The Cursed Lands
Page 27
“Quite a bit, I imagine,” said Agon. “Are you suggesting we discredit her before she gets here?”
“It is surely what we would advise,” said the Elder in the mirror to his right. “Humans are emotional, easily persuaded creatures. You can even use some of the One’s dark magic, or at least what little we have chosen to share with you. By the time she gets here, the people of the city will think her crazy for suggesting that the Elect are actively conspiring with the Draymens to destroy their city and their country.”
Agon bit his lower lip. “I admit I did not think of that. It could be helpful in diverting attention from the truth. But it won’t matter if Sarzen finds the Dragon Gods.”
“We already have servants working on that,” said the Elder in the mirror directly in front of him. “They are going to set a trap for the young man to walk into. We will not let him escape, unlike his parents. We have learned from our previous mistakes.”
“So you aren’t completely incompetent, then,” said Agon sardonically. “Wonderful. I thought at first that I was dealing with talkative beasts, but evidently you have all the answers already.”
“We would not be the Elders of the Draymens if we did not have all the answers,” said the Elder in the mirror to his left. “Unlike you humans, leadership among the Draymens is chosen on the basis of knowledge and experience, rather than charisma and deceit.”
Agon ignored the jab. “But even if we stop them both, the fact is that the One cannot come back to life if that statue is destroyed. It will take a long time to build another one, and by then the Dragon Gods might return, at which point we may as well hang up our hats and call it quits.”
“You give up far too easily in the face of adversity, Councilman,” said the Elder in the mirror directly in front of him. “There are other ways to bring back the One and we are already putting the next plan into motion. We had simply considered this method to be the easiest, but even the best laid plans can sometimes fall apart, as those two humans proved.”
“You mean the plan can still be salvaged?” said Agon. “How? I demand to know so I can tell the other Elect about it in the morning. They will be interested in knowing.”
“It is unimportant for you to know,” said the Elder in the mirror directly in front of him. “All you need to focus on is making the propaganda campaign to discredit the young woman. Do you think you will be able to do it?”
“Yes,” said Agon, nodding. “It is how I have consistently won every election; when someone runs against me, they always end up losing, both politically and personally.”
“Excellent,” said the Elder. “Meanwhile, we will focus on keeping the young man and the son of Errat from going any farther. They must not be allowed to find the Dragon Gods, because that is the only thing that will absolutely ruin our plans.”
“I agree,” said Agon. “Do you know where the Dragon Gods are, per chance? How likely is it that Sarzen and his friends could actually find them?”
The Elders in the mirrors all exchanged brief but significant looks, as if Agon had just asked a sensitive question. Agon wished he understood what the looks meant; despite working with the Elders for ten years, he still had a hard time deciphering their inhuman facial expressions at times. He’d learned the hard way that Draymens facial expressions did not always mean the same thing as human facial expressions even if they were otherwise identical. That was part of the reason why he did not trust the Elders; even though they both served the same god, Agon never knew exactly what the Elders were thinking at any given time. He wondered if they felt the same way about him.
Then the Elders looked at him again and the Elder in the left mirror said, “No, mostly because we would rather not. Such knowledge … would be unwise for even us to have. Some knowledge is dangerous in many ways, both subtle and blatant.”
“More riddles,” said Agon. “Why can’t you just speak plainly to me for once?”
“Because it amuses us,” said the Elder in the mirror to his right. “Remember the Hierarchy, Councilman. First was the One, second the Elders, third the Draymens, and fourth the humans. It is the right of the superior to deceive and mock the inferior, for that is what the One himself decreed when he first came into this world.”
Agon scowled, but he could not argue with that. He had been taught that same lesson when he had first pledged allegiance to the One ten years ago, mostly because it had given him an excuse to behave however he liked toward his fellow humans. That the Elders were using it on him, however, embarrassed him far more than he’d like to admit, but it did not make his faith in the One waver. He just made a mental note to find a way to turn the tables on the Elders at some point; they may have been his superiors, but that didn’t mean that he tolerated being embarrassed, even in private.
“Now, all of us know what we must do,” said the Elder in the mirror directly before him. “In the morning, you must inform your fellow Elect of what we discussed. We will immediately begin working on our part of the plan and we expect you Elect to do the same in Yores.”
“Of course,” said Agon. He raised his right hand and touched his left shoulder. “Until the day the One returns.”
“And all shall be in shadow once again,” said the Elders as one.
Then Agon’s reflections returned to normal, but Agon did not stay to look at them. He unlocked the door and left the room immediately, already thinking of what lies he would spread among the city’s population to ensure that they would not believe Helnia’s warnings once she arrived.
Continue in The Hymn of the Dragon Gods, now available here!
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Other books by Timothy L. Cerepaka
Prince Malock World:
The Mad Voyage of Prince Malock (https://www.books2read.com/u/mdEEE4)
The Return of Prince Malock (https://www.books2read.com/u/47wBa4 )
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The Mage's Grave (https://www.books2read.com/u/mZ8pyb)
The Mage's Limits (https://www.books2read.com/u/mlGQB3)
The Mage's Sea (https://www.books2read.com/u/3L8pw3)
The Mage's Ghost (https://www.books2read.com/u/47QNA3)
Two Worlds:
Reunification (https://www.books2read.com/u/mKv8B3)
Alliance (https://www.books2read.com/u/3knPWb)
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Retaliation (https://www.books2read.com/u/bo1v9m)
Desinence (https://www.books2read.com/u/31dP6b)
Tournament of the Gods:
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Betrayal of the Chosen (https://www.books2read.com/u/4AnRkb)
Invasion of the Chosen (https://www.books2read.com/u/38PWr3)
Ascension of the Chosen (https://www.books2read.com/u/m0vK0b)
The War-Torn Kingdom:
Kingdom of Magicians (https://www.books2read.com/u/38DeDV)
Kingdom of Heirs (https://www.books2read.com/u/mZwEn5)
Kingdom of Dragons (https://www.books2read.com/u/3kZYyG)
Kingdom of Gods (https://www.books2read.com/u/mqzX6v)
Kingdom of Demons (https://www.books2read.com/u/m0zEQV)
Standalones:
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About the Author
Timothy L. Cerepaka writes fantasy as an indie author. He is the author of the Mages of Martir fantasy novels, the Two Worlds science-fantasy series, and the Tournament of the Gods fantasy novels. He lives in Texas.
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