Richard Tuttle - Aakuta - the Dark Mage

“You think there is a risk to me by going to Khadoratung?” questioned Lord Marak.

“Absolutely,” affirmed Fisher. “Most people in Khadora would not have known Lord Ridak’s name if they heard it. Merchants and lower officials mention your name on the streets of the capital. Someone powerful is out to get you. Stay away until something else grabs their attention.”

“I will consider your warning, Fisher,” sighed Lord Marak, “but you know that I do not easily shy away from confrontations. Get into your uniform, and hear what you can in the meeting room.”

Fisher nodded as he left the office. Lord Marak left shortly after Fisher and met Kasa in the hallway outside the lord marshal’s office.

“Master Malafar’s idea sounds quite promising,” the bursar said. “I think I might even know a place in Chantise where we can house it.”

“Excellent,” Lord Marak answered distractedly. “Set it up, but it is not to be associated with the Torak clan in any way.”

“Understood,” agreed Kasa. “Everyone is gathering in the meeting room. Now would be a good time for you to sign those contracts.”

“I think they need to wait,” Marak shook his head. “In fact, do not enter into any more contracts until we have had a chance to discuss prices.”

“Prices?” echoed the bursar. “There is little we can do to change prices on the contracts.”

“Why not?” questioned the lord of the Torak clan.

“We are not the only seller of watula in Khadora,” explained Kasa. “If our price is too low, we simply will lose potential profits, and if it is too high, nobody will buy from us. We do not have much room to play with prices.”

“What percentage of the Khadoran watula harvest do we control between the Torak clan and the Sorgan clan?” inquired Lord Marak.

“About twenty percent,” replied Kasa. “Eighty percent is grown in the Imperial Valley between Khadoratung and Chantise.”

“And haven’t you told me before that our quality is much better than the other watula producers?” prompted Lord Marak.

“Yes, it is,” nodded Kasa, “but that will matter little if our price is too high. We need to control the market before we can dictate prices.”

“What would the other producers do if we increased our prices by ten percent?” Marak asked. “Would the other producers seek to sell more watula than they have? Or would they match our price and seek greater profit?”

“I am not sure,” puzzled Kasa. “If you changed the prices of only the Torak crop, the other clans would ignore it and we would be hard pressed to sell our watula, but if the Sorgan prices also went up, the other clans might seek the higher profit. I really don’t know.”

“Think about it during the meeting,” grinned Lord Marak. “We will talk about it again.”

Lord Marak turned and strode into the meeting room. Kasa hurried after him as he went to the head of the table and stood looking around at the assembled guests. All conversations died when Lord Marak entered the room and the lords, who all owed allegiance to Lord Marak, looked to him with anticipation. Lord Marak smiled inwardly as he saw Fisher slip into the room and close the doors.

“Thank you all for coming here today,” smiled Lord Marak as he addressed the assembled lords. “I apologize for not being available to greet each of you individually, but other matters demanded my attention. In fact, another one of my caravans was ambushed.”

The room was abuzz with whispers and murmurings when Lord Marak mentioned the ambush. He let it continue for a short while and then brought order to the meeting.

“I called you all here today to get news of how your estates are prospering,” Lord Marak said. “I would like to hear from each of you and then we can discuss things that affect all of us. If you would begin, Lord Rybak.”

For several hours, the lords of the Torak, Sorgan, Ragatha, Situ, and Litari clans gave reports on the status of their estates. Each of the clans had sworn Vows of Service to Lord Marak and were, in effect, one large clan. Lord Marak had kept the identities of the clans separate, and the rest of Khadora was unaware of the arrangements. This maneuver allowed Lord Marak to control five seats in the Assembly of Lords. When the reports were completed, Lord Marak addressed the lords.

“This month is the annual Assembly of Lords,” he began. “I have never been to one of these meetings before, and I will probably be at a loss as to what proper procedures are. Any hints of proper decorum from those of you who have attended it in the past would be most welcomed.”

“I would advise against you attending the Assembly of Lords,” stated Lord Burdine of the Litari clan. “The Assembly has little real power, and I have heard your name mentioned more than once from merchants calling upon me. This is not a good sign, Lord Marak. One rule in Khadora that is never spoken of, but one that we must all live by, is do not get noticed too much. Small lords are easily crushed in Khadora, and with no disrespect meant, you are a small lord. Even if it was known that you controlled all five of these clans, you would still be a gnat on the face of Khadora.”

“Nonsense,” blustered Lord Quavry of the Sorgan clan. “I have not heard any such inquiries, and I deal with a great many merchants. “Besides, I am sure that you would like to impress upon the rest of Khadora the need for us to rid ourselves of our slaves. I would be happy to join my escort with yours if you think there may be problems.”

Lord Rybak, like Lord Marak, had never attended a meeting of the Assembly of Lords, so the leader of the Torak clan looked expectantly to Lord Sevrin of the Ragatha clan.

“Lord Burdine’s words are accurate,” declared Lord Sevrin. “There would be great risk to you in attending the Assembly of Lords. However, I think there is much to be gained by you going. As you know, I was skeptical of swearing Vows of Service to you, Lord Marak. Your ideas seemed ridiculous, especially the abolition of slavery. I have learned since that time that your ideas are exactly what Khadora needs to prosper. As you heard when I gave my report, my estates have blossomed under your new rules. I think a case should be made in the Assembly of Lords for the abolition of all slavery in Khadora. I am willing to make that case for you, should you feel that the personal danger to yourself is too great, but I cannot think of a better spokesman than the person who had the vision in the first place.”

“Do you think there is a chance that the Assembly of Lords would actually listen to such an appeal, Lord Sevrin?” asked Lord Marak.

“Listen?” mused Lord Sevrin. “They will listen. I doubt that they will agree, but I have found that if you keep hammering on the same subject each year, eventually you can get a decent chance to make your point. We have to start somewhere.”

“You will be sticking your nose in a bee’s hive,” Lord Burdine shook his head. “I agree with Lord Sevrin’s sentiments, but I think he underestimates the danger. The Lords’ Council is not something to mess with, and they do keep a close eye on the Assembly of Lords. It is really the Lords’ Council that sets the rules. By speaking openly in the Assembly of Lords about abolishing slavery, you will be poking a stick in the eye of each of the members of the Lords’ Council. Their estates are the largest and the most dependent upon slaves. They will see you as a threat to their way of life.”

“Perhaps Lord Burdine is correct,” Lord Sevrin admitted. “I have gotten my points across before by being stubborn and continually raising the issues, but slavery may very well be a special case. I am afraid that I did not think through the danger inherent in such a speech.”