EDEN and VICTORY The Chair launched into his normal tirade. “Alright! Alright! Saul’s balls! Do what you think is right. Can I ever get an upper hand with you even once? I’d call you an ungrateful bastard, but that would, of course, put you in good company.
Just make sure it’s not fucked up. I expect beautiful trade deals to come out of this. Don’t forget it. This is not all friendliness, togetherness, kisses, and hugs. You got it? I want Vlad to squirm. If he doesn’t need anything from me, then the whole thing is a bad idea.”
“He needs us more than we need him,” Moey declared truthfully, although neither the Chair nor Vlad realized why— not yet.
“I know that, you self-important shit. Just make sure he knows it. I will, of course, make it clear again when he arrives. If he disagrees, I will arrange a short cruise on the lake for him!”
The Chair was talking tough, but inside, he was more intimidated by Vlad’s manhood and vitality than anything else.
It was sad.
Moey had just engineered a major improvement in the overall situation. The events for the girls would be added. He was excited to deliver this news not because it would make Vlad happy, which it would, but because Moey needed to have a difficult and complicated discussion with Vlad about other matters. Mainly, he needed to let Vlad know that his sons would be arriving unexpectedly and would need assistance.
“Leader, I will not fail to maintain our advantage. It will be a step toward Eden’s domination over the region,” Moey placated.
“Well then, good luck to you, son. Hurry back, and then this will be over with.”
A week later, Moey was entering the fringes of Victory’s north camp, and he and several Eden soldiers were received by Victory soldiers and escorted into the village center. The village was still essentially deserted, except for the winter garrison, as well as more and more farmers as various crops reached planting season. The athletic competitors and coaches were also there, now training in closer proximity to Eden.
The rest of the Victory nation remained south and would not start the journey north for another month. Vlad was also present, which was unusual. He had come for the sole purpose of meeting Moey, although he had not shared this detail with the council. His excuse was that he was going to support the athletes and help them prepare for the contests.
Couriers had already informed Victory of the good news regarding women being included in the inter-nation competitions.
So, the girls’ team was also on hand and training aggressively. Among the girls was Councilman Philip’s daughter, Elona. He wanted his daughter to participate, but he resented the fact that he had not been invited to attend. In the end, Vlad decided to capitulate to Philip, his biggest critic, so that he could share the experience. Otherwise, Philip would be forever bitter, jealous, and wondering about the whole affair. But although Philip was invited to the games, he was not invited to move north with Vlad at this early stage.
Vlad needed a clear head and few distractions while dealing with Moey. Although he was not a leader, Vlad considered him an equal or at least his contemporary. The Chair was certainly something else altogether, based on the accounts from Moey and on Vlad’s own firsthand impression from their face-to-face meeting months ago.
The military escort walked Moey and his crew across town to the quarters that had been set up for their visit. They were thankful to walk, as they had eagerly run most of the way to Victory village and were fatigued from several consecutive days of travel. The Victorian soldiers delivered them to the cabins and then remained nearby, watching. This was their assignment.
Only minutes later, a courier came running in and, after conferring with the guards, knocked on Moey’s cabin door.
“Yes?” Moey opened the door.
“Vlad is expecting you for dinner at nightfall. You have enough time to get cleaned and refreshed. You may use the clothes in the cabin, if you need. I will wait for you. Please take your time.”
“Thank you.”
Moey retreated into the cabin. There was a fresh tub of water, which was still warm. They must have known when he would be arriving, which meant that they were watching him.
Moey pushed those thoughts aside. He quickly stripped and sank into the tub.
Freshly revived and clothed in fine Victorian wool, he arrived at Vlad’s compound with its large cave, where affairs of the state were discussed.
“Please make yourself comfortable. He is coming soon,” said the man who received Moey from the guards and escorted him to a large outdoor dining area. Although torches had been lit, they could not diminish the clarity and intensity of the stars that night. It was a beautiful, clear spring night, and Moey could smell barbecue and hear laughing and talking coming from just outside the compound. It was a different feeling from that experienced in Eden; yet, somehow, he felt strangely at home.
The way people spoke, ran, and looked was just like the folks in Eden. And why would he expect anything different? “Moey!” Vlad exclaimed as he strode in. “It is so great to see you.”
“Vlad, thank you for the hospitality. It was a long journey, but I feel great.”
“Okay then. I guess you are starving for some decent food and maybe some applejack.”
“That would be great. This is a big dining area. Are we having a party?”
“The athletes will be here soon. I wanted you to meet them and maybe say some words about what the contests will be like and what Eden is like. They are so curious and so excited.
But, first, you need to eat.”
“Everyone will have a great time in Eden. I will make sure of it.”
“Well then, let’s drink to it.” The men toasted their anticipated success, with many Victorians and the Eden guards listening with intensity, hanging onto every word. Then, the athletes started to file in.
“Moey, I don’t know how you worked things out to ensure that the girls would be given the chance to go, and I don’t know how prepared they will be, but it really boosted morale. We like to keep things equal here, and this sent a positive signal that Eden is the same.”
“Yes, we are. Definitely. But the Chair is a little oldfashioned, and he wanted to move step by step. But I convinced him, and here we are.” Moey smiled, satisfied with himself.
The athletes tore into the buffet and were not shy to come up to ask questions of Moey. But they were deflected because he would address the group as a whole in a short while.
After dinner was well underway, Vlad stood and rapped his cup with a knife to get everyone’s attention.
“As you all know, the contests with Eden are about one month away. It is not much more time to prepare, and in particular, you ladies have a lot of work ahead.” The ladies laughed while the men made joking remarks. “Moey has been kind enough to come all this way to give us some insights. I would like you to give him your full attention. But, first, I want to thank all of you and your coaches for the efforts you make every day. It makes our nation stronger to have your athletic ability, in terms of speed, strength, and defensive capabilities, if you serve in the military, which I expect most of you will. So, with that, let me introduce Moey. He is the genius behind the idea of using this competition as a way for our two nations to begin a new chapter of close relations.” Vlad started to clap, which made everyone follow immediately and with great enthusiasm.
“Well, thank you, Vlad. It’s nice to meet you all. I can tell you are all very prepared and eager to come visit us. You will have a very special experience. To the men, you will compete against my three sons. My eldest is Jojo. He is currently our number-one athlete. His two younger brothers, Buddy and Ajay, are also in the top ten. As a father and an Edenite, I hope they can beat your best. But if you prevail, then we will all know that you have worked harder and that you deserve the prize of being the champion not just of Victory but for this whole region.”
There were minor eruptions of applause and sounds that spoke to the energy and anticipation within the room.
Moey paused a moment.
“Ladies, don’t feel unprepared. The short window of preparation also fell on the shoulders of our girls in Eden, and they are scrambling and putting in the extra time just like you are. It will be a magnificent thing to watch you compete. Now, let me talk about a few of the races and what the conditions will be like. You will be there early enough to familiarize yourselves, but I will tell you some things to get you mentally prepared.”
Moey carried on with his briefing, covering the geography, distances, and degrees of difficulty. All attention was riveted on Moey’s words.
Upon concluding his speech, Moey took some questions, mainly from Gabon and some of the other coaches.
After a few more drinks with Vlad and Gabon, Moey was completely spent and went to crash in his cabin. He needed to regain his energy before getting into the more critical matters with Vlad. Their discussions would start the next morning when Vlad invited him to cross to the island in the middle of the river and do some fishing.
From this peaceful spot in the middle of the river, with the spring snow melts starting to add to the flow, the two men fished.
“The Chair has leg and hip problems. He won’t be there much longer. So, my wife asked me why we can’t just wait until he’s gone. Why do we have to rush things, putting ourselves and our boys at risk?”
“It’s a fair question,” Vlad shot back.
“My reason is that the Chair is only sixty-five. I am personally responsible for keeping him fit enough to continue.
And, unfortunately, I have the answers to help him remain alive and in charge for maybe another fifteen or twenty years.
Meanwhile he gets worse—more of a tyrant and more paranoid. Eden is like one giant prison. We don’t have external threats. If we did, it would only be you. And I don’t believe that will ever be the situation.”
“No, certainly not,” reassured Vlad.
“Our threat is the Chair, who has imprisoned us just to maintain his own grip on power. I can’t live out the prime of my life like this, and I don’t want my sons to waste theirs. We are no different from you. Our cultures have not grown apart by much. You would benefit from many things that we have. We would benefit from your sense of freedom and openness. This is the vision I have. The first step is for the public to stand up to the Chair. They will see the fine characters of your athletes.
Then, they will see the daring escape of my sons. Meanwhile, we will see if the Chair can be moved aside somehow. I’m not sure how. I don’t want to resort to violence. It will tarnish what we are trying to do.”
“If we were to reunite. How would we govern? I personally do not want to complicate our ways of governing.
We rule by a council. I am in charge, but I serve at the pleasure of the council. We would not like to have another master to serve.”
“I have thought about this a lot. We would adopt your system. There would be two nations, separate but equal and with relative freedom of movement between. Each nation maintains its own council, and these two councils also form a joint council to create overall decisions where necessary and resolve any disputes. Separate but equal.”
“Let me think about this. It sounds right, but I wonder what will actually happen.”
“I just want you to know that I am trying to effect a change in Eden as a first priority. Even if there is no joint council, I would still see a system based on a council, same as what you have. If we end up as just friendly neighbors, that is also not a bad outcome. But it works because you and I are reasonable men. This is not always the case, unfortunately.”
“Moey, I will support you. What do you need?”
“I need safe passage for my boys. When you come for the games, I will let you know when they will pass your way.
Once they are there, they will leave again, heading east and then south for many miles, perhaps ten days. I might like them to have some additional support on this journey.”
“Of course. I will offer support and protect your sons.
But why are they venturing so far?”
“We are looking for something. It’s hard for me to explain. When you come to Eden, I will be able to explain it clearly.”
Vlad looked confused. He wondered what needed to be explained in Eden that could not be explained in Victory. But he decided to remain respectful and patient. “Okay, Moey. I will be patient and wait for the good news. But meanwhile, don’t worry about getting support. Whatever you need.”
The next morning, Moey and Vlad went to several training venues and watched archery, knife and spear throwing, swimming against a fierce current in the river’s icy waters, and hill running. It was impressive, especially the swimming, which was more rigorous due to the challenges of the river. Moey wondered whether the Victorians would have the edge in swimming. He surmised that they would be strong and fast, but maybe it would even out over a long distance.
Meanwhile, back in Eden, the teams were also pushing themselves to be their very best. In particular, Jojo, Buddy, and Ajay were giving it everything they had all the time. They knew that this is what it would take to win. More importantly, this is what it would take to be free.
Just across town, another important contest was playing out. “Why in Saul’s name did Moey not return on time?
He was supposed to be here.” The Chair scanned back and forth between Jacob and Parker.
“Leader, I have adjusted it. Everything is fine. You look like you could run miles. You must have been practicing,” reassured Parker.
“Of course, I have been practicing, you bloody fool! You think I want to die?” The Chair glared at Parker. Parker didn’t bother to mention that Moey hadn’t even been informed of the test that was scheduled to take place that morning out in the parade ground. Doing so would only invite another barrage from the Chair.
With regard to forced attrition, the rules had changed periodically under the three Chairs, and the current rules under Christopher were the least compassionate in Eden’s history.
Ramius foreswore any special privilege by the Chair, and changing this rule required a unanimous decision by the council.
Christopher was able to impose harsher rules, which he did impulsively without regard for or even an understanding of the laws of the land. But he also had to abide by them.
It was an event that was open to the public and occurred on the day of each full moon. There were typically three hundred adult citizens being tested for their mobility.
Normally, there were only family members and a group of officials, along with some scattered onlookers who had nothing better to do.
But today was different. The gallery was filled with council members and other lower officials, as well as military personnel. On the grounds flanking the test area were hundreds of gossips and other citizenry who didn’t have the patience to hear the results later. The field was separated into ten lanes of one hundred yards. Every lane had an official at each end. At the finish line, there were two towers erected on each side of the field, providing a clear view across the lanes.
Right in the center of the ten lanes was a smooth, elevated stone walkway. A guard wearing a tall, bright red hat walked along this elevated walkway at a swift, deliberate pace.
This was the pace that each individual needed to match or beat. The tests were divided according to age group. As the younger men and women could dash to the end before the guard even walked halfway, he would just turn around and go back to the start. This saved a lot of time.
The spectators were more concerned about or interested in the final test waves involving the eldest of Eden’s subjects. This was where a number of them always failed the test. Those who failed would get one last try, and if unsuccessful, they would be given some time to get their affairs in order and say their goodbyes.
When there were only a few waves remaining, the Chair, along with Parker, Jacob, Bobby, and several guards, arrived at the parade ground. All eyes were on them. Just then, Perry spotted them and trotted up enthusiastically to join them.
“You have got this old man!” Perry spouted. Christopher was used to his irreverence, although others were shocked to overhear the kinds of things that Perry got away with saying without ending up on the lake bed. “Chris, I dreamed about this a few nights ago. You were almost defeated, but then in the heat of battle you came through, just barely saving your skin. It was incredible.”
Christopher was barely paying attention, as he was more focused on the group that was running at the moment. He watched in horror as one old man failed miserably, stumbling and then trying to get himself up. When he was finally up, it was too late. Family members along the sidelines encouraged him, and one hysterical woman tried to run to his aid, only to be quickly contained by guards and ushered back to the sideline.
“Oh no,” Christopher muttered to himself. “Get up! Get up, you old bastard! You can do it.”
His calls of encouragement were drowned out among the hundreds of others who were doing the same. Although Christopher was not among the oldest, he was still to go in the final group. The event you have all been waiting for, he thought to himself, resenting the high turnout. “These people are just here to watch me fail. Aren’t they?” he questioned, looking to Parker and then Jacob to confirm his suspicions.
“No, Chris. I’m sure that is not the case,” Jacob asserted unconvincingly.
“It’s always like this,” Parker added. This sounded better to the Chair.
“Okay, here we go,” the Chair said and walked out onto the field, wearing his long robe to cover the knee brace. He didn’t walk steadily; there was a clear gait, which he tried with all his might to conceal, but he couldn’t. He arrived at his starting lane, which was one of the center lanes just beside the pacer.
The people in the crowd howled in a different way than they had during the events for all the other groups, thereby invalidating Parker’s remarks entirely. Most of the noise appeared to come from faceless sources, as people were fearful that they might be spotted by one of the many guards. But there was no mistaking that the noise and the nature of the commentary were not favorable. People jeered, wishing their leader all the best—in death.
Christopher lined up alongside the elevated guard and prepared himself. Knee brace feels good. Hip not so good, he thought.
“Listen, boy, if I get into some trouble, you slow down a bit, you hear me?”
The guard was flabbergasted, not knowing how to respond. So, he simply said, “Yes, Leader.” This final group had only eight people, all of them older than Christopher.
They were now all lined up at the start. The pacing guard stood tall, looking straight ahead. The bell chimed, and they were off. In the excitement, Christopher pushed off too hard—more aggressively than he had practiced. It was the adrenaline. When his first step landed on the side of his bad hip, he heard a snap of some kind and was suddenly flooded with pain.
“Aaaarrrrrgggghhh!” he cried out.
Parker and Jacob shouted encouragement from the side. Although the noise of the crowd was deafening, Parker cupped his hands and shouted out, “Leader! Listen to my voice!
Start slowly! Just walk a few short steps!” Christopher could hear Parker, and all the other noise fell away. “Now, lengthen your steps!”
Christopher followed Parker’s instructions and was dealing with the pain. The knee was still great. “Okay, okay! Now start the run … short steps. Yes. Yes!
That’s it!”
Now, Christopher was stabilizing, and he was running.
But the guard was quite a distance ahead and was walking briskly.
That mother of Saul never slowed down! I will have his balls for lunch! Christopher pondered angrily.
“Faster steps! You’ve got it!” Parker howled.
Christopher still heard only Parker. He was now gaining on the guard, but time and distance were shortening, and he was feeling panicked.
“Bloody bastard! I’m comin’ for you!” Christopher shouted in a primal utterance. His cadence quickened, but suddenly, his gait became more lopsided and obvious, as the hip was losing control. The limp was extreme, but he kept going. He was now just on the heels of the guard and less than ten yards from the finish. Christopher gritted his teeth, but his speed would not increase. He didn’t seem to be passing the guard.
It was a stalemate. But suddenly, he started to surge past him. Yes! Yes! But he realized that he wasn’t really moving faster. The guard had slowed down slightly. As Christopher passed him just before the line, he uttered, “I’ll give you a medal, you son of a … Aaaaarrrgggghh!” His hip gave out suddenly as he crossed the line, fell, and rolled in the grass. Parker, Jacob, and Perry ran over to him.
Parker was alarmed to see that part of the knee brace was visible. He saw a man pointing in that direction and getting two others to look. Oh no, thought Parker. When he reached Christopher, he pulled the robe down over the brace and helped him up.
“Oh, oh, oh!” Christopher chanted in pain.
“Are you alright?” asked Jacob. Christopher broke out in laughter, hollered in pain, and then reverted to laughter again.
“Ha ha ha! We did it! Parker! Parker!” Despite the pain, Christopher was overcome with joy.
Then, Perry chimed in. “You see, Chris? You see? I was right all along. Ha ha ha!”
“What?” Christopher shot back, confused.
“The dream. It was true. You almost died, but then you prevailed. I’m so happy.”
“Get me up!” Christopher commanded, smiling broadly.
In contrast, just next to him, a family was in mourning.
Their old man had not been as lucky. The guard’s decision to slow down may have saved a few lives that day, but not everyone’s.
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