“I am sure,” replied Lord Padro. “Would you expect them to acknowledge us and give away our surprise? I just hope that you and Lord Sydar have lined up enough support for this vote. We will not get a second chance.”
“I spoke with many clans,” replied Lord Sydar. “We will have the votes that we need. There are many lords that have borders with the Chula. Not a one of them wants to give up the land.”
“I agree,” Lord Woroman nodded vigorously. “As long as they don’t have to be the one to bring the motion up for consideration, they will all vote for it.”
“Then this will be a most interesting session of the Assembly of Lords,” grinned Lord Padro. “I hope the Emperor attends. I want to watch his face as he realizes that he has just lost his grip on Khadora.”
The members of the Lords’ Council filed into the room, and the high level of chatter immediately died. While the members of the Lords’ Council took their seats, Lord Patel continued onward to stand on the stage.
“Patel will be leading the meeting,” Lord Woroman remarked softly. “It looks like the Emperor will not be coming.”
Unbeknown to Lord Woroman, Emperor Marak had been sitting in the seat reserved for the Torak clan at the far rear of the chamber. Emperor Marak dropped his air tunnel and rose from his seat. He exited the rear of the chamber where a full squad of Imperial soldiers stood waiting for him.
On the stage, Lord Patel slowly gazed across the faces of the assembled lords. As he delayed to give Marak time to get around to the door at the rear of the stage, he smiled and nodded to several old friends in the audience. When the murmurs in the room rose to an audible level, Lord Patel intentionally coughed loudly to get everyone’s attention.
“Greetings to the members of the Assembly of Lords,” Lord Patel said loudly. “I am pleased that you were all able to make this session. It is an important one. While the Emperor often gives an opening statement at these meetings, the members of the Lords’ Council have agreed to change our format somewhat. Our intention was to allow lords to present motions and vote on them before allowing the Emperor to speak, but I notice that no requests for motions have been submitted.”
“What is he talking about?” snapped Lord Padro as his eyes glared at the eastern lords. “Lord Ratwa told me that he filed a request to speak last night.”
“Lord Sebba told me the same when I spoke to him last night,” agreed Lord Woroman. “Something is not right here.”
“Where is Rymaka?” asked Lord Sydar. “Someone else is sitting in his chair.”
Lord Padro swiveled to see the area where the Pikata clan sat. He frowned at what he saw.
“That is the Bursar Wicado,” Lord Padro said with confusion. “What is a bursar doing in a lord’s chair?”
“So,” Lord Patel continued, “It is with great pleasure that I present Emperor Marak, Emperor of Khadora.”
“You have to do something,” urged Lord Sydar. “All of our work is coming to naught. Make the motion yourself.”
“Are you mad?” snapped Lord Padro as he rose from his seat. “I am not going to present the motion, but I will let Patel know that he missed one that was requested.”
The Rican lord shouted Patel’s name loudly as the door at the rear of the stage opened. Twenty Imperial soldiers swept onto the stage and fanned out to present a backdrop of white. Emperor Marak strode into the room, resplendent in a formal gown of white and gold. The members of the Lords’ Council immediately rose and began applauding as the Emperor walked forward. Soon, many members of the Assembly of Lords also rose and began clapping. The noise drowned out Lord Padro’s call.
Emperor Marak stopped walking and gazed out over the assembled lords. He smiled broadly and nodded to the lords. When the applause finally died down and everyone had sat down, the Emperor signaled for Lord Patel to approach. He spoke too softly for anyone to hear, although everyone wondered what was being said. Unexpectedly, Emperor Marak stepped back a few paces and Lord Patel reclaimed the front of the stage.
“I understand that during the Emperor’s entrance that I missed a lord standing with a call to speak,” announced Lord Patel. “Will that lord stand and state his question?”
Lord Padro looked around nervously, but he finally rose.
“Lord Patel,” the Rican lord said loudly, “it was my understanding that several motions were to be presented today, yet you have stated that none were pending. Could you recheck?”
Lord Patel smiled tightly as his eyes focused on the rebel lord. “Lord Padro,” he replied, “there were several requests to speak this morning, but they have been withdrawn. Would the Lord of the Rican clan like to address the Assembly of Lords? I am sure that the Emperor would not mind waiting.”
Lord Padro’s eyes narrowed in confusion and perspiration dampened his body. His eyes shot glares at the eastern lords, but they were pointedly ignoring him.
“Perhaps at another time,” Lord Padro replied as he sat back down.
“Why didn’t you make the motion?” asked Lord Sydar. “We can’t vote on a motion that has not been offered.”
“Why don’t you stand and offer it?” snapped the Rican lord. “I will not call the Emperor’s attention to myself. That is what those traitorous eastern lords were supposed to do.”
“Obviously,” Lord Woroman said softly, “someone got to them. I wonder how much of the plot they revealed?”
“As if you have anything to worry about,” scowled Lord Padro. “I was the one who spoke to the eastern lords. If they spilled their guts, it would have been my name that they revealed. I am beginning to feel ill.”
“But all of the lords that we convinced to vote for the motion will blame us,” frowned Lord Sydar. “One of us must present the motion.”
“Go for it,” retorted Lord Padro. “Stick your head on the chopping block. I will be busy trying to find a way to hold onto my land as defined by the boundaries that I submitted. Let the rest of you fend for yourselves.”
Lord Sydar fidgeted as he weighed the risks of making a stand. Lord Patel still stood at the edge of the stage, his eyes roving over the crowd to see if anyone else wished to speak.
“If there are no further calls to speak,” Lord Patel stated loudly, “I shall turn this meeting over to the Emperor.”
Lord Patel waited a few moments for someone to rise. No one did as Lord Sydar sunk lower into his seat. The Nordon lord turned and bowed low to Emperor Marak. Patel then left the stage and took his seat in the Assembly of Lords.
Emperor Marak had looked as if he was merely fidgeting as his hands moved, but he had woven an air tunnel to listen to the conversation occurring in the rear of the chamber. He smiled broadly as Lord Patel left the stage. He dropped his air tunnel and stepped forward to speak.
Chapter 19
Of Neighbors and Spies
The Assembly of Lords fell quiet as the Emperor prepared to speak. The Emperor began with a smile, but concern soon etched into his face.
“There is much to cover today,” he began, “as this will probably be the last Assembly of Lords meeting before our country is embroiled in a long and deadly war. By now, most of your troops have been to Khadoratung for training. Those that have not must arrive here soon. If you have troops that have not yet been trained, send them. The limit of two cortes per estate has been eliminated. Lord Jamarat has told me of the improvements made by your soldiers. He is extremely pleased, and so am I. You should be proud of your men. They will stand tall for Khadora.”
The Torak noticed more than one smile on the faces of the lords. If anything pleased a Khadoran lord more than gold, it was praise for the strength of his armies.
“I have also heard from many of you this week about your increases in productivity and prosperity,” smiled the Emperor. “You are beginning to learn that free men are much more valuable to an estate than slaves are. For those of you who have not yet seen the improvements, you will soon. I would not ask anything of a Khadoran lord that I would not do myself. I know wha
t your results will be. I also know what the total effect on the country will be. Khadora will be a more united country than it has ever been before in history.”
Again the Emperor gauged the effects of his speech. Not as many lords were smiling as were at his mention of strong armies, but he was pleased to notice that over half of the lords were nodding in agreement. His reforms were slowly being accepted.
“On the matters of religion and justice,” the Emperor continued, “each of our five major cities now hosts a temple to Kaltara and a regional court. I urge the lords of Khadora to start making use of both. I have selected retired Lords’ Council mediators as our first judges. They are men of renowned impartiality, and they will rule on cases according to our laws, and not according to a clan’s status or familiarity. All cases involving inter-clan disputes, should first ask for a settlement from the nearest court. That settlement can be appealed to the Lords’ Council if you feel that the hearing was not fair and impartial. The services of the Lords’ Council mediators will still be available, but there should be less call for them as the court system grows.”
The lords were listening intently and with respect. Emperor Marak smiled inwardly at the change in temperament that had occurred since he became Emperor.
“As for the temples,” Emperor Marak continued, “they still remain unused by many. I know that embracing Kaltara is hard for many of you, but I urge you to try it with an open mind. Our nation grew up spurning religion as a belief of the dimwitted and timid, but nothing can be farther from the truth. Kaltara can carry us to victory over the evil that will soon engulf us, but why should He bother? If Khadorans cannot be bothered to open their hearts to Him, should He spare the lives of you and your loved ones? He might in any event,” Emperor Marak sighed, “but why take that chance? Go to the nearest temple and speak to the priest. Let him educate you on the ways of Kaltara. You have nothing to lose but a few moments of your time. If you are afraid of appearing weak and timid to your neighbors, let me dissuade you from those thoughts. Every member of the Lords’ Council, as well as myself, pray daily to Kaltara. You will not find a weak or timid lord among us.”
Murmurs of surprise rippled through the assembled lords. Many an eyebrow rose at the Emperor’s revelation, and Marak saw the heads of the members of the Lords’ Council nodding vigorously as lords around them asked for verification. The Emperor waited patiently for the noise to die down.
“There is one area of the reforms that has not gone well,” the Emperor declared with a frown. “That is the area of border disputes. While every border between the clans of Khadora has been settled on, the claims on land held by the Chula are still in dispute. I think the reason for this is clear to all of you. When a border dispute occurs between two clans, they can sit down and discuss it between themselves, or with a third party such as a Lords’ Council mediator. This same process has not been used with your Chula neighbors. While many of your claims on Chula lands are relatively minor, some are egregious in extent. That issue must be addressed today.”
Again murmurs rippled through the assembled lords. Many lords turned in their seats to gaze upon the eastern frontier lords, but those lords lowered their eyes and stared at the floor before them.
“There was a lord standing for recognition when I walked in,” the Emperor continued. “I believe it was Lord Padro of the Rican clan. Lord Padro, please come and join me on the stage.”
Lord Padro twitched nervously as the Emperor called out his name. He tried to sink further into his chair, but the call to the stage could not be refused. Every head in the room turned to watch the Rican lord rise and walk to the stage. Emperor Marak smiled tautly as Lord Padro approached him.
“Lord Padro,” smiled the Emperor, “you asked about motions that were supposed to be presented today. Is that correct?”
“I had heard about motions that were to be presented today,” nodded the Rican lord. “I was curious why they were not presented.”
“I can well imagine that you were curious,” Emperor Marak smiled tightly, “seeing the amount of effort you put into promoting those motions.”
“Me?” balked Lord Padro. “I am certainly interested in the motions, but I had no plans to offer one.”
“Of course not,” smiled the Emperor. “That dirty task was to fall to others to protect yourself.”
“It is not a dirty task to make a motion in the Assembly of Lords,” retorted Lord Padro. “Those motions were to reclaim our country from the reforms that you have forced upon us. There was nothing illegal about the motions. The motions were founded on ancient law, but those laws are still applicable today.”
“I have no problem with ancient laws,” retorted the Emperor, “but your moves were intended to tear down this country at its time of greatest need. While you and your fellow lords were scheming and plotting, the entire city of Duran was annihilated just south of the Kalatung Mountains. Our enemy killed every man, woman, and child found in the city of Duran. There was no talk of surrender. There were no negotiations. There was only a brutal and vicious slaughter.”
Gasps broke out all over the chamber, as the lords understood the meaning of the Emperor’s words. For several long minutes the chamber whirled with talk of the attack and what it might mean to Khadora. The Emperor waited patiently for the noise to subside before continuing.
“The enemy that we face will give no quarter in this war,” Emperor Marak continued. “If there was ever a time in the history of Khadora for the clans to unite, it is now. If there was ever a time to put aside our differences with our neighbors, both foreign and domestic, it is this moment in time. I have spoken with the Sakovans, the Fakarans, the Qubari, and the Chula. Each and every one of them understands the danger that we are all in. Only in Khadora do I see the petty bickering that has gone on for centuries.”
The chamber grew deathly quiet as the lords realized how angry the Emperor had become over the boundary disputes.
“Before we can join with our neighbors to form a defense against Vand and his evil,” declared the Emperor, “we have to resolve our differences here in Khadora. As these claims to Chula land came across my desk, I wondered how we would ever resolve them. It was you, Lord Padro, who supplied the answer.”
“Me?” balked the Rican lord. “What do you mean?”
“Your desire to use our ancient laws to secure land that you know does not belong to you, awakened me to the solution,” replied the Emperor. “I visited and spoke with the Chula chieftain of the tribe that borders your estate. The lands that you are attempting to claim have never been seeded. They have never been harvested, or cleared, or inhabited by any member of your clan. In short, you have no legal claim to the land other than your word.”
“That should be enough,” retorted Lord Padro. “I am a Khadoran lord, not a savage.”
“There is an ancient Khadoran law that you might not be familiar with,” Emperor Marak stated as he signaled one of his Imperial soldiers. “The law is specifically intended to resolve disputes between neighbors, although it has not been used in hundreds of years.”
Excited whispers tore through the lords as they watched an Imperial soldier wheel out a large cart. Positioned on the cart were the weapons of war. Daggers, short swords, long swords, and two-handed swords were set on the cart in pairs.
“The law, Lord Padro,” continued the Emperor as he walked over to the cart and picked up two maps, “calls for a fight to the death to resolve the differences. These maps represent your claims of land versus the claims stated by Grundar, chieftain of the Sookie tribe,” he said as he handed the maps to the Rican lord. “You will notice that there is a huge discrepancy in the maps. That is what you will be fighting for.”
“Preposterous,” snapped Lord Padro as he started backing away from the Emperor. “I will not fight you for my rightful lands. You have nothing to do with this dispute. My claim is not against the Torak clan. You have no right to interfere.”
“Oh,” Emperor Marak smiled as he s
hook his head and sent another signal to the Imperial soldiers, “you misunderstand me. I am not challenging you to a fight, Lord Padro. That would be exceedingly unfair to you as I am not a party to the dispute. It is Chief Grundar who has demanded satisfaction under our laws.”
An Imperial soldier opened the door at the rear of the stage. A huge bear of a man walked through, his eyes immediately scanning the contents of the room. The man wore nothing but a loincloth and a necklace of teeth. Despite the Chula’s large size, his skin did not quiver and sag when he walked, but rather flexed solidly as he made his way towards the Emperor and the table of weapons.
“Lord Padro,” smiled the Emperor, “I would like you to meet Grundar, Chieftain of the Sookie tribe. He is your neighbor, and it is his lands that you covet. Choose your weapons, and may the rightful claim prevail.”
Grundar smiled and picked up a heavy two-handed sword as if it were a feather. He twirled the weapon around as only an expert could. Lord Padro’s eyes bulged, and his face paled as he stared at the giant and the sword he carried. He slowly backed away until he was in danger of falling off the stage. Emperor Marak’s hand streaked out and grabbed the Rican lord, helping him away from the edge.
“Careful, Lord Padro,” the Emperor said with a smile. “We don’t want you falling off the stage before your bout begins.”
“I will not fight that thing,” Lord Padro said, his arms shaking visibly. “I refuse. You cannot make me fight him.”
“No, I can’t,” shrugged the Emperor, “but he has asserted his rights under our laws. If you do not fight him, you lose all rights to the disputed lands by default. The choice, however, is entirely yours.”
Lord Padro tried to control his trembling body, but he could not. Amidst the jeers and taunts of the other lords, Lord Padro fled from the stage. The Rican lord did not return to his seat, but continued his flight out of the chamber. Grundar sighed and returned the sword to the table. Emperor Marak waited for the noise to quiet before continuing.
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