Immunity, page 4
Elvish City
We reached the coast of a vast ocean, turning north. For the first time, we could see further than a few dozen yards, or maybe a few miles across a lake. To our east was a low mountain range. It was deeply beautiful.
The elves kept us clear of the ocean, telling us only that there were creatures we wouldn’t care to encounter. From the sounds we heard, I rather thought I could believe them. We followed the coast for three days of travel, staying at an inn one of those nights, before reaching a wide, swift river, which ended at a series of waterfalls into the ocean. We turned upriver, and then we began to climb into the mountains, the river canyon far below us.
But at least it was a proper trail, and the horses did most of the work. We reached the top, and they brought us to an overlook. In one direction, the ocean. In the other, a descent to a desert. And ahead of us…
“Algonae City,” Chasianna said. “We’ll arrive perhaps the day after tomorrow.”
“Why is the city in the desert?”
“It is where the portal to Earth formed. The humans built the city around the portal. It is a good location. We will show you.”
The descent was easier, the east side of the mountain range dryer than the western slope. It still took two days, and one more once we reached what was, more or less, level ground. Algonae City was visible to us for much of the trip as we slowly descended to reach the river again.
It was dry and hot. The elves changed clothing, offering us fresh changes as well. I didn’t comment that the style appeared Persian. I didn’t think they’d appreciate the reference.
It took another day to reach Algonae City, and it was then I realized why the location was optimal. We reached the last of the fast water of the river, and Algonae City sat beside a placid lake. It was stunningly beautiful.
From a few miles away, I gestured. “This is a human-built city?”
“It was,” Chasianna said, “human built with significant slave labor.”
“That does not look like human architecture.”
“It’s not readily visible, but the city is walled, and most of the homes you see from here are occupied by humans. Nearly everything inside the walls, excepting one notable structure, was demolished and rebuilt. It’s an ongoing project.”
“What is the exception?”
“The palace,” she said. “The Khaleesi enjoys the symbolism of ruling from the former human stronghold.”
I shook my head. “I can’t believe she took that title.”
We drew closer. The structures outside the wall looked like something you’d see in many poor villages around the world, a mix of lumber and adobe. Here and there we saw humans – women and girls only. I didn’t see a single human male of any age. And the humans we did see avoided us, silently clearing the road ahead of us.
“E-thay omen-way are-yay ightened-fray of-hay e-thay elves-yay,” I said. Pig Latin. The women are frightened of the elves.
Chasianna was watching me. If she understood what I’d said – or noticed – she didn’t say anything.
Lusha and I had our last night together. It had been wonderful, like all the previous nights. And she’d been attentive today. They’d all been kind to us. It was difficult to resolve the reaction of these women to how we’d been treated so far.
I wanted to ask all the questions I hadn’t asked. The peace here looked fragile, and I thought the elves were ruling through an iron hand.
Where were the men? Why were the women frightened?
Did the elves hate all humans for a millennia of human rule? I couldn’t necessarily blame them. But they hadn’t acted like it to us.
The villages we’d passed through hadn’t been like this. Did the Khaleesi share some attributes with Emilia Clarke’s character?
I said nothing. I asked nothing.
We reached the gates. The walls stretched in both directions, and the gate looked well-maintained. There were two elvish guards and several human women in attendance. The elves were armed; the humans were not. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see their purpose.
The guards were ready to wave us through, but then they set eyes on the three humans. “They must register,” one said. She raised her voice and spoke a language I didn’t know.
“You’d have better luck with elvish,” I replied. “Or English, if you know it.”
The elf snapped her gaze to Chasianna. “You taught them our language? That is forbidden.”
“Let me handle this,” Chasianna said, looking at me. She dropped from her mount, handing the reins to Aelua, and stepped to the guard. She spoke in a low voice, and I couldn’t quite make out the conversation. But then Chasianna turned to us. “Please dismount. There are papers.”
“My group has diplomatic immunity from these types of laws,” I said. “If she doesn’t like it, she can bring it up with the Khaleesi herself.”
The guard half-drew her sword, stopped only by Chasianna’s hand on her arm. Lusharia moved her mount closer and said quietly, “This woman has cause. She has since become the sort of person who is unable to think for herself. She follows the rules, and it is far easier to give her what she wants. We’d rather not have to defend you from her temper.”
I dropped from my mount then stretched, summoning every bit of passive aggressive attitude I could. I drank a bit of water before turning to the gate. I walked straight to the guard, looking up into her eyes. “What is it you need?” I asked.
“You must be registered.”
“Do you frequently threaten foreign emissaries, invited guests of your Khaleesi?” I had to suppress a chuckle, just saying it.
She ignored my question. “All humans must be registered. There are no exceptions for emissaries.”
“How very Third Reich of you,” I replied. “The Khaleesi is waiting. Get on with it.”
None of the elves reacted to my words, suggesting the ones who spoke English didn’t know Earth history. As I didn’t know much of their history, I couldn’t fault them, but I filed it away.
There was paperwork. The guard was slow about it. Name. Description. She spoke aloud as she filled it in, and she was intentionally insulting while writing exceedingly slowly. I commented in English that the Khaleesi must not put the most intelligent guards on this gate. Chasianna gently asked me not to inflame the situation.
“She has cause,” she repeated.
“Every woman on Earth has dealt with bigotry,” I replied, speaking carefully. “She has reason to hate the people who wronged her.” I switched to Elvish. “Apparently, she wastes not only my time, but yours, Chasianna.”
“I don’t make the rules,” said the guard tightly.
“I could write this faster, and it’s not my language.”
Her features tightened again, but it was Lusharia who said, “There are things you don’t know.”
“We had three weeks to educate us,” I said. “But you intentionally kept us ignorant. I know, the Khaleesi wishes to tell us what she wishes to tell us, and you don’t know what she wishs to explain herself.”
“Not every elf learned to write as a child,” Lusharia said. “Some may have learned far more recently.”
The teacher in me woke up. I should have recognized the signs. I had never taught children. My very youngest students were 17, and most were a year or three older. They had all passed college entrance requirements. I wasn’t sure that was an excuse. I should have recognized the signs, the way she held the pen too tightly, the careful, blocky letters.
I offered a bow. “My apologies,” I said.
It probably didn’t help. I’d thought she was being petty. I should have listened to Chasianna. I spent the next several minutes mentally kicking myself.
The guard did the paperwork on all three of us. Then she spoke, but not in Elvish.
“I don’t speak that language,” I said.
“We must bind the registration,” she said. She reached forward and grabbed me by the wrist, tugging me closer and lifting my hand. The reverse end of the pen she used was sharpened to a point, and she used it to jab my thumb, pressing my suddenly bloody thumb to the bottom of the registration paper.
“What the hell!” I exclaimed in English.
Faster than I could react, she spun the back of her elbow into the side of my head, knocking me to the ground. I cried out as I crashed to the cobblestones. “You will not use that tone with me!” she hissed.
The first to react was Aniyah. Between one blink and the next, she interposed herself, her long knife pressed against the guard’s throat. “Touch her again, and I will kill you,” she said in cold English.
The other guards reacted, weapons coming out. Chasianna’s elves interposed themselves.
Lusharia knelt to me. “Can you stand?” She helped me up. “We told you not to inflame the situation.”
“She surprised me,” I said. “She could have told us what she was going to do. Aniyah, please don’t kill the Khaleesi’s guard. It won’t facilitate our relationships.”
I switched back to Elvish. “Law enforcement on Earth draws many people who wish to make our land safe. But it also draws petty tyrants. You have cause to hate the people who wronged you, but when you spread that hate to women who were an entire world away, that’s bigotry. Aniyah.”
She moved back slowly, but she remained between me and the guard. I set a hand on her shoulder and whispered, “Thank you.” She nodded fractionally. “Put the knife away.”
“Arrest them,” said the tyrant.
“You’re not arresting anyone,” said Chasianna. “The Khaleesi will hear of events and make a decision. If she wants them arrested, she will order it herself.” She stepped closer to the guard. “The human’s attitude didn’t help the situation here, but you assaulted the Khaleesi’s guest, and it is ridiculous to believe her bodyguard would allow you to continue.”
“Humans no longer rule Algonae, and I will be dead before they do so again.”
“We have no intention of ruling anywhere but our own homes,” I said. I didn’t mention my classroom. I didn’t berate her further. I’d said enough, more than enough.
“Let the Khaleesi decide,” said another of the guards. “Perhaps you can take a break, Enania.”
The troublesome guard glanced at her fellow guard then spun and stormed away.
“Allow Elanil to complete the registrations,” Chasianna said. “I’m sure she remembers how.”
* * * *
We walked, and we’d gone barely fifty steps before Chasianna spun me towards her, hands on my shoulders. “You did not help.”
“We have law enforcement officers on Earth who are just like her.”
“You don’t know her story.”
“No, but she knows I had nothing to do with it. Hating one person for how another one treated you is wrong. You can choose to ignore this question like you have our others. Were the human women part of Elvish subjugation here, or were they treated just as poorly?”
I didn’t give her much time to think about that. “I haven’t seen a lot of human males since we arrived.” I hadn’t seen a single one or any young children. “I’m not saying I blame you. I presume they’re all dead, even the young boys.”
“Not all,” she said after a moment.
“So the rest are chained up somewhere, perhaps engaged in hard labor.” She didn’t confirm my guess. “The young boys are innocent.”
“They were taught the same as their fathers.” Then she smiled. It wasn’t a friendly smile, not like all the others. “Are you offering to take them back to Earth with you? They can have sanctuary in your country. You are a democracy. I’m sure there must be a community somewhere that would welcome them.”
“You make a fair point,” I admitted. “I certainly will not defend the men. The boys? I don’t know. I certainly don’t have the authority to make offers like that, but if the Khaleesi hopes to be rid of them, we can send messages and discover what authority I do have. But I also have fair points.”
“You do,” she admitted. “But wounds are too fresh for a human to tear them back open.”
“Your troop has been entirely respectful and welcoming,” I said. “That guard has no business in a position of authority.”
“What would you have her do instead?”
“Something that doesn’t involve assaulting the Khaleesi’s guests or terrifying the women outside these walls.”
“You can make that suggestion to the Khaleesi,” Chasianna said. “But until I deliver you in front of her, I need you to be meek and mild.”
I pulled away from her. I was angry. The entire side of my face hurt. I imagined it looked lovely, too. “I’m going to give her a great impression with the sign of recent violence across my face.” I stepped back another step. “Meek and mild, but no one better lay another hand on me, and that includes you.” I stepped back once more. “Aniyah.”
She was there instantly, moving just in front of me. “Hand on my shoulder,” she said.
Khaleesi
It hurt, and the walk through the heat wasn’t helping. I stopped caring about the beauty of the city, and paid little attention. I’m sure I missed much. We went past several sites of fresh construction, but I barely noticed.
I kept my hand on Aniyah’s shoulder, and Hillary walked at my side. When she took my hand, I let her. I didn’t know if it was for me or for herself. Maybe both.
My face hurt, and the headache was growing. I wanted nothing but to spend two days icing it. I didn’t imagine I was going to be offered any ice.
Barring that, a cool bath and a bed sounded pretty darned good. I wouldn’t be offered so much as a minute to clean up from the travels.
We turned a corner, passed through a large square, and then ascended a stone staircase. I’d been watching the ground, but I looked up.
The palace.
It was massive, the human architecture obvious. It was constructed of smooth stone blocks. I wondered how much work that had been. The structure was obviously an inner defensive position inside the outer walls, and it screamed, “This is a place of authority.” There were tall walls and narrow windows. There were towers at each corner, and two shorter towers at the center.
“Are the six phalluses representative?” I asked sarcastically, speaking English. “Or was someone simply overcompensating?”
Ahead of me, Aniyah offered a chuckle. She glanced over her shoulder. “You know that’s all I’m going to see every time we visit.”
“Gross,” Hillary said. “The Khaleesi should tear those down and replace them with something that vaguely resembles an open papaya.”
I snorted at that. “Not a bad idea at all.”
“If nothing else, a creative application of paint.”
“That might be less expensive, but I like the papayas. I might suggest coconuts for the inner pair.”
“No, no. Those could each be a half of the papaya, and the others could be coconuts.”
“Even better,” I admitted.
Chasianna had stopped and was looking at us from several steps higher. “The architecture amuses you?” she asked.
I gestured. “Human males designed this structure. Don’t you see the symbolism?”
“It was their central point of power.”
“You can say that again,” Hillary said in That Tone.
Aniyah and I both snickered. Chasianna’s expression suggested she didn’t have a clue what we were talking about. “Boy bits,” Aniyah supplied. She pointed. “Six of them.” She made a crude gesture. “How do you say over-compensating, Amelie?”
“Compensating for what?” Chasianna asked in English.
“Size.” Aniyah made the crude gesture again.
Chasianna spun around. She cocked her head. And then she began laughing. She said something in Elvish. It might have been slang. I didn’t understand it. But the other elves gazed up at the towers and began chuckling. Chasianna turned around. “Is that what all humans see?”
“Not necessarily,” I said.
“Yes,” Hillary countered.
“Maybe not young children,” Aniyah suggested.
Chasianna mock-scowled. She shifted her gaze to Hillary. “And you had a recommendation?”
“She was being silly.”
“I wish her to repeat her suggestion.” She smiled. “You will translate. Her Elvish is not up to this task, and my English certainly isn’t.”
“Oh, god,” I muttered. “Some Earth fruit, when sliced in half, vaguely resembles…”
“Girl bits,” Hillary managed. She gestured to the outer towers and made one gesture, then to the two inner towers and offered another gesture.
All the elves looked at the towers. Some cocked their heads. And then Chasianna said, “A definite improvement. You should bring this suggestion to the Khaleesi.”
“I don’t think so,” I said. “But we don’t mind if you take credit.”
“Careful placement of windows could enhance the image,” Hillary suggested. “Translate that.”
“I got it,” Chasianna said, and she handled the translation. Around us, the other elves appeared to agree.
“I like it,” Lusharia said. “Much better.”
I shook my head.
And that was when Chasianna got us moving again.
* * * *
There were more guards. I kept my mouth shut. I wasn’t pleased we weren’t offered an opportunity to clean up.
Chasianna brought us to the audience room. There were perhaps twenty more elves present, and they all turned to us as she led us through the doors.
Most of our honor guard dropped away. Chasianna led us forward. There was a woman standing alone on a raised dais.
“Oh, my god,” Hillary said. “The Khaleesi. Do you think that’s her natural color?”
I ignored her. Instead, I stepped forward, leaving Aniyah and Hillary behind me, stepping to Chasianna’s side.
“Professor Amelie Newman,” said the Khaleesi. She continued, speaking careful, refined English. “Thank you for accepting our invitation.” She stepped down from the dais. Chasianna moved away to the side, and so I stood alone.
