Entry 7
“The wedding, the blasted wedding”, Asmionis remembered. He was betrothed to the most beautiful woman in all the kingdom by her father and it was all a lie; a sham to extort political favor within the senate.
“Damn them all; no one mocks the favored of the Gods”
The captain stood on the deck of the colony ship as he peered across the ocean. His gaze panned the immense blue, searching. Ten days earlier he had sent out four spies to gather information from the island, they had yet to return.
“Another day, another fruitless search”, he quietly said to himself as he turned to retreat to his cabin.
As the captain reached his door, shouts arose from members of the crew at the prow of the ship. “Rowers, to the starboard”!
The captain turned with a snap and bellowed the command to bring the ship about to intercept the skiff and to bring the men to his cabin immediately. “Tell me everything”, Asmionis ordered. “The land is fertile with space enough for expansion”, spoke the first of the spies. “It will support many farms and timber camps”. “There are many mountains near the northern coast sir”, stated another of the spies. “I took a small sample of what I believe to be silver from one of the caves I encountered, the smiths will be ecstatic”.
“And what of you two?” asked the captain of the two remaining spies.
“Sire”, began the first of the two, “I saw structures of which I cannot measure.” “The architecture must be that of the Gods, for I have never seen such glorious splendor.”
“So you say there is culture there?”
“Yes my lord and they seem, from a distance, to be friendly and amenable”
“Ah yes, well I have seen many cultures to which that attribute can be pinned, yet when up-close and personal with it, it is the foulest taste in your mouth you have ever imagined.” “We will have to determine this later. For now you three can go.”
“Phestus, you stay.”
“Yes my lord?”
The captain waited until the three other spies left the room before speaking again.
“Phestus, you know I value your judgment above all the others.”
“Yes my lord, I would never intentionally fail you.”
“In your opinion my friend, is this place Of the Gods, or is it another folly of man’s desire, to be more than he is?”
“Asmionis, I have known you all your life and I will not lie to you.” “That which looks too good to be, usually is, and far from it for me to be the say all and end all of this. I am here to guide you, not tell you what to do.”
“Thank you my old friend. I will leave the decision to land or to sail by, up to the alliance leaders and hope that the colonists don’t revolt.
We have been on the water far too long for some of them.”
Entry 8
It felt like she had been running all her life. Her breath came ragged, and every muscle felt like it was on fire. Running was better than the alternative though, a life spent in the silver mines or as a slave on the outbound colony ships.
Her life had not always been like this, just six months before it had been completely different. The military had found Tamar to be an invaluable resource, and had eventually drafted her into a new initiative: a task force of elite female spies. Trained in the art of subterfuge and close combat they quickly grew to become one of the most feared groups in the war effort.
That was two years ago. Since then Tamar had left the military to pursue a more normal life, albeit one still filled with plenty of adventure. The enemy never forgot though, those few that had managed to see her face and live plotted together, determined to have their revenge. And so it came to that painful day six months ago when her life once again was turned upside down. It had been another beautiful day, hardly a cloud in the sky, perfect for the evening beach wedding of Tam’s closest friend.
The peaceful celebrations didn’t last, as a mixture of pirates and enemies of Tamar burst out from the forest edge, killing anyone who got in their path. Tam was in the fight of her life, weaponless and out-numbered she knew it was only a matter of time before she was caught or killed. Stubbornness rose up within her, determined to save the guests and take out as many as possible she charged at the fighters, her eyes ablaze with fire. She took out over fifteen of the enemy before they finally managed to pin her down and clamp her in irons.
Bundled aboard their ship, they took her to an unknown island, far removed from the rest of the known world. Her first sight of the island came as quite a shock; clearly there had been inhabitants there for thousands of years. The architecture and culture seemed far removed from modern life, reminding Tamar of the altars and tombs of the Aztecs. Much of the place was in ruin, although here and there could be seen attempts of cleaning and repairing the buildings. They led her away from the main area to some form of prison, where they proceeded to torture her for over two months. What little information that they did want she refused to give, and eventually her capturers decided to take her to the “Farm”, and have her work in the silver mines.
Tamar didn’t waste the opportunity that was presented to her, whenever the guards were out of earshot she spent her time befriending the other slaves, forming a growing alliance. The plan was simple: at the right time they would all revolt, and help as many as possible to escape.
And that is where Tamar was now, running for her life.
