Unpleasantries in a Desert : Chapter two

Huh you're going fast.
This is still just backlog, I tend to change a lot of the details so figured that I would try and get it as close to finished as I could before putting it on this blog.
So you will be updating this every time you change your mind about something?
Yep.
So one every few days?
Not that often.




Chapter 2

Jarro blinked, then turned to his king,”Cub? I'm twenty-six for goodness sake!”

Emgran stifled a snort of laughter, “ 'Not a good place to go on holiday?' Ha! I'm surprised that that was all; believe me, he could have said much worse.”

Jarro did his best to appear insulted, then dropping the act asked with puppyish excitement,”So what terribly important mission are you sending me off on? Somewhere in the Ignutumlands guessing from the questions, but why am I going?”

“Trade. And could we please skip your silly act, I know you enjoy doing it to annoy people but enough is enough.”

“Trade?” The Third Minister gave Emgran a piecing stare, completely ignoring his last comment,”Since, as I was last aware of it, the Grycites dismembered anyone who so much as stuck their nose into their citadel, a major change in government must have taken place, yes?”

The king gave a nod, “This new Chillda took over a few months ago our spies say, and this one does not sit about drinking tea if you know what I mean. He wants change and is very clear how he wants to do it. And one of those changes involves having more outsiders to trade with, so he wants an arrangement so it can be official.”

Jarro jerked his head up,”The Chillda? He's trying to make these changes? You must be mistaken. Where did you hear it?

“We have a very trusty man in the capital, and I read his message myself. That is what he said.”

“Really? Odd, their figure head is taking action. I'll bet that the Erected are not all that pleased about this. Did your spy say anything about what their views on this trade agreement is?”

“Yes, the Erected are split, some supporting, others in disagreement. But despite the fractures in the counsel it was passed.”

“Ok, now I know something is wrong; the Erected have to be in complete accord in order for a decree of this importance to be passed. No one can be ignored, the decision must be unanimous.”

“Interesting, well in this case it is not.”

“Huh, well then, how did the old Chillda die?”

“From what our agent can gather he was poisoned. They haven't figured out who did it yet.”

“Huh? Poison? But, but, that just can not be. Normally a new ruler would not be appointed until they know how and why the old one died. It is the law, and can not be avoided. When I get out there I will be able to give you a better idea what is happening, but right now?” he rubbed his forehead and sighed, “there are just too many inconstancies, I haven't a clue what is going on.”

“Well I look forward to your reports then. And I'll send the message from our agent round later. You might get something more out of it,” Emgran said shrugging. “That is why you're going. Most of the negotiation are going to be handled by Fifth Minister Lunarious; you are just there to advise her and me of what is going on.”

“Loony is going to be coming too? What for? We need someone to make sure they invade before the year is out? Because that is what putting her in charge of this mission will result in you know.” Of all the people why did it have to be the one with a death grudge against him? People may say that hate is love seen from another angle but this wasn't hate. It was loathing, detest, and 'stick a dagger in your back soon as look at you'.

The king minutely inspected his well worn dagger before answering,”Aside from a quite incomprehensible disgust of you she is our best negotiator. Lunarious is brilliant, and our minister of trade. And while you are the highest ranking man in my high counsel to have any idea how their political system and customs work you couldn't negotiate your way out of a wet paper bag. So long as you two together don't start a world war it should be fine.”

Huh, he did have a bit of a point there, Jarro decided, money was one of his many weak points. Price tags were he considered, the best invention of the century. Time for a graceful admission of defeat. “Fine, but if you get our decapitated corpses back with the messages,'goodbye and stay out' keep in mind that I warned you!”

The young monarch threw back his head, laughing,”If that happens I'll keep it in mind, though,” he said his teasing tone turning serious,”It will be dangerous you know.”

Jarro looked nonplussed, “So?”

“You just said that you are going into a city in political tumult, it sounds like it would be wise to be on your guard.”
Jarro waved a hand vigorously, “Oh I know that, if I can go there danger, and intrigue will abound! Whereas if I stayed here,” he dispassionately surveyed his office. “Paper work and bugging Retin would be about the only things of interest.”

Emgran rolled his eyes, “Just as long as you try to be a little careful.”

Jarro sort for a way to change the subject,”So when are me and Loony leaving?”

“Whenever the Changer delegation gets here, so within the next day or two. They're arriving by portal so it's only a matter of who they are sending and getting suppliers together.”

“Okay,” A idea crossed him mind.”Can I bring Retin with me? She is an assassin so she is use to danger, and she is equipped to deal with it. Would she keep you happy?”

Emgran nodded,”That would be prudent, I am also assigning a honour guard to the party, these should be ample protection without looking to untrusting to the Grycites.”

“And another reason to bring Retin, she knows how to get more pens.” Jarro still a little behind in the conversation.

“I sometimes wonder if she is your secretary or your babysitter.”

“Retin is not my babysitter!”

“Yes she is.”

“No she's not!”

“Yes I am.” Jarro whirled to face the suddenly appearing girl and tried to look as hurt as possible.

“Et tu Retin?”

“Misquoting old plays will not get you out of the fact I babysit you.” she announced, attempting not to laugh.

The king nodded goodbye to the now arguing couple, who were ignoring him completely, then left, throwing the words over his shoulder. ”You both need to be ready by tomorrow remember.”

“Are too.” Berila replied tranquil as a becalmed sea.

“Are not!” Jarro growled, a hurricane in the making.

“Are too.”

“Are not!”

The monarch rolled his eyes as he strode away from the battle.

A few hours later Jarro shoved open the double doors leading to the room he sheared with his mother and sister, deftly avoiding standing on any of the tiny dragons that skittered and squeaked around his feet.

“El! Mum! Where are you?” He pushed open a door and entered a room quite simile to the office he had just left. Clothes in a hundred different shades and pattens lay on the floor, draped on chairs, or hung over the bed. In the midst of all of it sat a girl, she was about ten years his junior, with brown-blond hair and grey eyes. A sewing machine sat on a table that wobbled as her foot work the peddle under it. Her black skirt was knee length, scandalously short, and white shirt was pushed up to her elbows.

El looked up with a grin, “Where's the fire?”

Jarro push a heap of half finished clothes off a chair and sat of it backward, arms resting of the back. “ Ignatumlands!”

“What about them?”

“That is where I am going!”

“Really? When? Why? Can I come too?”

“No, it will be far to dangerous for such a delicate flower, ouch!” The delicate flower punched him squarely in the shoulder.”We're leaving the day after tomorrow, and I am going to be adviser! Of a sort anyway.”

“Who are you going to be advising?”

“The Grycites have asked for a trade agreement, I'm going along to help as I know so much about them.”

“Isn't that what ambassadors are for?” El interrupted.

“No, the embassy are in merka so they know even less than me, besides they are better at numbers then politics. Also Grycites think that ambassador is just a nice word for spy.”

“Okay, I guess that makes sense.” El nodded.

“Yeahs so I think one of the assistants is going with us that that it it. Another problem is a few the major families in the Ignatumlands are heavily involved in the black market, there is a chance of them trying to stop us by force. I personally think that it is unlikely they would risk so much but the king doesn't agree.”

El nodded slowly, “I see now.” She peeked at him from the corner of her eye, “So there will be real danger?”

Jarro gave a dismissive wave, “Probably, but really with what I will get to see, and a few months out of that office I am happy to risk it.”

“Oh.” She bit her lip.

“Don't worry! The worst that will happen is I will get sea sick, you will see.”

“I will hold you to that!”

Clockwork Dinner

Not a very bright dragon.
No, that one eats anything that moves or is some cases doesn't.

Unpleasantries in a Desert : Chapter one

Another chapter?
Yep, you meet some of the people now.
Slightly daft intangible floating people?
No, solid, tangible, stuck to the ground, but still slightly daft people.

Chapter 1

May, 16, 1949, the palace in Kelia Brilsion.

Third Minister Jarro thumped his ballpoint pen against his oak desk, then checked to see if the ink was coming out yet. It was not; he swore, then hurled the pen across the room to land in some dim corner with its unfortunate companions. Jarro folded his arms and leaned back and glared sullenly at the door opposite his desk. He was a man of about six feet, with coffee coloured hair that stuck straight up at the front, and down at the back. The small office settled into silence, but for the fireplace's crackling. Around the walls bookcases filled unevenly with a pantheon of worn books, some left of the carpet where they had fallen. Around his desk piles of paperwork he had deemed to dull too deal with littered the floor, dishes of half eaten food sat precariously in the overflowing in-tray, forgotten and mouldy.

Jarro started to tap his foot rapidly, then to shift restlessly, light brown eyes flicking over the mess of paper. He groaned and cursed the person who had decided to make Minister a hereditary title, this was not what he wanted to do with his life. Paper pushing had suited his father but dad had not taken over the position until he was forty-two. No such luck for him. He felt a pang of sorrow; his father had died in the nineteen forty-seven plagues that had also carried off his two elder brothers. Jarro firmly pushed the memory away, even now it still hurt to think of them.

Well, he was stuck here at least for now, and the chaos in his room was beginning to get to him. Plus he couldn't do anything without a pen. Gingerly he picked his way across the office, careful not step something that could crack under his shoes.

Peeking around his door he glanced up and down the shrouded corridor, once again wondering who had put curtains on all the walls. He shot across the clearly deserted hall and burst into the orderly office of his secretary, Retinda Berila, an assassin originally hired to kill him. She had grown to like him and warned him about the plot. In return he had offered her a job as secretary. It may not have been as exciting as what she was used to, but it was a lot safer, and it paid more regularly too. He just wished Retin didn't treat him like a annoying younger brother.

“Hullo! And how are you doing today?” He gave his best smile, and perched on the edge of her pristine desk.

Miss. Berila did not even look up from her typewriter,”Lost your desk again have we? How many feet under is it this time?” She shoved the carriage return over and kept going. As per the usual she wore a cream blouse with lace around the collar and a navy floor length skirt.

Jarro coughed, embarrassed. ”It wasn't that bad, just a little messy; anyway that wasn't why I came all the way here. I need a pen.” He endeavoured to look down his nose at Retin.

The ex-assassin paused in her typing and gave him a pained look, “You have lost it already? Please tell me you didn't break it.”

The tips of Jarro's ears went crimson, and he started to tap his teeth together nervously.

“You did.” Retin put a hand over her eyes and let out a long-suffering sigh before pulling a pen out of a drawer. “Let this one last a little longer please, they do not grow on trees.”

The Young Minister gave her a wide grin, “No problem, and thanks for the pen!” He ducked, out quickly out before she could give him a lecture on funds and how he needed to pay attention to leaped across the hall and back into his own mess, brandishing his new pen happily, straight into King Emgran and Ambassador Wilth waiting impatiently for him, the king seated on the only clean chair in the room, he wore a blue jacket with gold edging, and Wilth standing behind him, a black suit and tie. Jarro stopped dead, then yelped as he found his feet sliding out from under him. Thinking back he shouldn't have left that plate on the floor, but hindsight is 20/20 vision. After ten intense seconds the world stopped crashing on top of him, and King Emgran with the reluctant ambassador's help, dug him out.

When he was sufficiently uncovered Jarro sat up rubbing the back of his head, wincing slightly as he did so “Ahh, thanks, um, sire, and Ambassador urrm... what are you doing down,” his eyes flickered about the chaos of his office,”here?”

He had known Emgran since they were kids, he had often joined the group of Noble's children that gathered whenever they could get away from nurses, governesses and tutors. Emgran naturally led in most of the games, not because of parentage, but because he could coordinate any group no matter how unruly so all were satisfied. He was a year or two older then Jarro, but looked younger; he took over the throne after his father retired to look after his horses, he said that since Emgran knew more about the nations affairs then he did he could run the country himself.

All he knew about the Ambassador was that he was from one of the changer clans up north, Bear he thought. He looked like he would be a bear, he towered like one. The Changers could morph between their clan animal and human form at will,

Some of the clans had aligned themselves with Brilsion, the major players were Bear, Wolf, Panther and Snake. A couple of minor clans had also dived into the protection of Brilsion so they wouldn't go under in one of the numerous inter-clan wars. That was about all he had absorbed in the lengthy history lessons he sat though as a child, the rest was forgotten along with algebra and how to write neatly.

The youthful king gave a friendly smile as he helped Jarro up but within moments let it return to a serious expression again, “How much do you know of the Ignatumlands?”

Add geography to the list of forgotten classes. ”It's not a place you would want to go on holiday, sire?”

The old ambassador gave an indignant snort,”Are we are sending this ignorant cub on such an important mission?” then turning to Jarro,”And you would do well not to treat this as a joke.”

Emgran gave Wilth a narrow eyed look before turning back to the minister,”I meant for you to tell me all you know about the Grycites government.”

Well, he knew all about this, the Grycites were something he had found fascinating, their political system was understood well by only a few and with the effort he had exerted he knew he was one of those few. “Um,” Jarro paused, glancing at the towering Changer, then took a deep breath. ”The Chillda rules the Grycites in name only, he has little power, just a figure head really. The Erected are like a high counsel, they make most of the real decisions. Below them are Seljars, military leaders, and they have complete power over the army. On the same level as them are the Icarti; they monitor the resources of the nation. They are the main powers, but by no means the only ones. The idea is if no one controls everything and everyone has something then the nation won't go bad as per se. People will want to look after their bit so nothing gets left out. Oh yes, then of course you have the Derite and his mages, more or less above the law and forbidden from politics. Well, I say forbidden but it's more just a code to stop them taking over the country. As it is they spend most of their time meddling with politics, they just don't use magic and they don't rule anything.” He finished the last bit in a rush, then, panting slightly, tried to gauge whether or not this sufficed.

The grizzled haired man nodded to himself and turned to the expectantly waiting king. ”Ahh, I see now, he knows the politics, yes? Just make sure he knows a little more than that Sire. Very well. I shall check on our representative we are to send with him while you explain.” He left the room without another word.

Unpleasantries in a Desert : Prologue

And this is...?
First bit of my story, it more or less just explains a few details and sets up the first chapter.
...You mean that you have really...you have acutely done something?
Yep!
Wow, I thought I would never live to see this day!
Thank you, your suport has help me get this done.
Ha, and I never considered that you would get even a paragraph written...
Yes we get the idea-
A sentence even.
Oh be quiet.

Prologue.

Somewhere in the depths of space. Date unknown.

Space, the first place people look at and think, “I want to go there.” And the last one they ever get to. But despite the many who stare at it, the stars themselves are usually quiet and empty.

“Remind why I let you drag me to these backward dimension again?” The silver figure hovered where nothing could live, and spoke with a nasal wine.

“It's a fascinating example of a curved parallel universe, so similar in ways and so different in others to our home. And so many crossovers!” This one was all pent up enthusiasm.

“Great, our people with hundreds of years of work break the boundaries of the universe and what to we get for all that trouble? Another set of world even more boring than earth. I've seen your little world now, can I go?”

“You haven't seen the surface yet!”

“Must I?”The voice exported suffering.

“Please! I'll do anything for you if you just stay for a bit!”

“Anything?”

“Yes!”

A sigh without air or mouth is hard to manage, but somehow the creature did it.”Fine.”

“Great! Now follow me!” They neared the blue green planet, white splodges of clouds drifted. An aura of shimmering scarlet orange played in the highest reaches of the atmosphere. “Look at the magic!”

“I am looking, and since I am here I might as well take an interest. What is a curved parallel universe?”

“Well, a normal PU is a world where almost everything is the same. In a CPU almost everything is different.”

“...Okay so name something that is the same as our earth.”

“Oddly enough literature is one of the main ones, Shakespeare, that sort of thing.”

“Huh you think it would be someone more interesting. What's different?”

“Oh the magic layer, a number of the inhabitants have got some amounts in their bodies and can use it to channel the magic down. Well until the magic in them gets used up, then they are just normal people again. There are people who can change into animals too, and a race of bat like people called Grycites, and plenty more!”

“I do not suppose anything went the other way? Something our earth got off them?”

“You know that ring of rock, the one called Stonehenge?”

“Yes?”

“Well how do you think they got them up on each other?”

“Oh there are all sorts of theories-”

“All wrong, it was anti gravity crystals.”

“They do not have them now.”

“Oh only one group of druids knew how to make them and they were all slaughtered by some king.” The beings floated though the magic layer, clouds and soon the surface and a city came into view. A funnel of the red tinted air connected to a thick tower in the center of a complex of buildings. People scurried between them.

“The University of magic and science! Both groups hate each other with a passion.”

Its companion was drifting toward a far prettier set of buildings, “What are they?”

“Oh that is where the government and king live.”

“I am going have a search inside it.”

“But-”

“I can see what ever you want after.”

“Alright...”

“Excellent.” The inside was dark, but lush. They ended in a office where a young man was failing to write.

“What are you doing now?”

“Watching.”

“Why?

“Shhh!”

Character list

What have you been doing instead of your science today?
...you have no evidence that i won't do my science after this.
But you didn't do it before.
...Completely ignoring that last statement, this is all the main characters so far in my book.
My goodness, you mean to you are actually writing it?
Well, yes.
Wow.