Richard Tuttle - Aakuta - the Dark Mage

Lord Garic left the stairwell and marched along the corridor to the door of the Emperor’s office.

“He is expecting me,” Lord Garic stated without emotion.

One of the Imperial soldiers on guard nodded and opened the door to the Emperor’s office. Lord Garic swept past the two men and Fisher followed obediently. The door closed behind him. Emperor Mirakotto glanced up momentarily as they entered the room, grunted an acknowledgement of their presence, and then returned to his writing. Lord Garic continued walking across the large room towards the chairs before the Emperor’s desk.

Fisher smoothly closed the distance between himself and Lord Garic. Just before Lord Garic reached the chairs, Fisher made his move. He grabbed the hidden knife and pushed Lord Garic forward. Lord Garic stumbled into a chair and fell to the floor. Emperor Mirakotto glanced up with a look of annoyance on his face. His eyes barely had time to register the threat as the knife flew across the short distance and imbedded in his throat. The Emperor’s hands rose towards his throat and his mouth opened wide to scream, but the only sound was a timid gurgle. The Emperor’s head banged down on his desk. Lord Garic cursed and tried to untangle himself from the chair he had knocked over.

“I am so sorry,” apologized Fisher. “I didn’t see you stop. Let me help you up.”

“I didn’t stop,” snarled Lord Garic as he took the offered hand. “I warned you not to embarrass me.”

“I know,” Fisher said with a smile as his fist flashed forward and connected with the Ronan’s lord’s head.

Lord Garic collapsed and sprawled on the floor. Fisher swiftly hoisted the man’s body over his shoulder. He walked to the window and looked out. The city was dark, and he could see no guards on the lawn below. He maneuvered Lord Garic’s body to the window ledge and pushed it out. He waited until he heard the telltale thud of the body hitting the ground. He walked over to the desk and picked up the chair. He positioned the chair as it had been earlier and walked to the exit door. He listened carefully for any signs of activity on the other side and smiled when he heard none. He was thankful that the Emperor’s office had thick doors to keep outsiders from hearing what went on inside.

Fisher swiftly opened the door, slid out of the room, and closed the door again. The guards immediately turned towards him with questioning glances.

“Lord Garic forgot the papers he wanted to show the Emperor,” Fisher shrugged. “Guess who gets the blame for it?”

“Could it be any other way?” chuckled one of the guards. “You had better hurry with them or he will deride you some more when you return.”

“I am in no hurry to return,” smiled Fisher. “Those two are arguing as if they were married. I can never get used to being in the presence of two powerful men arguing. It just isn’t safe.”

“Well I hope he doesn’t ring for us then,” laughed one of the guards. “I would prefer that you return and take the abuse.”

“Thanks a lot,” Fisher said sarcastically as he waved goodbye to the guards and headed for the staircase. “I just hope they don’t come to blows like they did the last time.”

* * *

“Welcome back to Khadoratung, Lord Marak,” greeted Katzu outside the Lords’ Council Chamber. “I heard that things went well on the frontier.”

“Indeed they did,” smiled Lord Marak. “The Jiadin have fled back into Fakara. A few groups of them chose to stand and fight, but they proved to be no match for the armies pursuing them. The bodies of the three lords hosting them have been found dead. Nobody is sure if they committed suicide or were murdered by their own people. I don’t think anyone really cares as long as they are gone.”

“What of Lord Damirath?” asked the mediator. “I heard reports that only his clothes were found. There was no body.”

“That is correct,” nodded Lord Marak. “Frankly, I am not surprised. I believe the real Lord Damirath died a long time ago. Somehow Zygor found a way to take over his body. There is much about magic that we do not know yet.”

“I am sure your mages will soon discover it,” smiled Katzu. “What of Aakuta? I heard he actually helped our side in the battle.”

“He certainly did,” agreed Lord Marak. “I do not know if it was intentional of not, but timing of his arrival was fortunate for us. We were at the point in battle where our losses were about to increase dramatically. There was no sign of his body after the battle. He must have escaped. Some of the fleeing Jiadin spoke of a secret valley in Fakara that was lush with crops and animals. I got the impression that the dark mage was somehow responsible for it. What happened to Mirakotto?”

“That is puzzling,” frowned Katzu. “It appears that Lord Garic and he had a falling out. Lord Garic knifed him in the throat. It must have been a spontaneous act, because Lord Garic did eventually realize what he had done. He committed suicide by jumping from the window.”

“I cannot say that I am sorry to see the two of them gone,” admitted Lord Marak. “They placed their own welfare above that of Khadora. We have no place for such people.”

“I agree,” nodded Katzu. “You had better go in. The other lords have already assembled. We can talk later.”

Lord Marak smiled and nodded as Katzu held the door open for him. He entered the chamber and took a seat with the other four lords.

“Now that we are all here,” smiled Lord Patel, “we can begin. Our only point of business today is to select the next Emperor. Let us try to do a better job than the last time. I open this meeting for nominations.”

Each of the lords looked at one another for a few seconds. Lord Marak smiled and stood.

“I nominate Lord Chenowith,” he said. “His father served Khadora well, and I am sure that Bagora’s son will follow in that tradition.”

Lord Chenowith smiled and rose as Lord Marak sat back down. “Thank you, Lord Marak,” he said. “You honor me with your nomination. I cannot accept, however. I think everyone in this room knows who needs to be our next Emperor. While I think each of us could serve this country well, only one of us has the vision of where we need to go. That person, Lord Marak, is you. I nominate Lord Marak to be our next Emperor.”

“My election to Emperor may be a bit too much for the Khadoran lords to stomach,” warned Lord Marak. “I would immediately issue several edicts.”

“What kind of edicts?” asked Lord Quilo.

“I would immediately banish slavery,” answered Lord Marak. “I would demand that all mages be schooled. I believe we will need their magic when the evil comes.”

“I think the lords will have to swallow those reforms,” shrugged Lord Quilo. “Schooling the mages makes a great deal of sense. Nobody fully understands what they are capable of. As for freeing the slaves, it is only an economic matter. If all clans free them, no particular clan will have an advantage. It will be equal for all.”

“I would also freeze all clan boundaries,” Lord Marak continued. “I will not have boundary disputes causing dissention between clans. If there are boundaries that are currently in dispute, they must be presented to the Lords’ Council within a fortnight. The Lords’ Council will decide upon a final boundary in those cases.”

“An excellent idea,” remarked Lord Patel. “Boundary disputes are the number one reason for warfare in Khadora. We should commission a map of Khadora showing each and every boundary.”

“I will want each estate to have their armies trained here in Khadoratung,” added Lord Marak. “They can send two cortes for training and when those two are returned to them, they can send two more. Eventually, we will have trained every army in the country and taught them how to interact with other armies.”