Return to Jorgaldur Volume I: the battle mage

Engenak

And while Eldi returned exhausted and went into the tent to rest, before the eyes of the Oracle, in the kingdom of Engenak a banquet was being held as on so many other occasions. In a show of luxury, which contrasted with the misery of the poorest areas, the nobles wore their best clothes and jewelry, as well as smiles not always sincere. And while many of them were eating, drinking and chatting about inconsequential matters, a meeting was being held in an adjoining room, something that wasn't unusual at all.

"So, the last one has arrived. Is it confirmed that he is human?" asked a woman in a black dress, whose age was over fifty.

"No Elsa, it isn't. All we know is that all gates have been closed," replied a man who was over seventy and wearing a striking dress of various colors, the latest fashion.

"What steps have been taken?" Elsa asked.

"We have sent several teams, but by now we have no news. The order is to capture him alive or dead, if they can find him," explained the man.

"Damn, Ricardo, why weren't we watching the area?" complained a man with a generous belly, curly blond hair and dressed in yellow and white tones.

"Artio, you know as well as I do that twenty years ago we decided to get rid of surveillance. It had been a long time and it was an unnecessary expense. No one believed that there was anyone left to return. We couldn't even know that there were gates still open. Damn guardians, they haven't said a single word in all these years," Ricardo answered.

"That doesn't matter anymore, we can't change the past. The really important thing is to make sure that he isn't Eldi Hnefa. And, if he is, to take care of him before he becomes a problem," a woman, whose age was in her thirties and who wore elegant clothes but not overloaded, intervened.

Everyone nodded at the queen's speech, which, on the other hand, was quite obvious. At the time, that visitor had declined their generous offers and had threatened to turn against them if they didn't "fulfill their duty to the citizens". At that moment, he was powerful, unpredictable and had the relic, so the ruling class had accepted his conditions, some of them waiting for the opportunity to get rid of him.

And when the visitors had left, they had acted cautiously before the possibility of his return. However, after fifty years, they had assumed that this wasn't going to happen, until they had discovered that someone else had returned.

One might think that the likelihood of it being him was no more than a tiny chance, but no human visitor had returned, and Eldi Hnefa had clearly interacted with them. Thus, the possibility of his return couldn't be ruled out. And, if so, he would become his enemy, for in the last twenty years they had, little by little, again abused their position, accumulating more and more wealth and power at the expense of their people.

They were not aware, or they didn't want to know, that the growth of the kingdom had to do with the fact that its inhabitants had enjoyed the freedom and security to start new businesses or expand existing ones. After all, they were considered stupid, lazy and disloyal, almost animals that should be treated with severity, and that the freedom they had enjoyed in recent times had made them more feral. So, some had begun to claim equal rights, something that was as unthinkable as stupid, and that had been eradicated years ago by harsh repression.

"What about that Guild?" Artio asked.

"We have contacted them, but everyone's agreement is necessary before giving the green light," Elsa answered.

"We don't need those peasants to fix the problem. If necessary, send more troops to cover all possible areas. For my part, I must attend other matters. I entrust the details to you."

"Majesty," greeted all the nobles, getting up and bowing before her as she got up and left.

There was silence until the door closed, after which they continued to discuss some details and problems from the resistance, from those that still claimed equality and rights for everybody, from those who had survived the purges of the last twenty years. Finally, the meeting ended and everyone returned to the party.

"I presume that the Guild is already working on it."

"Of course Ricardo, who do you think I am?" Elsa answered with a half smile, departing from him after the brief conversation.

"The nobles have started moving," announced the just-arrived to those who were around the humble wooden table, dimly lit by the light of a candle. Under a cloak, she was hiding her servant's uniform.

"We can't allow them to achieve their goal. He is our only hope."

"But Lidia, it is almost impossible to get ahead of them, we don't have enough resources," rejected a corpulent man, with two fingers missing in his left hand.

"Then, we will focus on sabotaging them. If it is he who has returned, we must do everything possible to give him time and be prepared for any opportunity," proposed Lidia.

"And if it's him and we find him, will he help us?" Asked a young man, somewhat fearful.

"I met him in person. He may be confused now, but he will help us. I have no doubt, he is a man of his word. And I'm sure it's him, it has to be him, he had a link with us."

Nobody said anything else about it, they knew about Lidia's faith in the man she had known as a child, when he saved her. No one knew how she had kept her youth, but everyone respected her and hoped she was right. No one had fought like her against oppression.

But they couldn't be sure and put all their eggs in one basket. It could be that he had arrived earlier and died. Or that now he wouldn't survive. Or that he would never come. However, he was their best option, their chance to once again enjoy the freedom they had enjoyed for fifty years. The freedom that the visitor of the people had obtained for them, freedom that nobody had dared to dream at the time, and that they didn't want to renounce to. Although they had never ceased to be vassals, during that time they hadn't had to worry more than to pay reasonable taxes, taxes that were not so reasonable anymore.

All of them had fought to keep the greed of the nobles at bay, getting them to doubt, managing to delay the inevitable, gaining time. But they were few and didn't have enough power. Now, at least, they had a clear goal, as much as they didn't know if it was a real one.