Emerging from the green lands the Almadra moved to a great wall that separated the jungle from the sea, in appearance it looked much like the massive structure call The Belt of Isarie that crossed the land between the mountains of Gorash and marked the entrance to the land of the Norgonie, but unlike that huge stone fortification this barrier was broken and the parapet that would have supported warriors was missing, the rock honed façade was pitted with age and thick twisted vines now clung like desperate ground snakes to its windblown surface. There was an entrance but the great door that had once hung there was gone, only rusted hinges marked its place.
Seeing the useless blockade Andra shook her head, “These Akuna don’t seem to care about their safety”. Arn said nothing and lifted his arm, when he did there was a loud blast from the signal horns that echoed through the jungle sending flocks of Arrow-tails into the noonday sky. There was a pause as the tribe waited then the King lifted his arm once more and again the horns sounded, when all was silent a group of men and women began to emerge from the opening in the ruined partition. They were several dozen in number and each of them sat upon a strange looking creature called an Emor, in appearance they resembled a Rimar but their bodies did not bare the heavy plating that protected the Outland grass eater, instead they were smooth skinned and the hide was blue-green in coloring, the head was large as was the toothed mouth but instead off their nostrils being at the end of their noses they were positioned on the tops of their short-horned heads.
At the head of the procession was a tall man wearing only a strip of fine cloth around his trim waist and a headdress made of colorful feathers and tiny seashells, his features were handsome by any standard with deep blue eyes and flaxen hair, he was wide chested and there were natural markings on the skin in blue and green, but on either side of his long neck were what looked like gill slits and there was skin-webbing between his long fingers. In his hand he held a long weapon whose design was reminiscent of the Kagars of the Norgonie, but rather than one sharp point on the tip this shaft at three.
Handsome was the thought running through the Andra’s mind and in spite of herself she felt a stirring in her loins but it quickly passed when Arn began to speak.
“We are the Almadra, we bring strong wood and wish to trade with your people, may we enter?”
The golden haired leader of the Akuna moved his mount forward until he was just a few paces from the King; he waited for a moment as he looked into the Outlanders eyes.
“It has been a long time Arn of the Almadra, tell me does your stomach still empty when there is seawater under your feet?” the he glanced at the woman riding beside his old friend, she is not an Outlander but her features are pleasant to look at.
The King’s face did not move as he leaned forward in his saddle, “Empty or full I can still outfight you Cian of the Akuna”.
And saying that the two warriors jumped down from their saddles and grasped each other in a hug that would have broken the bones of lesser men, they parted and the Nomad King lifted his arm and spoke in a loud voice so that all could hear, “The Akuna have given us permission to enter their land, let no Outlander bring disgrace to the tribe or they will answer to me!”
A great cheer rose up from the Nomads and a few moments later they followed their King into the land of the Sea People.
And a great land it was for it stretched from the stone barrier down to a vast inlet surrounded by rocky cliffs with an opening to the sea, the portal was more of a tunnel than anything else and there was an overhang of cliffs were large boulders were positioned so they might be dropped on any invaders from the sea. In the center was a lagoon of blue green water that broke upon the sand strewn shore in gentle waves, in that culvert were five great domes each supported on a huge pillar of steel and rock and at the midpoint of those massive vaults was yet another dome greater than all the others combined. Each of them were connected to the center by bridges and the largest one had a wide causeway that ran from it to the water’s edge, together they made a magnificent dwelling for the Akuna.
The marvels of that land were not confined to the lagoon, the land around the bay was lush and green with smaller inlets fanning out like delicate fingers and the jagged cliffs around those still pools were laced with thundering waterfalls. Not all of the wonders of that place were carved by nature for there were magnificent stone temples filled with skillfully carved statues of naked men and women in the embraces of love, beyond those pools were caves cut into solid rock and here and there were the remnants of ancient machines that must have been used to make those portals in the hard stone.
As Andra rode towards the water she was overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of the landscape, wherever she looked her eyes were filled with wonders of nature, trees with slim tapering trunks that were topped with great palms filled with ripen fruit, foliage of twisted vines and patches of huge flowers that gave off a scent that called up images of soft flesh in warm hands. There were colorful flying creatures both great and small and they mixed with Tree-huggers and Vine-swingers who called to each other in long hoots and short barks, soon Andra’s head was spinning with thoughts that brought beads of sweat to her brow even though the day was not hot.
A paradise, she thought and she had to admit that if she was never allowed to leave it would not have been a great burden. “Who is this man you call Cian?” Andra asked trying to focus her mind on things other than the lustful feelings that now held her.
“Cian is their Kandrac, they have no King for judgments, for they have very few laws to break, Cian is a man they look up too because he is a great hunter and a favorite of their women”.
“He has no mate?” Andra asked before she realized just what she was saying.
“The Akuna do not take a mate for life, they do not follow the teaching of Isarie and therefore are not judged by the Goddess, but even if they are sinners we trade with them and they with us”.
Arn had told her of the ways of the Wave-riders, how they traded shells and food from the sea for things the Nomads had, Fish-sauce was a stable of the Outlanders and eaten at most meals, it did not rot in the heat or go stale in the cold and the Akuna were masters at preparing that delicious treat. But there were others pleasures that the people of the sea had to offer but the King did not go into detail about such things.
“I think I will enjoy our time here” Andra said as she felt the warm air on her skin, what she did not say was the images that flashed in her mind as she looked at the Kandrac of the Akuna.
Contentment was far from the mind of Kalgar-Rune for he knew that all about him were the children of sin.
They do not follow the Book of Isarie, he mind spoke, and if he were King they would be punished for their blasphemies against the Goddess, so he kept his eyes on the path ahead and did not smell the flowers or see the lascivious images surrounding him.
Egmar on the other hand sat on the highest level of the Holy Wagon and smiled at the wonders that Isarie had given to all, she wore a lightly woven robe and upon her head was a headband made of sea shells and silver, around her neck hung a finely crafted gold chain that had several pink shells of great size. Her Handmaidens were also similarly dressed in fine robes and jewelry and they held great fans of Doff-bird feathers that waved back and forth in the light wind.
The Holy Mother did not turn away from the lustful statues for she knew that love was a gift from Isarie and that true love was never a sin, but as those words echoed in her mind she remembered a time long ago when she was a young girl of the Akuna, she remembered the love that came to her and how she followed it no matter where it leads.
“Dennor”, my sister forgive me for what I did”, she said softly so that none of the Handmaidens could hear her words then she watched the faces of the cheering Akuna that passed by in hopes of seeing the sister she had wronged.
That night there would be feasting and dancing and songs to fill the air, stories of courage and bravery would be told and retold and many tankard of Well-aged Po
drained, the night would be warm and the tribe of the Almadra would sit with the tribe of the Akuna and all would be contentment for how could they know that soon a dark force would invade their paradise, a force not of warriors and weapons but a power ancient and malignant that had been festering over the long ages and now was set free.