“Malvarian has decided not to go forth with an alliance,” Alayna was saying carefully. Her green eyes remained still as she glanced at Talon. “They say the assassination of King Durran has made them re-evaluate their priorities and they want to focus on their security before having any such meetings.”
How can this be? Talon tapped the table irritably. His plan had succeeded in bringing Vandalor to his side but had caused Malvarian to avoid meeting altogether! My uncle did say Malvarian would make an excuse not to meet. That thought made him bitter. He had sent good men to help Malvarian take out their rebels and this was how he was repaid?
“Eshil Domain came up with a similar excuse,” Hectar said.
“I see,” Talon said. He forced himself to remain calm. There was some good news to come of this meeting. There were other plans in motion that he had to focus on. Eshil Domain, Skahad, and Malvarian could come later. “Vandalor has officially signed an alliance with us. When the invaders attack, we shall send aid to one another. The queen is heading back to her kingdom as we speak. Our military leaders will be discussing the best way to support each other shortly.”
“It is quite fortunate the invaders assassinated King Durran,” Alayna said and took a sip of her wine. “This alliance wouldn’t be possible otherwise.”
“Most fortunate. I’m sure you can agree, your grace?” Hectar said.
Corvin was in his seat, watching the exchange carefully. Talon wondered if he suspected anything about Durran’s death. “Yes. The invaders made a mistake in going after a king,” he said. The lie left a bitter taste in his mouth that no amount of wine could wash out. “Still, we have made no progress on the other nations.”
“I think we can convince at least one more nation to join us in due time,” Hectar said. He looked over at Alayna before continuing. “Alayna and I are working hard on Eshil Domain. I’m sure we’ll have better news soon.”
Talon nodded. He didn’t believe them. Eshil Domain was going to require careful planning to get them on his side. Assassinating King Harold wouldn’t get him the same results as Vandalor. A problem for another time. “Corvin, do you have an update?”
“Yes,” Corvin said. “The royal army is growing at a rapid pace. Durran’s death has motivated more people to join, with many thinking war is only a matter of time. I expect this to slow in the future, unless the invaders do attack.”
“What about the shorelines? I wouldn’t like another one of our villages to be hit like Arindall,” Alayna said.
“We have scouts in place. They’ve been instructed to evacuate nearby villages if the enemy is spotted,” Corvin said.
“Good,” Talon said. That was one thing he had done right. His people didn’t deserve to suffer more than they had to. “Hectar, how has your task with the other lords going?”
“Better than expected your grace,” Hectar stroked his chin and pulled out a note, and sent it to Talon. “All our towns are back to paying taxes and the lords are preparing their troops. Once the banners are called, they will answer.”
That was a relief. Dabu had been the first village to refuse to pay taxes. He tasked Hectar with dealing with the problem, but four more joined in. Talon had worried rebels would join. Instead, the situation was able to be salvaged, albeit not as smoothly as he would have liked. “Then we make good on our promise. Send them the extra livestock they were promised. I won’t have it be said I don’t keep my word.”
“It shall be done,” Hectar said.
“Anything else?” Talon asked.
“Yes,” Alayna said. “I forgot to mention that Eshil Domain is not happy with our alliance with Vandalor.”
“Why?” Talon asked. He didn’t bother asking how Eshil Domain discovered the alliance. Most likely a spy and one he didn’t need to worry himself over.
“Harold thinks this is some ploy. He’s accusing you of assassinating Durran to try and sway the other nations into joining you.”
That hit too close to the truth. He was surprised only Harold accused him. “He’s always been a suspicious one,” Talon said with a wave of his hand.
“That’s a ridiculous accusation! Something needs to be done,” Hectar said.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“There’s nothing we can do,” Alayna said, showing a bit of irritation. “Harold has threatened war if any troops get close to their borders.”
“I’ll think of what to do. For now, let’s move on,” Talon said.
“There is one other important matter,” Alayna said.
“All right, what is it?” Talon said.
“The Whispering mists sent a message to all the nations and they believe they know who these invaders are,” Alayna said.
That got Talon’s full attention. “Tell me.”
“The message states the Durmaddon’s are behind the attacks.”
The room went still. Talon found himself staring at Alayna incredulously and shook his head. How was that possible? The Durmaddon’s were wiped out over 1500 years ago!
“Impossible!” Hectar said.
“Not impossible, there were said to be missing members of their family when the Durmaddon’s faced defeat,” Alayna said.
“But why wait so long? Surely if this is the Durmaddon’s, they would have attacked a long time ago!” Hectar said.
“It makes sense,” Talon said before Alayna could respond. This wasn’t just a foreign invasion, this was revenge. The toppled family wanted to regain their power. What he had thought was a foreign army was now much more dangerous. The Durmaddon’s were a powerful mage family, at least back when they were in power. When the Durmaddons ruled these lands, they ruled these lands with an iron fist. They were known as planners and he had no doubt there was a reason for waiting until now to attack Aidris. The history books about that time were fascinating, yet he had never expected to hear the family was still alive.
“Is everything all right, your grace?” Hectar asked.
“Yeah,” Talon said, snapping himself out of his thoughts. “I was just thinking is all.”
Before Talon could say anything else, there was a knock on the door. “Enter,” Talon said.
In came Rickard, commander of the royal guard. “Apologies your grace,” Rickard said with a bow.
“What is it?”
“Three mages have come to speak with you,” Rickard said, “stating their matter is urgent.”
Mages, of course. I have been blessed for too long not to deal with them. Talon looked down to see his right hand shaking with anger. He forced himself to relax and hoped nobody else noticed. “This meeting is adjourned. Rickard, lead the way,” he said.
Rickard opened the door and five royal guards flanked Talon. They walked down the corridor and straight to the throne room. Talon wondered why three mages were coming to see him. It was obvious they didn’t suspect him of using the power; otherwise, more than three would have shown up. A small relief.
One of the guards opened the throne room doors and Talon saw the three mages already inside, looking impatient. If things went his way, mages wouldn’t be able to walk around like they owned the place. Soon, I hope.
The oldest of the mages turned to Talon as he entered. “Ah, you came a bit faster than expected.”
“You did say the matter was urgent,” Talon said. He hoped his anger wasn’t showing. If it was, the mage didn’t react at all.
“My name is Dajrone, and these are my companions: Danisha and Onyakoon.”
Danisha was a young blonde and she looked eager. Talon would guess this was her first assignment. He could sense her strength and was surprised she was the second strongest of the three. Onyakoon was a young man with a bit less power and an aura of impatience.
“You know my name. What do you need?” Talon asked.
“Is Qidan around?” Dajrone asked.
“No. He left on some errand, I’m not sure when he’ll be back,” Talon said. He expected some pushback but was surprised at how easily the mages accepted his answer.
“No matter,” Dajrone said. “We’ve received reports of two power users causing trouble here. Have you heard of this?”
If I had, I would have captured them myself. “No,” Talon said. Perhaps he could help the two troublemakers before the mages caught up to him. “What crimes did they commit?”
“Both of them are responsible for killing a burglar with the power,” Dajrone said.
“I thought self-defense wasn’t a crime when it came to using the power?” Talon asked.
“This wasn’t self-defense. Witnesses reported that the burglar tried to run away, only to be seized by the power and split open by an invisible force,” Dajrone said. “The law is the law.”
“An absurd law and one I have nothing to help you with,” Talon said.
“We will find these rogue power users with or without your help,” Onyakoon said.
Talon glared at the young mage. Oh, how he would love to show this one a lesson. The look of superiority in Onyakoon’s eyes irritated him. Nobody should be allowed to look at a king like that. “That isn’t how this works. You will have one week to find your culprits. If you can’t find them, leave, or face the consequences.”
That darkened the mood quickly. “Do note, that this is not a request,” Dajrone said coldly. “We tell you this as a gesture of good faith but you can’t make us leave.”
“Can’t I?” Talon said. He didn’t care how he sounded. It was time to stop these mages from doing whatever they wanted. “I don’t recommend testing my patience on this issue.”
“Why the rush? Do you have something to hide?” Danisha asked.
“I don’t need you to roam Carhan and cause untold havoc. The last time a couple of mages came here looking for a power user, three businesses were destroyed, along with two innocent civilians. These are my people and I will protect them.”
“We’ll make sure no harm comes to the innocent,” Dajrone said. “We’ll give you an update once we have one.”
Talon watched the mages leave. What could he possibly do to stop them from going after the power users? It was an empty threat and Dajrone knew it. Still, he would tell Rickard to prepare the guards to arrest the mages if it came down to it. The mages could stop it but he suspected they would leave rather than cause a scene.
Shaking his head, Talon began walking out of the throne room. The mages were going to become a bigger problem. Like so many problems, it was for another time. Knowing who the invaders were only presented more issues. He cleared his mind of those thoughts. He had a mission and he could only trust two individuals to accompany him. Peitar and Arthur. It was time for their first mission.