They entered the Imperial Palace. Botal led the Torak squad to the Torak quarters while the Balomar squad retreated to theirs. Only Gunta and Halman remained to escort Lord Marak and Lord Oktar. Lord Marak let the small group up to the Lords’ Council Chamber. The room was empty except for Katzu, a Lords’ Council mediator.
“Greetings Lord Marak, Lord Oktar,” welcomed Katzu.
“Greetings, Katzu,” Lord Marak replied. “I would like to call a meeting of the Lords’ Council. How do I do that?”
“Calling a meeting is fairly simple,” answered Katzu. “I can carry the word to the other members. They are all in residence today. It is most unusual though to call a meeting before the sixth member is elected. Perhaps you should wait until after the Assembly of Lords elects the new member of the Lords’ Council.”
“Time is not my ally,” replied Lord Marak. “Lord Oktar has the provocation needed to ensure help from the Lords’ Council. I fully expect the attacks to commence as soon as the Assembly of Lords is over and the lords make their way back home. I want our troops in place before then.”
“Then I shall contact the other members immediately,” nodded Katzu. “Lord Oktar should wait outside until the council calls for him.”
Lord Marak led Lord Oktar into the corridor outside the Lords’ Council Chamber as Katzu disappeared around a corner. The first member to arrive was Lord Patel and Lord Marak accompanied him into the chamber.
“So it has begun?” asked Lord Patel.
“It has,” nodded Lord Marak. “It is going to be much worse than I imagined. The Jiadin may be untrained as a group, but their skills are impressive. How did Bagora die?”
“An assassin while he was in bed,” frowned Lord Patel. “The knife was poisoned.”
“Has he been found?” asked Lord Marak.
“No,” Lord Patel shook his head. “He vanished without a trace. Marshal Chack is quite upset. Lord Marak, I tried to delay the vote for Emperor until you returned, but I was blindsided by Mirakotto. I left the chamber during the vote thinking that he would have to suspend the meeting. Instead he continued the vote. I am sorry.”
“It does not matter to me, Lord Patel,” replied Lord Marak. “I do not care who rules as long as we work together to defeat our common enemy. I do grieve for Bagora, though. He was a good man and a patriot. All of Khadora will miss him.”
The conversation halted as the other lords entered the chamber. Lord Quilo walked to the head of the table as the other lords took their seats. Katzu closed the door and stood near it.
“Lord Marak,” Lord Quilo began, “I understand that you have requested an urgent meeting of the Lords’ Council. For what purpose do you cause this body to gather?”
“Thank you for coming together so quickly,” Lord Marak began. “Lord Oktar waits outside this room. He would like to register a grievance and request the assistance of the Lords’ Council in preserving his clan.”
“Is this the same matter that you brought before this council before?” asked Lord Quilo.
“It is,” affirmed Lord Marak. “There has been an attack on the Balomar estate. An estimated five thousand Jiadin wearing the Glamaraldi uniform attacked the estate. They were repelled, but I fear that the defenses will not hold long.”
“Rather than sending troops,” frowned Lord Quilo, “shouldn’t we be trying to mediate the dispute?”
“I am afraid that Lord Yungis will not accept any mediation,” reported Lord Marak. “In my discussions with him, he showed nothing but contempt for the Lords’ Council. I do not believe that he would follow the rulings of this council even if we could get him to accept mediation of the dispute.”
“You have spoken to Lord Yungis personally?” questioned Lord Quilo. “Where was this? And when?”
“It was on the morning of the death of our Emperor,” answered Lord Marak. “He arrived unannounced at the estate of Lord Oktar. I was there at the time.”
“I have heard,” interrupted Lord Kiamesh, “that there are a number of clans assembled at the Balomar estate. Is this true Lord Marak? And if so, is this not in itself a provocation?”
“There are a number of clans present on the estate,” nodded Lord Marak. “Their presence there was unknown to Lord Yungis until he attacked. In fact, the large variety of uniforms confused the Jiadin when they attacked. I believe that is what stopped an all out assault. If their presence was not known, how then can it be a provocation?”
“A valid question,” nodded Lord Kiamesh.
“And what are they doing there, Lord Marak?” asked Lord Garic. “Maybe Lord Yungis did not know they were there, but that does not alter the fact that they were present. What clans are present there? And why are they there?”
Lord Marak sighed as he listened to the question that he had wished he would not have to answer.
“There are a number of clans present on the Balomar estate,” answered Lord Marak, “including the Torak clan. The reason that they are there is to repel foreign invaders from Khadora, an exercise that this body should be eager to aid. If the question of legality is an issue, I can assure this council that it is perfectly legal. My plan was presented to the Emperor before I instituted it. He approved of it and declared it to be legal. Still, that is not the issue before this council today. There has been a clear provocation, and Lord Oktar waits outside this chamber to seek help in preserving his clan. May I bring him in?”
“Are you sure that Lord Yungis would resist mediation?” questioned Lord Kiamesh.
“Positive,” nodded Lord Marak. “His contempt for our government is severe. I must make this council aware of the reasons for his contempt. He has five thousand Jiadin warriors at his disposal. That army would present a challenge to the mightiest of our Khadoran clans. Worse, he has allies who can quickly multiply his force by four. The Vessi and Lejune clans each have five thousand Jiadin warriors. You have heard of their recent conquests on the eastern frontier. There is also a fourth clan, the Pikata, who also have Jiadin warriors. My fear is that these four clans will join forces to sweep across Khadora. The Balomar estate is only the first of many conquests. If we do not make a stand now, Khadora as we know it will cease to exist. I implore this council to provide troops immediately.”
“I move that this council immediately agree to take a stand on this provocation,” said Lord Patel. “We have lost several clans already to these Jiadin armies. How many clans must we lose before we awaken to the real threat they present to Khadora?”
“There is merit to your request, Lord Marak,” conceded Lord Kiamesh, “but you are proposing a solution that has never been used before. The Imperial troops are not numerous enough to halt the Jiadin. What do you want us to do?”
“I want armies,” answered Lord Marak. “Each member of this council could send troops in the very least. Optimally, other clans outside this council could be convinced to send troops. We need fighters, Lord Kiamesh. Lots of them.”
“And who will lead these troops?” asked Lord Kiamesh. “Are these great armies to be under your command?”
“Each clan could lead its own armies,” answered Lord Marak. “To be effective, there must be coordination among the clans. I would be willing to accept that responsibility and report directly to this council.”
“So you want our men for your own army?” asked Lord Garic. “That is preposterous.”
“That is not what I said,” frowned Lord Marak. “Look, I don’t really care who coordinates them as long as we succeed in pushing the Jiadin back into Fakara. This is not about me, Lord Garic. This is about preserving Khadora.”
“I am hesitant, Lord Marak,” admitted Lord Quilo. “The eastern frontier is quite a distance from Khadoratung and the Imperial Valley. While some minor frontier clans may indeed disappear, I really don’t think the Glamaraldi, or any other frontier clan, has the ability to battle its way here.”