by Vic Broquard
After a long pause, Baron Clav asked, “So Archmage Karel, Baron Zoran, are these special weapons of yours for sale or are you hoarding them? Obviously, many of us here would love to get their hands on such weapons to defend our own people. Can Archmage Karel perhaps share his methods of such weapon creation with our other Archmages? After all, this is a crisis that we are facing.”
Again, murmurs hummed around the room. Obviously, every baron here wanted to get his hands on some of these dragon slayer blades and for good reasons, most likely. Archmage Karel knew better than to answer these questions. They were politically motivated. Baron Clav, for example, had been behind the reds attacking Adapazan. He turned instinctively to Zoran.
All eyes stared or glared at Zoran. Silence hung like an albatross around his neck. Never before had he been in such a politically sensitive arena. He knew that he had to answer these questions with great care and wished that his uncles were still alive and here — they would know just the right way to answer the questions. He sighed and said, “Look, you have to understand a few things. First, as I understand the construction of these enchanted blades, only the very finest blades are capable of even being slightly enchanted. For years now, we have been seeking out the finest blades in the Federation. Let me tell you, they are hard to find. This alone keeps such weapons from being mass produced.”
“Secondly, once Archmage Karel has a blade of sufficiently high quality to enchant, it takes him several weeks to work his magic on it. Also, to make the dragon slayer weapons, as I understand the process, it requires blood from that type of dragon for which it is to be enchanted to slay. Obtaining dragon blood is no easy task. Even with the blood at hand, Archmage Karel needs more time to continue the enchantment process. In short, these blades are not only very rare but also take a long time to manufacture. The cost to him of even one such blade is quite high. It is not like we have thousands of these enchanted blades sitting in my armory on Adapazan, barons. If I did have thousands, I would not hesitate to divvy them up among all of you. Lord knows, we need to be able to protect our people.”
“Further, my Master Swordsman, Dana Aceda, tells me that the blade must be matched with its wielder for a blade to achieve its maximum impact. Too heavy, too light, wrong grip — all these combine to make any given weapon far less effective than it might be if it was in the right hands. These cautions in mind and subject to further actions taken by this High Council on additional related matters to be discussed later on in our meetings, I am willing to share what we do have with all of you, but the blade must be matched to its wielder. I will not compromise on that detail, barons.”
Barons Leo and Stefan began clapping. Soon the room echoed with applause. That he was willing to share these vital weapons was most welcomed by all. Zoran eyed his enemy Baron Karl and saw the first-ever nod of appreciation for something that he said. Perhaps, Zoran thought, the ice between us is finally breaking.
Zoran added, “I will expect those who can afford these weapons to pay for them so that we can recover our expenses and be able to make more of them. However, I am well aware that some of the “have-not” worlds may be unable to afford them. If so, I will see that you get them anyway. We all face a common foe.”
“That is only fair,” Baron Leo spoke up and another round of applause broke out.
“Further, I will speak with Archmage Karel about his willingness to share the manufacturing details with other Archmages. Perhaps we can offer a master class in such weapon construction.” This brought yet a third round of applause.
“Okay, okay. I believe that we need to move on,” Baron Alvaro attempted to regain control of his meeting. “Now then, we have a number of special requests to address. Baron Gang Meerong of Jing wishes to launch a formal protest. Baron,” he motioned to Gang and sat down, checking this item off of his list of topics.
Baron Gang rose. “Yes, my father, Baron Chen, first brought the Green Dragons to Jing some twenty years ago. He made a pact with them and all has been well between our races for some years. However, our sisters, Chan and Wen, for reasons of their own, have been attacking and murdering many of our Green Dragon guests. At last count, they have murdered nineteen Green Dragons.”
He was summarily interrupted by cheering and applause, which took him quite by surprise. Such was not what he either wanted or expected. Gang continued. “Over the years, we have put a price on our sister’s heads for these murders. Recently, the greens and I laid a trap to finally capture our sisters and hold them accountable for their murdering rampage. However, they miraculously escaped and took refuge on Adapazan with Baron Zoran. I visited him and requested that he return them to Jing so they could stand trial, but he declared that he had given them sanctuary on Adapazan. I have come here today to request that the High Council order Baron Zoran to hand over these two criminals, Chan and Wen Meerong, to me so that they can stand trial for their murderous rampage.” He sat down, counting on the High Council to approve his request. He looked smugly at Zoran, basking in his presumed victory.
Baron Leo spoke up, “Baron Gang, are you nuts? Chan and Wen have killed nineteen of these foul dragons! My god, man! No one in the Federation has slain that many! You should be giving them medals for extreme heroism!”
“You got to be kidding, right Baron Gang?” Baron Gaspard of Gonda added.
“Surely you are making a joke?” asked Baron Chua of Isi.
“This is a jest, right?” said Baron Karl of Gerde.
“You can’t be serious, baron. We need all of the experienced dragon fighters we can possibly get!” declared Baron John from Terra. “Now more than ever.”
Baron Gang looked around the tables at the faces of the other barons. Hastily, he retracted his request. “Yes, I made a joke.” His face was beet red; his unexpected defeat, total. Zoran relaxed.
Clearing his throat, Baron Alvaro said, “Next item. It seems that many of our worlds have been experiencing random dragon attacks. However, they may not be random any longer. I have asked Mage Jarka Dragon to give us her analysis of the situation that she discovered on Adapazan. As several of you barons know, she gave this presentation to you, and you subsequently found correlating data on your planets. Mage Jarka, you have the floor.”
For the first time, Jarka found herself nervous. Never before had she been called upon to address the full High Council. She rose, her cheeks turning as red as her dress. She conjured up her enormous charts. Taking a deep breath, she launched into her speech, the same one that she had delivered several times before. Soon, her nervousness evaporated as she went painstakingly through every detail. “So as you can clearly see, at first, the attacks were infrequent and basically random in nature. However, from the chart, you can obviously see that during this period here, the attacks are anything but random, targeting gemstone shipments.”
She went on to describe what had been learned about them, including the role that Baron Clav had, much to his embarrassment. Next, she outlined the newest extortion attempts being made in which a whole village was wiped out and the dragons then demanding a pile of gems to prevent them from wiping out additional villages. She outlined the approach being taken of manufacturing diamonds magically from quartz crystals and that so far, these had been accepted. Some commented that the dragons must not be as intelligent as they had previously thought, but she ignored such suggestions.
“Now then, I will turn the discussion over to Barons Leo and Stefan, who have extended my research to their planets,” she ended up. As she sat down, she too received a round of applause. Next, Leo and Stefan both presented similar charts to the ones that Jarka had shown, proving the attacks on Gladno and Valtr were following the same pattern as on Adapazan. Before others could add their observations, the meeting broke for their two hour lunch.
Of course, Zoran, Zdenka, Karel, and Jarka were besieged by the other barons, baronesses, and Archmages. Most barons wanted to confirm that Zoran was serious about sharing the enchanted weapons and their making with others, wh
ile the Archmages had more specific questions about the breaking of the dragon’s magical resistance phenomenon. Several barons wanted Jarka to visit them and help them see if there was a pattern to the dragon attacks on their worlds. The two hours passed rapidly, with the four barely able to get the chance to dine themselves.
The afternoon session picked up where they had left off, with several other barons also pointing out the non-randomness of the recent dragon attacks. Several others had also undergone similar extortion attacks, which came as no surprise now. One by one, the many barons began to see the overall picture.
Late afternoon, before Baron Alvaro could move on to the next topic, Baron Clav interrupted. “Excuse me, baron. May I say a few words on Rehor’s behalf?”
“Certainly, baron. You have the floor.” Alvaro sat down, curious about just what Clav would have to say. Certainly he had a lot of explaining to do. The evidence was mounting that he had been behind some of these attacks on Adapazan and several other allied planets.
“Barons, baronesses, Archmages. I wish to confess. Yes, I was behind a number of the earlier raids upon several of your planets, just as Mage Jarka Dragon has so cleverly discovered. You all know the history between Rehor and Adapazan and Zoran, who deprived us of our allied planet. I was to have been its baron; my throne was stolen from me by Zoran some twenty years ago. Yes, there is much ill will between us, as well as several of you “haves” worlds. Rehor is a “have-not” world, a mountainous world, where we can barely eke out a living. Yes, initially I struck a deal with some Red Dragons to rob gem shipments. Please note, we only robbed gem shipments and hardly anyone was physically harmed in the process. I only wanted to get funds that our people need to purchase the high priced grains from you that we must have to survive the long, harsh winters on Rehor. That is my sole defense.”
“However, I admit that I was a total fool in believing that I could hold honest deals with the Red Dragons. I too have been utterly betrayed by these foul beasts. They attack our people as well as yours. I have had nothing to do with the mass slaughter of innocent villages that have been occurring recently. We only raided gem shipments. Baron Zoran is a bigger man than I am. I came here today fully expecting him to deny me and my people any and all magical weapons with which to defeat these foul beasts from Hell. Yet, he has given us all his word to share his enchanted weapons with all of us. I would like to take this time to apologize to Baron Zoran and the others from whom I have stolen a few gemstone shipments. I am sorry that I ever stuck bargains with the red devils to do that. However, what is past is past. I urge us all to let the past be in the past. Today, we face a common enemy, the dragons. I believe that we are all going to have to work together if we humans are to survive. Thank you.” He sat down. The room was silent. No one had expected or even predicted such a speech!
Baron Alvaro looked at the list of topics, drawing a line through this one much further down on the agenda, and then stared over to Zoran, unsure what to do or say. Zoran had not predicted this political bombshell from his enemy. Yet, his enemy had apologized and acknowledged his actions. True, he had placed this topic of Rehor’s involvement on the agenda, but Baron Clav had already brought it up. Once more, Zoran longed for the wisdom of his late uncles. They would know the precise thing to do and say. Even Alvaro was taken aback by this sudden admission from Baron Clav. What to do? What to say? Instinctively, Zoran knew that what and how he responded was extremely vital, perhaps pivotal.
He rose slowly, sensing all eyes were upon him once more. He stalled for time, clearing his throat. “Apology accepted, Baron Clav. You are right; mere gemstones can be replaced, but human lives cannot. In the past, yes, you are right; we have been archenemies, though not by my choice. I accept your apology and I completely agree with you. It is high time that we put the past behind us and look to the future. We agree, the future looks bleak indeed. In a way, barons, baronesses, Archmages, all of this dragon problem can be laid at my feet.”
Zoran decided to be equally honest. “After all, it was I who brought the first dragons to our Federation, Adapazan in specific. I admit that thus far, the relationship that we have with the Gold Dragons has been ideal. Yet, I cannot escape the singular fact that my having brought the golds to Adapazan to help defend us has forced you to strike similar bargains with the other types of dragons if only out of self-preservation goals. The record is clear, at no time have I used my gold dragons to attack any of your worlds. Yet, they are an unlimited weapon, and I can see why others were forced to strike similar bargains with other dragons. Let’s ignore the fact that they were all starving to death on Voss.”
“For quite a few years, dragons and humans managed to live together without strife. Now, however, that is changing and changing at an alarming rate. I have been doing all that I can to prevent an escalation of the conflict and strife between our races. We must avoid an all-out war with the dragons or countless innocent humans will pay an awful price. It is nearly impossible for me to get that haunting image of our village where a thousand men, women, and children were incinerated by Red Dragons. Their charred bodies will haunt me forever. Several of you also have similar hideous memories now.”
“Baron Gang, I cannot forget the images in my mind of your valiant, brave sister, who arrived unconscious in my Circle, her hand dissolving right before my very eyes, and I was helpless to prevent it. Hideous. Similarly, one lone woman survived briefly from the inferno. Jarka tried to get her lifesaving potion into her mouth, but her mouth was so badly seared from the flames that she could not even swallow. She died in my arms. Yes, we face a formidable enemy, but we must do all that we can to prevent an all-out war with dragon-kind. If not, such images will swamp us all!”
“Our best chance is to put aside our past petty differences and unite to counter the dragons, just as Baron Clav suggests. Together, we may be able to prevent an all-out war, one that we may not be able to win, I might add. Still, we must not give in to their demands. We must maintain our own values and integrity. Without that, we are no better than the dragons. Let’s not antagonize them further. Let’s not force them into a war with us. Yet, if war does come, we must be as prepared as we can be.”
“Baron Leo, Baron Stefan, will you join me in accepting Baron Clav’s apology?” he ended up asking. Both men rose and magnanimously added their acceptance much to Baron Storm Clav’s relief. For once, Baron Clav had worked out the right way to defuse a very nasty situation. He could have faced numerous High Council sanctions, debilitating ones at that.
Jarka, on the other hand, was most curious to discover who had so counseled him. She knew that he had not the wisdom or intelligence to have come up with this countermove. She covertly observed the Rehor contingent. The three barons were all Clav, children of old Bogdan. Ah, two of their wives and baronesses were Hadwig, daughters of the late Eckhard Hadwig, from Dietmar, also the archenemy of Adapazan. These two women were very bright, highly intelligent, she observed. Jarka theorized that Gisela and Greta had orchestrated this brilliant move on Baron Clav’s part. She smiled as she realized this. At the same moment, her eyes met those of Gisela’s across the space between the opposing tables. Gisela smiled back at her. Jarka made a note to tell Zoran about her observations: the Hadwig daughters were probably now calling the shots on Rehor, not the Clav men, Storm, Bran, or Carsten. Perhaps things were changing now for the better, she mused.
The next topic was the sharing of information on what types of dragons lived on what planets, their numbers, and locales. Baron Alvaro wanted everyone to have as accurate a picture of the dragon population and locations as possible. Everyone shared what they knew and all took copious notes, none more so than Jarka. “As it is close to dinnertime, we will adjourn until ten tomorrow. As usual, we have arranged for your entertainment. However, because of the very serious dragon threat, Anita and I have decided to bring the performers here into the fortress and not take you all out into our great city to the various theaters and halls. So tonight, we are proud
to present a musical play in the Great Hall. It will begin at eight sharp. Until then, please enjoy the finest food that Alta has to offer. Meeting is adjourned.” He brought his gavel down hard.
Chapter 10 Treachery
Alfonsina mourned her lost mate for several days. Slowly hatred festered in her mind. Humans had done this and she swore to get revenge for her mate. For days, the how totally eluded her. At first, she toyed with the idea of flying over the fortifications and spewing forth her deadly fires upon one and all.
Alfonsina was not stupid and quickly discarded this notion. “No, it is these barons who actually control the humans on these many worlds. The barons must be made to pay!” she swore to the walls of her cavern. How? That stumped her for some time. She took to human form and mingled among those of Baron Storm Clav’s court on Rehor. There she learned of the High Council meeting on Alta, and Alfonsina now saw her golden opportunity!
“What do you make of Clav’s admission? Can he be serious? Do we dare trust him?” asked Baron Leo over dinner. “Besides, have you noticed that the Neutral Baron Karl is being uncommonly sympathetic this meeting?”
“I haven’t heard a word from the Hadwigs of Dietmar. Baron Cadfeel of Anwyn is strangely silent too,” put in Baroness Lida. “Our archenemies are being awfully quiet.”
“I think he’s realized that the dragons that he allowed to come to Rehor cannot be trusted. Quite possibly are also attacking him now,” Zoran suggested. “Time will tell. I trust him as far as I can see him. Still, let’s accept it at face value. He is right; we must unite if we have any chance against the dragons.”
Jarka spoke up, unable to withhold her observations any longer. “I think that the Hadwig daughters, who are married to the Clav men, are the ones who orchestrated Storm’s speech this afternoon. Storm could not have thought that up himself. I suspect Gisela may have taken over the real control of Rehor from Strom, especially if his so called bargains with the reds have completely backfired on him.” The small group discussed her observations for some time, which seemed very likely.
