The curse of the jewels, book 1 - The Peasant Queen

VIII - Chabawck twenty years earlier. (3/3)

Festor stood up and saluted the Bawck. Jensen and Deirane looked at him, undecided. Jalia rose lightly to her feet and prepared to follow her companion. Festor held her back and whispered a few words in her ear. Deirane tried to listen, but her command of Helariamen was insufficient. But she saw Jalia stiffen and grab Festor's hand in violent panic. The soldier continued to reassure her, to talk to her, while gently stroking her arm and shoulder. Gradually, she relaxed, pulled away from Festor, without letting go of his hand. He signaled to Deirane and Jensen to come out as soon as possible. When they were outside, he gently untied his fiancée's fingers. He lifted the flap of the tent; she gave him a look of distress. She didn't move, but bravely faced the Bawck as she had promised.

Once outside, Jensen approached Festor.

"I don't understand," he said, "at no time was the question of money raised. There was no negotiation."

"That's the Bawck way. They do the work and then ask for payment."

"And what happens if you feel he's asking for too much or if you don't want to pay? Or if you don't have enough?"

Festor smiled.

"You've just put your finger on a major problem in Bawck society. Many vendettas have been started for such a cause."

"Why don't they change?" asked Deirane.

"Because they're Bawcks. They will never understand the problem until their survival is in question. So long as it's only limited to a few deaths, they won't change their ways."

"That's stupid," Jensen grumbled.

"It's Bawck," corrected Festor.

He took a few steps before continuing.

"The Bawcks are aware of their limitations, so they created the Orkants to represent their tribes in negotiations with other peoples. But they did it their own way, in a way that they alone didn't find illogical.

"How so?"

"The Orkants are slaves, usually human, that they buy or capture in war. They are at the very bottom of the social ladder, but they have complete freedom of movement, diplomatic status with other kingdoms, and their word binds the entire clan."

"It's stupid! How can they put slaves in charge?"

"I told you, Bawcks are special. The word "orkant" alone speaks volumes, deriving from a word they consider insulting to their representative. That said, very few of them have tried to escape, so they must be getting their due somewhere."

The shaman's consultation didn't last very long. After a few stersihons, the Bawck left the tent and joined the small group waiting feverishly.

"Skayt has failed," he said, "he has examined the Stoltzin. Unfortunately, there's nothing he can do. Skayt doesn't know how to rebuild what has been irretrievably destroyed."

Festor pondered the Bawck's answer for a moment.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"If the Stoltzin's illness had been caused by something added to her mind that would have locked her in, Skayt could have removed it. But something was removed from the Stoltzin's mind. Her mind was broken and a piece of it disappeared. The remaining pieces have been glued back together; the missing piece can't be made again. Skayt can't do such a thing."

Despite the little hope he had put in this process, Festor was deeply disappointed.

"How did Jalia take it?" he asked.

"I don't think she's suffering; I don't think she understood what was going to happen," Deirane remarked.

"The human is right," the Bawck confirmed, "the Stoltzin didn't notice anything."