“You do not want to hear my solution,” Grundar said to a chorus of laughs from the other chieftains.
Marak could not resist smiling to himself as he envisioned Grundar’s solution to the problem.
“What is your alternative solution?” asked the Torak.
“I do not know,” admitted Grundar. “I have spoken to my brothers about this problem before today. Many of them are quite willing to give up small portions of Chula land to ease the Torak’s problems. We understand that we will never again be pressed to make concessions and that dulls the pain somewhat, but the claims against the Sookie tribe are enormous. My people would no longer be able to live upon our lands. Whole valleys would be taken from us as well as the rivers that flow out of the mountains. We would have no access to the feeding grounds of much of the game in the forest. It would be better to just disband the Sookie tribe and make my people move to other tribes.”
“I will not ask that of any Chula tribe,” Marak replied seriously. “I am aware of three Khadoran clans that border your territory, Grundar. They are the Seth, Rican, and Disina clans. Are there others making claims to any of your land?”
“There are two others,” nodded Grundar, “but their claims are not as onerous, although they are also false.”
“Would you be willing to compromise with the two clans who claims are not onerous?” asked the Torak.
“By compromise,” frowned Grundar, “are you asking if I would honor their claims and forfeit the land?”
“I am,” nodded the Torak. “And I am speaking only of the those two clans, not the other three.”
“I would,” nodded Grundar, “but only because the Torak wishes it to be so. My people can live without the land represented by those smaller claims.”
“And are you willing to fight the other three clans to preserve your land?” inquired Marak.
“With your permission,” Grundar beamed broadly as the other Chula shouted encouragement, “my warriors would sweep over those flatlanders in a single day.”
“That speaks well of the Sookie warriors,” replied the Torak, “but it did not answer my question. Would you personally fight the other three clans to preserve the land of your people?”
“I do not understand your question,” frowned Grundar. “I would certainly lead my people into battle. No Chula chieftain would shy from a battle while sending his warriors to attack. If you mean would I fight them alone,” he added as his frown deepened, “that would be the act of a fool, but I would agree to it if that is what the Torak demands. I have an obligation to my people, Torak. If you were to give me permission to defend my land, but denied that same permission to my warriors, I would be bound to attack the flatlanders by myself.”
“You feel that strongly about this dispute that you would throw your life away?” asked Marak.
“I have three responsibilities that I cannot ignore,” replied Grundar. “They are to Kaltara, the Torak, and the Sookie tribe, in that order. Were you to present the situation that I just described, I would be honor bound to carry out the actions that I just spoke of. It is not a case of throwing my life away. It is a case of living up to one’s responsibilities. My people cannot survive with the loss of the lands that the flatlanders are demanding. My only alternative is to forcefully reclaim my lands. The only two things that can stop me from doing that are God and the Torak.”
Marak frowned and nodded slowly. He was impressed with Grundar’s devotion, but he would not allow a bloodbath to mar the progress that he had made so far.
“Thank you for your honest words, Grundar,” the Torak said loudly. “I would like to hear some other views regarding this problem. Who will speak next?”
Tmundo of the Kywara tribe rose to speak.
“The Kywara have no claims against their land by flatlanders,” Tmundo began, “but that is only because our lands border the clans of the Torak. Almost every other tribe present here today has at least one claim of land set against it by the flatlanders. Most of the claims are small, but it is basic Khadoran greed to grab what is free. These Khadoran know that you will not allow the Chula to defend their land. In a sense, your actions have prompted these false claims. Now you come to us to provide a solution. We feel that we know what solution you want to hear. You want us to voluntarily give up our lands to please the greedy Khadorans. You know in your heart that these claims are wrong. The assembled chieftains of the Chula who are gathered here today know that these claims are false, and the greedy Khadorans who made these claims know that they are false. Why do you torture us with this meeting where we are pushed to say things that are not truly in our hearts? You are the Torak. Tell us what we must do, and we will obey.”
Tmundo sat down and silence fell over the clearing. Marak scanned the faces of the chieftains and saw both defiance and acceptance in their faces. He smiled.
“I have not asked to lead people,” stated the Torak, “but Kaltara has seen fit to place me in charge of two very diverse peoples. I will never spite one to please the other. Kaltara’s commandment to me was to unite the two peoples, and that is what I intend to do. Are there any other thoughts that should be expressed before I explain what my solution is?”
Many an eyebrow rose in surprise at the Torak’s words. The chieftains had come into the meeting expecting that they knew the outcome, but they learned that the Torak was wiser than they had given him credit for.
Chapter 17
Strange Proposal
The evening before the Assembly of Lords convened, Emperor Marak sat in the chambers of the Lords’ Council along with the members of that elite group.
“Spotters are now in place along the entire coast from the Fortung Mountains to the Kalatung Mountains,” reported Lord Patel. “The requirement of spacing them no more than one league apart has been met.”
“Excellent,” nodded the Emperor. “What are their means of communications?”
“There are not enough air mages available at this time to accommodate all of the spotters,” answered the Nordon lord, “but provisions have been made for swift communications. In cases where no mages are available, runners have been substituted. The runners will ride swiftly to the nearest air mage.”
“That will have to do for now,” sighed Emperor Marak. “We are spreading our people thin.”
“We have little choice,” interjected Lord Quilo. “We are trying to train thousands of our own mages in addition to contingents from Sakova and Fakara. We simply can’t afford to spare that many for monitoring the coastline.”
“If you had not started training mages when you were lord of Fardale,” added Lord Kiamesh, “none of this would even be possible now. Be thankful that we are as prepared as we are.”
“What about the military training, Lord Jamarat?” asked the Torak.
“We are doing well,” answered the Neju lord. “The last several rotations of trainees have been fantastic in attitude. I think those that we trained earlier returned to their homes and bragged to their fellow soldiers about the training. All of the trainees these days are eager to learn. It is going much faster now.”
“Good,” Marak smiled at Lord Jamarat.
Marak was especially pleased with how the Neju lord had taken on the responsibility for the training. Most lords of Khadora had looked upon Jamarat as a simpleton. They no longer dismissed him as they used to. As a trainer, Lord Jamarat was among the best. His simple methods had enabled him to explain everything in ways that every man could understand.
“How are we to interact with the Fakarans and the Sakovans?” asked Lord Chenowith. “That is not something that we have discussed at length.”
“An excellent question,” replied the Emperor. “And we should not forget the elves in our planning. I received a message from Mistake, err, Princess Alahara. The elves have resolved their differences and wish to talk about their contribution to the war effort. They proposed coming to Angragar to discuss it, but I have requested permission to travel to Elvangar.”