Читать книгу The Hopes of Kings - Steve Reilly - Страница 9

Chapter 2

Beth sank into the deep padded chair and while she waited, she looked around the new room Xavier had provided for the council’s use. The dark timber walls were punctuated by heavy wooden posts and beams. No windows provided light and no artworks hung to soften the oppressive feel. The polished walnut timber floor held no sculptures and even the chairs were upholstered in dark leather. If not for the plain blue rug, the room would be without all colour, as it was without life. The candles in their brackets wasted their energy as the room drank up their light.

Xavier had told them that this would keep the council aware of the responsibility they had to guide while not seeking the light of glory, but she could see this room for what it was. This was clearly the evidence of Xavier’s desire to keep the council hidden away while he took all the accolades, but that was necessary if he was to achieve what she expected of him.

Waiting with her were the other councillors of The Society, the loud and dominant Grarm, and the two younger men that allowed him to be so, Luke and Josef. Had Arwen still been alive, Grarm would not be so sure of his position. No one spoke. In fact, since she had eliminated Arwen and placed Xavier on the throne of Arenia, they had not spoken much to either of them. None of them had asked or commented upon the manner of Arwen’s demise, but it was obvious they were nervous. Her spies were keeping them under close observation and as far as she could tell, as yet they did not plot against her or Xavier, but she would continue to have them watched. Not to do so could prove fatal.

The door opened and King Xavier entered, or to be more accurate, he made his entrance. He walked proud in his shirt and breeches cut from high quality pale yellow silk and decorated in silver lace. The wide lace collar and black polished riding boots with wide black belt and gold buckle dressed the outfit. In it he looked more like one of the pretty toys some lords kept for entertainment, or a dandy attending a garden luncheon, but his appearance did not detract from the power of his personality. What caught the attention of all the councillors, however, was the sword he wore at his hip.

“Why do you come armed to our meeting? There is no need for that in here,” Grarm grumbled. Xavier stopped to take in all the councillors as he stared at Grarm.

“There is no need to wear it anywhere. I am not in danger in my own palace, am I? I rule by popular demand, do I not? And I have my guards to protect me if needed. But please forgive me for I am still a soldier at heart and the feel of it at my waist comforts me.”

The councillors silently accepted his explanation, because to object would be admitting he had cause to distrust them, and they dared not admit that. Beth watched her fellow councillors closely as Xavier continued.

“I thank you all for your time. I know you are busy people, but I wish to make you aware of my concerns for The Society and its people.” He paused to put a troubled expression on his face. “I am sure that by now you have come to see that I worry. The people are not interested in who leads Arenia, or what happens in the politics of the world.” His voice cracked with the concern he showed for his fellow man. “A pig could wear the crown for all they care. We live our lives in service of the people, but if none of us were here they would continue to go about their days and live their lives as they do now. In truth, some would prefer it. The throne and the values of The Society mean nothing to them.”

Josef interrupted,

“But our members still follow the charter.”

Xavier nodded, a smile brushing his lips.

“They talk of following it, and in their minds they may do. But the matter remains that they only have time to concern themselves with what goes on around them.”

“It has always been so,” Grarm agreed. “But there is nothing we can do to change that. We have tried.”

Beth tried to direct the talk back to Xavier’s plan,

“What do you have in mind?” she asked Xavier, directing all eyes back to him.

“Our forefathers knew this and had the wisdom to take The Society to live in isolation, and work to make us strong. With the members separated from the world, they could control the teachings and ensure the tenants remained strong in our people. I believe it is also why they did not return to the world until they were satisfied they had the ongoing dedication of the people. In fact, I think it was necessary for Kees to lead us into near disaster so that we could see our way to becoming stronger.”

They gasped and Beth could see his words had done as he hoped. They were ready to listen further. She watched as he raised a book he had brought, bound in ancient leather.

“I have had time to study the Journal of Tam, as have you. His words have been passed down through the generations for seven hundred years and they have guided our people and the council to rebuild and grow. They have never led us astray in all that time and they will not now. But there is one thing we must do. We must listen to what he has to tell us for Tam now guides our actions.”

Beth was surprised by his words. She could not have been this wrong about him. Xavier was a leader, he was not a man to run and hide and she needed to prove herself correct in selecting him.

“Are you suggesting The Society should once again leave the seven kingdoms in order to build its strength? I cannot agree to that. The Society is stronger today than it has ever been.”

Suddenly Beth realised all was going to plan. Xavier had baited the council and now they were almost ready.

“No. You are right. Tam’s words clearly tell us we must be part of the world of man. But we need to do more than just read his journal; we need to think about the wisdom Tam left us, and his dream that the teachings of The Society should be spread throughout all the people of Arenia, and even the Seven Kingdoms. He told us ‘Our duty to the world is to teach mankind’.”

Xavier paused and held up the book to allow time for these words to be absorbed.

“For too long the council has accepted the world as it has always been, because to change it was more difficult. But Tam believed we must change the world. We must show the people a better way to live if we want them accept what we know to be true.”

Xavier’s words grew stronger as he spoke with passion and Beth could see the council listening with intent to the king.

Grarm had assumed the role as spokesman and self-appointed leader for the council simply by speaking his mind, and he continued now, though they carried a tone of defeat,

“Your words are impressive but the task is even greater, one that I would say was beyond the abilities of any council. But you have asked us here to discuss this problem after so brief a time in your position, so I believe you may have an idea to present. I am intrigued. Tell us more of how you would achieve this feat where the wisdom of the council has failed for all the generations since those words were written,” he sneered.

“I cannot achieve this.”

The king’s words caught everyone by surprise. Even Beth had not expected this reply. She knew Xavier had a plan, but why was he refusing to announce it?

“At least, I cannot do it on my own. But this council can make it happen if we work together, but only if you are inclined to do so.”

“How?” asked Josef before anyone had an opportunity to deny it.

He sounded suspicious but the king relaxed at being given his opportunity. The young councillors were playing their part without realising it. Beth saw that this was what Xavier waited for. He was leading them all to his thinking. Once again she felt pride in her selection.

“We educate the people,” offered the king, knowing his reply would cause argument.

His simple words tumbled around in Beth’s head. It only took a few moments before questions were being thrown at the king. Xavier allowed them to continue unanswered for a few moments before he held up his hand for quiet while he explained. She could hear the tremor in his voice as his plan developed.

“If we are superior to the other races, it is because we can understand. If we are to remain dominant over the other races, we must be strong as a people, not just a council, and nurture that understanding. Our trouble lies with the people who do not have the time to understand. Their lives are filled with caring for their families and the land. This is the only life they know, and until that life comes under direct threat, they will not change.”

Beth could see that Xavier’s confidence had grown with each word and now he was ready to introduce them to his plan.

”They see no reason to care and it falls to us to show them that the threat to their lives is real and immediate, and that they must do something about it. We must look for those who want to listen, the ones with time to lead the way, and make them ready.”

Grarm sank back into his chair, a smirk crossing his features, and shook his head.

“It can’t be done. For many years our people have travelled the land to try and teach the people. It has been largely without success, although I believe this is how you came to become a member. But the numbers have always remained low and even our members do not bother to attend the meetings.” He used the king as an example of the difficulties they faced. “In more recent times you have led one of the squads that worked to encourage the people to rise and act on behalf of their race. You have seen the results. This, too, has had limited success, and the people were generally embarrassed about their work rather than proud of it.”

But despite Grarm’s denials Beth could see they were falling under Xavier’s spell as he led them to the place he wished them to be.

“With respect to the council, our squads have gone about their work and done it well. But the people only react to our words while we are there to lead them. Later, as you say, they have a change of heart. But the reason is as simple as it is hard to see. They do not understand what they have been doing. They act only when they must, when we give them the leadership needed, so our efforts are wasted. The people have not been given a reason to be active in our work, or the knowledge of what we do. Without understanding, they see nothing to keep them interested and they become no more than the animals we rightly fear.”

The councillors each took their time in considering Xavier’s words. Beth was concerned perhaps they had not come around to Xavier’s ideas when Josef spoke again.

“You say we should find those who will listen. We have tried and few, very few, have been found. Where do we find the people we should be speaking with?”

Beth watched Xavier let out a silent breath of thanks to the young councillor. Now he had them thinking and interested enough to listen. It was almost amusing to watch, though she still could not see where Xavier was leading them.

“They are all about us. We see them every day and yet they are invisible to us.” Xavier had them now. Their faces were furrowed with concentration. “In the past, our people tried to encourage the farmers and city workers to join in the cause. We asked them to become active in spreading the word of The Society but these people have too much to do and are too set in their lives to take on the responsibility for humankind. That is our responsibility.” -He paused long enough to give Beth a smile.-“We need to make the work of vigilance and readiness attractive to those who have the time on their hands to join our in work, as I did when I first heard Piaz speak. I was found, not because I listened, but because I had the time to listen. Unfortunately there are not enough like me out in the world waiting to be called, but I suggest to you that we have the people we seek. We have the children and youth of the lands. These young people have their obligations to their parents, and that is as it should be, but they still find time to go out and enjoy themselves. These are the recruits we need, and if we can get them interested enough at that early age, they will carry on our work for all their lives.”

His words were eloquently delivered and Beth was proud of his passion and sincerity. She could see, now, what he hoped to achieve just as she could see, on the faces of the council, that he had their full attention. When Grarm asked how they would appeal to these young people Xavier explained,

“Youth need to feel important. They have lived their lives in the shadows of their parents and most can only see their future as following the lives their parents have lived, but most want more. They look to soldiering as a glamorous life. They are idealistic and hopeful, and want the best for themselves, but more importantly they desire more than accepting the life of their parents. The role of this council should be to show them how they can achieve this.”

She wondered how he planned to achieve this. She was not made to wait long.

“We give them what they want. We give them a life that is different. We send people out into the land to gather these young people, and show them they are important. We teach them the skills of sword and bow, of spear and mace, and we organise events for them so they may compete among themselves and against the youth of neighbouring towns and cities. When they are ready, we will announce a tournament across all the kingdom, with a grand prize for the champion of Arenia.” Xavier visibly began to relax, seeing his plan already a reality in his mind. “And while we do this, we teach them to be proud of what they represent. They show them they are the future of mankind. We create groups and encourage pride in these groups, a chance to belong to something more than the soil. We give these children tasks similar to the army to occupy their time, but there must be differences so they have something to aspire to, but close enough that they can dream. An army fights because they believe in and follow their captains and their king. So we give our new recruits people they can believe in. We give them rank and authority within their groups.”

Xavier was becoming lost in the passion of his plans. She could see the dream taking over his body and thoughts.

“If we recall the people like Piaz and show them what we require, I am sure we will soon have an upcoming army of young people ready to do our work.” He took a breath. “There lies our future,” he finished.

In the moments following his speech, Xavier was a little breathless with the desire to have them accept his plan. He had put all his heart into his words.

“A grand plan, but how do you propose to ensure their ongoing support?”

Luke had asked the obvious question. As she watched, a smile again settled on Xavier. This one touched his eyes as he saw the acceptance of his ideas.

“You forget we now have the backing of the king,” suggested Xavier. “I will pass a law demanding that all boys must attend between the ages of twelve and fifteen, for the sake of their own improvement. After their fifteenth birthday they will then be required to serve two more years in the army, for the good of Arenia. This will increase the size of our military and give us five years in which to show them the importance of our superiority. In time all Arenia will be trained and ready to serve in the fight for survival should the other races make it necessary,” the king reassured them.

The councillors were shocked. This was a massive plan, but a dangerous path to take, and one that would not prove popular for Xavier. Luke was the first to object, explaining that he would be taking boys away from the farms just as they were coming old enough to be of true value and their parents would not like the loss of aid to their lifeblood.

The king explained, “In the army, the boys will be paid as soldiers of Arenia. They will have the coin to support their parents, and as compensation to their families I will reduce their taxes by one quarter for each boy that serves while their boys are gone. If the boys then choose to remain in the army, there are others who can work their farms, and these boys would probably have left anyway. This should help ease their concerns, and anyone who still objects may petition me.”

The tone of Xavier’s voice made it evident that any such petitions would not be treated with kindness. Beth feared for the lives of any who brought such a petition to the palace as Xavier had obviously given this plan much more thought than he admitted and it was something no one on the council had considered as yet. But they had never had one of their own sitting on the throne before, Beth conceded to herself.

“It could work. It is something to think about but what of the girls? Surely you would not have them forced into the army. The people are certain to rise against us then,” she asked.

“The girls may have their own groups where they will be taught to cook and care for their home and family, and how to keep their soldiers happy. Someone will need to advise us on this, for I admit that I am not familiar with the training of girls, but a tournament could be arranged to test them in cooking and such. I will leave this to others with better knowledge of girls to plan. And while we teach them, we can watch them. I am sure Beth would appreciate the chance of finding new recruits for her network.”

She had already seen the possibilities before Xavier had put them into words.

Grarm leant forward, his elbows holding him above the table. A grin had split his face as he saw the chance Xavier had given him.

“I see this idea has promise. Not only that, if it fails, the problem will be attributed solely to Xavier. The Society would not be compromised.”

Grarm agreed to give the idea further consideration and the others followed his lead.

“But this new group will require a name, something that will inspire loyalty, does anyone have any suggestions?”

Grarm showed his surprised when Xavier had no name to offer.

“Then we will consider this as well,” the councillor declared.