"An impressive feat."
Accompanied by a sigh, the old lord Ogulno took a look out of their cabin's window, over the waves of the Mayura river and towards the road which they had followed alongside them since this morning. Without a word, Mayu Sonco Saqartu, the new lord of Puscanacra and Governor of the South, returned a lazy nod.
"It is hard to believe that lord Corco managed to create all of these roadways in less than a year. I hear that security within the region has become much improved as a result," Ogulno added.
While Mayu still stared out onto the even, gray roadways as it stretched towards the horizon in almost straight lines, a slight sneer formed around his mouth.
"Not a great achievement," he replied. "There has been word that King Corco has employed slaves, or rather, he has captured all the former warriors of Saniya as slaves for his work force. This sort of construction were far less impressive if one had thousands of imprisoned warriors slaving away for ones own cause."
Next to his own position, Mayu could hear his uncle Ogulno contemplate with a quiet hum. "Maybe. Still, rumor has it that lord Corco has brought with him a new method for road creation from the east, much faster than anything seen before. The lords east of the Chawir marshes say that the roadways already stretch all the way to their own territory; It is a threat to their border security, a blatant provocation which should be addressed over the following days, now that we have the chance to stand before lord Corco as a group."
"No matter if it was done with northern slave labor or with eastern technology, it is not an impressive feat either way. Rather than that, I am far more interested in this one." One eyebrow raised, Mayu used his head to motion over to the waterwheel their ship was drifting past.
"The watermill? Admittedly, the wheel's form of construction does seem unusual. However, this lord does not believe that there is anything too special about it?"
"No, there is nothing special about the wheel itself. There are many mills like this one all along the Mayura, all the way up into the frozen wastes. However, did you not count them, uncle?"
"Count?" Although he wouldn't bother to look behind himself, Mayu could imagine his uncle's blank look vividly, just as he had seen it many times before.
"I mean the number of mills we have seen so far. Since we arrived in the Chawir marshes, we have seen a dozen waterwheels along the shore, if not more. All of them new, all of them connected to the main roadways."
"Ah, it seems as if Prince Corco has plans for the region. Maybe he has seen the excellent land around Saniya and has falsely assumed that the same conditions would apply to the entirety of Chawir. If there were such great land, he would indeed need the additional mills for harvest season. Apparently our little king still has much to learn."
A short shake of Mayu's head corrected his uncle's ideas, and ignored his repeated rudeness. "No, there are many more things besides milling one can do with a water wheel. Corco has been doing well in administration, for a northerner at least."
"Remember why we are here, Mayu." Unlike his usual mild self, the always careful Ogulno's voice took on an unusually stern tone. "You were meant to come to Saniya's harvest banquet to make reparations. Once you have shown your sincerity, the two houses of Saqartu and Pluritac can repair their damaged relationship once more, thus binding the troops and weapons of Corco to the southwestern Puscanacra. After all, I promised Guanca and Elder Cauac to make sure you would keep to your promises. I hear that your youthful wildness has done quite a bit of damage to lord Corco's pride when you met after the coronation."
With a sneer, Mayu looked back, into the quivering eyes of his uncle. Even here, as the elder, faced with his own nephew and backed by Mayu's mother and grandfather, the old man still managed to look like he would turn tail and run at any moment. Maybe it was just the dismissive attitude Ogulno showed towards the King of the South which made the young lord look down on his older compatriot. No matter how Mayu himself thought about Corco or Atau, he would not make the mistake of underestimating the man who had successfully stood up against Grand Elder Viribus, Defender of Medala.
"You know what I heard?" Mayu's voice bit back. "Back in Arguna, after my father died, you were the first to step forward and abandon the crown prince's cause. Father was not even dead when you turned your back on him, right before his eyes."
An uncomfortable silence enveloped the room, only broken by the soft splashes of water rolling down the wheel in the distance. Both men had taken shots at each other and the atmosphere had soured as a result. Not only were they in no mood for further talk, nephew and uncle were also each far too focused on their own thoughts, brooding over the mistakes they had made before, the mistakes they tried to fix with their visit to Saniya.
At least that was how Mayu felt, and how his uncle should feel if he had any sense. Although the young lord didn't know how his uncle truly thought about the new King of the South, Mayu at least was aware that cooperation with Corco would be vital for their future. Over the past few months, he had received shocking reports from Arguna about King Pachacutec's warlike stance, and his general lack of respect for all things Sachay. Not only that, Lord Saqartu also understood that it had been his own impulsive actions which had made their cooperation so difficult. Even if he didn't consider Corco part of his family, at least they would have to be allies out of necessity, or the north would swallow them.
Under complete silence, the waterwheel left Mayu's line of sight, disappearing around one of the Mayura river's many bends. Once he turned his gaze ahead, back towards the goal of the never-ending stream of life, he saw, at last, the point where the river would meet the Narrow Sea and descend down to the underworld. Over there, he found the winter home of the old Saqartu clan, the terminus of Sachay, Saniya.
"The lavender didn't survive until now, did it?" Mayu mumbled, more to himself than to anyone else.
"Yes, it is a bit of a shame that we won't see the beauty of Saniya's blooming lavender fields. Still, the warm spring and mild summer are at fault for their early disappearance, so in return, all of Sachay was blessed by a rich harvest. Surely House Saqartu will earn as well as House Ogulno has in the recent harvest."
"Yes," Mayu answered without a smile and without much thought, still trapped in his own mind. "We have earned well. Pacha be thanked."
"In fact, after lord Corco's festivities are over, House Ogulno will be moving back into the capital's Ogulno manor. After all, spending any amount of wealth in the south would be a waste. I heard that there are some new treasures in the north, imported from the mysterious, foreign kingdoms of the orient. The young ones are already excited about our travels."
"Hmm..." Even after all this time, Mayu had a hard time focusing on his uncle. Still, the old man babbled away unperturbed. If he had listened to the words, Mayu wouldn't have offered a kinder response either way. Now that he was Governor of the South, the young Lord Saqartu would never suffer the invasive actions of the north. Over the years, the northern lords had managed to siphon much of the southern funds into the den of depravity they called the silver city. With the arrival of more and more foreign merchants from the east and west, this trend had only gotten worse.
Even though Mayu had his reservations about the former Emperor Titu or his son, the new King of the South, he still had decided that it wouldn't be the worst idea to work together, at least for the moment. Up until now, everything he had seen since they had entered the Chawir marshes told him that the king was a reasonable, peaceful man, far more worried about administration than about luxury or power plays. It was an image much different from the rumors. In stories spread among some noble houses, Corco was the vicious beast which had slain the brave hero Pacha with vile trickery and monstrous brutality. Of course none of these stories could be believed, since as always, they were only a means to undermine Corco's legitimacy and strengthen the power of the houses. Still, true judgmenton on his cousin's character would have to wait, at least until Mayu understood what the king wanted to achieve with this banquet of his.
"Honored Lords, we have arrived!" The voice of his warrior captain and new adjutant called from above. Soon after, the two men had made their way above deck, to be greeted by the king's city. What met them above deck was much different from what they had expected.
"Atteeeention!" In response to the sharp words, the new king's famous foreign soldiers, the white devils, stood together in formation. Rather than the loose rows of excited warrior or the huddled clusters of terrified peasants one would find on a Medalan battlefield, what met his view was a neat square of soldiers, twelve wide and six deep, one like the other, with even space between them. In unison, they raised their hand cannons up to their chests.
"Aim!" The voice called out again. Only now did Mayu find the source of the noise. Stood behind the army was a tall man in simple armor, similar to lamellar. His helmet was open-faced, simple and functional, but the red cloth underneath the metal identified him as a proper, orderly warrior one would expect in a king's guard. It was the same view the king had presented to Mayu since he had entered Chawir: Simple, neat, orderly.
At the officer's second command, the soldiers took one step forward and aimed up ahead. Like a hot wave of air, the pressure from the troop movements blew into Mayu's face and made him stand up straight. To his side, he could hear his uncle take half a step backwards, as the deafening noise of a hundred synchronized steps echoed through the wooden planks under their feet.
*Coward.*
Although he looked down upon his uncle's actions, Mayu would have done the same, had he not seen that the gun barrels weren't aimed at their vessel. Rather, in a strange twist, the soldiers had aimed to the side and in the air, towards nothing.
"Salute!"
With the sound of a thunderbolt, the combined roar of the hand cannons released a plume of smoke into the air to add color to the cloudless sky. Once they had fired in unison, the formation moved like a single man again. With snappy movements, they lowered the weapons down to their sides and began the reloading process.
"There is something strange about these men, is there not?" Bothered by an incongruity he couldn't place, Mayu sought answers from his uncle. He should have known better.
"Is... is it the waste of ammunition?" Ogulno's nervous voice came back. Although for a moment on the boat, he had tried to play the strongman, by now the lord had returned to his usual insecure self.
"No, there is something else."
Even though the men were in the process of reloading their weapons already, fully intent on firing them, he wasn't bothered by how much any these shots would cost the king. Once again he sunk into his own mind, worried about the peculiar atmosphere which surrounded the soldiers before him.
"Salute!" Once more the guns screamed into the day, as the stench of sulfur filled the air and reached all the way across the river and to their slow-moving boat. From the corner of his eye, Mayu could see his uncle's shoulders jerk up again, but he was still preoccupied.
"It is an awful waste of ammunition either way," the lord of Kapra added.
"An impressive sign of wealth, being able to waste this much saltpeter and sulfur on a simple show of force," Mayu corrected. Truly, it was a good way to show the lords the strength of Saniya, a way to gain respect from the first moment of their arrival. If every lord received a greeting like this, it would force them to take Corco seriously and legitimize his claim as king.
"Even so, they're nothing but foreigners. What can these strange men from the ends of the Earth know of Pacha's great glory? We cannot trust them with these precious weapons, can we?" Ogulno said, the greed dripping from his words. Mayu had never really liked his uncle. Not only for his lack of courage, but far more for his clear lack of honor. However, he wouldn't rebuke the man for his desires, not this time. For right at this moment, Mayu had understood just what was different about the formation of saluting soldiers.
"These are no white devils," he said with wide opened eyes. By now, the ship had come close enough to the pier, which allowed a closer look at the soldiers. Through the smoke of gunfire, he looked upon the men, upon their familiar features and complexion. "They are Yakua. This isn't a salute, it is a pure demonstration of power. In less than a year, King Corco has trained a second army."