“Not abandoned, my king. But they were forced to bow or be broken by other nations. Even now, foreign armies hold your lands and impose their laws upon your people. From Sottheim to Tiqr—they are checked, suppressed, even if they would rejoice at hearing your voice.”
“Possibly? I knew their [Empress] back in my days before my slumber. She was a growing teen then. So she would be…her empire willingly joined with mine, so I have hopes she’d ally if we drew close enough to share forces. That would be Tiqr, by the way. Stronger than Germina or Hellios, incidentally. It has a Garuda population and a great deal of animals. Like war elephants.”
“Your world uses them too? I wouldn’t see why not. They are quite deadly. But I feel poorly for the animals, especially when so many die. Nevertheless, that is Tiqr’s business and with any luck we won’t fight them. But they are possible allies! Er, the other nations are all enemies without a doubt.”
“You are. To every nation south of here. To the rulers of Nerrhavia, Tiqr, Illivere, Pomle, Savere…I have contacted City Runners in Hellios who will deliver my message north and east.”
And they were weapons in themselves. Orjin acquiesced with bad grace and spent his time sitting on top of one of the date palms that grew around Pomle. That got him more askance looks, but it was perfectly common; several children strong enough to make the climb had done the same, and Orjin recognized two warriors, one a [Spear Dancer], the other a [Martial Artist] like him, sitting on the tree tops and watching the sights. That was how Orjin spotted the delegation from Tiqr first.
Elephants were already huge creatures. But the Grand Elephant was easily half again as large as the regular elephants that Orjin knew. It seemed impossible that such a huge creature could exist, let alone sustain itself, but Grand Elephants were able to travel vast distances in search of food. And in the savannas of Tiqr, food was abundant. As were other, less friendly animals.
“It’s not the same as Tiqr’s. Frankly speaking, Empress Nsiia is the poorest ruler of the four major nations that will appear here. Illivere will be the second-richest.”
If Tiqr was a land of beasts and people, and Illivere one of regulation and commerce, and Pomle free chaos, then Savere fell into a position between Tiqr and Illivere. Its people were wild. They rode forwards with no semblance of order, laughing. And more than one looked to Orjin like folk from the waters. Indeed, some were even walking alongside the woman walking in the center of the trail of water.
If Tiqr was a land of beasts and people, and Illivere one of regulation and commerce, and Pomle free chaos, then Savere fell into a position between Tiqr and Illivere. Its people were wild. They rode forwards with no semblance of order, laughing. And more than one looked to Orjin like folk from the waters. Indeed, some were even walking alongside the woman walking in the center of the trail of water.
That was all Revine said. She offered no greetings to Orjin, nor to the other monarchs. She stood at the watering hole and looked down at it. Her folk spread out, laughing and pointing at the animals of Tiqr and the Golems of Illivere as if they were some huge jest. The Drowned People stood behind Revine.
Chariots. Dozens, possibly as many as a hundred, racing across the ground. This was an army, and all the other monarchs looked up. Some were uneasy, others just wary. The Siren of Savere narrowed her eyes as her cohort gathered around her. For if her country was mighty, if Tiqr and Illivere were both major powers, here came a colossus of nations. Even Orjin was familiar with it.
So they were gathered here. Four major nations of Tiqr, Savere, Nerrhavia, and Illivere. A few other monarchs had arrived, their entrances completely overshadowed or rained over by the other, larger nations. To Orjin, it was like seeing four adults walking among children.
