but in many circles he has all but declared war upon Sharron. I even heard a rumor somewhere that he may have allied himself with Juron of Cordianlott. But even then, the army they could raise would be no match for ours.”
King Varlock-Sharron leaned forward. “Mika, how long ago did you hear these, ‘rumors’? What have you done to prove or disprove them?”
Lord Mika Forkuln looked decidedly uncomfortable. “The Falcon Raider issue within our own borders seemed far more pressing. Besides, Your Majesty, I only heard this a couple of weeks ago. Pure hearsay, from a traveling merchant or some lower diplomat of the Medaelian...”
“Sir Garvol,” the King interrupted a bit too loudly, “find out for me if King Juron of Cordianlott has some sort of alliance with Wilnar-Medira of Medaelia. Immediately. General Sopirr, reinforce our garrison at Vanntir, and place more lookouts at Vanntu. Send scouts right up to the border, but do not cross it. And make damn sure no one from my army starts anything with the Medaelians. Let them start this.”
Varlock-Sharron turned to Lady Ara, continuing to ignore Lord Mika’s offended sputtering. “Ara, please see to it funds are allocated for these operations as appropriate. I trust you to approve only what is necessary, but do not wait for me to sign off on it. Things may get a bit complicated for a while.”
The King then looked around the table at the others. “Thanks to Lord Mika’s latest error, we have no choice but to move now. I want all the plans laid out for tomorrow morning to go into effect immediately.”
“But, your Majesty,” Lord Mika interjected, sputtering still. “There is no proof, and if there were anything of consequence, surely Sir Garvol would be aware.”
Varlock-Sharron ignored the interruption. “We cannot have the city sealed tomorrow. I want this search begun within the next hour. The gates must be opened by morning.”
“Your Majesty,” Lord Mika cut in again, his tone syrupy, patronizing. “There is no need for such a course of action. If we take this in stride and…”
He trailed off as Varlock-Sharron threw him a withering glare that spoke volumes.
“Lord Mika, this is a rather disturbing pattern,” spoke Tulock, glancing at Varlock-Sharron for approval. The King inclined his head in the affirmative. “Not for the first time have you failed to report everything you come across. At the least you should have told Sir Garvol. If they have some kind of alliance, and word reaches them that we have been forced to seal our own Capital, they will presume we are vulnerable, and pounce.”
Lord Mika seemed to swallow his own tongue as he began to take a breath to speak, and stopped as though frozen, as glares reached him from a number of the Council members. An uncomfortable silence came over the room.
Varlock-Sharron let his fury over Lord Mika’s bumbling pass, and continued as though he’d never been interrupted. “We will double the normal guard, and we will also double the numbers sweeping inside Gara-Sharron as planned. General Bodrir, send word to your soldiers. Constable, I want your men to be quick and efficient. Do not panic the citizens, but let them know the danger we are protecting them from. Do not use force unless it is an absolute last resort. Captain-General Callan, the Guardsmen are reserves and back-up tonight. They make sure no one is on the streets. Does everyone understand their role in this?”
The assembled acknowledged the orders of their King.
“Good. General Sopirr, go to Vantirr and take personal command of the Garrison there, for the time being. Let us make sure the Medaelians do not try to take advantage of our current situation. I will make certain you are relieved as soon as possible.”
Varlock-Sharron shifted his attention. “Admiral Trem-Sharron? I want you to dispatch a small battlegroup
King Varlock-Sharron leaned forward. “Mika, how long ago did you hear these, ‘rumors’? What have you done to prove or disprove them?”
Lord Mika Forkuln looked decidedly uncomfortable. “The Falcon Raider issue within our own borders seemed far more pressing. Besides, Your Majesty, I only heard this a couple of weeks ago. Pure hearsay, from a traveling merchant or some lower diplomat of the Medaelian...”
“Sir Garvol,” the King interrupted a bit too loudly, “find out for me if King Juron of Cordianlott has some sort of alliance with Wilnar-Medira of Medaelia. Immediately. General Sopirr, reinforce our garrison at Vanntir, and place more lookouts at Vanntu. Send scouts right up to the border, but do not cross it. And make damn sure no one from my army starts anything with the Medaelians. Let them start this.”
Varlock-Sharron turned to Lady Ara, continuing to ignore Lord Mika’s offended sputtering. “Ara, please see to it funds are allocated for these operations as appropriate. I trust you to approve only what is necessary, but do not wait for me to sign off on it. Things may get a bit complicated for a while.”
The King then looked around the table at the others. “Thanks to Lord Mika’s latest error, we have no choice but to move now. I want all the plans laid out for tomorrow morning to go into effect immediately.”
“But, your Majesty,” Lord Mika interjected, sputtering still. “There is no proof, and if there were anything of consequence, surely Sir Garvol would be aware.”
Varlock-Sharron ignored the interruption. “We cannot have the city sealed tomorrow. I want this search begun within the next hour. The gates must be opened by morning.”
“Your Majesty,” Lord Mika cut in again, his tone syrupy, patronizing. “There is no need for such a course of action. If we take this in stride and…”
He trailed off as Varlock-Sharron threw him a withering glare that spoke volumes.
“Lord Mika, this is a rather disturbing pattern,” spoke Tulock, glancing at Varlock-Sharron for approval. The King inclined his head in the affirmative. “Not for the first time have you failed to report everything you come across. At the least you should have told Sir Garvol. If they have some kind of alliance, and word reaches them that we have been forced to seal our own Capital, they will presume we are vulnerable, and pounce.”
Lord Mika seemed to swallow his own tongue as he began to take a breath to speak, and stopped as though frozen, as glares reached him from a number of the Council members. An uncomfortable silence came over the room.
Varlock-Sharron let his fury over Lord Mika’s bumbling pass, and continued as though he’d never been interrupted. “We will double the normal guard, and we will also double the numbers sweeping inside Gara-Sharron as planned. General Bodrir, send word to your soldiers. Constable, I want your men to be quick and efficient. Do not panic the citizens, but let them know the danger we are protecting them from. Do not use force unless it is an absolute last resort. Captain-General Callan, the Guardsmen are reserves and back-up tonight. They make sure no one is on the streets. Does everyone understand their role in this?”
The assembled acknowledged the orders of their King.
“Good. General Sopirr, go to Vantirr and take personal command of the Garrison there, for the time being. Let us make sure the Medaelians do not try to take advantage of our current situation. I will make certain you are relieved as soon as possible.”
Varlock-Sharron shifted his attention. “Admiral Trem-Sharron? I want you to dispatch a small battlegroup
Similar Books
