N - Maps That Tell Lies

'The old and forgotten fire has smothered itself in heaps of ash and is only showing dim orange embers. More wood is needed to keep it going. So will you go out into the night and get some dead wood, please? It is not too far to the edge of the forest where the lightning struck, but be careful there are wolves lurking there and they know that people come,’

 

 

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‘I seem to spend all my time looking at maps. The maps that will lead me through these strange times of exploration. Maps that add more mystery than enlightenment to our cause, as they are so vague and full of gaps and edged by sudden endings, they make things ever worse not better. Maps that tell lies as they contradict from one distant source to another far more remote one; I don’t trust them and I don’t like them. To compound this frustrating situation there are strange little messages from all around the known world that disturb our own secure and settled one, that I only can try and believe and include and make provision for.’ Emperor Cicero said impatiently, pulling away from the huge wooden map table, that he had had specially constructed.

 

‘You and I both, Sir,’ his aide, Julianus said quietly, his words barely audible.

 

‘It’s all right for you, you bear none of the responsibility, it’s all a game to you that you can watch as a spectator,’ Cicero shouted. He looked momentarily at the rough pentagonal shape of Gaul, took a large gulp of wine and roughly wiped his mouth on his white silken sleeve making it a blurry red. ‘If this all goes wrong I could be for the chop,’ He stared down, with a serious glower, his brow furrowed, overshadowing his dark brown eyes. His arms were wide as he rested on one side of the map table, his hands in fists, he was lost in his own thoughts. Ironically he looked like a god glaring down on a small and insignificant world.

 

‘I answer to you, do I not?’ Julianus said.

 

‘Yes,’ Cicero said, looking at him briefly, to catch his mood

 

‘Which is something of the greatest importance, there can be no higher position…’

 

‘…and I treat you very well and you know it,’ Cicero said interrupting, swinging his goblet at Julianus, sloping some of the contents on the tiled floor. ‘Am I not a forgiving boss?’

 

You are, Sir. Yes, you are,’

 

‘And there are too many scrolls, too much is written down these days. It needs to be in people’s heads not on paper so that it can be understood, but no one can possibly remember it all.’

 

‘No,’ his aide agreed. Cicero glowered at him, looking perplexed. He stood up straight, giving him his full attention. ‘I mean yes and no. It needs to be studied,’

 

‘I know what you mean, Julianus,’ For a while two sets of eyes looked down at the map, scanning it over from one country to another. The map itself that sat on the large wooden table was a paper-mache model of the known world, with Europa dominant and large at the centre. The surrounding lands and continents took up the edges and ended suddenly and squarely where the table stopped and were distortedly small as little was known about them as they had not been fully explored. The top of Africa was to the south of Europa, at the bottom of the map table and Asia to its east, on the right hand side, neither had any landmarks. In the far top left was the lonely island country of the land of Ice. The simplified land masses were painted olive green and brown, with white mountain ranges and bright blue rivers. Thin strips of yellow depicted the beaches in places and the sea was painted crudely a sapphire blue.

 

‘Sir?’ his aide, Julianus asked, paying close attention to the emperor’s mood and not sure whether to respond or not.

 

‘Every map or scroll I see tells a different story. It’s difficult to know what is real, even the spies are in contradiction,’ he said more loudly, focusing his voice in Julianus’s direction.

 

‘The information we have is the most up to date and collaborated, we have never had a better view of the known world. Our spies are well trained and versed in foreign affairs and customs,’ Julianus said giving the official line of commonly spoken propaganda. Cicero looked at him dismissively and sneered and then looked blankly at the line of the three silent and stern looking generals. They stood to one side of the side of the room in the positions they had been ushered to, each holding a decorative war helmet neatly under his left arm, leaving his right arm free to hang loose over a sheathed sword. A soft breeze blew in from the many pairs of open doors that lined the room on three sides and it gave a sudden welcome coolness. It ruffled the curtains and danced in the braziers that hung on the high stone walls, making the flames grow larger and more ragged. Seeing the generals seemed to stir Cicero as he knew they were waiting on his orders, his eyes lingered on them a while and then they returned to Julianus waiting for him to finish as he seemed to have a lot to say. ‘All our foreign agents speak more than two languages including the language of the country they are assigned to,’

 

Cicero nodded at him, but his thoughts were elsewhere.

 

‘All troops will meet in Lyon,’ he announced across the room, his voice echoing off the hard marble walls and as he did he moved forty small wooden blocks to a black circular mark in southern Gaul. His advisors looked on with uncertainty, their faces going white. ‘All troops to Gaul, to Lyon, no matter where they are now. I want all of our front line troops on this operation, our best, I want this job done right, does everybody understand?’ he shouted drunkenly and aggressively leaning on a wooden cabinet at the side of the room, his body swaying. There was a silence. ‘I said, does everybody understand?’ he said with a wiry thin, forced smile. The generals seemed unmoved by what he was saying.

 

‘Yes Sir’ they mumbled over each other quietly. As they did he lolloped forward and dramatically scooped up a silver tray with three wax sealed scrolls on it from the edge of the map table and approached the first of the them. He stood squarely, briefly imitating a soldier standing to attention himself.

 

‘Portus, you will feel the heat on your back,’ Cicero said prodding him in his muscular chest and then slapping the red ribbon bound scroll at his flat armour plated stomach. He stared, waiting until he got a response. ‘Everyone will know this is the easiest of the tasks, but it’s no disrespect to you,’

 

‘Yes Sir,’ Portus said taking the sealed scroll of orders. Portus looked down and smiled knowing he had got Spania, a country most similar to their own. Cicero moved along the line, smiling and shaking his head at the same time.

 

‘Severus, you have the biggest and most difficult of all the three tasks. I want you to go to Briton. Here are your orders,’ He looked Severus straight in the eyes and then let his eyes linger on the tall and broad general, who was the most experienced and successful of the three. At the age of nearly forty Severus was officially entitled to a military retirement. ‘It will also be the longest campaign,’

 

‘Yes Sir, to the letter,’ Severus replied in an official tone. He weighed the scroll in his hand and noticed it was thick and heavy, the parchment was spiralled inside itself and long as though there were more than one set of orders.

 

Then Cicero stood in front of Lucius, the last in the line. ‘Pack your furs,’ The Emperor said slapping the scroll into the general’s chest with sharp force.

 

‘Yes Sir,’ Lucius replied indifferently knowing he had got the middle option of the three.

 

‘Any questions?’ Cicero asked sweeping gregariously back to the map table

 

‘When do we march, Sir?’ Portus asked.

 

‘Unless you want to go in the middle of the winter, it will be at the first of spring, when else?’ Cicero replied, breezing away from them to a large open doorway that faced a high view of Rome. ‘Make ready all the men under your command, read through your orders carefully as I know you will and when you are assembled in Lyon we will make our next move,’

 

‘Why Lyon?’ Severus asked.

 

‘To keep them guessing. No one will know what we are doing, they can’t because I don’t know myself yet,’ the calm faces of the generals lifted a little, but their eyes searched for more logic. ‘Lyon is on the way to all three places. Dismissed, thank you,’

 

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Reviews

[Irenic]

very very great job dear. your story is quiet vivid. and the following paragraph i liked the most.

"The information we have is the most up to date and collaborated, we have never had a better view of the world." Julianus said giving the official line of commonly spoken propoganda. Cicero looked at him dismissively and then looked blankly at the line of the three silent and stern looking generals behind. Each held a decorative war helmet neatly under his left arm, leaving his right arm free to hang loose over his sheathed sword. A soft breeze blew in from the many pairs of open doors that lined the room on three sides and it gave a welcome coolness. It ruffled the curtains and danced in the braziers that hung on the high stone walls, making the flames grow larger and more ragged. Seeing the generals seemed to stir Cicero.
thanks for sharing with all of us. :)

[shadrach hah]

Another most interesting chapter of your story. Now we have the planning of the adversaries in this monumental piece. Things are now reaching up a noch. Both adversaries have now made plans, we wait now to find out about their implementation. Still riveting and holding the attention. Love the content....Mike.

[Confuser]

B: Great job, still stoking the fires, good reminder. It's a wonderful chapter, great content, great detail. I'm enjoying it very much and I thank you. You've did a lot of research and it shows. Just fabulous writing. There's no way out for me now! Loving it. Thank you so very much. Dale

[MomzillaNC]

One point -- only appointed bodyguards would be permitted to carry a weapon into the emperor's presence. This is true of any and all State leaders.

[Rowan Crow]

The imagery in this piece is astounding, the way you have described the forest, and the cautious planning of the men is fantastic. I have to say that as of this moment, I am
1. Hooked
2. Very exited to read the whole thing
3. Happy that you have decided to write this
nice job!

[The Black Warrior]

Very interesting chapter B :D the imagery pretty vivid...