Compis: Five Tribes (6 page)

The rules of the Five Tribes were strict when it came to finding a mate. A person could seek out a partner only from their own tribe, in order to preserve the order and sanctity of the special magic each tribe called their own. He was uncertain what magics could be so important or secretive that the tribes couldn't intermarry. It was not as if their children were so tribe bound. Someone could have five children and each one of them could end up in a different tribe. Why this obsessive rule regarding marriage?

He knew, from his own Initiation, some of the history of the tribes, and how, at one time, they'd been completely segregated. But in another few generations his tribe would be in peril. There were only five other Initiates from his year, and each year seemed to bring fewer and fewer children. His sister was the only Initiate for her year and he knew that next year would be only two. His tribe, which had once numbered in the hundred thousands, was now down to mere thousands. Many couples were not gifted from Iam with children, and if a couple was lucky enough to have a child, no others followed. A couple that could have two children was considered miraculously fertile.

It was getting to be time for him to consider finding a mate of his own. Usually tribesman were married before their twenty-fifth year. The younger an Ignis was at marriage, the better chance they had at bearing children. He hoped that Daen and Kala would be one of the fortunate couples that Iam would gift. They would make good parents for any child.

He followed the pair back to the display tent and slipped in behind them. Keran and Adjudah were already speaking and though his father looked surprised at the addition of Kala to the group, he made introductions. Zyander moved into another room and loaded a tray with the same flat bread that Daen and Kala had been eating, along with a spicy vegetable chutney and some more soft cheese. Luckily, the one thing they had in abundance in the territories of the Ignis tribe was mahcois, a small goat that gave off copious amounts of milk. If their tribe were meat eaters, they would have been set. Being vegetarians, they preferred–because they would sicken if given meat to eat—the small amount of vegetables they were able to grow themselves and the remainder traded from the Terris.

It would be interesting to see what Keran would have to say, as a person who had learned survival skills outside of traditional magic. Maybe he and others of the tribeless would have ideas for their tribe to help them live without having to sell off their possessions.

He brought the tray back into the room, where his father and the others were already in conversation. He laid the tray near the center of the group and went back for wine and cups. Upon his return, he saw that the four of them were smiling and Keran was saying, “I knew that if I could talk to you, I would be able to find a good deal in common with you. I want to be as honest as possible, but that might require offending your pride, so I'm not sure how to go on.”

“You may feel free to say what you will, Keran,” said Kala. “We know our circumstances better than you, I should think.” She winked at him.

“Just so, good lady,” said Keran. “The way I see it, your tribe is facing a bleak future. Disease has wiped out ninety percent of your tribe and to make matters worse, the sickness has seemed to affect the fertility of your tribe. The final problem that I see is your people don't seem to be able to make the beautiful masterpieces that used to be such a hallmark of the Ignis tribe. Without those works, there is no money coming in to guarantee your well-being.

“Now, I am working from rumor, as it flies from person to person through the market, but in every rumor there is a base that it grows from.

“I'm tribeless myself, but I see the system of the Five Tribes as working for all of us. To that end, I want to help your tribe succeed. A strong Ignis tribe means a strong Five Tribes, which means that trade is working for all of us.”

“We do not talk about our troubles, especially not with outsiders,” said Daen, looking young, righteous and insulted.

“What good is that going to do us when we're out of money and starving?” said Zyander, joining the conversation, anger like a whirlwind flowing through his body.

“Telling the whole of the Five Tribes our problems is not going to get them solved!” said Daen.

“We don't need to tell them. They already know,” said Adjudah. “We've been a topic of interest in the High Council for many years. If things get much worse, there would be no more Ignis and our magic would be lost.”

“As if it isn't already,” Zyander scoffed.

“I agreed to see Keran because I think he might have some valuable experiences to share with us, and because he seems willing to help us, which is more than I can say for the other tribes, who find time only to pity us,” said Adjudah.

“So things are as bad as the rumors speculate,” said Keran, reaching for a drink.

“If it were only one thing, like the disease,” said Kala, “it wouldn't be so bad, but it seems as though every adversity is piling against us. We can't rightly see our way out of this mess.”

“Well, the first step is listening to the voices of the young,” said Keran. “These here are your best hope.” He gestured to Zyander. “There is a reason you see so many of the young in my group. Young people are more zealous, more willing to experiment and try new things, and they are more willing to bend the rules, which is how I think your group is going to survive.”

“We don't have many young people left,” said Daen. “No more than ten percent of our remaining numbers are young and have passed through Induction. So it's a few hundred that we can look to.”

“That is enough,” said Keran, “In our case, most of us never see Induction. We have learned to look past Induction as the route to full use of our powers and instead put our focus on using our instincts and our passions to bring our powers into full use.

“As an example, Ryd and his sister Malina came to us last year, devastated because they'd been separated by Initiation. Instead of insisting that they learn their powers separately, we encouraged them to work together as they have been all their lives. We were amazed at how soon they came into the bloom of their powers. They both have different styles and spells they prefer when practicing. The result is some of the most amazing carvings, almost on par with the detail of your work, if not the magnitude.

“And as a result, we've gotten a lot of coin and goods in trade for their sculptures. So my other piece of advice is to use your young people and their ideas, and look for non-traditional ways to teach them your tribal spells.”

Zyander noticed his father listening to the words, then turn toward him as if trying to consider that Zyander himself had an idea about magic that might save his tribe. Zyander didn't think he could do anything that anyone else in the tribe could do. He thought back on all the times he'd done spellwork with his father or one of the other tribe mentors, and knew that he was appallingly lacking when it came to demonstrating any skills of worth to his tribe.

“Well, thank you for kind words, but somehow I don't think that was the only subject you hoped to bring up in meeting today,” said Adjudah.

“No, of course not. That would be both insulting and a waste of your time. There are two other topics I was hoping to bring up. The first is some honest trade. Our tribe isn't interested in fancy statues or weapons, but we are interested in your cheese. It is delicious and to be honest, we're good at growing vegetables and fruit, we're even good at hunting, but we are hopeless at cheese-making. Many of us miss having it at our dinner table. We would be interested in forming a trade agreement for a year-round supply, if it is available. It won't be much of an income, but at least it would give you money to use throughout the 5 seasons.”

“We'd be honored to provide you and yours with cheese, if you desire it,” said Daen, and outlined terms for trade.

Zyander let his mind wander while the negotiations took place, nibbling on some bread and chutney, and thought of, what else, Nikka. He thought about the way her soft golden curls just brushed her shoulders and how she was just tall enough to reach his shoulder. He thought of how pretty her mouth was when she smiled—which was all the time it seemed. Remembering her laugh was driving him to distraction, not to mention the feel of her hand clasped in his. He wanted to kiss her again, for real, he wanted to...

“Zyan,” said his father.

“Oh, I'm sorry,” said Zyander.

“That's all right. Woolgathering, I suppose,” said Adjudah.

“Or thinking of a girl, as all boys his age do,” said Keran, laughing.

“Can you take this contract to my tent, so I can look it over later?” said Adjudah.

“Yes, of course, Father,” he said, and ran down to the tent, not wanting to miss a single minute of the group's conversation.

“I'm sorry, Keran, I don't know if it's possible,” Adjudah said, just in time for Zyander to hear it as he reached the table.

“Has it ever been done before?” asked Kala.

“Not to my knowledge,” said Adjudah. “There's no precedent.”

“All I ask for is a chance to say my piece,” said Keran. “What happens after that is up to the council.”

“What happens after that only Iam can guess,” said Daen.

Keran stood. “Well, Adjudah, thank you for your time.”

Adjudah and the others stood; each of them shook his hand.

“I will do what I can, Keran,” said Adjudah. “As a member of the High Council, I do have some influence. Have any of the other tribes been receptive?”

“Only the Sanguis, and I was unable to tell which way they leaned afterward,” Keran said.

“Well, we will find out tomorrow. You will be unable to attend, being tribeless, but be at the ready. You may be called in to give witness,” said Adjudah.

After Keran had left the tent, Zyander turned to his father. “What was that all about?”

“As I said before, we'll find out tomorrow.” said Adjudah, turning away with a frown.

Zyander had to be satisfied with that answer, but he vowed he wouldn't miss the High Council meeting on the morrow.

It was a warm day and Luka was glad he'd left off his jacket, since he was going to have to wear a robe today, attending the council meeting as an Initiate. He finished his breakfast before everyone else was stirring from their beds and waited around by the door for May to arrive. He was worried about her, she'd been showing signs of stress over the past few days. Every time he tried to talk to her about it, or about what he'd learned from Keran and the tribeless members on the previous day, she would insist in a shrill voice that they would end up together, in the same tribe, as they were meant to.

It was like talking to a child who refused to see any way but her own. Frustrating though it was, a part of him could see why she continued to deny that they would be chosen for different tribes. If they were truly fated to be together, maybe they would indeed find the same home. He couldn't count on that, however. He wanted to be prepared for anything that might happen.

He needed a plan, it was who he was. He looked at all the possible outcomes, he considered each option, and he plotted every conceivable path. Right now he saw two outcomes and two paths. The first was that he and May would both be Initiated into the same tribe. He would love her, marry her, and be happy. The second outcome was that they would not be in the same tribe. In that case, he would run away with her, marry her, and be happy. Convincing her of the second would be a task, for certain, but he knew she would come around at some point.

She ran out the door, silver robe streaming behind her, and he grabbed her hand, yanking her back a step. May whirled to face him and slipped her arms around him, kissing his cheek.

“Come on, we're going to be late!” she exclaimed, whirling away with that infectious laugh she had. Her light silky hair flowed down over her back, catching the sunlight as it moved in undulating waves. He followed her, running, and caught her hand again and slowed her down to a more sedate lope as they headed toward the building where the High Council was to meet. He heard Nikka laughing behind them, walking like a normal person.

“You two are ridiculous!” she called. “We have plenty of time!”

They eventually slowed to a walk and upon reaching the meeting place, stood outside with the other Initiates who were milling around. Nikka arrived minutes later, still laughing, with Alea in tow. The two had become great friends, it seemed to Luka, considering they had only known each other three days. He thought it must have something to do with Alea's older brother, Zyander. He had never seen Nikka with the man, but May talked about him as though a romance between the two was inevitable.

A Divinaris, a jovial looking man with black curling hair that reached his shoulders, smiled at them and clapped his hands, somehow causing them to echo and seem louder than they should have been. “Come, Initiates, follow me quickly and quietly. Once we have reached the seating area reserved for Initiates, you will be expected to sit and observe. Today, your task is to take in all that the High Council and the Duor accomplish for the Five Tribes. Their task is a daunting one and our health as a people rests in their hands.

“Watch them today with respect, and honor them for their service. Let us go.”

The Initiates filed in after him, whispering and staring at the grand entrance hall that flowed into the council chambers. He turned left and led them up a flight of stairs and through a doorway that became a balcony area overlooking the council floor. Luka peered down and saw a long oval platform—a stage—with five seats on one side and six on the other. There was a podium in the center of it. Surrounding this area, but lowered down a level was the area where the Duor sat, ready to make their votes or be given leave to speak. Up in the balconies, reserved stations, such as the one the Initiates sat in, were being filled with members of the Five Tribes. Luka watched as the tribes intermingled in a way they did not most of the time; he saw Terris colors next to Aeris which were next to Sanguis.

Alea was standing, looking down. She looked across the way, saw her brother and waved at him. He smiled and nodded back. Luka wondered how old he was. May was talking to Nikka and he saw her father and Nikka's down in the Duors' section. His own parents were furniture makers. They worked the whole year round to make enough to sell to the merchants who attending gatherings and some of the other festivals.