern on her face had been palpable. When they rejoined the group Shildeg addressed them.

"We will see you all at the feast, I have to get my husband ready for his first official diplomatic function." Shildeg turned to Irene, "I would like to personally thank you."

Irene looked confused, "For what?"

"For showing me that that not all Zwergin are the same, I would like you to have this." Shildeg took a small pouch from her belt and handed it to Irene. I would suggest you open it later, I will be glad to talk to you about it later." Shildeg then led Bisha off to the castle.

When they got to their quarters in the diplomatic wing Shildeg came in close to Bisha and grabbed his hands. His hands looked like a child's in hers. "I am so glad you chose to accept my proposal, I knew I wanted you the moment I saw you." Bisha blinked and replied.

"To be honest, when I first saw you I was very intimidated, but I fell in love with you when I first heard you speak. You have the most beautiful voice." Shildeg blushed.

"I have never been told that before." 

Bisha continued, "I know we don't have a lot of time before the feast, I feel I need to tell you something before we attend." Bisha took a breath as Sihldeg watched him closely. "After I found out in Ashfanabad that I was married to you I had a talk with Nahla. She explained why she didn't tell me right away." Bisha paused for a moment, Shildeg's eyes showed some concern. "I will tell you what I told her. I must be the best husband I can be." There was an almost audible sigh of relief from Shildeg. "I don't have experience with relationships and my life has been very hard. I will do my best to be the best Oristani I can be." Shildeg started to respond, but Bisha shushed her. 

"I need to get all of this out or I'm afraid I never will. My was born the lowest of the low and I was teased and bullied mercilessly growing up and it was only thanks to schooling set up by my Pasha that I was able to escape the streets. I never knew my parents and I have no other relatives, so I don't have any examples of relationships. I'm entering into this completely ignorant." Bisha took a deep breath to steady himself.

"Shildeg, I love you and I promise you that I will always try to be the best husband I can be." After a short moment he added, "And if anyone so much as makes you cry, I will kill them with my bare hands." He finished in all seriousness which made her smile.

Shildeg affectionately asked, "Are you done?" Bisha nodded, Shildeg continued, "My love, I understand. When I was a child a Zwergin military patrol raided my family's camp trying to reinforce their border. I lost both of my parents in that fight and I swore I would never feel that helpless again. While I was raised by the rest of my tribe I trained to be the strongest, fastest, and most ruthless warrior I could. I devoted my entire life to it, but as I got older I realized that wasn't who I was. When I became the Narn Dargra I devoted myself to my people, I told myself they were all my children." It was Shildeg's turn to take a breath.

"I have devoted myself to my people because I thought I couldn't find love and now I have you. I want nothing more than to be your doting wife, so believe me when I say this." Shildeg paused to look Bisha deep in the eyes. "When it comes time for war, and I believe it will be coming soon, you will have every Oristani, every tribe fighting for you. You will command the largest army this world has ever seen and I will be at your side." 

They stood there gazing at each other, looking into each other's eyes. After a moment Shildeg broke the spell. "We should probably get to the feast, I wouldn't want one of the guests of honor to be late." Bisha smiled, still looking into her eyes.

"I could live with that."

"Now, now. You now represent an entire people and being late would send the wrong message. Come on let's get you dressed." Shildeg someone over and passed Bisha over to them. It was the same Oristani that had served tea when Bisha first met her. He led Bisha to another room where he helped Bisha get dressed in a traditional Oristani outfit. Bisha felt a little self conscious about it and had to ask him. 

"Do you mind that the Narn Dargra has married an Ashfani?" asked cautiously. The Official Consort paused and looked at him, taking in his estimation.

"So far you have been polite and kind and the elders have spoken highly of you. I would have preferred some a little bigger," He looked a little closer at him, "but the heart wants what the heart wants. Besides, she could have done a lot worse." He finish dismissively. As Bisha took in his words, the Official Consort finished dressing Bisha. 

Bisha looked at himself in the tall mirror propped up against the wall. He felt ridiculous. To his eyes he  looked like a child pretending to be an Oristani Warrior. Shildeg walked up behind him.

"You look very respectable, my love. Besides it's just for the official feast, afterwards you can change and return to the party." 

"I'm just used to my fez, I worked very hard to earn it. It shows the world that I am a wizard. The head wrap, what do you call it?" 

 "We call it the Tajlam³. It shows when an Oristani has reached adulthood. I think I can help you with this." Shildeg undid Bisha's traditionally tied Tajlam and put his fez on him and then re-wrapped it around his fez so it stood out on top. "Better?"

Bisha admired Shildeg's work and smiled. "Yes. Thank you." He turned to her and stood on his tip toes to try to give her a kiss. She still had to bend over so he could be successful.

"Alright we need to get going." she reminded him.

Bisha sighed and aquiesed. "Alright, but I want to stay here with you."

"Me too." Shildeg conceded.

The feast took place in a huge room of the palace. Each nation was given a spot along the edge of the room leaving the center open for the food that servants would bring them or dancers and musicians. Bisha sat in the Oristani section with Nahla, Irene was sitting in the Zwergin section across the room with her mother, Devshi and Fulha were sitting in the Kishnagari section near the Mahapratanidhi, Ten Rabbit was sitting in the Michocano section next to the God-King, and Zhu Yeng Do sat in the section reserved for the Long Yi. As the only representative she sat alone, she didn't seem to mind. Bisha even saw the accountant that had traveled with them in the Hafla section.

There was another empty section that was apparently for the Xotico who hadn't been able to arrive yet, so everyone was waiting for them. They didn't have long to wait though. The entourage from Argeminos could be heard loudly singing and carrying on as they made their way into the hall. A large crowd of them walked loudly into the hall and as a group they all threw their hands up into the air and cheered. What Bisha assumed was the leader of the group called out to everyone in heavily accented Kishnagari.

"Apo!!! We have arrived!" He twirled around to get a look at where everyone was. "Fear not! For we bring wine!" Several Argeminan servants filed in carrying very large earthenware bottles, each one was the size of an Orinanag and had a long skinny neck with double handles. The bottles were painted with all sorts of imagery that Bisha was sure meant something to them, but he had no idea.

Bisha knew the Xotico were a branch of the Ljosafar, but they had fought against the other Ljosafar in the Great war. They didn't look anything like the Ljosafar that he had to fight on their way to the Celestial Empire. Where they were tall, lean, and malicious looking, The Xotico were mostly heavy set and swarthy. The Xotico radiated a joyful passion for life, their very presence and boisterousness made everyone smile. The leader of the group walked straight up to the Mahapratanidhi, which made her guards rankle, and held out a smaller version of the bottles the wine was brought in.

"For the host we bring Grippa!" The Mahapratanidhi's eyes lit up. "From the River Stryga, where grapes are overjoyed to be made into Grippa." He bowed to the Mahapratanidhi and held out the bottle reverentially. The Mahapratanidhi happily took the bottle from him and in the same spirit replied.

"Welcome my honored guests, may Argeminos always enjoy calm waters, a bountiful harvest, and a wind at your back!" 

This satisfied the Argeminan delegation, they all threw their hands in the air and yelled "Apo!!" They then all noisily made their way to heir reserved area and made themselves comfortable. Once the Argeminan delegation was settled the Mahapratanidhi called for everyone's attention. Once she was certain she had it she began.      

"Guests of Honor, It is time for us to recognize our heroes who have so far performed a great service to Ardu and have made the reunification of the Great Council possible. Please come forward Heroes."  Irene, Devshi, Ten Rabbit, and Nahla immediately stood up. Shildeg gave Bisha a light jab in the ribs with her elbow and he stood up. They all came forward to stand before the Mahapratanidhi. As soon as they took their places she stood up and walked forward to them with a servant following close behind carrying a box on a cushion. The room went silent.

The Mahapratanidhi stopped in front of Devshi First and in her best official announcement voice said, "Devshi Acharyadaha, in recognition of your diligent work in the service to Parvai and the peoples of Ardu we grant you with the Seal of Kishnagar. So that all in your homeland shall recognize you as a defender of the people who has healed two mortal wounds of those who are not of your nation and for having become the Voice of Parvai." The servant held out the box to the Mahapratanidhi. She reached into it and pulled out a golden medallion on a colorful ribbon which she placed over Devshi's head. As the medallion was placed on her everyone in the room cheered.

The Mahapratanidhi came to stand in front of Irene. "Irene Hinterleitner of the House of Hinterleitner, Champion of the Hinterleitner Kriegakadamie, Slayer of the mighty Swarzer, and Savior of the Haflalan Besturaad. In recognition of your battlefield prowess in the defense of others and your impressive work defeating those who would seek the harm of nations we grant you the Seal of Kishnagar. Let all who witness this recognize that you are a true hero and defender of the peoples of Ardu." The Mahapratanidhi places her medallion over Irene's head and the room began to cheer, but the Mahapratanidhi raised her hand and the room went silent again. "For your sterling work in the defense of my great nation I also grant to you the honorary title "Commander of the Guard." Everyone cheered again with the Zwergin delegation being the loudest.

The Mahapratanidhi stood in front of Ten Rabbit. "Lojun Totchli Ya'acte'ame Ytza of the Temple of Camatz, for your diligent work in the defense of others and your exemplification of the principles of Camatz I grant you the Seal of Kishnagar and the title High Priest of the Temple of Camatz in Alkhadharam." Ten Rabbit had to kneel so the Mahapratanidhi could give him his seal. "May all who see you recognize you as a defender of the people and a paragon of the Virtues of Camatz." The room cheered with the Michocano delegation cheering by making a trilled hooting sound.

The Mahapratanidhi stood in front of Nahla, only coming up to her waist. "Nahla Sukaan al Jibal, Sunyari of the Uulyn Shonkor and personal guard of the Narn Kanij, for your diligent work in the defense of the people of Ardu and your invaluable help saving the Besturaad of Haflalan I grant you the Seal of Kishnagar and I personally recognize you as a Speaker for the Great Spirits of Chuluun Toiroq." Nahla had to both kneel and lean forward, almost precariously, so the Mahapratanidhi could give her the seal. The room cheered and all of the Oristani delegation stood and in unison chanted "Kartasagach!" three times. "May all who see you recognize you as a true defender of life and Speaker of the Spirits."

The Mahapratanidhi then came to Bisha. Quietly she whispered to him "Sorry to put you in the spotlight like this, but it needs to happen." Bisha was already sweating. Loudly she proclaimed "Bisha Massey, Master of Majic of the Aljamieat Almalakia and Doctor of Jadutology of the Adikha Yunavarasiti, for your diligent work with the leaders of many nations in the pursuit of peace without whom today would not be possible I grant the Seal of Kishnagar." Bisha knelt so the Mahapratanidhi could give him his seal, as he stood she continued. "I also grant to you by the authority of the Archanseller of Adikha Yunavarasiti the title of First of the Fraternity of the Silver Star." The room cheered with Oristani standing and chanting "Narn Kanij!" in unison three times. Quietly the Mahapratanidhi whispered to a visibly nervous Bisha "You should visit the Yunavarasiti, they really want to talk to you."

The Mahapratanidhi then stood back and announced " Let the feast honoring our heroes commence!" Sheldig immediately stood up, "Mahapratanidhi, not to be outdone by the prestigious delegation of Argeminos, the Tribes of the Oristani people present to our honorable host this." Shildeg was handed a large cube wrapped in ornate fabric. She walked up to the Mahapratanidhi and handed her the wrapped gift. "I, Narn Dargra Shildeg Okhin al Naimazu al Munkhset, the last daughter of the Great Unifier Narn Kazhakh Orista Temjin al Narantse al Chimeg, present this black salt of the highest quality and one hundred of the finest camels to the host of the Great Council." Shildeg handed the block to the Mahapratanidhi. 

The Mahapratanidhi undid the knot on top and revealed the block of salt, it's purity was so high it gleamed like a massive black gemstone. The crowd whispered in admiration of such a beautiful specimen. As Shildeg was returning to her place The Michocan God-King stood up and came forward carrying a large ornately carved box as the Mahapratanidhi passed off the block of salt to a servant. He stood before her, "Mahapratanidhi, Supreme Ruler of the United Provinces of Kishnagar, I Teotlepetl Matlactetl Omei Tehuilotl Tochconetl, God-King of the Michocan Peoples present you with this." He handed the Mahapratanidhi the box and continued. "It is an obsidian star globe, when touched by your hand it will show all the stars of the night sky." The Mahapratanidhi opened the box and pulled out the obsidian sphere, it was almost the size of her whole torso. As large as it was she was able to lift it easily and as soon as it was out of the box it began to shine slightly and all the stars of the night sky were projected onto the walls and ceiling, the effect was quite stunning and ethereal. There were several oohs and aahs from the crowd as looked at the projected stars. 

As the Teotlepetl went back to his ornately carved stone seat the Grundhorn twin emperors stood up and addressed the Mahapratanidhi. "Mahapratanidhi Praveena Ramjeeta Akishnabandahur, Supreme Ruler of the United Provinces of Kishnagar and Slayer of Assassins, we the Twin Emperors of Grundhorn present unto you a water clock, it is of the highest precision and accurate to the nearest quarter second. Our engineers are currently setting it up in your courtyard so that all may know the time most accurately." There were many jealous whispers, this was a gift that would very hard to beat.

As the Twin Emperors sat down the Pasha of Ashfanabad stood up and walked up to the Mahapratanidhi carrying an ornately carved box with gold inlaid geometric patterns. As he reached her he handed her the box. "Mahapratanidhi, the Tiger of Alkhadraham, I Pasha Zehab ibn Niroop ibn Kadir de Badem present to you this." The Mahapratanidhi opened the box, it contained a hundred tiny glowing green spheres. "One hundred Ydzca of the finest manufacture. They are majically charged stones used to power only the most powerful of artifice devices, they will never loose their charge." There was much chatter amongst the crowd, the ydzca weren't believed to exist and were thought to be impossible. Even the Michocan God-King look envious.

As the Pasha returned to his seat the Head of the Besturaad stood up and came to the Mahapratanidhi carrying a cage that was of the size to carry a small animal. When he reached her he help up the cage for the Mahapratanidhi to see. "Mahapratanidhi, I the Diirector Van Bestuur, Lurka Ivenger present to our host Raubenkatze." The eyes of Raubenkatze looked into the Mahapratanidhi's eyes and flashed a bright red momentarily which caused the Mahapratanidhi to look confused for a moment. The diminutive Halfa set the cage down and opened its door, a mechanical bronze can walked out and weaved between the Mahapratanidhi's ankles making a mechanical purring sound the whole time.

The Diirector whistled and it's attention snapped to him. The Diirector pulled a fist sized ball out of a pocket and showed it to the metal cat, the cat's attention was then focused solely on the ball. There were inquisitive whispers from all over the room. What was it going to do? The Diirector threw the ball into the air and whistled again, the bronze cat leapt faster than the eye could follow and instantly shredded the ball in mid air. It then landed and went back to weaving between the Mahapratanidhi's ankles as the tiny shreds of what was left of the ball fell to the ground. The room was silent, this was a truly impressive display. The Diirector continued, "Raubenkatze is tasked with the protection of the Mahapratanidhi and will attack anyone who raises a hand against you." He then took a half step back and made a quick half bow before heading back to his seat.

As the Diirector was going to his section Zhu Yeng Do stood up holding what was obviously a sword by its scabbard. She formally walked to the Mahapratanidhi and bowed before her with her arms held in a circle and stood up straight. "Mahapratanidhi, Supreme Ruler of the United Provinces of Kishnagar, I Zhu Yeng Do, representative and personal guard to the First Dragon Emperor of the Celestial Empire of Chi Eng Zhou have been sent with a gift for you. She held the sword in front of her parallel to the ground with one hand on the handle, the other on the scabbard, and slowly drew the sword just enough to be able to see the blade. It glowed brightly of majic. "I present to you Mercy, one of the twelve swords of the Age of Heroes." The room was absolutely silent. "Anyone struck by this blade shall be healed of any wound or sickness." She then bowed again and held it out for the Mahapratanidhi take from her. The Mahapratanidhi carefully and reverentially took the sword and admired the blade. 

Everyone stood in awe, this was a relic from thousands of years before the Great War. It was thought to be a complete myth made up by storytellers of old to capture the imagination of children, but if this one was real then the others were too. Who knew how many of them the Dragon Emperor had in his possession. Zhu Yeng Do then returned to her seat, the crowd was still silent with eyes locked on the mythical blade. This was the indisputably the finest of all the gifts. The Dragon Emperor had casually put all the other gifts to shame and he wasn't even here to present it, people started to talk amongst themselves.

The Mahapratanidhi carefully handed the blade to her servant and turned to address the crowd. "Now that that is over, let the feast of heroes begin!" Which was met with spirited applause. The party was boisterous with the Argeminans being the life of the party, it lasted well into the night before representatives started heading to their quarters. Bisha was exhausted and just wanted to sleep, he followed Shildeg back to their quarters. As they made their way Shildeg let him know that the whole thing with the gifts to the Mahapratanidhi was supposed to happen tomorrow during the first meeting of the Great Council, but the Argeminan embassy walked in and sort of forced everyone to play their hand. While it was an annoyance, Shildeg had to admit it was a brilliant ploy. It forced everyone to show their hand in front of everyone else because the gifts were originally meant to be given in a private setting. 

Bisha didn't care at this point, he had been up for too long, eaten too much food, and besides he really couldn't handle his drink. When they got back to their room Bisha headed straight to the bed and collapsed. Shildeg followed him and stood over him. "Are you sure you want to go to sleep right away?" Bisha rolled over to look at her as she started to undress, her muscles shone in the moonlight making her skin look like polished jade. Bisha suddenly wasn't that tired, but he wasn't sure what to do. He had never been with a woman before and was both confused and aroused. "Um, please be gentle with me, I've never..." Shildeg crawled into bed looking like a tiger hunting its prey. 

"Don't worry my love, I am always gentle with the desert flowers."

¹Gesharisi - "Night Singer", a species of Toygar songbird common to Northern Oristan and urban areas of Ashfanabad. 

²Kaunsala Palace - The official residence of the Mahapratanidhi and the center of the Kishnagari government.      

³Tajlam - The ever present combination head wrap and veil worn by adult Oristani. Each tribe has their own way of tying and decorating it. It serves as a way of visually identifying which tribe someone is from as well as protecting the wearer from the harsh desert conditions of Oristan. 

Visiting Home

The next morning after the feast in her honor Devshi felt a little worse for wear. Not hungover per se, just tired. So many people wanted to toast in her honor and dance with her that she she ended up not sitting down for the whole party. Her legs were sore. At least since the first meeting of the Great Council was happening today and she wasn't involved she got to sleep in.

After a small breakfast, morning exercises and meditation, and a hot bath Devshi was feeling a lot more like herself now. She was feeling a little guilty though, since getting back to Alkhadharam she hadn't visited her family. She wanted some mom time, sitting in her mom's kitchen sipping tea and helping her cook. It was amazing how many little things you missed when you were gone from home for a while. 

Devshi debated what to wear. After some consideration she settled on her armor, she wanted mom to see her daughter in the armor of the old warrior monks, may Parvai forgive her small vanity. Besides she had been recognized as a warrior of Parvai and since it was now public knowledge, Devshi was certain if she didn't wear the armor her mom wouldn't let her hear the end of it. Looking at herself in the mirror, Devshi sighed and smiled to herself as she wondered in any of the previous warrior monks had to deal with someone like her mother. She quickly realized that since they were Kishnagari as well they probably did.

Devshi looked at herself in the mirror and admired how far she had come since they first left. Gone was the softness from city living, now she looked leaner, stronger, and dare she say it a little better looking. Parvai forgive a small vanity. She should bring Irene and Nahla to her mom's, nothing like some home cooking as a thank you for their help. Yes, that would work. Devshi hung her hammer from a loop on her breastplate so she didn't have to carry it and went looking for them.

Nahla was easy to find, she was always where Usha was. Since she was fairly certain that the Kaunsala Palace didn't have any rooms large enough to quarter a Temee Devshi went to the stables. Sure enough, there was Nahla brushing Usha.  

Sweet Spoons

Adikha Yunavarasiti