Chapter 1.11
“You honor me, Massoud.”
“Roy, are you certain you have never been to the Asherah?”
Roy chuckled and they tapped tankards, musing on their own separate hopes for the future.
“They are here, sir,” informed a small, slight fellow in a leather jerkin, Roy thinking he was being addressed when Massoud knew in fact whose payroll the man was really on.
Two Beinn stooped to enter. The Beinn were technically Kaldone, though they would never admit it. Kaldone were fierce but still malleable–they were city dwellers with some trappings of civilization. Beinn lived in the wilds of the mountain, herding Bo and Caora, sleeping on the cold stone with nothing more than the blankets slung over their shoulders and if times were lean eating nothing more than a few oat cakes for days at a time. They were of their own mind and more dangerous than any other Kaldone.
Roy stood up and Massoud made introductions all around. Noting the ease with which Roy greeted these two, Massoud finally put his finger on Roy’s uniqueness. He was a Beinn or at least had been among them at one time.
“How are you gentlemen, this evening?” Asked Massoud, proffering an extra tankard of ale.
Cath, the taller and lighter of the two, replied, “Massoud, we came for terms.”
“Of course, of course. You know what I seek. And the government seeks the Sgian Oath that a regiment will be levied and put under their command for up to a year when called, not to be called up more than once every three years.”
“We know your terms. What of ours?” Cath bit off angrily.
“The herding tax will be ended.”
“And the Right of Uletir?”
Massoud paused here. He had rehearsed this response but sensed that this held more importance than he had originally thought. Nor were these men particularly receptive this evening.
Here Roy interjected. “Please understand the difficulty this presented in negotiations. It is seen as an issue not open to compromise on either side. The best that can be arranged is a de facto allowance of the Right. It cannot be unwritten from law and where it currently conflicts with Kaldone holdings it cannot be reversed, but in practice, moving forward, it can happen.”
The room was silent for what seemed to be several minutes. Massoud’s training was to interject himself smoothly and soothe recalcitrant minds, but his instinct told him to wait.
All three men started to shift uncomfortably when finally the tall, broad-shouldered Beinn named Gealach spoke, “Five years.”
“Once every, five years for the regiment, you mean?” Clarified Massoud.
“Yes that will be our terms.” Answered Cath, pulling his long straight dagger from its sheath, cutting his palm.
Massoud sighed inwardly at this ridiculously barbarous custom and withdrew his own intricately carved blade, cutting his palm and clasping hands with Cath.
“Three days hence.” Massoud said.
“Three days hence.” Cath echoed and then the two Beinn left as briskly as they had entered.
“I told you to speak only if necessary,” Massoud said in a low tone, knife still drawn.
“The Right of Uletir is not just about free range of the land. I am going to guess that Llyr had a violent reaction to any such suggestion and said absolutely not. To the Beinn it is a way of life that entails the freedom to rape, rob, and slaughter those who cross their slopes. It is a form of Anarchy they view as necessary which is the anti-thesis of the adolescent Kaldone government.”
Sheathing his knife, Massoud replied, “No I did not capture the full extent of its meaning, however the fact remains that you have promised something, that as you guessed, was violently rejected by our colleagues.”
“Ah. Not so. We will be in a position to, just as I said, to make it a de facto allowance. In our new positions we can confuse the issue long enough to let it happen where necessary, until your third falls. Then we can make it a more permanent state.”
“And what of the Beinn?”
”Cath is not the man to deal with. Gealach is the leader. Everything about him is another face of the same mountain. He pretends to move slowly as his bulk would suggest but I would wager he could match us in any feat of agility, limited only by his size. Likewise, he allows Cath to speak, but the terms are his to direct. He is the one to woo and the one to kill if necessary.”
“And are they to be trusted?”
“They are Beinn. Whether Cath or Gealach gave the Sgian Oath it makes no difference. They will do as they have said.”
In reality, Roy told him nothing new, but whereas it had taken himself almost a half dozen meetings before he figured Gealach was the real leader, it had taken this man just one very brief encounter to piece it together. Massoud was not sure he agreed with the observation of Gealach potentially matching them for agility and yes he had a cultural advantage but still his insight was impressive.
“Roy, you are truly a man of great potential and without your assistance tonight it is possible the meeting could have had a much less constructive outcome. Tomorrow we will talk of the third boulder we will roll down the slope as we prepare to launch the first.”
“Again you honor me, Massoud. Until tomorrow,” Roy said as he stood, offering a small bow to his companion before he made his way from the room.
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