Enlightened Empire

Chapter 320: East Point

Through the gaps in the Palanquin's curtain, Llamka observed the nervous crowds of Rasacopa. When they were carried past, all the people in the streets stopped in their tracks and stared at them with paralyzed faces.

“They look scared,” Pukia next to her remarked in her usual, childish tone, though this time it was tinged with unease.

“I do not fault them for it,” Llamka replied after a sigh. “Not only were they already made uneasy by the outside threat to the island, they also have to come to terms with the unknown warriors walking their streets now. You would not feel better if your perceived occupation was waved in your face like this.”

“But we are not here to occupy them. We are allies, and only helping them out.”

“They do not have so much political foresight. All they see are the unknown soldiers marching in their streets.”

For their protection, Queen Sumaci had sent a dozen of Saniya's soldiers with them. They surrounded the palanquin and were the ones who attracted all the negative attention.

“But why do we need all the guards in the first place? The commoners won't do anything to us, will they?”

Again, Llamka sighed, this time because of her partner's silly question.

“They are not here to protect us from the commoners,” she explained. “You know the island is unstable at the moment. Even if Queen Sumaci holds the throne for now, the warriors are still unhappy with her. And that advisor Phuyu could change his mind at any moment and plot against us, just like he plotted against the late Captain Tayali.”

“But that is not the fault of those common people over there, is it?” Once again, Pukia looked outside with furrowed brows. “This really does not sit well with me.”

“I am never sure if you are silly, or observant.” Llamka gave a troubled smile. “Though in this case, I tend to agree. None of this is the commoners' fault, and their suspicions are a real problem for us. Of course, the warriors in the palace do not welcome us either, but that issue can be solved simply through power, and increased reputation. So long as we are strong enough to do what we want, the Queen will string some wins together, which will bring the warriors on board.”

Although Pukia was staring out the window with a blank look, Llamka continued in the vain hope that something may enter the girl's head.

“And in the end, the warriors matter little for the outcome of the war. Even without the local warriors we will be fine, since they are only needed for war. And we have soldiers enough already, warriors and commoners alike. We do not need their steel on our side to control Rasacopa. However, we really cannot govern if everyone, including the commoners, were to oppose us. Constant suppression is too expensive in the end, and we will need to rely on their work if Queen Sumaci wishes to fulfill her goals. The issue of our public reputation is a delicate problem. But for now, there is nothing we can do about it. Still, we should inform Queen Sumaci about the mood in the city once we get back. Surely, the queen will have some good ideas.”

For a moment, there was silence in the palanquin, while the silly girl stared at Llamka with an empty look on her face. Soon however, her expression brightened, as she seemed to realize something. Just as Llamka was happy that the little maid had understood her education, Pukia proved the exact opposite.

“But... they are only afraid because the people here don't know us, right? Why don't we just introduce ourselves?”

With her silly words spoken, Pukia lifted the curtain and jumped out of the moving palanquin.

“Stop,” Llamka called out to bring back her colleague, but it only made her carriers halt. Annoyed, the maid observed the little girl as she bounded towards the confused and shocked locals.

At first, she wanted to step out and get the silly girl back, before she could do any more damage to their public image. However, she soon realized that the commoners weren't showing any harsh reactions. At most, they appeared reticent at the sudden arrival, though Pukia's harmless appearance seemed to lower their guards. For now, Llamka just decided to observe.

While the older maid was still weighing her options, the little girl greeted everyone with her usual bright and energetic manner, before she picked up an orange from a stall on the roadside and began to haggle with the local shopkeeper. From one second to the next, the warrior bodyguard looked like she fit right in with her surroundings. In the end, Llamka realized that there was nothing to worry about. So she leaned out of the palanquin and spoke to the soldiers around her.

“Keep going. We need to move on unless we want to be surprised by nightfall,” she said.

The soldier who was tasked with her protection looked at the distant maid with a troubled face.

“But Lady Llamka, what about Lady Pukia?”

“Even if she gets into trouble, she can take care of herself,” Llamka waved off his concerns. “Leave two guards to take care of her and make sure she gets back to the Green Court on time. Pick some inconspicuous people, ones who won't make the commoners wary. Who knows, if we let her run free, there might just be some unexpected benefits here. As for us, we still have to fulfill Queen Sumaci's orders, and no time to delay.”

Thus, the palanquin continued to move towards its goal with one fewer passenger on board.

After Llamka and her protection had left the city, they continued south along the shore. An hour of travel past farms on their right and fisheries on their left brought them to a sharp cliff that overlooked endless water on three sides. This was the Amachai Point, the easternmost part of the Green Island.

It was also where General Paec and his men were stationed, the goal of Llamka's travels. Five meters above the water, where the cliff fell off into nothing, the warriors of Saniya had constructed a temporary stockade from the trees of the surrounding forest, complete with bunkers and towers.

To show the sufficient level of grandeur that a representative of the queen would require, the warriors slowed down from their previous trot as they neared the palisade walls. Llamka was grateful, since her bumpy ride improved in comfort. At the door, the palanquin was stopped by the Saniya soldiers who asked for proper identification. Luckily, her guards were also from Saniya, so they weren't held up for long before they were let inside. Soon they stopped in an open space in the center of the stockade, which was where Llamka stepped outside onto the floor of compacted earth.

All around were a number of sheds, built hastily from the same material as the walls. Some of the 'buildings' were even more shabby, large tents made of heavy cloth. This was where the soldiers would eat and sleep while on duty here. The men themselves had been holding a drill on the plaza in the center of the stockade when the palanquin had entered, though they had halted their actions as soon as the identity of the guests had been announced. Now, they stood at attention to greet the queen's envoy.

“Welcome to the Amachai Point stockade, lady Llamka,” a soldier said and walked towards her, before he saluted. From the cut of his uniform, the maid could see that he was of ensign rank. Clearly, this wasn't the man she was looking for. “I am Ensign Alcer. What brings you here, lady?”

“Well met, Ensign,” Llamka said. “On request of Queen Sumaci, I have come to inspect your position here. I also need to have a meeting with General Paec. Is the general not around?”

As she asked, she looked through the crowd, but couldn't find anyone of higher rank than Ensign NAME.

“Not here, lady. The general is busy on the eastern wall. The scouts there reported activity in the eastern sea shortly before you arrived, lady. So the general could not come to greet you in person.”

“Very well. In that case, I will trouble you to guide me there, Ensign Alcer.”

“Please follow me, lady.” Around them, the soldiers still stood at attention, so the ensign added, “you continue your drill,” towards them, before he led Llamka to the eastern wall.

Although the path was short and her goal could be seen from where she stood, the maid needed to show a sufficient amount of grandeur, since she represented the will of Queen Sumaci. Thus, she accepted the guidance and followed the ensign across the plaza, leaving behind the reinvigorated shouts of the officers and return calls of the soldiers.

As they walked, Llamka inspected the facilities in the stockade. While the soldiers hadn't had much time so far, everything seemed to be orderly and done with care, as was expected. After all, this stockade was small in size, but it was supremely important to Rasacopa.

The Green Island was one of the north-westernmost islands among the Verdant Isles, and Rasacopa itself was built inside the Rasa Bay on its eastern side. The Amachai Point was only a small outcropping, but it represented the easternmost point of the entire island, and it overlooked most of the bay. If anyone wanted to attack Rasacopa, they would have to take this spot first or risk being surrounded by enemy fortifications.

At the same time, anyone traveling between Rasacopa and Saniya – or most of the Verdant Isles for that matter – would also have to move their ships past this spot as well. So long as they held this position, their enemies wouldn't be able to cut off travel to and from Rasacopa, at least not close to the island. Thus, this point had become the most pivotal defensive position on the Green Island, which was the reason Sumaci had sent the Saniya general Paec here to oversee their defensive efforts.

Originally, Llamka had come here to get a status report on their position and to invite the general to a strategic meeting back in the Green Court. However, she didn't even have to climb up the steeps steps and onto the walkway behind the palisades to achieve her first goal. Cannon fire made her guide, and herself, duck down to hide from shrapnel or splinters. Only after a second of shock did they both realize that the cannon had been theirs, and the shot had come from the stockade itself, rather than from a distant enemy.

“Lady, step back!” The ensign shouted, despite the lack of danger. “It's dangerous!”

However, Llamka said, “No, I need to see this,” and shoved her way past. After all, this was the very reason she was here, and a personal account would be more accurate and thus more useful to Queen Sumaci.

When she reached the top of the stairs, the cannons atop the stockade were still exhaling smoke from their muzzles. The experienced soldiers of Saniya had already brushed them down and were in the reloading process. Right in between the four teams of cannoneers stood the short, sturdy man that Llamka had been looking for, a telescope on his eye.

“General Paec, are we under attack!?” she shouted over the calls of the men around her. Two guards behind Paec stepped up to defend their general against the unknown arrival, but Paec called them back with his hands. After all, they had met several days ago, during the previous strategic meeting, and were already acquainted.

“Lady Llamka,” he said in a voice much too calm for a combat situation. “If you are here for an update on our enemy's actions, you have come at the right time.”

At the same time, he pointed his telescope's thinner end out onto the sea. When Llamka's eyes followed, she saw three ships in the south-east, several kilometers out from their position. To her untrained eye, these ships looked remarkably similar to the proudest vessels of Saniya's fleet, the galleons. However, the flags were all wrong, and they didn't expect King Corco back so soon either. Thus, there was only one conclusion to draw.

“Arcavians? What are they doing this close to the island? Our fleet scared them off before, did it not?”

“They're getting bolder again,” Paec explained. “We have had sightings of them ever since we first came here to build the stockade. Since then, they have been hovering around the island, just barely close enough to observe us. But these past three days, they have made several attempts to get into firing range and attack our stockade. Sometimes they come in the day, and sometimes at night, but they draw back every time we open fire. They're trying our limits in terms of concentration, firepower and ammunition. At least, King Corco left some of the ship's cannons for us, and enough powder to be a bit wasteful with. Otherwise, they might have already tried a landing.”

Shocked, Llamka stared back to the three ships, which had already begun to turn away from Amachai Point.

“This needs to be reported back to Queen Sumaci as soon as possible,” the maid said. “We may have to prepare for all out war much sooner than we thought.”

“Let's just hope King Corco can bring back reinforcements when he comes back,” Paec added. “We will need all the men we can get.”