Chapter 4- Trial of Stone

“…and until those responsible go through the trial of stone the good Duke Bell will see no progress on his wall.” Nan’s voice carried over the beach as she stood on the big rock that Derry called Hamsa’s turd. This proclamation of course was met with cheers and Derry could not blame the others. There’s nothing that workers love more than not working. Derry however knew what was coming when Nan jumped down from the rock and shuffled through the crowd toward him. The company loved her. She kissed the women on each cheek and slapped the men on their backs. Yes, yes, yuck it up you old bird. She caught his eye and her smile faded for a brief second. The message was clear- stay right there. The future before him was writ plain as day. That’s why he had already cleaned up before the congress. Brushed his hair, changed his clothes and everything. He even stole some of Jodoro’s cologne. If he was to play the fool in this whole thing, he’d at least look damn good while doing it.

Jo was going to take this hard. He crossed a line earlier. A deep personal one. He still saw himself as Derry’s protector and when shit hit the rafters earlier, he lost control and could have killed a guy. There’s one thing that Jo hated more than anything and that was feeling vulnerable. He took a licking at the hands of several men. Some people never got over that. They let fear dominate them and spent the rest of their lives looking over their shoulders. Waiting for the next attack. Others choose to go on the offensive and exert their dominance whenever and wherever they could. Hamsa was like that especially when he was in the barrels. Derry hoped Jo wouldn’t change at all. Nan approached him and pulled hooked his arm into her.

“Derry my boy you must go to Lady Bell now.” Nan whispered while giving Trepa and Rajo a nod. “Learn what you can from the woman, but I warn you. Don’t get caught up in any of her games and for the love of the Star Court don’t make any promises on the company’s behalf.”

“And what if they ask me about all this?” Derry gestured around the beach.

“Tell them the truth.” Nan replied. “I know you and I have not gotten on recently and I accept responsibility for that. Just know that your Nan loves you boy.” Nan paused and looked toward Christa who was standing at the edge of the crowd. “I still have business here yet but I will go to the Duke soon.”

Minutes later Derry stood before the door to the Great Hall as a guard gestured for him to enter. The Great Hall was modestly decorated but the architecture was flawless. A series of large marble arches ran the length of the room while rose windows shed enough light to bring out the sparkle of the stone. A dark blue carpet ran from the doorway to dais. The thrones were made of copper and were placed in front of a bell-shaped window of clear glass. There were about a dozen women in the room, but they were all seated around a large table on the right side of the room. The guard flicked his hand toward the table and returned to his post. Unhelpful fucker could’ve at least given an introduction. As Derry walked toward the table conversations stopped.

A handsome woman who Derry would have bet all his money was Lady Bell spoke. “You must be Derry. Come have a seat behind me.”

“Why is this Onaki boy bruised Lady Bell?” Asked a dark-haired woman in her twenties. Lady Bell paused to look at him as he took his seat.

“I don’t know Erelda perhaps you should ask him.”

The woman turned to Derry and his heart nearly stopped in his chest as her green eyes met his. “Boy, why are you bruised?”

Derry bristled at the word boy but kept his cool. “My brother and I got into a tiff wit’ some blokes on the training grounds. But don’t you worry none about old Derry. From good stock I am.”

“And how did this tiff start? The Bell battalion is known for its discipline.” Lady Bell asked pointedly.

“Well its not really a long story. Me and my brother Jodoro were accosted by three shit breaths who probably couldn’t find their dingdongs if they were shoved up their asses…” Gasps interrupted Derry.

“Less invective young man.” Admonished an elderly lady who probably could have given Nan a run for her money if wages were placed on a race to the grave.

“Yes,” Lady Bell agreed. “Part of this apprenticeship is to teach you professional conduct. This is not a work camp. You are before royalty.”

“My sincerest apologies.” Derry said putting on his best courtier face. Fine I’ll play by their rules. “As I was saying Jodoro and I were accosted by a few men who took exception to the presence of two Onaki on the training grounds.” Derry gaged the room. “Those Onaki, meaning my brother and I, took exception to their taking exception. They of course took exception to us taking exception of their initial proclamation of exception. Before we knew it this guy with shi…an unorthodox taste in footwear decided to punch my brother in the face.” Derry paused here and looked around. He had them hooked. “Now this is a bad idea for a few reasons but chief among them are three. First Jodoro does not like being touched. Second what Jodoro dislikes even more than being touched is getting me involved in conflicts. Now I know what you all are thinking. ‘Why would Jodoro Jaguar, Jodoro Jungle Cat, be so protective of this strapping specimen of young manhood standing before you?’ And I don’t blame you for wondering about this as I have indeed sought the answer to this query myself and the only logical explanation is that Jodoro despite his intelligence can be quite foolish at times. This foolishness naturally brings us to reason number three. When Jodoro fights he does not think about consequences. He is a fool after all. What to you may seem like a good-natured fray or boys exchanging fisticuffs is WAR to Jodoro. Naturally this kind of disposition was only exasperated when I got knocked out and Jodoro thought I was dead.” Derry stopped for a moment and looked pointedly at the plate of cookies in the middle of the table. Lady Bell pushed them toward him, and he took one.

“I know this is tough for you but do try and go on.” Erelda said and Derry almost lost his façade to a fit of barely restrained laughs.

“I’m not a troublesome lad. I know that when people look at me, they see a handsome young Onaki teenager that cusses too much but I never start trouble and I work hard at everything I do.” By now Erelda had moved her chair closer to his and had begun rubbing his back. “When I regained consciousness Jodoro was bellowing my name like a mad fool while fighting off the five men who were restraining him. As it turned out he thrashed the other guys pretty good but in order to stop him the men restraining him had to lay into him pretty good. Now he is recovering in his room in the company of two beautiful woman mind you, while I am forced to go about my day as if I was not just clouted out.”

The ladies shared some concerned looks with each other. “Those responsible must be punished.” Lady Bell said.

Derry looked at her and hesitated for a moment. Best to get out in front of this thing. “I am relieved you think so because my Nan agrees. In fact, she has order for all work on the wall to stop until the end of a trial by stone.” Derry said as he ate another cookie. Erelda had stopped rubbing his back at this point and he was a little miffed about it if he was being honest.

“You mean no one is working on the wall.” The elderly woman asked.

“Nope. Not until me, Jodoro, Hal Bridges, Tug Kline and Ronald Olman go through the trial.” Derry said.

At this Lady Bell stood up from her seat and paced. “This is inconvenient. We need work on the wall to continue as soon as possible. There are rumors of an alliance between the Farki and the sea raiders. It is no secret that the Farkian empire has been pushing into neutral land this past year. If the get naval help from the seas raiders Bellgaurd could be in trouble.” Lady Bell paused and stood in front of a tapestry of two trident wielding woman. Derry thought she looked fierce. “Erelda go to the Duke and tell him of this. Renda gather Hal Bridges, Tug Kline and Ronald Olman. They are to meet me on the beach in an hour.” She paused for a minute and chewed her bottom lip. “Derry take me to your Nan.” Derry got up slowly and brushed crumbs from his shirt.

“But what about the budgets milady?” One woman asked.

“We will sort that out after this. Its not like we have much to work with anyway.” With that she swirled out of the room with Derry hot on her heels.

***

“You got a tough task ahead of you and the stakes will be high.” Nan said to Jodoro as Christa watched from a stool next to the cook fire. Amethyst had left with Seta Blackspider minutes ago to prepare for the trial of stone. Jodoro lay on the couch with a cold cloth over his swollen face while Ceta Honeybee was draped over half of his body. It was a sight that made Christa uncomfortable. “Derry is untested. That means you may have to outlast all three of them.” Nan put more tobacco in her pipe and lit it. “You will not quit my boy. I don’t care how much it hurts. I don’t care if the crawlies start biting ya. Hells, I don’t care if the tide comes in and ya drown. Ya can’t quit.”

“Nanna can’t we put it off until he’s healed?” Ceta asked.

Christa watched silently as Nan stared the girl down for an uncomfortably long time. “Sweet Ceta Honeybee the wall must be built. The Farkians or the sea raiders will come and when they do the wall must be built. You know as well as I that no Onaki will work until justice is served.”

Christa was about to argue against the urgency until her mother walked in with Derry Dog hot on her heels. Her mother paused as if surprised to see her then gathered herself. “Madam Bowerbird I ask you respectfully to withdraw your case for punishment and let the laws of Ardinum adjudicate this incident.”

“Apologies Lady Bell but I cannot. T’was not accident and I have no doubt that your laws will like as not paint it as one and leave the fools responsible walking away freer than the bird that serves as my namesake.”

“My husband and the steward will press this issue to the fullest. There’s no way they will allow a trial of rocks.”

“Stones,” Derry interjected.

“A trial of stones then. We are paying you to build this wall and we will not tolerate any stoppages.”

“Lady Bell I think your husband has not informed you about the specifics of our contract.” Nan blew a cloud of peach scented smoke into the air. “The Copper Cauldron Company has financed the cost of the wall.” Nan looked Lady Bell in the eye. “Did you think your husband suddenly had a windfall of coin?”

Christa watched as her mother’s face morphed through a series of emotions. “Nevertheless, Madam Bowerbird the kingdom’s justice must take precedence in cases involving non-Onaki.”

“Please read section nine of our contract. You will find that your husband has already agreed to the application of Onaki justice to any matters involving an Onaki. He will concede the point.” Nan said confidently.

Christa saw her mother bite her lip in thought. Her mother would not take this well and she was sure her and father would argue about it later but even she would have to admit that the terms of the contract would have to be adhered to. Thus was the nature of things in the Kingdom and part of what made Ardinum the greatest nation in the world. “Do I have your word that no one involved will get hurt?”

“All parties involved will be able to withdraw from the trial whenever they want. The losers will pay damages to the winners. That is the way we settle things among us when it comes to conflict. When the two parties entered physical conflict, they did so in an uneven fashion. The aggrieved have a right to redeem themselves in the eyes of the public and seek compensation. We will see if those men are tough enough to beat these boys. We will not work until this is done. I suggest you make that clear to the asses who jumped my boys.”

“We’re not boys anymore Nan.” Derry whispered under his breath as he followed Lady Bell out of the yurt.

Soon Christa found herself standing amongst a crowd before five shallow man-sized holes on the beach. Her father was there, and he did not look pleased. Steward Olman was next to him undoubtedly voicing his displeasure with the events. Christa always liked the steward who was nothing like his son. He was her father’s most trusted friend and always treated her as a niece. That’s what made the whole situation with Ronald so troubling. Nan Bowerbird walked through the crowd of spectators as the Onaki remained silent.

She saddled up to her and in a whisper said, “don’t worry chile. Just do as we talked, and everything will be fine.” The old woman stood before the gathered crowd and waited for complete silence. “The trial of stone will begin. Let the participants come forward.” Nan waited as Jodoro, Derry, Hal, Tug and Ronald walked to the front. All of them were stripped down to their undergarments which Christa thought was unnecessary. “The rules are simple. You will be placed in the holes and rocks will be put on top of you. You may quit the trial at any point but whoever lasts the longest has the right to demand any reasonable compensation. Because there are multiple individuals the trial will function as a relay. Each side will choose who goes first. Are there any questions?”

“And what could I possibly gain that would be of worth when I win?” Ronald Olman asked.

“Well,” nan began. “You could keep what’s yours and ask anything of Jodoro be it monetary or services. Now enough delay send your first participants forward.”

Christa watched as Derry crawled into the shallow one-foot grave as Ronald ordered Tug Kline into another one. Piles of small rocks stood to the side. Ceta Honeybee began placing the rocks on Derry while Seta Blackspider did the same for Tug. The rocks were small but after a few minutes Christa could see that the weight of all the small rocks would be immense. Ceta finished slightly before her mother and Christa could see that each participant was completely covered except for their nose and mouth. The crowd had started milling about and in a few minutes cook fires were started and barrels of ale were rolled out. To Christa this didn’t look like a punishment but a party she took a seat by Ceta Honeybee on the beach.

“How long do you think this will take?” She asked.

Ceta thought for a bit. “Hamsa once stayed for ten hours but he wasn’t as bruised up as our guys. They say Old Trews did the trial for eighteen hours but that was before I was born.” She looked at Ronald and Hal. “I don’t think they’ll last an hour. There are a lot of ants on the beach today and they look like men accustomed to warm fires and soft beds.” She looked at Christa. “No offense.”

“None taken, but the training for the upper groups of the Bell’s Battalion can be intense. They will not give up easily.” Christa replied as she watched Jodoro. He was kneeling beside Derry. Her eyes were drawn to his toned torso. She had never seen a boy her age with a body like that. He really did resemble a jaguar. He was built for power and speed.

“He’s beautiful, isn’t he?” Ceta asked. “Just like a jungle cat.”

Christa flushed briefly. “He’s cute,” she admitted.

Ceta looked at her strangely. “Cute? That’s it? He’s a fucking god.”

“I wouldn’t go that far but I’ll admit that you two make a good match.”

“Ha,” Ceta laughed. “I hope we will, but I think Jodoro will always see me as his best friend.”

“You mean you two aren’t…haven’t…”

“No and no but only time will tell.” Ceta replied. “Your eyes aren’t the only ones drawn to him.” Ceta said pointedly looking Amethyst and the Butterflies who were lounging on a blanket a few yards away. She pulled out the scarf Nan had given her and wiped her glasses clean. “Derry Dog pattern?”

“Nan gave it to me. I had probably better return it.”

“No need it was a gift. You should be honored. It was the same pattern that their mother had.”

“What happened to her?”

“Diodora Desertdeer died in Farki during a job. No one really talks about it. She was Nan’s only daughter.” Ceta took a sip from a cup of cider. “My mom says Nan aged twenty years that day.”

“Sorry for bringing it up.”

“It’s fine just don’t mention it to the boys.”

Christa looked around and saw her mother sitting next to her dad on two wooden chairs that were brought to the beach. Steward Olman stood behind her father whispering something in his ear. She saw her mother’s eyes occasional glance at the trial, but she seemed distracted. She got up and brushed herself off. “Might as well see how Derry’s doing.”

Derry wasn’t doing so good. Jodoro was telling him to give up and let him take over but that only seemed to make Derry more upset. “It’s the fucking ants Jo, they’re crawling around my pubes.” Derry explained from beneath the rocks. “But I can hold out longer than this fucktit over yonder.”

“I never doubted you my brotha. We just gotta get through this.” Jodoro said. “just beat this guy and I’ll handle the other two.”

“You know what I want from these fuckers Jo?”

“No,” Jodoro said with a smile, “but I suppose you’re about to tell me.”

“Not a fucking thing. I don’t want a damn thing from those Onaki hating sons of bitches. YOU HERE THAT ASSHOLES?” Derry began to shout from his stone grave. “I’LL OUTLAST YOU ALL IF I HAVE TO.”

Christa watched as Derry continued to rail and Jodoro shook his head. To be honest the idea of the trial seemed interesting at first but now it just seemed idiotic and boring. The Onaki on the beach treated it as a celebration but to her it was just sad. “Look at your face” she said to Jodoro. “How is this justice? How can you last against them when your more beat up?”

“Ceta Honeybee?” Jodoro said with what could be a smile on his swollen face. “How does one look at their face without a mirror?”

“You know what I mean you dolt.” Christa fired back but Jodoro was not paying attention to her. The noise of the crowd had died down but was quickly replaced with shouts of alarm. Her father was standing on his chair and looking out toward the sea. As her gaze turned, she nearly lost her legs for on the horizon was a fleet of ships. The sea raiders had come. Nan Bowerbird ran toward the front and began helping Jodoro dig Derry out while Ronald Olman and Hal Bridges began to extract Tug Kline. General Ridge and his staff rode onto the beach and spoke with her father. In a scene that looked like a tapestry. The Duke jumped onto the rock that Nan Bowerbird stood on hours before as one of the general’s men sounded a horn. The crowd went silent.

“What in the hells man,” Derry shouted as he rose out of his grave. “I did not call to be pulled out.”

All eyes turned to him. Nan clouted him on the back of his head and his face turned red. Her father gave the boy a stern look but turned to the crowd. “Everyone inside the walls now.”