by J B Forest
All of the color drained from Jerard’s face. “The Master wants to accelerate the schedule? We thought that we had more time. I do not know if we can make it, there are so many details to address.”
Rahim stepped in and gripped Jerard’s shoulder. “That is why we are here to offer our services. Assemble your team and we will meet to discuss what needs to happen to ready the troops for departure.”
Jerard sighed deeply. “We can meet in the ward room on the other side of the staging area. I will gather the other mages and meet you there as soon as we can.” He left the two mages and began to gather the other mages. All of them had the same reaction to the news.
“Unless they know something that we do not, it looks like the troops are nearly ready for transport. But gauging by the mages’ reactions, they do not seem to think that is the case,” Rahim noted.
“I agree, things seem to be nearly ready. Maybe our young colleagues are being overly careful. This is a monumental and highly complex task that they were given. I am sure that they do not want to be blamed for any mistakes,” replied Seth.
“Neither do I.”
“Agreed,” Seth nodded.
The two mages walked through the staging area observing the various efforts. From their perspective, things seemed well under control. They entered the ward room and waited for the other mages to assemble.
Jerard and four other mages entered the room shortly thereafter. They all had the same dismal expression on their faces. “Is there something that we need to know about the progress?” Seth asked. “From the look on your faces I fear that things are worse than they appear on the surface.”
“No, no,” one of them replied. “We just thought that we had more time to finish. We only have a few more troops to outfit, and supplies are crated and ready for transport.”
“The Master’s lieutenants have already divided them into groups of twenty. Each has responsibility for a group and Zehn is in charge of everyone,” Jerard chimed in. “Everything should be in order before the troops retire for the night. We were just counting on the extra days to make sure that nothing went wrong and the troops understood their orders and how to use their provisions.”
The youngest of the group, Toran spoke up, “Some of the troops are still adjusting to the transformation and they sometimes forget basic things. We planned to take the extra time to work with the slower ones to get them ready.”
Rahim interjected, “Are they experiencing problems adjusting to the transformation? Is there potential for rebellion once they leave our domain?”
“The problems are minor. As minions, they were not in the habit of wearing uniforms and grooming themselves regularly. A few of the troops have destroyed their uniforms and reverted to the less than civilized habits that are common among minions. There is no evidence of any type of rebellion, most are still as submissive as they were in minion form,” Jerard responded.
“We feared that it might jeopardize the Master’s plans if the humans witnessed the troops acting like true minions,” added Toran.
Seth pulled Rahim aside and whispered, “I think I may need to bring these young mages with me to keep an eye on the troops. They are closer than any to them and will recognize any signs of problem. Besides, I do not think that Zehn and his men are willing to babysit them.”
“Are you sure the Master will agree to have five of his junior mages running around in the human world?” asked Rahim.
“I am sure that I can convince him that it is critical to the success of his grand plan. Besides, look at them. They are so afraid that they will be blamed for anything that goes wrong, they hardly have time for plots.” Seth knew that Mogran would agree to allow the mages to accompany the group if it increased his chances for success. “I will worry about Mogran, you see if there is anything you can do to help the mages prepare the troops. Be gentle when you break the news of their upcoming adventure to them.” He patted his colleague on the back and then left to look for Mogran, better to prepare the Unseelie prince for this change than to announce it unexpectedly at the last minute.
Rahim turned to face the group. “We decided that the best way to avoid any problems with the minions is to have you accompany them to the human world. We should discuss what needs to be accomplished between now and departure time tomorrow. We want no mistakes here and especially not in the human world.”
The group gasped collectively. “But there were no plans for us to accompany the troops, we are not ready,” replied Jerard.
“Well then you need to get ready.”
“But will the Master allow us to travel? It was declared that only the troops and Zehn and his lieutenants would go to the human world.” This statement came from one of the mages who had been silent during the discussions. Rahim could never remember his name but knew that he was an aspiring young mage, he seemed to grasp things more quickly than his counterparts. Rahim remembered thinking that this young mage might prove to be a competitor in the future.
“Do not worry about the Master. Seth is on his way to inform him of the need to send you with Zehn and the minions. Besides, you will not be alone Seth is accompanying the group as well. The Master decided that he wanted to have a senior mage present to ensure that things did not go awry.”
The young mages began to speak all at once. Rahim was losing patience with the frightened mages. He could tell that fear was the main source of their worries. Things seemed to be well in hand but they lacked confidence and fear of failure was driving their reactions. Although he had to admit that the fear was not misplaced. Mogran had a zero tolerance policy when it came to failure or mistakes of any kind. He had witnessed the repercussions of failure many times.
He clapped his hands to get their attention. “Get to work we do not have much time. Show me what you have accomplished.” They gathered around the large table in the room and outlined their progress and described what still needed completion. He had to admit that this group worked well together and with training and guidance would develop into contributing members of the cadre. He would work on ensuring that they looked to him for leadership and guidance. They could become his future ‘lieutenants’.
He was beginning to think that maybe he should accompany the group to the human world instead of Seth. But then, with Seth out of the Unseelie domain, Rahim would have time to show the Master his talents and possibly convince him to elevate his status even after Seth returned. Even better, if something happened to Seth while off-world, he could automatically assume the role on a permanent basis.
Rahim had no problem with Seth other than the fact that he held the position that he coveted. He had learned much from the senior mage over the years. He sometimes had the feeling that Seth had another purpose, but he was always loyal to the Master and never said or did anything to the contrary. There was a time when Rahim kept a constant vigil to find a misstep that he could report, but Seth never stumbled. He finally attributed the strange feelings to the fact that Seth was not Unseelie. They worked well together and Seth never seemed to withhold his knowledge. He had no reason to intentionally harm the other mage and Seth’s absence in the dominion would definitely give Rahim the opportunity to convince Mogran of his capabilities.
Seth found Mogran conferring with Zehn and the other lieutenants in his ‘war’ room. This room was located in the lower levels of the tower and consisted of a large table with chairs arranged around it and not much else. The table was covered with maps and sketches of Cruim’s territories in the human world. The group hovered over the cluttered table and was deep in conversation when he approached them. Seth cleared his throat loudly. “Master, excuse my interruption but may I have a brief word with you? It will not take long.”
Mogran looked up from his discussions. “Ah Seth, is everything in order for a scheduled departure?”
“Things are going as planned, but there are a couple of details that I would like to discuss with you to ensure success and minimize the potential for problems once we arrive in the h
uman world. Zehn, it might be useful for you to hear this as well.” He nodded to Mogran’s top lieutenant.
Zehn raised his eyebrows in surprise, curious about what the mage had to say that might involve him. Military types and the mages did not interact much because their respective responsibilities were distinct. When necessary, they worked together for the success of whatever tasking they received from Mogran but did not have any reasons to interact on either a professional or social level. In fact, they rarely even saw each other.
Mogran looked at the other lieutenants and told them to check on the progress of last minute preparations and return within the hour to continue their discussions. He then paused and looked at Seth. “Now what is it that requires my input at this late stage? You mages assured me that the provisioning process was going smoothly.”
“It is going very well sire,” replied Seth. “The team of mages in charge of the process has done an excellent job. The minions, er troops, will be ready by late evening. I would like to request that the mages accompany the group to the human world so that they can keep an eye on the troops and address any issues that may arise while we are out of the dominion. The mages noticed that a handful of the minions were having problems fully adjusting to their transformed state. Some were displaying more minion-like characteristics. The mages were working with those minions on an individual basis to resolve any of those residual issues. We thought that if they were present in the human world, they could identify any such problems and address them immediately. Otherwise, it would be up to Zehn and his troops to deal with any problems arising while in the human lands. I would be there of course, but I am only one mage and the team has monitored the minions constantly since the transformation and can recognize the signs more readily than Zehn or I could.”
Zehn spoke up before Mogran could reject the idea. “Sire, I agree with Seth on this issue. My men and I will be occupied with channeling the troops in the right direction and manipulating Cruim and his soldiers to accept us into their ranks. If the mages are present to address any problems with the transformation, it would allow us to freely focus on Cruim. Seth and the other mages would be able to oversee the minion assimilation and ensure that they did not attract any unwanted attention by reverting back to their old ways. That would relieve me of a great burden.”
Mogran paced the room with his lengthy fingers interlaced. He finally stopped in front of Seth and said, “I agree that if the mages can keep the minions from blowing our cover then we should send them over. Is Rahim in agreement with this proposal?”
“Yes sire, he is working with them now the make sure that all is ready and to resolve any issues that we can before departure. He will serve you well in my absence.”
“Good I am glad you approve of the arrangement.” Inwardly Mogran had hoped that a power struggle of sorts would have erupted between the two mages. It would have given him an easy opening to deal with Seth. He would miss Seth, but he realized that he had come to rely too heavily on the mage and needed to distance himself. He was not so sure that he wanted the mage permanently removed at this point. He would need to test Rahim’s capabilities. If he was convinced that Rahim would be a suitable replacement, then he could begin to plot Seth’s demise in earnest. In the meantime, the mage’s journey to the human world would suffice.
He realized that the two Fae were awaiting his approval of their request. He waived his hand and said, “Have your team of mages prepare to accompany the group.” He then turned to Zehn and began to discuss more details of the military strategy.
Seth returned to the staging area and found Rahim and Jerard standing together observing the progress. The pace of activity was much more settled than before and everything seemed ready for transport.
“Did he agree?” asked Rahim.
“Yes, Zehn was there to hear the discussion as well and he agreed that having the mages present would alleviate a burden from his lieutenants.”
“That went easier than I anticipated,” said Jerard. “I thought the Master would object to sending the additional non-essential personnel.”
“But you miss the point,” replied Rahim. “You are essential if it means eliminating the risk of minions reverting while in the human world with no one there to control the problem.”
“You have a point,” the young mage responded.
Seth surveyed the activity in the staging area. “It looks as though everything is in readiness and the troops are prepared for departure. I suggest that you send them to their quarters and keep them under tight surveillance between now and departure time. We should not do anything to excite them. We will have a sleeping draught prepared and distributed just before transport to avoid any problems during the journey through the astral plane.”
Jerard looked a bit surprised at the idea but then thought about it further. “We did not think about them getting frightened during the process. That could have led to potential disaster.”
Rahim chimed in, “Seth and I discussed this earlier and agreed that it was best that they be unaware of the actual journey. Their arrival in the human world will be an inconsequential event for them.”
“I believe we should get some rest ourselves. Tomorrow will be a very busy day and moon rise will be here before we know it. Rahim, we will meet at daybreak to discuss any details for your transition here. You are well aware of just about everything but I want to make sure that you are familiar with all of Mogran’s plans for the cadre before I leave,” offered Seth.
“I will see you then,” responded Rahim. The three mages set off for their private quarters.
______________________________
The two senior mages spent the morning hours reviewing details for their transition. Seth had no reservations about leaving Rahim in charge. He was a quite capable mage and would manage the cadre well. He was not quite sure how the relationship with Mogran would work. Rahim was very ambitious and typical of most Unseelie, he had the potential to be extremely ruthless if he felt that someone was trying to usurp his authority. He and Mogran had a lot in common which could prove dangerous for the mage if the Prince felt threatened by the mage’s ambition. The potential tug of war between Mogran and Rahim might prove beneficial to Seth. Mogran would not be able to plot his own demise if he were worried about Rahim.
Seth had served the Unseelie Prince for a long time and he knew that inevitably he would become expendable. He had a feeling that the successful completion of this mission might mark the beginning of the end for himself. He had yet to observe any outward signs that Mogran perceived him as a threat, but he knew the prince better than most and did not doubt that his knowledge would eventually become a liability. Leaving the dominion looked better and better and he did not envy Rahim’s task.
Seth and Rahim met with the junior mages in the main staging area. All were ready for the journey and they were much more composed than the previous day. “We will proceed in two groups. Zehn and his men will accompany the first group as will Toran and Malik. The rest of us will join the second group. Which group will you leave with?” Jerard asked Seth.
“I will join the second group to make sure that all is in order,” Seth replied.
“As soon as Zehn and his men arrive, divide the two groups and administer the sleeping draught. We altered the formula so that the affect was slightly delayed. They will be completely unaware when we open the rift and invoke the spell to transport them to the human world,” stated Rahim.
Jerard and the other mages left to separate the minions into two groups and bring them to the staging area. The lieutenants arrived and remained a slight distance apart from the mages and the minions talking among themselves. They received word that Zehn and Mogran were on their way.
Mogran used the distraction of his conversation with the always serious Zehn to help contain his excitement. The day had finally arrived and his plan was moving forward. This first step with the journey into the human world would eventually lead him to his rightful place in the Fae Dominion.
He was confident that Zehn and his men would be able to successfully insinuate themselves into the human king’s inner circle and slowly gain total control of the puppet. He could then make his move on the humans which would give him the leverage to regain his status on the Unseelie court and eventually overthrow the Seelie court and rule the entire Fae Dominion. This was truly a momentous occasion.
He spotted Seth and the other mages as he entered the staging area. Sending the senior mage with Zehn and the troops might prove useful after all. He could use the two to serve as a check and balance against each other, he would have each of them keeping an eye on the other and thus ensuring that his interests were protected.
“Is everything ready?” Mogran asked Seth.
“We were awaiting your arrival. The troops are in their respective groups, they will begin to feel the effects of the sleeping draught momentarily. At that point, we can invoke the spell and we will be in the human world before you can clap your hands,” responded Seth.
“Well then, do not not waste any more time.”