PELAIR. The Gems of the Golden Serpent.

26. The Orhun Pass

"I think that jerk of Guildor swallowed the hook," said Vonegh laughing, while commenting with his new staff in the presence of the Venerable from The Council of Ker, the next steps in his efforts to invade and seize Luria.

Vonegh ruled over the now called Empire of the South. It comprised the former kingdoms of Kaffre, Kersia, and Kiria after he conquered and annexed the last two of them. Vonegh had tried to mislead Guildor into believing he would invade his territory, as a strategy to make the Triad's troops, which were in charge of the custody of the pass of Orhun, attempt to cross it. He hoped that once in the territory of Kiria, his forces could ambush and destroy them. Guildor would not have the time or enough men to recover and prevent the takeover of South Luria, because the bulk of his army was engaged in its long war against Terrara.

However, the Duke had never fallen into this trap.

Vonegh himself had never had sufficient resources or troops to carry out his dream. Having conquered Kersia, Vonegh had engaged in a long struggle against the old King Eozen of Kiria. He had never managed to beat the King, and could only take over his Kingdom after his death.

His first task was to win the trust and support of the Cult of Ker's Elders Council to consolidate power over Kiria. For all practical purposes, they ruled the life of the Kingdom.

The Council had always antagonized and been distrustful of the priestesses of the Sisterhood of Noor. They ruled over the spiritual life of the northern kingdoms of Pelair. The Council had always suspected the sisterhood had been for long, trying to seize power throughout all Pelair.

They knew of the secret task three of their priestesses had been entrusted years ago, to marry the heirs to the crowns of the north. Fortunately, those plans had failed. Luck, however, had not been elusive to them. One of the witches had managed to control the Duchy of Alasia with the results known to all.

Grisela bore and raised Guildor for the sole purpose of gaining control of her sisterhood and power in the north. The arrival of the twins had done nothing but to increase that power. Now, the threat that hung over the South and its cult to Ker was evident.

The Council of Elders had sought ways to counteract the power that the witches of Alasia were gaining. That is why they had not done much to prevent Vonegh from taking Kiria by assault and seizing the Kingdom. They could have raised an army to avoid such a takeover; however, they turned a blind eye when this happened. The truth was that the Council was looking for someone with enough strength to confront the growing power in the north, and saw in Vonegh the answer to their prayers. The ambition of this man would be the instrument with which The Council would attack the bases of Grisela's project. They should kill the twins. The how, that was something else.

"Come on, come on!" indicated Vonegh with unusual politeness. "Sit down, sit down at the table and enjoy the good food," he said.

They were in the spacious and swanky lounge that served to welcome the dignitaries who visited the Kingdom in times of Eozen.

A long polished mahogany table, flanked by a couple of dozen chairs with velvet-lined pad, served as seats for the mixed crowd of sullen and rude captains, who had just arrived from the war front at the pass of Orhún. Most had been loyal servants to Eozen; thus, Vonegh was looking for ways to gain their adherence. To his satisfaction, the support offered to him by the powerful Council of The Elders was his best letter of introduction. Without them, he would lose the grip of the Kingdom in an instant, as the army he had brought from Kersia was not powerful enough to overcome Kiria's forces.

Delicious foods and exquisite dishes, perhaps never before tested by those officers, filled the table. There were steaming bowls of aromatic onion soup with melted goat cheese, meat and chicken stew, fried vegetables with hazelnuts, pheasant and perch pies, pieces of roast beef, rabbit with mushrooms, and tender lamb chops. Stuffed apples and pears cakes, peaches, and figs in syrup, accompanied by oatmeal and honey cakes, complimented the feast. The drinks were no less abundant. Large vases with the exquisite wine from Archelon were served in large bronze goblets, while the fermented bitter beer brought from the distant island of Isamar, was the favorite of those rough men.