Aakuta: the Dark Mage (17 page)

“You are a strong woman, Latril,” smiled Lord Marak, “but there is a demand I must make of you.”

“What is that?” asked Latril.

“Your knowledge of my skills must remain between you and me,” declared Lord Marak. “It is too soon for others to know.”

“I shall not speak of it,” promised Latril, “but do not be surprised if others discover it. You have many intelligent mages in your service. Do not underestimate them.”

“I never have,” grinned Lord Marak.

“Ah, Lord Marak,” came a familiar voice from behind him. “May I sit with you?”

Lord Marak turned to see Lord Shamino, the Sorgan lord. He waved his hand towards an empty chair.

“By all means, Lord Shamino,” replied Lord Marak. “This is the first time for both of us.”

“That sure started a new buzz among the lords,” Latril said softly. “They are surprised that anyone would sit with you, especially a neighbor.”

“Keep listening,” whispered Lord Marak as the Sorgan lord sat down. “We will talk about this when we return to our quarters.”

“The palace is quite exciting,” Lord Shamino said loudly as he smiled at Lord Marak. He lowered his voice to a whisper and continued, “Many lords are questioning me about the Torak clan in general, and about you in particular. What should I be telling them?”

“What have you told them?” asked Lord Marak.

“I feigned ignorance as best I could,” answered Lord Shamino. “I told them that I have just assumed leadership of the Sorgan clan, but that Lord Quavry appeared to get along rather well with you.”

“You told them that?” questioned Lord Marak.

“Well, he did appear to get along well with you,” chuckled Lord Shamino. “I did not mention that appearances could be deceiving.”

“You are treacherous,” chuckled Lord Marak, “but you do bring up a good point. I need to set the tone for our other lords. Can you contact each of them without raising eyebrows?”

“Easily,” smiled Lord Shamino. “It is you that everyone is watching. What do you want me to tell them?”

“Ask each of them to stop by my quarters sometime tonight,” answered Lord Marak. “It is fine for them to act indifferently for now, but I will need them to express support for me at some point. That time may well be tomorrow.”

“I shall do so right now,” responded Lord Shamino as he pushed back his chair and rose.

Moments later the food was served and Lord Marak observed the assembled lords as he ate. After they had finished eating, lords started approaching the table one at a time. Most of them offered a bland welcome to the palace and fished for information. Lord Marak was polite to each as he tried to gauge their alignments with the other clans. One older lord in yellow and blue pulled back a chair and sat down.

“So you are Lord Marak,” the lord said without emotion. “You are young for a lord. How have you come into power?”

“You have the advantage, sir,” retorted Lord Marak. “I recognize your colors as the Dilendro clan, but I am afraid that I do not know your name.”

“Lord Chandra,” replied the man. “Do not feel bad about it. People do not discuss me as they do you. You, sir, are rocking the boat here in Khadora. What is this nonsense about freeing your slaves? Is this true?”

“It is,” nodded Lord Marak as he tried to get a feel for the old man. “I find that free men are better workers than slaves. You should try it.”

“I think I will wait to see how you fare first,” replied Lord Chandra. “Evidently it is not working for you.”

“Why do you say that?” puzzled Lord Marak.

“I heard that you raised your prices on watula,” replied Lord Chandra. “Now that is a sure sign of a failing estate. You had best rethink your methods. Slavery is used because it provides cheap labor.”

“Well,” smiled Lord Marak, “if I fail, many lords would probably cheer. I do not intend to fail though, Lord Chandra. I believe that all people should be treated with dignity, and that includes slaves.”

“You may fail, or you may not,” shrugged Lord Chandra. “It matters little to me, but others have already matched your price increases, and that matters a great deal to me. My clan is not a wealthy one. We survive mostly because nobody wants what we have. If they did, we would have been conquered long ago. These price increases just might be the death of my clan.”

“How many slaves do you have, Lord Chandra?” asked Lord Marak.

“Only a handful,” answered the Dilendro lord. “They are all mages. I had two of each discipline, but two have died in the last year. I am afraid they are aging like everything else on my estate, but your increases will hasten the demise of my people. I ask you to reconsider.”

“How much watula do you consume in a year?” asked the Torak lord.

“Not a great deal,” replied Lord Chandra. “Normally I would wait you out and harvest my own small fields, but the locust plague has destroyed my crops. That is what makes the timing of your increases so unfortunate. Half the country is being destroyed by the locusts.”

“Your mages cannot rid your fields of the locusts?” inquired Lord Marak.

“Of course not,” scowled the old man. “What kind of foolish question is that? I am afraid that you know little of being a lord.”

“Actually,” smiled Lord Marak, “I think not knowing how to be a lord might be a blessing for me. What would you say if I could solve all of your problems?”

“You?” laughed the old man. “You cannot even see the problems that you are creating for yourself. How can you solve mine?”

“I know of mages that can rid your fields of locusts,” retorted Lord Marak. “They would cost you less than the annual cost of keeping your current mages. I also know where you can sell the mages you do have for about the same price.”

“Are there mages that can really get rid of the locusts?” Lord Chandra asked skeptically.

“They will not charge you if they fail,” smiled Lord Marak. “You have nothing to lose by trying them.”

“Now you are saying something worth listening to,” Lord Chandra said, “but why would I sell my slaves?”

“Several reasons,” answered Lord Marak. “If you hire mages only when you need them, why pay to feed and house them all year long?”

“There is some sense to that,” agreed the old lord, “but there are things that cannot be solved by mages, like your price increases.”

“Do not be so sure of that,” grinned Lord Marak. “I would not spread this word around too much, but I intend to offer a generous discount to any clan that is slave free. In fact, the cost of my goods to a clan who has no slaves will be considerably lower than last year’s prices.”

“Lower than last year’s?” echoed Lord Chandra. “You certainly will face financial ruin.”

“Perhaps,” shrugged Lord Marak, “but is that any reason not to take advantage of me while you can?”

“Certainly not,” laughed the old man. “If that is what it takes to get cheap prices out of you, my slaves are as good as sold. Where can I procure the services of these hired mages?”

“There is a mage school in Chantise,” answered Lord Marak. “They buy mages and train them. Then they hire them out to clans that require their services. They are very skilled and very professional. It is called the Khadora School of Magic.”

“I shall contact them on my way home,” smiled Lord Chandra. “It has been a pleasure meeting you, Lord Marak. I hope you change your ways so that you are still with us next year, but don’t start until I get my cheap goods.”

“I promise that I won’t change any time soon,” laughed Lord Marak as Lord Chandra rose and left.

Several moments later, Latril whispered, “He is telling everyone about the discount he is getting from you.”

“As I thought he might,” chuckled Lord Marak. “I rather liked the spirit of that old man.”

“There is an awful lot of talk tonight about prices,” reported Latril. “I cannot imagine that a clan as small as the Toraks could have such an effect on prices. All of the clans are matching your increases.”

“For some it is necessary,” Lord Marak pointed out. “Along with the Sorgans, we hold a fair share of the watula market. Every estate needs watula so their prices have to go up to pay for our increase. Plus, there is basic human greed. If we can charge more and get away with it, others will seek to increase their profits. Remember, it is not only our watula that has been increased. All of our clans have raised prices on all of their commodities. Clova, wasooki, fish, lumber, lituks, all of it.”

“But we do not have a major portion of all of those markets,” countered Latril. “It would seem that some clan would seek to profit by charging lower prices.”

“Oh some will,” nodded Lord Marak, “and their goods will be in high demand, but after that supply is exhausted, where will the clans go?”

“How will they react when they find you are discounting everything?” questioned Latril.

“I am not sure,” Lord Marak admitted. “We will find out soon. I think tomorrow will bring news of the discounts to every clan. Then we shall see how they react.”

“Some are reacting right now,” frowned Latril. “There is anger from more than one lord about discounts for slave-free clans.”

“Are they all angry?” questioned Lord Marak.

“No,” replied Latril. “In fact, more than I would have suspected are intrigued by the idea. This is an education for me. I knew that mages were not thought highly of, but most of these lords express desires to be rid of them. They do not believe that magic works at all. If it wasn’t fashionable to have your own mages, I do not think most clans would bother with them.”

“Then we are about to make it unfashionable,” grinned Lord Marak. “This evening meal has been an education for me, too. Let’s return to our quarters so you can tell me what you have learned.”

“Very well,” responded Latril, “but a lot of it will not please you. While mages are not thought of as being useful, you are thought of as being harmful. Many a lord has expressed a need for something to be done about you.”

“Did they have any suggestions?” Lord Marak asked as he rose.

“Many had suggestions,” frowned Latril. “They had as many suggestions about what to do with you as there are ways of dying.”

“You are just trying to cheer me up,” Lord Marak quipped sarcastically. “We certainly have our work cut out for us.”

“More than you can imagine, Lord Marak,” Latril said. “Many a lord has asked how large your escort is. You may be safe in the Imperial Palace, but I would investigate different ways of returning to Fardale.”

“What should we do while you are in the meeting chamber?” asked Botal.

“Roam around the palace,” suggested Lord Marak. “Keep your ears open at all times. Perhaps we can pick up some tidbits that will prove useful. Have your men mix with the soldiers of other clans as much as possible. Latril, there are many staff members for the other lords that will not be in the meeting chamber. Find out where they congregate and listen in on their conversations. I want to gather as much information on the other clans as possible. This opportunity does not come often.”

Latril nodded and Lord Marak left the quarters of the Torak clan. The Assembly of Lords was not due to start for an hour, but he wanted to be among the first to arrive. He strode down the long corridor and turned into the foyer. There were more than a few Imperial soldiers stationed in the foyer, but no other lords were visible. He opened the door to the Assembly Chamber and walked in.

The room was empty and Lord Marak stood for a moment as his eyes swept over the room. A feeling of apprehension washed over Lord Marak as he realized where he was. The Assembly of Lords was a gathering of the heads of all Khadoran clans. Only the Lords’ Council and the Emperor stood above the group that would soon file into this grand room.

He walked over to the chair that Chard and pointed to the previous day. As promised, Lord Marak’s name was engraved upon the chair. He sat down and examined the desk and small table. Writing instruments were on the desk as well as a candle. The small table held a glass and a pitcher of water.

Lord Marak sat in silence as he tried to gather his thoughts. He had managed to pick up enough information to understand how the meeting would be run, but he still pondered nervously the type of reception his words were likely to bring. The attitudes of the lords were as diverse as their clan colors. Lord Marak realized that he would find a few lords who might be receptive to freeing their slaves, as Lord Chandra had been the night before, but many more would find the thought repugnant and dangerous. While he never heard of a lord being attacked in the Imperial Palace, he was thankful for the large group of Imperial soldiers outside the room.

As the time for the meeting approached, lords began entering the chamber through the multitude of red doors. Lord Mark wove an air tunnel and sat in the back of the room directing the tunnel towards various groups of lords as they entered and greeted one another. To anyone gazing at him, he appeared to be lost in thought, but Lord Marak was rapidly identifying which lords might prove to be enemies and those who could become friendly with the proper persuasion.

“Good morning, Lord Marak,” Lord Shamino said as he took his place next to Lord Marak. “You are here early.”

“I wouldn’t want to miss anything,” Lord Marak smiled. “How are the other lords accepting you as the new lord of the Sorgan clan?”

“Mostly with disinterest,” shrugged Lord Shamino. “I do not think that Lord Quavry had many friends. Some lords who did know him pressed for details of his death.”

“What did you tell them?” asked Lord Marak.

“The truth,” grinned Lord Shamino. “I said that he died during the night in his chambers.”

“You have the qualities of a lord of Khadora,” chuckled Lord Marak. “Who was most interested in his death?”

“There were several,” replied the Sorgan lord. “The most persistent was Lord Patel of the Nordon clan. He is a member of the Lords’ Council.”

“Interesting,” mused Lord Marak. “Which one is he?

“Front row,” answered Lord Shamino. “His clan colors are green and white.”

“I see him,” Lord Marak said softly as he adjusted the air tunnel to listen to the conversation Lord Patel was having.