Chapter 29: Recognition and Betrayal

Juolo's mind has been altered. Only she can recognise one man, one lover from her past. It is not Berin.

Recognition and Betrayal

Juolo, or the person whose appearance was hers, studied Glavino for a moment. Her mouth opened. Eyes widened as she dropped the nuts she was about to purchase and cried out loud.

“Glavino!”

She stepped towards Glavino and wrapped her bony arms around him.

“I remember you. I do not know how, but I remember you.”

Berin was completely puzzled. This was Juolo, for sure, but how could she not recognise him? He could hardly breath, as though a stone landed on his chest, restricting his lungs. His mind briefly remembered Skarbor.

“You and I,’ she continued to Glavino, ignoring Berin, ‘were once friends, were we not?”

“More than friends,” replied Glavino.

“What?” Berin exclaimed.

“Yes, I remember now. You pledged to marry me.”

“You are correct.” Glavino glanced at Berin for a moment before returning his attention to Juolo.

“What is happening here, Glavino?”

 “Her father would not have his daughter marry someone who could not take care of himself,” turned Glavino to Berin.

“I do not understand either,” said Juolo.

“What do you not understand?” asked Berin in perfect Vergaran.

“Well, for some reason, I understand that. What you just said. But that is not Akolan, nor is it Tebah language.”

At that moment Shaodeng arrived, listening intently.

“It is from the land of Vergara, your homeland.”

“All this talk of marriages and unmarriage is making me dizzy. But there is definitely something about you, handsome man, you and your face that I remember…is it true I was once supposed to be married to you?”

“Yes.”

I cannot believe my ears, thought Berin.

“We were passionate, no?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, I seem to recall kissing you.”

Berin’s gut began to churn like a boiling stew.

“So you can remember him, but you cannot remember me! Well, surely you will be able to remember your own children. Shaodeng, can you please find my children?”

“They are already on their way.”

 Rini and Erinu were in the next part of town staying at the local inn. Immediately one of the Shuiku men ran to the inn and fetched them while Berin argued with Juolo, or who seemed to be her, of her wedding night. She remembered not.

“Mama!” Rini and Erinu cried as they rushed toward them. Berin stopped them from reaching her with his arm.

“Wait, children.”

Juolo stepped in their direction. She looked upon them with a sense of quizzical disdain as though they were pests that needed to be ignored.

“Mama?”

“How can you not recognise your own kin?” gasped Berin as Erinu began to weep.

Juolo returned her blank look.

How could she have no memory of them? Or me?

Berin grew increasingly frustrated, his body reddened as blood rushed through every sinew.

“Excuse me, milady, is there a predicament?” asked a man next to Juolo who Berin had not noticed until he spoke.

“I believe there is, Hunera,” replied Juolo.

“What is it?”

“These two men and two children claim to know me. Now I know this one,’ pointing to Glavino, ‘but this one who claims to be my husband, I know not.”

“What is the meaning of this?” the man called Hunera asked Berin.

“This is my wife, only she does not remember me,” huffed Berin.

“Then bring them to Irinfa. He will sort it out.”

The four Vergarans, Juolo, Hunera and a few of the Shuiku men travelled to the heart of the city where the palace of the pariah was situated. There arose a great stone and red-rich clay compound.

“This compound is enormous!’ said Shaodeng. ‘It covers the size of the maize fields back home.”

They entered into the courtyard where they were met by a burly character, presumably head of the guard. He introduced himself as Werra and proceeded to inquire the nature of their visit. Berin responded as best he could, though his seething anger was evident through his articulation. Glavino and the children added in sections Berin missed, until Werra finally stopped them.

“This is a lie, pure and simple.”

“What?” exclaimed Berin.

“She cannot be your wife. She is wife of Irinfa.”

“Who is Irinfa?”

“Irinfa, pariah of Tebah, is the leader of our simple community.”

“How have we not heard of him before?”

“We tend to remain within our own community. The issues of other nations are beyond us.”

“Has your culture always been like this?”

“We know not. Our ancestors maintained few records. We know not our own distant ancestors. Some assume we are descendants of Lanley and Eanraig, though some claim to have no connection to either historical figure. That is not the point here. You are liars!”

Berin pulled Glavino aside.

“Something is serious wrong here.”

“I am sorry for never telling you about me and Juolo.”

“Never mind about that, at least for now. Juolo has no memory of me. Or Rini and Erinu. That is far worse!”

“What do you think is the problem?”

“She has to have been mentally altered.”

“How?”

“I know not. Some of the men in Orguein prisons rumoured of experiments they witnessed, conducted by the authorities. Perhaps it can be done.”

“By whom?”

“It must be this Irinfa. She must not remember anything since before arriving here in Tebah. His wife, what a load of poppycock!”

“What can we do?”

“We must challenge this Irinfa, that is what we must do.”

“Silence, strangers,” growled Werra.

“So where is this Irinfa?”

“He is out hunting. Some bears ventured from the north and he set out to destroy them. Please, let me invite you and your colleagues to remain here until he returns.”

Berin sent two of the Shuiku men to gather the rest of the ensemble that had left from Xie.

“Why, Berin?”

“We may need support to wrestle Juolo back from this seemingly impossible situation.”

“It is not impossible. We will liberate her.”

“How?”

“Have faith.”

“Look, there she goes,” Berin pointed.

Juolo was whisked away and not seen for the remainder of the vero. The Shuiku men came in dribs and drabs until all were present. They seated on the floor of the compound, awaiting the return of the pariah.

“Listen, I think this is him,” looked Glavino.

The man they suspected was Irinfa entered the courtyard. He summoned Berin and Glavino by themselves, along with the second interpreter, Nunizhu, into the throne room.

“I am Irinfa.”

“Greetings, your Highness.”

“What is this wild tale you are spreading of my wife?”

 Berin carefully told his story, of how Juolo had been stolen from him in Vergara and briefly of his travels to retrieve her. Irinfa listened, a steely look on his face giving nothing away of his thoughts. When Berin finally finished, Irinfa stood, his mouth dropping to a frown, his eyes burrowed at angles Berin thought could not exist on a human face.

“How dare you come into my house and accuse me of stealing your wife!” he half screamed in his native tongue as he clutched the hilt of his sword. Berin did not need to hear the response through the interpreter.

“But she is my wife, your royalty,” squeaked Berin, shocked of the emotion in his voice. Fortunately the interpreter spoke calmly, much to Berin’s relief.

“She cannot be your wife, she told me herself.”

“Did she say that?”

“Yes.”

“Well perhaps she cannot remember me. At least she remembers Glavino.”

Glavino stepped forward.

“Juolo remembers me, sir.”

“And this is supposed to make me believe your lies?”

“She can speak Vergaran,” said Berin, more firmly this time.

“And Akola!” piped Glavino.

“So what? She is a lover of languages.”

Berin was by now ready to pace around. No, he was ready to throttle the neck of this imposter. “Why not bring her here so she can talk for herself?”

“She has gone away.”

“Gone? Gone away where?”

“She left Zoar this afternoon.”

“Why?”

“She has to prepare for a traditional ceremony.”

“That is preposterous!” huffed Berin and stormed out.

“Berin, are you…”

“I want nothing more to do with this self-righteous fool of a man!”

Berin and Glavino returned to the children and the Shuiku men and explained what Irinfa told them.

“I saw a company of women leave on horseback,” said one of the Shuiku men.

“When?” asked Berin.

“Earlier this afternoon.”

“Was Juolo with them?”

“I cannot be certain.”

“She would have to be. Where did they go?”

“They set out in a northerly direction.”

“Towards the desolate land?”

“It would make sense to hide her away in such a place.”

“Let us depart and see if we can overcome her,” piped Glavino.

The group agreed, though they would wait until darkness was upon them. As soon as the sun began to touch the horizon, they stole away in groups of three and met next to a solitary tree on the hillside overlooking Zoar. As the last rays of sunlight disappeared, they headed north along the road. One of the Shuiku men, a tracker, said horseprints dotted the road, though in the dark it was difficult to tell how many. Berin decided they would follow the tracks and gauge where they led. There was little they could do anyway.

 

Berin pulled Glavino aside to converse.

“Were you pledged to marry Juolo?”

“Yes.”

“How did I not know this?”

“We kept it a secret from you.”

“When was this?”

“Before you arrived in Vergara.”

Berin breathed deeply through his clenched teeth. He waited, wanting the articulate the question without venting.

“What happened?”

“Her father approved not of me, due to my simple ways. I was driven out of town.”

“Just by her father?”

“The whole community.”

“Why?”

“Because I am simple.”

“But you are not. You are more knowledgeable than me!”

“That is the only reason.”

“Are you sure, Glavino?”

“Yes!”

“I do not believe you.”

“You will not believe me, after all this time? After all we have been through: the beasts, the metallurgy factory, prison, shipwrecks, the battle?”

“I cannot trust you. What is your motive for journeying with me? That you might prove your love to Juolo and reconcile with her, all the while hoping I was out of the picture?”

“Not at all, Berin. That is a lie. Just because Juolo has been lied to, possibly had her mind altered, that does not mean yours has to be altered as well. I am your brother, your kindred spirit.”

“Then tell me why you came along the journey.”

“I came because I had no home left. The Bacana were out to kill me.”

“So you thought your chances of survival were better with me?”

“Yes. They could not catch me.”

“What do you mean?”

Glavino looked away.

“Glavino, tell me.”

“Do you know how they kept on being right on our tail?”

“The soldiers? Yes.”

“They were tracking me.”

“What for?”

“I have something of theirs.”

“Whose?”

“The Bacana.”

“Glavino, can you explain to me what is going on.”

“The night before our houses were blackened, I was out on Chifre Mountain. I was on the Keturah side, trying to acquire those mushrooms. I could hear some commotion going on in the clearing nearby. I crept closer to listen, closer than I ought to dare. It was a group of Bacana soldiers. They were fighting over an object, over this.”

Glavino produced a small chain, its links shining in the slight starlight.

“What is it?”

“It is a golden chain.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I have heard the stories of the golden chain.”

“What stories?”

“You should ask Rini. He will know.”

“Rini,’ Berin called. ‘Come up here.”

Rini stumble-ran up to his father, his eyes beginning to droop like the sun setting beyond the horizon.

“Yes, Papa?”

“Do you see what is in the hand of Glavino?”

Rini looked closely.

“Is it gold?”

“Glavino thinks so.”

“Could it be? Surely not…”

“Well, what do you think it is?”

“It is the Papura, one of the golden chains from the tale.”

“Would you mind telling me the tale?” Berin caught his abruptness in time.

“Of course! Well, the old king of Keturah, Hirsut, left each of his sons a golden chain before he died. It was said the golden chain possessed some great power inside it. But the chain of Kenan was far greater than the others. That is why he became king.

“That is as far as the story told by Melchiorre goes. Rumours go further in saying Labar wanted his father’s chain so badly he killed for it.”

“More than killing Kenan for sleeping with a servant?”

“Perhaps. But before Kenan was killed, he sent his golden chain away.”

“And the soldiers I stumbled upon that night had found it.”

“How did you come upon it?”

“They were groveling amongst themselves that they started wrestling. The golden chain popped out of the hand of one of the soldiers and landed near my hiding position. I grasped it and ran. The soldiers chased me. I barely made it home the following morning before I realised what I had in my possession.”

“They tracked you to your house, then?”

“Most likely. When I saw how good you were at eliminating our tracks right before we entered that cave, I knew with both our understanding of the wild, we would both be safe.”

“It is your fault, then, that my family were kidnapped. They were really after you.”

“No, no, your family would have been kidnapped anyway. Remember how many families Rini said were brought to Akola?”

Berin agreed with a nod. Rini wandered off, bored with the conversation.

“Still, I might have had a chance to save them then.”

“Or you would be dead. Or enslaved like them. Berin, I am sorry for the soldiers coming to your house that night. I am. The soldiers were out to kill me. But you saved my life. Your children are safe. Juolo will be liberated. This I know. Please, you must understand. I came with you, not to win back Juolo’s heart. She is yours forever. I came to stay away, purely, from the evil Bacana army.”

“I still cannot believe you and Juolo were in love.”

“Since our undinuco feast.”

“That long?”

“Yes.”

“I never saw the signs. You were both so cordial to one another.”

“We promised to never speak of it again.”

“The community do not think of you as simple, now, do they?”

“They do.”

“Yet they barter with you.”

“Since you came along, Juolo’s father is relieved she married a real man. I am no threat to you or your marriage.”

“But her father hates us…”

“Deep down, I think, he does not.”

“Do you think they are still alive?” Berin wondered for the first time.

I wonder if Juolo will remember them…

“Who knows? Berin, I joined you because I had nowhere else to go. The Bacana were after the both of us. And anyway, you would do the same for me.”

Berin’s anger paused. Glavino was correct. He would do the same for Glavino. Especially now with the inseparable bond between the two of them. It was inseparable. It had to be, especially now.

Glavino broke the silence.

“I do not wish for Juolo to be my wife. She chose you, Berin. She is yours. I will do everything in my power to return her to you. Though she may not realise it, she is yours. This Irinfa �" I know not what he has done to Juolo, but I know we have to make Juolo see the truth: that you are hers, and she is yours. Your love is relentless.”

Berin clasped the shoulders of Glavino and thanked him for his loyalty. Glavino simply beamed in response.