Richard Tuttle - Web of Deceit

Late afternoon brought the city of Chantise where the Charl River joined the Khadora River. It was enough excitement to drag Rejji’s mind away from his dark thoughts. Sintula had been the largest city that Rejji had ever seen, but Chantise was much larger. Rejji turned from side to side as sights sped by. He had learned that each clan in Khadora had its own colors. Pikata’s colors were white and blue. In Chantise, Rejji saw a whole rainbow of warriors traveling by barge and wagon convoy. It appeared as if all clans came to Chantise to market their crops.

The land around Chantise was different as well. Here the land was flatter and the river wider. The forests also gave way to large estates that came right to the river’s edge. Rejji marveled at the wealth of Khadora as he floated past flourishing fields of every crop he could imagine, and many that he did not recognize. Wasooki herds were plentiful and clova flocks were numerous. The estate mansions also appeared to get larger as they progressed downstream.

Eventually, the sun set and Rejji made his way back to the kitchen. Wicado was just finishing his meal and motioned Rejji into the sitting room.

“In the morning we shall be in Khadoratung,” declared Wicado. “Get a good night’s sleep tonight because tomorrow will be a long day for you. I have written up a paper for you to carry with you. You must keep it on you at all times. It states where I can be found if the authorities have any problems with you. I shouldn’t have to remind you of your pledge, but if you get into trouble in the city, the consequences will be dire and I will not be in a position to help you. You are not allowed to leave the city walls. If you do, you will be killed. In short, if your offense is minor, they will summon me and demand I punish you. If the offense is major, they will kill you and then summon me. Do you understand?”

“I will not embarrass you, Sir,” Rejji stated. “I will gather the information on prices that you have requested and I will stay out of trouble.”

“I know you will,” smiled the Bursar as he gave Rejji a small pouch. “There are a few coins in there that you can use to amuse yourself. As I said earlier, your meals are included at the inn, so you should have everything you need to last a few days. Get some sleep and I will gather you in the morning.”

Rejji smiled and nodded and climbed upstairs to his bunk.

When Wicado woke Rejji, the sleeping quarters were already empty and the sun had risen. Rejji hurried down the ladder and grabbed the last of the bread from the food sack. He carried the empty sack with him as he left the structure and went out on deck. Wicado was waiting for him on the dock.

“We must move swiftly,” Wicado stated. “I have little time before my meeting starts and I want to get you settled at the inn.”

The Bursar turned and strode off the dock and Rejji hurried to catch up. The wharf area was lined with warehouses and taverns and men were busy unloading barges that had arrived during the night. The smell of old vegetables and fruits filled the air so strongly that Rejji was glad they were hurrying. Several streets past the wharf area the warehouses were replaced with shops for the various trades. Rejji peered down the cross streets and was amazed at the variety of services offered in this one area. There were several shops dedicated for each trade and anything that could be made was available here. Rows of metalworking shops were followed by rows of carpentry shops. Tailors, jewelers, bakeries, and leather shops filled street after street.

Finally, up ahead, Rejji could see the beginning of the market area. Some vendors appeared to have permanent locations and were opening their stalls, while others were pushing carts that contained their wares. Hundreds of people were moving swiftly around. Wicado turned to the right as soon as the market began. Rejji stole a glance to the left before following and could see no end to the market. Looking past Wicado proved the same was true in both directions. Several blocks down, the inns started and there were dozens of them.

Wicado turned and entered the Inn of the Rose. He spoke with the innkeeper while Rejji gazed around the common room. There were patrons having their morning meal but the room was far from full. Wicado reached back and pulled Rejji towards the innkeeper and handed him a room key.

“This is the lad,” Wicado stated. “He’s a good lad, but help him out if you see him getting mixed up with the wrong the crowd.”

The innkeeper nodded slightly, stuffed the coins in his pouch and turned away. “I got you a private room, lad,” the Bursar declared. “Sometimes a young lad can be led astray in a strange city. Remember your promise to me and I will see you back here in three days. Come join me for part of the walk and then you can get started on your work.”

They left the inn and crossed the market. Rejji shook his head as he began to realize how massive the market was. After several blocks of the market, another row of inns appeared. Behind the inns, Rejji saw the first houses. The houses were larger than anything he had seen in Fakara, and as they progressed, the houses got even larger and fancier until he saw houses larger than the mansion at the Pikata estate. Once again he was dazzled by the wealth in Khadora and that was before the houses stopped.

When the rows of houses did stop, Rejji stepped into a park that was enormous and he stopped.

“Come along,” the Bursar called.

Rejji shook his head and ran to catch up. The park was like a paradise with pink stone paths and the finest grass he had ever seen. Tall stately trees dotted the grass and lined the pathways. Finely maintained flowerbeds were everywhere and the air was deliciously sweet. Every forty paces along a path was a stone bench. Morning birds were chirping and singing and squirrels were frolicking from tree to tree.

When they finally made it across the park, Wicado stopped. Rejji gazed across a broad plaza at the most magnificent structure he had ever seen, more magnificent than anything he could have dreamed of. Rejji craned his head all the way back in an effort to see the top of the palace, but he was already too close to be able to see the top. The palace was made of highly polished white stone and was so wide that he could barely see the ends of it. A black metal fence ran around the building but so far away from it that the front lawn between the fence and the building was many times larger than Rejji’s whole village.

The Bursar opened his bag and extracted a smaller bag, which he gave to Rejji. “Writing materials for your task,” he explained. “It is quite a sight isn’t it? It is the Imperial Palace. That is where I will be for the next three days. I must go.”

Rejji watched Wicado cross the street and approach one of the gates in the black fence. Guards dressed in white stopped him and inspected some papers before allowing him to enter. Rejji watched until Wicado mounted the massive steps leading to the palace. He appeared so small and insignificant at that great distance, but he thought he saw Wicado turn and look at him as he entered through the large doors.

Rejji stood gaping for a few moments and then turned around and entered the park on his was back to the market. Rejji’s mind turned to thoughts of how to organize his task in the market. There appeared to be thousands of shops and he only had three days to finish the task Wicado required of him. Rejji figured he should start at one corner of the market and systematically proceed along the entire row and then loop back on the next row. At least this way he would not miss any shops.

Rejji reached the first stall and gazed at the merchandise. The stall sold only gold jewelry and most of the pieces were one-of-a-kind. Rejji scratched his head as he wondered how he could possibly record all of the prices of all of the items in three days. To make matters worse, some items had prices on them and some did not. He asked the merchant about that and the merchant laughed at him and told him if he wanted a particular piece the merchant would quote him a price. Rejji sighed and opened the bag Wicado had given him. He was surprised to see the paper already had a list of things on it.