The Fire and the Storm - Metric Pro Edition: Fiction, Dragons, Elves, Unicorns, Magic (45 page)

“We should be back in time to help supervise the evening’s merry-making.” Reggie estimated.  “By the time they’re done eating, that is.”

“Right.” Karzog nodded, somewhat distracted, and the three children Translocated.

They found their parents sitting around a table out in the front yard, doing some research with Theramin, Hilsith, Nek Sibook, and Mandri.

“Have you been listening, or would you like a Reading?” Helemia asked as suddenly as they appeared.

“We’ve been listening, though you haven’t made it easy.” Mark chuckled.  “We had to get Povon and Equemev to help us with it after you hardened your Wards to block those Sylvan’s Projections.  Fine work though, every bit of it!”

“Fine?!” Nek laughed.  “I’d have to say unbelievably excellent!  I can’t believe you’ve got it all wrapped up already, with a party to celebrate it!  I mean, I was one of the most outstanding child prodigies to ever come down the river, but you kids really eat the whole feast!  To think you four youngsters just pacified about twenty thousand wild and unsworn Sylvan in two days!  What will you do to top yourselves now?!”

“Yah, there’s a lot more of them than we originally thought.” Helemia nodded.  “You’ve noticed they’re not hiding from us anymore.  But it was still way easier than we thought it’d be.  To be honest, I’m not sure what we could do to top that until the time-bubble ends.  It’s getting pretty hard to find a real challenge in here, except for the training for the demons, and even there our progress is slowing.  We’re getting pretty close to our potential when it comes to battle, and so are a lot of the others here.  We’ll keep getting better, but mostly because we’re still growing.”

“Ah, but now you’ll have more to worry about than just your part in the exercises.” Alilia told them with a proud smile.  “Now you’ll have to command your Sylvan against the demons, and that’s going to be a whole new set of problems.  I think it’ll keep you challenged for quite some time.  There’s a lot of difference between fighting as a quartette under an experienced commander, and commanding an army of twenty thousand.”

“You’d have us command them in the exercises?” Reggie asked in surprise.  “We haven’t even had a turn commanding the four hundred fighters in Homestead yet!”

“Then maybe you should have asked to do that before you took on this responsibility!” Mark laughed.  “
Someone
has to command them until their own commanders are ready to do it.  Of course, I suppose one or more of the rest of us could do it, if you’re saying that you’re not up to the task…”

“Oh we’re up to it all right!” Helemia fiercely declared.  “Quewanak and Ria are gonna need all of
your
help to simulate enough demons to give us a challenge!  Once we’ve had at least two months for some basic training, anyway.”

“Good to hear!” Talia laughed.  “Seriously, if you need any help in any way, just ask.  You’ve all done a great and wonderful thing, and we’re as proud of you as we possibly could be.  And we’ll take care of the feast for tomorrow.  The fare you’ve provided for your troops is hearty and healthy, but such an occasion calls for some fancier dishes, I think.”

“Thanks.” Valentia smiled.  “That saves us a lot of work, and the Sylvan don’t seem to have much of a tradition of fine dining, judging by the cooking skills they’ve shown so far.  And somehow, none of us four have gotten around to learning more than the most basic cooking skills, so we haven’t been much help.”

“It’s the least we could do.” Mark told her with a loving smile.  “Now give us a hug and get back to your project.”

“There won’t be anything more done tonight except some planning, and a very big beach party!” Valentia laughed.  “We’ll have the planning done by the time the Sylvan are finished eating, so if you’d like to come join the party, you’ll be welcome.”

“No no, that would detract from the gravity of our big appearance tomorrow.” Alilia chuckled.  “There’s the diplomacy of the event to be considered, after all.  I’m sure tomorrow night’s beach party will be even better, and we’ll get to enjoy that one.”

“All right then.” Valentia smiled as she gave her mother a hug.

“You two go ahead, I’ll get some sleep and be back in five hours.” Helemia said as she Translocated out of her armor.  “That way we can all get that much before noon tomorrow.”

“All right, sleep well.” Valentia said.

After hugs and goodbyes all round, Helemia went to bed as the rest returned to their tasks.

At fifteen minutes to noon the next day, everything was ready.  At the center of the length of beach that they’d claimed, the four governors had erected a square wooden platform two and a half meters high and six meters on a side.  Karzog sat on the sand beside it like a dog, with an elbow resting on the top surface where the three siblings stood waiting.

Above the platform they’d cast a gigantic Revealing over thirty-seven meters high.  During the ceremonies it would allow everyone on the beach to see and hear what the principals were doing and saying, but right now it only showed the symbol of Hiliani that Valentia had designed.  It was  a stylized version of the map of the archipelago, but the coast had been smoothed a bit into a more symmetrical oval, and tilted a bit counter-clockwise from vertical as it would be on a map, with a blue outline and slim blue lines showing where the channels were.  Valentia had admitted that it would have been more realistic to color the islands themselves the brownish-green of the dominant tree species’ pine needles, but she’d chosen the red of that tree’s heartwood instead, simply because she thought it looked better.

There was enough open space on the beach around the platform for the five hundred and twenty-one residents of Homestead, and for the rest of the Sylvan; those being most of the adults and the few youths they hadn’t caught yet.

The Sylvan they’d captured were seated in neat squares up and down the beach beyond the open sand, arranged in their new platoons facing the platform with their lieutenants seated before them, all sitting relaxed and cross-legged with identical postures.

The four governors looked like they were simply still, relaxed, and waiting.  In reality, they were communicating psionicly, and they were a bit nervous.

“They look pretty enough, I suppose.”
Helemia mused as she considered the ranks of Sylvan. 
“I wish we’d had time to make up some uniforms though.”

“Bah!  I can’t believe how much time and trouble it was just to retrieve the clothes and possessions they already own!”
Valentia complained.
  “Who’d have thought that people living like fugitives in the forest could accumulate so much stuff?!  I thought we’d never get it done in time.”

“But you did.”
Reggie acknowledged. 
“And it’s made a big difference.  Now that they’re all moved into their own rooms, they’re a lot more accepting of the situation.”

“The organization helped too.”
Helemia commented. 
“The lieutenants generally picked the packs they’d run with before as the core of their new platoons, so there’s continuity of the social lives they had before.  Forming squads and assigning sergeants seems to have helped a lot too.”

“Yah, that was good thinking, letting the lieutenants pick the troops for their own platoons.”
Karzog added.
  “They’re showing some real camaraderie and pride in their platoons and squads now.”

“I’m surprised you let them form platoons of such different sizes.”
Valentia noted.

“Yes, well we’d told them that the platoons would have up to a hundred soldiers each,”
Helemia explained,
“And some of them wanted the full hundred.  But with the two hundred and twenty-one lieutenants we ended up with, there’s only enough soldiers for about sixty per lieutenant.  We’d only set a limit of a hundred per platoon to accommodate future population growth.  But then Shebiteve, our youngest lieutenant, said she only wanted thirty-seven.  She was shrewd too, she picked all the most promising fourteen-year-old and youngers.  So we let those who wanted less than sixty pick first, which gave them smaller but generally more talented platoons.  Those who wanted the full hundred picked last, and after some bargaining and mediation, almost everyone was completely satisfied.  We’ll let the lieutenants make trades on Firstdays if they want to.”

Reggie laughed. 
“A lot of Sylvan were upset that they hadn’t been picked to be lieutenants.  They argued that the best and most vicious warriors should’ve been made officers, and when we told them that we’d picked on the basis of intelligence, emotional stability, and pragmatism, they were disgusted.  Their spokesman declared; ‘Well that’s just stupid!’, and walked away in a huff.”

They all got a silent chuckle from the thought.

Mandri appeared on the platform beside them.  “Hi kids!  Most of us are ready to come over now, and the rest’ll be ready before noon, which is about eleven minutes from now.  Alilia insists that Mark and Talia arrive last, and precisely at noon.  Everyone’s got the Tongues For Blezogeth spell that Povon made up, so you won’t have to worry about translation.

“I’m surprised we were able to come up with a fancy feast for twenty thousand on such short notice, but we did.  We can bring it over anytime you want.”

“Thanks Mandri.” Reggie nodded, and outlined an area of beach between the platform and the sea with a line of blue light.  “Everyone can come by now; that area there is reserved for Homesteaders.”

“All right.” Mandri acknowledged, and disappeared.

A moment later the Homesteaders began appearing on the beach in family groups.  They called and waved their greetings to the four young governors as they chose places for themselves on the sand, and their greetings were cheerfully returned.

A minute later the first of the adult Sylvan and their dependent children emerged from the forest, and in seconds the trickle of them became a torrent.  They’d obviously set out from their homes some two to four hours earlier, and hiked or ran the thirty kilometers or so.  It was notable that those who’d run the distance were neither sweaty nor severely out of breath.  About two hundred Sylvan arrived in canoes and small sailboats, a few arrived by Flight, and fewer still Translocated.  They all wore their finest clothes and jewelry, which were simple in style but very well made, and they did indeed look impressive.  Though none wore armor, many of them were equipped with swords and knives in beautifully decorated sheaths and scabbards.  By the time the last of them arrived at one minute to noon over seven thousand of them had taken their places on the beach.

Povon, Kragorram, Quewanak, and the unicorns appeared then, on the edge of the beach near the water, which caused a stir and a wave of quiet exclamations from the assembled Sylvan.  Many of the humans and elves were relieved by their arrival.  Being surrounded by thousands of Sylvan was a somewhat unnerving experience.  With an average height of two hundred and thirteen centimeters, and all nearly identical except for what they wore, with pale skin, long black hair, and glowing, slitted red eyes, the Sylvan were an intimidating group, and the nearer ones reinforced this image with fierce expressions and arrogant stances.  The arrival of the dragons and unicorns among the Homesteaders deterred most of the Sylvan’s shows of aggression, and brought a sense of balance to the casual confrontation between the groups.

Mark and Talia appeared on one side of the platform precisely at noon, the fourteen elder Sylvan appeared on the other side a moment later, Helemia activated the great Revealing, and it began showing the scene on the platform.

Like all the Homesteaders there that day, Mark and Talia wore clothes that were finely made and a bit formal in style, but not ostentatiously luxurious.  She wore a simple while dress with delicate white leather sandals, while he wore a black kilt and a white silk shirt with black riding boots.  At Alilia’s insistence, they had worn the crowns of Hilia.  Mark thought he looked a little ridiculous in his, though they were fairly modest as far as royal crowns went.  He compensated by wearing his at a jaunty angle, tilted forward a bit toward his left eyebrow.

Reggie spoke in Blezogeth, his voice augmented to be heard by all.

“Greetings and good day.  I am Governor Longstrider.  Every one of us who live on these islands of Hiliani, formerly known as The Evergreen Islands, are gathered here right now.  We meet to form agreements between our peoples, in order to maximize our ability to defend ourselves from the impending invasion of the demons, and to ensure peace between us.

“I am now proud to present the ruling Prince and Princess of Hiliani; Prince Mark and Princess Talia; rulers of Hilia, Lords of Serminak, Keys to The Just Alliance, and keys to the nexus of the world of Kellaran.”

Mark and Talia smiled and waved as the Homesteaders all cheered, and Reggie turned to the Sylvan expectantly.

“Greetings and good day.” the older woman who’d spoken for them before said as she stepped forward.  “I am Plozofen Barifatan Dolimatbene, Most Senior of the Sylvan of The Evergreen Islands, which you name Hiliani.”

“I’m pleased to meet you, Senior Dolimatbene.” Mark said, using his formal speaking tone.  “When we chose these islands as our retreat, we were convinced that they were uninhabited.  Every spell and survey we used to check the islands failed to find you Sylvan.  You’re undoubtedly the most stealthy group of people in the world.  If we’d have realized you were here, we wouldn’t have bought the place and moved here.  But here were are.

“A few months after we arrived, General Helemia here psionicly detected the presence of one Vanakit Lamitkeze.  Vanakit realized he’d been detected. and psionicly attacked General Helemia, and he was severely injured in the exchange.  We Healed him as well as we could in the short time he was with us before a few of his friends among you came and took him from our Healer’s home.

“Then we knew you were here, but we took no action against you.

“However…”

“Vanakit was first injured almost six years ago!” Senior Dolimatbene angrily interrupted.  “This person would have been no more than a babe in swaddling, if she was even born then!” she protested as she pointed at Helemia.