The Ninth Prophecy

The preparations for Faris’s final strike were well under way. Faris was taking a walk in the gardens of Venegor, accompanied by Hadera, Geren and Axion. They were weighing out all the options, thinking of the best way to strike. Hadera expressed her doubts regarding Faris’s plan to attack Yon: “I don’t understand your fixation on Karos. We are in a good position now. We control Senicore, Nox and Venegor. We should prepare better.”

- “It doesn’t matter what we control. If he wanted to, Yon could march on us and take it all back within one moon’s cycle.”

- “So why do you think your chances are better if you attack him?”

- “I don’t. I think it’s for the best of the realm. We can’t have another campaign organized between the straightwalkers. It would just enable the Koprites to grow stronger. While we would be fighting each other in the midlands and in the south, they could peacefully prepare to take over the whole land.”

- “I think there’s another matter we should consider, my lord. This has now come down to a duel of the last two standing Kulins. Losing you, who knows what might happen. If you are both weakened, who knows who might try and succeed to overthrow you.” Geren spoke.

- “This is not the matter of the Kulin vine, my dear friend. This is the matter of the realm. The outcome is in the hands of The One, not in my or my brother’s hands,” Faris pointed out.

- “However, it is an interesting point Geren is making about the contenders for the throne. It just came to my mind. How interesting that you are bringing it up, Geren,” Axion spoke ambiguously.

- “What do you mean?” Faris asked first.

- “Don’t you remember our talk about what could be done and who could do it in order to weaken the positions of the capitol, the king,” Axion spoke again.

- “Oh, yes! I think I understand. And, strangely enough, didn’t you, Geren, say that the fleet is as powerful as ever, that you could conquer with it not only the seas but the land too, if you wanted to?”

Geren was growing uneasy: “Well, I...I... I don’t remember. I might have said something.... but it had nothing to do with the throne. If I said it, it was just an expression...I must have said it out of excitement since the fleet is in such a good shape. How could I attack the land?! I have no interest in the throne, I swear.”

- “Yes...excitement,” Axion kept on talking in a puzzling way.

- “Speak no more, Geren. It is all clear,” Faris concluded the discussion.

Not too long after that, Faris and the company reappeared in Nox. This time, Geren was not with them. Faris had called his war council. He invited all demi-lords and the respected commoners to the meeting. He had summoned even Maedur from Baan Senicore. Sethon asked the obvious question first: “Where is Geren?”

- “Geren has been expelled.” Murmur spread through the room.

-“Why,” Maedur asked in shock.

- “Conspiring to overtake the throne,” Faris answered briefly.

- “So, where is he now?” Raavi asked.

- “We dispatched him off to the sea. I saw to it myself. I boarded one ship together with Geren. We were out on the sea for a full day. Out on the open sea, we lowered a boat into the sea and sent him off.”

- “So, what is going to happen to him?”

- “If he is lucky, the drifters will catch him and finish him off. If not, the Grieving Sea will take him in one way or the other.”

- “What do you think of this?” Raavi asked Hadera. Hadera stayed silent, avoiding even to make eye contact with Raavi.

- “Geren wanted to use the fleet to overthrow both me and my brother. We saw through his intentions and punished him accordingly. That’s all there is to it and I don’t want to hear a word more about it. The fleet has been sent to the south and it will stay there. Now, to get to the important matter. You have all been summoned here as I want to inform you that all demi-lords and wealthier commoners are to contribute to the cause with some extra funds. The army is to be prepared and armed as soon as possible. You will be informed about the details soon. Now, I ask all but my war councilors to leave.” All obeyed Faris’s wish. When all others left, Faris went on to disclose his attack plans to the councilors. “My dearest friends, I know that you are all shocked to hear about Geren’s betrayal. It is a setback, but we must come out of it even more determined. In fact, I have decided to launch the attack on Karos right away, before Yon gets a chance to dispatch his troops once he finds out about troubles with Geren.”

- “How do you plan to strike? Are we going to try to sneak in, maybe create some kind of a diversion?” Sethon asked impatiently.

- “No, Sethon. We are going to march straight on the front gates. Not only that, we will have drummers lead our march. So, not only that we will not try to sneak through, we will announce our arrival. We will strike fear into their bones. Karos will fall.”

- “So, that’s the plan? Is there anything more to it?” Sethon asked again.

- “Of course. We will bring in the siege weapons and smash down the front gate. Inside, we will hopefully be joined by the locals.”

- “Hopefully? The locals?” Sethon seemed confused. “The locals, even if they join us, are no match for Yon’s powerful army.”

- “Yes, the locals. We will see. If the prophecy favors me, I need nothing more, isn’t it so, Axion?” Faris concluded. Then, he called the councilors closer into a circle to brief them on more specific details of the attack.

* * *

It didn’t take long for the news of Geren’s expelling to reach Karos. News always travel faster than people. Yon didn’t even try to hide his excitement. “That poor fool Geren. He decided to stay with Faris and look what happened to him, Wago! My brother is truly a tyrant. He must be losing his mind. It must be fear of defeat which is driving him crazy. He sees enemies everywhere. He is doing all the work for us. All we have to do is encourage him!”

- “My lord, we hear that your brother might come here soon.”

- “Let him come. Finally, all will be settled once and for all! It’s a pity that it won’t be much of a fight. One can’t take much pleasure in finishing off a wounded, almost defenseless beast.”