Seeker (The Source Chronicles Book 1) (28 page)

Lord Tulock arose, and banged his staff upon the ground three times.  “Tomorrow, I call for a formal Invocation of Royal Commission.  Until that time, this chamber is closed!”

Dispensing with the rest of the usual formalities, Lord Tulock shrugged out of his robes as he left the chamber, pulling on a vest and handing his staff his aide.

“Norvil, see to any other concerns on this level.  Ready anything else we’ll need until tomorrow.  I have other business to attend to.”

“As you say, my Lord Seneschal,” intoned Lord Norvil.  “Might I add, my lord, that your response to their request was brilliant?”

“Thank you, old friend,” replied Tulock graciously.  “Let’s hope the King agrees with me.”

He walked off then, to attend his next meeting.

There was one small part Lord Norvil had left out.  The Seneschal
could
invoke Royal Commission, but was only supposed to do so after consultation with the Crown.  The Seneschal was unique in being the only office to work directly for both Crown and Council. 

He arrived at Lady Marna’s office, and knocked on the door.  He was quickly admitted.

It was still a mess in here, he noted.  But then, Lady Marna had only taken this office little more than a month ago, and had barely had time to clean out the disarray left behind by her predecessor, ironically her own uncle.  With the situation as it was there was little time for such things.

Lady Ara Wiram closed the door behind him.  He noted Sir Garvol sitting at the edge of Lady Marna’s desk, and Lady Marna in her own seat there.  Tulock inclined his head to her.

“I apologize, my lady, but matters of my office kept me.”

“I sat in on a Chamber of Justice meeting, once,” she remarked sympathetically.  “It is no pleasant task.”

“Did Mirval and Foltupp call for the formation of a fourth body of government?” questioned Sir Garvol wryly.

“You knew they were at this, and didn’t warn me?” asked Tulock, annoyance obvious in his tone.  Not for the first time, he wondered what, if anything, ever escaped the head of Sharron Intelligence.

“My sources said it was probable, though neither has much support.  Our current crop of Barons can barely agree on fashion, let alone a single representative of any sort.  How did you handle it?  Agree to take it to the King and shut them up again?”

“I did something better than that.  Something they could not refuse.” 

Lady Ara’s eyes widened.  “You didn’t do what I think you did?”

Tulock simply smirked.

Lady Ara chuckled.  “Oh, my Lord Seneschal, I certainly hope his Majesty will agree with this tactic.”

“What is it?” asked Lady Marna.

“I invoked Royal Commission.”

She glared at him a moment, then burst out laughing.

“Very clever,” commented Sir Garvol.  “Well thought, Lord Tulock.  I never thought you so devious before.”

“Thank you,” responded Tulock.  Sir Garvol rarely complimented anyone for anything, backhanded or otherwise.  “We have a few things to discuss?”

Sir Garvol got down to business.  “That we do.  Intelligence reports have come to me stating that our ambassadors to Cordianlott and Medaelia have been imprisoned, and the one to Lirdarra was killed en route.”

“So much for diplomatic solutions,” remarked Tulock.

“Good news, though, is that the An-Quarvan government has agreed to remain neutral in this conflict,” added Lady Marna.

“That’s a fine thing,” commented Lord Tulock dispassionately.  It didn’t offer them anything he considered useful, to his way of thinking.

“It is,” responded Lady Ara, catching his tone.  “The treasury will not take much more abuse.  We are being pinched now, as it is.”

“Looks like it was good I decreed Royal Commission after all, then,” stated Tulock.  “We can use these useless Barons and their guards to fortify positions about the Kingdom that don’t really need our regular soldiers there.  We’d better take this to the King.  Anything more?” 

“Erlonn Broyva has laid our trap,” stated Sir Garvol.  “Everything else is in place.”

“Excellent,” said Lord Tulock.  “The sooner we resolve the Falcon Raider business, the sooner we can move everything else into position to deal with the Medaelian threat.”

“Our duty is to protect Sharron, from within and without,” remarked Sir Garvol.  “Council meets in a couple of hours.”

“Let’s go and brief the King first.  You know how much he hates when we surprise him with things before the others.”

Sir Garvol, Lady Ara and Lord Tulock had taken Lady Marna in hand, to help assimilate her, and would work together better than before to coordinate the activities of their offices, to maintain the continued stability of the Kingdom of Sharron. 

To put it mildly, Lyrra-Sharron was not happy when the news reached her. 

She immediately called Dak, Cam, Andim, Kallan and Nadav into a private conference in the main room of the tavern.  Everyone else was asked to leave, and Lyrra-Sharron angrily paced about the room, as the others sat quietly watching.

“Damn him!  Damn them!  Damn this whole thing!” she exclaimed, paying no attention to the others.  “Why now?  Why did he go and call me now, before everything else was ready?  This is not how I planned this, not at all!  Damn him!”

“Would you care to let the rest of us in on this?” asked Cam calmly, never having seen her in such a state before.

She rounded on him.  “Damn you as well, Cam Murtallan!  If you had not come to Sharron when you did, and gotten yourself captured, we never would have committed to such an act!  I should have listened to Dak, let you hang!”

“Lyrra-Sharron,” Dak cut in warningly.

She turned on him as well.  “What do you have to say for yourself, Dak Amviir?  You have something worthwhile to contribute to our cause?  What knowledge of military strategy do you wish to impart on me this time?”

“Enough, Lyrra-Sharron!” said Cam, arising.

“Do not even THINK to take that tone with me, Cam Murtallan, worthless Sorcerer!  I am a Princess, you are a...”

“I think you should calm down before you say something you will regret, your Highness,” interrupted Dak grimly, tersely, getting to his feet.  “Stop insulting your officers.”

She advanced on him.  “You dare take a tone like that with me!?  Who do you think you are?”

He stood his ground, looking down at her, more imposing than anyone had seen him before.  Everyone else arose.  “I am your second-in-command, and your friend, Lyrra-Sharron Anduin.  We are the people you count on the most.  Don’t loose your venom on me, or Cam, or any other here.  Stop.  Think.  Calm down.”
              She visibly paused, and seemed to catch her breath.  Then she did inhale deeply, and took a step back from the imposing man before her.  “Yes, yes I see.  I am…sorry.  I lost my temper.  We have laid out these plans so carefully, and this was not a part of them, not yet.  I just...I just got so angry.  I am sorry.”

Dak nodded his head at her apology, and the others let out a breath they did not realize they’d been holding.  She looked to Cam.

“I am sorry, Cam.  I did not mean that...”

He waved her off.  “Forgiven.  Now, would please explain this, Lyrra-Sharron?”

She began to pace again, but slower, with less menace.  “Word has come to me that Erlonn Broyva, new Speaker of the Common, has called me to present myself before the assemblage, and state my claim.  He wants me before them as soon as possible, to give my reasons and state my purpose.”

“That’s what you’ve wanted all along, isn’t it?” asked Cam.

She shook her head.  “This is not what I intended.  The message has not been made completely clear, yet.  Presenting myself to Common now is premature - they may well dismiss my claims out of hand.”

“Don’t go, then,” said Cam.

She faced towards him, and snickered bitterly.  “You do not understand, Cam.  I have to go.  If I do not, the Common will declare me in rebellion, and that will end any claim I have to the crown of Sharron.  It is too soon.  This presents a lot of problems.”

“I’m still not sure I fully understand,” said Cam.  “If this was not the goal, what was?”

She sighed, taking up her pacing again.  “These things work very differently in Sharron than they do anywhere else, as I have mentioned time and again.  You see, if the Common supports me, my father must back down.  If they stand against me, either I back down, or incite a civil war.  We need to humiliate my father enough to cause him to make some additional errors in our favor, and to show how ineffectual he is as King.  They need clear proof my father is an unfit, ineffective, dangerous ruler.  We were just getting that, just beginning to make that more and more evident, but now I have to stand before the Common, and make my claims to them.”

She took a deep breath, then continued.  “I do not feel I have enough proof of my father’s poor rule, yet.  They only see a little of it.  I go make my claims to them now, it is mostly just my word against his.  A little more time, and I would have proved my father to be the criminally negligent fiend I know him to be.”

Cam sat back, pondering. 

“You do realize, Lyrra-Sharron, that this may well be a trap,” stated Nadav.

“I know.  But only if my father wants me killed.  My capture would serve almost no purpose, save to incite a real rebellion.”

Dak wore a concerned look.  “You don’t think your father would have you killed, do you?”

She shrugged.  “I cannot be sure.  At this point, yes, that may well be his plan.  It may be the only course of action he can take to prevent further division of Sharron.”

“Don’t go, then,” stated Dak.

“You do not understand, Dak.  I must,” she repeated.  “If I refuse, they will likely take up a vote, and if they declare me in open rebellion, I will never win their support.  If I usurp the throne in that manner, our enemies will come over, and carve up Sharron to their liking.  I have no choice.”

They were all silent for a time.

“It would seem, your Highness, that we should plan a trip to Mintarn,” remarked Andim.

“I, uh, I can’t go there,” remarked Kallan quickly.  “I’ll stay behind, take command of the base til you get back.”

Lyrra-Sharron shook her head.  “Kallan, if we go to Mintarn, we
all
go.  The entire operation.  If this is a ruse, we shall need everyone we have got to protect me and our interests.”

Kallan rubbed at his eyes a moment, clearly regrouping himself.  Softly, he concurred, “I can do this.  If I must, I can face him.  I am a Falcon Raider.  I am a soldier.”  He looked to Lyrra-Sharron again.  “Yes, I’m with you.” 

“This is still complicated,” stated Dak.  “We’ll need to call on Torman and his crew.  We’d better pick a place to meet up with them.”

“You’ll want everyone to march?” asked Cam.

Lyrra-Sharron turned to him.  “Yes.  If this is to be an ambush, my father will have a lot of soldiers waiting for us.  I would rather have a brute force, than a small troupe.  They will not take me without a fight.”

A loud rap on the door startled everyone.

“What is it?” asked Lyrra-Sharron, not hiding her annoyance at the interruption.

One of the Raiders, Meliana, came into the room.  “Begging your pardon, your Highness.  One of our spies came across an interesting...situation.  It demands your immediate attention.”

“How important can it be?” asked Lyrra-Sharron.

Another Raider came in, and Cam recognized Vurgan, one of his students.  “Lyrra-Sharron, I was quietly recruiting at a tavern about fifteen miles from here, when I came across this man.  He was clearly in a disguise, and he was seeking us.  I approached cautiously, and identified him instantly.  I thought at first it was a trap, but he insisted on speaking with you.  He’s been disarmed, and brought here blindfolded.  Shall I escort him in?”

Lyrra-Sharron gestured for him to do so, obviously curious.  The others arose.

The blindfolded man was led in.  His hands were tied behind his back.  At a nod from Lyrra-Sharron, Vurgan uncovered his eyes.

“Welcome to Falcon Raider headquarters, Baron Tilroan,” stated Lyrra-Sharron matter-of-factly.

Andim, Kallan and Nadav all traded a look.

“At last,” said the Baron calmly.  “I thought we would never get here.”

“And just what is it brings you here, Fornon Val-Cara?” asked Lyrra-Sharron.

The Baron looked about at all those in the room.  He was a middle aged man near fifty, with greying brown hair and beard, deep set eyes, and a gaunt frame.  He looked tired, but alert.  He’d always had a reputation as a sharp man, but had never been a supporter of the Anduins. 

House Anduin had taken the throne from House Tilroan, and had never given it back, after all. 

“Quite an impressive lot, your Highness.  Your operation has caused quite a stir.”

“Did you come to us for a reason, Baron Tilroan, or are you a spy sent by the King?” asked Lyrra-Sharron.

The Baron sniggered mockingly.  “Certainly not.  As if I’d spy for him.  Our families have not gotten on well in, what, five-hundred years or so?  No matter.  I’ve come to make you an offer.”

Lyrra-Sharron sat down casually, as did the others.  “I am listening.”

“Yesterday morning, Lord Tulock decreed Invocation of Royal Commission,” intoned Baron Tilroan.  “He claims there is an impending battle on the front lines with the Medaelians.  The King is gathering most of the Army on the outskirts of the Vann Region.”

“We have heard rumors of an impending invasion,” commented Lyrra-Sharron.  “Are you claiming these were invented by the King?”

“Not at all,” stated the Baron.  “But I do not think the emergency is such that Royal Commission need be invoked.  I believe that was done simply to silence our request for the formation of a fourth seat of government.”

Lyrra-Sharron snickered mirthlessly.  “My dear Baron, were you King, would you allow this branch of government to be formed?”

              The Baron shrugged.  “I would at least hear them out.  This is outright wrong, what your father is allowing.”

“What do you mean?” questioned Lyrra-Sharron.

“Do you have some water?  I’m feeling rather parched,” remarked the Baron. 

Lyrra-Sharron gestured to Vurgan, who went to a table and poured a goblet of water.  He presented it to the Baron.

“My thanks,” Baron Tilroan said, pausing to drink.  “He cannot just declare Invocation of Royal Commission to silence our requests.  We have rights.  We are not common soldiers he can order about, send into battle and whatnot.  He has gone too far this time.”

“What are you suggesting?” asked Lyrra-Sharron.

The Baron took another drink.  “You are aware that Erlonn Broyva has called you to account to the Common?”  She nodded her head once in response.  “Of course you are.  I’ve heard rumors of what you are telling people.  Many rumors.  How would it look, though, if you presented yourself with three Barons at your side?”

Lyrra-Sharron pretended nonchalance, examining the nails of her right hand.  “Three Barons, you say?”

Baron Tilroan’s eyes bore into her.  “Three Barons.”

“On my side, you say?” she asked casually.

Tilroan looked annoyed.  “Yes.”

“Which three, Baron Tilroan?”

“Myself.  Baron Foltupp.  Baron Dovan,”

“None of you have ever been overly supportive of my family before, my lord Baron.”

“Perhaps not,” replied Baron Tilroan calmly.  “But we would be willing to support you, as opposed to your father.”

“You would, however, be accused of High Treason for violating an Invocation of Royal Commission,” remarked Lyrra-Sharron.

“We have two weeks,” stated Baron Tilroan.  “You must go to Common.  If we bring our household guards to you, and all go to Common together, that will further strengthen your claim, would it not?”

Lyrra-Sharron considered this.  “Perhaps.  You are telling me that you and Barons Foltupp and Dovan would bring your household guards to the Falcon Raiders, and openly support my claim to the throne?”

              “I would even go so far as to offer testimony on your behalf to the Common,” added Baron Tilroan.  “That would certainly lend more strength to your claims.”

“In exchange for what?” asked Lyrra-Sharron.

              Baron Tilroan smirked at that.  “When you are Queen, we ask only to be…remembered.”

“Positions on the Council?” Lyrra-Sharron queried.

Baron Tilroan only gazed at her over his goblet.

“Meliana, Vurgan, please take Baron Tilroan to get some food and freshen up.  We need to discuss this, alone.”

Both Falcon Raiders bowed to her.

“Let me offer our hospitality, Baron Tilroan.  I shall consider your offer carefully, and let you know my decision forthwith.”

The Baron inclined his head to her, and left with Meliana and Vurgan.

“You cannot be serious!” exclaimed Nadav with open contempt.  “Baron Tilroan is an ass!  That blowhard has practically defied the Crown openly on any number of occasions, and now to do this...”

“Enough, Nadav!” interjected Lyrra-Sharron.

“This is only more trouble, Lyrra-Sharron!  Do you really want him, or either of those other two jackasses on Council?”

“If he pledges to support me, this could sway the Common.”

“Or it could incite civil war,” added Dak levelly.

Lyrra-Sharron turned to him.  “We have all heard about this threat on the Medaelian border.  But Wilnar-Medira postures like this all the time!”

“It sounds more like he’s well past posturing in this instance, though,” commented Nadav.

“Even if the rumors of an alliance with Cordianlott are true, this could all just be a ploy on the part of my father,” Lyrra-Sharron observed thoughtfully.  “Maybe he is just mobilizing to actually invade Medaelia.  Maybe he is really trying to flush us out.”