Chapter 11: The World Grows

Noia awoke late in the morning, washed and spent more time making something of the mess that was her hair. Shortly before High Sun Lady Becky knocked on her door and asked if she wanted lunch. Thinking it would be something small and informal, Noia agreed.

Instead, there were a very great many people present, mostly teachers and assistants from the High King's University, come to meet Lady Becky. Noia herself was placed at Lady Becky's side, and as people were introduced to Lady Becky, they were then introduced to Lady Noia.

She'd been six summers or so, the first time she'd been presented at Count Echanistra's court. She remembered him easily enough, but the rest of the names and faces were a blur. Today was the same thing -- not to mention there were quite a few more names and faces than had ever attended Count Echanistra's Great Hall.

One thing that was clear was the sheer variety of the titles. Master this and master that, and scholars above all. Those were men and women who studied things but had taken a different path than being apprenticed to a master.

She commented on it to Lady Becky while they waited for the others to be seated. The High King overheard her and laughed. "Lady Noia, there is nothing that attracts competent men more than self-interest. If a master is willing to teach his or her knowledge here at the University for ten palm-widths a moon-quarter, they may attend any other class for free. In addition, we count up the number of palm-widths they average over the year per moon-quarter and they get that many gold Kalvans."

Noia remembered a big furor a few years before in North Port. A master builder had been hired to construct a new dock into the harbor. He'd hardly started work before it became apparent he was no master builder and probably had never seen a dock before, either.

The other masters were enraged that someone would try to pass himself off as a master and had wanted dire punishments. Her father had laughed, and then took everything the man possessed except the clothes on his back, rolled him in the mud and sprinkled him liberally with bird feathers. The fake had been taken to the edge of the county, a corporal's outsize boot had been applied to the man's fundament and he'd been ejected from the county.

"Highness," she'd asked the High King, "how do you prevent fraud?"

He chuckled. "It's a headache! Many men know many things; frequently they know several different ways to do something, and there are honest differences of opinion about which is best. And yes, there are outright frauds.

"We have a special committee, elected by our teachers, who examine a peer. I also have a board of appeal, appointed by myself, including Scholar Mytron and a few others. Mostly I appoint men and women who've done something singularly brilliant, preferably going against the common wisdom."

He lowered his voice a bit, even though he was still talking to Noia across Lady Becky. "This afternoon, come and see me. I hope you haven't unpacked."

"No, highness, I haven't unpacked. I think I've forgotten how."

He chuckled and then turned to someone else, listening to a proposal for a new wing of classrooms at the University.

Later she and Trilium were led to a small room where the High King sat alone at a table. He waved for them to sit. There was a guard standing near the door. He was wearing a brace of pistols and looked quite fierce.

"So, you want to join the navy and see the world, eh?" the High King asked them.

"Yes, highness," Noia replied.

"Tanda Sa has petitioned me," the High King told her. "He got the grand tour of the University this morning and sat in on a class in military tactics. He's decided that he'd rather do something else. He wishes to go with you."

"Me?" That surprised Noia.

"Yes. It's one of those oddities that are hard to explain. Many men who live far from the sea learn to love it. Men who live close to the sea find they love the desert. There is room for all sorts, under the vault of the heavens."

Noia nodded; that was a truth! She turned to Trilium. "Sergeant?"

He shrugged. "Lady Noia, our people and the Ruthani have been enemies for as long as history records. Even now, their northern brothers fight against us. Yet I've seen him, I've talked with him. If he's not a true man, then I am no judge of men. In any case, it should be your choice."

Noia considered and then nodded. "If that is his wish, so be it."

"Good!" The High King gestured and the man at the door opened it and said something, and a moment later Tanda Sa joined them.

The High King picked up something from the floor. It was covered with a drape so that they couldn't see what it was. "This is one of my secrets, do you understand?"

"Yes, highness," Noia told him. The others acknowledged him as well.

"Good. I'm sorry about this, Tanda Sa, but I'm afraid you're about to get some more classroom time in." He lifted the drape on his side, adjusted whatever it was, and then tossed the drape aside.

The object was round like a ball and had lines drawn on it, with areas that were colored in blue and brown. There was a brown swath that ran down the side that faced them, starting near the top, and going around towards the bottom. There was blue around the edges, and top and bottom of the ball were colored white.

"This is what our world looks like, if we were standing on the moon," the High King told them.

Noia considered the very many stories and tales she'd heard about the shape of the world. Round like a ball was one of them, and perhaps of all the stories, the one that seemed to explain things best.

"I'm not going to spend much time teaching you about the study of the heavens, but basically everything you can see up there is shaped like this. The sun, the other stars, the moon, the planets."

"The other stars?" Noia asked.

"Aye, the sun is a star, just like those pinpricks you see at night in the rest of the sky. It's just a lot closer. The Earth circles the sun, so do all the planets. The moon circles the Earth. Again, all I ask is that you believe me for the time being."

Noia nodded, staring at the ball in front of her. A representation of the world! How many sailors, how many men had speculated on what lay beyond the far horizons? Legend had it that men had come here from the Winter Kingdom, through the Cold Lands of the north. But you died if you tried to go that way, now!

"Many things about how these bodies in the sky are arranged will be important to you, Lady Noia, as you learn ships, but that will come later." He pointed to a spot in the northern part of the ball, half way up the upper half, towards one edge. "Here is where we are. Later, you can take a closer look and see the approximate boundaries of the various Great Kingdoms and Hostigos."

He pointed things out, including Echanistra, but North Port was too small to see on the map. Then he pointed out the God-King's lands to the south. "You will see that the God-King's lands narrow as you go further south, until here, where they meet the southern continent, they are very narrow indeed." He drew a line that ran across the middle of the ball.

"This is the equator. Again, you have to trust me on this. The ball that is our planet spins around, while the sun essentially stays still. It takes the Earth roughly four palm-widths to rotate so that the sun goes from overhead at Hostigos to overhead in Baytown.

"As you go further south, the sun moves higher and higher in the sky at High Sun until you reach the equator, where it would be directly overhead at High Sun. And, I might add, that doesn't change, either.

"We have not explored south of the God-King's realm, because ships that try to go past his lands are destroyed. His lands are so huge and ships are so slow, they are always seen and intercepted. While I know the shape of the land south of the God-King's lands, I have no knowledge of how far south his lands extend."

He moved his finger north and traced a peninsula that stuck out like a finger into the blue sea. "This is Hos Bletha and it's a peninsula. The southern portion of this peninsula is a vast swamp. That swamp is filled with hungry lizards, poisonous snakes, poisonous insects and terrible diseases.

"This sort of swamp requires close proximity to the sea and has to be flat -- which is why the mountainous northern regions of the God-King's land, southern Zarthan and the lands of the Lost Ruthani are all desert. There are mountains that comb what little water is in the air out, and they are far from the sea.

"As the lands south of the God-King's heartland narrows, they become such swamps as Hos Bletha. The southern continent's eastern parts are a swamp the size of my lands here in the northern continent. What sort of people are there, I have no way of knowing. Along the western coast of the land there is a range of mountains like Mountain Wall in Zarthan, except taller and many times longer.

"The information I've gotten from spies and refugees tells me very little. The best information I have is that the area is lightly settled and dangerous. The God-Kings have sent many expeditions south, but no one really seems to know what they found or what they did. My spies are working on it."

He looked at them for a moment, and then moved the ball, turning it so the west passed out of sight, the blue dominated. Finally a new land mass was visible. Again, there was a large mass to the north that extended further out of sight, and a smaller one to the south, rimmed by ocean.

"For the time being we call these the 'Northeastern continent' and the 'Southeastern continent' and the small sea that separates them the 'Middle Sea.'"

He reached down and put what looked like a long bronze spearhead on the table next to the ball.

"A few years ago one of my ships approached this island here, off the coast of the Northeastern continent. Short, bandy-legged men who were painted blue and wore leather armor met it at the water line, throwing spears like this one at the ship. They seem to think that all ships coming from the sea belong to raiders. They weren't interested in talking to us at all. The ship put in at different places and always met the same reception. They could see signal fires on headlands, and realized that the islanders were spreading word of their coming.

"They found a deserted cove, killed some local deer, got some additional water and turned back, per their orders."

Noia tried to digest what she'd just been told. It didn't seem to make much sense. "Lord Kalvan, please, there must be something that I don't understand."

"Well, I'm not entirely sure I understand either," he told her. "In a short while another expedition will go back to the northeastern continent, this one better prepared. They will go to the mainland and see if they have more luck. Failing that, when they start back they'll stop at the island again.

"The ship's captain will be ordered to try every method to obtain a parley, to establish some sort of contact. But if that fails..." The High King looked very, very bleak.

"I have ordered men into battle; I've watched my wife giving birth. I've given many difficult and dangerous orders, including orders that have caused thousands and even hundreds of thousands of deaths. I watched someone I love more than anything else risk her life bearing our children. Nonetheless, the orders I will give the captain of that ship trouble me as much as anything as I've ever done.

"I have ordered my captain to kidnap one of the locals and return him to Hostigos. I told him that if he brings back a woman, I'll hang him myself. I told him if a hair on the man's head is harmed, I'll kill him myself. The first thing he is to convey to the prisoner is that we will keep him safe at all costs, and return him home before the year is over and that he will be well rewarded, no matter what else he says or does."

The High King looked then, every inch the man who had conquered a continent. "This is information we absolutely must have."

He turned the ball the other way, until it was Zarthan, North Port and Echanistra on the edge of visibility. "This is the Great Western Ocean. It is nearly twice the width of the Great Eastern Ocean." His finger ran down the coastline of another continent. "This is the Western Continent. I suppose scholars will argue about it, as it runs continuously to the Great Eastern Ocean and what we've named the northeastern continent.

"Someday, Noia, I hope you will lead an expedition there, to find the home of your ancestors, to find what has passed there since they came to this place and found a wide, fair land."

His eyes blazed. "Land they promptly stole from the Ruthani who'd been here before them."

"That was a long time ago," Noia said carefully.

"Yes, and the battle still rages. I wish I could tell you about that battle, but you are better off never knowing such things.

"Tomorrow, you, Sergeant Trilium and Tanda Sa will depart for Harphax City. There you will report to Admiral Daimondes, the man who commands my navy. He will discuss various things with you, and then you'll be assigned to Captain Mem, who will be your captain for the time being.

"First you will spend a moon going over plans and watching construction of one of my new ships. Another moon watching such a ship armed and readied for sea. Another moon aboard the new ship as it goes through its trials: no ship should go to sea without careful testing to make sure it's sound. Those trials, Lady Noia, will take place as that ship moves southward.

"Before fall you will be in Hos Bletha, at a new sea base we've established there. There's a good harbor there and the town is named Blassdorf. By the time you arrive, the ship and crew should have had a good shakedown. There you will operate under the command of the local Captain, Captain Adityos."

He moved the ball around and pointed to where they would be. "Here is a long thin island, some ninety miles south of the mainland," he said as he pointed to it.

"The God-King has established a presence on most of these islands. In the past, the king of Hos Bletha would raid some of them, but those raids were pretty small potatoes.

"Lady Noia, the sea has never been a factor in wars among the Zarthani up until now. It will be in the future. This area here will be a critical battlefield." His hand covered the water area between Hos Bletha and the God-King's lands.

"There are innumerable islands, many with decent bays and ports for ships. For the next hundred years, unless one side or the other gets lucky or the other side makes a huge mistake, we'll be fighting there.

"As it will be on the other coast. Your South March has a decent anchorage; Baytown's harbor is huge, very huge. The ships along your southern coast will have to be on particular lookout for an invasion force. Hostigos and our allied kingdoms are being rapidly fitted with the steam roads. We will be able to quickly respond to an attack in those lands.

"Zarthan is far, far away. Even the steam pullers can only run where there are rails for its road. Building even a single line west is a tremendous undertaking. King Freidal and Queen Elspeth are doing what they can, but the fact remains that while Zarthan has much gold and huge quantities of food, it lacks abundant iron, coal and other important raw materials.

"Zarthan will be lucky to fit out a tenth as many ships as I can, and it may well be many less, and they will cost very much more. The God-King can strike there and even if they haven't cut the steam road, it will be the better part of two moons before the army can reach Zarthan in any numbers. Two moons will be a very long time.

"Of course, as desperate as King Freidal's position is, Duke Tuck's is far worse. His borders to the south are vast stretches of trackless desert. He does not possess a single harbor worthy of the name. Raiding parties from the sea, raiding parties sneaking across the desert -- those will be serious concerns for him. If the God-King can gather sufficient soldiers, Duke Tuck will be swamped."

"This is a very great responsibility," Trilium said formally.

"It is. Count Echanistra assured King Freidal that Lady Noia could do it. King Freidal met her and told Count Tellan and myself that she could. Queen Elspeth was even more positive in her praise. Brigadier Markos tells me that Lady Noia was the first to see the danger, there at the waterhole and alerted her captain. That the successful defense would have been impossible without the early warning.

"Count Tellan was impressed by Lady Noia, my lady wife is impressed and I, as the others, am confident she can do this."

Noia tried to look as if the High King and all those others praised her every day. She doubted if she succeeded very well.

"Now, I want you, Sergeant Trilium and you, Tanda Sa, to return to your quarters and prepare for an early departure to Harphax City. I would have a few moments alone with Lady Noia."

The two men stood and left.

The High King waved at the ball again, after they were alone. "Here, along the coast of what was once the God-King's lands is the town of Zimapan. There my Grand Marshall, Harmakros, commands. It is one of the sea bases I'm establishing in the region.

"The ships I've sent him are basically row-powered fishing boats that have been strengthened. They have a single mortar to shoot with, and they have to be careful with that, or the ship catches fire and burns.

"That is an attempt to fool the God-King as to the sorts of ships he'll eventually face. We have, however, already caught some spies of the God-King in Harphax City. They weren't smart -- the God-King paid them in raw gold and the local gold merchants had been warned to report anyone trying to sell raw gold.

"There will be others, smarter men, more careful men who follow them. Count on it.

"It passes belief that the one convoy attacked since the war was attacked by coincidence when you were with it. Your trip across the southern deserts, until the waterhole, wasn't hurried. They would have had to hurry, but there was time to send a message and get ships up to where you were going to be.

"It would be foolish on our parts, mine and yours, Lady Noia, to assume you can appear in Harphax City and go unremarked. Their spies will know and like as not they already have orders in your regard. If not, it will happen quickly.

"They may try to kill you, they may try to obstruct you. You will have to be very careful. The battle of spies is going to be nearly as important for the next few years as the battle of armies and ships. Be careful."

He chuckled and she looked at him. "About now," he told her, "if you were a young male officer I'd tell him what I was just saying was to keep his pecker in his pants. My lady wife assures me that women have the same urges as men. Please, I mean no offense, but have a care, Lady Noia."

She laughed. "You obviously haven't looked at me carefully, highness."

"Oh, I have. I won't lie to your face and tell you that you are a beautiful woman underneath your outer trappings. Lady Noia, what you are, though, is powerful. People can see it; they can sense it. Power, Lady Noia, will attract some like moths to a flame. It's all they think about, it's the only thing they value. If you listen to them, they will try to turn your head with flattery. Don't listen to flattery."

She felt brittle and angry. "High King Kalvan, I have no intention of being betrayed by my emotions or my urges. Anyone who tries to flatter me is going to look stupid."

"Then I will say no more, Lady Noia. Think upon what I've said, all of it. There is a great deal to digest."

"That is so, highness."

Tanda hugged her son, kissed him on the nose, and then blew noisily on his belly, causing him to giggle and laugh, waving his hands in glee. Not as good as a horsy-ride, but pretty good.

The signal sergeant came in, diffident again. "Lady Tanda, another message from the Countess."

She took it and read it and looked at the man bleakly. "For the first time in my life, I understand the temptation to shoot messengers," she told him. "But, not to worry, my weapons are over there on the desk," she told him.

"We've sent the message on to the Duke, Lady Tanda," he added.

"See, for that, you get spared," she said lightly. "Thank you, Sergeant, that will be all."

He bobbed his head and hurried out. Lady Inisa came and lifted John away, swinging him up and onto her shoulders. "Bad news, my lady?" her companion asked.

"It would seem that our evaluation that King Xyl was going to need a year or so to get organized was optimistic in the extreme. Zacateca has gone over to him and has accepted many thousands of his soldiers without a fight. Lady Judy doesn't want to speculate on the actual number, but the reported number is more than twenty thousand. She chose not to fight after all, and has beat a hasty retreat." She'd been about to say which direction, and then decided against it.

Lady Inisa was as loyal as she was, Tanda was sure, but there was just no reason to tell her what way Lady Judy had gone in her retreat. They were all going to have to develop much better habits than what they'd had before! It was clear that King Xyl was current with all of their troop movements. They had grown careless in the year and a half since the war.