Meeting of Nations
Part Seven: Freeing the Eerith

Mirabalpur

Facresa stood in her room looking down a the city of Mirabalpur.  It 
was a beautiful city.  Mirabalpur was a city of grace and elegence. 
Mirabalpur was a city of the old and the new.  In the center of the 
city was the Holy Plaza. It was from this place the Mirish architecture
shown. To the north of the plaza sat a large building.  It was two
stories tall. Built with white marble it was comparable to Celplar
architecture.  With its collums surronding the outside of the building
and the statues linging the walls and its red tilled sloped roofs.  
This had been the first build built around the plaza.  It was the 
Palace of the Monarchy.  It was still used but now it had become a 
museum. There were few building of this type still left in Mir, a 
rememnt from an age long outgrown.

To the south of the plaza sat the Palace of Sorcery.  It was the capital
building.  It was a complete opposite from the other Palace.  It apeared
to be sleader.  When in reality it was just as wide as the other palace,
but most of this building streached upwards towards the sky.  Its
delacite spires were stronger then many city walls.  It was from this
building that Facresa watched the city.

Then she turned her attention towards the east of the plaza.  To the
east sat the Acroplois.  A platue that rose out of the flat land.  On
top stood the Temples.  Two temples stood on that hill.  The first was
to the Creator this temple was the smaller temple but it was shealthed
in gold and gems.  The larger Temple was for Miracradsa.  Both were
built in the same style as that of the Palace of the Monarchy.  But 
what was the true wonder was what had been done to the the platue 
itself.  It had been hollowed out and a huge library had been built
underneath it.  This library extended deep into the bedrock below the
city.  Its only sections of the Library that stood above ground were 
the part built into the Acropolis and the other part of the Library was
on the other side were the orignal Lirbary had stood before it was
expanded.  This section of the library had been rebuilt in the style 
of the Palace of Sorcery.

Facresa took this all in as she stood at the window looking out. Her
thoughs returned to the here and now when she head the door open.  In
walked Eubratosa, her grandfather.  He walked up behind her and stood
their looking out the window.  They both stood their for a long moment
before Eubratosa spoke.  "The Council is finally ready to go."  He said
as he stepped back and took a seat.  Facresa turned to look at him.

"Why do you tolerate them."  she asked.

"Because it is tradition, and because the Council has always been a part
of the government."  He said in exasperation.  

Facresa raised an eyebrow.  "That does not mean anything.  We are in a
time of war.  You could dismisse the Council on that reason alone."

Eubrotosa nods his head.  "True but they are useful.  In the Kingdom Age
one of the many reason the King was finally overthrown was because all
of the problems were blamed on him.  Their was no one else in the
government to take the blame.  Dioya the Peaceful learned from that
mistake and kept the Council around for no other reason then to give the
people someone else to blame.  The Council has always been to divided to
hold any really great power."  Eubratosa said in explanation.  Facresa
started at him for a long moment.

"You are a dangerous man Grandfather." Facresa said.  "You are well
suited to rule Mir."

"That is not why I rule Mir?" Eubrotosa said looking his grandaughter
straight in the eyes.

"Then why."  She asked curiosity in her voice.

He looked at her for a long moment.  "I love Mir."  Was all he said.
With that he stood up and left the room.  

Facresa walked out onto the balcony. And down her faces slid tears of
joy.  She looked towards the west, and in the language of Ancient
Videssia yelled  "Love shall win."

It seemed to echo over the waters and the city of Anneaynea shudder for
a moment.

***
Outside Unnirand.

The fields were barren around the city.  Much of the land was dug up and
fortified.  Across the river sat the hordes of Sin-Alb.  They seemed to
be with out end.  Eubratosa looked at the land around him.  He had never
before seen a battle feild but then again he was not to shocked by what
he saw.  He had read the secret jornals of the Archmages, and Warlords. 
He knew what would happen to a battlefeild or a besieged city.  He was
just  extremly sad.  This once used to be a green river valley.  Would
it ever recover.  Eubrotosa's gaze slowly traveled upwards towards the
floating city.

It hung their casting a shadow over all.  Its rock bases seemed like the
scare of a great war.  Its mistily river reminded him of Mir in the
early morning or evening when the mist that the Isle was named for
settle in.  He looked above the base and the mist to the city itself. 
Defenetly Mirish in designed, the city was a corrupt version of
Mirabalpur.  The windows and balances along its towers stood dark and
lifeless.  Abandoned for all these years.  Some of it towers had fallen 
or were leaning on other towers.  Then his gaze traveled to the tops of
the spires were the flags still flew.  The raged black of the older
Sorcerers, and red flags of the younger Sorcerers still flew from the
lower towers.  Their were three more diffrent flags that flew from the 
top spires.  All of them were blue.  The lowest of the three had a 
scepter with a Dragon raped around it.  This was the ancient flag of
Imperial Mir.  The next highest flag had a sivler circle with a golden
scepter in the center.   Another flag exactly simlar to that one know 
rose above Unnirand.  It was the flag of the Archmage.  Telling all the
world that the Archmage was in residednce. The last on had a red circle
with a golden crwon and a silver scepter on it.  This flag had been
flown over Mir for four thousand years.  For it was the seal of Mir.

Eubratosa looked at the city in front of him and wondered at its
symbolism and how it differed form people to people.  For most of the
content it symbolized the ultatmite evil.  For the Sinari it was the
most holiest of places.  For the Eerith it was their prison.  For Mir it
was a slap in the face of what could happen when you were arrogant.
Eubratosa looked at it and felt pity.  This above all other place was
lest understood.  He did not see any of thoughts things, all he saw was
a glorious city dieing.

Eubratosa turned as he felt a hand on his shoulder.  He turned and saw
Dioya there. "We are ready."  Eubratosa nods and waits for him to return
back to line.  Then he lifted up the Scepter began the chant.

***

Off to the side of the Mages stood the generals of the United Army.  The
Master Scourge Labon, Duke Caladyn, Warlord Riacradsa, and the Dun Ri
watching.  They were talking quitely among themselfs.  Duke Caladyn was
speaking.

"Why are we letting theses Sorcerers remove that prision form the
floating city."  He asked heatedly.

Riacrada replied.  "Who reason.  First, He is the Archmage of Mir and my
ruler.  I have no authroity to stop him.  Second, we don't want the
Eerith joining the Sinari."

"Who cares about the Eerith."  Caladyn said.

"We do.  If we lef them in that prision then the majority of the Eerith
will start fighting with the Sinari.  We will then fave to fight two
armies.  The mudan armies of Sinari, and the Magical armies fo the
Eerith and Sin-Alb.  If we free the Eerith we may or may not free
Sin-Alb, but we will have the Eerith on our side.  Were we need them."

just then from behind them stepped up several Eeriths.  The Warlord
nods her head towards them.  "Pay attention know.  The magic starts." 
The Eerith said.  All the people turned to watch the spell being cast. 
The magic grew until the unmagical humans could even begin to sence it. 
One of the Eerith said his eyes lost in the past.  "I have not felt this
much power since the Golden Age of Mir."

The Duke scoffed.  "Golden Age of Mir indeed."  The Eerith turned to him
and started for a long moment.  Then spoke.  "As if Cedonia contributed
anything more then blood."  Then he turned back towards the Mages.  The
Duke started to say something then felt a hand on his army.  He turned
to see Riacradsa holding his arm.

"Just let it drop." She said in a voice which allowed no argument.  Then
her eyes widened and she turned towards the mages.  Just at the same
time the Eerith all seem to step forward involintarly.  The spell was
falling apart.

***

Eubratosa felt the magic of the others begin to flow through him.  He
felt it fill his body.  It continued to fill it, and he felt the need to
be fuiled to the brim and more with this untamed magic.  This purest of
all things.  He could feel beyond the magic to the others who anchored
down the spell.  They had become one person with one mind and one
intent.  Then he felt more joining him.  He gasped as he realized from
were it came.  Across the river.  The Seeresses of Sin-Alb were joining
the spell  to free the Eerith and their god, and then lastly the Scepter
contributed its magic.

Eubratosa was no longer a man but a well of power.  His body began to
glow, his mind rang with the music of the magic.  He stood their for a
moment awashed in magic before he remember what his purpose was.  He
turned his attention to the great city.  He felt the magic of the shield
pulsing, and Eubratosa felt the very pulse of the worlds magic beating.

He began to form the raw magic into a spell.  Weaving each strand into
an intricate pattern. He began to send it towards the shield, but it
responded and bounced the magic back.  Chaos erupted from the broken
spell.  Eubratosa felt the magic pulling away.  He began to try to keep
it form exploding but the oppertununity to cast the spell was lost.  He
was lost.  All he could do was stop the magic from destroying the area
around him.  He felt himself falling and falling.  Then he felt himself
caught in gigantic hands.

***

The Generals watched as the Facresa broke from her places and ran next
to her Grandfather garbing the up lifted hand holding the scepter.  She
to began to glow, and the spiraling tattoos began to glow and flames 
burst forth from her.  The other mages fell down starting at one end 
and then going to the other.  Riacradsa and the other generals ran 
forward they stopped at Dioya who sat their stunned.

"What happened?"  Riacradsa asked.  Dioya looked at her and said in an
owed voice.

"The shield counterattacked the spell.  That was its last defense.  We
were this close but our  control of the magic was not strong enough. 
The spell went wrong.  Eubratosa was gathering all the magic to himself
to stop it from killing the rest of us and destroying this area."
Riacradsa gasped.  Caladyn looked back and forth, and said.

"What does that mean?"

"The Archmage was sacrificing himself to save us."  Riacradsa said.
Then she turned back to Dioya.  "Then what happened?"

"Facresa came and garbed him.  And I am not talking physically.  She
gathered it all up and began to place it in order again.  Then she cut
each of us, the anchors from the spell.  She can't cut Eubratosa from
the spell.   He is to much apart of it but she has taken control."  they
turned to look at the two glowing fingures, and they waited for what to
happen.

***

Eubratosa felt the hands set him down and he watched as the gathered up
the magic and placed it back in order.  Then he felt each of the anchors
being cut.  Soon they were all gone.  He stood their as the hands
anchored and sortered the magic.  Then he felt it being passed to him.
He understood.  The hands would control the magic while he directed it.
Once again he pointed it at the city.  This time the spell one.

***

Their was a great explosion and the dome over the city exploded.  The
city its self seemed to bounces as the spell left it.  Eubratosa, and
Facresa collapsed.  The mages ran forwards and gathered the two up in
their arms.  They carried them away to some tents.  The Eerith bowed as
the past.  Respect in their eyes.  Riacradsa said to the few left behind
"Now we see what happens."

***

Facresa awoke before dawn to the sound of yelling.  She stood up and put
on a robe. She shook her head.  Could a body not get an ounce of sleep
with out the Council starting a fight.  She tied her robe as she left
the tent.  The guards outside her tent tired to stop her but she egnored
them.  Soon she arrived at the Council tent.  Inside she heard shooting
saying "You traitors.  You lied to us.  This is the wrong scepter." 
Then she heard a soft voice say "We have dealt with Mir too long to act
with good faith.  Now that you have provided us with the services we
required, we will honor our portion of the agreement," and she steeped
in.

All conversation stopped as she stepped in.  Her eyes shown with silent
anger.  One of the Council members stood up to speak to her but sat back
down when she looked at him with eyes that could burn holes.  She slowly
walked forward and soon stood in the center of the tent.  She turned her
attention to the Council.  "They have kept their side of the bargain. 
They have gone against nothing."  Then she turned to the Eerith.  "The
same has gone for Mir both now and in the past."  Then she turned their
attention to both.  "You both have been fighting over who did what to
whom for the past fifteen hundred years.  Well I tell that as of this
day all the petty fighting is over.  Forget the past, real or imagined. 
A new day has dawned."  Behind her stepped in Eubratosa and the Eerith
Tributary.  Both looked at their people, and said "She is right.  Peace
between us is official know."

The Councilors and the Eerith started at the three people, and the sun
rose and shown throuh the open tent door.  The first light lit up the
three personages, and seemed to give it agreement that peace had come
between them.
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