“Of the Society of Magic?” gasped Lortar. “You choose some powerful enemies, Tamar. I have never trusted that man. What do you want us to do?”
“I plan to get the princesses out of the prison so that they cannot be executed,” declared Tamar. “I need your help. I will not lie to you. This mission could very well mean the death of all of us, but I believe in the Prophecies of Kieran. I have always stood to offer my life in the defense of Elvangar, and that is exactly what I am doing now. Will you aid me?”
“Without question,” nodded Fengri.
“Count me in,” agreed Lortar.
“Continue with your duties while I gather some more men,” Tamar said. “I will call for you shortly. Be prepared for battle.”
Fengri and Lortar saluted and left the office. When they opened the door, Rattal was standing outside of it. Tamar saw him and beckoned him in.
“Close the door,” ordered Tamar. “We need to talk.”
“I found my sword,” Rattal said scornfully. “I thought you would want to know.”
“Your sword?” Tamar asked innocently. “Had you lost it?”
“I am no fool,” sneered Rattal as he crossed the room to stand in front of Tamar. “I may not have seen you hit me, but I know it was you.”
Too fast for Rattal to react, Tamar pulled his belt knife and held it to Rattal’s throat.
“Ah, but you are a fool, Rattal,” Tamar smiled menacingly. “If you plan to shadow someone you should at least have the skill to do so without being noticed. Let me explain some facts of life to you. The queen fancies me as a potential husband. That is why she has sent you to follow me. Given the circumstances, ask yourself who will prevail if the queen must decide that one of us must die and the other must live.”
“What are you talking about?” Rattal asked nervously as he realized the truth about the queen’s motives. “Why would one of us have to die?”
“Because that is where this game will end,” replied Tamar. “Do you really think it logical that she would reward you if you found nothing to report about me? And would she then reward you if what you did find out about me dashed her dreams of matrimony? There is no way that you come out a winner in this game, Rattal.”
“I have little choice but to follow the queen’s orders,” retorted Rattal.
“Not exactly true,” smiled Tamar. “I am still your commanding officer. I can give you an order that requires your extended absence from Morada. If you are willing to accept such an order, this issue between us can be forgotten by all.”
“I cannot just ignore the queen,” frowned Rattal. “Even if you ordered me out of the city, I am duty bound to see her first. She will cancel your orders.”
“That would normally be true,” nodded Tamar, “but you will be denied access to the palace today. The queen will not be able to fault you for your failure to check with her.”
“I was already denied entrance,” sighed Rattal. “Where will you send me?”
Tamar sheathed his knife and walked to his desk. He scribbled a note and handed it to Rattal.
“It is a nice position,” smiled Tamar. “You will be in charge of inspecting all of the outlying defenses. You will be gone from the city for some time. No one need know anything about our little discussion here. Is that acceptable?”
Rattal frowned and nodded silently. He turned and left the office. Tamar waited a few minutes before leaving his office in search of more soldiers to stand for the princesses.
* * *
Eltor watched Caldal position himself in the busy market. Caldal selected the intersection of the two busiest aisles of the market. People moved by him in every direction. Eltor smiled and started running towards his friend.
“Caldal,” shouted Eltor, “have you heard the news?”
Everyone turned to see what the excitement was. The passersby slowed at first and then halted as Eltor stopped in front of Caldal and talked loudly.
“The Prophecies of Kieran are coming true,” declared Eltor. “The lost princesses have returned to Elvangar. I have heard that they are already in the city.”
“Here in Morada?” Caldal asked excitedly.
“Yes, yes,” Eltor replied excitedly. “At last the Time of Calling has come. How great this day is for Elvangar. To imagine that we would live in the Time of Calling and witness all that the great Kieran prophesized come true.”
“Let’s go find the lost princesses,” Caldal said excitedly. “There will be great jubilation in Elvangar tonight.”
At that, Eltor and Caldal ran off together. The crowd in the intersection and beyond began to buzz with a thousand conversations. People asked what the Time of Calling was, and who the lost princesses were. Not many elves had the answers to those questions, but everyone was excited that something great was happening in Elvangar.
Not far away, at the library, Anija was looking at the collection of old scrolls that were maintained for the public. It was a historical section that offered the public copies of major historical documents. From the dust on the shelves, not many elves cared to read historical documents. She found the section set aside for the great Kieran. There were copies of poems that he had written, and copies of many of the laws he passed as king.
Anija looked around to see if anyone was near before pulling a copy of Garl’s scroll out and placing it on the shelf. She placed it right next to a copy of the earliest of the Prophecies of Kieran. Anija smiled inwardly and started to leave the library. Before she could exit the building, she heard a woman talking to the librarian.
“Where can I find the Prophecies of Kieran?” the woman asked.
“That would be in the historical section near the back,” replied the librarian.
Anija grinned and left the library. As she walked down the short flight of steps, a dozen people were rushing up them. None of them were running, but they were all walking as fast as they could without appearing to be in a hurry.
* * *
Volox walked into the meeting room of the Council of Elders. He stared briefly at the empty chair where his good friend Vitalora should be sitting. Malid sat at the center of the table tapping his fingers anxiously. Behind him stood Karaza, Head of the Society of Magic. Volox had not expected to see the mage in the meeting. He frowned deeply as he sat down in his assigned chair.
“Now that we are all here,” sighed Malid, “we can get this nasty business out of the way.”
“Nasty business?” asked Volox. “Have I missed something?”
“You will be informed in due time, Volox,” replied Malid. “I would like to call this meeting to order.”
“That is not possible,” objected Volox. “The chamber is not empty of spectators.”
“Karaza is the Head of the Society of Mages in case you didn’t recognize him,” Malid sighed heavily. “He is the one who called this meeting.”
“I do recognize the distinguished mage,” Volox nodded politely to Karaza, “but I am also familiar with the rules of this Council. No spectators are allowed to observe the proceedings without the authorization of the full Council.”
“Karaza is not a spectator,” scowled Malid. “He is representing the queen in a serious matter.”
“Oh?” retorted Volox. “It must be a very serious matter indeed for the queen to interfere in our proceedings, but since when is the Society of Mages a substitute for the queen?”
“There has been an attempted assassination of the queen today,” snapped Malid. “This body has to hold a trial of the accused. Why are you bringing up such petty rules?”
“An assassination attempt?” gasped Volox. “This is unheard of. By all means we should commence a discussion about this immediately. I request that you clear the room of spectators so that we can begin. I know the rules may seem petty to you at the moment, but the rules were put in place for sound reasons. Let the esteemed Head of the Society of Mages wait in the adjoining room where he will be available when we need to call on him.”