Chapter 14 Homeward Bound

A couple months later as another winter solstice passed, he was finished with the armor and sword. He instructed how to polish it with sand and oil. Mahara was pleased to be fitted into his helmet and chain mail. Chloe was closing in to giving birth so they waited until the child was born to continue back to Aferdia. They experienced the dry season and people from northern Anduo mountains brought black tea bricks they enjoyed very much. At every visit to the sea, the Anduo people waded into the Western Sea to sing praises to the sea goddess. The Sheban sailors went on their way to more adventures. Alifair and Timsah learned the arts of iron smithing. In the early spring, Chloe gave birth to a boy named Enoch. Mahara gave Ilio a thousand gold pieces making him a rich man never needing to work again. Prince Mahara wrote a letter to his sister Koyla in Sheba and gave his blessing to the new Lothal made ship. They sailed into the wind and a month later saw Makan and Sheba again. Ilio delivered the prince’s letter and rested well into the night. The captain recited a tale of killing a giant sea monster with a harpoon a few days before. Ilio enjoyed the markets of the city and filled a boat to head for Aferdia. They followed Mazu’s quest through the Desert of Punt to a great lake and voyaged down the river through Aferdian grasslands, and ending in Nubia during the spring harvest. Amazing as it seems, the large lizards of Sahul also lived here too. In fact, the symbol of the Aferdian king was this crocodile lizard. King Ptah of Memphis received the guests and Ilio spun stories of creatures, tan people, dark people, and digging for gemstones. He spoke of the sand painting the dark Sahul people created to welcome the traders. He introduced his apprentice Timsah from the silver hawk island. Timsah was in awe of large mud brick buildings and limestone palaces. Not even in his dreams could he imagine such things.

They continued on the river to Tanis where Queen Mazu received her letter from Queen Koyla. Thutmose was most displeased at his caravan merchant friend being killed by lions. Ilio waited for his ship to take him home to Blue Island relaxing in the coastal delta village. The spring equinox came and went with much merrymaking in the streets of Tanis. Chloe showed her baby the city she used to rule and appeared very different now. She felt great sadness viewing her subjects and realizing their lives were no different than when her brothers ruled Nubia. The only thing that changed in their minds was the landlord. They had to wait another few weeks for his ships to arrive and the stories he had to tell of the other side of the world. Timsah reached Chloe’s city of Carthage and learned to write down tales on linen parchment to remember them when he returns from silver bird island. He learned navigating, sailing, and trading. The nomads on the Roden grasslands would came to trade metal ores with the colonies and were ruthless in bargaining. They dropped off Lord Mishca and his son Declan in Ithaca to continue their journey home. Declan bid farewell to Alifair and gave her a pearl necklace to remember him by. As she stepped onto the ship, Ilio noticed a strange feeling as if someone was whispering to him. He gazed upon Alifair and knew she was with child. He demanded to know who ruined her.

Alifair wept and begged not to harm her love. He next demanded to know if her love gave her that new necklace of pearls. She nodded yes. He dragged her back to Mishca’s house and Declan confessed the indiscretion. He decided Alifair will complete her year of apprenticeship before any discussion of a marriage contract. They arrived at Blue Island near midsummer and took a rest. He heard King Oskar died after returning from war to leave his small kingdom to his daughter Kira. Some say Queen Kira is the fabled Maid of Lotan who would bring glory back to the small country. Emperor Ragnar left Lotan to his grandfather to rule only asking for soldiers in his wars with Dacia. Queen Kira proved feisty like her father and her husband a great diplomat. Ilio soon was eager to be at sea and sailed up to Batavia and Lachlann. Raluca and Danut greeted his ships eager to trade. Danut announced he was betrothed to a Lachlann girl whose family moved to Batavia. Ilio offered his congratulations and gave a gift of a bag of black pearls from Sahul. Alifair was most delighted to meet her half-brother. Timsah observed the terraces of their farmland. Danut displayed no emotion hearing his father had married the infamous Chloe and had a new son. When they reached Alesia, Nelu begged to be an apprentice. He heard tales from Danut and wanted his own adventures. Ilio accepted him as cabin boy and Timsah showed him how to do his chores. When they returned to Blue Island, Alifair took residence in Ishtar’s court to learn magic from her grandmother.

The Harvest Games inviting all parts of the Rikian Empire to attend was extended to the newly founded colonies. Timsah and Nelu took advantage of the practicing for the children’s races. Danut came to represent the Batavia colony. Radu, Nastia, and Fane came to watch Danut and Nelu. Prince Azriel came with his wife Amariah and introduced his toddler daughter Tallulah who took a great interest in baby Enoch. Emperor Ragnar and Empress Sarah were in good spirits viewing their Grand Prince Leonidas drive a chariot in the arena. Alifair came representing the allied Mermaid Islands. Queen Lexie proudly arrived with her new granddaughter Tihirah. Cambri competed in the chariot race and Tara gave the chariot race prize steel sword to a Dacian general when Cambri’s wheel broken the third race. Jaden met a Dacian girl from the Dark Mountain colony named Fatima who came to watch her brother loose in the raft races. He asked the High Priest to marry them and brought her to live on Blue Island. Chloe liked her very much and Fatima helped her cooked for festivities. Alifair had her baby boy named Kemet and sailed to Ithaca to marry Declan. They returned to Carthage where she where she was appointed High Priestess. One day while praying to the nature spirits outside the city gates, a merchant from Ithaca came by with a cart full of goods to trade and asked if the trail led to Mircea, a new colony recently built by Minos Island people. Unhappy her prayers were interrupted, she failed to answer the man. Displeased at her silence, the man drew his spear and swung at her head. She bowed quickly and rolled over to avoid the weapon. She rose up and kicked her leg at the man’s knee. He fell down and cried curses at his pain. Soon an almond hit his helmet. A voice from a boy in a tree shouted not to disturb his mother’s prayers. He will not receive an answer until she is done. The man asked Kemet if the trail led to Mircea. Kemet failed to answer because it was prayer time. Given little choice, the man waited for the praying to end and received his answer. No, the trail led to Carthage. Mircea was located in the other direction. The Ithacan stayed to take in a meal in Carthage and went on his way.

Ilio continued on to Nubia to bring back Timsah to Silver Bird Island. He took Cambri, Jaden, Azriel, and Danut to the other side of the world. This time they bartered passage with a merchant from the big lake region. His old partner who set him up with thieves on their last journey to Aferdia offered his son as a guide to the lake area. Once they reach the large lake, the prince returned home on his boat. When they reached Sheba again, Ilio entertained his hostess with stories of Harvest Games. He continued on to the Silver Bird Island along the current and returned Timsah to his people. Timsah introduced writing and metal tools to them. Soon they were off to Bird Islands, Sahul, Sugar Rock Islands, Rice people, and sailed with the Minka Island people to their homeland. They lived in bamboo and clay houses with grass roofs. They planted rice and drank rice wine. Their pottery largely undecorated was made of rope and clay spiraled to form shapes of cups and bowls. They knew nothing of cloth and wore knee length fur robe and tanned leather belt. The woman and children worked in the gardens wearing straw cone hats and had tattoos on their lips. Much of their metal knowledge came from the mainland to the west of the Minka Islands. The crew followed the Minka in their trade routes. The northern mainland is called Neuk whom the Minka learned to farm from. Mostly peaceful village farming communities, they have the past few years started building fort cities on hills to protect against invasion from further inland. A chief leads each city and wears a willow branch headband to distinguish his rank. They wore a loose robe tunic and wrapped skirt made with elm bark fibers. Men wore ankle length pants while out hunting on horseback or fishing. The women wear jewelry made from sea shells and gold bracelets. Their metal art is very plain using clay casts instead of iron that can be etched with acid. Geometric patterns were their favorite. The middle mainland is called Wu and they are busy attacking their neighbors. A great king died and his sons split the land between them to make war against each other. They have warriors riding on horseback wearing iron plates tied to leather armor. They wore their tied up in a ball on the top of their heads and leather shoes with a square toe. The women wear long a tunic with a skirt with a felt belt tied on the outside. In the market place Danut found a spool of very soft thread for sale at a very high price. The Minka explained it is spun from caterpillar cocoons and not very strong. Nearly every wealthy lord on the mainland had embroidered their clothes with this caterpillar thread.

The southern mainland the crew had called the elephant people is called Tanah by the Minka. One last visit to the rice people and they returned to Lothal hearing news that Prince Mahara was gone fighting the Medes to the north of the Tea Mountains. They traded with these people for years and now a king of theirs is demanding tribute and honor to their gods instead. The Sivka River Valley cities were falling one by one to this faraway king called Maluk. The Lothal people thought this Maluk was out to steal iron in the Tea Mountains, but his armies did not stop there. Interested in this empire, Ilio sailed to the Medes seaport Kariana to the west of the Sivka Valley and viewed very tall stone temples and sculptures of animals everywhere. The buildings were covered in bright colored paints that matched their leather robes. They stayed in an inn claiming to be Sheba sailors, after all most were. Ilio noticed many slaves in town and wondered if this Maluk was conquering to get slaves. Nubian kings always did that to Aferdians. Danut bought a slave to give to Queen Koyla so she would have a servant from her own country. They continued on to Makan and Ilio told them about the jinn he released blowing into his sails to travel faster. They reached Sheba and Koyla was most pleased at her gift servant. She promptly went to the temple to pray for her brother defeating this King Maluk of Medes. Ilio pulled out his omen herbs and mixed it in a potion. The steam of the bronze cauldron gave Ilio a vision of defeat of the Sivka Valley people and destruction of Lothal in a few years time. He viewed her brother killed in battle and his nearby family murdered. Many relatives, who escape the carnage, arrive in Sheba seeking refuge. They will live just outside the city in olive groves making oil to burn in lamps. Koyla asked Ilio for magic to aid her brother in defeat of this Maluk. Ilio affirmed that he can unwrite what has already been written.

Koyla mourned her brother’s death and wish him a good afterlife. They completed their journey to coastal Punt, through Aferdian Plains, and seaport of Tanis in Nubia. They returned home to Blue Island richer that Emperor Ragnar. Soon Chloe began to cough and no medicine could take it away. Ilio thought the hot springs of the Dark Mountains could help, but the steam make her cough worse. This went on for a year when they decided to move back to Carthage hoping the warm air would help her breathe. Ilio gave up sailing and welcomed his children when they came to visit. Little Enoch was educated by Alifair inside her temple. He greatly admired Kemet and followed him everywhere. Ilio fought battles with the horse riding nomads and pirates to earn him the title of general. Chloe grew sicker and lost weight as the years went by. Finally when Danut visited announcing he was asked to become King of Batavia after fighting Lachlann pirates, Chloe caught a fever and Ilio searched for willow trees to make medicine for her. When she breathed her last and Enoch wailed in agony not understanding death, Danut and Ilio got drunk on palm wine that night. Danut knew what Ilio was thinking of. The same thought he dreamed of for many years. Ilio removed his magic crystal and it turned into dust in the sand. Danut promised his ghost to take care of Enoch and give future pirate king Fane advice as needed. Ilio took a deep breath of the cold misty air one last time and jumped into the river with his fairy Zanya guiding him to his Chloe. Chloe was in a forest picking berries and invited him into her bark lodge her brothers help her build. Ilio was very happy and spent his time waiting for the rest of his family to find him.

Edwina was living in the coastal marshes nearby and they would watch the sunsets sitting on the white sand beach. Days passed slowly with Chloe gathering food and enjoying water from the Styx River. He spent the twilights with Edwina sitting on the beach watching the sun sink into the Happy Sea horizon. Occasionally, his children, friends, and strangers hearing stories about him conjured his spirit to the living realm to answer their pleas of guidance. Living in the afterlife hills, he found peace in his soul and tried to transfer that feeling to those in the living realm. Life was good.

THE END