Dragon Alliance Dark Storm : Dark Storm (39 page)

“I know that it will be a different and likely dangerous gathering. I also believe it will determine whether or not we go to war,” Becknor stated.

“I will do my best to stave that course, sir,” Canjon answered.

“These events are already in motion, I fear, but we are not the aggressor, nor the willing accomplice,” the dragonrider general stated as he stared at the Enlightened senators gathering by the food tables, readying for the flight. All four looked at each other and then with a nod of acknowledgement began moving toward the Capital Weir dragonriders to give them their passenger assignments and get everyone mounted and ready for the flight. As they climbed onto the dragons’ flying rigs and strapped into the soft padded seats on the dragons’ necks, many of the Enlightened senators complained about how uncomfortable they were as compared to their posh carriages and overly padded hippogriff saddles. The dragonriders just nodded and ignored them.

Once all were loaded and the accompanying knights and Draco Guards were ready, the massive entourage took off and flew out of the weir heading toward the bay. As the massive formation of eighteen dragons and three times that number of s, dracogriffs, and winged horses majestically soared over Sauric Bay, they all maneuvered to within overlapping wing tips of each other. When the dragons knew that they could put all the other flying mounts close enough to teleport them, Valianth gave his signal roar, and they all vanished in a rapid succession of flashes of brilliant-blue light that likened to a fast volley of lightning strikes.

They emerged over the mouth of the Sigrit River and the twin fortresses that guarded the delta. They quickly formed two V’s with the Capital Wings, the s and other flying mounts placed in between them in case of an attack. While all the fortress’s ballista gunners were trained on them, they were out of range and did not respond. They then immediately oriented north and started to fly toward the Shidanese capital city of Dagrad. As they neared the sprawling city, dozens of squadrons of manticores rose up to meet them. The dragons tensed, ready for a fight, but the lead manticore squadron leader was waving a yellow silk banner from his spear, signaling them to follow him. Hundreds of the hideous-looking beasts moved in formation around the dragons, and they uneasily glided toward the western part of the city, which the Sigrit River divided. Several of the manticores simulated firing their spikes at the dragons but did not let one fly, trying to taunt the metallics.

They cautiously and slowly glided over the city. Its tan- and sand-colored houses and structures, with a few brighter-colored or painted dwellings were in stark contrast to the white and more vibrant colors of Draconia. They slowly descended, following the lead squadron of manticores toward King Ibliss’s palace. General Becknor saw the thousands of guards and soldiers lining either side of the large expanse of neatly manicured stone and gravel in front of the palace. He grabbed his seeing crystal and called back to the formation of dragons and Alliance knights.

“All of the Capital Wing, we will land peacefully, but be prepared for a fight at a moment’s notice. We will not initiate any hostile action; however, if they show any aggression toward us, I want you to show them raw fury. Protect the senators, and then we will quickly depart as soon as we have an accurate account of everyone. Otherwise, we will land and form a protective ring around the s and others until they dismount. Then we will get the senators off our backs, and I and Ambassador Canjon will escort the group into the palace with the designated mithril knights. Colonel Therosvet will be in charge when I’m in the palace. Any questions?” No reply meant everyone understood.

Most of the manticores veered off while the dragons began to land on the gravel field. The dragons directed the powerful wind generated by their wings toward the gathered soldiers. The large amount of dust and sand pelted the guards and forced them to take several steps back, which also gave the dragons more room to secure the s in the middle of their makeshift perimeter. After everyone dismounted and gathered behind Valianth, who was closest to the palace, the king and his entourage exited the large main door entrance and were walking toward the Alliance envoy. Senators Tekend and Terrjok immediately started to walk toward them and past Valianth. Becknor yelled for them to stop.

Terrjok angrily replied, “I will not greet a king at the rear of a filthy dragon. We are in more danger around these beasts than with our noble host.”

“This is as much our mission as it is yours, Senator, and if you keep on insisting on this course of action, I might pull the dragons out sooner than later,” Becknor replied in a very serious tone. The two senators scoffed and turned to greet Ibliss, but by then, the dragon knights had caught up to them and escorted the other thirty or so senators with them. The king was dressed very opulently, in fine silk robes and a jewel-encrusted crown over his tight white headdress. He had several large guards with very large sized scimitars that would require two hands to wield, hanging from their belts and a dozen slave servants. He directly approached the two senior Enlightened senators as if he knew them personally.

“Greetings, my friends from the west, I am so glad you made the long journey to my blessed homeland,” the king greeted the Enlightened senators through his interpreter as he gave them the cordial shoulder hug and cheek kiss, the dragonriders getting the translation through their seeing crystals. “Please come in to the hospitality of my palace, and you may bring your winged demon riders as well.” He looked over at Becknor and Canjon with a slight scowl. They just looked at each other, and the quickly exchanged glance communicated that this would be a hard negotiation. They all walked into the palace, which was exquisitely decorated with fine tapestries and gold and silver ornaments and was bustling with servants and the ladies of the king’s harem. They were escorted into a side meeting room that a dragon could have used as a sleeping chamber—a huge neatly woven rug was laid out on the floor with dozens of pillows lying all around it.

A palace guard walked over to General Becknor and Canjon and pointed to their swords, indicating they were to give them to him before they entered the room. They both declined. The fancily dressed guard made a more demanding gesture, to which Becknor looked at Canjon and they both raised their right arms. The guard went to grab the general’s sword. Just as his hand touched the pommel, a terrific shock was delivered to him, which almost threw him back.

“Fool, you can’t disarm a dragonrider of his magic weapon. They are not threat as long as we are not,” Ibliss snapped at his guard and ushered the group in. Senator Terrjok scowled at Becknor, who stared right back at him, not giving an inch. They sat with the Enlightened senators to the right of the king and the two dragonriders and the remaining senators to the left. Immediately, slaves brought in gold and silver urns and pots of tea for all the guests. Becknor waved the steaming glass under his sword’s dragonstone, and it did not glow, so he knew it wasn’t poisoned. He took a sip. All the other wiser senators knew what he did was to ensure their safety.

“My liege Ibliss, we want to thank you for your hospitality and for inviting us to your exquisite palace,” Senator Tekend opened up the conversation.

“Yes, noble king Ibliss, your accommodations are unrivaled in that we wish our senate chamber was half as superb as this,” Terrjok stated as he gingerly fondled the tea glass preparing to take a sip as the king’s translator spoke the senators’ words to him in his language. Becknor looked at Canjon and had Valianth relay his thought through Amerenth and then to Canjon to how almost sickening it was to see Alliance senators fawn over a petty tyrant such as this, but then this was likely the kind of power they wished they had.

“Yes, my friends, you have come a long way to this holy land, but I am pleased at the deference you showed this kingdom in the number of dragons you sent on this special envoy. Now, how may I be of assistance to you?” the king asked.

While his servant was translating, Canjon, having already heard the words in Alliance tongue through his crystal spoke up. “King Ibliss, to not waste your time, I want to get right to the issue of this undeclared war that is plaguing the sea lanes. Ships from Shidan have been aggressively pirating any and all merchant ships they can find in the southern seas. Our navy has sent many of these as well as Morgathian warships to the bottom, and we would like these acts to cease, or else there will be consequences. This course of action is something neither you nor the Alliance wants, but it will become necessary if the Blood Wolf flags keep flying over Shidanese vessels.” Canjon got right to the point, which changed the mood in the room from one of superficial pleasantry to one of a more serious nature.

“Dragonrider, the king is not to be spoken to this way, for it hasn’t been established that these bands of pirates are from Shidan. They could be Arianan or from the island kingdoms, even Freilanders,” Terrjok spoke up in the defense of the Shidanese king.

“Yes, dragonrider, you tend to forget that it is not the Shidanese standard that flies over these pirate vessels but the Blood Wolf, and we have suffered to a certain degree as well,” the king smugly replied.

As the translation finished on Canjon’s and Becknor’s crystal, Becknor spoke up. “Then how do you explain the dozens of Shidanese-born pirates that now reside in Alliance prison islands and as guests of the Freilanders,” Becknor answered quickly and forcibly.

“Even the most organized pirate clans cannot field squadrons of ships, my good king, which would necessitate a well-financed nation supplying them, organizing them, and directing them. This same nation is also brokering the booty that they collect on their successful attacks, unless they encounter an Alliance warship or Freiland raider, which is usually to their detriment. Many prisoners have told the exact same story: join the Blood Wolf, kill the infidel, and the treasure will be yours here and in paradise,” Canjon pointedly explained as he projected the images of the pirate ships, captured pirates, and those Blood Wolf vessels in several Shidanese ports. “As the sighting of dozens of pirate ships in your ports also indicate.” The king looked a little taken aback by the statements and the images.

“You can’t take of the word of a few uneducated and ignorant pirates. We holy warriors of Kallysh would only engage in a fight face-to-face with the All Merciful by our side,” Ibliss countered.

“What about those with the Black Scarab mark on their chest?” Canjon countered as he described the few Black Scarab assassins that had been captured on the pirate vessels. “They do not work for the Arianans; they only work for you, and they have the full support of your kingdom as we have seen and captured images of your direct aid to them as well as from the Morgathians,” Canjon accused the Shidanese king.

“This and this alone is an aggressive enough act to declare war on your kingdom. However, if you pledge to join us in the fight to clear the seas of this pirate scourge and discontinue the flow of gems and precious stones to Morgathia, we can avoid this conflict,” Becknor offered.

“Now see here, Dragonriders, we are not here to accuse His Highness Ibliss of collaboration with the pirates, but to solicit his aid in combating them and apologize for the over aggressiveness of our actions that spilled over to his peaceful kingdom,” Tekend broke into the conversation and argued against the dragonriders.

“Senator, this is an outrageous statement, for we all know of, at the very least, the passive support given to the pirates by Shidan, and more likely actual allying and aiding them with direct military action against merchant ships and others closely tied to the Alliance. This is their last chance to avoid a cataclysm that will change the face of Shidan for a very long time,” Senator Santoric spoke up, tired of hearing his colleagues’ anti-Alliance and capitulating words.

“These words border on blasphemy, Alliance Senator, and your ships attack peaceful Shidanese vessels unprovoked,” Ibliss’s translator conveyed his king’s words.

“You call it blasphemy; I call it provocation for war. And when your ships are seen aiding the pirates in their rape and plunder, yes, we will send them to the bottom,” the senator spoke back through his seeing crystal, which translated his response. “Blood and booty are on this kingdom’s hands, and it will stop or we will stop it for you,” he added. The king was taken aback by the senator’s words, and an angry and concerned expression came over his bearded face.

“Senator, we are here to negotiate not threaten,” Terrjok spoke out against Santoric.

“Senator, the time for negotiation is long past. There must be a firm agreement by the king to deny his ports to the pirates, and not participate in any joint ventures with them or his navy and his commerce ships will be considered enemies of the Alliance and treated as such,” Canjon forcibly stated. “We are always willing to foster new alliances, new partners in both trade and mutual defense, but this comes with the price of friendship and trust; we will not ally ourselves with a kingdom attempting to play both sides to maximize profit and control,” he added leaving Ibliss room, though not much, to save face.

“My wise dragonrider ambassador, my peaceful kingdom has been attempting to stem the flow of these enemies of peace from infiltrating our ports, but some do get through, for there is much wealth to be had in the pirate trades. Maybe if the mighty Alliance Republic could donate us a few ships or maybe some of your precious mithril and powerful dragonstones, it would give my holy warriors an advantage over these privateers,” Ibliss tried to answer the charges and shift the tone of the talks.

“King Ibliss, until we see a definitive change of direction in the actions of your kingdom and its aggressive posturing against Ian, not to mention the support to the pirates by the Black Scarabs in particular, this will not even be considered an option,” Becknor flatly stated.

“It is an outrage to treat a sitting monarch in such a manner, and I will not stand for it any more, Dragonriders,” Senator Tekend loutishly stated as his face became red with anger.