Tales from Niveen

Chapter 13 - Adalwa

Eporo - Itza

64th day of Banem, year 146, Era of Ke'larri

"The airship has landed just beyond the flats. Six warships headed around within a day and a half," Furunda said.

Adalwa sat before the group, fingers pressed to her temples, staring out over the edge of the desk. Evening air drifted in from the balcony and she inhaled deeply, allowing the cool breeze to wash over her. Jun-Rada stood near the door and Furunda paced between him and the desk, running her hands through her short, coiled hair. Directly opposite Adalwa sat Azali, her trusted advisor, leaning her chair back on two legs. Her long, sand-colored braids draped over one side of her head and a deep emerald charm hung from her ear on the other.

She tisked and put a hand on Adalwa's desk.

"We must ask ourselves why they come so armed," Azali said in a smooth voice. She tapped her golden nails to a paper amidst Adalwa's scattered documents.

Adalwa lowered her eyes to the letter. An old response from Aldemarius expressing his disappointment that Eporo was unwilling to allow cadatite mining and trade with Althaes. She had already considered that the emissary was possibly an attempt to renegotiate, but the circumstances seemed odd to her.

"Why fabricate a story about the senator?" Adalwa asked, "why not simply send the emissary from the start?"

"It does not matter. Althaes has always feigned authority over the region. Always pushed their boundaries with those they deem inferior. Aldemarius still has the mind of a boy king and we should expect him to behave as such," Furunda replied, hands resting firmly on her hips.

"Of course. We should be prepared for aggression. An airship and six warships indicate more than simple negotiations," Azali added.

She tipped her chair forward now, planting all four legs to the ground, and looked into Adalwa's eyes.

"When has Althaes ever sent a force such as this?" she continued.

"Is it not an appropriate force considering they believe their senator is our hostage?" Jun-Rada interjected, "I do not believe their actions are permissible, but if they truly believe the story they tell, would it not come to this?"

Adalwa agreed. It was unlikely Althaes could fabricate such an outlandish story to justify this show of aggression. It was more likely that they truly believed their story, which boded worse for the meeting to come.

"If that's the case, how do we convince them otherwise? Our word is not enough. Our empty cells will not be enough. This is stacked against us before they even arrive. We must be prepared for conflict," Azali said, observing Adalwa.

Her words sank in and, for the first time, Adalwa felt the overwhelming weight of the tasks before her. Mundrani to the south. Althaes to the north. Talons spread thin across multiple locations. Could she defend Eporo against Althaes? In a time of peace, surely. But Eporo was currently weakened and she knew she could not afford to further deplete any of her resources.

"I will not go to war with Althaes," Adalwa stated simply.

Azali raised her eyebrows and sat back in her chair with a sigh.

"It would seem we have not been given the choice. The alternative is what? Admission to something we have not done? Sanctions from there?" Jun-Rada asked, voice rising in anger.

"Admission and cadatite," Azali replied in a flat voice, "We can give both. Then what will that make us?"

"Cadatite is out of the question. It is on protected Oru territory," Adalwa said, "Only the Oru can agree to such an arrangement and they will laugh at the suggestion while we fail to protect them from the Mundrani"