Seresh 4

The herds were left to graze a few minutes away from the camp and Seresh could smell and hear them before he could see the goat like Campes wandering among the sparse grass. They had a very musty odor which had a earthy tone that showed up both in their meat and milk. Outsiders had complained that it was an unpleasant taste but among the Kin it was commonplace. No other animal survived in the plains that was easy to raise while producing meat, milk, and a rough shearable coat, for all that it was a gift from the Green Mother herself.

As they neared Seresh noted a group of herdsman gathered scowling and muttering a their fellow and something they found rather distasteful approaching. Still though as he reached them the men managed to politely acknowledge him, or at least acknowledge the mantle that he wore. That counted for something among the men at least.

“Kin.” Seresh nodded his head as he came to stand before them. “You wanted my… counsel?”

“There’s a strange sickness among the herd. To see if you could figure out what it was we couldn’t” The head among the herdsmen said, his gray hair swept back and a sheen of sweat upon his sun darkened face.

No time for pleasantries Seresh thought with a stifled sigh. “You have ruled out the common afflictions.” He mused expecting no answer and instead for them to guide him to one of the afflicted Campes. A few feet away laying listlessly on the ground the increasingly thin form of the goat-like Campes rested. It was immediately evident to any eyes that the critter was not well and if he were to judge it was very near death. “No injures? A snake bite?” He asked gentle placing hands on the critter to feel for punctures or irregularities.

“None that we could find. More than one is sick as well.”

“Which makes snake bites or scorpion stings unlike… not impossible but unlike.” He mumbled noticing a redness and inflammation beneath the long coat. The lack of a puncture suggested either illness or contact with a toxin of some kind. “Any retching?”

“All these things toss up what they eat constantly, regardless of whether they are well or sick.” The head grunted at him as though he had said something stupid. “They toss up the cud all the damn time.”

“Yes, yes…” Seresh agreed. “But in this case I doubt they’d continue to.”

A growling sigh escaped the man’s lip but he nodded. “She did.”

Something they ate and rubbed against then. Seresh decided that between retching and skin irritation that seem the most probable answer but for the moment he could completely rule anything else out. “Did you happen to change the location of the pasture recently?”

“Right after they began to catch the sickness.”

“Are they still coming down with it?”

“Yes.”

“Smaller numbers at least?” Seresh asked moderately disappointed it would had been easier to confine if it was limited to one stretch of pasture.

“Only one case since the change.”

“Where was the last pasture?” Seresh replied trying to pat the Campes comfortingly before shuffling to his feet.

“A spell to the north, near the base of the mountains. You’ll find a large boulder that has settled marking the center of the pasture.” The head replied catching Seresh’s eyes. “Well?”

An expectant inquiry to which Seresh smiled weakly. “I believe we are dealing with a toxic plant of some sort.” Reaching into his satchel until his hands closed around a hollow gourd about the size of his fist. “Take this, it’s a powder I want you to give the afflicted Campes… that your judgment is that they can pull through… Give it to them however you can.”

“Ash?” The head’s eyes narrowed as he removed the top of the gourd to a reveal a fine gray dust.

“Well yes.” Seresh answered sheepishly, technically what it contained was little more than ash but it was very special ash. “It’s a rather unique ash, I learned of from a caravan out of the Empire. This is my first time attempting it but by all accounts it should help counter the toxin.”

“Alright Mender.” He grumbled skeptically but kept his doubts relatively unvoiced. “We’ll do that.”

“I’ll go to the previous pasture and search for a cause. If I can find it I might be able to find a treatment or at the very least begin to know what needs to be done.” Seresh said excusing himself with a small bow as the herdsman waved him off. The conversation was as much as their interaction required and now they’d go about their separate tasks.

 

Wispy clouds like drawn out wool drifted across the blue sky offering little shade. There had not been much in the way of clouds in many weeks and it relieved Seresh to see their return even if they made no promises of rain. The boulder the herdsman described loomed in the clearing ahead of him looking very much like a forgotten plaything. The remarkable roundness of the stone was surprising.

Where to begin? He wondered running a hand across the surface of the boulder and circling it slowly. From a distance nothing appeared immediately out of place, only flattened grazed upon grass and small yellow wildflowers. There was a lot of pasture to cover at times the herdsman could lead the herds up to a days travel, even farther during times of drought such as these.

“I should have asked some of the older children to come comb the area.” Kneeling down he scanned the horizon. Even children could have been told to watch for inconsistencies or irregularities.

It was odd though that there was a new source of toxin that could have taken root in the plains in a period of such drought.

 

 

“Well it is certain dry and dusty.” She commented pausing once she had cleared the coarse grass. The wings were about a days march behind her though if her scouting upturned anything she could reach she reach the foreguard in a few hours in an out and out sprint. “Was it always this dusty, Miela?” She asked idly of herself.

This was not the first time she had ventured into the Lasmeer Plains, she had grown up in the Cazan Mountain and her parent still reside there after all. On occasion they had ventured down and traded with the Kinsets nomads. She recalled distinctly playing with the tan and dark haired children in green grass alongside a shallow stream. It was evident that plains were indeed still trapped in a drought.

“It’s hard all around.” Miela murmured. She herself had left her village tucked high in the mountains due to increasingly harsh winters. It was only to sent back coin and supplies that she and other youths journeyed into Khannar. Some had served as apprentices to craftsmen, as farm laborers, and whatever else earned them coin.

The army though was where she found herself six years ago and still she had two years service still to complete. In two more years she as entitled to a stipend that she could collect after withdrawal from the service. That reason alone kept her in service when many others had returned to the village. Despite what the letters from home told her she knew even now the village was struggling and anything she sent back helped. That was why she stayed to provided for her family. It wasn’t a terrible thing though to be a scout in the Khannari army. The pay was substantial, lodging and meals were provided , and as woman you got fine treatment in the capital.

There was not a great deal of terrain ahead of her to scout once they had cleared Krinith the course was clear. Now her job turned from pathfinder to forward scout as the campaign for dominion over the plains began with an opening gambit. The neutrality of the plains had been broken when the Empire had begun to creep beyond it’s borders and refused entry to the Khannari Emissary. Those had been the final sparks needed to ignite a war.

Taking up a small spyglass she held it to her eye. It had been made by her father carved from pine and etched with scenes of the mountains. Most prominently it featured a mother bear and it’s cubs. It was one of the few tokens besides the boots spikes that she had of her village and her parents.

It truly seemed like these plains stretch on forever into the north only with the drop of the horizon did they disappear. Nothing, she thought tucking the spyglass back into her pack. This was clearly a place where cavalry were a blessing yet because of the treachery of their route there were few horse among the wing she served. They did not have the blessing of a direct passage into the plains as the Empire did so seizing this strategic stronghold was imperative.

Judging by her maps their destination was still two days march away. There could be trouble she decided hiking up the straps of her pack. Though intel suggested the Empire was still weeks away from completing the call up of forces for the campaign, she didn’t question the possibility of a forward force to have already departed. Particular attention had to be given to the enemy of the east even if it proved premature.