Complete In the Service of Dragons

by William Robert Stanek

  King Jarom was quick to his feet; his face showed anger as he spoke. “You are a fool, Lord Serant, if you think you can get by with your trickery! We can see clearly through your paltry words and mocking ways! Let it be known that it was I who questioned Lord Serant’s position, and also that I requested a private board before the High Council to discuss this subject!”

  Lord Serant shot back, “I think all gathered know of your treachery in the south.”

  “As I’ve explained to you previously, Lord Serant, the matter in the south was over long disputed lands.”

  “The disputed lands are further south.”

  “The disputed lands include all of South Province.”

  Lord Serant swept his gaze around the hall. “They most certainly do not and the members of the alliance know this. And now you use the pretense of the alliance to bring an army into the heart of Great Kingdom.”

  King Jarom looked about the hall, indignant. “You wound me with your words. I demand satisfaction—my champion against yours or you against me. Your choice.”

  The High Council was charged with managing the proceedings and the chancellors Volnej, Van’te and de Vit stood. Chancellor Van’te spoke, “King Jarom, the High Council is here, and we are listening. Choose your words with wisdom. Do not let them be fueled by arrogance!”

  “I am sorry for my outburst, chancellor. If Lord Serant wishes the contest to open, then so be it. I just wish to say to you, those who are gathered here today, that it is our belief that the alliance would be better served if one of higher office held the esteemed position in question. Of those here the only kings are myself, King Peter of Zapad, King Alexas of Yug, and King William of Sever. Of these four, I am the senior and undisputed leader. In the past, my wisdom has been recorded numerous times and is widely respected. I wish it to be known that I would like to honor this position with my wisdom until the day of Prince Valam’s return and he is crowned king!”

  Lord Serant searched the eyes of the crowd, almost pleading for someone to say something on his behalf. He zeroed keenly in on King William and stared sharply at him. He was sure William did not support Jarom. He wondered what Jarom had on William to still his tongue.

  It was Lord Fantyu who spoke out next. He stood and raised his hands high into the air. “Father, grant us mortal spirits the wisdom of truth,” Fantyu intoned in his way of exaggerated gesture. “Why cannot the fool see his prosperity? Is a fool who thinks he is wise, a wise man? Or is the fool who knows he is a fool, the wise man? I have known and respected Lord Serant for a long time. He is an honest man. He speaks no lies, only truth. When a serpent has entered your house and he speaks falsity and lies, do you heed his words?”

  “My dear Lord Fantyu. I speak no falsities. My words ring of truth! I ask all of you earnestly, have I ever not held to my word? Have I ever been false?”

  Midori spoke, “An aura of darkness enshrouds you, Jarom! You cannot hide the truth from the Mother!”

  “Priestess,” said Talem, first of the Dark Flame. “I see no such aura around King Jarom. He is a just man who speaks truth.”

  “Do you speak these words because of his support to your order? Have the priests of the Dark Flame wandered so far from home that they have forgotten truth?”

  Father Joshua said, “Quarrelling amongst ourselves will bring us nowhere. As the Great-Father walks within me this day, through the intensity of his presence, I can know the import of this day! Just as the first marked a new period, so will this day. Do we want this day to be remembered as was the first? Or do we want to prove we have learned and grown beyond our past? Lord Serant has my bidding!”

  Lord Serant waited through the long silence that followed, hoping both that someone would say something to break the sudden lull, and that it would remain. No one offered any further comment. Princess Calyin edged her hand into his and held it reassuringly tight.

  “Well spoken, Father Joshua. Shall the count begin? Are there any who would wish to speak further?” strongly asked Lord Serant. When the silence held, Chancellor Volnej stood and unraveled a long parchment and began to read from it.

  “Hence came the alliance of our kingdoms, whence disappeared the strife of the times long since passed. Troubled times have returned. To maintain the stability necessary for our peace and prosperity, a wise and just leader is needed. His Lordship Serant of the West has pledged to us that he will honor this position to the utmost of his ability until our crowned prince has returned to us from afar. Let us begin!”

  All attention turned to the rear of the hall, where the toll would start. Two of the primary groups were the priests of the Dark Flame and the keepers. As chief representative of the priesthood, Talem calmly rose from his seat and shook his head a resonate no, then returned to his seat, without the utterance of any spoken word. Keeper Q’yer, who assumed the position as head of the keepers, stood and regarded Lord Serant and Calyin with an apologetic glance. He then turned and fixed several of his fellow keepers with gleaming frigid intent. Slowly he lowered his eyes in shame and voiced, “No.” Keeper Q’yer slumped back into his chair. He understood why the keepers must stand united on their votes; still he yearned to speak his mind and say “yes,” but it was already beyond that.

  Lord Serant’s face went livid as he clinched his fists tightly. He turned a scowl towards King Jarom, who returned a leering smile. Calyin interlaced her hand in Serant’s and held it tighter than before.

  Father Joshua and Sister Midori each in turn affirmed a jubilant yes, and thus all eyes turned to the tiers on the eastern and western sides of the hall. In a wave, the members of the councils, representatives of all the peoples of the alliance, voiced their individual decisions. In all, only one registered a vote of no.

  For the free cities, Geoffrey spoke a definite yes, as did Lord Fantyu. Chancellor Van’te also voted positively. King Jarom, King Peter and King Alexas each followed with a definite no, and lastly King William exuded a yes. As he retook his seat, he smiled broadly at Lord Serant. The smile was short lived and quickly followed by an expression of gloom.

  With the final count, the room grew deadly calm. As Chancellor Volnej lowered his quill, he passed the scroll to Chancellor de Vit for his mark. The chancellor read the inscriptions with extreme care, insuring the validity of each word penned. When he was finally satisfied, he scribed his sign and passed the document on to Chancellor Van’te, who represented both South Province and his role as a chancellor at this session.

  The chancellor’s face was inscrutable as he inspected the scroll. He turned and faced Chancellor de Vit and Chancellor Volnej. The three retreated to the far reaches of the great hall, seeming to disappear from the sight of those gathered. They sat for over an hour of heated discussion in a second set of high pews on three sides that almost formed a separate chamber, except that they had the same common roof and no walls to divide them. The center tier was only three levels high, but the eastern and western tiers rose to the windows.

  Their debate concluded, they sent for both Lord Serant and King Jarom and the two quickly and graciously withdrew to hear the count as it was written, and within the span of a few minutes retook their positions back in the main section of the chamber. The chancellors followed the two and moved to the center of the great hall.

  Regally, Chancellor Van’te stood and raised his eyes to gaze unto the throng. Harshly, he cleared his voice and then began to speak these words, “Let it be known that on this day and henceforth all contentions surrounding our most regal office have justly and fairly been settled. All in attendance have been afforded the opportunity to voice their minds and have done so. I hold in my hands the official count, signed by representatives of opposing parties. These words inscribed herein are law, and henceforth will they ring throughout our lands. Lord Serant of the Western Territories rise. King Jarom of Vostok rise.”

  Chancellor Van’te paused and took a deep breath. “Do you, Lord Serant, understand the law of just dispute?”

  “Yes, of co
urse. You know I do.”

  “Do you King Jarom understand the law of just dispute?”

  “Yes, certainly.”

  “Then do you both agree to the trial?”

  “Yes.”

  “Yes.”

  “To ensure the absoluteness of the ruling set forth this day, Lord Serant and King Jarom have agreed to settle their dispute according to the rules of the commoner.”

  

  Hurriedly, the three raced back to the square. All appeared to be normal as the crowd dispersed, but Seth could still feel an overwhelming sense of evil emanating from somewhere within the throng of people. His mind reeled and went back through the past piece by piece, searching. “Had I been so preoccupied with the dilemma that I had failed to notice its source? How could I be so foolish?” he thought to himself as he traversed the maze in his mind.

  As they approached closer to the platform, the presence grew stronger. He looked with horror to the platform. The Queen-Mother, Tsandra, Ylad’, Nikol, Ontyv, and Samyuehl were all there, circled around Valam’s fallen form. He tried to reach out to them with his mind and warn them; he could not. They were all trapped in the enticement as he had been; nothing could reach them.

  Seth carefully signaled Cagan and Liyan to sweep around to the backside of the platform. He made the signals with his hands, for now he dared not risk even using the simplest of his powers any more. As one the three jumped onto the dais, they knew the creature perceived their approach and they also knew they were too late.

  Valam rose as the vile being spawned within his body. In the single sweeping of its clawed hands it raked through the onlookers. Tsandra, Ylad’, and Nikol fell to the ground. Their bodies offered but a single shudder as their threads were released to the winds and as readily as a babe hungrily laps its mother’s milk, the creature devoured their waning souls.

  Together, Seth, Cagan, and Liyan descended upon the creature, knocking it back to the ground. They held it there only for an instant while the creature mocked their feeble attempt to stop it. It bathed in their anger and then laughed a deep hideous laugh.

  “King Mark sends his warmest greetings!” it boomed as it gripped Cagan and Liyan around the throat. Seth battered the being’s head heavily onto the platform to no avail. Cagan and Liyan were drawn with it downward, struggling to free the death grip from around their throats as they fell.

  Brother Ontyv slowly reclaimed his senses. He saw the struggle and knew the danger, yet his first priority lay with the safety of the Queen-Mother. It was not until after Ontyv had pulled her from the platform that she regained her senses. As she did, the shock of the events hit her and she knew why the creature had won its way into their inner selves. She knew why it had been able to mask its presence from them, and why it had so enticed them. She also knew how it must be destroyed.

  Finally, Cagan and Liyan managed to free themselves and now held down the creature’s arms. Seth held the dark one’s head down with one hand and unsheathed his dagger with the other. He plunged it fully into the being’s heart.

  The creature only laughed louder and smiled as its strength grew with each passing second. Seth sank the dagger into its chest repeatedly, until he began to feel his energy ebb. He could do nothing except wait as his end came. The creature drank in his soul.

  The Queen-Mother rang these words out across the reaches of time and across the lengths of the land, “There is nothing but love in my heart. Only joy and love abide herein, for I am the Queen-Mother. Only love and harmony exist in my mind. Love for all dwells within my heart. My body is one with all in peace and harmony. I hold love in my heart for Valam.”

  Tears flowed freely down the Queen-Mother’s cheeks, as never before, as the vision began to fade and dim. Her whole inner spirit writhed and shouted out to her senses to stop what she had set in motion before it was too late. She wondered at the price the Father had paid to bestow upon her the gift. She understood the wrong that must be corrected and the repercussions if she didn’t, but she couldn’t force herself to move.

  She closed her eyes and replayed the images in her mind; vividly they lingered. They raced faster and faster and in the span of a single heartbeat, she was back on the platform, watching as the creature killed her brethren. She saw Valam run into the crown and watched again as they trampled him. She watched as the life drained forever from his lips.

  The Queen-Mother strove to deny the truth of the warning, but it would not be disclaimed. She knew what she must do, and so she did it, as she had done before. In a burst of emotion, she opened her eyes and retreated from the tower window. She ran, faster than she had ever run before, down the stairs.

  “Valam! Wait! Oh, please wait! I can find love for you!” screamed the Queen-Mother, as she ran. “I mean. I will honor our union and I will try to find the truth of my heart.” She almost bit her lip on the last few words. They had issued from her so effortlessly, without meaning, until she said them. After she said them, she could not deny their truth.

  Valam stopped cold as he entered the hall adjacent to the tower. He turned and strained his ears to ensure that what he heard was real. When the words repeated in his mind, he knew they indeed were real and not his imagination. He replied loudly in kind, repeating her words to him.

  He raced back up the winding stairs, his hearted pounding rapidly as he did so, and his body began to tremble as he crossed the few last steps that remained between them. He grasped the queen’s outstretched hands in his own and pulled her close to him.

  They pressed closer and closer together, staring deeply into each other’s eyes; the sound of their deep breathing resounded through the tower. They stood thus, afraid to move for what seemed an eternity but was actually only a moment in time.

  Finally the queen inched her lips forward until they touched Valam’s, then she pressed them full against his. He returned her caress with equal fervor. Suddenly the queen pulled away as a thought returned to her mind.

  She held tightly to one of Valam’s hands as she raced down the stairs, almost pulling him behind her. “What is it?” he protested. “We must hurry! Come!” responded the queen.

  They reached the bottom of the stairs but did not stop running. The queen raced through several narrow corridors with Valam a pace behind her. As they turned a corner into the central hall, they had to halt to avoid smacking into Evgej. With only a slight hesitation, the queen continued down the corridor. Valam returned Evgej’s puzzled look and waved for him to follow.

  The queen went straight through the audience hall that Seth and his red-clad followers filled, out the great doors, down the stairs, and into the courtyard. The crowd of brown-clad warriors parted the way as she mounted the central platform in a slow, stately manner, fully regaining her composure.

  “What is it? What is happening?” yelled Evgej as he followed Valam and the queen. “I don’t know!” replied Valam.

  “No! Really, what is it?”

  “I really don’t know!” yelled Valam as he struggled to keep up.

  “Tsandra!”

  “Yes, my queen,” came the response.

  “Come here.”

  Tsandra mounted the platform and whispered into the queen’s mind, “You needn’t tell me, I already know what you will say. I, we all, heard your pledge.”

  The Queen-Mother gazed out into the crowd and knew Tsandra’s words to be true. “My daughter, let me look into your eyes and see your heart.” Hesitantly, Tsandra obeyed. The queen smiled. “It is I who am sorry.”

  “This day has been doubly blessed! Our hopes have been fulfilled. Last night the future of two peoples has been insured. The child of East and West will be! Also, I have been allowed the gift of sight and in so doing, the Father has also given his blessing to my greatest wish. I have been allowed to love someone as I have never known before if it is in my heart to do so and I think it may be. Valam and I may one day be as one, but the time still lies in the distant future. We must first win a war! To do that, we must prepare a de
fense like none has ever seen before. We must continue on schedule with our plans. Today’s departure must remain on time!”

  The Queen-Mother paused during the loud cheering of the crowd. A chant began to grow; it was the chant of greatest rejoicing for the return of the king, a song that had not been heard in generations.

  Tsandra searched for the proper words to begin what she needed to say; unable to find anything she thought suitable, she just stumbled into it, “Queen-Mother, may I offer the services of the Order of the Brown. It will prove my faith to you.”

  “Brother Seth, it is up to you?”

  “Valam?”

  “It would be an honor.”

  “Thank you,” spoke Tsandra enthusiastically. She began barking commands to her order to form up and stand ready then excused herself to begin the preparations. “Shall we prepare to depart?” Seth asked Valam. Valam was slow to respond. Hesitantly he turned his gaze from the queen and turned to Seth.