“Think about it during the meeting,” grinned Lord Marak. “We will talk about it again.”
Lord Marak turned and strode into the meeting room. Kasa hurried after him as he went to the head of the table and stood looking around at the assembled guests. All conversations died when Lord Marak entered the room and the lords, who all owed allegiance to Lord Marak, looked to him with anticipation. Lord Marak smiled inwardly as he saw Fisher slip into the room and close the doors.
“Thank you all for coming here today,” smiled Lord Marak as he addressed the assembled lords. “I apologize for not being available to greet each of you individually, but other matters demanded my attention. In fact, another one of my caravans was ambushed.”
The room was abuzz with whispers and murmurings when Lord Marak mentioned the ambush. He let it continue for a short while and then brought order to the meeting.
“I called you all here today to get news of how your estates are prospering,” Lord Marak said. “I would like to hear from each of you and then we can discuss things that affect all of us. If you would begin, Lord Rybak.”
For several hours, the lords of the Torak, Sorgan, Ragatha, Situ, and Litari clans gave reports on the status of their estates. Each of the clans had sworn Vows of Service to Lord Marak and were, in effect, one large clan. Lord Marak had kept the identities of the clans separate, and the rest of Khadora was unaware of the arrangements. This maneuver allowed Lord Marak to control five seats in the Assembly of Lords. When the reports were completed, Lord Marak addressed the lords.
“This month is the annual Assembly of Lords,” he began. “I have never been to one of these meetings before, and I will probably be at a loss as to what proper procedures are. Any hints of proper decorum from those of you who have attended it in the past would be most welcomed.”
“I would advise against you attending the Assembly of Lords,” stated Lord Burdine of the Litari clan. “The Assembly has little real power, and I have heard your name mentioned more than once from merchants calling upon me. This is not a good sign, Lord Marak. One rule in Khadora that is never spoken of, but one that we must all live by, is do not get noticed too much. Small lords are easily crushed in Khadora, and with no disrespect meant, you are a small lord. Even if it was known that you controlled all five of these clans, you would still be a gnat on the face of Khadora.”
“Nonsense,” blustered Lord Quavry of the Sorgan clan. “I have not heard any such inquiries, and I deal with a great many merchants. “Besides, I am sure that you would like to impress upon the rest of Khadora the need for us to rid ourselves of our slaves. I would be happy to join my escort with yours if you think there may be problems.”
Lord Rybak, like Lord Marak, had never attended a meeting of the Assembly of Lords, so the leader of the Torak clan looked expectantly to Lord Sevrin of the Ragatha clan.
“Lord Burdine’s words are accurate,” declared Lord Sevrin. “There would be great risk to you in attending the Assembly of Lords. However, I think there is much to be gained by you going. As you know, I was skeptical of swearing Vows of Service to you, Lord Marak. Your ideas seemed ridiculous, especially the abolition of slavery. I have learned since that time that your ideas are exactly what Khadora needs to prosper. As you heard when I gave my report, my estates have blossomed under your new rules. I think a case should be made in the Assembly of Lords for the abolition of all slavery in Khadora. I am willing to make that case for you, should you feel that the personal danger to yourself is too great, but I cannot think of a better spokesman than the person who had the vision in the first place.”
“Do you think there is a chance that the Assembly of Lords would actually listen to such an appeal, Lord Sevrin?” asked Lord Marak.
“Listen?” mused Lord Sevrin. “They will listen. I doubt that they will agree, but I have found that if you keep hammering on the same subject each year, eventually you can get a decent chance to make your point. We have to start somewhere.”
“You will be sticking your nose in a bee’s hive,” Lord Burdine shook his head. “I agree with Lord Sevrin’s sentiments, but I think he underestimates the danger. The Lords’ Council is not something to mess with, and they do keep a close eye on the Assembly of Lords. It is really the Lords’ Council that sets the rules. By speaking openly in the Assembly of Lords about abolishing slavery, you will be poking a stick in the eye of each of the members of the Lords’ Council. Their estates are the largest and the most dependent upon slaves. They will see you as a threat to their way of life.”
“Perhaps Lord Burdine is correct,” Lord Sevrin admitted. “I have gotten my points across before by being stubborn and continually raising the issues, but slavery may very well be a special case. I am afraid that I did not think through the danger inherent in such a speech.”
“Lord Marak is not a whimpering lord who runs and hides from danger,” chided Lord Quavry. “Besides, he would reside in the Imperial Palace for the duration of the Assembly of Lords meeting days. None would dare to touch him in that setting. There is no safer place in all of Khadora.”
Lord Marak raised his hand for silence as his eyes scanned the faces around the table. He thought back on the long road that had brought him to his position of relative prominence in the frontier of Khadora. Finally, he nodded, more to himself than to anyone else.
“I will be going to the Assembly of Lords,” declared Lord Marak. “The reforms that we have started out here on the frontier are too important to be ignored. I do expect each of you to support me when I speak to the other lords in Khadoratung. One last item before we adjourn. I do not want any contracts negotiated between now and when I issue new pricing instructions.”
“How long will that be?” asked Lord Rybak of the Situ clan.
“I am not sure,” answered Lord Marak. “I will let you know when I have decided.”
The assembled lords all looked to Lord Marak with questioning gazes, but the lord of the Torak clan left the table and the meeting room. He walked swiftly to his private office and sat behind his desk. He went through the stack of contracts that Kasa had left on his desk, but his mind was on other things. Thirty minutes later, Fisher quietly entered the office and closed the door.
“What did you think?” asked Lord Marak.
“Too early to tell,” answered Fisher, “but I think Lord Quavry was anxious for you to attend the meeting, and not for the same reasons as Lord Sevrin.”
“I doubt that Lord Quavry has ever fully embraced my reforms,” nodded Lord Marak. “How do we find out for sure?”
“We watch and listen,” shrugged Fisher.
“Not good enough,” declared Lord Marak. “If Lord Quavry is working against me, I want him replaced before the Assembly of Lords meeting.”
“So you really are planning on going,” Fisher said with surprise. “I thought you were just fishing for reactions.”
“I must go,” Lord Marak stated. “Lord Sevrin is correct about the need to constantly raise the question before those who rule Khadora. A great evil is coming, Fisher. Khadora cannot stand against it if we are divided.”
“Perhaps preparing Khadora for our enemy is more important than your reforms,” suggested the spy. “Perhaps you should not pursue the slavery issue.”
“I see the uniting of Khadora and slavery as the same thing,” retorted the Torak lord. “We cannot be a united people when some of us own the others. Besides, we will need battle mages to survive. I do not know what kind of creature Veltar was, but there is no doubt that he was a magician.”
“You think he was not human?” inquired Fisher.
“He disappeared when he was struck down,” sighed Lord Marak, “much like the hellsouls in Angragar. I do not know if he was human or not, but he was magical.”