Chapter 10
The Olive Branch or the Sword
Belmondo, Tri-Border Region
The floor of the House League Parliament was pure chaos. A special session had been convened to address the mysterious attacks occurring across the world. All manner of accusations were being slung about. Nation A had secretly kept their mages intact and attacked Nation B to lay claim to their supply of Cast-offs. The Cast-offs were the fabled Ancients after all and this nation or that nation was trying to unlock the Lost Technology to conquer the world. As the accusations grew wilder, tempers rose to the point that it was looking like the delegates might come to blows with declarations of war to follow.
Amid this swirling brew of anger and suspicion, a loud voice rang out.
"BE STILL!"
The very walls shook from the voice's power and the delegates were silenced. A lone figure passed through the crowd and stood at the Speaker's podium. He was a young man, tall and well-favored, with raven hair and silver-rimmed spectacles. Despite his youth, he had a grave air about him.
The President of the Assembly tried to object to the breach of protocol, " Here now, young man, you cannot—"
A severe look from the young man was enough to quiet the President of the Assembly, who meekly slinked back. The young man took a moment to survey the crowd, and while he was doing so, a couple dozen cloaked figures entered the Assembly Hall to encircle the chamber.
The young man then addressed the assembly, saying, "Gentlemen, before I begin, allow me to introduce myself. I am Mordekai Grummond, formerly a master of the Phoenix Mages' Guild."
"A mage, here?" one of the delegates said in surprise. "Sergeant, arrest that man!"
As the sergeant-at-arms began to move, Mordekai Grummond merely gave him a look and said, "If you value your life, you will stay where you are."
The sergeant-at-arms did so, much to the consternation of the delegate who called for Grummond's apprehension.
Grummond continued, "As representatives of the Twelve Kingdoms are all gathered here, it saves me the trouble of announcing this in each of your lands individually. The Restriction of the Practice of Magic Act, commonly know as the Mage Ban, and Special Order 321-dash-0751-B, which has called for the arrest and detention of all individuals with the potential for magic use, are hereby rescinded."
"By what authority!?" another delegate shouted.
"By my authority," Grummond replied.
"You cannot do this!"
"I can and I will," Grummond said. "I have already taken the liberty of releasing the detainees at El-Kasamar. You will note that the former guests of that facility are in present company."
Some of the delegates looked around nervously at the wizards surrounding them, but a few others stood defiant.
"Do you mean to hold us hostage? It won't work. Our governments will never give in to your demands."
"I have no need of hostages," Grummond said. "I have a use for messengers, though, which is why I would appreciate it if you would be quiet and listen.
"Our world has been stricken by two calamities. The first is the mysterious invaders who have been launching attacks on your lands wherever the Ancients have been held. The second... is me. You have brought these calamities upon yourselves for your persecution of mage and Ancient alike. It is my intention to set right these abuses.
"The noble houses have fully demonstrated that they are not fit for governance and so their authority is suspended. The Mages' Guilds will be reinstituted and charged with the administration of the territories until we have the leisure to negotiate a more permanent solution."
"Do you honestly think the Families will yield to the likes of you and your kind? All of you together, you do not have the power to hold even one territory. Our armies will wipe you out to the last man."
"Your armies will die if they oppose us," Grummond said, "but if you value their lives so little, you are welcome to try.
"And as for holding territories, Nylos has already fallen into my hands. You can expect me to be paying a visit to your capitals in short order. If you wish to defy me, you can ask Central how well that worked out for them."
These words seemed to surprise the delegates from Nylos as much as anyone else.
Grummond continued, "I am willing to consider a division of lands at a later date for the mundanes who do not wish to walk with us, but for now, all of Altamira must stand as one until the invaders are dealt with."
"And you will kill any who oppose you?"
"If I must," Grummond said bluntly, "but just because I am prepared to kill each and every one of you does not means that is what I desire. I would prefer to see those who are responsible for the current abuses given a fair trial and punished according to their crimes and let retribution end there. In my right hand I extend the olive branch and in my left hand is the flaming sword of vengeance. If you reject peace, then you shall have war, and a terrible war it will be.
"For the time being, I will leave this place intact, as it is convenient to have a single forum where representatives from the Twelve Kingdoms can meet. I advise you to contact your home countries to prepare the way for me. I have other business to attend to, but I will leave my shadow with you. I pray that you act wisely and you encourage your homelands to do the same. You are dismissed."
The delegates were taken aback, as it was of course strange for them to be dismissed from their own assembly like common house servants. While some were stuck there in their confusion, some took the opportunity to withdraw and still others saw how the tides were shifting and dared to approach Grummond as supplicants. He dealt with each in their turn, much as a king would treat with petitioners. A few well-practiced courtiers spoke with words dripping with oil and honey, but no amount of flattery could incline his ear more to one than the other.
After a couple hours of this, he moved to retire, but as he was leaving, a woman approached him. She was not a delegate herself but had been seen in the company of the representative of the Barony of Ruxandra. Though her dress did not expose much skin below the shoulders, it was tailored specifically to emphasize and enhance the curves of her body. Her sharp green eyes were both alluring and dangerous, like the gaze of a viper, but her spell could not charm Grummond.
"I was hoping for a moment when we would not have so much company so that I could express how moved I was by your speech, Master Grummond."
"I would not call that a speech," Grummond replied. "It was nothing more than the victor dictating terms to the vanquished, even though they are not yet fully aware of their defeat."
"All the same, there are many who have longed for such a day to come."
"And you would be counted among that number, I take it. Tell me, how is it that you were not among those I rescued from El-Kasamar. You are no ARCANUM mage."
The woman placed her hand over her heart and said, "With the right connections, a person can escape injustice. I am sure you have heard that when one head is cut off, two will rise in its place."
"So the Hydra Guild is more than just a whisper after all. I believe my pupil is indebted to you."
"Ordinarily we would seek to settle accounts with someone who wounds us so, but in light of the current situation, we are prepared to set aside our differences. After all, your goals and ours are one and the same."
"And would it be safe for me to say that we owe much of the current situation to your organization's activities?"
"The system established by Belmond Weiss was too effective. It turned tigers into tabbycats. The world needed to see how much it needed magic and mages needed to feel the pinch to awaken their ambition. We thought the special order would be the straw that broke the camel's back, but too many meekly surrendered.
"It is clear that we need to start anew and with all the young people of untapped potential gathered in one place, a new generation of mages can rise to sweep away the old order. All we needed was a leader to bind them together and then you appeared. Truly it is the hand of Fate."
"There is no Fate," Grummond replied, "only cause and effect. A clear chain of causality has led us to this point and now we must lay the groundwork for the desired outcome."
"'We'?" the woman asked. "Then you intend to work for us?"
"I am willing to consider working with you," Grummond clarified, "provided our intentions are as aligned as you say. If not, I will tear you out by the roots."
"We are not so easily uprooted, Master Grummond," the woman said. "Recall our motto."
"The hydra of legend was slain by burning the stump of one head before those two could rise in its place. It will be the same with you if you work against me."
"How can I prove my good faith to you?" the woman asked. "What pledge will satisfy you?"
She began to loosen the laces of her bodice. Surely it was a common snare she laid for other men, but Grummond seemed no more interested than if he were looking at a sack of flour.
"You offer me your flesh for pledge?" he asked.
"It is the best way to bind two as one," the woman said.
"Or one as two," Grummond replied.
Despite showing no sign of his passions being inflamed, Grummond pressed the woman against the wall. The suddenness surprised the woman for a moment but soon she smiled slyly in the full confidence of having lured in yet another man to bend to her will.
He placed his hand on her chest, but rather than doing as most men would do, he did not begin to grope around and about her generous bosom. Instead, his hand appeared to melt into her chest. The woman gasped but could not cry out. Her skin began to glow and her body changed. When Grummond removed his hand and the light faded, there was a different woman standing there, with the same raven hair and fairy purple eyes as Grummond.
The woman made a pained face and spoke with a different voice, saying, "This corset is the true Abomination..."
"Bear with it for now," Grummond said. "You can change later."
He touched his forehead to hers and closed his eyes.
"She did not know as much as I would have hoped," he said. "Still, we will see if we can make use of the Hydra Guild. You will be pulling double duty here."
"I am sure my energies will be divided more ways than that," the woman replied. "Are you sure you do not want to coordinate things from here yourself?"
"I would rather not stay in one place too long until I properly understand this threat."
"I do not appreciate being a decoy."
"We are part of the same whole," Grummond said. "What happens to one happens to us all."
"I know," the woman replied. "That's why I said what I said."
"Just do what you are here to do and leave the rest to me."
"What if I went out seeking the mystery invaders while you stay here and wear this corset?"
Mordekai grinned and said, "Not a chance."