by Vic Broquard
She continued, “The fifteen from Terra were also Blinded, but we’ve been able to dispel their blindness, though not without many re-castings of our counter spells. They are going to be just fine, physically. Emotionally, I doubt if any of these women will ever be just fine again,” she said with a hint of anger and disgust in her usual conservative mellow voice. “Now apparently the reds were in the process of permanently blinding the ten Cosma women. Half of them have lost their eyes permanently, while the other half we were able to salvage and they are now able to see normally. The Cosma women backed up Andrea’s story. From the snatches of talk that the women overheard, I think that the reds are still in the process of working out the best way to handle the women that they capture and breed. A simple Blind spell works well enough, since they anticipate the women to die at childbirth. Perhaps in the future, we will only encounter a simple Blind spell on the captured women. I certainly hope so.”
Zdenka added, “I sure am glad that at Spring Picking a few weeks ago that I chose to add six new Adept students and only two normal beginners. Soon, I will have extra hands around the tower to help out. This is becoming quite a mess.”
“As always, dear, you are rising to the challenge and doing a superb job of it,” he complimented her. “All of you, thank you all for your help today. I’m proud of the way that we are helping so many other barons out. We are becoming the Federation leaders.” Many grinned and all were pleased with the praise.
“Well, next week is the Spring High Council meeting. This time it is being held on Dietmar, the snow planet. Remember to dress warmly and bring along winter parkas,” he gave everyone formal notice. “Tomorrow I’ll decide who will come with us this time. I know that this is one of our enemy realms where assassinations rule, but also the threat of these dragon attacks while we are gone has me as worried as well as dragon attacks on us all while we are there. It’s going to be a tough call this time, not to mention the many are going to be needed here just looking after the women who are due soon.”
“Now that’s an understatement, if I ever heard one,” Jarka teased.
Chapter 18 The Spring High Council
Jarka looked out the bedroom window, finally satisfied. Their accommodations on Dietmar were nice enough, but the large window was a security breech. True, it had a permanent Force Wall instead of glass panes so that one could have a view and yet feel secure. She didn’t. Any caster could dispel the Force Wall at any time and an assassin would have easy access to the sleeping party. Hence, she’d added two more of her own plus several Alert spells as well. Now she took the time to examine the view of Dietmar.
The Castle Hadwig was a huge affair, resting on Knob Hill. Craggy slopes dropped off all around the castle proper. Far below the hill lay the sprawling city, with rolling hills going off as far as she could see. Snow, however, lay still several feet thick on the grounds, although it was late April now. By the middle of June the snows usually had melted except in the high country, where glaciers predominated. The short growing season normally ended around early September with the first snowfall. In the distance, she spotted several groves of pine forests, though most of the nearby forests had been felled for firewood. Dietmar was a cold planet, a harsh, hostile place to live.
Yet it had mines. Gold, silver, iron, and copper predominated, thought in several locations diamonds had been found. Few people were out of doors. Those that were looked more like enormous bears. Layers of coats made a thin person appear quite rotund.
Zoran had brought along Zdenka, Jarka, Bernard, Karel, Chika, and Jakob. Barons Tomas and Jan brought their wives and a couple of advisors. The other Archmages and Duska had their hands full dealing with the rescued women who were either in labor or darn close to it. Nadia had promised her dad that she’d let them know if they really needed anything and he’d promised to head home prematurely if they did.
Baron Adolf and Baroness Greta Hadwig were hosting this High Council. They were in their thirties. The baron took after his father, Eckhard, a robust, powerful man, and ruled with an iron vice equal to the harshness of the planet around him. Rugged pioneers, one might say about the people who lived on this world. Although claiming to be a “have-not” world, Dietmar was rich in minerals and ores, shipping vast quantities to other worlds in exchange for grain and food supplies, because their short growing season yielded only marginal crops. A variety of winter wheat was about the only grain produced in any quantity here on Dietmar.
In addition, the other two barons, Burkhard and Conrad were secondary hosts as well as their wives, Cede and Elisa. Both men were also burly and had thick, black beards and moustaches. Cede and Greta were Clav’s and were anything but pretty looking women. Both were also very heavy set women, suited for this world, Jarka thought.
Baron Adolf gave each arriving party his full assurances that no dragon could possibly get into Castle Hadwig, that they would be safe here. He had many strong guards posed everywhere one looked, and several assassins, Jarka noted. “We might be safe from dragons, but are we safe from the assassin’s blades?” she said snidely to Zoran when they were alone. “I think not.”
“Keep all your protection spells on yourself at all times,” Zdenka cautioned, heeding Jarka’s advice.
Promptly at ten, the Grand March began. Accompanied by trumpet fanfares, each Baron and Baroness was announced and marched in to their seats, their advisors following behind them as usual. Once the processional was concluded with Zoran’s group the last to be announced, which is what he had expected from his archenemy, Baron Adolf rose to begin.
“Welcome to the Spring High Council here on Dietmar. As you can see, the snows of winter are still deep and will be so until at least June. Of course, the snows will be back before the fall council meets. Such is the hard life here on Dietmar, but we don’t complain.” Zoran had heard this same speech once before delivered by the man’s father, the late Baron Eckhard.
“First order of business is the introductions of the new Archmages. Seeing none this time, Baroness Archmage Zdenka must be slipping,” he slid his dig in at her. He had been behind the enforced testing of many of her Archmages, claiming that they did not know their spells and were fakes. He’d been proven wrong but he still held a grudge against her. His Archmage had yet to produce any.
“Moving on, the next order of business is the seating of the Jing delegation.” Zoran suddenly realized that Chan, Wen, and Zong had yet to be announced. “Retired Baron Chen Meerong of Jing wishes to address the High Council concerning the recent affairs on Jing. Baron.” He gave the floor to his ally, but he already knew the full story.
Old Chen rose, apologized for not being able to stand long and sat down for most of his speech. “Woe indeed has come to me and my family and all Jing.” He slowly related all that had happened on Jing in the last few weeks. Gasps of horror and disbelief punctuated his lengthy narration for many had not yet heard the full story. “So yes, two of my sons and their wives are dead. My other son Jie is unfit for much of anything at all. Thus, I am here to announce my new heirs and Baronesses. Wen will become the Baroness of Nanchan, Chan will take over at Chaohu, and my niece Zong Ying will run Zhouhan. True, as yet, they have not married, though Wen is engaged, I’m told. In time, there will be Barons as well. I certify that all three women are in complete control of the three Circles of Ascension and the fortresses. They are trained and ready to take their places as the rulers of Jing. I ask the High Council to validate my choices. I am rapidly running out of children,” he added injecting a small bit of humor.
“No Barons?” asked Baron Storm Clav, a bit annoyed, but seeing an opportunity.
“Not at this time.” Politically, he had no choice but to add, “Suitors are welcome to court the three baronesses at this time.” Storm grinned mischievously, as did the Hadwig group. Now if they could only arrange a marriage with the Meerong women, they could regain control of Jing, or so they thought. Years ago, such might have been possible, but now all three were securely behind a
nd supportive of Zoran’s group. Their allegiance and alliance had changed, though the Hadwig’s and Clav’s had yet to fully realize this. Baron Cadfeel of Anwyn, the remaining enemy planet already knew better. Jing was lost.
“I move the baronesses be accepted and seated,” Baron Bran Clav spoke up. The vote was unanimous and the three were announced to a trumpet fanfare. Many gasped when they saw that Chan Meerong was missing her left hand though. Archmage Ivana, Dana, Milan, and Kate, walked in behind them as their temporary advisors. Storm Clav groaned and the three Hadwig barons grumbled that they’d been hoodwinked. Their advisors were all from Adapazan, their enemy.
Once seated, Baron Arcangelo and Baron John each gave a vivid and lengthy account of the devastating dragon raids on their worlds. Baron Stefan then told how his mage alert system prevented a similar raid on Valtr. “What is this interspecies breeding that you keep mentioning?” asked Baron Cadfeel. Many others wondered too.
Zoran rose to address this aspect, with Zdenka adding additional facts from time to time. First, they outlined what the reds had done to the seventeen women they managed to rescue and what happened to those who gave birth to the dragon infants. Several other barons backed up their vivid descriptions. “You mean they all lost their arms?” asked Baroness Greta Hadwig, quite moved and shocked by what she was hearing.
“Yes,” Zdenka explained. “Whatever the reds did to their arms, healing potions could not undo, nor could any spell that we could find, nor could our physicians. After a lengthy period, their arms atrophied to merely skin and bone. Worse, they often began breaking them without even knowing it. To avoid gangrene and other mishaps, their useless arms were removed.”
“My god! Those poor women,” Baroness Greta exclaimed, genuinely sorry for the seventeen women.
“Well, there is more to the story, baroness,” Zdenka continued. She described their observations that their bodies now somehow had huge magical energies within them. She explained their incredibly rapid advancement in learning to use magical spells at an unheard of rate. “That alone had given these poor women hope for the future. After all, they lost their homes, husbands, and children all at once, to say nothing of what they endured.” She then continued with the women abducted from other worlds, including Rehor.
“What? We’ve lost no women!” Baron Storm protested, then thought better of it. “Have we?” he looked at his advisors, who whispered something in his ear.
“My theory at the moment is that the reds are working out ways to keep their abducted and raped women under control so that they do not commit suicide, thus ending the fetus dragon’s life. They’ve backed off from removing their eyes to merely blinding them with the Blind spell, which can easily be undone. Now they seem to be having at least three reds watching the women at all times.” She also explained the observed differences between the women who carried reds to full term versus those who carried a green. “We suspect their bodies are absorbing magical properties from the fetuses. Greens are weaker than reds, so those we’ve rescued from Jing are picking up magical spells at a slightly better rate than normal students do.”
“But why are they doing this?” asked Baron Goro of Asami.
“Apparently female dragons only are fertile about every ten years. With their population so small, they are doing this to rapidly increase their numbers,” Zoran gave his best guess. It was accepted, since it did make sense, but only fueled the fires of hatred.
After more discussion, Baron Adolf retook control. “At this time, I would like to call upon Archmage Karel Ambrose to explain his incredible invention. When he is finished, would Archmage Jakob Hamil explain his invention as well? I am sure that we all want to hear about them. All this is so unbelievable. Yet we’ve heard several of our barons and baronesses witness or use them.”
This was Karel’s finest hour. He rose and began a lengthy discussion of his Rods of Dragon Slaying. The arrival of lunchtime ended his speech sooner than he desired, but many chatted with him over the dinner table, unwilling to let him end his explanations. Nearly every baron wanted to order dozens of them from him, but since it took him nearly three weeks per rod, such was not feasible.
By contrast, Jakob began the afternoon session, explaining how his Gem of Dragon Control worked. Although it did make the wearer immune to the dragon’s breath, its main power was to control them, to make the dragons do his bidding. Many eyes opened wide and he too received many potential orders for similar gems. His drawback was finding large gems worth five hundred thousand a piece. That gave the barons pause.
Next, the group discussed how it was possible that thirty thousand soldiers had been slain by the greens at the mines. Old Chen actually Mind Linked everyone to himself and replayed the images of horror that he’d seen firsthand. That did it.
“I move that we declare war on these dragons!” Baron Arcangelo cried out.
“I second it!” Baron John followed suit.
Zoran’s worst nightmare was coming true! “Wait a second!” he rose and fairly yelled over the many others who were shouting their agreement and calling for a vote. At last, Adolf had no choice but to give him the floor.
“Look. Has anyone of us had any trouble with the Gold Dragons? No, we’ve been helped time and time again by them. Further, what about the Blue Dragons, the Brown Dragons, and the Grey Dragons? Has anyone had any trouble with or from them?”
“No, but they are still dragons. I say kill them all! Golds too!” yelled Baron Strom, not to be outdone by the other barons.
“Well, I don’t know about that,” Baron Alvaro spoke up. “Zoran’s right. On Alta, we’ve not had the slightest trouble from the browns.”
“Same with us,” put in Baron Cadfeel. One by one, the other barons who had browns, blues, and greys on their worlds pointed out that so far they had had no trouble or problems with those.
“Okay, then I’ll amend my motion. I say let’s declare war on the reds, blacks, greens, and whites for massive crimes against humanity,” Baron Arcangelo declared. It was seconded and before Zoran could say much else, it passed. Only Adapazan, Gladno, and Valtr voted against it. Barons Stefan and Leo followed Zoran’s lead. Baron Alvaro of Isis nearly voted with Zoran, but seeing the overwhelming majority voting in favor of the declaration of war, he voted for it.
At last, Zoran got the floor. “Look, have you given any thought at all as to what the neutral dragons will do if we go to war with their kin? Or the golds, for that matter? Besides, how are you going to actually fight them? You’ve seen that conventional armies are completely useless against them. You’d think that Gang Meerong would have learned from my late father, who sent his shock troops against two golds and lost it all. Thirty thousand men, soldiers, all armed to the teeth failed to kill even one green dragon and there were only around fifty of them.” He lied a little, a couple dead greens had broken shafts of pole arms protruding from their heads and possibly another few had been slain by spells from the mages before they died. He had to defuse this talk of war and fast.
“Think of that: fifty to thirty thousand, and those were the weakest of the dragon species! My god, I almost lost my left leg to one bite from a red female days ago. We should think this through before we do something we might regret.”
Zdenka spoke up, “He’s right. These dragons are highly intelligent and have been adapting to our moves. Look, the only way that we have been having the successes that we have is by combining large numbers of Archmages, Duskas, and the magical rods. The reds have adapted to human actions, even with their treatment of the captured women. Several from the first batch that they abducted and impregnated found ways to take their own lives. Later, the reds removed the women’s eyes to stop that and then backed down to lesser Blind spells to keep the women from taking their own lives. In our last battle, the female red saw that dragon’s fiery breath was doing nothing to us, likewise their spells. She adapted and used her claws and bite. Had she been one of those adults that we’d just previously slain, Zoran would be mi
nus his leg, that’s for sure. These reds will adapt. The next time that we face them, you can count on the fact that they will have developed a different strategy for battling us. Besides there are just not enough of us Archmages. There are only forty-four, I’m sorry, forty-three of us, against hundreds upon hundreds of dragons. How can we go to war with them? So far, we have only succeeded because we had surprise on our side.” She finally said her piece and sat down, leaving them thinking hard.
“But we cannot do nothing,” Baron Arcangelo pointed out. “In just the six months since we discovered the dragons were raiding us, we now have them destroying whole villages, abducting women, and attempting interspecies breeding with them. If we wait another six months, what will this all have escalated to? Annihilation of one of our worlds? If old Chen is right, it almost happened on Jing! We can’t sit back and do nothing.”
“If we declare war,” Baron Stefan spoke up at last, “how can we possibly protect our people, our towns, and our infrastructure? The dragons can raid at will, stepping to our worlds from the Shadows at any time and at any place. We cannot possibly defend against such attacks. Our own people will rebel and demand that we protect them somehow.”
“He has a point,” Baron Arcangelo conceded. “So what do we do?”