Thursday, March 13, 2025

         TRAVELS OF DARIAN THE PASHA

 chap.3°-FROM LARA TO OLNI

DARIAN TO OLNI

       The escape from Cartassa, now in ruins, had made my life very sad, my whole world built for a happy future had collapsed, my dreams, my expectations of growing up in that city, finding a partner, having children to raise and make them grow up, I hid my Royal origins, since I was little,  my brother Orlando and I were saved by a faithful slave, and taken with great difficulty to Korat in the region of Scendi, by now I was grown up I had already made my pilgrimage to the Sanctuary, and I could return to work peacefully.

       Life in the city of Lara was not very happy, I missed my adopted city Korat and I missed my brother Orlando, I always thought about my return and I already imagined meeting him after so many years, we had lost sight of each other after he went to the university of Olni to become a Scribe and Magistrate, he a few years older than me after having worked in Olni, left for the North and we never met again.

      I was organizing my departure to reach the Shendi region, I had no more news of my father the notary of Ship Rock, the great port of Korat he had adopted us as soon as we arrived, I would later learn that he had died of a serious illness, I had my brother Orlando left, since I had left for the pilgrimage to the Sanctuary many years ago, I had not seen him again, I miss my family, my mother was captured and killed by the Talunes, while she was going to the river outside the walls.

THE GREAT CITY OF OLNI

   I learned from the guards that a caravan was leaving, going towards the Oasis of Farad and then continuing towards the Oasis of Nine Wells, from there I could decide which safe route to take to reach the Shendi region, early in the morning I said goodbye to everyone in Lara, the first stop would be the Oasis of the four palms.   

THE OASIS OF CARTASSA

     In that Oasis I met Prince El Nasser and Princess Ahziz, we fell in love at first sight and spent some wonderful moments together, when I left, I left her in tears at her window, I didn't have the courage to look at her, but a tear was running down my face, now burned by the hot desert sun.

After almost two hours of walking under the hot sun, we finally reached the oasis of Farad, we pitched our tents just outside the walls, I just rested, after washing myself in a makeshift tub, waiting for the next day to decide which route was safest to take, from my maps it appeared that there were three roads, going towards the mountains of Ta Thassa, crossing the lands of the Vagons people, but crossing them was too risky an adventure, few could do it except Smugglers or Savages, another possibility was to cross the great forest of Shendi, but I had to skirt the mountains of the Voltai Range, I would hardly have come out alive, it was the territory of the Talunes and the Panthers, unscrupulous wild women who killed even for a skin or a dress, or just for the pleasure of killing, so advised by the Chief of the guards, I decided it was better to go towards the river Wosk, keeping away from the city of Ar, which had long been at war with Shendi, and reach the city of Olni, passing through the city of Vonda, then take a ship down the Thassa Sea to Brundisium, from there take a caravan to Shendi, following the coast on the new road to Bazi and from there home.

     Time passed after many and many Mano we reached the city of Olni, a large city, with very high iron gates obtained from the extractions of the mines that were prolific in that area, at the central door closed by a large grate and a drawbridge the Captain of the guards showed us the way to reach ARA  the tavern, there I found a kajira, from the city named Eshe, who made me sit down, asked me what I wanted to drink, I said bring me some fresh Paga and some biscuits, after having refreshed myself I assigned myself a room on the upper floor of the tavern, waiting to meet the head of the Scribes sir Robert, who I would meet the next day, not before having met in front of the gate with lady Lucy (RIP) Ambassador, and my teacher together with lady Janette (RIP) many years before, She introduced me to the head of the Scribes, after having told him about my studies and my travels as Ambassador of Shendi, she assigned me a job as a Magistrate, I had a degree from Magistrate, Scribe and Lawyer, I was overjoyed that I could earn the piastres needed for my journey home.

  

LARA

 I asked the builder to assign me a house worthy of my rank, and after showing me various possibilities, both in the city and outside the walls, I then chose a beautiful house on a promontory near the great lighthouse, a very large house with a beautiful garden and far from the din of the port.

    I settled in well in that big city with its five towers, I got to know all the citizens and all the streets, I had my office on an avenue overlooking various shops, including the bakery, I fell in love with a Baker, but given her poor earnings she ran away with a rich merchant, even the butcher was a strong woman and tough on her job, but nothing more.

     I was often at the large porch in front of the gate right next to the tavern, I chatted with the healer, even though there was more than one in the city, one day he left with a woman passing by, he had fallen in love with her at first sight and followed her, to the city Thentis.

   One day while I was sitting as usual on the porch on a nice comfortable sofa sipping a cup of Black Wine, something happened that would change my life, I saw a wounded slave coming out of the house of the Commander of the guards not far away, leaving traces of blood on the road, she entered the tavern, I ran to help her while I ordered a guard to alert a Healer, I approached the bleeding girl she had her hands on her abdomen where she had presumably been stabbed, I asked him who had wounded her, but at that moment the Commander arrived with a Healer hostile to me, who ordered to take her to the infirmary, just as the young girl said the name of the wounded man, I understood only the first letters that resembled those of the Commander, but some guards took her and took her away, she died shortly thereafter without me being able to question her.

    The Healer signed the death, and the Commander archived the case, I could not help but accept, after all the commander was the son of Ubara, it was me against everyone, I wanted to punish the guilty party but everyone advised me against it, and after thinking about it for a long time I decided to leave and resume my journey to Schendi ...........continue

darianeditor