Oracus: The Lavorian Rider

Eleven - Guests From Tallarin

"You want me?" Oracus asked, surprised.

"You're a Rider, so your involvement is important," Torvanon explained. "The meeting will start within the hour. I'll see you in the council room."

*

Instead of spending his morning being tortured by Garrin, Oracus found himself sat at a round table in a room at the back of the palace. The council room was a tiny, windowless box that would struggle to fit a dozen people inside. It was cramped and stuffy, and it carried a similar aroma to that of the flowers in the meadow outside. On two of the walls, oil lamps offered a dim orange glow in the darkness.

When Oracus and Bandor arrived with Garrin, they were met by Torvanon and Horvos, as well as two other people that Oracus didn't recognise, who were both of a similar age to him.

"Oracus, Garrin," Torvanon said. "Meet Kivali and Quent from the city of Tallarin. They're here to warn us of increased activity from the King's soldiers."

"Nice to meet you both," Kivali said quickly. She was dark-haired with flawless skin and blue eyes that glowed warmly. She turned her attention back to Torvanon. "There have been scouts observing Tallarin from afar. We think an attack is imminent."

Quent stood up from his seat. He was almost half-a-foot taller than Oracus but looked like he needed a good meal. His limbs were long and gangly, and his red ears stuck out quite noticeably. "It has taken us weeks to get here when it usually takes days," he said in a hostile tone that Oracus didn't like. "King Jowra's soldiers are camped all over the land and their patrols are on all the main routes."

"We've seen no more activity than usual here," Torvanon advised. "A few groups of scouts have been spotted, that's all."

Horvos cleared his throat. "If Jowra was to send his armies to Tallarin now he wouldn't be triumphant. He doesn't have enough troops."

"Who says so?" Quent replied sharply.

"We send scouts to his cities too," Horvos countered. "We have a fair idea how many soldiers he has."

"And you would like to gamble he doesn't have soldiers fighting for him that you don't know about?" Quent pressed. "He does control most of the land and its people, after all."

Horvos stood. "I am confident our scouts have passed us accurate information," he said forcefully.

Torvanon held up a hand and Horvos took his seat again. "I think we can safely assume Jowra doesn't have the strength to invade both Afarra and Tallarin, otherwise he would have done so already." He was far more serious now than Oracus had seen him before. "However, we must treat this adequately and ensure there is a plan in place. Catania would not have sent two messengers to the other side of Pharia if she wasn't concerned."

Oracus's attention was suddenly piqued. The name Catania wasn't new to him. A lady with the same name had been in his dreams recently. "Sorry, but who is Catania?" he enquired.

Quent shot him a stern glare. "The Princess of Tallarin, obviously," he snapped. "Our leader."

Oracus scowled at Quent, but then tried to remember his dreams. In one, Catania had been chased through a forest by the King's soldiers. And in another, she had been locked away in a dungeon by the King himself. He wondered what the real Catania looked like, and if she resembled the blonde lady he had seen in his dreams.

"Catania is readying Tallarin's defences," Kivali continued. "The blacksmiths are already forging armour and weapons so every man in the city can fight should they need to."

"She has sent us here to urge you to do the same," Quent said.

The small room fell quiet while Torvanon deliberated what he had been told. To Oracus, it seemed Pharia was in a much more volatile state than he had first thought, and Jowra may attack at any moment. But if the King did send his forces to Afarra, was Torvanon sufficiently prepared to resist them?

Garrin put his hand in the air to draw everyone's attention. "Can I suggest something?" he asked.

"Go ahead," Torvanon granted.

"We should attack Jowra before he attacks us."

Quent was quick to reject the idea. "That would be playing into his hands. We'll just be sending our troops to slaughter."

"Quent's right," Torvanon agreed. "Our men would be safer behind our walls. We would kill more of Jowra's men if he attacked us."

"But he may not be planning to attack us yet," Garrin argued.

"It'll happen eventually," Kivali said.

"But whenever it is, it'll be on Jowra's terms," Garrin stated. "It will only ever be when he feels he has the highest chance of success."

"The boy has a point," Horvos said with a nod.

"I'm not saying we should march right into his palace in Melzor and kill him," Garrin explained. "We should focus instead on the other cities he controls elsewhere in the land. Fervia, Lalacia, Alvoria, Malum; any of those could work."

"Taking a handful of soldiers isn't going to be enough to invade any of King Jowra's cities!" Quent declared hotly.

Garrin rounded on Quent. "I'm not talking about just sending men there and hoping we can win," he said. "We need to scout each city and then send a force capable of destroying it. Even if we only destroy one city, at least it weakens Jowra."

"We would need to make sure Afarra is still sufficiently defended, just in case Jowra did send an attack," Horvos added.

"This plan would be a huge risk," Quent stated unhappily. "Princess Catania suggested nothing of the sort, and I doubt she would agree to it."

"What do you think, Kivali?" Torvanon asked.

"Well, it's certainly an option," Kivali began, but then her voice tailed off...

Since hearing Catania's name, Oracus had struggled to maintain his focus. The sultry, airless room was making him tired and queasy, and he wished he had a goblet of water to sip from. He shook his head to try and rid some of the lethargy, but succeeded only in making himself feel dizzy. Somewhere just beyond his consciousness, there was a discussion about fighting Jowra; they were considering sending soldiers to destroy his cities around Pharia. But Oracus was more concerned about Catania, and whether his dreams of her had any hint of truth about them. Could he possibly be having visions of Tallarin's leader?

The air in the room became hotter still, and perspiration began to gather on Oracus's face. Within his mind, he could feel Bandor, but he could also sense another nearby presence. He concentrated on that presence and found himself able to connect with it. Suddenly, a metal goblet on the table threw itself at the wall and made a clang that wrenched Oracus from his reverie. Everyone in the room jumped with fright and then there was silence.

Horvos looked at Torvanon, unimpressed. "What did you do that for?" he growled.

"It wasn't me," Torvanon replied. He looked curiously at the goblet on the floor. "I think Oracus just discovered his power."

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