6 Conflicts in the East

"What happened next ?"

"Shhh… Listen.

When Artinis killed The Creator, he split him in two parts. That was the birth of the Twin Divines.

The Broken Moons acquired the will of the First Being. One became Cerun, Divine of Beginnings, and the other Kald, Divine of Ends.

Now the sky was occupied by three Divines. Yet was it the end ?

No. When the Creator was split, dust escaped from his core, scattering in the Darkness.

That's how the Stars were born, each one a God.

They swore to serve the Divine and their purpose, through the same oath that binds the Divine Son."

(My oath.)

[And also mine. Yet the story doesn't end here, right ?]

While Amyntas was lost in thoughts, his eyes contemplating the landscape, a few others came close, joining in the discussion.

"In Novigrad, traders from the Commonwealth told me that the Gods were born from the flesh of the Divines !"

"Heh, the shamans in Saleen say that the only gods are the spirits !"

Amyntas raised his head at this comment, looking quite interested.

"Oh ?

So people in the Khaganate do not believe in the Sacred Skies ?"

"Well… I think they still respect Cerun and Kald, but they only worship the spirits. The stars are said to be the souls of the deceased…"

"That's just stories of pagans !

They are betraying the Divines !"

"Hey !

Calm down, everyone. Let's end the subject now."

(It seems they are quite divided on the question. But if the Khaganate doesn't worship the corrupted gods, then it should be a good place to start.)

After their little group separated, exchanging somber glares, Blagoy came a bit closer to Amyntas.

"The one that started shouting… He's a fervent believer, as his parents were. I think his family was one who fled Constantinople when the Despotes rebelled."

"I'm surprised you know about it…"

"Well, we used to be close back then…"

Reminiscing old memories, Blagoy left his horse drift away, leaving Amyntas to his contemplation.

They had been riding for a few hours already, but the beasts were sturdy and the men experienced, so they showed no sign of slowing down.

Borislav was planning to set camp outside during the night, so that they could cover the largest distance. Annara's words were still weighing on everyone minds, so they would try to shorten the duration of their travel as much as possible, even if it meant sleeping less and riding by night, their path only lightened by the moonlight.

Luckily, the weather above the Azure Plains was quite dry, to not say arid, and they were gifted with clear sky most of the time.

The first day went without anymore trouble, and Amyntas kept silent as he knew that he was targeted by Borislav's lieutenants, and that the slight dispute earlier had not went unnoticed. How could it have been otherwise ?

Their group was only made of fifteen men and twenty horses, which was quite light for the value of the goods they carried. Amyntas didn't know the prices in Saleen, as even with the Divines gifts he hadn't heard of it, yet their merchandise was bound to be expensive, and profitable.

Since he had to show himself useful to be forgiven for causing trouble, he chose to keep watch this night, together with three others.

[Not the smartest move. You haven't slept either last night, and you only received the Divines' power yesterday. Now would have been the perfect time to rest.]

Choosing to accompany Maksym, a man of Cossack's ancestry, he took the opportunity to enlarge his knowledge.

"Hey, Maksym is it ?

Can you tell me about something ?"

"Sigh… go ahead…"

"Why are you only traveling to Novigrad or Saleen ?

I mean, they are both quite far, when you could just sell your goods in Bucharest or Constantinople… and to a high price too."

"Even though they are closer, the Commercium is too influent and has put in place too many taxes for the trade to be profitable. Constantinople is the worst, since the Imperial Trading Union is waging a war of price with the Commercium. I don't know much about all this though, but that's what every merchant that comes to our village says."

"I see. Then why not taking a boat and selling in Georgia ?"

"Hah !

We would need to have a boat first. We may be close to the sea, but there are no shipyards or carpenters here. Not without wood. And without anyone that knows how to steer a ship."

"Alright, let's stop here. But a last question, when will we cross the Kerch Strait ?"

"You know the region quite a bit huh ?

I think we will reach it tomorrow night, and then cross it the day after. It's up to Borislav to decide though."

"Thank you, Maksym."

"Shhhh… now keep quiet and be on watch."

The night went without noticeable event, though Amyntas could barely stop himself from yawning all the time, to the great displeasure of Maksym. The man didn't hold it against him though and travelled by his side with Blagoy until they reached the village of Kerch.

Amyntas decided on his own volition to accompany Borislav to negotiate with the innkeeper. While they crossed the dirt streets on horseback, they noticed that most houses looked empty, and the village had desolate aura, though it could only be perceived because of the lack of noises. Most buildings were in good state and nothing hinted that a disaster had struck. Curious, Amyntas was looking forward entering the large and quiet inn, which had walls made of cob and a straw roof resting on two floors.

Pushing open the door, he immediately noticed the contrast between outside and inside as the interior was entirely woodened, which was quite luxurious in the flat plains of Cherson.

The innkeeper immediately came forward, his wide eyes betraying the surprise of seeing people coming here.

"Borislav !

Why are you here ?"

"We are travelling to Saleen, like every season… What happened here ?"

"It's Khan Aibek !

I mean, he came from the east with his escort, saying they needed people for the tribe !"

"Where did they take them ?"

"Saleen !

But it must have moved by now, I think they are going to the south, in Alania or Abkhazia !"

Perplexed, Amyntas interrupted the two men.

"Wait. What do you mean by the city 'moved' ?"

The innkeeper looked at him strangely, as he realized someone else was here, and a new head at that. However, it was Borislav that answered him.

"Khan Aibek is nomad. And so is his tribe."

"No wonder I never heard of Saleen before…"

"It's bad though. If Aibek moved to the south and requisitioned men from Kertch, he must be preparing for hostilities. And I doubt it will be with another Khan, the Khagan is strict on inner conflicts."

"Then there's only one possibility. The Old Empire. Remains to be seen if it is a conflict of Khan and Despotes or a conflict of Emperors."

Amyntas' tone was grim, and so were his eyes. If the Khagan went to war with the Basileus, the East would be embroiled in a hellish situation. The two strongest rulers of the world at each other throats.