Mantle: The Return of the Sha

by Gary Bregar

  For centuries, the inflock had slept quietly, never producing its influence, until Balki arrived. None of its former possessors had been so hungry for power, so indifferent to the lives of those who might oppose him, so the inflock had not the strength to do its advising or set the owner’s mind on a path of evil. The previous owners had all been kindhearted and simply too good by nature.

  It was when Balki had been born, finally bearing the unfortunate curse of the Skites, that the inflock began to awaken. Its awakening would be a slow one, though. The inflock had been weakened by time, but even more so by the purity of its previous owners.

  So it woke slowly, feeding off the negative and evil nature of Balki and gaining strength little by little. Now, with Balki about to carry out his plans, the inflock had silently begun to stir.

  ****

  When King Zander arrived in Maske, he had a feeling of optimism. After all, there was only one other village to visit after Maske and the oracle had told him that all hope to regain his smile was not lost.

  The village of Maske was on the outer edges of Forris, nearly four days’ journey from the nearest neighboring village. It had been many years since the king had visited Maske, and even then it had only been for a short visit and he had been young. At the time, his father, King Alexo, had put in place a plan to re-establish the Forris armory, and Maske was known for its creation of the finest metals in all of Forris. The village was established just outside of the Forie Mines, where every conceivable metal and precious gem could be found.

  It was the Spiers who did metal conjuring for the Maskes. They were the small folk who lived in the caves of the mountains overlooking the village. Not more than four feet in height, the Spiers would cast their spells over the mines so that precious materials would simply rise up from the rocks and dirt.

  This was not a gesture made by the Spiers to simply please the neighboring Maskes. Their services were sold to the Maskes for such items as food, tools, and other necessities. And often they would also require such luxury items as rugs, tapestries, and jewelry.

  While the Spiers were very skilled at managing the mountain and the mines, they possessed absolutely no skills in crafting tools, or creating objects with any artistic value. Their world was a world of caves and rocks, and so being surrounded by the color of gray they claimed no sense of creativity whatsoever.

  In return for these items, though, the Maskes could simply walk into the mines, collecting iron ore, gold, silver, sapphires, and diamonds at their leisure. It was a good agreement between the two communities, since each one had something of value that the other wanted. Since the Spiers had access to precious metals and gems at all times, without the skills to properly use them, they considered the treasure worthless and gave no thought to its actual value. And since the Maskes (thanks to the Spiers) had unlimited access to the materials for making such items for the Spiers, they too, thought that they were getting the better end of the bargain.

  ****

  When Zander arrived in the village, he stepped off his coach and was immediately greeted by the mayorgovern of Maske. He was yet another short and heavy man, and King Zander began to wonder if it was only a trend that the mayorgoverns of nearly all of the villages he had visited had been of short and plump stature. As he thought to himself jokingly about the possibility of a requirement among mayorgoverns to be short, heavyset men, he began to chuckle. Of course, you would not see the expression of laughter on the king’s face because a smile would be required, and so you could only hear him laugh. It was a strange sight for the people of Maske to see: a man laughing out loud, yet holding a bitter expression on his face. It looked unnatural.

  “Welcome, Majesty! It is such a pleasure to see you once again, after so many years. I hope that your journeys over these past few months have been good to you,” Tate Touro said as he welcomed King Zander.

  “Likewise, Mayorgovern Touro. I have been looking forward to my visit to Maske,” Zander replied. “The people of Maske are always a delightful bunch and I look forward to meeting each of them individually.”

  “And the people of Maske look forward to meeting with you as well, Majesty.”

  Tate Touro led the king to the small platform where he would speak. The platform itself was gold, and the podium was crusted with tiny sapphires of varying colors so that it shone brightly against the sun, projecting magnificent colors throughout the square. While the podium was beautifully crafted and quite a sight to see, it proved to be counterproductive since it reflected so brightly against the sun. The citizens were struggling to adjust their eyes in order to see the king in full view against the blinding sapphires. Zander quickly noticed this, and without hesitation walked to the front of the podium, turned slightly to look at it from the front and then addressed the crowd.

  “Such a thing of beauty! I fear that the magnificence of the podium that you have crafted for my arrival might hinder your ability to care about what I have to say. After all, if I were standing among you, I would certainly prefer to gaze upon this beautiful piece of art rather than the seemingly grumpy king who would stand behind it.”

  Zander meant this as a compliment, and the Maskes took it as one. They applauded at the king’s ability to turn what would certainly have been an embarrassment into a gesture of praise and compliment.

  “I have traveled now across the Kingdom of Forris for many months, and my breath is still taken by the hospitality, kindness, and good nature of the Fories at every turn.

  “While I come to you in a time of peace among the kingdoms of Mantle, I am reminded during my consultations with the Sovereign Trees that this peace that we enjoy today was not always so. Therefore, I announce today, in this place, that I have offered to host a summit to be attended by the monarchs of the three kingdoms of Mantle. I have been informed by my messengers that my offer has been accepted by the rulers of the kingdoms and such a meeting will take place in six months’ time.”

  At this news, the people of Maske roared with applause. No meeting of the kingdoms had taken place since the reign of King Alexo many years ago, and most of the Maskes present had not yet been born at the time of the last meeting.

  “It is not my intention to meddle in matters of state as they pertain to the other kingdoms. Rather, it is my goal to secure our alliance against those who might come forward to create war, such as that of the Great Mantle War so long ago.

  “The likelihood of such aggression in any form is nearly unthinkable. However, in order to secure such alliances, it is my opinion that a dialogue must be maintained among the leaders of Mantle. It is clear to me that such important friendships could falter when these friends do not share conversation and break bread together under one roof.”

  Again, the Maskes applauded at the king’s insight. They agreed wholeheartedly that such a move on the king’s part was brilliant in its logic. How could cultures remain allies if they did not occasionally meet?

  The decision to invite the rulers of Bore and Tongar to Forris was a difficult one for Zander, however. He was ultimately putting all of his faith in the assumption that he would regain his smile and happy demeanor before such a summit took place. He was taking a big risk and he knew that the royals of other nations might not understand his predicament. But it was a gamble that he thought he must make.

  When Zander was finished with his comments, he stepped down from the back of the platform and again greeted Tate Touro.

  “Majesty, I am delighted that you have chosen to make your announcement in our community. It surely reaffirms your admiration for Maske and I am forever grateful,” Mayorgovern Touro said.

  “Although it has been many years since I have been to Maske, I have only fond memories of my visits here. Of course, it is logistically difficult for me to visit more often than I have, given the distance of this village from Obengaard.”

  “I understand, Majesty, and any visit you can make, no matter the frequency, is always highly regarded,” Tate Touro said. “Please tell me, Majest
y, how long do you plan to remain in Maske?”

  “I believe that, given its proximity, I should stay for nearly a week. I hope that this does not inconvenience you or the residents here,” Zander replied.

  “It is no inconvenience at all, Majesty. We are thrilled to have you in Maske for such a length of time, and we will do our best to accommodate you and your men during your stay with us.”

  “Tell me, Mayorgovern, are the Spiers planning to send a delegation to meet with me during my visit? I very much wish to get a look at the mines that are providing such beautiful materials to our great kingdom. Likewise, it is my intention to inform them of the upcoming summit of leaders and implore them to provide me with gold and jewels from the mines to use as gifts to the other rulers.”

  “It’s my understanding that the Spiers will indeed have a delegation at the festivities this evening, and would like very much to meet with you. As far as the gifts that we can provide to the rulers of Bore and Tongar, the Spiers have never seemed concerned with the volume of our outtake from their mines, so long as we provide equal compensation for their gifts. They have no use for the treasures and are more than willing to part with them.”

  “I see,” said Zander. “Do you suppose that they are creatures that are without the ability to see the beauty in such treasures, or do you believe that the abundance of the treasures makes them indifferent to its value?”

  “Majesty, it is my humble opinion that greed and lust for such items as gold, silver, and jewels is a manmade obsession. If it were simple rocks, for instance, that were so difficult to obtain, then I believe that ordinary rocks would be elevated to the status of riches. But because the Spiers have these things in abundance, they do not see them as items of any great value. We always want those things that are rare or difficult to obtain.”

  “You are a very wise man, Tate Touro. I certainly regret that you did not accept the position as ambassador to the Sovereign Trees. That is not to say that our current ambassador is not doing an excellent job. I understand that you turned down the position in order to start a family. May I have the pleasure of meeting the young man whose existence inadvertently directed you on the path to become mayorgovern of Maske, as opposed to becoming my high counselor on matters of state?”

  “Certainly, majesty. May I present to you my son, Balki Touro.”

  At this point, Balki came forward from behind Tate and bowed low before King Zander. When he rose, King Zander held out his hand to present Balki with the ring of the realm, which had been placed on every ruler of Forris since its creation. It was a simple ring of gold with the crest of the kingdom now barely visible on the oval top of the piece. It had been worn down over the centuries and had only been vacant of a royal hand to rest on during its transition from one monarch to another as the line of succession continued.

  As Balki kissed the ring, he had already cloaked himself—not visibly, but mentally. He focused all of his energy to projecting his opposite to the king—kindness and wisdom, trust and loyalty. While Balki was indeed wise, he was anything but kind.

  The inflock, being not fully awake at this point, had no intention of leaving its comfortable home within the medallion, but it sensed the cloaking and read the nature of King Zander. What the inflock sensed was a man—a ruler, with a deep-seated and hidden struggle. It was not, however, the sense of a man bound by evil or bad intent; only a struggle that had caused great sadness. And the inflock understood Balki’s intentions, even though it was not fully revived after its long sleep. It understood that Balki was cloaked and that his plan was much wider than it would seem to those around him. It would wait—hiding in the medallion until such time that Balki was in a position to be of value to it. It knew, though, that now was not the time, and the inflock certainly had time.

  When Balki took the hand of the king in order to kiss his ring, Zander felt a warmth run through his body. It wasn’t a physical feeling of warmth, but a feeling of tranquility, love, and trust. His knees began to buckle and his stance wavered so that with his left hand he grabbed onto the railing of the platform next to him.

  It was only momentary, but the mayorgovern noticed the change and when Balki released the king of his grip, the mayorgovern asked, “Majesty, are you all right?”

  “Yes, Mayorgovern, I am fine and must simply be exhausted from my trip. I think I should rest before tonight’s festivities. Can you direct us to our quarters so that we might settle in?”

  “Right away, Majesty; I hope that you will find the accommodations acceptable.”

  The king had traveled with an entourage on his tour of Forris and the people of each village had received word from the king’s secretary regarding the needs of the king and his entourage ahead of their arrival so that accommodations could be met. Now, the king and his men were led by the village innkeeper to their home for the coming week.

  While Maske had only one inn, there was nothing ordinary or plain about the place. It was an elaborate and stately building with all of the luxuries that a traveling king and his entourage could want. It had been constructed prior to the last visit by King Alexo, and had been consistently updated in anticipation of the next royal arrival. After all, the village of Maske was known for its availability of gold and jewels and so it was thought that the king’s stay should reflect their good fortune.

  ****

  As King Zander settled into his stateroom, he lay down on the bed to rest, but could not settle his mind. The king’s interest in Balki had been piqued, and thoughts of his encounter with him could not be shaken. Balki was with him as fully as if he were standing in the room himself.

  ****

  The evening’s festivities were grand. There was an abundance of food and dancing, and the fireworks went on throughout the night. As promised, the Spiers had sent a delegation to welcome the king, and although they lived in the Kingdom of Forris, they were not themselves Fories. They looked upon the king with reverence and recognized him as the legitimate ruler of Forris, but they had their own internal structure of leadership. This wasn’t unusual. After all, there was a hierarchy of leadership among the fairies, Sovereign Trees, mountains and many of the animals. The king provided continuity to the kingdom and ensured that each of the various groups of inhabitants worked together in peace.

  King Zander had only met with the Spiers on one other occasion. They seldom attended Forie festivals and kept mainly to themselves, but Zander would offer up the appropriate invitations out of respect nevertheless. When the mayorgovern led the delegation of five Spiers over to the king’s table, Zander was reminded of their peculiar look. They were even more slender than he remembered, and with their shortened height, the wide frame of the mayorgovern hid them completely from view as they approached.

  “Majesty, may I present Lord Oxil of the Spiers, along with his delegation.”

  With the mayorgovern’s introduction, the Spiers bowed their heads. King Zander did the same in order to relay his acknowledgment of their relatively sovereign status within the kingdom.

  “It is a great honor to meet you, Lord Oxil. I hope that life is treating you well,” Zander said.

  “It is indeed, and I wish the same for you,” Oxil replied, as he looked up at the king. “I have been told of your affliction, and I mean no disrespect in addressing it, but I had not seen it for myself.”

  Understanding that the Spiers were very blunt in their conversations, King Zander took no offense and replied, “Lord Oxil, I find no hint of disrespect by your addressing it. I am hopeful that I will be cured of my predicament soon. With regard to my appearance, I would like to re-affirm that I am quite content and that I am also most pleased that you have decided to join us in our festivities tonight.”

  “Thank you for the kind invitation relayed by your mayorgovern; it is most gracious of him and we are most pleased with the relationship that we have in place between Spiers and Fories.”

  “I am pleased with the arrangement, as well,” Zander replied.

  As t
he Spiers excused themselves to join other Spiers that had arrived for the party, Zander once again pondered his decision to invite the kings of Bore and Tongar for a summit before his smile had been restored. In the end, he decided that it was a risk that could not be avoided.

  The King’s Redemption

  KING ZANDER’S TIME in Maske had proved to be very productive. He had been granted a tour of the Forie Mines, had inspected the Maske vaults where the inventory of precious stones were kept, and had conversed with many residents of the village one-on-one.

  It was during his private meeting with Balki Touro that he was solicited for a position at Obengaard. Balki had been on the king’s mind for the duration of his stay because of Balki’s cloaking ability, and now he was inclined to grant him a position almost immediately. And he would have at that very moment, but King Zander was a levelheaded man who didn’t rush to decisions lightly. This was a trait he had learned from his father, King Alexo. But it had been his error in upsetting the Sovereign Trees that had prompted him to examine his decisions from all angles before taking action. So, to Balki’s dismay, the king offered Balki the right to travel with him and his men for the remainder of the tour, and then on to Obengaard. There was only one stop left in the king’s travels before heading home, but Zander decided that this would give him time to get to understand Balki’s qualifications and determine the appropriate position to offer.

  Balki accepted, of course, and made arrangements to leave with the king. His father was thrilled. Balki would be following in his footsteps as a public servant. His mother, Doalie Touro, though, was not so excited for her son to leave. She had to face the grim reality that it was her son’s presence that had held her and Tate’s marriage together for the past twenty years and, now with his departure, she could see how they might drift in their relationship once again as they had so many years ago. But she kept those thoughts to herself and wished him luck as she prepared his things for travel.