“May I have some of your berries?” he asked in his most polite tone.
Isa could tell the boy was very hungry, so she beckoned him over and shared her small pouchful of berries with the boy. There was barely enough to appease her hunger, but it was sufficient.
“Thank you!” said the boy and he waved to her as he ran off.
With a sigh Isa began to walk along again. Before long she came to a road. There in the middle of the road was a man with a cart with a broken wheel. He looked so sad as he sat there looking at his broken wheel.
“I have broken my wheel,” the man said. “There is a town ahead, but it will cost two silver to get it fixed and I only have one. Now my family will starve if I don’t make my deliveries. Could you go into the town and ask the wheel maker to fix my wheel for one silver? Maybe he will change his price for a pretty girl.”
Isa agreed and took the broken wheel. It was heavy and dirty and smelled of horse dung and Isa thought, Here I am back where I started! Smelling of manure!
She found the town and the wheel maker, but when she asked if he would lower his price he laughed in her face.
“Bah! If I lower it for you then everyone will want the same deal!”
So Isa thought of the man and his starving family and put one of her silvers in with the one the man had given her. The wheel maker was satisfied and fixed the wheel. Isa then rolled it all the way back to the man in the road. The man thanked her profusely and offered her a piece of bread from his lunch.
Well, at least I’m not hungry anymore, Isa thought. Then Isa went back to the town and bought some meager supplies with what money she had left. It was about enough to last her a week…and only if she didn’t give any of it away!
Isa walked on, once again leaving the road, afraid her father was looking for her. Now she had to figure out how to make her fortune when she was dirty and smelling like a horse! She went back to the stream and washed up as best she could. When she came out of the stream to get her clothing she found a handsome young man there, dressed in expensive garb, with laughing eyes.
Naked and embarrassed, Isa went to fetch her clothes, but he snatched them away from her.
“Give those back!” Isa cried.
“These dirty, smelly old things? You are better off without them!” Then he got up on his horse and rode away, taking her clothes and all her supplies with him.
Isa sat down in the grass and wept. She should never have come away from her father’s place. Here it was barely two days and she was naked, penniless, and alone in the woods.
With no other choice, Isa stood up and began to walk. Maybe she could find someone to help her somewhere.
As it happened, Isa came out of the main body of the woods and into a glade. There in the center of the glade was a temple to the goddess Meru, the goddess of the hearth, of home, and of harvests. Goddess of women and wives.
Isa stumbled inside, hoping to find a generous mem who could help her, if only to clothe her, but the temple was empty. So she did the only thing she could think of to do. She knelt before the altar of the goddess and began to pray for guidance and support of some kind. Perhaps if she prayed she would clear her mind and be able to think on what next to do.
As she prayed a woman entered the temple. Isa had been praying so intently she had not seen where the woman had come from. But she was the most beautiful woman Isa had ever seen and she had a kind smile. She sat beside Isa and gently took her head in her lap and began to stroke her cheek.
“There now, child. It will be all right.”
The woman was so kind and reassuring that Isa immediately felt better. She sat up and regarded the beautiful woman.
“Are you a mem here?” Isa asked the woman.
“Do I look like a mem?” she asked with a laugh.
It was true that she had the full bodied curves of a mem of Meru, but she was not wearing the wheat skirts the mems of Meru wore. The woman wore a fine gown of jilu silk and a garland of wildflowers within her long, tresses.
That was when Isa realized who the woman was. She glanced up at the statue of Meru that she had been praying at and saw her depicted there with a garland of wildflowers in her hair.
“Yes, child, I am Meru,” the goddess informed her, her green eyes shining as richly as the greenest grass, her hair the color of ripe wheat. “And I was the old woman by the river. And the hungry child. And the man with the broken wheel. Again and again I tested you and again and again you impressed me with your generosity of spirit.”
“Were you the man who took my clothes away?”
“No. I would never do anything to humiliate you. But that young man will be made to pay for his actions.”
“Oh! Do not be cruel to him! It was only a joke. I am sure he meant to return the clothes.”
Meru’s eyes lit with pride. “Again you show generosity, even toward those who wrong you. Some may call that weak, but I say it is a true test of strength. It is easy to be kind to those who are kind to us. It is much more difficult to be kind to those who are cruel to us. That young man was very cruel and he must be made to pay for his actions.
“Isa, I will reward you for your kindnesses to me.”
Meru then touched her shoulder and a gown of the finest jilu silk flowed against her skin, warming her with its soft thickness.
“Oh, thank you! This is a most generous reward!”
Meru laughed. “This is not your reward, child! I simply didn’t want you to catch your death of cold. Here is your reward.” She rubbed her hands together with a flourish and suddenly a dagger appeared in her palms. It was encrusted with flawless rubies and made of gold. It was easily worth a fortune.
“This is the Dagger of Truths. Whoever wields it cannot be lied to and cannot be cheated. From now on all of your transactions in life will be honest ones. This is a very powerful weapon. If used to break the skin of another person all the weight of his or her lies will be brought to bear against them like a harvest. And believe me when I tell you that such a harvest comes with a crippling amount of pain.”
“But…whatever will I do with this? It is too much power for one woman to hold.”
“It is the right amount of power for a woman with a good soul to bear. And when you die this dagger will return to this temple and await the next worthy person to wield it. Now go, go forth in the world and deal honestly with others. But before you go…that boy who stole your clothes. Go to him and demand he repay you in some way for your pain and humiliation. He has great wealth and the dagger will see to it he deals honestly with you.”
“Where will I find him?”
Meru stood up and guided her to the entrance of the temple. There stood a white stag, its great rack of horns beautiful and tremendous.
“The stag will lead you.”
With that, Meru gave her a gentle touch on the cheek and disappeared. Isa didn’t have time to absorb all she had experienced for the stag was already walking away from her. Picking up the train of her gown, she hastened after it. The stag led her to a road which led her to a great house just outside of a town. The stag stood on the doorstep briefly then bounded away into the woods. Isa knocked on the door and sure enough, the young man who had wronged her stood in the doorway. At first he did not recognize her, but then she said, “Do you remember me? By the river we met.”
The young man’s eyes widened and he took in her beautiful gown which easily cost the same as his own clothing had.
“My lady! I am sorry…I mistook you for a serf’s daughter! I would never have—”
“So if I were a serf’s daughter it would make it all right, what you have done to me?”
The young man blushed and had to answer honestly, for she held the Dagger of Truths.
“No, my lady. It would not have been right.”
“You will make it up to me. You will pay me in gold for my trouble.” Isa did not know where this confidence was coming from, but she was glad of it.
“I will. Perhaps two…no twenty…no o
ne hundred gold coins?” the young man said, struggling for the lowest price but unable to do anything but deal fairly with her. Apparently the dagger had a good idea as to what would be fair on her behalf.
“That will suit me well.”
The young man had to find his father in order to pay the exorbitant sum. The father balked, but the dagger made him pay. Instead of one hundred gold coins, she took ninety-eight gold coins, a horse, and some supplies to get her back home.
Then Isa rode home to her father.
“Father, here is some coin to keep you comfortable. I am no longer going to walk your mule. You may hire someone to do it.” And of course, her father had no choice but to deal with her honestly and fairly.
Isa then found a small cottage of her own and settled into it for the rest of her days, and everyone who dealt with her had to deal with her honestly and fairly.
Gia sat back and stretched out her gnarled limbs. The other mem had brought her honey water during her telling of the song and now she took a sip.
“That’s it? A dagger that makes people tell the truth?” Maxum asked. “What use is that?”
“What use is that?” Airi asked incredulously. “No one could ever cheat you again! Everyone would have to deal fairly with you. No one could lie to you. Don’t you think that’s a powerful weapon to have?”
“I suppose…but I was looking for something with more power. Something useful in a battle.”
“Don’t sell the dagger short, boy,” the old mem said. “The weight of a person’s lies can crush them if felt all at once. All you need do is nick the skin and the person would be brought low.”
“Hmm. I suppose that’s something.” The more he thought about it, the more he saw the benefit of it. “Where do you think the dagger is now?”
“In Meru’s temple I imagine…waiting for a worthy wielder.”
“Where is the temple?”
“Well, if I knew that wouldn’t I go and get it for myself? But the story tells you something of it. It is along a stream, in a wooded glade. About two days’ walk from Isa’s village.”
“What village was that?” Maxum asked.
“Well…let’s see…if I remember the song right she came from the village of Corm. Corm is but three days’ ride from here on a fast horse. But I warn you, not just anyone can walk in there and claim the dagger. They would no doubt be dealing with Meru directly. If she is even offering it still. Then again it may already have a wielder. It may not be there at all.”
“I’ll take my chances. Any other more useful songs you can think of?” Maxum asked.
“I have dozens of them. Maybe you should be more specific about what you want.”
“I want something that will make me undefeatable in battle. Even against a god.”
“Against a god! Ha! No one can fight against a god,” the old mem said. “That’s madness.”
“But if I were…what kind of weapon would I use to defeat a god?” Maxum asked.
The mem clacked her teeth together a few times, thinking.
“Have you ever heard the Song of Faya?”
“Faya? Wasn’t that the one about a great warrior woman who fought a great beast that even the gods could not destroy?” Airi asked.
“Yes. And the gods gave her Faya’s Wrath, a god-made blade that hit true to the heart of every creature it was wielded against. It never missed the heart when stabbed into the body.”
“Yes! Faya’s Wrath! That is exactly what I need!” Maxum exclaimed.
“Good luck finding that one. The song says it was lost down an inky well somewhere in the Golan Desert.”
“How was it lost?”
“The song says Faya fell in love with a man, and that man, being what men are, betrayed her by bedding a serving girl from the desert village of Hartung. Faya, in a fit of rage, pierced her lover’s heart with Faya’s Wrath…and she was so devastated by the loss she cried black tears into a well and threw her sword into it where it was lost forever. Others have tried to find the sword and the well to no avail.”
“Others were not me,” Maxum said firmly.
The old woman threw back her head and chortled with a raspy laugh. “Others thought the same. Either weapon is a fool’s errand. But if you ask me the dagger is the more powerful of the two.”
“A sword that can pierce any heart? Maybe even the heart of a god? That is worth ten thousand Daggers of Truth. But since the dagger is closest we will look for it first. Then we will go to the Golan Desert and find that inky well.”
“And dive in after it?” She chortled again. “I hope you can hold your breath a long time. It is said to be bottomless.”
“Everything has a bottom. And as a matter of fact, I can hold my breath a very long time.”
What he did not say was that thanks to a sea witch’s spell he could breathe under water. Something that would come in very handy in this case…as it came in handy when he was caught out in the ocean as well. It was one reason he had not been afraid to jump into the water. Even so, if he had drowned he would have simply healed and drowned again. It would be painful but it would have allowed him to make his way to the surface. But perhaps the talisman would have helped in that regard, keeping him from being injured. He wouldn’t know because the spell was in place so really it did not matter.
Maxum stood up and held a hand out to Airi. She took it without thinking and let him help her to her feet. The old woman laughed.
“Give in, girl. It’ll happen sooner or later.”
Airi flushed and snatched her hand out of Maxum’s. He chuckled. He had some time and he had an inn with a proper bed arranged. He had every intention of doing what the old woman said they should do. Now all he had to do was convince her it was a good idea. One worth exploring in slow, deep ways.
The idea made him hard in all of an instant. He shifted his belt around so a pouch hung in front of that evidence, and luckily Airi remained oblivious, but he was pretty sure Gia had noticed. She was cackling again.
“Don’t forget my donation, boy!” Gia said, rapping her cane on the floor.
“Of course.” He took off the pouch of gold and put it in Gia’s lap.
“Well, well! Been in a dragon’s den, eh?”
“How did you know—?” Airi exclaimed.
“I’m not a mem for nothing! Every mem has a special gift. Mine’s knowing where things have been. This gold has been in a dragon’s hoard.”
“That doesn’t mean we got it from there,” Maxum said.
“No, but she just told me you did.”
“Come on,” Maxum said to a sheepish Airi. “Let’s go before you tell her everything else.”
“That’s not fair! You’ve already told her what we’re going to be looking for!”
“Good luck with all that,” the mem said dismissively as she began to count out the gold she’d been given. “Come back anytime.” She had clearly dismissed the bickering couple.
Maxum took Airi by the arm and led her back out of the temple of Kitari.
—
As they walked through town Airi couldn’t help but think about the story of Isa. She would have liked to hear the story of Faya told from the beginning, but clearly Maxum didn’t have the patience for that.
“So this is your big plan? Look for a temple in the middle of the woods somewhere around the village Isa came from? I don’t see the prospect of earning much in the way of gold and treasure in that and that’s what these guys are in this for.”
“They’ve got enough gold to last them for a while. A good long while. They know we’re not just in it for the gold.”
“Well, I’m in it for the gold,” she said with a frown.
“You don’t have to come. But I promise you if you do you will find a reward worth having. There’s always a dragon or treasure hunt to be had out there. But my main goal is to get those blades. Most especially Faya’s. Once I have that…”
“What? What will you do with it?”
He shut down. “Nothing.
It’s not your concern.”
“Why are you gathering all of this power? First the talisman to make you invulnerable. Then the ring to make you invisible. Now you want these blades. Just how much power do you need?”
“As much as is possible,” he said darkly. “I don’t expect you to understand and would prefer you stop trying.”
“Why can’t you just be straight with me and tell me?”
“Let’s find the others.”
She growled in frustration, but marched after him all the same. She had to be out of her mind, she thought. She was following a power-mongering man who had a tendency to disregard the safety of his men. All he wanted was whatever he set out to get…to the eight hells with everything and everyone else.
He was going to get her killed. No, actually, she was going to get herself killed. She was the idiot following him. But at least these next two items on his list seemed relatively harmless to pursue. No great dragons guarding them. But there was a goddess involved.
“You think Meru is just going to hand over that dagger to you?”
“I don’t know. I guess I’ll see when I get there. I have to find the temple first. One step at a time.”
“And how will you find the temple?”
“The way Isa did. By following the river.”
“That’s extremely vague. Following it for how long? What direction?”
“Well, I’m going to go with downstream. It just seems like if I had a choice of direction along a river I wouldn’t choose to go against the current.”
“She was trying to avoid her father. Maybe she thought the same thing and chose to go upstream to throw him off.”
“You’re thinking like a thief, not a frightened girl of only thirteen full turnings.”
“This is just hopeless.”
“Then don’t come!” he said with a sudden roar, swinging around to get face-to-face with her.