by P. G. Thomas
“Well, you could create a welcoming committee,” Logan smiled as he said it, “Put Eric in charge.”
“Right now, the way Tranquil Fury is acting, I’m afraid that he may even believe their lies. I guess we just wait again. We have a town hall meeting in three more days. John says he’ll have some north pass citizens here to describe the attack there. As for the rest, I guess we pray to Mother.”
*******
When the doors to the meeting hall opened, citizens, those that could fit in, quickly filled the hall. The remainder waited in the courtyard to get the fresh news when the meeting ended. The front of the meeting hall was rearranged to accommodate additional tables and chairs for the mayors and guest speakers. Beyond the six mayors, including the new citizen mayor, they had selected numerous elves, dwarves, and midlanders to tell what they knew. John had been determined that they present a well-rounded, comprehensive, and complete discussion about the Royal House, to which he had helped select the volunteer speakers, guiding them on how to tell their story, and the order they would appear in. They had selected seven midlanders including Gayne, Mirtza, two from the north pass town, and five others that had close encounters with the Royal House before they fled west. Three dwarfs and elves would also tell their stories.
Lauren and her group of followers sat in the front row, so none would turn to face her, trying to read her reactions. The last point that John had drilled home was simple; he told the Earth Mothers to let the others do the bulk of the talking. It was important that the dialogue comes from the people, not from them.
The new citizen mayor, Krooni, stood, calling the meeting to order. “Citizens of Alron, you have most likely heard the rumors why we are gathering here tonight. A long time ago, the Royal House Fort burnt down, and a message informed them of the event. Since then, we have come to understand the Royal House does not have our best interest in their hearts. They had sent an army north, whose purpose was to attack Alron. With Mothers help, that threat is no more. We have received word that the south port town is sending a message from the Royal House, stating that the army was here to rebuild the fort, to protect the west from the plague. Some of you may not know, but with Mothers help, the pass is blocked, so we do not need protection from those who forced us from the east, especially when their hearts are black with evil. The first speaker we would like you to listen to is Gayne. He has been a long time citizen of Alron and has had encounters with the Royal House.”
Gayne stood, repeating his story of leaving the Bright Coast, and his encounters with the Royal House. Then one by one, the other dwarves, elves, or midlanders would tell their similar stories. Mirtza was the last to speak, having traveled extensively through the once populated Newlands. Krooni then repeated the current events, starting with the fort, the traitors, spies, and the attack on the Earth Mothers. “As for witness to validate those facts; there is no reason to hear their words because this hall is filled with them. If we allowed each to tell your story, the meeting would last longer than a dwarf poem.” Krooni then asked the north pass citizens to tell their story, and when done, he started his conclusion, “Now the Royal House sends a message that they want to rebuild the fort. A long time ago, the Earth Mother said a plague stalked our lands, a plague on two legs, which she said was the Royal House.” He paused so the crowd could absorb the last sentence. After a few minutes, he stated, “The Mayors have all met. When we receive the message, our response will be simple. The pass is blocked so it now protects the west, and the fort does not need rebuilding. While we do not know how they will react, when they respond, we will advise you.”
*******
Pintar had wanted to go to the town hall meeting that night, but the long hours were still taking a toll on him. As he wandered into the inn’s kitchen, his wife ran over, giving him a big wet sloppy kiss.
“I rented all ten rooms!”
“That is fantastic, to whom?”
“A large group rode up from the south port town, who took all ten rooms!”
Pintar gripped his wife by the shoulders, “How many were there?”
“Almost twenty, why?”
They sent messengers, not a message, “I have to go.” Pintar ran through the inn, heading for the town meeting hall.
Chapter 10
As Krooni started his conclusion, Pintar spotted Lauren sitting in the front row. Scanning the hall, he was looking for anybody out of place, but the room was too crowded. Sidestepping the complaining people in the crowded aisles, he made his way to the front of the room, and creeping along the rail, he made his way to Lauren and Panry, who could see the alarm on his face.
“They never sent—”
A tall man, almost six feet, dressed in fine fabrics stood at the back of the hall. “Citizens of Alron, I am truly distraught that the Royal House is the cause of this meeting. Something very wrong has happened here in the west. My name is Korgamon Haile, a Sub Commander of the Royal House. However, there is no need for titles, so please, call me Korg. I will not be so arrogant as to disregard the serious charges you bring against the Royal House, as I can see your concern is great. My original mission was to oversee the fort’s rebuilding, to keep out the plague, but now I see I have a much larger mission. I need to rebuild the trust of the Royal House. I do not expect you to believe me, as I would not after what I have heard this night. It is apparent that when we worked with our allies in the east, you fled west before you received our messages. As for attacks, conspirators, assassins, and such, I am overwhelmed with all of this negative information. I would like some time to investigate these allegations, and if we find any that have committed crimes under the flag of the Royal House, I will guarantee you that we will prosecute them. I do not know if the plague inflicted our soldiers, or if they just went crazy with power, but what has happened here, should never have taken place.”
Lauren felt like Hoyle the first time he saw her stand; when she tried to pull back the veil of lies, but the tables were now turned, and Korg was pulling the shadows back.
Korg continued, “Because of the distance, sending updates has been difficult, and our main issue has been containing the plague. As a goodwill ambassador, my superiors commanded me to bring news of the plague. Our ships were bringing supplies of fresh food, clothing, shelter, and more, but they experienced an unusual storm in the harbor. I have sent word to expedite more aid, and until it arrives, we will share what little we have with you.” Korg waited for the applause to die down, “As for the plague, we anticipate that in less than one year it will all be contained. In truth, it should be much shorter, but we want to scour the land one last time before we recall the measures to control it. This meeting has been very long but also very informative. With the permission of the people, I would like to tell the Royal House side of the story, as I think there is a great deal of confusion as to what has happened, and I may be able to shed some light on that.”
Panry could feel Lauren squirm when the crowd applauded.
All eyes were still on Korg, “I will seek out your town council tomorrow, arranging a similar meeting to clear up this confusion, but, if you would like to talk with me, I am staying at the inn owned by Pintar.
Krooni looked at the Earth Mothers beside him, who shrugged their shoulders, “I will call this meeting to a close, thanking all for attending.”
As the hall began to empty, Lauren looked down at Pintar.
“I was at the inn. My wife told me that she rented all of the rooms to a group from the south port town. My men must have misunderstood what they heard. Earth Mother, I am so sorry.”
Lauren waited until the hall was completely empty before standing to leave, and the pained look on her face was evident to all. Outside, a coach waited for them, and on the ride back to the house, every street corner featured dozens of people spreading the story of what had happened at the meeting. As they waited for everybody to arrive, Lauren, wringing her staff between her hands, sat quietly at the table by herself. Twenty minutes later, Brook an
d Lindo showed up with Krooni, and the rest followed them into the backyard.
“Earth Mother,” Krooni started, “I never knew that Korg was there. I thought they believed the Royal House threat.”
John stepped out of the house, “You did fine Krooni. The meeting was going great. We had a solid argument delivered in a believable fashion. If they just sent a message, everybody there tonight would’ve been willing to send a message back, telling them to stay away from Alron. They sent a con man, who could have sold rocks to dwarves. They probably rode hard to get here early.” John looked at Pintar, “Send a message to your men to be extra careful. The Royal House will know of the post office because we received the message before it arrived…well, the post is the only way it could have traveled here. They’ll be watching your men like you watch them. Hopefully, they don’t know about the fast horses.”
Lauren shook her head, “We should’ve had the meeting the day before. Is that going to be my legacy? Always a day late and a dollar short. That Korg was so slick, they probably have to tie him to his bed, so he doesn’t slide out. Why couldn’t he have been an arrogant prick?”
“Then everybody shall hate him, Earth Mother,” Panry said, who was still in shock from what had happened. “His mission is simple; to discredit those that foul speak the Royal House.”
Aaro nodded, “If he sends aid, deny it you cannot, loved he would be.”
“The plague contained and promises to open the east, the lie biggest yet” Bor shook his head, “he speaks what they want to hear.”
Pulling out her flask, Brook took a drink, “Elves found continue this way, so they can now sit and talk with the Royal House. More conflicted they shall be.”
Fodu slammed the table, “His lies are like steel gauntlets hidden by silk gloves. The threat so close is unrecognized.”
“What do we do?” Lauren was incensed, “What the Hell do we do? That snake oil salesman is going to try to meet with every person in this town, having tea with them, explaining it’s all a big mistake. Then three, or six, or twelve months from now, our good will ambassador will become the prince of pain. Speaking of pain,” Lauren looked at Eric, “you’ve been awfully quiet.”
“Korg has Tranquil Fury confused. I can hear him mumbling to himself in the back of my brain. The images of his previous encounters with black-clad soldiers don’t match the image of Korg. Lauren, when we met that army marching north, I offered them the chance to leave. We tried talking to them for several minutes, and they never mentioned anything about rebuilding the fort. Aaro, Hakk. Do you remember seeing any construction equipment there?”
“Brother, we had no interest in wagons or contents,” replied Aaro.
Eric nodded, “Pintar, can you send a message to the south port town, seeing if your men can find anybody that buried those bodies, or scavengers from the shantytown that would’ve picked through what was left over? See if anybody can confirm that they were interested in rebuilding.”
“We’re going to need evidence, Lauren.” John was rolling his Iron Wood staff between his hands. “However, all of the evidence is on the east side of the range. All we have on this side is conflicting stories, and the onus is on us to prove that the Royal House is dangerous. Therefore, the burden of proof falls on our shoulders. All Korg has to do is defend them with a little bit of doubt. You heard him suggest the Royal House were plague infected. He can make up lies for anything he hears.”
Lauren poured herself another glass of honey wine. “We’ll just wait, and when they show up, maybe we’ll grant the people of Alron their wish. We’ll unleash Tranquil Fury so he can paint the west red. I’m tired and going to bed.”
After Lauren had left, John looked to Panry, “Hire the thief guilds, and spy on those damn bastards. Report everybody they talk to, and if they can, what they heard. Zack, there are enemies in town. You stand the best chance of spying on them at night. Find something for us. Aaro, Bor. You both know the truth. Find out where the dwarves stand on this new development.”
Aaro shook his head, “Earth Mother, clans many proclaimed her. Her word they will believe. Dwarf she is. Dwarf trusts dwarf.”
Bor added, “Earth Mother, claim the sky is black, all dwarf the same will claim. Dwarf, in granite our first words carved. Change they do not. All will support Earth Mother.”
John sighed, “That’s good news.” He turned to face the other Earth Mothers, “Talk to the elves. They saw the mountain valley threat. They know Lauren is an Earth Mother. Do they still believe they’re in danger?” He then turned to Panry, “All of the Earth Guards are going to have to watch the Earth Mothers very close. We saw their spies take their own lives, and I’ve no idea what this group is capable of doing. Make sure that none of the Earth Mothers, including Lauren, are ever alone with somebody from the Royal House. Not even if it’s one of their servants who cleans their boots, and by ‘not alone,’ I mean more than just Earth Guards. There always has to be neutral witnesses around.”
“What troubles you?”
“I don’t know what they might try, but the easiest path in creating conflict is death. If I were Korg, I would arrange a secluded meeting, having my agent kill himself. When Korg arrives, he’ll accuse us of killing his man, demanding justice. The Earth Mothers might be able to issue an Earth Bond to stop Mother’s children from harming them, but it won’t work on those from the Royal House.” John drained the last of his honey wine, “This is going to get really sticky and uncomfortable before it’s resolved. We need to be cautious of everything we see and hear.”
*******
Brook and Lindo, both distraught, showed up at the house the next day. Brook drained two glasses of wine before she could talk, “From a distance, Korg looks like a gentle man. Up close, he makes my skin crawl. His eyes, I do not know what evil they harbor, but I see it.”
Lindo kept pace with Brook, “There is a way that he looks at you, which creeped me out.”
Panry and John were pacing around the table, wondering how bad the news would be.
“What did he say?” asked Laruen.
“He wishes to explain the Royal House and plague,” advised Brook. “He claims to be surprised at what happened in the west. He wants to tell us his truth.”
Lauren called for a fresh bottle. While she enjoyed the light taste, there were times she wished it had a higher alcohol content, “We really can’t tell him no. All he has to do is stand on a soapbox in the street, telling his story. Then claim that the Earth Mothers are afraid to let the citizens know the truth. Fine, when does he want to put on his silly show?”
“We told him we would let him know tomorrow,” replied Lindo, “If we approved, he wants to have a meeting the following day. Earth Mother, he does not want to have it at the meeting hall. He wants to have it in front of the town where more people can hear his truth.”
“Bastard!” John rubbed his eyebrows, “He wants to take his story to all of the people. He’s probably afraid we would stack the hall with pro-Earth Mother citizens. This guy is smart. By inviting everybody, he’s making it less class-oriented. Few shantytown residents ever show up to the town hall meetings because they don’t feel like they belong. By having it outside, he is trying to say that he welcomes everyone.”
Lauren watched the last drops of liquid fall into her glass, “So we just give him the floor. Let him spout his lies?”
“This guy is slick,” advised John. “He doesn’t know that we aren’t from here, and he just thinks you’re another midlander. He’s going to screw up somewhere, and then we’ll all chase him out of town.”
“Zack watch Korg at night,” Panry added, “John suggested that we hire the thief guilds to watch him. What he knows, we shall know also.”
Pintar came running into the backyard, “My man, from the south, arrived today because he wanted to deliver his message in person. After the attack, he rode out to the battle scene, wanting to see it for himself. He saw the looters going through the wagons, and there was no construction
equipment with them. Does that not prove that Korg is lying?”
Smiling, Lauren looked to John, but he only shook his head. “Don’t get your hopes up. If I were Korg, I would simply claim the construction equipment was on those ships until the troops secured the area, or that they didn’t want to be slowed down by it.”
Lauren’s smile vanished.
*******
With Korg’s meeting scheduled to start at noon, Lauren dreaded every minute waiting for it. After having an early lunch, when the Earth Mothers arrived, they headed to the east gate. The town seemed peculiarly quiet walking through it, and getting closer to the gate, they understood why. The crowd in front of Alron was massive. Everybody was there, including most of the residents from the shantytown. Lauren was hoping some of the watch were still on duty so that the thieves would be unable to steal the entire town. Their group numbered almost forty, and all of the good spots had filled early that morning, so they had to walk several miles down the road before finding a spot large enough to accommodate all.
Lauren leaned over to Panry, “You may have to tell us what is happening, and what he’s saying. There are going to be a lot of disappointed people here today, so maybe it won’t be so bad.”
Mirtza looked up, “Magic!”
“What? Where?” asked Lauren.
“I am unsure, from the front? I heard a spell activated.”
“Citizens of Alron, thank you all for attending.” Even though the voice was not loud, there seemed to be no source, but it surrounded each, sounding like an invisible person was beside them talking.
“Bastards,” cursed Lauren.
Again, Mirtza proclaimed, “Magic!”
“Now that you can hear me, I was never expecting so many.”
Lauren shook her head, “Lying bastard.”
“Now, I am going to enhance my appearance so those at the back can see me. I mean you no harm because it is a simple projection spell.”