Acknowledgement
Last time I wrote one of these acknowledgements I got a lot of trouble from friends and family not mentioned in here. So this time I figured I would do a general one. Thank you all to those who kept asking me about the second book. Thank you to all those who have supported me. Thank you all for those that set me on this path. Thank you all really.
Travelling
When I was told we would be traveling to the Elven home continent, I had imagined it would involve ships and a nice long trip across the ocean, something I had never seen up close. I thought a week or so, lounging on the deck of a sail ship and maybe taking a dive into the water. But as always time demanded a speedy arrival on our part. And what could possibly be faster than two dragons competing to find out which could arrive first. A journey of approximately a week by ship was complete in a mere day on dragon back. I rode on Zetzu’s back while Princess Keren rode Master Shadow and as chance would have it Zetzu and I arrive at the eleven capital first, if only by a few seconds.
“Zetzu, are you NOT going to slow down?” I shouted as I saw the ground rapidly approaching.
“And where would the fun be in that with Shadow right behind us!” the dragon shouted back at me.
I turned my head against the air pressure being generated by the crazy speed at which we were approaching the ground, only to catch a glimpse of the giant obsidian lizard that was rapidly approaching us. If I thought Zetzu was going to have a hard time stopping it seemed impossible for Master to do so, as he had entered a steep vertical dive in an attempt to catch up with Zetzu.
“HOLD ON!” roared Zetzu as he spread his wings to break the fall. This time around I was ready for the sudden stop and avoided banging my head into the sharp spikes which covered most of Zetzu’s back. They were quite sharp too; the older a dragon gets the sharper their spikes become.
The moment we touched ground a strong gust hit us from behind, almost knocking me off Zetzu’s back. When I looked back it was Master Shadow flapping his wing furiously to break his own fall. It was amazing he had the strength to stop under such high speed.
“Must be nice being young,” commented Zetzu.
“Finally admitting you are getting old Zetzu?” replied Master Shadow.
“I might be getting old, but there is still more than enough power in these old bones to best you in flying,” Zetzu smirked.
Master Shadow’s reply was halted by the arrival of various elves. Some were dressed in what resembled armor while others were dressed in more casual attire. One of the elves dressed in armor spoke up first.
“We welcome you to Zulia, the capital city of The Harmony of Elution. I am Marshal Blight of the city’s defense force and I fear we have not prepared the proper festivities to receive ones of such stature as you. We were told Emperor Clause had refused our council the opportunity of meeting the Dragon Knight Laiks,” said the one standing in the front, a tall elf with white hair and piercing eyes.
“That will not be necessary Blight, they have been informed of the situation and understand the urgency of the matter,” replied Princess Keren as she dismounted from Master’s back. I quickly followed suit.
“Well then please follow us right this way,” said Marshal Blight. As he turned, so did everyone else who had accompanied him. Complete military discipline.
It was a bit surprising that someone so young possessed the authority to command with such ease. From what I had learned on my crash course of elven society, a marshal was the equivalent of a human general and by rank, the one tasked with the defense of Zulia. He was second only to the supreme commander of all elven forces and the commander of their expeditionary forces in Black Canary bay, the southernmost military presence in the Imperial-Irkanian boarder. The way Master Shadow and Zetzu had explained it to me, it was the elven way to pick sides. Usually the inner city defenses were loyal to the crown and followed their orders absolutely, while the expeditionary forces were a bit more isolated and self-dependent, and actively fighting the Irkanians; lastly the supreme commander boasted an isolationist approach to their military. That meant Marshal Blight was loyal to the princess.
Politics aside, the elven capital city was impressive and quite different from Alexandria or the Imperial Place. It had been built on a small mountain which lacked a giant wall for defense or a large castle or keep. Instead it boasted various small walls which would be easier to collapse but offered several layers of defense. The citizen houses were less compact and much more effectively built than human ones, with an overall sphere like shape. The city was also a lot greener and had quite a few streams running parallel to its streets. But the largest difference was where the Council Chamber was located. It was inside a cave. Of course the cave had been furnished to make it look like an official meeting place, where royalty and other important members of nobility could gather and offer discourse on important matters. The most prominent feature inside what was referred to as the Council Chamber was the origin of the streams that ran across the city, an underground river. The moment I stepped inside the cave I noticed the presence of another dragon.
“Can you guess why they built this place here and not inside some sort of castle or fortress?” whispered Zetzu.
“Because is only has one entrance and is easier to guard?” I whispered back.
“Yes and at the time of the city’s founding the elven society had itself been in the midst of a bloody civil war. The then king, Nier, thought that if the meetings between clan leaders and opposing faction leaders happened over the river that ran thought the entire city, should blood pour out from the river and entire city would be alerted that either they marched to war or they must prepare their defense for a sudden attack.”
“Smart elf,” I commented.
“Actually he was very paranoid and ended up being killed by his own son because he went mad,” stated Zetzu in a matter of fact tone.
“And you know this how?” I asked.
“I was visiting an old friend who lives nearby when it happened.”
“You really are old,” I said.
The dragon tried to contain a chuckle and failed, earning us a glance from Master Shadow that told us to shut up. We were here on serious business, not to be fooling around. It was strange that Zetzu was older than Master, yet acted more childish and playful, even in the most serious of times. Then again, in the dragon world, Master was royalty while Zetzu was just a lord of sorts. Or as he put it, “An old fart as myself can afford to relax and let the younger ones worry about the serious stuff.”
“Dear guests of honor, I hope your journey has not be too harsh on you, for this meeting shall be a hard and long one,” said Marshal Blight.
“We are here to discuss the claims to the throne of three individuals. Princess Keren, whose claim stems from her being the daughter of the late king; Lord Stein, whose claim is based on his assertion Princess Keren is far too young to rule, and of his brothership to the late king; and finally the claim of Magistrate Nostrous, who wishes to avoid a civil war originating from a royal dispute,” said one of the members of the elven council. “We will proceed to hear the positions and defenses of the three contestants starting with Princess Keren, followed by Lord Stein, and finally Magistrate Nostrous. Given our guest’s long journey and unexpected arrival, we shall allow them to confer amongst themselves for a brief moment and shall then begin this hearing.”
We were taken to a separate room where we could be alone. Once the door was shut Master spoke up, “Well, this is a problem.”
“Indeed, we are in, as the humans say ‘a pickle,’” replied Zetzu.
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“Why? What’s wrong? I thought we were going to back Princess Keren’s claim to the throne, as she is the one most likely to help us in the event of an Irkanian invasion,” I said.
“That was true. But given who the third claim belongs to, that is no longer our only option. Magistrate Nostrous not only helped us secure the Human-Elf Alliance with the very reluctant former king, but was also the commander of the expedition forces in Varna,” said Master, walking around the room thinking.
“There are also the two elves standing next to him.”
“Yes Zetzu, another issue. You must have noticed it Alex, one of them is a dragon and the other is a Sentinel.”
“I did sense him but it felt different, as if he was magically depleted in comparison to both of you, and what is a Sentinel? Are they important figures in elven society?”
“The dragon’s name is Tromuelan, and the reason he seems magically depleted is because Elution’s dragons are indeed magically weak, like everything that originated in this continent. When the Mad Elf tried to sever the kingdom’s bond to magic, it ended up affecting all the inhabitants of Elution, not only the elves. However, while our southern brothers might be magically weak, they make up for it in physical strength and speed,” explained Zetzu, settling into a chair which appeared to be comfortable because he kept rubbing the chair arms. I had never stopped to study him before. His human form looked very young, save for the grey hair. He was muscular, had grey eyes, and stood about two feet taller than Master’s human form. Dragon shape shifting abilities were very impressive indeed.
“And a Sentinel, in lay terms, is an elven Dragon Knight. Although they don’t actually perform deals like us, their mandate is exactly the same,” finished Master.
“But if Elves are magically weak what separates a Sentinel from any other soldier or city guard?”
Master waved his hand impatiently at Zetzu as if telling him to answer me while he continued his thoughts. “Elf magic has become so limited that most elves have a set amount of magic they can use in a day, the same as humans but unlike humans this pool of magic never expands. If an elf is born with the power to invoke just one Vorm then he is doomed to forever be capable of forming just one Vorm. So Sentinels are elves that contain a high enough magic pool for combat oriented spells. They cannot drain power from Elution dragons but they managed to devise a system to allow them greater magic capabilities. They can store magic. It’s a tricky art that requires years of training but when mastered, objects as simple as a well-crafted sword can hold enough magic to destroy entire cities with just one spell. So Sentinels and Elution Dragons use these tools to compensate for their physically diminished magical containment. Of course it takes years of constantly pouring magic into an object for it to reach the magic levels required for such spells and there is always the risk of shattering said object because of over saturation, but in principle anything is possible.”
“So how does the fact Tromuelan and the Sentinel were standing next to Magistrate Nostrous complicate things?” I asked.
“You still need practice with politics” noted Master before continuing. “Because the Dragon Knights no longer hold the numbers they did in the past we don’t have as much influence in elven affairs as we once did. Given individually any Knight is stronger than a single Sentinel, when you compare numbers - the three hundred strong Sentinels to just twenty one Knights - power becomes very uneven. The situation has become unstable because Lord Stein has power over the Black Legion with the entire south of the continent under his control, while the north is under control of the Sentinels and Nostrous’s authority, and finally the center is loyal to Princess Keren.”
“Placing it in that perspective, the best place to stand is with the Sentinels and Nostrous, though on a personal level I’d rather see Princess Keren as the ruler of the elven nation. She is a bright elf and an excellent leader,” said Zeztu.
“Your opinion is tainted by your long friendship with the Royal family. But what you say of Princess Keren is true; she is indeed an excellent leader, like her father.”
“But shouldn’t we hear all of the points they raise and only then give our final decision?” I asked.
“Don’t misunderstand Alex; we are only making educated guesses of the situation, as after the decline of the Order most dragons refrained from interacting with all the races that walk this world, even with our southern dragon cousins. You could say we have detached ourselves from the affairs of all other races.”
“I wonder whose choice that was,” challenged Zetzu.
“The choice was made and there is no turning back time, but we shall listen to the arguments all three contenders to the throne raise and choose according to which is in our best interest,” said Master, pushing aside Zetzu’s challenge. The truth was dragons had stopped roaming the land as they had before the Dragon Knights started to drop in numbers. The Knights were the bridge between the two species and with their demise came the halt of all dragon relations and influence on human, elven, and dwarf dealings. It wasn’t due to lack of will, but rather, the dragons’ natural nomadic tendencies and no concrete authority over their species such as that of a king or emperor. The Dragon Council eventually voted to leave only Master in constant contact with humans, and he was the only one who had remained to find new Knights until I showed up.”
We heard a knock on the door and then a guard entered. “The time for conferring is over. We shall begin the meeting shortly,” he then closed the door.
“Our plan remains unchanged. We shall not be compromising the human-elven alliance at any cost, even if that means we are to support the Sentinels and Nostrous instead of Princes Keren.”
“I remember a time when we dragons cared more for the wellbeing of our friends than ourselves Lord Shadow,” said Zetzu in a very dry tone.
“And I don’t remember the last time we faced a threat that could exterminate dragons, humans, elves, dwarfs, and everything else that lives. The Irkanians will never stop, you know that Zetzu. Once they have eliminated us and the humans, they will march on to the dwarves and finally turn their attention to the elves. When they stand alone who will the elves call? None of us will be left to answer. I understand your frustration Zetzu but this is the best option we currently have. If it costs a few titles and a sour princess to get the elves to help us then I will happily pay that price.”
The old storm dragon did not answer and simply walked to the door and opened it, motioning us to go on. He was reluctant to agree to the idea we might have to compromise the well-being of the elven nation for the well-being of all the other races of this world but it was something that had to be done. The old me would have agreed with Zetzu, but after having fought the terrible might of the Irkanians I agreed with Master’s idea of stopping them at any cost.
Meeting
Once we reached our seats in the Council Chamber we sat down and waited for the proceedings to begin. As was to be expected, the meeting required formalities, including introductions. I didn’t bother trying to remember the long list of names of everyone present and their respective titles, the only ones I cared to remember were those of the key players in this political game - Lord Stein, Princess Keren, and Magistrate Nostrous. And while it was true the elves sitting with each of them (as their show of loyalty) were important as well, these lesser players would not be attempting a claim to the elven throne. After the seemingly endless formalities finally passed, Princess Keren stood up. It amazed me how swift and simple elven politics were. No long debates and deliberation on whether or not to discuss a matter, they just came in, sat down, and started, as to find a solution as quickly as possible.
“I will forego further pleasantries and dive right into the heart of the debate we are gathered here for. My father, the late king, belonged to the ruling family of our great kingdom. Our family has held our race together for centuries. You ask yourselves why I, one so young, should rule over the old and wise and the vastness of the Harmony of Elution. The answer is bu
t a simple one. While your generation has held us together through long and difficult times, the end of your cycle is close at hand. It is imperative the younger generation be handed the mantle of wisdom and power you hold and what better choice than to start with the very head of our great Harmony,” she paused for a second looking into the eyes of her challengers before continuing, “While Lord Stein is considerably younger than Magistrate Nostrous, he too is far older than me and there are some who view the Black Legion he commands to be a dangerous element. There is a reason my father was chosen to rule over his twin brother and that reason was my father’s deep love and respect for the natural order of our people and environment, something Lord Stein has never possessed. As for Magistrate Nostrous, he is far too old to become a lasting King. I do not blame him for his decision claim the throne, but he is not the young and powerful marshal who once led the Sentinels and our forces into battle with the Irkanians alongside dragons, humans, and the Dragon Knights. Lastly, I would like to leave you all with a thought. Who has been the one maintaining our relations with the humans? It was I, I alone, and it has been so because of the knowledge imparted to me by my father. Is that not a sign he wished to have me rule our fair kingdom?” she finished before sitting down.
It was a powerful speech but she was right about one factor that was cause for serious concern… She was very young; most humans would never be able to look past that. Elves on the other hand did not seem to have such issues, although it seemed some did. Next was Magistrate Nostrous.
The old elf stopped stroking his beard, at which point he stood up. He was tall by any standard and very muscled, despite being over five hundred years old.
“My fellow elves, human, and dragons, we are at the turning point of an era, an era which shall again be marked by conflict. It is a fact we cannot escape the Irkanian threat, an almost complete disappearance of the Dwarven kingdom, and now a possible civil war amongst the oldest race to walk this land. As a people, we have no control over two of these occurrences and yet we try to control them, which is of alarming concern to me, for we have grown arrogant enough not to see the faults which lay within our own boarders, our own homes. This civil war that looms over us is a result of a mere dispute among family members. The daughter of the late king who naively believes she is prepared to reign over a peoples as old and wise as we are, and that of the one who wasn’t allowed to be king because his brother out shined him in every aspect. While some of you agree the younger generation should take charge, it is far too early for a race as long lived ours to allow a mere child to rule. As for those who side with Lord Stein for his...” the Magistrate paused to carefully consider which words he would use, “radical views on the path our nation must take; have you never picked up a history book? You are walking down the path of Rankal the Mad who forced the entire continent of Elution into its current state of magical incompetence. It is mistakes like these that could spell our doom if they are not fixed soon,” he said, walking back to his chair from which he had stood up, when he halted, “Should a civil war erupt I shall be forced to exile myself from my homeland. I have seen enough of bloodshed, of mountains of corpses, and sorrow in the eyes of thousands, and the faces of mothers, sisters, wives, and friends who have lost the joy of a simple smile and their reasons for happiness. It is something I wish to see no more of. Princess Keren, you say the old should pass the mantle down to the young but why should I pass it on to either of two individuals who would rip away a son from his mother’s arms in order to obtain a mantle which was woven to avoid exactly that?” finished Magistrate Nostrous, suddenly looking older than before. His words had a profound effect on everyone there.
Time Of The Knights (The Dragon Knight Order Series Book 2) Page 1
