“Premier, Senator Gindren, before the vote, may we call for a one-hour recess, so I may talk to my fellow Enlightened senators,” Senator Hilrodra stood and requested. Gindren looked at Reagresh, who nodded in assent.
“Your one hour is agreed to. We will reconvene at that time for this vote and no other arguments will be heard,” Gindren answered, at which all those in attendance got up and began to discuss the turn of events and the vote. The Enlightened senators walked to their meeting room and closed the heavy doors. Mkel and Jodem walked over to Becknor and Therosvet as they were talking to Michenth.
“Lord Michenth, excellent to see you out of the weir,” Mkel said with a smile.
“It is good to feel the air and the sun again as well, my son. Speaking of this, how is your son, Rider of Gallanth? I understand he was saved by you and your elfhound,” Michenth asked.
“He is doing well, Lord Michenth. Drake was staunch in his defense and was almost felled by the assassin’s poison, but Gallanth brought him back from the precipice of death,” Mkel answered.
“Then I owe Gallanth more thanks as well for saving the protector of the innocent,” Michenth answered.
Mkel was again puzzled as to why the arch dragon of the Alliance, the dragon lord of all metallics, was so interested in his son. But another matter pressed on his mind.
“General Becknor, will we proceed even if the POE senators attempt to block the measure for war with Shidan?” Mkel asked.
“The answer is yes, but I must talk to the premier now, as they are gathering to discuss their strategy on this key vote,” Becknor answered Mkel as he walked to the opposite side of the senate hall to meet with Premier Reagresh and the other senators.
“Hilrodra, Tekend, Terrjok, how did that Capital dragonrider know of the Enlightened connection with the Scarab assassins and the plot with the Morgathians and Shidanese?” Enlightened Senator Nebelon worriedly spouted out as they closed the chamber doors. “I only agreed to make that ludicrous statement in our decided strategy to deflect the dragonriders away from us in case someone was compromised.”
“There is a rumor that one of the Shidanese assassins was captured in Draden Weir before he could take his poison. His mind was force-read by the gold dragon and wizard there, and the one officer that we solicited to betray his weir mentioned your agent who brokered the deal with him,” Senator Tekend explained.
“Yes, and it hasn’t helped that your man is missing, Senator Nebelon. Do you know of his whereabouts?” Senator Terrjok chimed in, in his normal haughty tone.
“No, you know I don’t, and I am getting worried. He is a very loyal associate, and it is not like him to just vanish. He would never have turned on me, I know this; so what should we do?” Nebelon nervously replied.
“Relax, Senator; we stand on a united front. The dragonriders and wizards have no true evidence besides the ramblings of a traitor and an assassin, and even if the dragons force-read his mind, we have middlemen that were used as a buffer for us,” Hilrodra attempted to comfort him as she glanced over to Tekend and Terrjok, who gave a slight nod with wry smiles. “We had used your people to plan and initiate the contacts for the Scarabs and Morgathians, for you are the least radical among the Enlightened and would be least suspected. This will pass; the intellectually unenlightened will not be able to piece this together. Just remember your oath, Nebelon. You and your family are at stake here,” Hilrodra explained and warned her fellow senator, who scowled back at her.
“They are calling us back into session,” one of the other Enlightened senators stated as they then moved back toward their seats. They were careful not to meet the stares of the dragons, for fear of their thoughts being read. Senator Gindren pounded his gavel to get all to sit and then called on Colonel Therosvet to speak. This was part of their plan to intimidate the POEs into the vote.
“To continue on my statements prior to the recess, we have solid and damning evidence of Enlightened involvement in this traitorous act of cowardly aggression. Evidence from the dragons has indicted key POE members and even a senator. The full investigative power of the weirs, wizards, Mithril Knights’ order, and the elves will get to the bottom of this, and I ensure you all, justice will then be swift and sure,” Therosvet stated in a loud and forceful manner.
“Colonel, that will not be necessary. As patriotic citizens of the republic, we key leaders of the Enlightened Party have evidence of this tragic plot. Our agents have captured conversations of an assistant of… unfortunately… one of our own attempting to solicit a weir army lieutenant; he mentioned his master’s name along with a connection to the Black Scarab assassin guild. I give you our man’s seeing crystal excerpt,” the sly Enlightened senator spoke out as the POE agent stood up from their section and produced his seeing crystal. The image appeared of Nebelon’s assistant talking to Howrek. In a damning statement, he mentioned Senator Nebelon’s plan to allow the Black Scarab assassins into the weirs to capture the dragonriders to nullify the dragons and allow a political cleansing of the republic to a more altruistic configuration. The lieutenant would, of course, be rewarded. Watching this made Mkel’s blood boil all over again at his friend’s betrayal, and he hoped Lawrent was giving his new ship crewman a warm welcome and stay.
At seeing the image, the senate erupted, and the squad of mithril knights moved in to seize the senator. Nebelon stood up and screamed at Hilrodra and the other Enlightened senators, calling them liars and stating he was set up and falsely accused. In the hundreds of shouts and arguments that resulted from the traumatic course of events, Terrjok and his aide made their way over to Nebelon and quickly turned his ring around to the palm side and put his hand on his compatriot’s shoulder and neck. He whispered to him, “Remember your oath, my friend; your family depends on it,” at which his face flushed, and he was escorted out of the senate hall.
“We have them and will crush the leadership of their destructive party and philosophy now,” Therosvet told Becknor with a smile.
General Becknor replied, “It doesn’t surprise me that they turned on one of their own, for honor is not an Enlightened trait, but Nebelon must be guarded heavily, for he is now a prime target, as is his family.” Gindren had finally regained control of the senate with the help of Michenth raising his head and clearing his throat, but the tensions in the hall were as thick as a dense fog.
“We understand this recent situation will be fully investigated, for this will likely have deep ramifications. We still have a very pressing issue with the call to war, the vote on which will be initiated after the premier makes a statement,” Gindren announced.
“Senator Gindren, may we please make one short address before the premier calls us to vote,” Hilrodra quickly stated. The senate lead looked to Premier Reagresh, who nodded. “Thank you, Premier. First, we as the Enlightened section of the senate are glad to have helped this illustrious body identify any and all threats to the stability of our grand republic in identifying its enemies.”
To which Mkel leaned over and whispered to Jodem that she must have just looked into the vanity mirror in front of a POE dining party. Both Jodem and Gallanth accidently let out a muffled chuckle, at which Hilrodra and several other Enlightened senators glanced over at the smiling group, but she continued her speech after giving them a nasty scowl.
“While the connection with the Scarab Assassin guild, Shidan, and the tribal clans in the mountains above Ariana are almost concrete regarding the plot against the dragonriders, we don’t feel a strong enough case has been made to tie the Morgathians into this. As for Shidan, any retribution should be limited in scope, for this retaliatory action was against the dragonriders not the republic as a whole. Not an offense worth all-out war, which would be too strong a measure, for it is not the job of the riders or their dragons to bleed for the Alliance anyway,” she announced as the other Enlightened senators cheered her. They were drowned out by the rest of the senate.
“Take care what you take for granted, Senator, for one day, the benevolence and protection we provide might not be there for you,” Becknor spoke out over the silence.
Premier Reagresh stood and began speaking immediately after the general, “Senators, in the last two hundred plus years the Alliance has been a nation or the two thousand before the confederation of weirs, war has always been our last resort. Unfortunately, it has been the first resort of the Morgathian Empire and dozens of other kingdoms, dictatorial caliphates, and tribes. This has usually been over a quest for land or treasure and glory, but always with greed as their motivation. We need not agree in our politics or the manner in which we engage the war’s prosecution, but we can’t pretend that if we lay down our arms that all others would do the same. Wars are unfortunately necessary, for pacifism in the face of the Morgathians or the chromatics, or even the Shidanese and Kaskars, would only be greeted with the utter destruction of our republic. They won’t be deterred by ‘Enlightened’ protests or banners, only by the metallics’ power and by our swords and arrows.
“You say that only negotiations can solve our problems, but almost always the reverse is true. Negotiations solve nothing until a military decision has been reached, and one side has been sufficiently bloodied that it recognizes that a peace agreement is its only hope of survival. In the case of the orcs and the drow, there can never be a peace, given their nature. The only negotiations that produce lasting results are those conducted from positions of indisputable strength. If we desire to avoid provocation and destruction, we must be able to repel it. If we desire to secure peace, one of the most powerful instruments in maintaining our rising prosperity is to be, at all times, ready for war,” Reagresh offered this profound sentiment to the cheers of most in the senate hall.
“We will now call for a vote,” Gindren called out to end any further debate. At the end of the roll call, the vote was carried, and war with Shidan and the Black Scarab guild was declared, as was a stepped-up campaign against Ariana and Morgathia, in succession. Surprisingly, Hilrodra, Tekend, and Terrjok voted in support of the measure, which assured its passage, giving them the more than the two-thirds majority needed. This confused all who were watching; why, they wondered, after such a vehement argument against hostilities, had they then agreed to support it? This would spark discussion among the senate and the other leaders of the Alliance.
“I now call upon General Becknor and Lord Michenth to unleash Alliance dragon vengeance upon the corrupt kingdom of Shidan, followed by the combined might of the republic’s forces. Even though the dragons did not need our approval for justice, they will now have all of the Alliance behind them. While sending our finest citizens to war is never easy, we stand on a united front against a cowardly and evil foe,” the premier stated to the thunderous applause of most gathered. Senator Gindren then concluded the emergency senate session, and all began to break out into groups as they left the senate hall. The premier walked over to Becknor and Therosvet with all the Weirleaders standing around them and Michenth. “Thank you, Lord Michenth, for the honor of your presence and support of this action,” the premier stated as he gave a slight bow to the arch dragon.
“There are no thanks necessary, Premier Reagresh. What was needed to be said was said. There was, however, a curious series of events here today that needs to be explored. The members of the Enlightened Party do nothing without meaning, purpose, or hidden agenda. I believe their leadership wanted this vote to carry today but had to put up a show for their more extremist supporters. Then the question is why. Also, they likely betrayed one of their own to cover a much more extensive involvement in the Scarab assassination plot. Senator Nebelon must be guarded carefully for his life is now in extreme danger, as are his family’s. If we can get enough evidence from him, this could be a powerful weapon to hurt their cause and possibly bring the Enlightened down—even with the current trend of the arbitrators’ courts with their POE leanings. They know we can extract thoughts from the guilty, so they must have a plan to stop that. We will also be meeting soon to discuss the battle plan for Shidan. Their evil cowardly act will not go unpunished,” Michenth stated.
“Yes, Premier, also the question begs to be answered as to how the Black Scarab assassins all got into the Alliance, besides those from Draden and Eladran. We know all foreign ships are monitored and inspected, but diplomatic vessels and certain merchant ships are not, especially those belonging to the Tekend shipping company, as well as their pleasure boats. This would set off a political firestorm but must be explored as an option,” General Becknor added.
“You are correct, and we will take steps to make sure this is accomplished; let the Truth Sayers guilds say what they want. We will engage them with a counter information campaign or something they are not used to, the truth,” Premier Reagresh affirmed.
“We appreciate that, sir. We won’t launch our attack for two to three weeks. This will give the Alliance Army and Navy time to prepare the invasion fleet and ground forces and let them set sail several days in advance of our attack to be able to synchronize the movements,” Becknor informed the premier so as to let him know of the basic plan of the weirs.
“That is good news for another reason, sir; I was hoping to see my one of my soldiers, Crystinj, hopefully bond with the brass dragon hatchling at Atlean in a week or two,” Mkel said to Becknor.
“Yes, that would be good; you need more help in our Keystone Weir, especially after this last battle,” Becknor responded with a smile but was then diverted as they came out of the senate structure and saw the confrontation between the mithril knights and the Enlightened security forces, who were claiming that they had jurisdiction over Senator Nebelon. As the argument became heated, the senator turned pale and collapsed; he then began convulsing violently. The dragon knights immediately formed a protective circle around him, and the healer in their rank tried to treat him. He even jolted his chest with his shock rod, but to no avail, the senator was dead within seconds. Becknor and Therosvet immediately walked over to them with Michenth and Valianth right behind them. His body was quickly examined for any wounds. None were found; however, as Michenth lowered his head to the senator’s body, he stated that he had been poisoned with a particularly toxic viper venom native to the Shidanese area.
Therosvet asked how this could be with no puncture wounds. Michenth stated that all that was needed for this poison to be effective was mere contact with the skin. They quickly theorized that the POEs were covering their tracks very well, as the rule of assassinations was to kill the assassin and all his associates. One of the mithril knights said he remembered that Senator Terrjok had put his hand on Nebelon’s neck and shoulder with his ring turned around, but the ring was handed off to an associate. He confirmed this with his dragonstone’s memory view. He immediately put the image out to all the knights of the order and the Draconia Police. Becknor said the ring had likely already transferred hands three times and the aide was dead. Becknor told all the Weirleaders that from then on they were to be extra cautious, especially when dealing with the Enlightened. They were stooping to new levels of evil and deceit.
The next two weeks went by quickly with all preparing for the strike against Shidan. From Draden, it would only involve the two dragons and riders, the weir council, and the rangers, nothing overly complicated. Mkel did not want the garrison so quickly called to battle again after the fight they had recently had. This day was different, however, for he was taking Crystinj to Atlean for her potential bonding. She was very nervous, but Mkel and Gallanth managed to calm her down. As they emerged over the shore beside the massive Atlean weir mountain, Mkel noticed the cooler late fall ocean air. This will likely be a cold winter, Mkel thought, as Gallanth slowly glided toward the entrance to the fortress. He was looking forward to seeing Bkert, for he hadn
’t spoken to him since the Honors Day Games. The senate meeting was too busy and emotionally charged to talk and not the place.
Gallanth’s greeting roar was answered by the weir sentinel as he flew in through the entrance. As Atlean was second only in size to the Capital Weir, Mkel looked around at the shear immense space of its interior. The second largest complement of metallics in the Alliance was housed there, and his friend’s dragon, Rapierth, led them with an iron will. He could see Bkert and his large bronze dragon walking toward them as Gallanth back-winged. Mkel quickly dismounted his dragon and walked over to meet his friend, as Rapierth bowed in his greeting to Gallanth.
“Mkel, glad to see you alive, my friend,” the tall dragonrider said to his friend as he gave him a hug. “A hell of a fight again. They aren’t giving Draden Weir much of a break, are they? We could use some of that action here. That last pirate attack was a joke. They tried to run after only minutes into the fight. It was hardly a challenge, and now General Becknor and Colonel Therosvet are going to keep almost all of Atlean back from this monumental strike. We lost a dragonrider to an assassin’s poison blade and want retribution, but at this rate, we will never see a challenging fight.”
“Sometimes, an easy fight is better, my friend. Trust me. If Michenth and Becknor want you to stay behind as the Alliance reserve, there is likely some reason for it,” Mkel answered his longtime friend with a quick, serious look.
“Well, what a lovely candidate for our newest dragon,” Bkert said as Crystinj dismounted Gallanth with her backpack and her crossbow, for she would be staying at Atlean for a couple of weeks if she bonded and then over a year at the Capital Weir as they received their training. Only afterward would they then rejoin Draden Weir. “I wish you the best of luck, my dear,” Bkert said with his normal wide smile.
“Thank you, sir, I am nervous about the ceremony but looking forward to it,” the young soldier answered.
Dragon Alliance Dark Storm : Dark Storm Page 49
