Manifestation: the Coming Dark/Chapter 2

I walked through the corridors of Castle Deren, distracted. The king's absence from the castle was disturbing to me. Cerin and Myr did little to enlighten my questions, only relating that he had left in a hurry and had left the knight in charge temporarily. Giliara was as surprising to them as Tralin's absence was to me. I could relate to their confusion; the people of Deren had been shocked as well when the king had sent Giliara and I to Neld to open the temple of Light. I myself was not without my reservations about not only the redeemed Brilhado, but about the king's plan as a whole. As the commander of Deren's military, I felt my presence should have remained in the castle, but Tralin was hardly unaccomplished himself and he was the king, and his will was not to be denied in this matter.

In truth, the unflagging nature of Tralin's will was concern for me as well, but though I often doubted his methods, I had come to trust his motives. He had a way of winning over those who doubted in him. He would never be the same king that Draynor was, but he was still a great ruler. Draynor knew this; he had not chosen badly.

Still, upon arriving and discovering not only that I was absent from the city, but that the king had been missing for several weeks as well, I felt a resurgence of doubt. What could have been so serious that Tralin had left his position so abruptly? Surely he was aware of the danger in doing so, especially so soon after Draynor's death and his own assumption of the throne of Deren. That Tralin had always planned to travel to K'eld Ner did not alleviate my concern. It was not the destination that was bothersome to me, but the timing.

There was an irony in this grave concern over the affairs of Deren that did not escape me. Less than a year and a half prior, I was embroiled in plans of my own devising to disrupt Deren's political stability. Less than a year ago, my home nation of Vandar was battling in a bitter war with Deren. The cause of that war seemed so remote it was incomprehensible to me now: ideological differences. Deren was a hereditary monarchy and Vandar a militant representative democracy.

Blind and deaf to the feelings of the nations we conquered, Vandar enforced its democratic form of rule on the nations it conquered. The unfortunate fact, however, was that, as often as not, Vandar disrupted peaceful and thriving societies based on an obsession with democratic rule.

Admitting this now, even to myself, was bittersweet. For the events that followed had come to show my obsession for what it was and the events were terrible indeed. The world had changed from what I had known; nothing was safe. What was to come from here, I could only imagine, and my imagination was not a pleasant thing.

My disturbed thoughts were interrupted by Cerin's arrival in the hallway. Cerin was officially acting in control of the city in the king's absence, but since my return, he had been acting in deference to me. I myself was not precisely comfortable with this situation. While I was the commander of the military, the king had placed Cerin in charge pending his return. He did not leave instructions regarding my own return. Of course, given the situation, my return was likely not driving his decisions.

"Commander Darin, please report to the audience chamber," Cerin said with directness. He left almost as quickly, giving me little time to respond. This was unusual enough that I followed immediately. I should have in any case; after all, had I not just been thinking that Cerin had to exert more control over the city? I entered the council chamber and assessed those who were present. In addition to Cerin and his uncle, one of King Draynor's close advisers, Myr and Giliara were also present. Giliara surprised me; Cerin seemed uncertain about him since his arrival despite the fact that he was acting as an agent of the temple of Light.

"What is it?" I asked, deciding that, in this instance, the more direct approach was best.

"We have just spotted an army of Drakel marching from K'eld Ner. They make up a considerable force. It is possible, given His Majesty's warnings, that they come to make war on us. However, Giliara, who has scouted the way, has determined that they fly Deren's colors. It could be a trick... What do you think?"

"The Drakel have always been direct in their adversarial behavior in the past. This would be uncharacteristic," I said cautiously. "Of course, it would be foolhardy to underestimate the Drakel intelligence. Clearly, they have shown themselves to possess a singular cunning. Giliara, what kind of weapons do they possess? Do they have WarBeasts with them? Siege engines?"

I asked about WarBeasts and siege engines because I knew that without them, it would be difficult for the Drakel to storm the castle proper. Of course, they could cut of routes of supply, but it seemed unlikely. The Drakel seemed to be very anxious to advance their position quickly. I could not see them engaging in subtlety at this point.

"None, at least not toward the front. Still, I wonder why they mobilize in such number..."

Giliara was brought up short by a flash of light and the expelling of air in the audience chamber. I recognized the hallmarks of magical teleportation rather quickly. This indicated that the incoming arrival possessed considerable magical energy, either a mage or a communicant or both. We turned toward the light and even as it cleared, we recognized the king.

"You need not concern yourself about the army," Tralin said. "They march under my direction. They are comprised primarily of De'me'thar, outcasts from Drakel society. They will be taking up residence here even as many of our people are escorted to their estates in K'eld Ner. This brings us to the issue at hand. As of now, I have assumed control of the K'eld: it is part of the Kingdom of Deren. Lord Jano remains in the K'eld as our T'palo and cultural liaison, but I need a royal governor to act as my voice in the city as well."

We looked about, confused and stunned by the king's statement, and looked one to the other, wondering whom he could intend. He turned first to Giliara...

"Am I to assume by your presence that you are now the Light Lord's communicant?" he asked the Brilhado matter-of-factly.

"Yes, your highness," Giliara responded, but did not provide anything further. I could relate to his silence. I was very confused at that moment myself.

"Good. We have much to discuss then. Still, we must address the issue of the Governor of K'eld Ner directly." He then turned to me and I felt a sense of panic. He could not mean me, surely.

"Commander Darin," Tralin said, "you are uniquely suited for the role of governor. You are familiar with the Drakel language and have some passing knowledge of Drakel culture as well. These skills and your familiarity with our T'palo all speak in your favor. Further, you are a skilled military tactician. These skills may be vital in the time to come."

I was speechless. I had little to say in the matter regardless; it was clear that Tralin had thought about the matter at some length and already had chosen me for the position. Yet, the idea of acting as a governor of a conquered people had little appeal to me. I had left that to others. I was good at conquering but had little faith in my skill at bureaucratic drudgery.

"Your will, my lord," I heard myself saying in disbelief.

"Very well. I will send you directly. This cannot wait. Leaving the K'eld without a leader for any period of time would be most unfortunate."

"I will gather my things..." I began, but Tralin shook his head.

"No time, and no need. The people will be able to provide you with all you need. You will find they treat leaders, even foreign governors and usurpers, with great deference."

"Usurpers? Is that what I am?"

"Some will consider you that no matter what happens, Darin," Tralin sighed. "What is necessary is necessary."

"Very well," I sighed, bracing for transit. "Let's finish this."

The light surrounded me and I felt a rush of air and a stomach-heaving sensation even as I ceased to exist in Deren's capitol and arrived elsewhere.