“And he’s sanding married.” Hatan placed his fists on the railing.
“He’s married? Where are you getting this information? Are you upset?”
“No,” Hatan said grumpily. “I’m not upset.” He immediately paused and glanced over at Shanon who was smiling back at him. “I rescind that. I am upset. I would have wanted to be there to see such an occasion.” He rubbed a hand across his forehead. “The shaman woman, Alishara. She has a device that allows for communication. Migo has access to one from Mazanib, presumably.”
Shanon nodded. “It makes sense with the other bits of information we’ve had then. Now we understand more fully how the emperor was able to rule the entire Ring from one location.”
Hatan grunted. “I expected you to be more suspicious than that.”
Shanon shrugged, but footsteps approached from the open door behind them.
Hatan turned to see Rivar, who stopped in the entryway.
“They’re ready for you, sir,” Rivar said.
“Are you ready for them, Rivar?” Hatan asked as the three of them wound their way back through the palace.
Rivar sighed. “We will see. My brother and I have less experience than we’d like, but at least it will do some good.”
“That’s all we can ask,” Hatan said. “We may not have enough time for more than rudimentary information anyway if things are as urgent as that shaman predicts.”
“She is a shaman that can see the future?” Shanon asked.
“Something like that,” Hatan said, still not sure what exactly they could do. “Who all did we manage to gather?”
“The shamanfolk delegates were still within the city,” Rivar said. “The militia and military officers took more time to track down, but we have them waiting in the training grounds.”
“The delegates as well?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And how was the inventory report on the eastern armory?”
Rivar shrugged. “Honestly, it seemed like an impressive storage of silver-imbued weapons. I counted thirty-eight.”
“Very good,” Hatan said, resisting the urge to shake his head. They needed more like a few thousand, but he had no interest in appearing disappointed. They could use whatever optimism they could get.
There was quite the crowd gathered when they arrived on the training grounds. It was easily the largest room of Rikaydian Palace, a single massive dome protecting the sandy ground from Maedaris. Apparently something that was no longer necessary.
The shamanfolk delegates were the closest ones to the door, standing beside Emil. “What was so urgent?” asked the shaman named Manahae.
“I have a more pressing update already,” Hatan said, watching their eyes narrow. “Nothing to worry about with Jehubal, but I’ve received word that Emperor Malrabia is dead. He was actually a shaman, the very same one who locked the planet and summoned the Maedari. The war against shamanfolk is ended across the entire Ring.”
The shamanfolk nodded and shared looks amongst themselves.
Hatan continued. “He was killed by King Rikaydian, who you might recognize. Migo has now declared himself the emperor, intent on unifying all ringdwellers, but there is a different threat we should be concerned about.”
“Hold on,” Manahae said. “Where did you get this information?”
“A seer shaman relayed it to me. She came here to the palace and showed me the messages directly from a… from a sphere,” Hatan said.
The other shaman from the Bayvana Tribe, Mashe, clicked her tongue. “The spirit. Of course she’d be meddling here.”
“You do not trust her?” Hatan said, suddenly feeling caution creep into his gut.
“We are uncertain about her,” Mashe said, “but if she has a communication orb, then she would be better informed than the rest of us.”
“Understood,” Hatan said. “But she warned against the potential for bleeder armies.” The shamanfolk cursed to themselves. “My cousin, Emperor Rikaydian, has warned against the same. Both urged us to prepare. Alishara believes we will all die or become slaves, but still encourages us to unite. Our chances for survival are best together.”
“We need to warn the tribe,” Mashe said. “I feared this was a possibility.”
“If there is a true bleeder army, then we have already lost,” said Qarish, one of the shamanfolk delegates from the Dasven Tribe. “We cannot hope to stand against the waheshi.”
“We have a chance,” Hatan said. “We have silver weapons we can share with you. I’m prepared to arm every citizen we can to defend the city if we should fall under attack, but Alishara mentioned you might be able to help us with some preparations, like reinforcing the walls, or even potions to help with the soldiers.”
“Come, Manahae,” Mashe said. “We must warn the tribe.” She grabbed his arm as if to go, but Manahae wouldn’t budge.
“Your reputation tags you as a man of honor, Regent Padarro correct?” Manahae asked.
Hatan shrugged. “I suppose. I intend only to protect our people. All of them. You have lived here in Jehubal your whole life, just as I have. We can stand together.”
“Would our people be welcome here in the city, behind the walls?” Manahae asked.
“Manahae,” Mashe scolded from beside him, but Manahae didn’t respond to her.
“Of course,” Hatan said. “We would make shelter for you. I would even offer that you reside here in the palace, though I don’t know how many people are in both of your tribes. We can make arrangements.”
Manahae nodded. “We will need to discuss with the council, of course, but if such a thing were to occur, it would be temporary only while we assess the true status of the world.”
