Winged Warrior fl-7 Page 5

  In the reading room, the two men rose nonchalantly and put down the books they had been reading. The tall, lean man left first, and the overweight one dallied for a moment before following. Both men made their way to the same private study that the bald man had entered.

  “Salfour,” greeted the bald man. “Have a seat. Is Levitor coming?”

  The door opened before Salfour could answer. The overweight mage slipped into the room and closed the door.

  “You look worried, Maraton,” commented Levitor as he also took a seat. “What did you find out?”

  “Our task will not be an easy one,” sighed Maraton as he sat behind the desk. “Avalar is determined to aid the humans in their war with Vand. I wish Karaza was still with us.”

  “He is not with us because he wanted to claim the throne for himself,” replied Salfour. “He was foolish to think that the people would break the thousand-year rule of the Kierans.”

  “And just how would you suggest we gain control of the country if we let the Kierans keep the throne?” retorted Levitor. “None of us have Kieran blood flowing through our veins.”

  “I don’t know,” conceded Salfour. “What I meant is that Karaza saw himself as too important. He should have worked with the rest of us. Together we could have succeeded. Now we not only have Avalar back among us, we also have his two daughters to contend with. It just complicates everything.”

  “There is a way,” Maraton interrupted. “I have spent a great deal of time thinking about this.”

  “Do not hold us in suspense,” replied Salfour. “Say what you know.”

  “Queen Alycia has a sister,” declared Maraton. “She is Kieran by blood as same as the queen. If the royal family were to have fatal accidents, Kanis would have a valid claim to the throne.”

  “I remember the sister,” nodded Levitor. “In the early days she used to live at the palace, but I don’t think she has been seen in years. What happened to her?”

  “She did not get along well with Avalar,” answered Maraton. “They fought constantly. Kanis tried to express her views about how Elvangar should be ruled. Avalar thought her ideas were foolish and ignored them. When things came to a head, she tried to get Alycia to come to her aid. The queen refused to intervene, and Kanis left the palace forever. She moved to a small village and has lived there ever since.”

  “And why would she want to become involved now?” asked Salfour. “Obviously she has given up any hopes of ruling Elvangar.”

  “Yesterday,” grinned Maraton, “I would have agreed with you.”

  “And now?” prompted Levitor.

  “I took it upon myself to visit her yesterday,” smiled Maraton. “I made up a reasonable excuse for my presence in the small village and acted like I just happened to recognize her. She was flattered that someone from the Society of Mages would remember her and invited me into her home.”

  “And because she talked to you, you think she will aid us?” frowned Levitor. “You can’t be serious?”

  “Oh, but I am,” grinned Maraton. “When Avalar and the princesses were lost at sea, Kanis returned to Morada. She figured that she could move back into the palace and live with her sister. No doubt she expected to exert influence over the queen. To her surprise, Alycia refused to even see her. She left Morada in a very bitter mood, a mood that has not improved over time.”

  “No doubt Karaza had a hand in refusing her entry into the palace,” quipped Salfour. “He was always jealous of anyone else exerting any influence over the queen.”

  “No doubt,” nodded Maraton. “In talking to Kanis yesterday, I rekindled her feelings about the royal family. She hates Avalar with a passion, and despises her own sister. Words cannot begin to describe her feelings towards the two princesses. I am sure that she would execute them if she got the chance. She sees them as obstacles.”

  “How does all of this help us?” asked Levitor. “So you have a Kieran that would be glad to see the royal family disposed of. Am I missing something here? Kanis has no power in Elvangar. She will never be queen while any of the four members of the royal family live.”

  “An accurate statement,” agreed Maraton. “She does not do anything for us at the moment, but I believe that her cooperation is the key to our success. The people are evenly divided about this upcoming war. Our first task is to keep things that way.”

  “Wait a moment,” interrupted Salfour. “I thought our task was to sway the people against the war?”

  “It was,” nodded Maraton, “but I have a new plan.”

  “A new plan?” echoed Levitor. “Isn’t that something for the three of us to discuss? Or are you following in Karaza’s footsteps and trying to seize the throne for yourself?”

  Maraton sighed and shook his head. “Why don’t you accuse me of being a fool while you are at it?” he snapped at Levitor. “The three of us are here right now to discuss my new plan. Do you want to argue about protocol, or do you want to hear the plan?”

  “Let him speak,” Salfour urged Levitor. “Maraton is not like Karaza.”

  “I am sorry,” apologized Levitor. “Tell us of your plan.”

  “I understand that we are all tense after what Karaza did,” soothed Maraton, “but I think we can salvage something out of it. I think we all know that a Kieran must reign, at least for now. Kanis is the only hope we have of finding someone with a proper claim to the throne. If the peace faction of Elvangar wins decisively in the ongoing struggle about aiding the humans, our chance for power will disappear. This is also true if Avalar wins decisively because we will be off to war. Things must remain evenly divided.”

  “And what do you see happening if things remain divided?” asked Levitor.

  “If I read Avalar correctly,” smiled Maraton, “he will leave Elvangar to parley with the humans. I suspect that he will take the princesses with him. That is when we will strike.”

  “Yes,” Salfour nodded vigorously. “Alycia will not be in command as she was when Avalar was lost. Her guard will be down.”

  “And Karaza will not be around to bar Kanis entry into the palace,” added Levitor. “Do you think the sister can be counted on to kill the queen and seize power?”

  “Our task is to ensure it,” smiled Maraton. “Kanis is not a mage. I think we can safely put her under our spells without detection. That way if she changes her mind, she will be powerless to refuse our commands, although I suspect that she will eagerly jump at the chance to seize control of Elvangar.”

  “Which leaves us with finding a way to eliminate Avalar and the princesses before they return from the land of the humans,” summarized Levitor.

  “Exactly,” replied Maraton. “When the time comes, it might be wise to suggest that the king take his most loyal soldiers with him. That will get them away from Morada. There will be many ways to prevent his return. Each of us can easily sink a ship. No on need be any wiser about his fate.”

  “How do we stand with the Council of Elders?” asked Salfour.

  “Less than half support peace at any price,” frowned Levitor. “I spoke with Amber this morning. He is afraid that a vote right now would give Avalar the backing that he needs.”

  “But Avalar is not sure,” interjected Maraton. “If I read the king properly, Avalar will want to be sure of the votes before forcing the issue. We have some time left yet to woo a few more members of the council.”

  “We need to inspire more demonstrations by the citizens,” suggested Salfour. “Perhaps we should bring in some people from the outlying villages to bolster the ranks.”

  “An excellent idea,” nodded Maraton. “We need to make sure that Avalar thinks the vote is too close to pursue. Then when we have all of the votes lined up as we want them, we call off the demonstrations.”

  * * *

  Avalar, King of the Elves, walked into the throne room. He saw Queen Alycia leaning on the railing at the edge of the room and walked over to stand beside her.

  “Dwelling on the past again?” Avalar asked sof
tly. “It is important to learn from our mistakes, but it is not wise to dwell upon what cannot be changed.”

  “Avalar,” the queen smiled brightly, “look below. I was dwelling on the past a bit, but not how you think I was. Look at our daughters playing with Tamar and his friend.”

  Avalar gazed down to the ground below the Royal Tree. He grinned as he watched his daughters practicing their swordsmanship against the two army officers.

  “That is not exactly playing,” chuckled the king. “They are practicing their fighting skills. I asked Tamar to personally instruct them.”

  “Practicing?” questioned the queen. “But they are laughing and having fun. I have been watching them for some time.”

  “They are enjoying it,” Avalar smiled with a nod. “We have two very special daughters, Alycia. We should be very proud of what they did with their lives after the accident. They will make fine leaders some day.”

  “I am proud of them,” Alycia smiled tautly. “But every time I think of them growing up in the human world, I berate myself for failing to find them. My thoughts always return to the day they confronted me in this very room. I am ashamed of the queen that I had become. I do not deserve to have such fine daughters any more than I still deserve to be your queen. I let all of you down.”

  “It is not your fault,” soothed the king. “Karaza had you under his spell. Do not dwell upon it. Enjoy the girls while you can.”

  “While I can?” echoed the queen as she turned to face her husband with a frown etched upon her face. “You make that sound as if it will not last long. Why are you teaching them fighting skills? Surely you do not expect them to join the army that will be going to aid the humans?”

  “I have no such thing planned,” sighed Avalar, “but I have come to know our daughters rather well. They will want to go to the aid of their friends, whether I allow it or not.”

  “You must forbid it,” the queen stated adamantly. “They must never be allowed to come into harm’s way again.”

  “Forbid it?” the king shook his head. “As if I could forbid them anything. You had them in mage cells, and still they escaped, not just from this city, but from Elvangar itself. I do not doubt that they have the cunning to escape again if they so wish to. I will not take the chance that I can keep them safe from danger. I fully intend to see that they are trained in all of the arts, military as well as magical. While I will try to reason with them to keep them safe, I want them prepared to face the worst.”

  “I don’t want to lose them again,” the queen frowned as her eyes dampened. “Perhaps if they were married?”

  “I am not going there,” chuckled the king. “It will take special men to please our princesses, and special men are just as apt to follow them off to battle as restrain them here in Elvangar. There will be no arrangements regarding their betrothals. That decision will be left to them individually.”

  “It was just a thought,” Alycia smiled with a twinkle in her eye. “How did your meeting go?”

  “Not well,” frowned Avalar. “I spoke with Volox about the mood of the Council of Elders. He thinks the vote is too close to call right now.”

  “Volox?” questioned the queen. “Why did you not discuss it with Malid? He is the Head Elder after all.”

  “Malid may indeed be the Head Elder,” nodded the king, “but I trust the judgment of Volox more. He was one of those who saw through Karaza’s deceit. That gives me confidence in his judgment.”

  “I understand,” agreed the queen, “but you need the support of Malid. Do not alienate him by going around him.”

  “I will also solicit Malid’s views,” declared the king, “but I will go to Volox when I want the unvarnished truth. Malid would try to curry favor with me and tell me that everything is going along just fine. That is not what I need to hear right now. I need to honestly gauge the dissent among the Council.”

  “And this dissent is strong?” inquired Alycia.

  “It is,” nodded the king. “The Council of Elders is almost evenly split between aiding the humans and staying out of the war. I must find a way to bring around the dissenting half.”

  “You feel strongly about this, don’t you?” asked the queen.

  “Very strongly,” nodded Avalar. “I was imprisoned on the Island of Darkness for many years. I lived with the nightly screams as those fiends tortured humans and elves alike. They are truly evil, Alycia. This world must rid itself of the likes of Vand.”

  “And the humans cannot accomplish this on their own?” questioned the queen. “Vand is one of them after all.”

  “Do not blame the humans for Vand,” cautioned Avalar. “That is what some in the Council are trying to do. It is a false premise. Vand is a product of Dobuk and has been around since the time of Kieran. Dobuk could just as easily have seduced an elf for the role of spoiler. He chose a human.”

  “Still,” pushed Alycia, “that is not the fault of the elves. If Vand were one of us, would we not try to take care of him ourselves? Why not leave the war to the humans?”

  “They are not capable of defeating Vand,” answered the king. “Until just recently the humans were a fractious lot, split into numerous countries and further split into tribes and clans within those countries. It is an amazing testament to Kaltara that the humans are even working together on this problem. They cannot defeat Vand without the help of the elves.”

  “You sound so sure of this,” frowned the queen, “but I worry that the humans will turn against us in the end. That thought frightens me more than Vand.”

  “It should not frighten you,” comforted the king. “I have met the human rulers. I like them. They are selfless and true believers of Kaltara. If anything happens after the defeat of Vand, I suspect it will be a rekindling of the old alliance when elf and human coexisted as allies and trading partners. I would like to see that.”

  “That is if Vand is indeed defeated,” responded the queen. “What makes you so sure that the elves will make the difference when the war begins?”

  “I don’t know that we will make the difference,” frowned the king. “I do know this, however. If we stay out of the war and Vand wins, it will not be long before his armies arrive in Elvangar. The elves have a far better chance of survival by aligning with the Torak before the war starts, and that is what we are going to do.”

  “You hope,” retorted the queen. “The Council of Elders may disappoint you.”

  “The Council of Elders may indeed disappoint me,” conceded Avalar, “but the elves are still going to war.”

  “You would dare to overrule the Council of Elders?” the queen asked with disbelief.

  “I am the King of the Elves,” stated Avalar. “As such, I, and only I, have the right to declare war. While it is customary for the Council of Elders to concur, I can override their dissent.”

  “That would be wrong, Avalar,” cautioned the queen. “The people would not stand for it. There would be riots in the street. You would be overthrown.”

  “Perhaps,” conceded the king, “but not before our armies left Elvangar in support of the humans. If the price of defeating Vand is my life and my throne, then that is the price that I will pay. It is the right thing to do, Alycia. I cannot stand by and merely watch as Vand’s evil spreads across the world. I will not hide behind the Gates of Elvangar and wait for his armies to arrive. I will not allow my people to suffer under his rule, even if the majority of them are ignorant of the consequences.”

  Alycia stood in shock as she listened to her husband’s impassioned speech. While technically correct, Avalar’s proposal would create a firestorm of protest. Finally, she smiled and hugged her husband.

  “Perhaps you need to say those very words publicly,” suggested the queen. “At first I was concerned about your approach, but your honest passion about this matter shines through. The people might rally around you.”

  “They might,” nodded the king, “but it is a last resort. I am content for the moment to let the system work as it sho
uld. We need that time to prepare the army in any event.”

  “Am I intruding?” came a voice from the other side of the throne room.

  The king whirled around and saw his uncle Garl, Head of the Society of Mages. He smiled and waved the old man over.

  “You are never an intrusion, Garl,” smiled the king. “How are you doing with the reorganization of the Society of Mages?”

  “It is progressing,” replied the old mage. “I have been absent for so long that most of the faces are new to me. Karaza ruled with a fair amount of secrecy. That worries me.”

  “Why?” asked Queen Alycia.

  “It indicates that he might have been hiding more than just his designs on the throne,” answered the king.

  “Precisely,” agreed Garl. “And I do not know who I can trust in the Society. It may take me a while to get things sorted out.”

  “Do you think there might be others that were conspiring with Karaza?” asked Alycia.

  “I cannot be sure,” admitted the Head Mage. “Karaza was the type of person who tried to use everyone, but he would often pit people against others. Some may have been helping him unknowingly. Those I am not worried about. What I need to find are those who were willing accomplices, if any exist.”

  “If they do exist,” shrugged the king, “they will likely burrow deep for a while to avoid detection.”

  “Perhaps,” replied Garl, “but your call to war may prove to be too great a temptation for them. It may force them into the open.”

  “Are you suggesting that some of them might seek to carry on with Karaza’s obsession, even with him gone?” questioned the king

  “We cannot discount that possibility,” nodded Garl. “The Society of Mages houses many very powerful magicians. You should never underestimate the amount of trouble that they can cause you.”

  “How will you discover who is friend and who is foe?” asked the queen.

  “It will not be easy,” answered Garl. “The mages are extremely intelligent by nature. Those who wish to hide their true feelings will do so well enough. They will particularly avoid saying anything derogatory in my presence.”