Tempest Rise (revised edition 10/2013) (Treborel) (11 page)

They decided
the Lon Tesse Ambassador to Bantor would deliver the document personally into the hands of the King. The elderly Ambassador Soms would convey the wish to avoid any further communication lapses, and inquire into the whereabouts of Prime Minister Ondale and his wife, demanding their release. The courier left immediately for the Embassy in Ergos, to deliver the document to the Ambassador. The news of the Bantorian Aggression and the Refugees filled the Communications network. The Emergency Relief Corp responded instantly as volunteers flooded into the headquarters. There was no immediate need for Lysette at this time, although they did stress the urgency for long range funding. When the Nayrians returned to their homes, shelter and food will still be desperately needed.

Being the
niece of the Regents Foreign Minister gave Lysette a slight advantage in the solicitation of funds. She spent the entire night on the Communications system, acquiring donations and supplies from Lon Tesse's more affluent citizens and corporations. She managed to catch nearly two hours of sleep before her Uncle's knock on the door woke her. Grabbing her robe, she opened the door, brightening when she saw who it was. "You look terrible?" She announced, kissing him on the cheek.

Crossing to the small sofa near her bed
, they sat while he explained. "I'm sorry I woke you, but I knew you would want to travel back to Lavose with the Summit Party. We've dispatched an ultimatum to King William. The Regent wants to wait at the Palace for a reply. The transport should be arriving in about an hour." He sighed, brushing a stray lock of his disheveled dark brown hair from his eyes.

Lysette knew he hadn't slept at all, as the circles under his dark green eyes
showed. He was exhausted. He added, "Ambassador Airee is meeting me in the Dining Hall for breakfast in twenty minutes. I thought you might like to join us."

"Are you sure I wouldn't be interrupting?" Lysette teased, trying to lighten his burden.

She knew how he felt about the intelligent, beautiful Hannah Airee. They had been quietly involved for the last several years.

"Lysette, you're a vixen." A weary smile appeared on his unshaven face. "You won't be interrupting. I'm sure most; if not all of the Alliance members will be joining us, including Prince Katar.” He took her hand, smiling
bright, "You remember him, the filthy savage you seem to have a slight fondness for?"

"I will not get into a teasing contest with such a master of the art as you." She laughed, pulling her hand away. "I'll get packed and meet you in down there.”

A hot shower and shave helped Katar shake off the drowsiness he felt. Three weeks in the wilderness, followed by a night of heated discussions had taken their toll. He had spent the last hour on the Holographic Communications trying to convince his mother to prepare Treborel for a possible call to arms.  Dispatching Empaths to Southern Lon Tesse had been much easier than he expected. The Empaths had anticipated the need, departing immediately for Borel and the Harbor transports. The Prince's most difficult task had been getting permission to activate their pilots at the Treborelan Air Patrols Southern Base, hidden deep in the Southern Alps.

Hanlin appeared at his suite door announcing, "The Regent's
transport should be arriving in less than an hour. Breakfast is being served in the Dining Hall; I was on my way there and thought perhaps you might like to join me."

Pulling on his dark blue uniform jacket, Katar answered, heading for the door.  "I'm sending the Guards back to Borel, via helijet from
Lavose. Cap just left for the Southern Air Base. We're reactivating it, temporarily. "

"I suppose that is best." Hanlin replied, quietly.

Surprised by his docile response, Katar glanced up, as he past him in the doorway. "Have we received another communiqué?"

"Yes," He answered his voice cold as stone. "Under the cover of darkness, King William has moved several dozen laser cannons to the
Nayr/Lon Tesse Border.

“I don't think he's going to be very friendly when Ambassador
Soms delivers the Ultimatum.” Katar answered, heading down the hall toward the stairs.

Hanlin followed at his heels adding, “Surely he realizes the three remaining nations won’t just stand idly by as he kills
nearly a thousand innocent people.”

They descended the stairs in silence, each not wanting to voice their fears of Continental conflict. The Regent and Prince Roth met them at the base. The Regent looked tired and pale
. Her face was grim as she approached them and said, “I assume Lord Wills has informed you of Bantor's latest outrage?"

"Yes, William seems determined to hold
Nayr.” Katar answered his outrage apparent.

"I have activated our National Defense System and ordered the refugees be moved to a minimal distance of
one hundred kilometers from the border. My Local Guard is moving south as we speak. They will be positioned along our southwestern border. I have also been in contact with Queen Sari. She has told me of your plans to activate your Air Forces. Treborel has always had such a passive air. Your ease at local defense is impressive and greatly appreciated. I hope you find it an unnecessary task. However, I appreciate your offer of air support for our ground troops, if needed. We have had such little use for air patrol, I'm afraid my Air Defense has shrunk to a mere task force."

Turning, they joined Ambassador's
Airee and Long at the breakfast buffet.  Helping themselves to the array of fruits, sweet breads, and meats offered. Lord Nolan entered following suit, then seated himself next to Hannah Airee.  Sean asked, "Has Ambassador Kreal been down yet?"

As he spoke
, the Bantorian entered and head for the buffet. After filling a plate, he chose a seat near the far end of the long table. Without a word to the others, he began eating, ignoring them completely. Lysette appeared in her traveling clothes. A loose fitting cream colored blouse and form fitting dark brown pants. Her long, damp hair was tied back with a dark ribbon at the nape of her neck. Smiling in greeting, she filled her plate with fruit and chose an empty seat next to Roth, across from Katar.

"Lysette, my dear.”
The Regent began, from the head of the long table, "You look as exhausted as the rest of us. Didn't you sleep well?"

"I was up until
near dawn myself, soliciting funds for the Emergency Relief." Lysette answered, smiling softly at the Regent's concern. "They are dangerously close to running out of food and medical supplies. They hadn't anticipated such a large disaster as this. Nearly twenty thousand refugees have crossed the border in the last twenty-four hours. They expect approximately a hundred thousand within the next few days."

"I hope you were successful.”
The Regent answered. Impressed that Lysette had been resourceful.

"They have
sufficient funds to keep the camps going for the next ten months, if needed. We are trying to stay ahead of the demand."

"I'd like to add some funding from the
Ragal Relief Aid Society, Lysette." Hannah Airee added. "They have contacted me for additional information. May I have the administrator contact you at your office later today?"

"
Of course, Hannah, that would be wonderful." Lysette said, giving Hannah an affectionate smile.

"I didn't realize you were involved in the Administrative sector of the Medical
Corp, Lysette." Katar said, drawing her attention.

"I wasn't until last night." Her heart leapt as she looked into his deep blue eyes.

"Does this means you aren't going to travel with the Corp to Southern Lon Tesse?" He asked, pleased at her appearance.

"There is an overabundance of volunteers, at this point.
I was of use to them here, due to my political connections. Business owners tend to be very generous when they are solicited by someone with high ranking political relationships. When your Uncle has the Regents ear, people tend to go out of their way to impress you. “She glanced at her Uncle Sean, knowingly. “I've never taken advantage of that before now, this was an emergency.” Turning back to Katar, she added, "I was also informed Treborel is sending several teams of Healers to the field hospitals.”

Katar said, "I think it's time we joined forces as a continent." Katar then turned his attention on Roth. "The Empaths will help dispel some of the rumors surrounding Treborel. We aren't a backward nation without medical facilities."

Lysette added, "I for one will be very interested to hear about their work." She was intrigued at the idea of actually witnessing a healer at work. I would be interesting to see if they could stand up to their reputation.

Ambassador
Kreal rose abruptly and left the room. The Regent glanced at Roth, and he rose to follow. As they finished breakfast, a Lon Tesse Officer appeared and announced the arrival of the Regent's private Helijet. Within minutes, the Alliance Members were on board and headed for Lon Tesse's capital city of Lavose, deep with inside the border of its country. The flight in from the retreat overflowed with Roth's apologies and regretful whispers. His desperate promises to rid himself of Lady Forrester were ignored by Lysette. He had somehow managed to sequester her near the rear of the large transport. She calmly, but firmly insisted she no longer wished to see him.

Katar was taking in the conversation with humor and delight. He
was seated several feet across from the couple. Without a hint of the conversation, he had no doubt Roth had overstepped his bounds once too often, and Lysette was done with him. Ambassador Airee approached Katar with a request from Ragal's Prime Minister for additional security at the mouth of the River Ragal. Ragals’ main waterway led out from Ragal along Treborel’s Northern border to the Tempest Sea. After assuring her the precaution had already been taken, they relaxed and enjoyed the beauty of Lavose as it came into view through the large window beside them.

The capital of Lon Tesse
was situated at the base of a large, fresh water lake, The Lake of Dreams. The rivers it fed spread across the main continent, emptying into the Nayrian canal system and the Southern Lon Tesse Swamps. Just North of Lon Tesse lay the small country of Ragal. A rich land filled with Agricultural research centers and large farms. The grains Ragal provided in abundance kept the Treborelan Cattle fed through the harsh winters. Ragal had no naval forces, save their small Harbor Guard that kept busily chasing the small bands of River Pirates. Which constantly pursued the Ragalian and Treborelan barges carrying solar gems to the Ragalian processing centers? A century and a half of peace had left them with a false sense of security and a dwindling army. They devoted the majority of their national securities to the study of the Dead Zone, hoping to escalate the recovery of the soil and turn the barren land into productive soil once more.

Ragal
also maintained the only cooperative international industry on the continent. Lon Tesse shipped the helijet bodies upstream from the Lake of Dreams to Ragal. They installed the Solar Gem System near the lake. Treborels laws of Ecological Conservation prohibiting the destruction of the mountain forest and necessary to build such a plant.  Ragal's northern shoreline was rocky and difficult to farm.  It was perfect for industrial operation.   Lon Tesse had long since been a heavy producer of solid fuel powered helijets, the bodies they provided where impeccable. Yet the solid fuel was difficult to process and highly expensive.

Needing the lightweight synthetic metal Lon Tesse produced, Queen Sari had been eager to come to an agreement. The Regent had encouraged a cease
in production of the outdated aircraft. Anxious to enter the Solar Market, Lon Tesse business owners quickly converted to make frames for the Treborelan craft; allowing all three countries to benefit from the new technology. 

As the party disembarked, Roth stormed off brooding over his loss of Lysette. Sean Nolan's secretary Val arrived with a message requesting Lysette head directly to the Medical Center. They had received
several dozen-burn victims from Ragal. A laser cannon attack on protesting civilians had left over two hundred people dead, and almost half severely burned. Taking her leave quickly, Lysette rushed for the Center and was sent straight into the pediatric burn unit. The next thirty-six hours passed swiftly as the medical staff fought to save the Nayrian children  had been injured. The filthy conditions the Bantorian army had supplied for the injured had caused several of the younger children to become infected. After hearing of the death of nearly half of the adults sent to them, Lysette spent every available moment with the Nayrian children. Two very small, little girls were feared to be the next loss. At the ages of two and three years, their small bodies had sustained burns over seventy percent of their skin. Almost 10 percent were deep enough to affect the muscle and bone. The children, heavily sedated and cleansed, antibacterial suave applied, and large doses of antibiotics administered intravenously, then the waiting began.

Having had only a few hours of sleep in the last three days and knowing there was nothing more she could do for the two little girls she headed home for some
sleep. Still in her surgical garb Lysette boarded the tram and headed toward her Uncle's ranch. The closest tram station was about a 10 blocks away from the entrance of the estate. As she walked the distance, her vision became clouded with thoughts of the two small children she had left behind. So helpless and in such pain, Lysette could only order them kept under heavy sedation. 

Exhausted, yet too full of tension to relax, she decided to head toward the stables and check on Doc, her stallion. Lysette hoped to cleanse her mind of the weight of her profession. Reaching the stables as the sun set behind the clouds and rolling hills of the
twenty-four hundred acre ranch, she heard Doc whinny at the scent of his master.  The aroma of horse and hay met her in the doorway of the large wooden stables. The Stable Master had always managed to keep it as clean smelling, and as rodent free as humanly possible.

Opening the stall, she allowed Doc access to the main area. The speckled gray nudged her in greeting as she hugged his neck. "It's been almost two weeks
, did you miss me?" She whispered softly, sighing as a portion of the tension disappeared. Impulsively she saddled the stallion, mounted, and headed toward her favorite trail in the forest behind the stables, as the sky began to darken.  Urging Doc into a full gallop, they cleared the trees and entered the clearing in the center of the woods. Eyeing the jump in the growing darkness, Lysette could just make out its silhouette as the moon teased her, dancing briefly from behind the dense layer of clouds floating overhead, "It is a full moon, Doc. If it appears again, we'll try it,” She moved him into position, feeling the adrenaline begin to flow.

"I don't think that's such a good idea.” Katar's voice came out of the night, startling her.

"Katar?” She jumped slightly in the saddle, as Doc pranced around agitated by the hidden voice. "What are you doing here?" She called to him in the darkness, her eyes searching. Moving from the shadows at the far end of the clearing, he appeared on a black mare. "Your Uncle offered me his horse and the guest room for a few nights. I'm afraid the confinement of the palace was overwhelming.” His dazzling smile broke through the darkness, as he appeared before her still in his Air Force uniform. “I was surprised, your uncle was aware of my discomfort. When he offered me the chance to get some fresh air and exercise, I wasn't about to refuse. I hope you don't mind the intrusion." He spoke softly, as he urged the horse slowly toward her.

"No, of course not, you just startled me . . ." She stammered, unnerved by his appearance.

"As I was saying, the jump, I wouldn't try it. There's a large mud hole on the other side. You might break both your necks." Pulling up next to her, his smile softened as he noticed how beautiful her features were in the dim light of the clearing. The wind blew softly through her hair as she returned his smile. The rustle of the tall fruit trees that surrounded them softened the howl of the growing wind. The last of the light faded in the distant sky as the two silently faced each other in the darkness.

"How have the negotiations been progressing?" Lysette asked, breaking the silence nervously. “I’ve been so busy at the Medical Center; I don't have any idea about what's been
happening?"

His smile faded as the weight of
Nayr's plight returned. "William is still refusing to see Ambassador Soms.”

"How long can he continue to refuse?" Lysette shook her head in disbelief.

"He's the King; he can do whatever he wants. Unfortunately, we'll have to force him to face the ultimatum. The only reason we haven't taken action already, is because the killing has stopped." Katar frowned in frustration. "The Alliance is trying to be patient, too patient."

"What does that mean?" She asked feeling the anger in his eyes.

"Tomorrow morning your Uncle will be leaving for Ergos. He is going to deliver the ultimatum, whether William wants it or not. If he refuses to see Lord Nolan, The Alliance will begin the Embargo we should have instigated as soon as Nayr was taken. "

"Why is my Uncle going? He isn't a diplomat." Lysette said, moving forward, urging her horse closer to Katar.

"Wouldn't Prince Roth, or perhaps you, be a better choice for such a confrontation?”

"Lysette, your uncle is
the head of Foreign Affairs, this is his job. But Lord Nolan has been acquainted with King William for many years. They developed a friendship through Queen Elsebeth. Lord Nolan saved her life years ago, when he was in the Lon Tesse Intelligence Service. That incident has not formed a close relationship, but it does give your Uncle an advantage." Katar looked into her eyes, deciding to tell the worst of it. "There have been rumors that William has become . . . Unstable."

A sudden chill ran through her.
She wanted desperately to ask Katar to convince the Regent to send someone else. Lysette held her tongue, realizing she would only sound foolish. Instead, she decided to ask a favor of him. "Katar, the thought of Uncle Sean confronting a mentally incompetent King who has ordered the murder of over a thousand defenseless people . . .”  Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she tried to clear her head of the burdens swimming around inside. "I need to know if something happens, I will be notified immediately. I can't rely on Prince Roth; the fool shelters me from any type of distressing information." Looking directly into his eyes, she asked, "Would you contact me if things don't go as expected? I know I don't have any right to ask this of you. But you will be kept informed, and I trust you to tell me the truth."

Touched by her faith in him and the deep concern she felt far her Uncle, he found himself answering with a deep sense of conviction, "You have my word." 
Swinging his horse around Katar followed Lysette back to the stable, as the wind grew stronger. Bringing with it one of the many storms that fed The Lake of Dreams.

"How are the burn victims?" He asked quietly
, wanting to move away from the subject of King William.

The tension flowed back into Lysette as the vision of the two small girls returned, bringing with it a heavy exhaustion.

"We lost several shortly after their arrival. The Bantorian Army had not tended to their wounds; they had been set aside and forgotten. Many of the adults had forsaken themselves and tried to care for the children. They were the ones who became so severely infected we couldn't save them. I can’t imagine the strength it must have taken to ignore such great anguish. They were sacrificing their own lives. They did manage to save most of the children from infection. Except . . ." Her throat began to tighten, despite her efforts at control. Forcing the words, she continued, "Except two very small girls." Turning away from him, she tried to hide the pain and helplessness she felt. "They are showing signs of infection, and their lungs are irritated from the smoke and noxious vapors. Their little bodies are dehydrated . . ."

Riding slowly in the dark, she wrestled with her feelings. She should have better control by now. She should be able to distance herself from her patients.  How would she ever be able to survive the pressures of the Medical Profession if she couldn't control involvement?

Suddenly an idea came to her, turning to Katar as a glimmer of hope sparkled in her eyes, she asked, "Your Empathic Healers who are headed for the Field Hospitals, have they ever dealt with something like this? Have they ever worked with burn victims?"

"I'm sure they are as skilled in healing burns as they are in any other
kind of healing.” He replied, pleased she had put aside the rumors of quackery associated with the healers.

Hesitating, Lysette considered the hospital's reaction to bringing in what they would consider untrained personnel. Still if they could
save these two small children, it would be worth the disruption, and possible repercussions they could cause. "Would it be possible to send for one of them?" She asked, quietly.

"I can arrange it tonight. I'll have them here by morning. If you'll promise to have dinner with me tomorrow night
, and tell me how it goes." He smiled softly at her, noticing for the first time the dark circles under her eyes, and the paleness of her complexion.

"Thank you." Her words came as a whisper
, as the relief and exhaustion took the last of her strength, pulling down her barriers. "Have you ever been burned, Katar?"

"No." He answered, watching her sway slightly in the saddle with the horse's movements.

"I have," She tried to straighten and shake off the urgent need for sleep, but the feeling overwhelmed her. "My hands and arms were burned in an explosion at the University Lab where I had been working. "The pain was unbearable. Burns are not anything like cuts or bruises. There is a point where your sense of touch is heightened, making recovery torture. The pain is constant and doesn't lessen for what seems like an eternity." As the tears appeared in her eyes, she glanced away, looking into the blackness of the swirling forest that surrounded them. "I was lucky. My burns were actually very minor compared to these new patients.  It just makes it a little harder to look at someone suffering. When you know exactly how badly it hurts. I’m not sure I'd have the courage to keep on living if I were burned as badly as those two little girls. They're just babies.” Finally, she turned back to him, tears streaming down her pale face. She began to sway further, almost falling from the saddle.

Reaching out Katar caught her.
Dismounting, he pulled her from the saddle and gently placed her on the ground before him. "When was the last time you got some sleep?" He asked, frowning down at her.

Gazing up into his face as he steadied her, Lysette sighed answering casually, "I don't remember." Captivated by his dark blue eyes
she leaned against him for support. 

Katar said, "You better walk the rest of the way back to the stables. I don't think I can trust you to stay on your horse." Katar shook his head as she stumbled beside while they
walked out of the trees. "You get much worse and I'll have to carry you.”

Smiling sheepishly, Lysette tried to walk straight. Reaching the stables, Katar handed Doc over to the Stable Master and unsaddled his horse. Turning around, he found Lysette leaned against a support beam, her eyes closed. Grinning, he approached her. "I didn't think it was possible for someone
actually to fall asleep standing up." He whispered softly in her ear.