(Dragonkin) Dragon Rider (23 page)

   "The four realms are united again, and with the king on the throne, will regain its former glory." Thadric said, but did not know then how united the realms would become.

   "I thank you for your support, and hope we will all prosper under our new king. I am sorry I must beg your leave, but there is something I wish to do." Valiny said, and walked from the balcony.

   "You may be working with Valiny more than the rest of us." Falendor said, as Valiny walked away. "I believe he has an interest in

your realm that you do not know of."

   "You think he is like his father, and will try to take my realm?" Thadric asked Falendor, alarmed at what he heard.

   "It is not your realm he wants I think." Falendor replied with a smile.

   "What could he want of my realm if not to supplement me?" Thadric asked puzzled.

   "To unite east and south would be my guess." Menimeth said, and smiled at him.

   The whole thing confused Thadric, until he looked into the banquet hall and saw Valiny and Dranella together. She was laughing as they spoke, and he held her hand in his. Hand in hand they walked to the musicians, to dance with the others who were already there. Thadric smiled and shook his head.

   "That girl is smarter than I am." He said. "I think you are right Falendor, but he had better be a very strong man if he intends to tame that girl."

   "I think he already has." Menimeth said, and watched as the girl placed her head on Valiny's chest, while they danced.

   "Your daughter has someone as well, Falendor?" Thadric said, looking at where Chrisanna sat with Javen, oblivious to all that happened around them.

   "Yes, my wife likes him, and hopes I will stay out of it." Falendor said. "We were not much older when we fell in love, and looked at each other, the same way."

   "Valiny's sister has captured another of the warriors who protect the king." Borlund said "Or has he captured her, I wonder."

   "You are lucky fathers, to have your daughters receive the interest of such men." Menimeth said as he looked at them. "For they hold the very heart of the land and its people in their hands. All of you have a part to play in the events of today, but they will rule the future of your realms."

   "The mage who travels with you appears to be born to be a teacher." Falendor said. "He has already taught my children simple magic, and my wife as well."

   "You should think about allowing some of your younger children to study magic from him." Menimeth said. "I intend to ask him to teach magic to the people of the empire who can learn it."

   "I just may do that." He replied. "The empire was once a realm of mages, long ago."

   Menimeth returned to his private rooms long before his friends, and he worried that he would not be ready to defend the west when the assault on it began. The council of regents would be the beginning of his attempt in bolstering the defenses in the west, but he had little time to assemble the men he would need.

   Magic was the answer Menimeth thought. Glansford held the sprit of dragon and rider within, and that is where he would need to start. Among the items left in his rooms, was a scroll of Glansford and some of its secrets. After the council was over, he would have to delve into the ancient secrets of the old empire, and become its master.

Chapter Seventeen

   Menimeth stood in the center of the great road with his hand on the head of his dragon, and watched the sun as it slowly rose in the east. Something pulled him from that direction, but it was not to the realm of men he was called. Danorathin felt it also, but knew he could only go so far with his master on that journey. The time was coming when they would follow that calling, and they would not travel alone, but it was not now.

   The great bronze dragon spread his wings, and vaulted into the air. With one downward stroke, he was above the trees, and out of sight seconds later. He was hungry, and the time to hunt had come, he told his master.

   The regents began to rise early, and prepare for the day's activities with enthusiasm. The years of council meetings before today had gotten them nowhere, and they knew it would be different now. Beloran had always held them back in the past, but he was gone now, and Valiny was the regent of the east. The empire would move forward at last, and a king would speak for the first time in the history of the council, since Corlindum had been built after the dragon riders had disappeared. It was going to be an exciting day for them all, and all of them were looking forward to it.

   Semeon entered the council hall with the scrolls he would need when the king asked him questions about the empire of the past. He laid them on the table assigned to him as the steward, and separated them into groups. When the scrolls were arranged to his satisfaction, he hurried from the hall, and returned to his office. Brylen appeared in the doorway while Semeon gathered up the remaining scrolls, and he greeted the man with a smile.

   "I have come in the name of the king of the Great Dragon Empire, to offer my assistance to the steward." Brylen said as the king's councilor, and bowed to Semeon. "The king sends his greetings, and wishes you well."

   "As steward of the empire, I accept your offer." Semeon replied, and bowed back. "My friends call me Semeon, and I hope you will be one of them."

   "Thank you." Brylen replied. "Mine call me Bry."

   "I was about to return to the council hall with these scrolls, but there is another item you could help me with if you would." The steward said.

   "That is why I am here." Brylen replied. "To do what I can for the empire."

   "This chest needs to be taken to the council chambers, it is something I believe the king will need." Semeon said. "If you would not mind carrying it for me."

   Brylen picked up the chest from the desk, and followed the steward from his office.

   "Normally we would arrive well before the regents," Semeon told him as they walked from the room. "But today is not a normal day, so who knows what we will find."

   "It is all new to me." Brylen said. "But I would still tend to agree with you."

   The regents slowly made their way to the hall without guards to escort them for the first time that any of them could remember. They never spoke to one another before reaching the council hall before, but now they walked together, and talked as they did. Without the threat of Beloran and his solders there was no need to be escorted, and the men were much more at ease.

   Brylen and Semeon reached the steps to the hall, and were soon inside, and at the steward's table. The regents all walked in together minutes later, and took their seats as people began to pour in. Once, long ago, the people of the empire would sit in the great hall, and listen to their regent's debate. This was the first time in many years that it happened, and when the king arrived, the hall would almost be full.

   Menimeth looked at the old dragon rider capital once again, before turning and walking from the great road, and back into the city of Corlindum. He could feel the threat growing in the west with the passing of every day, but for now he needed to reunite the realms, and set the empire in motion.

   When he arrived at the great hall, he was announced at the door, and escorted to the seat of the king. All of the people inside the hall bowed as he walked to his seat, and did not rise until he was seated. He did not mind being watched all the time, but the bowing had to stop. It was not what he wanted from the people of the empire, and he intended to let it be known.

   The council began with the formal call to the meeting, and the onlookers grew silent.

   "The issues before us today are for the empire." Semeon said as he stood. "The decisions you make here, will affect us all."

   "Then let us speak of the problems of the realms." Menimeth said.

   "Rumors of war circulate throughout my realm." Valiny said. "But my father did nothing to investigate them that I know of. As regent, I will find out what I can, but it may take time before I am able to learn anything."

   "We hear the same rumors in the south." Thadric said, in response to Valiny. "But we can find no reason for them, except the increase in the outlaw population."

   "Men cross my realm in the night, but cannot be found by day." Borlund said, entering the discussion. "My best men have searched for them many times, but they can only be seen from a distance. When my men get closer, they disappear without a trace."

   "It is magic." Darik said as he stood from he crowd. "An old trick used for hunting in my land, is being used by the mage king to hide his men from you."

   "How do we fight men we cannot see?" Borlund asked the mage.

   "With magic." Darik replied. "It is a simple counter spell that can be used anytime, and the question is not if, but when."

   "We can do it, or we cannot." Borlund stated.

   "We need men in place to capture or kill the solders of Arnoran when they are reveled." Menimeth said. "It will do us no good to counter their spell, if we do not close the way to all that would seek to destroy the empire."

   "What is it you would have us do?" Borlund said with a worried look.

   "We need to work together to stop this threat." Menimeth replied. "We can revel the solders now, but cannot close the way yet. It will require some of the solders from all of the realms, to save the empire."

   "How many of our solders are you talking about?" Thadric asked. "Are we to leave our towns unguarded?"

   "To leave your towns unguarded would put them at risk, but to disregard the threat could cost you your realms." Litlorn said. "The mage king is busy retaking his lands from before the Great War, and only tries to weaken you until his armies return."

   " No, we will not leave the realms unguarded." Menimeth told the regents." However, some of your forces may need to be used in other realms, until we can build an army of the empire."

   "The full count of your forces, are to be disclosed to the steward's office right away." Semeon said, reading from the scroll on the table. "The Law states that the king must be advised of all forces throughout the empire."

   "We have never reported our forces to the steward before." Borlund said, trying to dismiss the law that was written so long ago.

   "But we did not have a king before." Valiny said to him. "I for one will comply with the law."

   "We have been trying to learn the true number of solders in the eastern realm for years." Thadric said smiling.

   "You are not alone." Valiny said.

   That brought a laugh from the people who watched to proceedings, and the regents as well. Already the men were at ease with one another, and the council began to produce results.

   "We will all comply." Falendor said. "But some of us have very few forces to report. I for one have less than four hundred solders for all of the west."

   "That is why the threat comes from there, they do not believe we can defend it." Menimeth said, "But we will do more than defend it, we will secure it."

   "I have only eight hundred men for the north, and the north has many more towns to defend." Borlund said. "How are we to defend our people?"

   "You need not worry." Valiny said. "I know there are fifteen hundred solders in the east, and I suspect there are five hundred more in reserve. My father did not want to die like his father did, so he would never allow me to obtain that information."

   "Then how do you know how many solders you have?" Thadric asked, puzzled.

   "The men know me and trust me, unlike my father, and I hear things serving in the army you would not hear otherwise." Valiny replied. "Still, I am not sure of the total number."

   "As long as we are divulging that information, I may as well give my count." Thadric said. "I have eight hundred foot solders, and six hundred cavalry, but only half of them are trained properly."

   "Fourteen hundred solders!" Borlund exclaimed. "Were they trained to take over a realm, or defend against Beloran?"

   "I have not built my forces to their numbers for aggressive reasons." Thadric said to Borlund coldly. "But to build, and man, a garrison in every town. That way all of the smaller villages will be protected easier. The problem is that it cost me more than all of you combined a year, to build the garrisons, and to train the men."

   "That is a waste of time." Borlund said. "It would cost me more than I could afford to build the garrisons, much less man them."

   "The south is far better prepared for the war that is coming." Brylen said from beside Semeon. "My kingdom thought as you do, but in the end, we were overrun because we did not have garrisons throughout our realm."

   "Garrisons will be built in all of the realms, manned by solders of the empire." Menimeth told the regents. "It will take some time to accomplish, but it will be done."

   "And how will you man these garrisons?" Valiny asked curiously. "I will allow any of my men who wish to transfer to the armies of the empire to do so if that would help, but you will need far more men than I can provide."

   Menimeth stood and looked at the regents, and then at the people who attended the meeting. He was silent as he looked around the hall, and then spoke where all could hear him.

   "Over half of the empire is overgrown and uninhabited, and people will come here looking for a place to start a new life. There will be displaced solders from the lands the mage king has overrun, which will find their way here, and some will enlist. They will do this in the chance they will have a home some day, and a family who lives in peace."

   Menimeth looked around the hall again, and paused before speaking. He wished all of the people to hear him, and listen to what he said. They had to understand things were changing, and it would affect them, and all they knew.

   "I will offer them lands in which to build their homes and grow their crops." He said. "The west will be the safest realm once the threat is gone, and that is where the refugees will go to first. Not all of the solders that find their way here will want to enlist, but men have talents other than war. Most will undoubtedly chose to settle into a normal life, but some will not. Those men will be given a choice of the army or leaving, and most will serve for a few years before choosing to settle down and become citizens of the empire."

   "How do we secure the west?" Falendor asked.

   " We will start with solders from each realm, who will combine to form the army of the realms." Menimeth said. "We have a cavalry to help us, and a dragon as well."

   "We cannot supply enough solders to build an army large enough to defend us." Borlund said.

   "First we must close the way to those who have yet to come." Menimeth said. "Before we can build an army."

   "What about taxes?" Thadric asked. "How much are we expected to pay to the empire?"

   "The laws say thirty percent of your yearly income, to be paid in grain and coin." Semeon said as he read from a scroll. "Other foods can be used instead of grain but it must be able to last throughout the year."

   "Thirty percent!" Borlund exclaimed. "We can barely make the twenty five percent Beloran put on us years ago."

   "Ten percent will be enough to supply the empire with all it will need for now." Menimeth said. "Where are the taxes paid to the empire in the year's past."

   "Beloran used some of it for his armies, and the rest is in the coffers of the empire." Semeon said.

   The news that their taxes had gone to build the armies of the eastern realm angered the other regents. They were struggling, while Beloran used their taxes against them.

   "I did not know of this." Valiny said. "I cannot change what is done, but I can change what is to come. The extra forces that he acquired will help to protect your realms, which is the opposite of what my father intended I suspect."

   "Thadric will see the most help from the east, I think." Falendor said, smiling.

   "Yes, I believe you are right." Borlund said. " He will see a lot more of Valiny than the rest of us."

   "You think I have some plans to take the southern realm from Thadric?" Valiny asked, hurt that they would suspect him of the things his father was guilty of.

   "We do not think it is his realm you are after." Falendor replied. "But a treasure."

   Valiny looked confused, and noticed that the other regents were all smiling at him. He became even more confused with what Thadric said to him.

   "It is not the land of my fathers, but the jewel of my castle you seek."

   "You think I have some plot to rob you of your treasure?" Valiny asked.

   "You may be involved in a plot, but you would not know it." Thadric said, almost laughing.

   "You believe I am unknowingly involved in stealing your jewel, and you think it is amusing?" Valiny asked, even more confused than before, and looked at the regents bewildered.

   "The jewel they refer to, is Dranella if I am not mistaken." Menimeth informed the new regent. "And they are not so sure you are the one who is doing the plotting between the two of you."

   Valiny turned red with that revelation, and the regents could not help laughing with the look of understanding when it crossed his face. The people who watched the council laughed as well, and some cheered him while others applauded. Valiny turned even redder than before, and it only got worse when Thadric next spoke.