Mighty Hammer Down (36 page)

"Our army is the strongest in the
known world, but the Bhoors outnumber the Vindyri and Medoran
troops combined many times over. We had no choice but to send five
Legions into Vindyrion to assist in battle. We must fight them
before they can bring the war here where there are innocent people
in every corner. I have sent those five Legions to battle so that
you all may remain safe here at home. Two full Legions still
protect the Medoran homeland.

"Many of you have husbands, brothers
and sons in the army who are marching to war as I speak. I will not
lie to you and tell you that they will all return unharmed. Many
men will die in this war. It brings me a great sadness and a heavy
darkness to my heart to say such a thing, and I know that the words
hurt you all as well. I can only offer my hope and my prayers to
the gods that your loved ones will come home safely. For those that
do not return, know that they are fighting not only for you, but
for your children and their children.

"The Bhoors are a people who are bent
on instilling their twisted ideology in every living human. If we
refuse to accept their ways, they will kill us. They have already
chosen us as their enemy, long before any of us were born. They
have a powerful drive to destroy freedoms like the ones we enjoy. I
have seen these men torture and kill in the name of their god. They
feel no regret for their actions because they truly believe that
what they do is right in the eyes of their god.

"There are some of you, and many
Vindyri who have somehow come to believe that most Bhoors are
decent and innocent, and that only a few of them have done these
evil things and caused a great and noble people to be judged
unfairly by the rest of us. There is nothing further from the
truth. These people are dangerous, and can never be trusted; not a
single one of them. I have studied my enemy. I have read their
books. Their blind hatred is evident on almost every page. I urge
all of you to go to the Great Library in Taburdum and read their
writings. Do not let the kind words of those who refuse to see evil
warp the truth. You will find truth if you look for it. Trust no
Bhoor for any reason, for his teachings tell him that you are his
sworn enemy forever, no matter what.

"There is another weakness we can find
under the stones here at home. That weakness is blind acceptance.
Many of you have come to believe that all people must be accepted
into our society no matter what kind of people they prove
themselves to be. No matter how twisted and cruel a person may be,
or how damaging his presence might be, some of you have the idea
that it is wrong to hate him or take action against him. I must be
getting very old, for I cannot think straight when I consider this.
How can you possibly think that accepting everyone and everything
is correct? Where do you draw the lines? When an evil man comes to
take your child away and kill him, has he finally proven he is
evil? Could it be that we simply don’t understand him and we must
grant him the things he desires simply because it is wrong to
refuse to accept him? When did madness replace rational
thought?

"It pains me to say these things to
you, for you all know that I am a man who tries to see the good in
things and not the bad. It is not wise to say such negative things
to the people, but I cannot ignore these threats to our freedoms
any longer. Medora is crumbling, rotting from the inside while our
enemies beset us from without our walls. We have become content in
doing nothing, thinking that things will remain the same as long as
we make no changes to our lives. I must tell you, fellow Medorans,
that freedom is not constant. Freedom does not maintain itself.
Along with every privilege we are granted, new weaknesses are born.
Those people who do not have the best intentions for mankind will
abuse those weaknesses to dismantle the system. We must be ever
watchful, and guard our ways as a hawk guards his territory. We
cannot waste time emulating the dove; we are the hawk.

"I present to you two scenarios. In
one, I use Medora as an example. We have always treated the Bhoors
as they deserve to be treated. We exclude them because they have
proven themselves to be dangerous. We accept the Vindyri but only
loosely. For the most part we have been able to maintain our value
system, at least until very recently. The other scenario is
Vindyrion. They have opened their arms and hearts to the Bhoors and
look at what is happening to them now. They are losing their
culture and their lives because of these ideological madmen who
have crept slowly into their nation. The Bhoors do not care that
they destroy cultures in accordance with their religious teachings.
They care only to spread the word of their god.

"I claim that our value system has
deteriorated recently, but not nearly as badly as in Vindyrion. It
can not be blamed on anyone but the Medorans, but we have somehow
started to listen to the quiet voices from Vindyrion who tell us
that acceptance is the only answer. Those voices whisper to us that
we are wrong to be successful and exclude others while they are
starving, when in reality all any nation needs to do is adopt our
system to become successful. We would never force a nation to do
this, and in return we should not be forced to conform to any other
nation’s ways. Freedom clears the path for success, and oppression
turns that path to sticky mud. This is not a secret that we keep
from the world.

"We ride to war to protect our culture
and the things we love. We ride to war to help our friends in
Vindyrion who cannot defend themselves any longer. I have sent our
Legions from this land so that they may defend your lives without
bringing danger to your doorsteps. Each of those soldiers marches
into the east with pride in his heart, knowing that even if his
life is lost, our liberty and culture will not be. While terror and
sadness may grip him before the battle is through, honor and pride
will remain. His blood might stain the ground, but his spirit will
remain in our hearts and bring us joy when we look to the Medorans
skies, searching for that elusive limit to our abilities. We will
never find that limit as long as we are free from
oppression.

The Emperor spread his arms wide
before the people below him. "Be proud that you are Medorans. Never
take your freedom for granted, for it is not. Remember your values
and teach your children to be honest and stand tall in this world.
Do not listen to the foolish voices that tell you that such
freedoms are wrong to fight for. Be ever watchful, like the hawk,
and know the signs that tell you that your enemy is leaking into
your society like some vile poison. Never surrender. Never forget
the lessons of the past. Never forfeit our ways to accommodate the
culture of another people, and these lands will remain free and
proud forever. Now let us ride to war. Now let us bring this mighty
hammer down on our enemies! Long live Medora!"

The crowd below cheered loudly and
almost shook the walls of the Emperor’s Hall with their booming
praise. Uritus rolled his eyes before his father turned around.
"That was a fine speech father. But do you really think that Medora
is indeed in danger from within?"

"I do. I did not say it to the people,
but I think the Mages have something to do with it. I believe they
are part of the problem, whispering their own lies about Medora,
and softening the armor of our society from the inside."

"How can you say that? Have you ever
spoken to the Mages and asked them what they thought was an ideal
society?"

"No I have not. Such a secret
organization cannot be trusted to tell the truth about their
intent. Would the Mages ever stand before the people of Medora and
be honest like I was in my speech? They will not even show their
faces," the Emperor said as he turned and looked up at the grand
fresco on the wall in front of him.

Uritus got up and came to his father’s
side, putting an arm around his shoulders. "Father, they do show
their faces. You just don’t know who they are. It’s wrong to judge
them before you know anything about them."

"I know more than you think I know, my
son," he said, still staring up at the painting.

With a violent thrust Uritus stabbed
his father between his ribs. His face twisted in pain before he let
out a horrible scream. He gently guided his trembling father to the
floor.

"Shh, quiet father. Be still. I don’t
want you to suffer. Just relax and the pain will go away
quickly."

"How?" the Emperor managed to
ask.

"How what, father? How could I do
this? Your rhetoric is tired father. Your ways will die with you,
and I will replace them with my own. You were too blind to see that
I am part of your little problem with society." Uritus shook his
head at his father and ran his fingers through the man’s gray hair.
"You are so foolish that you can’t see that it was in fact your
ways that were wrong. You cannot rule an Empire in that fashion.
Someone will always be there behind you with a knife, waiting for
the right time to stab you."

Piro coughed up blood as his lung
filled with the hot, sticky fluid. He brought a weak, quaking hand
up to Uritus’s throat in a pitiful attempt to strangle his son. His
face contorted in agony as Uritus twisted the knife in his ribcage,
scraping the bone and severing more tissue.

"Now father, I told you to be still.
In a moment you will be dead and you will no longer feel pain. Be
thankful that I used a knife and not my powers to send you directly
to Inshae."

"Inshae
¾
" the Emperor
whispered.

"Yes father, Inshae. I am a Mage.
Actually, I am the Red Master Mage. It was me who secretly plotted
against you and your moronic system of rule. Freedom is a joke.
Medora will no longer be free under my control, and I am willing to
sacrifice the majority of the Medoran army to achieve my
goals."

Tears began to wet his father’s eyes
as he stared up at him. He took a deep, ragged breath and tried to
muster the strength to speak. "Take my life, but not Medora. Please
save Medora."

"That is exactly my intent, old man. I
intend to save this Empire from fools like you and your fathers
before you. My motives are not all altruistic, I do desire power,
but I am sick of the way you cater to only the wealthy, and you
ignore the poor. I will force the wealthy to care and provide for
those who cannot provide for themselves. Did you ever bother to
think to ask me what I thought about the matter? Did you ever think
of the idea yourself? We cannot live in a society where people are
allowed to succeed while others are left to struggle. Men like you
would call me evil, but my way is the only just and fair way. It is
your way that is evil. You have been so blind and
stupid."

"Not
blind
¾
I
¾
see," Piro managed between
irregular breaths.

"You see nothing father. You are a
disgrace. I am ashamed to bear the name Tecadelion," Uritus said as
he felt his father slump from his soul leaving his body. He twisted
the knife a few more times to make sure that he wasn’t faking, and
then wiped the blood from his hands on his father’s robes before
standing. He took a deep breath as he prepared himself mentally for
what he had to do next. The painting on the wall once again drew
his attention as he waited for Battus Gredda to bring the Moon
Legion Commander to the room. It was not long before they
arrived.

"The Emperor!" the Moon Legion
Commander shouted when he saw his bloody body on the floor. "What
has happened here?"

Uritus turned to him calmly, his hands
behind his back. "It was the oddest thing, Commander. I was
watching his speech, and then when it was over, you arrived and
stabbed him."

The man could only look confused for a
second before Battus ran him through with his sword. The man
screamed and fell to the floor, clenching his open wound in an
attempt to keep it from killing him. His efforts did little to stop
the hot blood from pouring out onto the marble tiles beneath him.
Battus did not give him a chance to speak, but stabbed him several
more times through his back, opening his body for his soul to
escape.

"Very well done, Battus. You serve me
as well as a Commander as you do a Mage. You will not go unrewarded
in either of your positions."

"Thank you Red Master."

"Now that you are the only remaining
Commander in Medora, and I am the new Emperor, I give you command
of both the Earth and Moon Legions. We now have no opposition. Our
plan is unstoppable now."

"Again, thank you Red Master. It is my
honor to serve you and Inshae. Are you prepared for what needs to
be done?"

Uritus took a deep breath as he stared
at the bodies on the floor. "Yes Battus. I am ready. Do not cut me
too deeply."

Battus pulled the dead Commander’s
sword from its scabbard and swung it at Uritus, grazing his flesh
across his chest and stomach. Uritus recoiled but made no sound. He
bent over, hugging his middle, but summoned the bravery to extend
his arm to allow Battus to make another cut. When he finished, he
slumped himself down in a nearby chair and tried to comfort his
wounds. Battus went to the corpse of the dead Commander and ran the
blade through some of the blood to make it bloodier. Anyone who
might inspect the scene would think that the Moon Legion Commander
had come there to stab the Emperor, but Uritus, taking the man’s
sword, managed to slay him. Of course, the Commander had injured
Uritus before he died.