by Inlo, Jeff
"Have you been mistreated?"
Bol eyed the delver and considered the question. He had certainly not enjoyed the past few moments of his life, but he could not consider the actions of the delver in line with abuse.
"No, I have not."
"Can you tell me why you're here?"
"I'd rather have the delver explain."
With that, Therese was free to address Ryson Acumen, and her tone quickly changed. She did not become deliberately hostile, even attempted to mask her irritation, but displeasure was evident in her voice.
"Why have you come here?"
"I wanted to bring Bol back to you, and I need your help."
Therese ignored the request for assistance and focused instead on the exiled king's appearance in Dunop.
"Why did you feel it was necessary to remove Bol Folarok from SandsFine?"
"Because I believed it was necessary to bring him to the Lacobian Desert."
The revelation shocked the queen.
"You took him to see the algors?"
"I did."
Before Therese demanded further information, she paused to consider the scope of the admitted deed. The situation surpassed delicate and exploded into intolerably severe. Thoughts of elves and dieruhnes faded from her immediate concerns. She turned her attention away from the delver and addressed the guards.
"Please wait outside, but remain in the hall."
The dwarf sentries obeyed without question, and the queen nodded for an aide to shut the heavy door. Therese would have liked to take private council with her advisors, but she knew Ryson's keen hearing would allow him to perceive even the slightest whisper. Not wishing to leave anyone alone, she returned to questioning the delver.
"Do you realize that endangering royalty is a crime... even if it is regarding a king that has abdicated?"
"I didn't force him. He came along willingly."
One of Therese's counselors, Geg Sedmor, spoke without waiting for the queen to reply. He may have stepped beyond his place, but he viewed his outburst as justified. His duties revolved around maintaining order in the city as well as safeguarding the rule of the royals, a position that had become much more important after the separatist movement. The threat of another rebellion was always on the advisor's mind, and placing a Folarok in jeopardy—any Folarok—was an action that could not be ignored.
"Whether he was willing to go or not is irrelevant," Geg declared roughly. "Bol is still a Folarok, and his safety is the concern of Dunop."
"Is that why you left him alone in SandsFine?" Ryson charged. "He was being watched by swallits... agents of serps. They were prepared to kidnap Bol."
The stunning disclosure silenced the advisor, but only for a moment. He found the delver's actions insolent and reckless.
"And you took it on yourself to handle such a matter?! Bol could have requested additional security. We would have provided it if it was necessary. You do not have the authority to take such matters into your own hands."
"And whose hands should I have left it in... the serps?"
"That is not the point," Geg argued.
"It's exactly the point. It's the reason I'm here. The serps were using Bol and I put a stop to it. They were using him just as they are using Petiole."
At the mention of the escaped elf elder, Therese reentered the conversation, but with much greater composure than her counselor. Still, there was a limit to her patience and the delver was testing that boundary.
"We have discussed this before and any further debate on this issue will not be tolerated. You must cease making comparisons between Petiole and Bol."
"Why? Because you don't want to admit the serps were using both of them?" Ryson shook his head in disgust, but then attempted to take a more tactful course. "You don't want to accept that Bol did anything wrong, and you keep saying that Petiole's crimes far exceed anything Bol might have done. Maybe you're right, but that's not what matters. What I've been trying to explain to you from the beginning is that the serps don't care. They were using them both to stir up conflict."
"Conflict is exactly what you risked when you placed Bol in jeopardy in the desert."
"He was in jeopardy in SandsFine. The swallits who were watching him weren't looking out for his well-being."
"And so you decided to bring Bol to the algors as what... some kind of offering?"
"No, we all went to the algors to stop the serps. We all made our own decisions. Don't you want to know what happened?"
"Of course I will need to know," Therese conceded, "but good or bad, it does not lessen the severity of your own actions. We cannot hide our mistakes behind results."
"You still think it was a mistake?"
"It was a mistake!" Therese responded with growing frustration. "Geg is correct. You acted on your own, involved the dwarves without consulting us."
"Only to a point," Ryson confessed. "I thought you were being manipulated by serps."
Geg erupted and immediately defended his queen with both passion and fury.
"You think our queen is under the control of serps?!"
"Control? No, but you're all ignoring what's happening around you."
"Ryson Acumen, you may have the admiration of many in this city, but I do not share that respect, especially when you impugn the leader of Dunop!"
"I'm not trying to impugn anyone, but the serps don't care who leads Dunop. They just want the dwarves at odds with the elves. They want a war, and they'll do anything to achieve that end. They're planting the seeds of conflict at every turn."
"Conflict? What conflict? Have there been any open hostilities between the dwarves and the elves?" Geg demanded.
"Not as of yet, but it's ready to explode."
"That is your opinion."
"Is it? How close are you to sending warriors into the forest?"
"What we do to protect our city is not your concern!"
"Answer the question!"
"It has already been done," Therese admitted, as she reclaimed her authority and took the reigns of the discussion. "I would not abide by Petiole's ridiculous proclamation, but at the same time, I had to protect every dwarf... above or below ground. Warriors are necessary to ensure no one is attacked, whether by Petiole and his dieruhnes or by some militant elves that might agree with his sentiments."
"And don't you think the elves are aware of your warriors?"
"I am sure of it."
"And you don't think that's heightened tensions?"
"You again make it sound as if the fault lies with the dwarves," the queen debated. "The elves have been tracking our movements. They placed guards at the entrances to our city, and they continuously patrol areas of strategic importance."
"Don't think for a moment that I don't hold them responsible as well, but they're being manipulated just like you. Just like we all have been. It's got to stop."
Geg decided he was not quite done with the delver. He didn't appreciate any of the accusations, and he liked Ryson's decision to include the exiled king even less.
"And so you decided to take action on your own... to put Bol Folarok at risk?! You brought him before the algors. What does that have to do with tensions between dwarves and the elves?"
"Everything. The serps are behind all of this."
"But you brought him to the desert!" the advisor admonished. "You could have brought him here. We could have protected him. Instead, you presented him to the algors. That was totally unnecessary and beyond foolish. It was criminal!"
"Was it? We managed to convince the algors that they have no quarrel with Bol. The serps can't use him anymore. He's safer now than he was before."
"As the queen has stated, the results do not excuse the action. You had other alternatives."
"He's right," Queen Therese agreed, but with greater calm. "I realize the serps are causing turmoil, but that did not give you the right to act as you did. You should have consulted me before seizing Bol Folarok."
While Ryson was willing to shout bac
k at the dwarf counselor with equal hostility, he showed much greater restraint when responding to the queen.
"I didn't seize him. Like I said before, he came along willingly. And I didn't have the time or the inclination to come to you first. The serps have their way of finding things out."
"You think there are spies in Dunop?"
"I think there are spies everywhere. Enin is basically a spy. He gave part of his magic to the serps so that they could see and hear just about everything he does... and everything that happens around him. He admitted as much. If they're able to watch Enin, don't you think they can get eyes and ears in Dunop? Something got in here to help Petiole escape and no one knows who or what it was. That's a fact."
The queen took a moment to consider the delver's contention. Even when her advisor began to speak about the preposterous nature of such a notion, Therese held up her hand to bid him to be silent.
"To a degree, I understand your point," the queen finally allowed. "You did not wish to give away your intentions to the serps. You wished to avoid external forces and influences. The strategy, however, must apply evenly to us all. By acting on your own, you did not allow the dwarves to have their say in a matter that is extremely important to us. I continue to find that troubling."
"It's not that I wanted to exclude you, but we talked about the serps before. Despite everything I said about what was happening, you continued to let the tensions between the elves and the dwarves rise."
The queen took exception with the charge.
"The decisions I made were in the best interest of Dunop."
"Don't you think the serps know that? They know you're a strong leader who cares about your city and all the dwarves. I know that too, but that's what the serps are using against you. That's what they do. That's what this is all about. The serps are using our best intentions against us. They're making us dance to their music and enjoying every moment of it."
"So should I make decisions that will hurt or jeopardize the dwarves just to prove to these serps that they can't make me do what they want?"
"Absolutely not. I almost made that same mistake. They almost made me do something I would have regretted, something that would have changed me. I know it's confusing, but we have to find a way to avoid the serps manipulations and continue to do what's right. I think I achieved that by taking Bol to the algors."
"And do you continue to believe it was wise to exclude the dwarves from that decision?"
Ryson became frustrated. He could not understand why the dwarves refused to acknowledge what was happening. It seemed they wished to hold to a course that would allow the serps to dictate events rather than break away from serp influence. His growing annoyance began to overshadow his composure.
"Why are you all intent on doing exactly what the serps want? Do you know what that will get you? Suffering and death. My home was overrun by a horde of goblins because of the serps. My friend was killed because of them! I'm trying to stop anything like that from happening again!"
Bol decided to enter the disagreement.
"Ryson Acumen, you do not understand Therese's situation, just as I did not understand the true scope of the algors' loss. It is difficult to be a leader. Decisions are often complex, and her concerns may be far different than your own. She has to consider the well-being of an entire dwarf city, perhaps other dwarf cities as well. She has the right to be consulted on such matters."
Bol's words were empty to the delver in the face of such losses. Petty excuses wouldn't keep another war from breaking out. Ryson didn't want to see any further acts of violence such as the one that took Sy's life. He was tired of hearing justifications for behavior that would only lead to more conflict, more pain. The delver also wouldn't accept the argument that Therese was given insufficient warning.
"Bol, it's not like she was completely in the dark on this. I did talk to her. I told her about the serps. I told her about my friend. She was much more concerned with the elves."
"A leader faces complicated issues. If you explained to her why you thought it was necessary, she might have listened to you. You should have given her the benefit of the doubt."
"And if she didn't listen? What then? She could have stopped me from bringing you to the algors."
"Then that would have been her decision, not yours... and not the serps."
"I disagree," the delver argued. "I think the serps succeeded in bringing their influence to Dunop. You just said something about complicated issues, well I think the serps have made everything more complicated, and if we don't acknowledge that, then none of our decisions are truly are own."
"Maybe that's true, maybe it isn't. What I know for certain is that she faces issues beyond what you think you understand. I know, because I faced those same issues. You told me that I failed the dwarves by walking away from the throne. You could be right. But if that's the case, how can you blame Therese for taking on even more responsibility?"
"I'm not. I have more respect for her than you can imagine, but there's a difference between acting responsibly and acting irrationally. I believe she's reacting to serp manipulations and I can't have that. I need her help."
Yet again, Geg exploded with condemnation for the delver's apparent insolence.
"You accuse the queen of being a serp puppet and then you tell us you need our assistance?!"
"I'm not accusing anyone of anything that hasn't happened to me and everyone else. We're being maneuvered... all of us. I'm trying to stop it, and I'm doing that by moving faster than the serps. It's the only thing I believe will work."
"Exactly what kind of help are you hoping to receive," Therese asked, attempting to make a more productive turn and reduce the tension that had grown so quickly.
"The dwarves need to stand down," Ryson stated firmly. "You need to recall all your warriors from the forest. Actually, it has to be more than just the warriors. You have to bring all the dwarves back underground, even those in Pinesway. You have to stay out of Dark Spruce."
"You mean obey Petiole's ludicrous edict?!" Geg shouted.
"I mean reduce the tension between the dwarves and the elves. Some one has to pull this back from the edge."
"And if I decline?" Therese asked calmly.
"That would be your choice," the delver responded, but then explained he wouldn't allow the queen to have the final word, "but I won't let it end there. There are others involved as well. You thought you should be included... I'm including you now, but I'm including everyone."
"Are you now questioning the authority of the Queen of Dunop?!" an outraged Geg demanded. "You think she has to listen to you?"
"To me? No, but she will have to listen to him," the delver claimed as he pointed to Bol Folarok. "Despite the fact that Bol's trying to defend the queen, I know he understands what's going on."
The exiled king immediately understood the delver's intentions. Bol knew he could be placed in a difficult and compromising position. He had abdicated the throne because he believed he had lost the respect of the dwarves. He did not wish to lead them, but he suddenly realized why the delver had brought him back to Dunop. Ryson was indeed moving quickly, and the path before Bol was not one he wished to travel.
"Do not do this to me," Bol pleaded.
"Sorry, Bol, but I'm not going to let you walk away again. You're going to have to make a choice here, just like the queen. Do you remember what you saw in the desert? Do you want that to happen again? We were able to stop a war between the dwarves and the algors because you listened to the truth. What do we gain if we stop one war but let another occur? Are you ready to have that on your conscience?"
Bol glared at the delver and cursed silently.
Ryson turned his attention back to the queen.
"I'm going to ask you to order all dwarves back underground except one. You'll need to send a messenger to the elf camp and inform them you will stand down your forces and remain out of the forest for at least the next three days. That's the help I need."
"And
if I refuse?"
"Then I'll ask Bol to get involved."
Therese failed to see the effectiveness in such a ploy.
"He has no authority. He abdicated the throne."
"Unless I'm mistaken, he abdicated to Jon, his son, not you. But Jon withdrew, was unable to lead. You took over when you married Jon, but some might question the validity of that marriage or the legitimacy of your reign if Bol Folarok remains in Dunop."
"You dare..." Geg snarled, and the dwarf almost rushed at the delver, but Therese stepped between them.
"You are being very callous in your demands," the queen responded bluntly, if not angrily. "I do not like the coercion behind your words."
"I'm sorry. I hope you believed me before when I said I had the greatest respect for you. It's true. I don't want it to be this way, and I hope one day you can forgive me for this, but I'm realizing just how deep the serps have their claws into this. It's like I said before, you all thought I should have included the dwarves. I'm doing that now, but I'm including all of you. You're all going to have to decide what to do on this together. That's the only way I can be certain the serps aren't involved."
"But I don't want to be involved," Bol confessed. "I shouldn't be involved. This is up to Therese. "
"Not this time, Bol. I'm not going to allow a war to occur between the elves and the dwarves because you wanted to forget what happened in the desert."
"That's not it. I can't forget! No matter what I do, I'll never forget!"
"Then I guess you'll have to decide what's best."
"He may not have to decide anything," Therese stated boldly and resuming the full authority of her position as queen. "Whether you like it or not, Ryson Acumen, the decision is mine. I will not have you undermine my authority."
"That's not my intention, but I need you to do what's right."
"And I will do what's right... what is right for Dunop. It might come as a surprise to you, but I actually understand the basis for your request. To a degree, I even agree with it."
"Then you'll agree to help?"
"If my conditions are met. If you want to end the tensions between the elves and the dwarves, then bring me Petiole."