In Defence of the Realm - One Message

'Land-Regent, sir? There is a man from the mountain guard to see you.'

'Show him in, Waory.'

The Land-Regent sat impatiently on his dilapidated chair. As his clerk Waory opened the door, a ragged man in armour stepped forward sheepishly.

'Land-Regent, your highness,' he began.

'Please,' he rung his gauntlet-covered hands, 'don't start with the “your highness” crap – I'm here because no one else is, I'm not some absolute ruler. Sir will be enough.'

'Why thank you, sir, er –'

'Spit it out.' The Land-Regent combined sharpness with approachability, a frightening mix.

'Yes, okay.' The mountain guard stood straighter and cleared his throat. 'I had to report on the rumour mill, sir.'

'Go on.' The rumour mill had been one of the Land-Regent's more successful ideas, built where travellers from other lands took the least dangerous route over Cold Peak.

'The Clockwork King's fiefdom is apparently moving. Something about their city not being what it used to.' The guard knew that he wasn't reaching the point quickly enough for the Regent. 'And there have been... excursions into our northern lands. We believe the whispers point to a spy in Sponge Country, as well as increased tension to the east in Finch.'

'Why couldn't this wait till the scheduled time next month?'

'Because sir,' the guard took a deep breath, 'all of the travellers from the past week are destined for Hox.'

There was silence for a while, but Waory didn't know why.

'You've done well,' the Land-Regent softened a little. 'I shall send an extra large mead barrel back to the mill when you return.'

'Thank you very much your Lordship,' the man bowed. Waory could see the Regent straining not to snap inside.

'Just remember now,' he said in an overly joyous fashion, 'it's Sir, I am no Lord, nor highness.'

The guard had also noticed the Regent's expression and left the room hastily. When the doors closed, the Land-Regent burst.

'Why must I continually remind them who I am?!' He stamped down the few steps that elevated his chair. 'I did not ask for this job –'

'Uh, Sir,' Waory said before it went further, 'if I may interject, what is Hox?'

'Dash it all, Waory – I'm sorry I forgot. Surely you must have at least read a mention in the library after you arrived?'

It was now Waory's turn to look sheepish. 'Not yet, Sir. The library is extensive to say the least.'

The Land-Regent swept himself back onto the faux throne.

'The Turretial of Hox, Waory, is a near-mythical meeting place far to the north west on the other side of the desert pan. If so many people are going there, it means one of two things: that the world congress has been summoned, or there is a party to which we aren't invited. And I'm not that optimistic.'

'I do vaguely know of the congress, Sir, but I thought that it had been disbanded for generations.'

The Regent rested his forehead on his palm.

'That's the point. There are still communication stones in the ruling houses of each province, but ours was lost at about the time of my predecessor's passing. My guess is that someone has cleared out the Turretial and proposed a new congress. For whatever reason it may be, it is bad enough that people are travelling there. You know how the roads between Cold Peak and the Pan are, even at the best of times.'

'Maybe the lords and kings with communication stones know something we don't?' said Waory.

'Yes, or things have gotten so bad on the other side of the mountains that going to Hox is the best plan they have.'

Next >>