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The Island of Tolmersa was a flyspeck in the inner mouth of the Straits
of Anorurr, roughly five miles long and two miles wide at its widest,
with a sheltered harbor at the western end. Its only native animal life
consisted of seals and seabirds, but at some time in the past, goats had
been brought to the island to provide food for the soldiers and sailors
of the Cedonian Empire, which had established a naval base there during
the height of the Old Empire.
As the Cedonian naval trireme pulled alongside the island's dock,
Yarrow, Duke of Caladyn, could not help thinking, He had received a sealed message
asking him to come to Tolmersa, and here he was, five days later, a
cranky old man with arthritis who really should know better than to be
going on long sea voyages.
After the crew had tied the vessel to the dock, the Duke walked down the
gangway onto the pier. Looking up and to the east, he could see the old
fort, where the old banner of the Empire still flew. Once a crucial
fleet base for anti-piracy patrols, Tolmersa now had the distinction of
being Cedonia's only remaining overseas possession. When the Empire
collapsed into chaos in 1280 following the Second Ice Demon Invasion,
the admiral commanding the base had managed to hold on to it, repelling
two Aixelsydani invasion attempts. In the nearly 170 years since,
Cedonia managed to retain possession. Today, however, the former naval
base was used as a prison and punishment post.
The worst criminals in Cedonia were sent here to be forgotten. However,
because Tolmersa was still on the bureaucracy's books as a major fleet
base, it required, on paper, the full complement of officers. Cedonian
officers and nobles who annoyed the Emperor would suddenly find
themselves being ordered to duty on Tolmersa. Since, in theory, a
posting to Tolmersa was prestigious, the unfortunate officer would not
be able to refuse the posting.
All this ran through the Duke's mind as he gazed at the banner over the
fort. Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes and squinted. A second banner of
gold, white, and deep purple was flying--a banner which indicated the
presence of the Empress. With a sigh, the Duke strode up the dock and
onto the road leading up to the fort's gate.
* * * * *
When he reached the fort, the Duke of Caladyn was ushered into the
solarium of the Commandant's Quarters. Standing by the windows looking
was a familiar figure. Though older and stouter, Empress Yzara still
looked much as she had the last time the Duke had seen her, when she had
ordered him to take command of the Talishara defenses. The Duke coughed
discreetly to attract her attention.
The Empress turned and smiled at him broadly. "Uncle Yorrie!" she
exclaimed as she rushed to embrace the Duke, "It's been far, far too long!"
The Duke returned her embrace somewhat awkwardly, before taking a step
backwards so he could look at his niece properly. "My dear Izzie," he
said mock-sternly, "as careless of your dignity as ever, I see."
The Empress laughed girlishly, and led him to a pair of chairs beside a
coffee table, next to the windows. "Please, Uncle, sit down. I know I am
no longer comfortable standing too long, and I can imagine how you must
feel at your age."
After they had both sat down, the Duke said, "Yzara, why did you send
for me? And why meet here, on this gods-forsaken island?"
Yzara hesitated for a moment before replying. "It's been years since
I've seen any of my family, Uncle. Isn't it enough that I wished to
gossip with my favorite uncle?" She smiled prettily.
The Duke gave her a very ironic look. "Don't try to fool me, Yzara. Even
when you were a baby, you were always at your most charming when you
were trying to get something from someone. Please, my dear, we're both
too old for that sort of game. If you want something, simply ask me."
With a sigh, the Empress shrugged and said, "The habit of manipulation
dies hard, Uncle . . . You are, of course, aware of the renewed activity
of the Ice Demons in Torphan?"
"Yes, I am. The reports of the refugees who fled to Burcancy are
chilling, just like the stories your Great-Great-Great-Grandmother, the
Old Dowager, told of the Ice Demon Invasion and the Fall of the Empire."
"I hadn't thought of Thrice-Great-Grandma Rissa in years," said the
Empress, "She must have been 120 years old at least when she died, the
year before Father did. Anyway, as you know, the Vraa'al are perhaps the
greatest spies on Qaiyore. My husband knew that the Ice Demons were on
the move before they crossed the Tavar Pass . . . and he thinks he knows
why they are moving."
Duke Yarrow's eyebrows shot up. "What! How?"
"I cannot reveal specific sources," said Yzara, "but the Vraa'al are
still closely tied to the Dreaming, even though the Gate at Mirabalpur
is closed to them. Something great and terrible is stirring there, Uncle
Yorrie, and that something, in turn, has all the Powers in an uproar. My
husband, the Master of the Vraa'al, believes that one or more of the
Beings has pushed the Ice Demons out of the South in an attempt to gain
advantage over Its or Their rivals."
"There are also reports," she continued, "which were only recently
confirmed, that the dragons have returned. Six years ago, a Vraa'al
agent in the Calarnari desert saw a dragon flying to the northeast, out
to sea. As far as we know, it never returned. There have also been
confirmed dragon sightings in the Southern MidSea."
"Is there any connection to Mir?" asked the Duke.
"Not obviously," Yzara replied, "The dragons have long seemed to serve
Mir, but after living among the Vraa'al for so long, I have come to
believe that the dragons have their own agenda."
The Duke frowned. "That makes a frightening amount of sense, my dear . .
. but what would you have me do? The Regency Council has already begun
shifting forces to the south, and we have recently reoccupied the
Vizinian border forts, thanks in no small part to your husband's
people's action in assassinating Villard of Burcancy and his family."
Yzara winced visibly. "I am not proud of that, but it was necessary for
my husband's honor that recompense be taken. But there *is* something
that you can do, Uncle." She leaned forward and lifted a small bell off
the table in front of them and rang it three times before replacing it
on the table.
As the sound of the bell died away, two young men and a young maiden
entered the room. Yzara smiled at the trio, and then turned to Duke
Yarrow. "Uncle Yarrow, these are my children. The oldest is my son
B'arnard, who is 28; my son Arden is the middle child at 24; and dear
Irinia is the baby of the family at 21. Children, this is your
Great-Uncle Yarrow, Duke of Caladyn."
As the two young men bowed and the girl curtseyed, Duke Yarrow examined
them closely. Superficially, all three had typical Cedonian features,
strongly resembling their mother, but a closer look revealed their
partially non-human heritage. All three had a faint bluish cast to their
complexions and to their glossy black hair, and all three had slightly
pointed ears. But what really stood out were the eyes. All of Yzara's
children had red eyes. B'arnard's eyes were blood-colored , Arden's eyes
sparkled like rubies, and Irinia's eyes were a delicate champagne-pink.
"Arden," said the Empress drily, "was the one who was kidnapped by
Villard's thugs, and has only recently been restored to us."
As Arden smiled, Duke Yarrow was struck by how much the boy resembled
Emperor Arden, the Duke's late half-brother and the boy's maternal
grandfather. "It was an unpleasant experience," said Arden, "but hardly
durance vile, Mother. And it made me aware just how much we miss out on
by never leaving Arelcar."
His mother sighed and shook her head ruefully. "My son, you have an
unpleasant habit of being right."
"Oh-ho!" laughed the Duke. "The biter bit! Yzara, you had exactly the
same unpleasant habit when you were his age, and you drove your father
and mother and me just as mad as I am sure your son drives you on occasion."
Yzara smiled. "I suppose you are right, Uncle . . . and that brings me
to my request. It is time for my chicks to stretch their wings, Uncle
Yorrie, and see what they can do. B'arnard is already helping his father
in the governance of Arelcar, and he is in charge of the small human
settlement there. Arden and Irinia, however, both feel confined by the
Isle's social strictures, and they wish to learn more of their mother's
people."
She took a deep breath. "I would like you to take Prince Arden and
Princess Irinia back with you to Cedonia. Show them what Thalcedon is
like, show them the University, Temple Hill, the Old Market, and the
Midsummers' Ball. Let them live in a real, vibrant, bustling city!"
Yarrow frowned, and looked at Arden and Irinia. "Is this what you truly
desire? Are you certain of this course?"
The two looked at each other, then turned to the Duke. "Yes," Arden
said, "I am sure. I want to actually *see* the world, not hear about it
second-hand through the reports of Father's spies."
Irinia nodded vigorously. "I feel the same, Great-Uncle," she said. She
paused for a moment, then continued as a slight flush rose in her
cheeks, saying, "And also, ever since I was a little girl, I have
dreamed of going to a grand ball, like the ones in the stories Mother
told us of when she was a girl."
Duke Yarrow leaned back and smiled. "Don't be embarassed, child. Such
dreams are no cause for shame. I must warn you, though, that Thalcedon
is not quite the city it was when your mother was young . . . nor is it
the city it was when I was young, for that matter. Still, every pretty
young girl should be the belle of a ball at least once." He turned to
Yzara and nodded firmly. "I may catch hells from the Regency Council for
doing this, my dear 'Zara, but I will do as you ask."
Empress Yzara rose from her chair, and the Duke stood up also. The
Empress turned to her children, and said, "Arden, Irinia, you should
transfer your luggage to your uncle's ship. B'arnard, go and help them."
When her children had left, she turned to the Duke and said, "There are
two more things, Uncle Yorrie, which I would not say in front of the
children."
"Firstly, the events taking place in the Dreaming may come to threaten
the Vraa'al and Arelcar. B'arnard has a strong magical talent, and is
capable of protecting himself from such threats, but Arden and Irinia
are not talented, and are vulnerable. By going to Cedonia, they move out
of the arrow's flight, so to speak."
"And secondly?" queried the Duke.
"Secondly . . . I want you to do what you can to arrange marriages for
them both, marriages that will keep them off Arelcar and out of harm's
way in the coming years. Irinia is very intelligent and very sensitive,
and if you and Aunt Majora could find her a husband who can respect
that, my gratitude would know no bounds. As for Arden . . . your oldest
son has only a daughter as a child, does he not?"
"Yzara!" cried the Duke, "She and Arden are second cousins! It's legal
enough, but it would certainly be considered dubious in morality by the
high society."
"Don't be so quick to dismiss it, Uncle. Remember, you and Father were
half-brothers, not full brothers, and my husband is not, by any means,
Cedonian nobility. Inbreeding is not a concern. Also, I am aware of
the political situation back home, particularly the actions of the
Imperial Loyalists and the Constitutional Monarchists. The Loyalists
want to see me or one of my children on the Imperial Throne, while the
Monarchists want you or your eldest son to take the Throne. By marrying
my son to your granddaughter, we unite the two branches of the Imperial
House, and remove that issue from Cedonia's political calculus."
"What has your husband to say of this plan?"
"He approves it whole-heartedly. He is as worried as I am for their
safety, perhaps more so, since he understands the dangers they face by
remaining in a way that I cannot."
"And what of B'arnard?" asked the Duke pointedly.
"B'arnard has already willingly renounced his claim to the Cedonian
Throne. He is content on Arelcar,where he is learning so much from his
father, and where he is engaged to a very nice young woman from the
human community. Besides, the people would never accept a sorceror on
the Throne under any circumstances," said Yzara. Squaring her shoulder,
the Empress declared in ringing tones, "While We live, no matter what
anyone else may say, We are the Empress of Cedonia, Uncle, and when We
die, the right to the Throne will go to Arden and his children. This is
Our Imperial Will."
The Duke bowed deeply. "It shall be as you say, Your Majesty."
* * * * *
As the trireme pulled away from Tolmersa on the long voyage home to
Thalcedon, the Duke of Caladyn stood in the sterncastle, lost in a roil
of thoughts and worries about the surprise he was about to spring on the
country. After a while, though, he turned and looked to his right, where
Arden and Irinia were standing together staring out past the bows. Their
eyes were sparkling with excitement, and they were obviously tickled
pink to be embarked on such an adventure.
Duke Yarrow suddenly grinned as he thought, He suddenly felt years
younger.
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Andrew
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