Stone King - Chapter Six - The Price of Power and Authority

"Mom, its been two days, and he hasn't woken up yet."  Thea said, her gaze locked on Kivi who still slept after he defeated ten armored soldiers.  It was not for glory, honor, or prestige that he killed those men.  It was to protect those important to him.  The ones who now looked down at him with kind eyes filled with concern.

"I know, baby."  She sighed sadly.  "When he uses his speed, it costs him.  Its almost like he's borrowing from either the future, or the past."

"Borrowing?"

"Using energy he would have today, or yesterday, and used it before he should have.  But that is only me making a guess."  She took a deep breath.  "Feed him some broth, Thea.  I'll bring in some wood for the fire and take one of the swords with me.  I want to check on that pyre we built, and make sure no wolves are about."  Thea nodded and turned to the pot warming over the fire when her mother opened the door.

"Damn.  We have visitors."





"Ten soldiers?  He killed ten?"  Gita looked at Juuka angrily.

"Yes, ten!  The horses over there are proof of that!"  She took a deep breath and cleared her mind of the anger that rose up.  She didn't like to be questioned, as that reminded her of how her people perceived her.  Someone who left them to be with a human.  That made her untrustworthy.  She thought for a moment.  "Its actually a good thing for us that you decided to visit us."

"Well, we wanted to come earlier, but the elder made us wait out the night.  With the length of the trip, we weren't sure what we'd find."  Although the trip should only take a few hours as the crow flies, the river is too swift, and the terrain too uneven to directly travel to Gita's home.  They had to travel down the river, cross at a more shallow point, then cross where the river snaked in the other direction on a footbridge to the southeast.  "Wait, you said its a good thing?"  Now he was confused.  Last time they showed up, she was still quite angry with them.  Not that he blamed her.  Being exiled for having a child was a rotten thing for their elders to do to a fellow Mirri, even if her child was half human.

"Yes, we have those ten horses, which now makes eleven.  We only need one for emergency use.  As well, we have all their swords, bows, daggers, and armor.  Some will have to wait for Kivi to get around to repair it, but most of it is intact.  We have no need of it, and we can't care for so many horses with no hay laid in for them.  We can take care of one, but not ten more."  Juuka frowned.

"I see.  You want to know if we want them."  She nodded.  "We could take them south and sell them in one of the towns far from the capital.  That would bring in some silver for you."  Gita thought for a moment.

"Alright, take them with you, as well as all their equipment.  Take thirty percent of the sale for your share of the work done.  If you would also take the majority of the armor and weapons, you can keep what you think you can use, sell the rest, and use the silver you get from the sale of the gear to cover the costs of what you keep."

"Momma!  Kivi is saying something!"  Gita burst out of her chair and rushed to the bed.  It was the first time he's even moved during that time.

"Kivi?"  She leaned down.

"Half.  Keep half gear.  Rest gift."  His eyes closed again, and she thought about his words.

"Keep half?"  She turned to Juuka.  "He wants us to keep half the gear, but give the rest to your village."  Juuka frowned.

"Why a gift?"

"It may be as payment for agreeing to sell the horses.  What I want to know is why he wants to keep half."  Juuka thought for a moment.

"I don't know, Gita.  I'll ask the elders when I get home.  We'll do as he says then.  We'll bring all the silver from the sale of the horses to you."  Gita shook her head.  "No?  Now I really don't understand!"

"I just realized that silver is fine if we have somewhere to use it.  There are no markets nearby.  Instead, buy as much grain as you can, seeds to plant, root vegetables, and fruits.  Hardy vine vegetables too.  Like gourds."  He frowned, but he realized why she asked for it.

"Most would want silver, but you are wiser then I expected, Gita.  Supplies are more valuable to you then silver.  You can't feed your child with silver."

"Take all eleven horses, get a wagon, and load it with as much as you can buy with the sale of the horses.  Keep the eleventh to pull the wagon."

She watched from the doorway as Juuka gathered the gear, making sure to separate out half the armor and weapons, and decided to take some damaged gear so their smith could repair it.

It didn't feel right to him to just take the best.





"A gift?  Five sets of armor and weapons, with the agreement that we sell the horses, buy a wagon and load it with as much grain and supplies as we can for them?"  Juuka nodded.

"He wanted to keep half for some reason.  I don't understand it though.  It took considerable effort for him to wake up to pass that information along."  Elder Kaiho looked to his left, then to his right.  Both Elder Bastion and Elder Raffu looked concerned.

"Very well, Juuka.  Get moving and do as they asked.  Waste no time.  Get on the move tonight, and do not tarry in the town.  Make the sale swift, and collect the supplies just as swiftly.  Do not spend the night in the town.  Make it look like that is what you'll be doing though."  Juuka frowned.

"Do you expect trouble?"

"We are Mirri."  It was a simple statement, but it had implications.  They weren't human, and as such, they had to expect trouble, or they would be surprised by it.

They've already been attacked once this year, and that small farm of Gita's had been attacked twice, by a larger force the second time around.  With three defeats, the king in the south would either be more cautious, or put more might behind the next attack.

Juuka left with two other well armed warriors, and saw the door close behind him.  That meant the elders were to discuss things privately, and undisturbed.  It had nothing to do with the cold, as there were other Mirri waiting for their wisdom.

"He kept half, but from what Juuka said, and their actions so far, he most likely would have given all of it to us.  He expects something."  Bastion thought for a moment, which allowed Raffu to speak.

"One large attack on us, and two on them.  They wanted that land, and ours."  Both nodded their assent.

"Which means he expects more trouble.  That's the reason for the gift itself.  To keep armor suggests that he expects they'll have visitors who will have need of it."  Kaiho didn't want to voice his opinion, but Bastion didn't feel such restraint.

"What would happen to us if we were the next target?  With a much larger force?"  Bastion asked, a bit of anger in his tone.

"We would either be forced from our land, or all be slaughtered."  Kaiho said softly.  Bastion nodded.

"And if we were forced from our land, where would we go?"

"We couldn't go straight north.  The Hukka wouldn't allow us to invade their territory without a response."  Raffu closed his eyes.  "Where would we go if that wasn't a choice any longer?"

"We would go north west.  Where we already know someone who's driven them off before, with a way to feed themselves, and supplies already set in."  Bastion said wearily.  "Clever boy.  Are we sure he's not of the Mirri?"

"He's not.  That's also why I asked Juuka to hurry.  Not only so they get their supplies, but so that we develop a closer relationship, in case things go really bad.  Also, Juuka can tell us what the south tastes like."

"Do you expect an attack before the storms?"  Kaiho shook his head.

"Only a fool would force his men to march in the dead of winter.  The risk to their soldiers if we push them back, or they destroy our village which will give them no where to stay during the worst of the cold....kingdoms have had rebellions for less."  He closed his eyes.  "However, we didn't expect that first attack either.  Have the smith repair the armor and get our men into them.  Send out our scouts more often, with orders to be silent and unseen."





"Momma, he's awake."  Kivi sat up and put his feet on the stone floor.  He lifted his eyes and smiled at Thea, then moved his eyes to Gita.  He was completely naked, which he had gotten used to, but so were the women.  They curled up together each night, just like cats who used each other to stay warm.  She knelt down on the cold stone, and only grimaced for a few seconds.

"Juuka has returned with a wagon load of grains and supplies.  The five sets of armor are still in need of repairs, but there have been no whispers on the winds.  No scents that should not be there."  He nodded, and stood up slowly.  She frowned.  "Did....you grow while you were asleep?"  He wouldn't answer that question as he wasn't sure if she was correct.

He walked unsteadily to a chair and sat down slowly.  His muscles still felt weak, and Gita could tell he didn't have the energy to waste at the moment, but his body no longer looked as youthful as it once did.  There was a hardness to muscle she didn't feel before, and a maturity to his physique that he once lacked.  In the days that he slept, he also appeared to grow several inches taller.

"I just put some stew on, but the shank of the deer should nearly be finished.  Would you like a meal now?"  He nodded, then reached out for her hand.  "What is it, Kivi?"

"The winter storms will keep them at bay, but when the spring thaw hits, they may want to hit either us, or the village."  She sat down, and pursed her lips.  The cold wood did not feel good.

"Is that why you kept the armor?"

"They may have need of it, but if the Mirri are defeated at the village, they will need it here as well."  She sighed sadly.

"So you expect that they'll be victorious, but you also plan for failure."

"Which means I will need to plan our spring carefully.  Homes, empty buildings, or defenses."

"Kivi?"  He looked up.

"Yes, Thea?"  She bit her bottom lip.

"You built some flat areas out there already, right?"

"Yes, foundations with a view for a possible future."

"Well,"  She took her time and thought about it for a moment.  "Mom used to say how the cities in the south used the outside walls to build their home against.  Saves money on a wall, but it becomes their responsibility to repair that part of the wall, or keep watch on it."  Thea tried to put her thoughts into words, but they just wouldn't flow.  She felt like she stumbled all over them, and she didn't feel smart around him at all.

"That....isn't a bad idea, Thea."  She lifted her eyes in surprise, and grinned.

"When I look around, we have the river for water, the salt in behind the house, but they always come up our hill.  They have to come up to us!"

"I like your way of thinking, Thea."  Kivi smiled.  "So we just have to plan for the river, the salt, and the hill.  Also, we can't forget the territory of the Hukka is behind us."  Gita lifted her eyes in surprise.

"You know of them?"  Kivi smiled.

"More importantly, they know of us.  There are small bands that go through every couple of days to watch the hill, and us."  Thea put her head down on her knees.

"Momma said this was as far as we could go."  Gita took her daughter's hand.

"They have a right to protect their lands, baby."

"Don't worry, Thea.  We won't be expanding up the mountain, or retreating into their territory.  We'll be expanding down the hill."  Gita looked carefully at him, then got up and cut some meat off the shank over the fire.  She put a clay plate in front of him, with a pinch of salt to season the meat.

"The farms to the south will call for aid, Kivi.  They'll attack us."  He turned towards her.

"I know, but they already attacked us.  I also assume that directly south is where your old farm is located?"  She nodded.  "How far away?"

"About ten miles.  It was as far as we could get and not stray into the wolf clan's territory."

"Still far enough away to not be a nuisance, but if they are seen on our lands, they'll get run off."

"Are you planning on starting a war?"  Kivi's eyes hardened.

"They've already started a war, and its my responsibility to fight, and protect those I care for.  Its also my responsibility to protect those who will come to us for protection soon."  Thea looked up again.

"Who will be coming, Kivi?"

"The Mirri?  Those who just want to be left alone to live and not have to worry about fighting?  I am not sure, but I am sure someone will come.  And before the winter is through."

Kivi already knows the price of power, and he already learned the painful lesson about the price of authority.  Some want to take it, some what to keep it, and others will resent it.

It was a lonely life before, and would be unbearable without Thea or Gita to care for.  Without his mother, Mena, or Jaana to watch over, his heart was just like the storm outside.

The king of the south should get down on his hands and knees and thank Thea and Gita profusely.  Without them, he would have went south and town by town, city by city, he would have slaughtered them all.

And committed an unforgivable act.  He would have poured innocent blood upon the Stone.