Talon wrote quickly on his parchment until his right hand cramped. After stretching his wrist for a moment, he finished writing the last few words and handed off the completed letters to be sent. He had written more than twenty letters, sealing each with his insignia: a red eagle set against green, red, and blue stripes.
Each letter was going to an important lord, telling them to prepare for war. For the past few years, Talon had only taken volunteers to prepare for the invaders. That time was over. He didn’t know what the next year would bring and could only hope the invaders wouldn’t attack for at least another year.
A conflict was coming and Talon didn’t think the first battle would be with the invaders but with one of the other nations. Things were too unsteady, even with the rebellions being gone. Now that the nations had time to think, there were talks of which nations might have caused instability in other nations and Azzellia was at the top of their lists.
Malvarian, Skahad, and Eshil Domain were having discussions about this possibility. Talon only found out when Vandalor’s queen, Misha, sent him a letter. She didn’t believe he was behind the rebellions. She had handed him the letter when he briefly met with her yesterday. He was about to have a formal discussion now that she had time to settle after her journey.
Satisfied, Talon rose and left his chambers, flanked by two royal guards. Misha had requested guards accompany her to the meeting. He saw no reason to disagree, especially if it gave the queen comfortable. They were meeting in a room next to the throne.
He arrived to see Misha and her thirteen-year-old son, Rishmar. Misha looked regal in a red gown and a golden crown. Rishmar was dressed in a brown and gray tunic and looked far too serious.
Guilt shot through Talon as he realized he took Rishmar’s father away, much like Besurlde had taken his father away. In going with his plans, he had taken away a father and made Misha a widow. The thoughts of what he did still haunted his dreams. Would he ever forgive himself?
Talon grabbed her hand and kissed the back of her hand, “Your Majesty,” he said, turning to her son. “I’m sorry for your loss.” He meant the words, despite being responsible for his death.
“Thank you,” Misha said. “We’re still mourning him and needed to get away from Vandalor.”
“I understand. If there’s anything you need, let me know,” Talon said.
“Of course,” Misha took a seat and motioned for Rishmar to sit next to her. Talon sat across from them. “I know about the letter in regards to an Alliance. My husband was adamant not to do this and at the time, I didn’t care. Now, I fear my dear husband made a mistake in underestimating this enemy. They killed my husband and wanted us to know. Who will these fiends kill next?”
“It’s something I think about,” Talon said. He hated doing this, having to play politics to get what he needed. All for the greater good, though he sometimes wondered if he was fooling himself. “I’ve upped my security. So far, nobody has tried anything. These invaders have a plan and nobody knows what it is.”
“Is the offer still on the table? In regards to the alliance,” Misha asked.
“Yes, same terms. I am not doing this for power. I want to work together to throw these invaders back into the sea when they attack,” Talon said. At least this part of his plan was panning out. It wouldn’t take away the nightmares but he would gladly suffer if it helped end this upcoming war.
“Before we agree to anything, I would like to see the document,” Rishmar said.
“Rishmar, we will look over it,” Misha said.
“I want to read it myself,” Rishmar said defiantly. “Father always said to be thorough and there has to be a reason he didn’t want to sign this document.”
“If you find anything wrong, please let me know,” Talon said. He hadn’t expected the kid to say anything but he could see his father in him. Luckily, Rishmar was young and wouldn’t be in power for quite some time. He pulled out the treaty he proposed to Rishmar’s father, Durran, and handed it over. “Here you go. This is the same document I showed your father.”
If Rishmar was impressed, he hid it well. He snatched the document and started reading it. Misha was reading over his shoulder and neither spoke a word as they read. Talon was fine with that. Securing the treaty with Vandalor would be monumental.
“The terms are simple enough,” Misha said and Rishmar scowled at her as he continued reading.
“I’ve said it before but I have no secret plan. I want to work together against our future enemies. Fighting alone will favor the invaders,” Talon said.
Rishmar put down the document. “I don’t see anything tricky.”
“You shouldn’t, for there is none,” Talon reiterated. “The future of our kingdoms will be decided over the next few years and this treaty can make the difference between victory and defeat.”
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“I agree,” Misha stood up. “Sorry, I’m more tired than I thought. Do you mind if we resume this discussion later?”
“Of course,” Talon stood at the same time. “I don’t want you to feel rushed.”
Misha directed her son to follow and they left with their two guards. Talon watched them go and remained still for a few moments. He hoped that killing Durran would be the dirtiest thing he did as king but he doubted it.
Not feeling as giddy about the agreement as he should have, Talon left the room. The guilt far outweighed any happiness about this alliance. He quickly turned his attention toward his mages. A few days had passed since sending Qidan on his mission. Surely a few students are at the location and he was eager to meet them.
Talon walked straight towards his chambers. The royal guards followed him and stopped at his door, making him wait as they made sure his room was clear. A couple of minutes passed before the guards said the room was clear. He entered his room and shut the door, letting out a sigh. This whole over-the-top security routine wouldn’t be necessary if he didn’t have to hide his abilities.
Stretching out his hand, Talon created a portal and stepped through. The moment he appeared, he felt the power thick in the air. Four… five… No, six students. He was impressed. He hadn’t expected six to be training already.
In the middle of a field was Qidan and he was demonstrating to the group how to create fire. A couple of the students were quick to make the flames while the rest struggled. The fact all six of the students could summon the power was achievement enough.
Qidan looked over at him and released the power. “Keep practicing. I have to speak with someone,” Qidan said and walked over to Talon.
“I wasn’t expecting you so soon,” Qidan said once he was within earshot.
“I got bored,” Talon said and looked over at the students. An odd group when he looked. Two women and four men. All of them looked to be in their early twenties. One of them looked like a lord judging by how he interacted with one of the other students. He hadn’t thought about age nor had he instructed Qidan on what to do with someone too young.
“Well, as you can see, I have six students so far,” Qidan said. He began pointing them out. “That’s Lula, a farmer’s daughter. She’s the best student of the bunch. Next to her is Marsha. I would say she’s the third or fourth best, hard to say so early in the training. The next two are brothers and have shown talent. Mark and Todd are their names. Then there’s Afflon and Chesmarn. They’re the weakest two and while they can both gather the power; they can’t do anything with it yet.”
“Is Afflon a lord?” Talon asked.
“No,” Qidan said. “He’s trying to act like a leader.”
Talon nodded and looked over each of the students. Surprisingly, Chesmarn felt the most powerful of the group. Lula was easily the second strongest, yet how would that change? Using the power was like using a muscle. The more it was used, the stronger it became and each person had their limits. What was his? He could feel his strength still improving and he’d been using the power for over three years now.
“I have eight more students that will be joining us soon,” Qidan added.
“That many?” Talon had expected to get ten at the most in a week. But fourteen? That was incredible. “Where are you finding them?”
Qidan shrugged, “small villages. I’m trying not to attract attention and it’s surprising how many are willing to go when they are told this is an opportunity to create opposition to Mortham tower.”
“That wouldn’t be a surprise if you mages spoke to more people,” Talon said, trying to hide his irritation. He didn’t think it worked but Qidan didn’t seem to mind.
“I don’t disagree,” Qidan said.
Another student, Todd, created fire in his palm and let out a hoot. The girls cheered while the others said nothing and kept practicing. “I have something for you,” Talon said and reached into his vest. He pulled out a book.
Qidan took the book and flipped through a few pages and then looked at Talon with a gaped mouth. “Where did you find this? I haven’t heard of some of these suggestions!”
“Yes, it teaches a more efficient way of using the power. It is one reason I was able to defeat my uncle, despite his decades of experience.”
“This book provides better instructions than Mortham tower,” Qidan sounded dumbfounded before regaining his composure. “One day, you will have to tell me where you got this book.”
“Perhaps,” Talon said. He had no plans to tell Qidan but maybe that would change in a few years. The future was uncertain and maybe he would have enough power that he wouldn’t fear showing his advisor. “Make sure to teach them from this book. They’ll need every advantage they can get.”
“Even with this knowledge, it’ll take time before we have trained fighters,” Qidan said.
“I know,” Talon said. How much time until the invaders attacked? That was the question and one nobody knew. “If given one year, would we be able to take on Mortham tower?”
“No,” Qidan said without hesitation. “Mortham tower has plenty of mages with decades of experience. With equal numbers, I would favor Mortham tower every time.”
“So, would I. I’m not foolish enough to believe we could take on the mages and win. We would have to outnumber them two to one at least,” Talon said.
“Then why ask? I hate the idea of training power users to take out Mortham tower.”
“Rest easy. I have no intentions of taking out the mages. My goal is to rival them so they leave me alone and nothing more. So long as the mages don’t start a conflict, we should have no problems,” Talon saw relief wash over Qidan. At least he figured out the main problem his advisor was having. It was true, he had no intentions of going to war with Mortham tower. That would create another war of power and Aidris couldn’t handle something like that, especially with the invaders coming.
“The more power users we recruit, the less likely we are to face conflict with the mages. Keep focusing on gathering and training as many as you can,” Talon continued and created a portal back to his chambers. “I hope to see far more students in a couple of weeks.”
“Recruitment will slow down until a couple of the students advance far enough to go recruiting,” Qidan said.
“I know,” Talon said and went to step through the portal before recalling something. “One of my men, Arthur, will be coming here to bring supplies. You’ll send him back to my chambers once the supplies are spread around.”
Without waiting for a response, Talon walked through the portal. Things were going smoothly so far and no mages were going after him. Qidan wasn’t slacking either and that had been his big concern. Perhaps his plan to rival Mortham tower will happen. He hoped so but for now, he had to leave for a council meeting. It had been far too long since his last one.