Lenthean refused to answer. While the display was admirable, the boy was still not convinced of Erendar’s message. Erendar continued, “These people . . .” Erendar sighed with a smile. “These people are my world. I want only what is best for them. A world where no one has to struggle. No one has to fight. Everyone is cared for. A nation where creative freedoms can reign without monetary restrictions. A nation of culture and diversity. A nation truly ahead of its time. Wouldn’t you say, Lenthean?”
“I don’t necessarily know if I agree with what you have said to be your true goals,” Lenthean said.
“No matter,” Erendar said with a smile. “Come. It is time for you to meet my fellow ruler over these great people of Der’ Tanel.”
Pacing toward them from behind was the third. He looked similar to both Aderan and Erendar. “Lenthean, this is Gargonath. Equal ruler here, but lacking an Orb of Power as you and I possess. But equal ruler here nonetheless. Hello, brother.”
Gargonath bowed before Lenthean. “It is an honor, Shadow Elementalist,” he said.
Erendar placed a gentle hand on Gargonath’s shoulder. “Please, call him Lenthean. We have really been bonding this morning.”
“Psh,” Lenthean spat.
Gargonath and Erendar looked at Lenthean. Erendar smirked, “Not to worry. He still has some predilection about our culture.”
Gargonath did not appear as if he wanted to say much. All he did was glare at Lenthean. Not in any intimidating fashion. It was . . . odd, as everything else appeared to be. The boy could not make out why the third brother was glaring at him. Gargonath turned to Erendar. “I must be on my way now. Lenthean, again, it was an honor.”
Lenthean nodded to Gargonath. Gargonath moved swiftly down the throne hall and abruptly shot into a room through a side door. Erendar asked, “Where were we, Lenthean? Ah, yes, the tour of our glorious nation. Perhaps a carriage ride? I can show you around our city.”
“Actually, I don’t think I would be interested in such a thing,” Lenthean stated.
“Well, surely you couldn’t be up to too much else. How would you like to finally have another Elementalist to talk with? To talk about the emotional burdens and struggles one bears with having such abilities at their disposal.”
Lenthean still failed to express any emotion on the matter Erendar pressed. Internally, however, Lenthean lit up. He had always wished he had someone to relate to. Valdorath was there before, of course, but he wasn’t there for Lenthean much. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, Lenthean said, “Okay, I’ll go. But I wish to return on my command.”
“Absolutely.” Erendar smiled and motioned the guards to fetch a carriage.
---
The carriage was massive and had plenty of room to move around in. It was red and laced with gold. The seats were a more-than-comfortable, pearl-white fabric. Erendar sat facing Lenthean. He held a glass of dark wine that would surely stain the inside of the carriage if spilled.
Both the famed Elementalists peered from the small door’s window. The Der’ Tanellian people were still cheering loud and wild at the sight of Lenthean and their glorious leader. “Hmph,” Erendar said with a smile. “They are thrilled at your presence,” he said, looking over at the boy.
“Why?” Lenthean asked.
“You are the mighty Shadow Elementalist. We believe in the God of Shadow’s teaching. The same as we do with the God of Lightning, the God of the Soul, the God of Flames. The god you represent teaches some of the core values that we believe makes the world the way it is.”
“So you’re saying you and your people believe in using fear against others?”
“Oh, no! That’s not at all how we view it. We believe the rest of the world is afraid of itself. And by its fear, it creates an opposite effect in one of the world’s nations—us, the Der’ Tanellians. If it wasn’t for you and the God of Shadows, we would not fear being oppressed by controlling and manipulative governments. There would be no such thing as fear without the God of Shadows and its Elementalist, see? They lack the understanding their nations are driven by fear. Which is why some take all the wealth for themselves and the rest have to suffer as a consequence. I wouldn’t call it greed—I would call it . . . false security. They are simply afraid. Without their example, we would have nothing to contrast with. And without fear, we would not fear a reality that the rest of the world lives in! For instance, the nation of Darthia in its capitalistic greed.”
Lenthean pondered Erendar’s words. The boy then countered, “Well, I sure know there are a lot of great people living in those nations.” Lenthean remembered the old woman, Nana, and how wonderful she was.
Erendar nodded. “That is most certainly true. We don’t think other nations, or their peoples, are inherently bad for what they subscribe to. We only seek to help them understand how great we have things here in Der’ Tanel!”
“Yeah, but really it is no excuse to be bullying other nations into submission and launching full-scale invasions on their homeland.”
Erendar nearly spat his wine on the white fabric inside the cart. He wiped some from his lips and said, “Bullying other nations into submission? My dearest son, you misunderstand!”
“What’s to misunderstand? I was there. I saw your people fire the ballistas on Darthia and its army. All they sought was their own choosing and independence from you.”
“Lenthean, my son, I’m sorry to say, but you are unfortunately ill-informed. Did you hear about what Darthia has done to us in recent times?”
Lenthean simply listened.
“They launch assassination attempt after assassination attempt on my brother and me, for no comprehensible reason. We have minded our own business until we could not stand any more! Most notably, they sent guerilla fighters into our nation. It was the next morning we learned of the slaughter of three families, mainly women and children.”
Lenthean started, “While that is a terrible tale, that is no justification to invade a nation in return. You cannot use justification for your means.”
“Or, my son, what of the time they launched an unwarranted invasion on our home? I imagine they left you out of the loop on that tale, did they not? This was not even nine months ago.”
Lenthean stammered, “But . . . still . . .”
“For these unnecessary attacks on our people, we rightfully defended what we believe in. So we kept to our word and marched directly to them as we told them we would. We demanded their cooperation in compensating for the losses they inflicted on us. We wanted punitive damages, Lenthean. Not an invasion. And Darthia, as they always do, took things out of hand.” Erendar sighed in frustration. “They killed my brother.”
Lenthean thought, Is that why that commander thanked Prince Gael and the Darthian nation for its cooperation? Were they trying to score a punitive payment out of them for losses they inflicted upon Der’ Tanel? Could this Erendar be telling the truth? Could he be trusted?
“I can understand a little bit more now about the incentive to march on Darthia,” Lenthean said. “But you must understand, Aderan was behaving like a monster out there. I saw it.” Lenthean was curious how Erendar would combat this.
Erendar said, “You know. . . I cannot hold my brother accountable for his actions. I apologize for whatever he did. And we, the Der’ Tanellian people, do assume responsibility. If Darthia, or the world for that matter, are upset with us for Aderan’s actions, all they have to do is ask for what they seek in corrections. Even if it is all too late.”
Erendar rubbed his chin. “He was very, very passionate. Fiery. He could get riled up from nearly nothing. That’s how he always was. His emotions usually got the better of him, you see. He had a troubled past, as we all did. I can assure you, however, that I am much more reasonable than Aderan ever was. May the gods watch over him, but he was not the most reasonable individual the land of Zanvia had to offer. I am sure you witnessed this first hand,” Erendar said with a hesitant smile.
The cart bumped and bounced. Lenthean
and Erendar’s heads swayed with the movement of the carriage. The forward roll of their transport stopped. The horses neighed, and a voice could be heard from outside. “We are here, my leader.”
“Ah!” Erendar’s eyes lit up. “Let us go. I have something of interest for you.”
Erendar stepped out of the cart. His gray cape draped from behind. Lenthean waited for Erendar to fully step into the sunlight before following.
“Look around you, Lenthean. What do you see?” Erendar asked.
Lenthean looked at his surroundings. The town was full of life and happiness. The citizens all waved and smiled as they passed by. It was clear this section of the city had jobs to attend to. But they all appeared to be well-kempt, clean with cheerful smiles.
“Our great leader! A pleasure indeed!” a person said as he passed, holding a pot atop his head.
“Yes, quite the honor!” another one said.
Children gathered in bunches, tugging on Lenthean’s clothes. They were full of joy and cheer. Most of them laughed.
“I see . . .” Lenthean started.
“Yes?” Erendar quickly pressed.
“I see people working jobs.”
“What else?”
“They appear happy.”
Erendar’s face grew wide with a grin of satisfaction. “Atta boy.” Erendar slapped him on the shoulder. He continued, “Lenthean, welcome to the ghettos of our glorious city.” Erendar extended an arm, gesturing toward the bustling city courtyard.
Lenthean looked around. He was puzzled.
“Confused?” Erendar asked. “Confused how our ghettos look as if they are at least the same as the middle tier of Darthia?” Erendar had almost read the boy's mind entirely. This had to be impossible. It had to be a lie. The boy couldn’t fathom that the poorest area of town looked this nice and orderly.
“This is what we have wanted to show the world for a long, long time. But, unfortunately, they neglect change. Even if it is for the better.” Erendar tsked his tongue. “Shame, really. Don’t you think?”
Lenthean said nothing.
“Come, Lenthean.” Erendar placed a soft hand on the boy’s shoulder. “There’s something else I would like you to see.”
The two Elementalists walked into a building directly ahead of them. They moved up the two wooden steps and nudged their way through the revolving wooden doors.
Gasps riddled the room. All bustling movement stopped as the two stepped in.
Erendar started, “This is one of our many marketplaces; go on, try some of the locally grown fruits.”
The room was rather small. It was organized well, however, boasting baskets of food that all appeared ripe and in near-perfect condition. The room was uniform and, most notably, on the far back wall, Lenthean could make out what were three golden, framed paintings of the three brothers, side-by-side. Aderan on the left. Erendar in the center in a much larger painting. Gargonath on the right with a small painting like Aderan’s.
“No, thank you,” Lenthean turned down Erendar’s offer to try some of the fruits.
The Der’ Tanellian civilians were all tall. Blonde. Pale. Much like everyone else here. They all quickly filled buckets and baskets up with different fruits and vegetables and surrounded Lenthean and Erendar.
One civilian spoke, “Try the baked bread! Our great leaders love our baked bread!”
Another said, “These are the ripest of apples in all of Zanvia! I guarantee them to be ripe, mighty Shadow Elementalist!”
The third said, “What is good bread or fruit without a dark red wine?! The finest quality the world has ever seen!”
These people were eager, quivering with excitement. Erendar looked from left to right at his underling peoples and smiled. “Well, Lenthean?” Erendar encouraged.
Lenthean felt much pressure to try each of the options provided to him. So he did. The bread was crisp on the outside yet soft in the middle. The apple was firm yet flavorful. The wine was delicate yet rich. The boy could not imagine better-tasting options.
The people were eager for an opinion from him.
“It’s all quite delicious,” the boy said softly. Their smiles were still wide with desperation. Lenthean continued, “It really is the best I have ever had.”
“Marvelous,” Erendar said, erupting into joyous cheer. The people looked to their leader, Erendar, and then laughed with him. “Here you are!” Erendar announced. He pulled three sterling gold coins from his pouch. The people gasped again. Lenthean could see that the coins were etched with members of the Brotherhood—Erendar, Aderan, and Gargonath. The people were nearly in a frenzy to acquire the coins Erendar was about to gift them. Their leader freely passed the three coins out to the three citizens.
The people eyed their prized coins in awe. Jaws dropped at the sight of them.
“Thank you, dear leader.” Each thanked Erendar one at a time.
“Come, Lenthean, let us see more.” Erendar pulled the boy by the shoulder. His arm draped around his shoulder like a cloak. As they met the outdoor air again, the boy stopped. The people’s eyes all watched their leader and the Shadow Elementalist.
“Actually, I am done for the day,” Lenthean said.
There was a silence. The people all stopped in their tracks.
Erendar smiled. It was an unnatural smile. He looked around to his people with his arms in the air. “Absolutely, Shadow Elementalist! You are our guest in this marvelous city. We are pleased to have you. Or am I mistaken?!” Erendar turned and encouraged his people. They all abruptly dropped their baskets and belongings and broke into applause and cheer. Erendar chuckled and turned back to face Lenthean.
“These people worship your very existence, Lenthean. Perhaps you can give them a word of encouragement during our nation’s struggle to help the world?” Erendar muttered under the roar of applause.
“Erendar. . .” Lenthean started.
“It’s quite simple. They don’t ask for much. They’re people too. Just like your Darthian friends, they have souls and lives too. Which means you can make a difference in their lives too.”
In that moment, the boy realized that Erendar’s words were true. Even if he didn’t want them to be. At the end of the day, Lenthean cared for the hearts and lives of all people of all nations. As much as he wanted to hate Der’ Tanel, he simply couldn’t. And Erendar showing him the inner workings of the nation was surprisingly swaying him. The people seemed happy. They were provided for. All of the rhetoric was . . . well, it was true. Not jargon. With that realization, he stood atop a crate to speak. The audience was quiet.
“Der’ Tanellian friends,” Lenthean spoke. “It has been a pleasure meeting you all today. I look forward to getting to know you more as my mother and I visit your home. Thank you for having us; your hospitality has been impeccable.”
Erendar grinned.
The people cheered and applauded the boy’s words. Some were nearly jumping for joy. Lenthean couldn’t help but smile. These people are so enthusiastic . . . Lenthean thought. They really are just so thrilled to be alive with their own people. Perhaps, after all, Erendar and Der’ Tanel do have a point. Maybe, after all, the nation is not as evil as the world makes them out to be. Maybe . . .
No. The boy stopped.
The boy thought again. I’m still not fully convinced of all of this. If anything, Erendar has given me enough to view his nation and his people without any predispositions. But showing me the sights and how his nation works won’t be enough to persuade me to believe in their cause . . . right?
31: Accustomed
It had been three weeks since Lenthean’s arrival, and it was clear the boy was getting accustomed to living in Der’ Tanel with his mother. As each day passed, he felt more and more comfortable inside the city walls—more comfortable with the government, its people, and its lifestyle.
Nearly every morning, Erendar arrived boasting of the morning’s breakfast. Then he was eager to show Lenthean more and more about their culture. Lenthean’s mo
ther encouraged him to explore Der’ Tanel with Erendar. He only did it to ensure her safety during this war. Ultimately, Lenthean wanted to believe in the better in people. He always had. He wanted to believe in what his mother believed. He wanted to believe in what Erendar was telling him. With that, the boy was willing to go with Erendar and appease his mother. And with the kindness of the boy’s heart, he longed for Der’ Tanel and its people to be good.
So far, Erendar had been showing him this. As soon as his mother was ready to leave, however, Lenthean intended to travel home to Fredrickstown with her. His mother now believed in Der’ Tanel’s message. And quite frankly, the boy slowly found himself slipping into the ideology as well. Even with the reluctance to explore the city with Erendar. The food was always tasty. The weather was always sunny with a cool breeze. The lifestyle was elegant, no matter where you ventured. While the boy found Erendar’s urgency and eagerness to display their “glorious home” to be rather annoying, he couldn’t help but feel that Erendar was relatively speaking the truth.
Elementalist: The New Inheritance Page 20