Sea People
by Ruwen Rouhs
Chapter 7
All day long the information related by Hami or the twins being on sentry at the look-out were discoUhraaging. "The pirates are ransacking our settlement. They aren't reverent at all! They are looting not only the round-houses but the Temple of the Holy trinity also!" Kadem reported. Kadir, eking his twin brother, stated disgusted, "Two of them are just taking out the Kirketin's sacred three-legged chair while others are carrying the fire bowl down to the beach, the big one for burning the incense and the mastic!" Kadem was shaking with rage, "These pirates show no respect for sacred objects! Not at all! The almighty Adad will take bloody revenge!" Then with a sight of relief, "To our luck nobody of these criminals is looking out for us, neither for Kirketin, nor for Sejan!"
"The Holy Trinity will surely take revenge! Adad is the master of storm and rain, lighting and thunder!" Dincer tried to cheer up his brothers, "I tell you, revenge is close, closer than these robbers expect!"
The night fell and when the first rays of the moon swept the place around the temple Kirketin's guards and the Sun Seekers closed in on the pirate's encampment. Dincer, Kadir and Kadem reinforced by Sejan took a secret path through the hills to the boats on the beach, while Aegir, Buri and Laong sneaked along the brook and took cover behind the sanctuary. All were heavily armed. Kirketin's guardians were carrying slings and bags filled with fist sized pebbles, the bullets, and lances with tips of flint in case dogfights would arise. The Sun Seekers resorted to the weapon used to, that were bow, arrow and lance.
Tsemo and Hami had the task to care for Kirketin who had been unwilling to rise in the middle of the night. When he finally got up, the two had trouble follow the other down the valley in safe distance, dragging the Kahin along.
The pirates didn't expect an attack from the sea side therefore two sentinels were standing watch at the path leading down the valley. The two guards were careless chatting with each other. Therefore Buri had no trouble to move closer wiggling through the dark like a black snakes. Without a problem he knocked out the one closer to him. However, the thud of the falling companion followed by the silence immediately alarmed the other. He left his post swift as an arrow and before Buri got hold of him he was able to alert the camp with his shell horn. The piercing sound was loud enough to shake the pirates' captain out of his sleep.
The hooting also alarmed Dincer and Sejan drawing closer to the pirates' camp from the seaside. "That's Kotys, my legal guardian, the usurper!" pointing to the man with the lion's hide as cape. He is the tall one in the centre. Look, he is checking out the environment for the reason of the alarm!" Sejan whispered, "So far he has not made out the reason for the alarm!"
"Then lets advance he doesn't expect us to close in from the sea side." Dincer breathed back. "Let's take cover behind huge boulder at the left of the camp. This will be the ideal distance for using our sling-shots successfully." Without noise they Dincer, the twins and Sejan crept up to the rock and waited under its coverage for the arranged signal from Aegir.
While Buri rendered the guards harmless Aegir and Laong had fanned out to both sides. Realizing the slight confusion in the pirates' camp Aegir hooted like an owl three times. When Dincer answered the call from the other side of the camp Laong aimed his first arrow at the man standing tall the centre of the camp. Meanwhile Aegir and Buri, both less skilled as bowman, were launching arrow after arrow to the pirates bustling about aimlessly in the camp like a flock of chicken.
While Laong's well aimed arrow hit the captain in the chest two or three fist sized stones fired off by Dincer and the twins struck his body. One of the stones even hit the side of his head. The pirates' captain tumbled and sank to the ground with a groan. The next moment arrows were flying from the landside into the camp while stones struck the confused pirates from the seaside. Feeling surrounded by an invisible foe the pirates turned to their commander just to find him lifeless on the ground. Their confusion grew. Some dove for their bows to return the fire, while other just took shelter on the ground. Neither side was especially successful in fighting the other, but the Sun Seekers and the Kirketin's guards had a slight advantage despite they were outnumbered by the pirates.
The situation changed as soon as the first rays of the rising sun shed light on the battlefield. Sejan took his chance. He climbed on top of the big boulder and spotlighted from the rising sun he proclaimed:
"Patriots! Faithful Pirates of the King of Rhaydeston!
The pirates froze in amazement because of Sejan's daring while the young prince continued:
"Kotys my uncle and legal guardian has tried to usurp the power! Kotys failed!
He has tried to deprive me from the power!
Kotys failed.
He has tried to kill my dear friend Trokja. But Trokja lives.
Kotys failed!
He had tried to kidnap the famous Kahin, the fountain of wisdom, my friend Kirketin!
Kotys failed!
He expected glory and power!
Kotys failed!
He dreamed to be the favourite of the Community of Gods!
And!!!!!
Sejan paused:
Adad has punished him!
Kotys failed again!
Look at the wreck wailing in pain!
Look at him!
Does he deserves death, does he deserve pity?
I and my friends are not resentful! No!
If the Community of God grants him life! He shall live!
We will wrap his body into the skin of a deer and deliver him to the mercy of Atar'ata, the fish-goddess! It's on her to rescue him or to devour him."
Sejan paused, spreading his arms like a priest blessing pilgrims:
"And now to you my faithful Pirates:
I will grant pardon to those who want to follow me. We will return to our homeland Rhaydeston and celebrate my coronation!
Those however, who want to follow Kotys the usurper, can go to sea with him and ask the Atar'ata for mercy!"
The pirates needed no time to make their choice, neither the one chained by the order of Kotys, nor the one who had supported the usurper in the days before.
"Sejan! Sejan! Hail Sejan! Three Hails to Sejan! Hail to the New King of Rhaydeston! Hail! Hail! Hail King Sejan!" the pirates whooped, beating their chests. Two towering pirates rushed to the rock, took a deep bow lifted Sejan into the hair. Under the cheers of the other pirates the strong man carried him in triumph around the camp.
Just then Kirketin arrived dragged along by Tsemo and Hami! Spotting the Kahin, Sejan jump to earth and bowed deeply before the Trinity's voice. Turning to his subjects he announced:
"Down on your knees my compatriots, my pirates! Look at this simple young man! This is the Kahin! He is the voice of the Holy Trinity, the herald of wisdom! Through his voice Adad, Atar'ata and Simios will tell you the future and explain you the past! Through Kirketin's voice the Holy Trinity told me the fate and whereabouts of Trokja! Worship the Trinity and his servant Kirketin!"
Filled with wonder the pirates listened to Sejan, their new king, then cheers filled the valley. When the cheers faded after a long time, Sejan ordered: Now return the precious objects you robbed from the Holy Trinity's temple and the round-houses of my friends! Restore the place, the place of the Oracle of Ecinlii!"
Sejan took over the command and not one of the pirates disobeyed his orders. The whole morning he acted cool and considerate, but as soon as the restoration of the temple and the round-houses and the dismantling of the camp were in full swing he got restless and he tensed up!
"You did great the whole morning!" Aegir approached him, "You acted like a born king. But now you look anxious. What's the matter? It surely is not the take over of the new tasks! Tell me!
"It's because of Trokja! Kotys ordered to throw him into the sea close to a barren island, an island without water! I have to rescue him! I do not have time to complete my tasks here!"
"Are you in love with Trokja?" Sejan blushed and then nodded, "Leave here immediately and find him! Nothing is greater than love! Don't take into account the prejudice of others, follow your heart."
Sejan needed just a moment to obey Aegir's advice. "Orco!" he called, "Orco!" and an old one-eyed, limping pirated came walking grinning happily. "Orco, my dear old teacher! You have supported me in my struggle against Kotys, you have been bound and tortured. Thanks for your never waning support. Now I have to leave to rescue my love Trokja and then seize the power in my kingdom, the kingdom of Rhaydeston! I would like to take you with me, but I have two other important tasks I cannot hand over to others. Your first task is to supervise the restoration of this place of pilgrimage and the Holy Temple and your second task needs all your experience and skill. You have to guide my new friends, the Sun Seekers, safely to the Country of the Five Cities, the realm of the Peleset. With the help of these seafaring people they will be able to cross the wide Wadj-ur and debark at the mouth of the big river, the Iteru, in the Land known as Kemet. From there on my friends we have to find the way to the country of the Ta-Seti, land of the bow, by themselves. The people there are awaiting their king, the Great Buri, the reincarnation of Geb, the protector of the flowering earth, of plants and animals! The protector of mankind! Pick out strong and faithful men to accomplish these tasks." Embracing the old man, "See you back in Rhaydeston, Orco, my dear teacher!" and then Sejan dismissed Orco.
With tears in his eyes Sejan said good bye to Kirketin, the Kahin, to Dincer and his brothers and to the Sun Seekers. "Without you," he called back when he left the bay of the Holy Temple with his kingly boat, "I never in my life I would have had the chance to become happy!"
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