The Book of Ominiue: Starborn (37 page)

Shayne returned their robes to the monk. They both made their way through the throne room. Shayne looked up at the tower, which he could see through the glass top of the dome.

‘Why is the tower forbidden?’

‘It is for those of magic. It was their domain and those of us who hold no magic have no right to be there.’

‘But they are gone. Would it not be better to use it, occupy it?’

‘It is not our way,’ the monk simply said. Níurthan turned to directly face Shayne. ‘Is there anything else, my lord?’

‘Who are you really?’ Shayne asked without thinking. The monk showed the slightest of smiles. He then bowed and made the formal hand gesture for farewell, before he headed for the royal rooms. Shayne watched him leave. He turned his eyes to the throne itself; its splendour older than the royal lineage of the lionmen. Practically everything in this city was older than history itself, even the ancient runes on the wall was lost. So much of this place was a mystery and not just to the Earthmen. He then turned to the doors of the palace tower wing to retire to his room, wanting nothing more than to polish his shoes and take a long bath. 

Chapter
10

Grand Council

“Grant graciously what you cannot refuse safely and conciliate those you cannot conquer
.”

                                                                 – Charles Caleb Colton

The following week was mostly uneventful. They did not travel into the city again; instead they either saw the king in his room or were visited by various people. The general arrived a day before the meeting where he made his presence known. His straightforward manner was welcomed by the lionmen, they preferred humans who were to the point and many of them liked his strange, straightforward manner.

The delegates from the countries slowly and steadily came in over the week, accompanied by their own entourages. There was a buzz in the city which turned into a festival of celebration; music always played in the streets and entertainers performed upon the roads and walkways.

Everywhere Shayne looked he saw royalty and elite dignitaries, wearing their own fashions and colours, followed by their own personal guards. The new guests were often accompanied by animals of various descriptions. It was hard to ignore that many humans tended to have canis-hound animals following them and many of the lionmen had felines. Occasionally there was a crossover or the Maltat was another variety of creature such as birds and other classes of mammals. The concept of Maltat obviously traversed all cultures, the concept continued to intrigue Shayne, whether they really were bound or merely superstition he knew would probably never be confirmed, but his observations showed strong similarities between animal and person.

The first guests to arrive were mostly lionmen. The Nakáda lionmen were different to the ones the Earthmen were used to. Nakáda were neighbours to Bohaníde; their nation stood on the other side of the Great Dividing Mountain Range. They considered their country to be the motherland of the Fa’Orian; founded by Arcadia and Keean the created ones. It was also the land of the lionman hero Tain, who forged the foundations that the Fa’Orian still follow today. The Nakádanese looked more primal than their eastern brothers: They were taller and stronger looking; something that did not seem possible to the Earthmen and they always stood on the balls of their feet, as a feline animal does, this was also a contrast to the eastern lionmen who only ran as digitigrades, otherwise they were flat footed. None of them wrapped their tails around themselves, suggesting greater reliance for balance. Basically the Nakádanese were more lionish whereas the eastern lionmen looked more humanish. They were also much more reserved; they seemed to never smile and barely talked. When they did converse it was either with the other lionmen or with the delegates of the Isradian desert kingdom that lived north of them. They further stood out as each member had patterns: dyed, tattooed and shaved into their fur, with each different pattern and colour denoting a different tribe and position. Their markings looked beautiful but also intimidating in a primal fashion.

As the week ended and the appointed time neared there were still some nations unrepresented by a formal member, their nations being too far away to travel in time. These included the Island nation of Idos, and some more remote coastal lands. These places still had their residential ambassadors to speak on their behalf, and if they held no permanent figure in Kérith-Árim than an ambassador from a friendly country was used. By the week’s end the number of humans far outweighed those of the lionmen. The southern humans had lighter tans then the middle kingdom humans, but their skin was still rather dark compared to Níurthan; who hailed from the colder southern continent and not Dífrun.

During the week the grand dining hall was filled with the voices of the guests. Scholars of the Teaching Halls came and entertained, some of which were greater than Kíe in voice, with each displaying their own preference of style. Some of the guests also had entertainers with them, and the teachers happily shared the stage in cultural exchange.

The atmosphere appeared friendly and joyful. In most respects it was, but not all nations held goodwill towards each other, or to Kérith-Árim. The most paranoid countries did not send their royal dignitaries as was customary upon request. Some did not even send a member of their royal family instead sending formal letters of apologies. Some countries avoided sending dignitaries for fear of their safety; due to their relations with their neighbours or just plain unwarranted paranoia. There were also those who refused to come; acting in defiance and deliberate mockery of Kérith-Árim’s power as the peace-keeper. The most obvious absences were from the four nations who were involved with the disputed region; one of these countries were generous and brave enough to send their crown prince; a reasonable and striking young man that many hoped to initiate peace in his reign. Daleflan also used their ordinary ambassador, but that was expected. Their embarrassment involving the Wayel-Éaa territory claim was only a few years ago and they still suffered under harsh restrictions as well as their own pride.

The day of the Grand Council brought Shayne for the first time, to the doors leading to the left wing of the palace. The amount of people present in the palace was staggering. Imperial Shytardas were out in force, guarding entrances and guiding special guests. Shayne and the Earthmen were accompanied by some high ranking guards who were considered amongst the most skilled fighters. There were also Kerwin monks stationed amongst the crowds with their plain swords hanging from their sides. Normally they would be unarmed themselves but their prowess and attention to detail made them valuable additions to the shytardas. They treaded carefully when sharing duties making sure not to put themselves before the proud palace guards. Most of the people were afraid of the monks, their reputation reached the furthest lands and often they were given a wide berth enforcing their infamy.

The Earthmen waited in a side room while the delegates were seated. A constant murmur grew as the hall filled. After the apparent anarchy of seating hundreds of people, the Earthmen were finally ushered in. They walked through the double doors to a short passageway which opened up to the Grand Council Hall. The light was not ideal; the council auditorium was gloomy compared to the bright and open throne room. It had no windows and the only light came from oil-lanterns mounted on the walls and upon the dignitaries’ tables. The main entrance was wedged in the middle of the delegate and public seating, with a mezzanine-balcony behind the doors for the public. A barrier rail separated the entrance from the lower seating designated for the delegate dignities which arched in a semi-circle; meeting the far wall where the king’s balcony-box rose. From the entrance a path split left and right, joining two aisles for the lower seating. The room dipped down, following the seating until it reached a central table for the main speaker.

The Chancellors were also present; most of them were at the back of the embassy area. The Master Armoursmith Fagin’daulor was now present. He was a large and strong human with a great black beard. His stature was enough that people often said he had a sprinkle of Fa’Orian within him. Deep in the past his chancellor’s position belonged to the third UeShádarn but a wise person decided better representation would occur if the three Teaching Hall allocated positions were also shared not only with the guilds but also with other nations teaching halls. Every five years their seats were elected: one designated for the scholars from any of the Dífrun halls, one a guild master and the third member rotated with each pass. All of the Chancellor positions were rotated. It was required of every member to remain active in their area of representation. The governing system ruled that it was not possible for any given Chancellor to be both professionally active in their field and to help govern, as such none can extend their position for more than two terms and no one individual can serve more than five terms.

One of the main focal points of the Grand Council Hall was the king’s box raised above the delegates. The UeVarda was accompanied by four lionmen. He sat in the middle, flanked by the two highest ranked counsellors: The High Imperial Shytarda Far’galanmír and UeShádarn Dun’karter, with two Imperial Guards standing ominously behind them. The box-seat was only accessible via the Barracks section of the Guard’s Wing, separating them from the rest of the room.

The crowd grew silent when the Earthmen stepped into the room. Every head turned to their direction. Shayne took the left side of the barrier; silently walking towards the aisle to take them to their seats. They turned down the aisle, passing the delegates. As they made their way down to the table the noise slowly returned, as the natives began to talk about the strangely clothed Ta’Orians.

Shayne sat in the middle chair; as instructed. The General Thorn Hendingson and Brigadier-General Christov Hanniver sat on either side of him, both Shayne and the Brigadier wore their fur cloaks over their dress uniform, while the general wore his own highly decorative uniform with its medals and buckles. The two communication androids stood behind them giving the appearance of metal guards. Despite being surrounded by a room full of finely dressed natives the Earthmen seemed proud and intimidating in their strangeness. Shayne in particular looked kingly sitting in his seat and glaring coolly to the audience before him.

The UeVarda rose from his chair. Though he still looked a little haggard his health was much restored and death now clearly behind him. The room instantly fell into dead silence as he stood; knowledge of the UeVarda’s incurable sickness was widespread. It was only a few weeks ago they were waiting for the messenger to confirm the end of his reign. The promise to heal him seemed miraculous, but there he stood, alive and testament to Earthmen power.

‘The Grand Council is now in session,’ he called without any sign of a cough, though his voice was husky. ‘Good people from across the realms: Children of the Kéaran and masters of the lands, rulers and their kin, diplomats and scholars. We have with us today the Hama Ta’Orian’s: a people of great advancement. They travelled from the
very stars
in our night sky to be amongst us and to share their wealth of knowledge with us. In the name of Ominiue and the Kéaran I say to you, welcome them with all hospitality that we as the people of Dífrun can offer.’ With that all the members of the council rose. Every lionmen and human: the desert people and the city dwellers, the southerners and the northerners; clapped their hands once and grasped them as they bowed.

After they had all seated themselves back down Far’galanmír stood to take over the proceedings, ‘All should have received the transcribed book of the Star Ta’Orians,’ she called out. The room echoed faintly with her voice. Amplifying her reach without compromising the clarity through unwanted sound distortions.  ‘If anyone was late in arriving, or did not have enough time to read the manuscript, or were unable to get a hold of a copy that is not an issue. We shall discuss the contents in this meeting and copies can be obtained from the table on the right of the main entrance.’ Nobody moved to collect the books so she continued on.

‘I believe that we are all aware what the purpose of this gathering is. The Hama Ta’Orians seek land. They wish to either be hosted by a nation or to buy land; in which they will build a city.’

‘And who has land to spare?’ the Barda
[13]
-king of Zeathlan rose from his seat. His nation was a close ally of Kértih-Árim’s but they were also Southern in nature and therefore weary of the intentions of an unknown people. ‘The book claims they can settle in regions we cannot. What does this cover? Does it mean lower grade agricultural land? Or can they live on the desert sands of the Corha-Rhí?’

‘We can build our city in any region where food cannot be normally grown and herds feed. All we require are foundations to build upon,’ Shayne replied, his flat voice stilling the crowd. ‘If the location has issues with water we can build a pipe system to bring it to us.’

‘How far can you build the piping system and will it require an aqueduct?’ another southern human inquired.

‘We can build a pipe from one end of Dífrun to the other, if need be, but if you have any salt lakes we can use them too,’ the crowd murmured amongst themselves, their questions resounding around the room as they asked each other how these things could be possible and how can they use salt water before a loud and commanding voice broke through them.