{"id":112,"date":"2012-04-27T08:20:27","date_gmt":"2012-04-27T12:20:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/?p=112"},"modified":"2012-04-27T08:20:27","modified_gmt":"2012-04-27T12:20:27","slug":"zervakan-free-fantasy-novel-chapter-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/?p=112","title":{"rendered":"ZERVAKAN – Free Fantasy Novel – Chapter 5"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\"\"<\/a>
Cover by TJ Lomas.<\/a>\n<\/div>\n
\nI’m posting a chapter from my latest fantasy novel for free every Monday and Friday (click Zervakan<\/a> above for a synopsis and to start from the beginning). It’s in a “pre-published state,” meaning you might find the occasional spelling\/grammar mistake. If you do, please leave a comment below or email me at robsteiner01 [at] gmail [dot] com.<\/p>\n

If you’re uncomfortable getting something for nothing, you can hit the PayPal Donate<\/a> button in the Tip Jar section to the right. If you donate more than $3, I’ll send you a non-DRM ebook once the book is published (summer 2012). If you donate more than $20, I’ll send you a printed copy.<\/p>\n

Thanks, and I hope you enjoy it!<\/em>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ZERVAKAN<\/h1>\n

by Rob Steiner<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 5<\/h2>\n

Compact Speaker Dylan Edoss stood on the Speaker\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Office balcony on the fifth floor of the south Parliamentary Tower staring up at the rings that had burst into existence ten days ago.\u00c2\u00a0 Dylan squeezed his hands behind his back, the posture of standing \u00e2\u20ac\u0153at ease\u00e2\u20ac\u009d a hard habit to break from his army years.<\/p>\n

What are they?<\/em> he wondered.\u00c2\u00a0 More importantly, What do they mean?<\/em><\/p>\n

And did they cause the storm?\u00c2\u00a0 Though the finest weather Teachers in the Compact assured him, yes, the storm was strange but perfectly explainable, he knew in his heart the rings were somehow responsible.<\/p>\n

He looked down at the city, a cold anger spreading from his chest as it did each time he saw the carnage.\u00c2\u00a0 A large black swath, where still no lamps burned, ran down the middle of the city, right past the Parliamentary Towers.\u00c2\u00a0 Or what was left of them.\u00c2\u00a0 He glanced at the ruins of the north and east Towers to his right.\u00c2\u00a0 He tried not to think of the horror the hundreds of people inside those Towers must have felt as they came crashing to the ground, or the people in the shops and taverns at the base of the towers, buried alive in an instant.\u00c2\u00a0 It had been six days since the last live person was pulled from the rubble.\u00c2\u00a0 Now only bodies were being found.<\/p>\n

Dylan sighed grimly at the irony of his situation.\u00c2\u00a0 On the day he was sworn in, when he had taken the Speaker\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s oath before Parliament, there was a part of him that wished for a crisis to prove his worth, to prove his election was a wise choice.\u00c2\u00a0 He was elected by an equally divided Parliament, where not even his electors fully supported him.\u00c2\u00a0 He longed for a way to prove to them all\u00e2\u20ac\u201dopponents and supporters\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthat he deserved the Speakership, that he would keep the Compact secure by working toward peace with Mazumdahr, not outright conquest.\u00c2\u00a0 When he had joined the army, it had taken the First Mazumdahri War to prove to his squad mates that even an Orlenian \u00e2\u20ac\u0153dwarf\u00e2\u20ac\u009d could fight just as hard and tenaciously as his taller Recindian cousins.<\/p>\n

But as he looked down on a devastated Calaman, he muttered, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I wanted a crisis.\u00c2\u00a0 Not…this.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The balcony door opened behind him, and he did not have to turn to know his Chamberlain, Jac El\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Sha, stood in the doorway holding the Speaker\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sash.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Ministers are waiting for you, Excellency.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Dylan turned to Jac and allowed the tall Gahallian to drape the sash over Dylan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shoulder and adjust it around his waist.\u00c2\u00a0 It was made of green silk trimmed in gold, bearing along its breadth the crests of each member state in the Recindian Compact\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthe gliding eagle of Gahall; the rearing stag of Lakonia; the snow-capped mountain of Orlen; the white oak of Ankrom; and the rising wave of Levaken.\u00c2\u00a0 The sash was specially made for Dylan, since only taller Gahallians or Lakonians had ever worn it during the Compact\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 200-year existence.<\/p>\n

Once Jac finished adjusting the sash over Dylan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s white coat with gold embroidery at the sleeves, he looked Dylan over with the critical eye of a man who had done this job most of his life.\u00c2\u00a0 When he finished, he said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You are ready, Excellency.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Thank you, Jac.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The Chamberlain bowed his head, then led Dylan through the balcony doors and into the Advisory Hall.\u00c2\u00a0 Two Shadarlak Armsmen, protectors of the Speaker, stood on either side of the door to the Hall.\u00c2\u00a0 They wore finely pressed green uniforms with shining black boots, gold tri-corner hats with green trim, each holding oiled muskets with gleaming bayonets.\u00c2\u00a0 Both saluted Dylan as he neared them by dropping the butts of their muskets to the ground and putting their left arms over their chests.\u00c2\u00a0 Dylan knew these men were not simple show pieces.\u00c2\u00a0 At any hint of danger to Dylan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s life, they would launch into action like coiled springs and kill anyone who threatened the Speaker.\u00c2\u00a0 They would not even hesitate to kill Dylan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s own wife if she were threatening him with physical danger.<\/p>\n

Jac opened the door to the Advisory Hall and walked just inside the room.\u00c2\u00a0 He announced, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Speaker of the Recindian Compact.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Dylan heard several chairs move as everyone in the Hall stood.\u00c2\u00a0 He strode through the door without looking at the assembled Ministers, taking his seat at the head of the long rectangular table.\u00c2\u00a0 The Speaker\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s chair was another item that had to be \u00e2\u20ac\u0153adjusted\u00e2\u20ac\u009d for Dylan\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthe chair sat on a platform six inches high so that Dylan would not have the table\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s edge at his neck.<\/p>\n

Once Dylan was seated, his Ministers sat.\u00c2\u00a0 There were fourteen in all, including their various aids, who stood behind their respective Ministers waiting to run off and gather information for their boss at a moment\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s notice.\u00c2\u00a0 The room was well lit with gas lamps due to the early morning hour, which made the room a little stuffy, despite the open windows to Dylan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s right and the cool autumn morning outside.<\/p>\n

Dylan knew that all his Ministers\u00e2\u20ac\u201dexcept maybe Lady General Rida Myndehr to his right\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwere not thrilled with his preference for early morning meetings.\u00c2\u00a0 Dylan supposed it was the residual soldier in him that drove him to get as much done as possible before sunrise.<\/p>\n

Lee Cursh, a Gahallian and his advisor since his first term in Parliament, sat to his left and was maybe the only civilian in the room who did not look tired.\u00c2\u00a0 After fifteen years of working for Dylan, he supposed the man was as used to getting up before dawn as General Myndehr.<\/p>\n

Dylan put his hands on the table and said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You all have a copy of today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s agenda, and it should be no surprise as to what tops the list today.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Some of the Ministers gave weary chuckles.\u00c2\u00a0 As it had been for the past ten days, the rings and the clean-up efforts underway in Calaman dominated his daily meetings.<\/p>\n

Dylan turned to his Science Minister, Thell Demiati.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Minister Demiati, it was your task to conduct research into the rings and report your preliminary findings to me today.\u00c2\u00a0 What have you found?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Dylan felt a twinge of guilt at the overwhelming pressure he had put on the Science Ministry lately.\u00c2\u00a0 He knew the Ministry had been working nights and days trying to come up with theories on the rings and the storm.\u00c2\u00a0 Thell had purple circles under his eyes and his thinning gray hair seemed a little thinner this morning.\u00c2\u00a0 Thell ran a hand through his hair, then adjusted his spectacles up his long, Lakonian nose.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Excellency, my people have fanned out across Calaman\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s universities and they have sent wiretypes to every university in the Compact.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 He paused to clear his throat.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Despite this effort, valid scientific theories as to the origin of the rings and the storm continue to elude us.\u00c2\u00a0 All we have are speculations.\u00c2\u00a0 Three speculations, actually, which I want to report to you today, Excellency.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Dylan said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153If speculations are all you have…\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Demiati cleared his throat again.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The first is that the rings are the debris of a comet that encountered the atmosphere and disintegrated before it could reach the ground.\u00c2\u00a0 However, we know of no elements that could create the strange swirling colors in the first ring and the absolute blackness in the second.\u00c2\u00a0 Not even our most powerful telescopes can detect what they are made of, because we cannot observe any actual material.\u00c2\u00a0 It is as if the rings are made of solid…mist.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Demiati frowned at this, realizing how contradictory his words sounded.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Our second speculation is that the rings are the result of the sun\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rays interacting with the magnetic field surrounding the world.\u00c2\u00a0 This effect has been reported at extreme northern latitudes by trading vessels near the Isles of Sheek.\u00c2\u00a0 However, all reports of this effect state that the colors in the sky are fleeting, there one moment and gone the next, unlike the rings which have never dimmed since they appeared.\u00c2\u00a0 And there have never been reports of a completely black \u00e2\u20ac\u02dclight\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 in the sky.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Demiati turned another page, cleared his throat again, and then ran a hand through his gray hair.\u00c2\u00a0 He gave the Pathist Minister sitting across from him a nervous glance.\u00c2\u00a0 Adella Kericia, her long black hair formed into a tight looping braid behind her back in the Teacher fashion, stared back at Demiati, waiting for him to continue.\u00c2\u00a0 Dylan had brought Adella on his Advisory Hall meetings because she came from a more liberal faction of Pathism.\u00c2\u00a0 Dylan was nominally Pathist himself\u00e2\u20ac\u201djust enough to advance through the Compact\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s political ranks\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand he wanted a Pathist Minister who would not condemn as heretics any of his Ministers who deviated from orthodoxy, like some of her more fundamentalist brothers and sisters had done in the past.<\/p>\n

Still, she was<\/em> the Pathist Minister, and Demiati was obviously nervous about saying something she would not like.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Our third speculation,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Demiati said, his voice cracking a little, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153is somewhat…unconventional.\u00c2\u00a0 After considerable debate within the Science Ministry\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201dsome of Demiati\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s young aids standing behind him had the looks of men standing before a firing squad\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u0153we decided that we would present it to you, Excellency, since your exact orders were\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153To give me all theories, no matter how unconventional,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Dylan interrupted, losing his patience with Demiati\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s stalling.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I remember what I said.\u00c2\u00a0 What is your third \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcspeculation,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Minister?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The rings, perhaps, may have something to do with the…ancient Mystics,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said.\u00c2\u00a0 He took a deep breath, emotions warring on his face\u00e2\u20ac\u201drelief that he said what he wanted to say, along with abject terror at a possible heresy charge being thrown at him.<\/p>\n

Silence descended on the table.\u00c2\u00a0 Not even the aids to the Ministers moved.\u00c2\u00a0 Everyone stared at Demiati with wide eyes, and then one by one, they turned their gazes to Dylan.\u00c2\u00a0 Even Adella seemed too shocked to say anything.\u00c2\u00a0 She looked at Demiati as if she did not know whether to laugh at him or rebuke him.\u00c2\u00a0 Lee Cursh to Dylan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s left leaned back in his chair, folded his arms, and looked out the windows across from him with a thoughtful stare.<\/p>\n

It was the Lady General Rida Myndehr on Dylan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s right that broke the silence.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You must be joking,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said.<\/p>\n

Adella was the next one to regain her wits.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcMystics,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Thell?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she asked, a wide disbelieving smile on her lips.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been working too long.\u00c2\u00a0 You need some rest.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

A small fire of anger flashed in Demiati\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eyes.\u00c2\u00a0 Dylan had only known the man for two years, but during that time, he knew that Demiati hated having his integrity or his work taken lightly.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It is an unusual theory, yes,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153but we have actual evidence to support this speculation.\u00c2\u00a0 At least enough to bring it to His Excellency\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s attention.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Demiati turned around, and one of his aids handed him a large, dusty book that looked to have been copied by hand centuries ago.\u00c2\u00a0 Demiati opened the book, flipped through the pages until he found a hand-drawn picture that filled one entire side of the book.\u00c2\u00a0 He put the book on the table and pushed it toward Dylan.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153That picture was copied and re-copied from a similar book written a thousand years ago during the Faith Wars.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Dylan leaned forward and examined the picture.\u00c2\u00a0 It showed two groups of robed people on opposite sides of a large river.\u00c2\u00a0 One side wore white and the other wore black.\u00c2\u00a0 Both sides raised their hands…and seemed to draw energy from two circles in the sky.\u00c2\u00a0 One of the circles was multicolored while the other was black.<\/p>\n

Adella also leaned forward, studying the picture.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Where did you get this?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153From the only Mystic expert in the Compact.\u00c2\u00a0 A Dr. Taran Abraeu of Calaman University.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

General Myndehr looked up from the picture, her brows raised beneath her close cropped black-gray hair.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153General<\/em> Abraeu\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s son?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Demiati nodded.\u00c2\u00a0 General Myndehr grunted and then looked back at the picture.<\/p>\n

Dylan remembered General Abraeu very well\u00e2\u20ac\u201dhe was Dylan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s commanding officer in the First Mazumdahri War twenty years ago.\u00c2\u00a0 General Abraeu had earned the Laurels of Parliament for his actions in the Battle of Linz, holding off almost 1500 Mazumdahri pikemen in the Growan Pass with only a hundred Compact musketmen.\u00c2\u00a0 Abraeu\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s efforts had allowed Compact reinforcements to arrive and turn the tide of the battle and eventually turn back the Mazumdahri invasion.\u00c2\u00a0 Dylan had been one of the men in Abraeu\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s company that terrifying week, and to this day he would follow Tobias Abraeu into any battle.<\/p>\n

Dylan remembered hearing six years ago that Tobias\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s son Taran had a daughter who suffered from the Blood.\u00c2\u00a0 The illness, according to newspapers, drove Taran insane.\u00c2\u00a0 He spurned a lucrative university career to study the supernaturalist legends of the Mystics, a quick path to unemployment and ostracization.\u00c2\u00a0 Dylan frowned, wondering just how reliable Demiati\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s theory was if it was based on information from an alleged madman.<\/p>\n

As if responding to Dylan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s thoughts, Demiati said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Dr. Abraeu is not mad.\u00c2\u00a0 I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve spoken to him myself.\u00c2\u00a0 His beliefs may be a bit strange, but his mind is clear.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Lee Cursh leaned forward and spoke for the first time during the meeting.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153All right, Minister, so you have three \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcspeculations\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 on the formation of the rings.\u00c2\u00a0 Obviously the third one is un-scientific at best.\u00c2\u00a0 What evidence do you have to support the first two?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Dylan appreciated Lee\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ability to give people a way out of any hole they dug for themselves by changing the subject.\u00c2\u00a0 Here was Demiati\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s chance to end the incredulous looks by all the other Ministers and their aids.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Nothing,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Demiati said desperately.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We have no evidence at all to support the first two speculations.\u00c2\u00a0 They are only the most logical explanations, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all.\u00c2\u00a0 Only the theory that the rings have something to do with the Mystics has any sort of corroboration.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Adella said, pushing the book back to Demiati without looking at it, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153hand drawn paintings in old books that may or may not be fake.\u00c2\u00a0 I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m surprised at you, Thell.\u00c2\u00a0 You of all people should know that supernaturalism does not explain\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153This is all I have,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Demiati said, the normally soft-spoken scientist\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s voice rising to almost a cracking shout.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153My people and I have spent the last ten days going over all the evidence, interviewing specialists, and conducting our own research.\u00c2\u00a0 We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve barely slept eight hours during all that time.\u00c2\u00a0 And in ten days, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve found nothing<\/em> to explain these rings, let alone the storm.\u00c2\u00a0 Now you can sit there and call my findings \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcsupernaturalist\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 all you want, Adella.\u00c2\u00a0 But it does not change the fact that according to all we know about the sciences, these rings should not exist<\/em>.\u00c2\u00a0 The only thing we have that has any kind of corroboration is the Mystic theories of Taran Abraeu.\u00c2\u00a0 So if you have anything<\/em> to refute those theories, Adella, then please tell me.\u00c2\u00a0 Maybe I could sleep again.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Adella looked a little stunned at Demiai\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s outburst and was about to reply when Dylan decided to forestall a shouting war at an Advisory meeting.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153All right,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said, raising his hand.\u00c2\u00a0 When the Speaker raised his hand, the Ministers listened.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I want to know if the rest of you have heard anything regarding Minister Demiati\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s three theories, or if you have other explanations\u00e2\u20ac\u201dexplanations with evidence\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthat he did not find.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Dylan met the gazes of each of his Ministers, and each one shook his or her head.\u00c2\u00a0 When Dylan looked to Foreign Minister Geren Kayn, he was about to shake his head when one of his aids whispered something in his ear.\u00c2\u00a0 Kayn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s face turned red, and he whispered something angrily back to the aid.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Minister Kayn?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Dylan said.<\/p>\n

Kayn looked at Dylan, embarrassment and anger warring on his reddening face.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sorry, Excellency.\u00c2\u00a0 I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve just been informed that nine days ago my office received a wiretype from our missions in the Turician capital Goray.\u00c2\u00a0 It was a message from a small Turician town called Markwatch near the Beldamark.\u00c2\u00a0 It seems that several people claiming to be…um, Mystics, came out of the Beldamark and delivered a message to Lord Ven Demeg of Markwatch asking to meet with you there in ten days.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Dylan stared at the Foreign Minister, trying to control his own anger.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153And why am I being told this now?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The Foreign Minister swallowed, glanced at his aid once, and said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Apparently, Excellency, the mission attach\u00c3\u00a9 thought it was a joke.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Dylan wanted to laugh out of frustration, but kept a straight face.\u00c2\u00a0 He glared at all his Ministers and said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153As of this moment, I want everyone to direct their staff to relay any information\u00e2\u20ac\u201dno matter how supernaturalist it may seem\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthat has anything to do with the rings.\u00c2\u00a0 Is that clear?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The Ministers nodded.\u00c2\u00a0 Adella looked like she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d just been ordered to dig a latrine, but she nodded as well.<\/p>\n

Demiati said, regretfully, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153That is just more piece of corroborating evidence for the Mystic theory.\u00c2\u00a0 According to legend, nobody goes in or out of the Beldamark.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes, legend,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Adella said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Or it could be because the Turicians do not allow anybody in.\u00c2\u00a0 And this very well may be a joke, Minister Kayn.\u00c2\u00a0 The Turicians are all Ahura cultists anyway.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The Beldamark had long been claimed by Turicia, though there were no Turician cities or towns anywhere along its coast.\u00c2\u00a0 The Turician navy patrolled the shores of the Beldamark, turning away any ship that attempted to land there.\u00c2\u00a0 The Compact and Turicia had good relations, despite the popularity of supernaturalist Ahura cults inside Turicia, so no officially sanctioned Compact ships had ever attempted to land on the mysterious peninsula.\u00c2\u00a0 Dylan had always heard folk tales about how all who tried to enter the Beldamark are turned away by magic and cursed for the rest of their lives with boils.<\/p>\n

Demiati asked Kayn, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Did your mission say what these Mystics looked like?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Kayn questioned the aid through whispers, and then the aid turned and practically sprinted through the exit door on the other side of the room.\u00c2\u00a0 Kayn turned to Dylan and the rest of the Ministers and said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153My aid will return shortly with the entire message.\u00c2\u00a0 It did have more information, but he did not remember it all.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

General Myndehr said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Well, regardless of what the wiretype says, my first thought is that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a Mazumdahri trick.\u00c2\u00a0 Excellency, I would not recommend going to Markwatch, not while we are still officially at war.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Despite five years of a cease-fire, Compact and Mazumdahri forces still faced each other from their trenches across a mile-wide expanse of desolate, cratered landscape on the western front.\u00c2\u00a0 Negotiations for a permanent peace treaty had broken down just before Dylan assumed the Speakership, negotiations that he had pledged to his war-weary country to resume.<\/p>\n

Minister Kayn leaned forward.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Mazumdahri are not likely to send messages impersonating Mystics.\u00c2\u00a0 Their society is so devoted to the worship of their Immortal King Savix that even saying the word \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcMystic\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 would earn them the guillotine.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The guillotine was one of the more barbaric things about the Mazumdahri.\u00c2\u00a0 When the Mazumdahri conquer a town or city, they gave its residents the Choice: worship their Immortal King Savix, endure the branding of his holy symbol on their cheek\u00e2\u20ac\u201da sword contained in a circle\u00e2\u20ac\u201dor lose their heads to the guillotine.\u00c2\u00a0 To ensure the populace knows the Mazumdahri are serious, the town leaders are executed (if the leaders have not already fled the town).\u00c2\u00a0 Watching someone lose his head in that vile machine prompted most people to opt for the branding, even though it meant a lifetime of slavery to Savix\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s whims, or in reality the whims of the King\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Priests who really ran the country.<\/p>\n

General Myndehr laughed at Kayn.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153They have attacked us twice defying all logic.\u00c2\u00a0 What makes you think they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d have any problem with impersonating Mystics?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Because, strange as it sounds,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Kayn said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153they would never do anything to deny the divinity of their Immortal King.\u00c2\u00a0 Even if it is a lie and even if it meant they would win a war.\u00c2\u00a0 It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s their version of a code of honor.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Lee asked Myndehr, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What would the Mazumdahri have to gain, despite the obvious fact of assassinating or kidnapping the Compact Speaker?\u00c2\u00a0 Surely they know that we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d only elect another, and then attack them on all fronts.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Myndehr laced the fingers of her hands on the table and spoke to Lee as if he were a child who asked the purpose of gunpowder.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153They have no concept of how a republic works.\u00c2\u00a0 They assume we believe our Speaker to be \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcdivine\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 just like their king, and they assume we would react the same way they would react if their Immortal King died\u00e2\u20ac\u201dit would be the death of a god and the end of their civilization.\u00c2\u00a0 I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve fought these people most of my life.\u00c2\u00a0 They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re insane.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Kayn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s aid rushed in, breathless, and handed the Foreign Minister a sheet of paper.\u00c2\u00a0 Kayn read it, his eyes growing wider the more he read.<\/p>\n

He looked at the aid.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Are you sure you received this nine<\/em> days ago?\u00c2\u00a0 What was the time?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ten o\u00e2\u20ac\u2122clock in the morning, sir,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the ashen-faced aid said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Four hours after the storm.\u00c2\u00a0 I still have the date-time stamp on the original wiretype.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Kayn looked back down at the paper again, re-reading the message silently.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Minister Kayn?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Dylan asked impatiently.<\/p>\n

Kayn looked up.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes, of course, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sorry, Excellency.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 He bit his lip once, then began:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To the Speaker of the Recindian Compact and his peoples, we the Tuatha dei Beldamark greet you in Ahura\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s name.<\/em><\/p>\n

With the recent fall of the Barrier and the appearance of Ahura and Angra in the skies above our world once again, it is imperative that we meet to discuss our mutual defense against the coming scourge of Angra, for we know that you have already been attacked by the Tainted storms and that your capital city lies in ruins.<\/em><\/p>\n

We request your presence in Markwatch at noon ten days after you receive this message.\u00c2\u00a0 Guides will meet you there to take you into the Beldamark.<\/em><\/p>\n

We understand that it may be hard for you to believe we are what we say we are.\u00c2\u00a0 Therefore, we propose a demonstration.\u00c2\u00a0 Please look to Ahura in the sky above.\u00c2\u00a0 When you are ready, call out, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ahura, show me the Tuatha.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em><\/p>\n

We look forward to meeting you.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adella said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Excellency, this is silly.\u00c2\u00a0 This message could have come from anyone.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I agree,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d General Myndehr said to Dylan.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153This is obviously a trap.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Demiati said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153But how could they have known about the storm that struck Calaman four hours after it had.\u00c2\u00a0 It took a day to get the trains going again, and another two days before the wiretype lines were repaired.\u00c2\u00a0 Until then nobody outside the city had any idea what happened.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Adella shook her head in disbelief.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You really think this message is from a Mystic<\/em>, Thell?\u00c2\u00a0 A Mystic<\/em>?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153At least I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m willing to keep an open mind,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Demiati said, giving her an accusing glare.<\/p>\n

Lee said to Dylan, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I suppose there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one way to find out for sure…\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 His eyes darted to rings outside and then back to Dylan.<\/p>\n

Dylan smiled.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Well the worst that can happen is that we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll get a chill.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Besides Adella and Myndehr, the assembled Ministers chuckled.<\/p>\n

Dylan stood and went to the door behind him that led from the Advisory Hall to the Speaker\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s office.\u00c2\u00a0 All fourteen Ministers followed.\u00c2\u00a0 He nodded his assent to the Shadarlak Armsmen standing on either side of the door, who did not try to bar the Ministers from entering.\u00c2\u00a0 Dylan proceeded to his balcony on the other side of the room, behind his large mahogany desk, and opened the double doors.\u00c2\u00a0 The air was still cold, but the sun was rising in the east, turning the clear sky purple.\u00c2\u00a0 The rainbow ring shone brightly in the sky, its colors swirling as usual, while the black ring still made him uneasy.<\/p>\n

The balcony was large enough for fourteen Ministers and their aids to crowd onto, though barely.\u00c2\u00a0 After a few seconds, Dylan checked with the taller Lee, who nodded that everyone was now on the balcony.\u00c2\u00a0 When the assembly had quieted, Dylan looked up at Ahura and, feeling a little foolish, said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ahura, show me the Tuatha.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

There was a flash of light, and then he was flying over the city, towards the north, the cold morning air tearing at his hair and clothes.\u00c2\u00a0 He picked up speed until the Perla Mountains were a blur.\u00c2\u00a0 He was over the Edellian Steppes and above the Gulf of Pagilah before he started screaming.<\/p>\n

He shot across the shore of the Beldamark, past several tall obelisks made of white marble, and into the depths of the mysterious peninsula.\u00c2\u00a0 The heavily forested land below was dimly lit by the rising sun.\u00c2\u00a0 Tall firs, pines, and yews passed beneath him in streaks of green and brown.<\/p>\n

And then he stopped.\u00c2\u00a0 He floated above a small town built with structures of logs and clay.\u00c2\u00a0 A white tower made of the same marble as the obelisks loomed as tall as the Parliamentary Towers over the town\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s center.\u00c2\u00a0 Dylan guessed the town held no more than 5,000 people, and he could see several of them walking about below dressed in furs and heavy, gray wool cloaks.\u00c2\u00a0 The ones who did not wear a fur hat had brownish-red hair and the fairest skin Dylan had ever seen on a human being.<\/p>\n

He only had a moment to give the town a cursory glance, when he was moving again, this time to the northeast.\u00c2\u00a0 He stopped again in mid-air and floated over another town, but this one had been recently destroyed.\u00c2\u00a0 Dylan was stunned to see a swath of destruction through the center of this town similar to the one in Calaman.\u00c2\u00a0 All that was left was debris and stone foundations.\u00c2\u00a0 Nothing stirred.\u00c2\u00a0 Dylan wondered if the people had abandoned it, or if they had all died in whatever had destroyed it.<\/p>\n

Dylan felt another tug, but this time it was in reverse.\u00c2\u00a0 He careened backward over the Beldamark\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s forests, over the calm waters of the Gulf of Pagilah, past the plains of Edellia and over the Perla Mountains, faster than his flight out, faster, faster, until\u00e2\u20ac\u201d<\/p>\n

He was on the balcony again.\u00c2\u00a0 He lay on his back being held up by a surprised Lee.<\/p>\n

Jac push through the crowd and stoop before him.\u00c2\u00a0 Jac was not only Dylan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s chamberlain, but a skilled medical doctor as well.\u00c2\u00a0 He put a hand on Dylan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s forehead, which Dylan brushed away.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m fine, Jac,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Dylan said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Just…\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 Dylan looked at Lee and asked, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What happened?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Lee glanced at the other Ministers before looking back at Dylan.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The rainbow ring flickered a little after you said the words.\u00c2\u00a0 Then you shouted and fell back into me.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Dylan waited for more.\u00c2\u00a0 When Lee did not say anything, Dylan asked, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all you saw?\u00c2\u00a0 What about me?\u00c2\u00a0 Did I…do anything?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Lee shook his head.\u00c2\u00a0 The Ministers and aids behind him looked curious.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Lee asked slowly.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What did you<\/em> see?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Dylan wondered for a moment if telling everyone what had happened was a good idea.\u00c2\u00a0 It was obvious that the others had not seen him soar off into the sky, even though that is exactly what he remembered doing.\u00c2\u00a0 How sane would he sound explaining that to a balcony full of people who only saw Dylan fall into Lee\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s arms?\u00c2\u00a0 Stories of Dylan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s collapse would get out, and it would be all the excuse his political opponents needed to call for a Parliamentary vote of no confidence in him.<\/p>\n

All this flashed through his mind in a second, and he decided to wait and tell Lee later on.\u00c2\u00a0 For the rest of them, he ordered, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Everyone inside.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The Ministers and aids filed through the double doors and stood before the Speaker\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s desk.\u00c2\u00a0 Dylan sat behind it, gathered his thoughts for a moment, then said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Minister Kayn?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Kayn stepped forward.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes, Excellency.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I want you to wiretype your mission in Goray and find out everything they know about these purported Mystics, or Tuathans, or whatever they call themselves.\u00c2\u00a0 What they wore, what they looked like, and I want that information on my desk by the end of the day.\u00c2\u00a0 I also want you to ask the Turician ambassador everything he knows about the Beldamark.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes, Excellency,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Kayn said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Anything in particular about the Beldamark, Excellency?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Everything<\/em> he knows.\u00c2\u00a0 Minister Demiati?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The haggard Science Minister stepped forward.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes, Excellency.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Did Dr. Abraeu tell your investigators what he thought the Mystics might look like if they existed today?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Demiati looked at one of his aids, who shook his head.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I will find that out, Excellency.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Dylan nodded, then looked to the rest of his Ministers, who stared at him with a mixture of concern and confusion.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I am afraid I must cut this meeting short.\u00c2\u00a0 Leave your reports on the city\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s repair and recovery efforts with Jac, and I will contact you if I have any questions.\u00c2\u00a0 Dismissed.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The Ministers and their aids shuffled out of the Speaker\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s office, no one saying a word.\u00c2\u00a0 When all had left, Lee sat in the chair across from Dylan.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What happened to you out there?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Dylan sighed, then said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I saw them<\/em>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

He watched disbelief, then fear wash over Lee, but the Gahallian regained his composure and asked, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153So what do we do now?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Dylan appreciated Lee\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s unquestioning belief in Dylan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s experience.\u00c2\u00a0 But it was an odd question from Lee, considering he was always the first to tell Dylan what he should or should not do in a given situation.\u00c2\u00a0 Dylan stood and faced the windows to his balcony, where the sun was peeking over the horizon and the strange rings split the sky.\u00c2\u00a0 He clasped his hands behind his back.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Dylan said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cover by TJ Lomas. I’m posting a chapter from my latest fantasy novel for free every Monday and Friday (click Zervakan above for a synopsis and to start from the beginning). It’s in a “pre-published state,” meaning you might find the occasional spelling\/grammar mistake. If you do, please leave a comment below or email me […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,28,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-free-stuff","category-novels","category-zervakan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=112"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}