Not for Glory

[jdd2035]

The trip took us several days, past Fort Ramses, and down the caravan road to the city of Kheb. Abasi and Bhati explained that the city had started out as a trading post, but because of it’s location along the Asim river it grew to be a fair sized city. No where near the size of P’Tah’s capital but large enough to be considered bustling, and a place where nearly fifteen thousand people lived. It was controlled by the religious and more powerful branch of P’Tahs government.

P’Tah’s government was divided into two separate branches as it were, there was a figurehead who governed the day to day running of the land, the building of the infrastructure, the accounting for taxes, and the creation of civil laws and most everything else within the borders of P’Tah. There was also the priesthood, they had control of the military, criminal law, the collection of tithes, and diplomacy between other nations. IT was much more complicated than this but the important parts came down to the figure head controlled things inside of the borders of P’Tah, and the priests controlled things outside of the borders.

My observations of Kheb was that it was all that it was described, there was trade, and there was thousands of people living, and working within it. There was a garrison captain talking with a merchant, an auctioneer selling slaves, and a caravan leader negotiating with a bargeman trying to get his company down river.

Where we were headed though was still outside the city gates, it was a near the livery underneath one of the walls and protection and watchful eye of the guards. There were several pens and corrals for livestock, which we herded out rams and goats. We were not the only shepherds there, we had plenty of competition.

Abasi sighed dejectedly “we have arrived too late. We will never sell our animals for a good price now.”

I looked at him, he was a good shepherd, wise in his own regard, but he was also not confident when it came into business dealings. “Soldiers are hungry people too” I said to him, “if we sell to the butcher, you are right we will never get their value. But…” I pointed out the captain “fresh meat can go an incredibly long way into currying favor with his men, and if we sold right to him he would be happy to not have to pay the exorbitant prices for meat from the butcher.”

Abasi shook his head “No, if we sell directly to him, the butchers will be angry, and I’ll have to give them a discount next time.”

I insisted “Trust me, if you can get into good terms with the soldiers, and guards you’ll not have to fear the butchers, and you’ll get loyal customers. But if it doesn’t work then I sure we can make a recompense to the butchers.”

Abasi frowned but finally acquiesced “You may be right, I will allow you to speak with the captain.” I bowed my head and took my leave.

The captain had moved on to another merchant, one that was selling armor both leather, and metal. This gave me a way to start conversation; speaking in the language of P’Tah I spoke “May I suggest a guilted undershirt if you are going to purchase one of the metal lorica, it prevents the the shoulders from wearing down.”

The Captain looked at me, and asked “who might you be?” He saw my garb and the chin strap scar, “a former soldier, now a slave?” almost disgusted at my presence.

I bowed my head and stated “I am Lucas, bond servant of Abasi, the shepherd. I have been a slave or bond servant for far longer than I ever was a soldier. My master would like to sell you fresh meat in the form of goats and wethers.”

The Captain raised an eyebrow “and why would I want to buy sheep and goats that are not slaughtered? I have no need for them, I’m not a shepherd!”

I kept my head bowed “Oh, good captain, may your shadow never grow less. May I say that if you were to purchase our animals and feed your men, they would feast, for days, have fresh meat for even longer, and you would be a champion in their eyes. Not only that but to fed your men by purchasing directly from us you would be saving your garrison’s quartermaster money which will make him incredibly happy.”

The Captain smiled “You speak the truth. I will see your master.”

The Captain met with Abasi, and Bhati, the pair with the lead of Bhati struck an amiable deal with the Captain. He was happy receiving so much meat at such a little price, and Abasi was happy receiving such a good sale of his sheep and goats, and currying favor with the city guards in the process.

“Ah haa!” Abasi exclaimed with joy “this is a princely sum of silver, with it I can purchase new bucks, rams and slaves. Enough to set Naomi and I up for quite sometime.” He was grinning from ear to ear “Lucas and Bhati you both have done, incredibly well today! You will be amply rewarded.”

I smiled, rewards were rewards rather a slave, or a free man people enjoy being rewarded for their work. The reward came in the form of a triple share of the sale that was to be our reward. Bhati decided to spend his money a new robe, and turban in the fashion of a shepherd. I decided on a pair of sandals in the fashion that an Imperial soldier. Not for any sort of combat reason, however they were there, but because the afforded the most stability in the ankle and protection for the soles and toes of my feet.

They felt good, they were made of an exotic thick leather dyed a deep red and laced up to my middle calf. In spite of my status, the fact that I couldn’t carry weapons, nor wear armor, wearing sandals reminiscent of a profession that I actually enjoyed improved my mood tremendously.

We were to spend a few more days in the city of Kheb, as Abasi didn’t want to waste the trip. He spent the first day picking out cloth for Naomi to make cloths from later on. The next day was used to purchase supplies; spices, lamp oil, bags of grain, and other sundries. Finally on the last day Abasi spent time at an auction purchasing livestock, he bought a pair of buck goats that had long horns, a trio of rams with white wool and large shoulders, finally at this same auction he bought five new slaves. These slaves were nearly broken and half starved, they had an ill look, they had come from one mne or another and had been worked beyond their usefulness to whichever master they had belonged to.

Not all slave owners were like Abasi who followed the idea of ‘bricks are made of slaves, the strong make many, the weak make few, and the dead make none’. Some treated their slaves worse than animals, the worked them to exhaustion, barely fed them, and sheltered them in pens exposed to the air with more investment into the pens than any shelter. Neither Abasi, nor the cruel slave owners were the exception, they were part of the full spectrum of slave owners. Abasi kept his slaves fed, clothed in something besides rags, and gave them shelter in the form of tents; he was on the better side of the spectrum. The slaves Abasi purchased would be in good hands in a couple of weeks.

We finally left the city of Kheb and started the long trek back to the pastures, and corrals familiar to Bhati and I on what is currently considered the far edge of the land of P’Tah bordering the Empire; while at the same time the Empire considered it their lost territory, and had made it their quest to retake the area. During the trip, the newly purchased slaves remained quiet and ate like ravenous dogs during the first evening. Without recognising them as human by walking upright, it was difficult to differentiate between the broken slaves and animals.