by Des Pensable
She saw them erect tents and mingle. She imagined how excited they were. She watched as a circle was drawn on the ground. This would be where all the elders would sit tomorrow. They would debate the possibility of changing the Pact of Renewal but that would not be what was on their minds. Shastritara would be on their minds. They would want to know about the birth of her eggs.
Three little eggs all with the chance of divinity. Eggs that would take the Little People from servants to gods. This moment was profound. For over a thousands of years they had been slaves to the gods. Now one or more of them had the chance to become a god. They would no longer be slaves but be given freedom by their own god. Shastritara would be mother of a god but first she had to please Lithgala.
Ishteth arrived precisely on time and looked down at the mass of Little People.
‘The plan seems to be working well.’ He said.
‘Yes your Holiness. I have three eggs and they all seem healthy. They will be born soon.’
‘Good then I will choose the two that I want and you may have the other.’
‘What of their father your Holiness.’
‘He is still free. If this project is successful I will let you administer your charms again soon. He will forget the druid woman and remember only you. You may become the mother of many young aspiring gods. In time you may become famous as the mother of gods. Who knows? Treat him well and we will receive the bounty.’
‘He will be treated as the most famous Hero of the Little People and I will be his first and only desire, your Holiness.’
‘Good. He will be the father of many but never realize it.’
‘There is one problem your Holiness. I have heard they have a certain cockroach that may be a pest.’ said Shastritara.
‘Yes Helix! I will deal with him myself. Once he is out of the way we are clear.’
‘What of Granite, your Holiness?’ asked Shastritara.
‘He can do nothing. His Oath of Neutrality binds him.’
‘What of the Lady, your Holiness?’ asked Shastritara.
‘She will not interfere.’
Two winged Newman-like creatures suddenly appeared and hovered nearby with expressionless faces.
‘I have assigned two guards for you, Shastritara. They will wait on you day and night and protect you from all. They never sleep and are immune to most magic.’
‘I do not need these guards, your Holiness. My own people will protect me.’
‘I think you need them, Shastritara therefore I have provided them. You’re not ungrateful are you?’
‘Oh no your Holiness, thank you.’ she replied.
‘Good. Then we will await the happy outcome. Call me when my eggs are ready.’ And he left.
Shastritara cursed. She would have to fulfil her contract with the High Priest. Still one egg was better than none and there was a chance for many more. She would soon be the titled the Greatest Heroine of the Little People and it would be most pleasurable earning it.
***
Miranlla and Rori arrived and Rori dashed off to talk to Kami. Miranlla saw Quab and moved over to him.
‘Hi Quab what’s happening?’ she asked.
‘Hello your Highness. It looks like everything is going to plan. They are intending to start the debate tomorrow at dawn. They will discuss their grievances all day until dark and then invite the spirit guardians Loopis and Jacintra to attend. They will tell the Spirit Guardians what they have decided and ask their opinions. If the Guardians agree then the Conference is over. If the Guardians don’t agree then they will debate it once more considering the spirits advice and call the Guardians again the following night. If the guardians disagree three times then the conference is considered over and they will go home.’
‘What if Aquitain or R’ptor show up?’ asked Miranlla.
‘That is what is causing all the excitement I think. There could be a fight between the spirits. I hope Aquitain knows what he’s getting into if he comes.’ stated Quab.
‘Quab, I am representing Aquitain and I have turned up to tell you that you must not fight,’ she said seriously.
‘Why?’ he asked.
‘The little people may have been fooled into believing they need to break the Pact of Renewal. If they do they may cause the Time of Chaos. We need to ensure the pact continues.’ she replied.
‘They are also liars and have deceived Aquitain and me in the most terrible way.’
‘What did they do?’ he asked.
‘I cannot tell you but you can be sure that it is particularly horrible considering how much we have helped them. We cannot trust them. You must not help them break the Pact.’ she replied.
‘That may be difficult as they have offered us an alliance. They will open the temples and we can all live in them together. They are near invulnerable. With little people and druids together we would be safe from the Yith or the Panmagicans.’
‘Oh by the Lady. I can guess why they might do that. You must not take up their offer. Please try and convince the king not to form an alliance with them.’ she pleaded.
‘I can’t understand you Miranlla. You and Aquitain virtually created an alliance between us and them at the battle of the temple where we helped save their children.’
‘It was a sham battle Quab. It was totally false. Even at the time Aquitain said it was too easy. He suspected trickery.’ she replied.
‘Well he made a hero out of himself at the battle. It will be hard to convince anyone any differently and I would advise you not to try.’ he replied.
‘I have since discovered the little people have a hidden agenda.’ she replied.
‘Well unless you’re prepared to make specific allegations and show proof I don’t think the king is likely to listen. He’s more concerned about saving his people than worrying about speculations.’ added Quab.
‘I thought that you were a friend Quab but you mock me and say that my word is just speculation? When have you ever heard me say anything but the truth? When did I lose your trust?’ she asked.
‘Miranlla I believe you and trust you but I am not the king. I will advise him but I am telling you now don’t expect him to listen. He is under a lot of stress. He has many things on his mind and so has Featherdown.’
‘Thank you Quab. I know that you will do your best.’ she replied. ‘Is anyone else here?’
‘Yes your Granddad is here waiting for you in the blue striped tent.’
‘Thanks Quab.’ And she headed for the tent and raced over to Granddad and hugged him.
‘I need to ask you some questions and if you care about Aquitain you will give me truthful answers.’ She replied.
‘Of course!’ he said.
‘Why did you make the Mask of Chaos?’ she asked.
‘It seemed like a good idea at the time?’ he replied.’ But it was stolen not long after I made it.’
‘That’s curious since it told Aquitain that every time it was used it reported to you. So the first time it was used you would have known exactly where it was. It was hardly stolen if you knew where to retrieve it.’ She replied.
‘What exactly are you suggesting?’ He said looking rather annoyed.
‘You’ve been here a lot and know the land well. I’m suggesting that you and Aquiveritus planned a series of quests to make Aquitain a hero. It may have started out innocent enough but it turned into something more sinister.’
Granddad blushed a little.
‘You’re correct to some extent. It all started when Aquiveritas suggested that Mudrun would be a good place to train Aquitain once he learnt how to shape change. Aquitain had spent most of his life in the laboratory. We thought up a series of quests to toughen him up and build up his confidence before he was separated from his father. I spent years training Zephira to be his guardian to ensure he was relatively safe.’
‘The mask was to be one of his challenges as were some others that didn’t come to pass. The final challenge was the temple. I knew he would work out how to get i
nto it as long as he had the tools. So I sent Goth to help. Ishteth arranged with the little people to help as well.’
‘Let me understand this correctly. The little people were a part of it as well. Of course that’s how they got the mask of chaos!’
‘Yes. We planned something different altogether with the mask but once it got free it had its own agenda. I feel quite guilty about all the people it killed.’
‘In fact right from the start things didn’t go as planned. I suspect his father had planned some adventures to toughen him up as well.’
‘When you joined up with him I knew the Lady was suspicious and so was Lithgala as she stepped in and removed her precious son from harm’s way. What happened later was out of our control. I suspect a few of the gods all joined in the game. How you and Aquitain survived has amazed me. I guess the Lady is much better at the game than I thought.’
‘Let’s get back to the little people. This is important. Who did Ishteth deal with?’ she asked.
‘I think his name was canni or something similar.’ he replied.
‘Could it have been Kami?’ she asked.
‘Yes that sounds like it.’ he replied.
‘Damn! We’ve all been set up by the cunning little snakes. I didn’t really believe Granite when he told me how sneaky they were.’ she ranted.
‘What do you mean?’ he asked.
‘I have discovered that the elemental dragons have bred true since the beginning of time and they are each endowed with a divinity seed and have a deep distrust of the gods who covet these seeds.’ said Miranlla.
‘Aquitain is a hybrid stone dragon with a divinity seed. I suspect they will see him as more than just an embarrassment but perhaps a danger to their monopoly of divinity seeds. They probably want him dead and the gods will want him alive to produce more seeds. If Aquitain has no father he has no protection and he is dead. His only chance is to have K’wala recognize him but K’wala is a wild spirit that generally dislikes the gods except for the Lady.’
‘I think the Lady has known about K’wala and Borse for years but has waited until now to do something. Why would she do that unless it was part of a plan?’
‘Hmm. I think I’ve got it! I’ll bet Aquitain was no accident! He was planned from the very start by the Lady. She has something specific in mind for him that only a stone dragon can do. None of them trust her so she created a hybrid that might trust her enough so that she can get the job done. That means she thinks K’wala will accept Aquitain as a son. I have to help convince K’wala!’ she said.
‘Miranlla there is another possibility. Perhaps the Lady is trying to create a new source of divinity seeds for herself. If you and Aquitain were to have children then you would be the mother of a whole new crop of immortals.’ said Granddad.
‘Granddad you’re right and Tigerlilly is the first of them. Oh Lady what are you doing?’ she cried.
At that moment Featherdown walked into the tent and saw the look a look of horror on Miranlla’s face.
‘What’s wrong! He asked.
‘The little people have been involved in Aquitain’s quest from the start. They were a part of a charade to toughen him up for life after he was separated from his father. Much of the chaos around the world has been their doing I suspect. The little bastards have been playing us like a lute.’
‘By the Powers, you could be right. They were present at all the chaotic event locations that I had my wizards investigate. One of my wizards even suggested that the little people might be involved but I refused to believe it. That also might explain what happened to Aquitain when he went to help the water elementals on the other continent. He found out that the problem was being caused by a herder which is a type of aquatic little person.’ he replied.
‘If that’s the case we’ve been set up. We’re here to help them but they have a hidden agenda. I wonder what it could be? This meeting could be livelier than we imagined. I better inform the king and I’ll make sure Helix is here for a start and I’ll work out a contingency plan in case things do turn bad.’
‘Featherdown I’m worried that they might want to break the Pact of Renewal. I’ve been told that it’s the only thing stopping the Panmagicans and Yith from fighting. I think that if that happens then we may have total chaos.’ She said.
‘Hmm. They are offering a pretty attractive alliance to the king. I’ll talk to him but I think he’s already made up his mind. I don’t think he cares much for the Pact anyway.’
Granddad and Featherdown left to discuss a contingency plan with the king and Miranlla dropped to her knees and prayed fervently to the Lady.
A message from the Lady echoed in her mind.
‘Don’t worry Miranlla I have faith in you.’
She stood up annoyed.
‘Faith. How am I expected to have faith when I discover the gods and immortals all have hidden plans to use and abuse us? When people we call friends are full of lies and deceit!’
Chapter 44 Friends and Enemies
Miranlla sat in the position that Aquitain used for meditation and began singing the mantra and before she knew it, the night had passed and the morning dawned. She thought of praying to the Lady but decided against it.
All her problems seemed to be originating from the Lady. Aquitain was right she was a tool of the Lady but now both the hazards and the rewards were clearer. Tigerlilly and any more children they might have could become immortals. Now that was worth fighting for!
‘Oh by the Lady can I now trust Rori?’ she wondered.
Featherdown and Granddad were edgy as they hadn’t slept much, Quab drank half a bottle of mead and was quite happy. Heteronymous the King was in a jovial mood accompanied by Red Wizard, two senior druids and eight fighters. Featherdown wore a new set of wizard leathers with the king’s tabard over the top. Granddad wore a simple fireproof wizard gown with the king’s tabard but Miranlla chose only her dragonfly glamour. She wasn’t officially supposed to fight but was here as an observer representing Astaria and Moonmist.
The Little People sat in their grievance circle and took it in turns to discuss the various problems caused by the Pact of Renewal. At the moment more seemed to be in favour of keeping it but those in favour of dumping it were very vocal. Miranlla and the others were too nervous to sit but walked continually, occasionally stopping to have a brief chat with each other. The day wore on and nothing happened. Miranlla didn’t see Rori anywhere. She asked about him but nobody seemed to know where he was. This worried Miranlla as he had wanted her help.
If Loopis, Jacintra and R’ptor showed up together as expected there would be a fight and she didn’t know what Rori expected her to do. In fact she was thinking that they should all do nothing and suggested this to Quab and Featherdown.
Just on dark, Featherdown came over to her.
‘Something’s wrong Helix is not here. They will start calling Loopis and Jacintra shortly after they build up the bonfires.’
‘Rori, the young shaman who wanted my help if R’ptor shows up isn’t around either. I haven’t seen him since we arrived yesterday.’ she replied.
One group of devoted followers began to call for Loopis to come and another for Jacintra. The bonfires blazed and the shamans chanted. The sky was dark and clear and lit with a multitude of stars.
Hieronymus called to Quab and they both went into the King’s large circular tent and closed the flap.
She walked over to Featherdown and stood beside him. Granddad moved to the other side of her.
‘What’s the king doing?’ she asked.
‘Taking precautions.’ said Featherdown.
‘He’s leaving?’ she asked a little surprised.
‘Of course not.’ replied Featherdown. ‘He would never run from a fight on Mudrun. He will happily die here but hopefully not tonight.’
‘You have passed on my worries about the little people and my suggestion that we should stay out of it.’ she asked.
‘Of course Your Majesty!’ replied Fea
therdown.
The temperature dropped and everyone felt a chill in the air.
‘Here they come.’ said Featherdown. ‘Move closer to the King’s tent.’
Featherdown and granddad each took one of Miranlla’s arms and dragged her back.
‘What you doing?’ she asked.
‘Preparing for the worst.’ Granddad replied.
‘Lightning crackled across the sky and two enormous creatures came bounding across the plain towards the camp. They stood four times the height of a newman and they blazed with silver fire. They stopped fifty paces from the nearest little people and Loopis the gigantic Wolf boomed.
‘Why have you called a Great Council?’
All the Little People burst into a welcome song for Lord Loopis.
‘Why have you called a Great Council?’
Boomed Jacintra the gigantic jungle cat and all the Little People burst into a welcome song for Lord Jacintra.
‘We are calling a Great Council to be discussing the Pact of Renewal.’ said an old shaman. ‘There are being new invaders in the land. It is being time we were changing the rules so that we can be fulfilling our duties to the gods and the dragons. Will you be guiding us with our decisions great lords?’
‘There will be no changes.’ said Jacintra.
‘You will not alter the Pact.’ said Loopis.
Many of the Little People applauded but many were disappointed.
‘Lord Loopis, Lord Jacintra. Please be hearing our voices. We are needing to know what you think we should be doing about the new invaders.’ Cried the old shaman.
‘You will do nothing.’ said Jacintra.
‘Ignore them.’ said Loopis.
‘Lord Loopis , Lord Jacintra, it is being our duty to be defending the land against invaders. You are being our advisors but we are wishing to be making the decisions.’
‘My advice is simple, go home.’ said Loopis.
‘Be patient!’ said Jacintra.
A giant eagle flew up beside the druid tent and they heard the scurrying of little people feet. Rori appeared at the tip of a large troop of Barra people in a wedge shaped formation pointing towards Jacintra and Loopis.
