“That is remarkable,” Lord Quilo said in surprise. “That is why the Situ no longer threaten the Morgar, and the Litari no longer speak ill of the Ragatha. Amazing, simply amazing.”
“What an ingenious way to solve difficulties,” nodded Lord Kiamesh. “Tell me, Lord Patel, how does it work?”
“Quite well actually,” Lord Patel said. “I was quite opposed to the idea at first, as you can imagine, but until now, I have found it enlightening.”
“Why until now?” asked Lord Chenowith.
“Your exposing our arrangements will have consequences, Lord Chenowith,” sighed Lord Marak. “There are some powerful lords who will use this information to my detriment.”
“Perhaps,” nodded Lord Chenowith, “but none of them are in this room.”
“Are you saying that you are willing to keep these arrangements secret?” asked Lord Patel.
“I am,” nodded Lord Chenowith. “I am sorry to put you through this, Lord Marak, but you are asking these lords to put armies under your control. Is it not reasonable that they should know the truth about you?”
“The arrangements have been secret to protect those who have sworn to me more than anything else,” replied Lord Marak. “The hardest part of swearing to another lord is the embarrassment of having lost control of your clan, although those who have sworn to me know that this is not the case. I exercise very little control over the clans. Pride is one of the greatest problems this country faces. It makes it almost impossible for us to unite.”
“Besides,” Lord Patel interjected, “you are not being asked to send troops. The Emperor will not allow it.”
“The night my father died,” Lord Chenowith said, “we talked extensively about this problem on the frontier. We discussed many things, but I finally asked him what he would do to solve the problem. His answer confused me greatly. I had no understanding of his words until I later read his journal.”
“What did he say he would do?” asked Lord Quilo.
“He said he would swear Vows of Service to Lord Marak and march his armies onto the Balomar estate,” declared Lord Chenowith. “That is what I am prepared to do, Lord Marak. I will have thirty cortes ready to depart in the morning.”
“You can’t be serious?” gasped Lord Kiamesh.
“There is no reason for the vows at this point, Lord Chenowith,” smiled Lord Marak. “A provocation has occurred. Your vows are no longer needed to move your troops. The law is with us even if the Emperor is not.”
“You may count on my armies as well, Lord Marak,” declared Lord Quilo. “You not only won the heart of Emperor Bagora, but my son as well. I respect Katzu more than I respect myself. You have just shown your true intent by rejecting vows from Lord Chenowith. I was merely waiting for some sign that your ambitions were truly for the good of Khadora and not yourself. You have provided that proof as Katzu knew you would.”
“Lord Kiamesh?” Lord Patel prompted with a grin on his face.
“You know me well enough, Patel,” smiled Lord Kiamesh. “As long as I do not have to offer vows to Lord Marak, there is little for me to think about. My armies will march for the good of Khadora. I, too, will offer up thirty cortes. I will endeavor to get them ready as soon as possible. Our combined armies will be as the heart of Khadora. We shall pump strength into those areas that need it.”
“We will still be badly outnumbered,” smiled Lord Chenowith, “but no longer are the Jiadin guaranteed victory. Let us show the rest of the country what the future of Khadora looks like. We shall be a nation where clans can work together to help one another.”
Chapter 29
Lord Jamarat
“Yargot,” complained the marshal, “have you no say in what Aakuta does? These Jiadin are savages. They trample our fields and abuse our women. They devour the food so quickly that we will run out of it before long. The Kamaril clan will be penniless within a fortnight.”
“Aakuta is lord of the Kamaril clan,” declared Yargot. “Without him, we would no longer be a clan. Never forget that he saved my life. How can I complain when his men eat our food?”
“He saved your life, but he was well paid for it,” argued the marshal. “Letting him ruin the estate is not serving your people well.”
“I gave my word to him,” Yargot said adamantly. “Would you serve a lord whose word means nothing?”
“No,” conceded the marshal, “but surely you can talk to Aakuta and make him see what these filthy Jiadin are doing?”
“You should be careful of your criticisms of the Jiadin,” warned Yargot. “They do not appear to need much provocation to strike out at us.”
The Kamaril marshal nodded dutifully and sighed in exasperation. He turned and walked out of the room. Yargot also sighed and shook his head. While he had to justify Aakuta’s actions to his people, he also had great concerns for the welfare of the Kamaril people. He summoned up his courage and walked to the meeting room which Aakuta had taken over as his own.
“More complaints?” Aakuta asked without turning to face the door. “Why do you Khadorans whine so much? Do you begrudge the Fakarans the pleasantries you have taken for granted for so long?”
“Must they try to make up for their lack of it all in one day?” quipped Yargot. “An estate is the culmination of generations of hard work. Your Jiadin can tear it down in a fortnight. Can you not talk of moderation with them?”
“You are bold for one so young,” chuckled Aakuta. “While I am capable of controlling the Jiadin, I choose to allow them the simple luxuries of life before they die, which will be soon. Continue to appease your people, young Yargot.”
* * *
“There are great armies heading eastward, Mirakotto,” reported Lord Garic. “The Walkan, Scratti, and Organila armies clog every major road. I think they are heading out to aid Lord Oktar.”
“You will address me as Emperor,” snarled Mirakotto. “Have you no respect for my position?”
“I am sorry,” bowed Lord Garic. “You are indeed the Emperor of Khadora.”
“And don’t forget it,” snapped Mirakotto. “It is not Lord Oktar that they seek to assist. It is Lord Marak. Something must be done about him.”
“I thought you had that taken care of?” questioned Lord Garic.
“Andretti was a fool,” spat Emperor Mirakotto. “We need someone who is close to the Torak lord. He must be caught off guard.”
“Just the mention of assassinating him to the wrong person will cause trouble,” frowned Lord Garic. “We dare not approach a member of the Torak clan. Who else could have close enough access to him to strike a fatal blow?”
“That is what you must find out, Lord Garic,” ordered the Emperor. “Find someone to deal with Lord Marak, and find him quickly.”
* * *
Lord Oktar joined Lord Marak on the tall hill overlooking the Balomar estate.
“There are so many of them,” frowned Lord Oktar. “We can never hope to hold them off. Marshal Berman said they began arriving a couple of days ago.”
“They must have had orders before the Assembly of Lords,” sighed Lord Marak. “It is as I suspected. You can see the Vessi coming in from the north and the Lejune from the south. There is little doubt to their intentions. They plan to annihilate everyone on the Balomar estate. It is time to move your people away from here.”
“How?” asked Lord Oktar. “And where will they go?”
“There are wagons arriving everyday with food from my estates,” Lord Marak pointed out. “Start filling those wagons with people for the return trip. The wagons will become more numerous now that we have convinced several other clans to send armies here. They must be fed as well.”
“I am still amazed that you managed to convince them to send troops,” Lord Oktar said. “When will they arrive?”
“Soon, I hope,” replied Lord Marak. “Great armies cannot move with the speed of a single squad. They should start arriving in a few days.”