Broadswords - 48. The Stones

Broadswords

Chapter Forty-Eight
The Stones

The wood surrounding the cave was pretty much lost. The kingdom had called upon all of its magic-wielding citizens to help with relief efforts, and Phërion had summoned a few Hydromancers from Dorderia to assist with the quelling of the flames. But their journey wasn't a quick one, and most of the damage had already been done by the time they'd arrived.

Harmon couldn't help but wonder why the amount of destruction couldn't have been seen in any visions by any of the mancers, and as a result they could have had Hydromancers at the ready. But he expected that their divination skills didn't work that way. Then again, he didn't really know much about the mancies as a whole, even if he had spent some time studying them. Though Elsior's actions were far from appropriate, he hadn't been completely wrong about how closed off Jhirdyr was in understanding mancies.

He hadn't had a chance to meet Phërion formally yet, but Harmon hoped he could pick the Pyromancer's brain and get some more insight on the mancies as a whole. He'd also learned that Phërion had a hand in Harmon's locating the book on Terramancy. If nothing else, he wanted to share his appreciation for that. It was even the smaller things such as that which helped secure their victory. Even if the war was far from over.

In the days after the battle, Harmon gave everyone time to rest. Each of the slayers, as well as Birten, Kep, and Lana, had been through a lot of physical and mental strain. Harmon himself was not exempt, either. All of them needed some downtime before he gathered them all together to discuss their next moves.

Needless to say, his father was not too happy with his inclusion in the events that had occurred. He'd threatened to have Harmon quarantined in his bedroom, locked away as punishment for his actions. But with some convincing, Harmon talked his way out of it. He'd killed Elsior after all, the biggest threat their kingdom had seen in quite some time. Harmon assumed his father understood that even though he was no longer involved with Elsior, it was still not an easy task to end his life. It was someone he had once cared for deeply. And though his father was a stubborn man, he was not made of stone. Which is probably why he dropped the threats of reprimand.

On the same token, the king did not feel that Jhirdyr should be involved with seeking out the dragonstones. After everything had calmed down a bit, the king had called the slayers, Birten, and Lana to a meeting with himself, his wife, and his eldest two sons. "The brave actions you showcased in the events that transpired north of Jhirdyr are momentous and your kingdom thanks you. Though some tragedies unfortunately occurred, the losses we suffered could have been far worse had it not been for you.

"I have been brought up to speed on everything that happened, and the potential risk this man has spread out to our sister cities and various other areas across the continents is unspeakable. Regrettably, we do not have the means to assist them. We lack the manpower to lend our assistance to this cause. Doves will of course be sent out to the other fifteen kingdoms to alert them of the impending complications that may arise. They can spread the word to their surrounding cities from there.

"However, I do have more pleasant news. As a result of the occurrences the other day, there have been some changes in the rankings. Daegon, your heroic actions are not to go unnoticed. The individual results you garnered in that battle are remarkable. You have hereby officially been promoted to the second rank. The current order is now: Elan, Daegon, Tayrick, Feodoro, Caspin, Verne.

"Unfortunately, six slayers is not enough to keep our kingdom protected, which is highlighted by said battle. Should anything of this scale happen again, we need to ensure our readiness. Preparations have begun to hold an event to honor our lost slayers. At the same time, we need to restore our ranks. That being said, I would like to formally extend an offer for the role of dragonslayer to you, Lana."

All attention went to Lana at that point, but she said nothing. She stared straight ahead at the royal family. And it wasn't she who finally broke the silence, but Daegon. "I'm sorry to take this moment from you, Lana, but I must interject. While I am honored for the promotion, your highness, I have to decline. I am too well aware of the further tragedies that could impact the rest of our world now that these dragonstones have been disbursed. I would not be able to live with myself if I kept maintaining the same life here in Jhirdyr. I need to be involved in destroying the stones. I'm officially removing myself from the rankings."

A few gasps peppered the moments following Daegon's resignation, but he wasn't the only one to speak up. "I have to agree with Daegon," Elan said firmly. "I, too, must step down."

Elan's decision had the same response as Daegon's, and Harmon could tell without looking at his father that he was furious. Still, the announcements weren't done. "And I, as humbled as I am by your offer, must also decline. There is more for us to do." Lana's words lingered as the rest of the slayers looked on. But she was the last of them to speak. The other four slayers remained silent.

The events of one battle had cut the Jhirdyrian dragonslaying ranks from nine, to six, to four. Once the kingdom with the beefiest collection of slayers, Jhirdyr was now somewhere amongst the middle. And considering their two best slayers were no longer part of that number, it was no surprise that the king was angry. While Harmon could understand his father's irritation, he also knew that Daegon, Elan, and Lana were doing what they had to do. He didn't blame them one bit. If he had the means to do so, he would have done the same thing himself.

The king kept his composure, however. "Very well. I cannot say that I support this decision, but I also cannot prevent you from doing so. The services you have each provided are appreciated. This does of course mean that the lodgings afforded to you as part of your positions will no longer be available to you. I will allow you a week to find other accommodations, but not a day more. Your resignations are accepted, and will be henceforth catalogued. Jhirdyr thanks you for your service."

That had been two days ago. Now, Harmon had gathered those willing to participate in locating the dragonstones together at Street Inn. He looked around the room as he waited for the chatter to die down. It was an interesting group. Daegon and Birten, Elan and Lana, Kep and his brother Sal, Phërion and his companion Roark. Even Kep's friend Jeno and his wife were in attendance, sitting in the back corner keeping their baby quelled. While they couldn't assist on the frontlines, they'd offered their support and were willing to do what they could to help. And having an apothecary on their side wouldn't hurt.

Even Lessa had wanted to join, after hearing all of the details. But the king would never allow her to come. It was hard enough convincing him to let Harmon leave the castle, but Harmon was going to use the "I killed Elsior" angle for as long as he could. The king finally relented, but only after assurance that Harmon would assist in the efforts internally and would not be departing the kingdom. And with his visit to the inn including the accompaniment of two guards. They currently flanked the door on the outside, doubling as security in preventing patrons entry during the meeting.

Once the side conversations began to taper off, Harmon began his speech. "Thank you to each and every one of you for meeting here today. We have a well-rounded group of individuals involved in this quest. Together, we have a chance of stopping what Elsior has started. We don't know what to expect. We don't know how much time we have. But what we do know is that we have the means to prevent it from happening.

"We have mancers to assist in finding the locations of these stones. We have the sage minds and logicality of our squires to keep us aware and get us through issues that might arise. We have our dragonslayers to defend us against whatever we come to face. We have an apothecary to supply us with any healings or concoctions that might become necessary. And above all, we have a dedicated group that will stop at nothing.

"While I can't be out there questing with you, I will run the hub from here in the kingdom. While you are out there, I will spend all of my free time researching whatever I can in order to aid you. We will be in constant contact via messenger doves. I also have a secret weapon at my disposal. Though I wouldn't admit it to her, my sister Lessa is a genius. She would be beyond thrilled to be a part of this, and her research skills are unmatched. She will undoubtedly be very impactful in our quest.

"I also predict that we will find more allies along the way. While you're out there, do your due diligence in making connections that might further us in our journey. No bit of assistance is too small. At the same time, we must all keep cautious. We don't know if the Dark Collective had any part in Elsior's plan, but we do know that they're out there. Elsior was proof enough that they have the capability to deceive those around them to get what they want. Should a member of the Collective infiltrate our ranks, it could be our downfall.

"We've had a few days to rest, and I know some of us still need some more time. But we have no time to waste. Whatever we can do until we get some leads on the locations of the stones can only help. Whether it be through research, mancies, or even thinking of potential plans, any preparations we have are a good start.

"I also want to thank Kep and Sal for granting us access to their inn as a headquarters. I think it's safe to say we will be converging back here in Jhirdyr from time to time, and a dedicated place for us to meet up will be necessary. Of course, they still have a business to run. And so I've contracted a group of builders to erect an annex at the back of the inn, adjacent to the kitchen."

Both Kep and Sal made to interject, but Harmon didn't allow them. "It's a necessary addition. And it's for all of us. It will strictly be for use as a meeting place, and will bear no impact on your business, either positively or negatively. It will also be only a small addition, barely noticeable from the outside. Passersby will be none the wiser that anything has changed about the structure of the building itself."

The brothers did not attempt to argue further, and both nodded in appreciation. Harmon looked around the room to see if anybody had any questions or anything to add. But they didn't. Considering none of them really knew what to expect, they probably didn't know what to bring up. He thanked them for their time, and the small talk between them all picked up again.

Harmon was in no rush to get back to the castle, so he found himself striking up a conversation with Jeno and his wife. Though he partook in the discussion, he wasn't really tuned in. His mind was all over the place. He thought of Elsior and the times they'd had, and how that had changed so immensely. He thought about his father and the impact that his decisions could potentially have. He thought about how everyone in that room was the only chance they'd have to seeing this all resolved.

He was just as in the dark as everyone else, and was glad he could put on an air of confidence to keep spirits high. But he wasn't all that sure. He had his doubts. But all he could do was be the leader these people needed.