Dragon Alliance Dark Storm : Dark Storm (78 page)

“Their numbers are very diminished now, but they and the small remainder of the Morgathian and Shidanese fleet are sailing at full speed back east to their friendly ports in the Kallysh-held archipelago island kingdoms to refit before the long sail back to Morgathia,” the water elf spoke out in his strong, slurry accent; their vocal cords were more accustomed to speaking underwater.

Senator Hilrodra looked over to Senator Terrjok and Katsleez to challenge King Aleslade. Terrjok, even in his own arrogance, knew from experience that challenging an elf in a debate was almost always a losing proposition; his last tongue-lashing from Queen Eladra still stung. He subtly shook his head to decline the fight. She then peered at Senator Katsleez, who, while still angry at Senator Cheyneck’s comments about his military record, was deep down a coward and lowered his head. Senator Tekend was still feeling the effects of the wine from the previous night and this morning and was unable to be an effective debater as indicated by the stupidity of his earlier comments. She knew she had to take the lead on this one.

“Senator Gindren, I wish to address the senate in light of this new information,” she said.

“The senator from East Atlean Province is given the floor,” Gindren stated.

“While we all respect and admire our esteemed sea elf allies and partners, there still remains no definitive proof of Morgathian involvement in this invasion besides the hearsay of a few of your sea elves, a half-man half-fish shaman, and our dragonriders,” Hilrodra stated in a vain attempt to counter Aleslade’s statements.

The sea elf king immediately answered her challenge, “We thought that you and the Enlightened senators might state this, so we have come prepared.” He then pulled out his seeing crystal and spoke a command in his thick elfish dialect. A platoon of his personal bodyguards walked onto the senate floor with an assortment of Morgathian weapons and standards that they recovered from the ocean bottom. All were from the massive naval contest that occurred all along the lengthy Alliance coastal waters. Three of his magic-using shamans walked into the hall with their wizard’s staffs’ dragonstones glowing as they struggled to keep the black-iron dark crystal halberd sorcerer staff of the late sorcerer Dreadstone under control.

The dragons immediately stirred as they all sensed the great evil that had just entered the senate hall. Hestal and Jodem raised their staffs to aid the sea elf shamans in controlling the powerful Morgathian weapon. The halberd then settled back to the ground and stopped shaking as the two powerful wizards placed it under control. The dragons still winced at the presence of the weapon that had ended several of their kin’s lives, but Gallanth was especially bothered as he had just felt its sting.

“How could this be? I shot the evil weapon out of Dreadstone’s hand. I thought it exploded!” Mkel said out loud.

You
must
not
have
hit
the
dark
crystal
directly.
The
explosion
you
saw
was
what
the
late
sorcerer
had
in
store
for
you
if
you
had
not
shot
first,
Gallanth answered him telepathically.

“As you can see, good Enlightened senators, all of these items are of exclusively Morgathian origin, but especially the deadly staff of the Covenant Talon sorcerer that Lord Gallanth and Captain Mkel slew in this treacherous attack,” Aleslade explained.

“Maybe Dreadstone went rogue and gathered this army and armada on his own,” Hilrodra suggested feebly.

“Never, Senator. While evil does conspire against evil, not even a Covenant Talon sorcerer and provincial overlord, such as Dreadstone was, could command so much without Tiamat’s and Stalenjh’s consent,” Queen Eladra spoke out of turn, which was unusual for her but commanded the absolute attention of the large senate gathering.

“Additionally, we have captured a Shidanese Black Scarab assassin whose ship had ventured too close to our sacred island off the Alliance coast. He and several of his compatriots were fleeing back to Shidan and had obviously never been in our or the Alliance waters. When my elves boarded their disguised ship, they took them temporarily off guard and killed two of my kin with poison darts. We slew all but one who was more than willing to talk to us after being persuaded. He confessed to the whole Morgathian-backed measure against the dragonriders, all in preparation for the Morgathian invasion that was to be solely blamed on Shidan. He also stated how many of the Enlightened Party officials had conspired with them to gain access to Alliance land and get close to the weirs,” Aleslade continued to the shock of the majority of the senate and dismay of the POE officials. At that, the whole of the senate erupted in shouts and arguments with many senators almost coming to blows.

Senator Gindren’s hammer pounded and echoed off the stone walls in an attempt to bring the chaos under control. The senate was being ripped apart with the news of this treachery. The Enlightened senators and party officials were put on the defensive, and like cornered animals, they were getting vicious.

“These claims are totally unfounded and likely contrived to put our honorable party and movement under a false light!” Senator Terrjok uncharacteristically shouted out above the fray.

“We will not tolerate these false, trumped-up charges, especially from a half-fish, pointy-eared green aberration of nature,” Senator Tekend finally gathered enough cognitive capacity to engage in the quarrel.

“Senator, that was uncalled for and an insult to our sea elf allies. How dare even you, of all the arrogant, insolent statements—” Senator Tomsfred began to chastise Tekend for his inflammatory remarks when Hilrodra quickly injected to keep the debate alive and stall a vote for war.

“This recent evidence notwithstanding, the fact is that thus far no vessel bearing the Morgathian standard or a Talon ship has attacked an Alliance ship of any kind, and this vote would be unfair to the Morgathians and detrimental to the standing of the Alliance with most other kingdoms and our allies. As far as the chromatics having Morgathian ties or being supposedly directed by Morgathia, they were just trying to get their fair share of the metallics’ treasure, for they were likely hungry and needed precious gems to feed themselves,” the lady senator vainly attempted a point in the raging argument.

Valianth’s deep, booming voice then interrupted all ongoing arguments and cited the Dragon Speak article of the Alliance, specifically the dragon call for a senate vote with a unanimous weir consent. “Senator Gindren, I incite the vote call measure of the last clause of the Right of Dragon Speak Article. I call for the vote to nullify the cessation treaty with Morgathia since there is now no evidence that they support it. A more blatant attack could not have been made on the weirs and the Alliance itself than what has taken place in the recent months. The Shidanese alone could not have possibly assembled a force that size with all the thousands of chromatics in support. Atlean and Talinor Weirs and their legions were barely able to hold against the juggernaut that was thrown against us. Even they needed to be reinforced by the Capital, Draden, and eventually Denar Weirs. We have tolerated a great deal: direct attacks on our separate province of Battle Point, the repulsion of a large force heading for Eladran Weir, to the direct assassination attempt against our riders. Our time for tolerance is ended. The denial of all of this is not only ignorant and foolish, but borders on treasonous. Debate is done; the evidence is indisputable, and action is now called for.”

Senator Gindren was now able to pound his hammer and call for the vote. On the roll call of the senators, all but three voted against the POEs, and the measure for returning to hostilities with Morgathia was passed. Upon the vote tally and announcement of the measure passing, the uproar from the Enlightened was immediate but somewhat muted in that the evidence of heavy Morgathian involvement was overwhelming. Premier Reagresh then took the floor as Gindren silenced the hall to give the republic’s leader the final word of the gathering.

“King Aleslade, first, I want to thank you and your people for a valiant effort in defending the coastal areas of the Alliance. I want to strengthen our ties and offer you and your sea elves any relief and aid that you might need to help your kingdom get back on its feet,” he stated as Aleslade nodded in both agreement and thanks. “I also want to announce that our ally, the nation of Ian, has been attacked by Shidan and three of its neighboring kingdoms. However, they have successfully defeated this attack, based on their unconquerable resolve, the strength of their land dragons, and the power of the wing of brass, copper, and now avenger dragons we stationed there. As for our nation; the Alliance is now back on a total war footing with the unfortunate ending of this last thirty some years of relative peace. I fear this will be a different kind of war as compared to the last Great Dragon War. Our enemies have learned from their mistakes and are using provocation as much as barbaric brute force. Additionally, I will see this internal issue of potential treason fully investigated, and those found guilty will find justice, I promise that.

“The ensuing years will be challenging and difficult, but as our true strength is within all of us, our people, our allies—the elves, dwarves, and the rest—and of course our dragon partners and benefactors, we will inevitably prevail. The light that is the Alliance will cast away the shadows; this I am sure of. Thank you for your perseverance and may the Creator bless this republic and all who dwell in it, and see us to victory over the gathering darkness,” Reagresh ended to the applause of the majority of the senate and approving croons of the dragons.

Mkel leaned over to Jodem and whispered, “I hope they keep that Black Scarab safer than the one we captured and Senator Nebelon. Key witnesses seem to have a propensity to be killed when they have any contact with the Enlightened.” After the applause subsided, the Shidanese assassin was surrounded by dragon knights and escorted away. Arguments and accusations continued to be bandied back and forth between the Enlightened senators and other members of the senate; however, the key POE leaders were quickly ushered back to their meeting room.

Hilrodra signaled to Terrjok and Tekend to gather all the key Enlightened senators for an immediate discussion of the ramification of the vote for war against Morgathia and all who supported the attack. They rushed to the back room of their gathering chamber in the rear of the Senate Pyramid.

“Everyone move to the inner chamber, we must address this failure of the senate and minimize its effects on our cause,” Hilrodra quickly spoke over the din of angered conversation. All the leaders of the party moved into the large chamber and sat down as workers left trays of food and drink. “All servants and lesser members out now!” Hilrodra screamed in her usual screechy voice for the aides and workers to leave. “You all know that we must mitigate this vote somehow, but the first and foremost issue is that Scarab now in the custody of the dragon knights. The wizards or the dragons will get him to talk sooner or later, and a potential connection will be made,” she spoke out to get the meeting underway.

“We will just have to have him eliminated,” Senator Katsleez answered.

“This will not be easy, for after the Scarab from Draden died in confinement and Senator Nebelon died en route to prison, as well as those who gave them the poison, they will be on total alert,” Terrjok countered.

“Our contacts in the Draconia prison will see to this Scarab’s demise. Enough gold to the right people and to a few of our key, more extremist supporters will either get poison to him or one of his own fellow assassins on a suicide mission will accomplish this. That is one thing that the desert mongrels are good at,” Tekend stated smugly.

“And if they take him to the weir for added protection, especially in the vicinity of a gold dragon with their foresight ability and their cursed power to make those they stare at tell the truth? This is what foiled the majority of the assassination attempts on the dragonriders in the first place,” Hilrodra shot back.

“We will handle the Scarab issue one way or another, but the vote against Morgathia is the real issue that we must address, for our friends in Aserghul will not be happy with an all-out campaign against them, especially after such a large defeat and minimal casualties among the metallics,” Senator Turbic asserted.

“Yes, this will affect their flow of gemstones, dark crystal, and lizard meat from the northern Canaris Twin, thus hampering their war effort and will cut into my merchant fleet’s profit in taking those products to the Morgathians,” Tekend chimed in, concerned about his family shipping business as much as the Enlightened’s illicit plans. Hilrodra then contacted her husband, whose image was projected in the center of the room so he could join the discussion.

“Senator Turbic, I wholeheartedly agree with you on the importance of helping our Morgathian benefactors, but this bothersome Scarab could derail us completely. Senator Tekend, since you feel this issue is of little trouble, you will be the one to address it,” Bilenton ordered.

“Premier, my family took care of our problem with Senator Nebelon and aided in the elimination of the other Shidanese; my family is under more scrutiny,” Tekend protested.

“My dear, Senator Tekend, your family has more experience in these matters, as your father demonstrated in the past. You have more expendable people along with the remaining Scarab assassins on your island, and you of all people know that the rule of assassinations is kill the assassin. If you fail in this, our powerful friends in the east might find another shipping merchant guild to ferry their cargo and your ships could find themselves starting to fall under pirate and saragwin attack. The free pass that they currently enjoy could end, and you would have to request the Alliance fleet for escort, which could also curb many of your less-than-legitimate imports from being transferred,” Bilenton cautioned.