The Guardians of Celesk

Chapter 20: A Lingering Debt

Arrogance blinds the powerful, or even the noble. This was the gist of Gaius' discussion with Yordu. Their talks were given clandestinely, away from prying eyes in the graveyard at the end of town. He was speaking in double truths, as Yordu realised. The town had to bury their dead, just like the people of Mes-Celesk. Warfare and death were the terrible equaliser, and the reminder that many had lost their way.

Gaius peered over at a particular headstone. "Here's where I had to bury my father."

"I'm sorry," Yordu said. He let the man continue.

"He was the first to stand up to them. He truly was a stubborn sum'it; he always knew how to put up a fight...Valezk and his underlings rolled through this town like a storm. They'd already hired a squad of rogues from the neighbouring towns. People that were already starving from the drought. I mean I could hardly blame them."

Gaius continued to stare forlornly at the gravestone before looking at the next row. "We lost a number of good people in the first day. I had no choice- I had to protect the rest or we would all perish."

"You did what you had to do," Yordu said. "It's still tough though... What did he ask in return?"

"Our blind, obedient loyalty... a number of our strongest men for him to fight in the great war, along with a few meagre supplies. He also placed a garrison to watch over these lands. They send their security team to keep us in line. Occasionally they have their fun with our weakest and take what meagre harvest we have in return."

"Let us help you."

"and bring more carnage our way?"

"We do it properly. Very little interference."

"And what do you want in return?"

"a few more days of your hospitality. And some more information. You're right about this war. Valezk thinks it has ended, but not hardly. We need to build up our own army and take down the whole system. I'll take whatever you can give me: Macrimancer forts, supply trains, garrisons, friendly towns... whatever it takes."

Gaius finally looked up from beyond the tombstones and looked Yordu directly in the eyes. "After you fix our problem."

"A fair trade," Yordu said.

Both the men grasped each other's shoulder, and they knew the weight of this agreement. Each of them desperately looked forward to better days, for the debts of the Celeskian people were not lightly honoured, and there were more days of red before a harvest of green. As they shared the moment, Gaius and Yordu signalled the others to join them back at the edge of the graveyard. Skyene was the first to walk towards Yordu, "So what's the strategy?"

"I'll explain later." Yordu turned back to Gaius, "Tell me more about these people, starting with your father." He let Gaius continue to do the talking, letting the two of them split off from the main group. Yordu gleaned a rich history of the people, either dead or still breathing. They were a proud group of townsfolk and Gaius knew this tension wouldn't last, something would have to give, and Yordu decided they were the ones to force the hand.

"When is it your garrison patrol is likely to be headed this way?

"Usually a few days from now, or if they hear of a disturbance." Yordu's hand went to his brow, and he furtively glanced back at the town. Plans, machinations were starting to form.

"How many do they likely send and tell me about their leader? What's he like? Which type of weapons are they likely to carry?"

"One at a time, Yordu, for Celeskian sakes, I'll answer." He smirked as he said this, before indulging Yordu. This time Yordu listened without interruption, absorbing all his information. A plan had been devised, and Yordu remained confident. Before honouring the dead in their own way, the group ventured back into town.