19 - He Wasn't Gaining

Coming soon... next post...

Dang.

I shall have to do two posts later today.  I'm having a bit of trouble lately and the feedback buttons are my salvation.  I just finished painting the cover photo and I'm actually liking how it scanned.  All next week I am going to be travelling and being an extra so I will not be able to post regularly, sorry.  I hope I'll get all the kinks worked out by then!

Ciao for tonight... 

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The throneroom had changed once more.  There were four enormous screens set up and several smaller ones set up in a half-circle so that the participants in the screens could see one another.

Kyrus the Elder sat on the throne, leaning one hand on his chin, listening.  His husband stood before the screen open to the Unity’s council chamber in Milar.  “I appeal to the Zon, our remembers, so that we can effectively join forces to defend us!  I am functioning here in Lainz as your Surdeniliarch, attempting to end this war without Prime succeeding in killing us all!”

“Honourable Surdeniliarch,” the man standing before his chair.  “Milar is not benefitting from your continued absence, and this Lainz initiative seems entirely too much like Empire building for my taste.  We were at war with the Lainz, only a few years ago!”

Kyrus raised his hand and the Konsiliarch nodded. “I recognize his Radiance of Lainz.”

“That war has since been shown to be entirely engineered by the assassin and pretender to the throne here.  We are finding and cleaning up our historical record as fast as we can disseminate it.  Prime and his Immoderates are our enemies, not one another.”

The group of people in the second screen waved to be heard.  “I recognize the Head of Trovi.  Doesn’t his Radiance speak for you, since his grandfather conquered you?”

One of the women rose.  “Konsiliarch,” she said giving the great salaam to the Milari and nodded at his Radiance.  “We have had our ruling council re-established since his Radiance took the throne and if this is conquest, then it can only be to our benefit.  We are still working out our existence as a separate country, especially since we now have all this information coming from the Nadu.  For now, we are happy to be included in these talks.  So far his Radiance has spoken for our interests and we find that Prime’s actions against the land… trying to wipe out the Nadumon and bombarding Lainz are rather more important that arguing who has precedence!”

“We need to work together to fight Prime effectively,” Ilax broke in.  “I’m speaking as surdeniliarch!”

The Head of the Nadu spoke up.  “Our records show that we are the descendants of the same group of people Prime tried to kill a thousand years ago.  The Emperors of Lainz… all the way up to Diriyish, destroyed, suppressed and damaged information, just as Prime is doing to his own people, just as the original charter for settling this planet was written.  The Milar are descendants of the technicians who directly built and repaired the Earthan machines that are rebuilding the planet for humans to live more comfortably, the Trovi were the workers out on the edges. We were a forgotten research station, the Hippifrei… they were the rebels out of the rebel crew and went out to the furthest, harshest, most isolated plains on this continent.  So we need to realize that we are all from common stock and have common cause!”

“Konsiliarch!” The Milar councilman protested. “All this information is coming over the Lin, controlled by the Lainz and it cannot be trusted!”

“I hear your fears Councilman Ahmazad,” the Konsiliarch said and turned back to Ilax.  “However, we seem to be able to be able to argue quite effectively, as if we were in the same chamber, using the very Lin developed by the Lainz zardukar. Without undue interference from his Radiance I might add.  I accept the records coming from Lainz and attested by our own warmaster.”

“Thank you, Konsiliarch.” Kyrus said.  “Councilman.  May I invite you to review our recordings of the bombardment and subsequent reports from my personal files concerning that battle?  I had a reputation for honesty, even when I was an enemy warrior of Milar, and my integrity has not been questioned.”  His voice and face were calm and mostly he presented an air of mild inquiry.  He didn’t need to say Haven’t been questioned until you just did.

The throneroom was quiet as they waited for the councilman’s response, and as he grew red and began to stutter, one of the smaller screens chimed for attention.

“Son,” Kyrus said.  “Where are you and have you the Hippifrei Siwion safe?”

A whistling roar of wind blasted into the room and Ky the younger’s voice came through, barely as he shouted over the wind of his passage.  “The Siwion of Hippifrei is beating us in the race to the city and we’re flying. Da… that little girl is dangerous!  She’s a necromander stronger than any I’ve seen!”

“What?”

“Look!”

Kyrus apparently turned his wrist slate so that the image of what he saw came through so that everyone in the conference room could see.  Below, the eight-legged bone horse scrambled over rough territory, the rider an orange-veiled spot on the withers, just ahead of where he flew… and he was not gaining.