jackal-among-snakes-16091326
chapter-476

Anneliese looked upon the group that was to meet the dwarven envoy. All here were the mortal champions of gods belonging to the Blackgard Union. They were all dressed finely in the black and gold colors of House Vasquer. They looked good, Anneliese thought, but Galamon pulled at his cuffs as though they were uncomfortable just the same as Stain did. Only Artur seemed to revel in the clothes—indeed, he’d donned a cloak bearing Argrave’s personal sunburst sigil repeated time and time again, and had imbued it with enchantments to keep him hovering off the ground.

The plan was to approach the dwarves not as the Kingdom of Vasquer, but rather the Blackgard Union—it would give a more intimidating aspect to the name, and ideally avoid any qualms that the democratic republican dwarven nation might have about working with a monarchy. Still…

Galamon, Vasquer’s knight-commander. Elenore, the king’s sister, and Durran, her husband. Melanie, a countess in Vasquer. The list went on and on, leading any keen observer to one conclusion—this party was comprised of those solely loyal to Argrave, and to Vasquer. Even if they called them divine envoys, the truth was rather obvious. The only saving grace of their composition…

“Ganbaatar. Your friendship in this time is a boon to us all.” Anneliese nodded to him.

The elf from the Bloodwoods dipped his head, his red eyes clear and unburdened. “Nonsense. It was friendship and responsibility both. The Qircassian Coalition is a greater enemy than we alone can handle.”

Anneliese could see the sincerity in his posture, but still added, “I am pleased you see it so. And congratulations on receiving Ghan’s blessing.”

The elf from the woods nodded curtly and looked away. Anneliese observed everyone else. The only one that was less than focused was Artur. As a human born with dwarfism, he was about to meet a race that called themselves ‘dwarves.’ She could imagine why he was uncomfortable.

“Elenore, Melanie, and I shall take the lead,” Anneliese continued, looking at everyone present. “But anyone else can feel free to interject. Argrave tells me the dwarves are a debate-loving people who appreciate the perspective of any dwarf. Mirroring that mentality cannot be a detriment.”

“Any dwarf. You think that means me?” Artur looked at her. Despite his jokes, she could tell he felt uneasy. “What if they take my presence as an insult?”

Anneliese met his gaze. “You are Almazora’s mortal champion. That is why you are here, Artur.”

He grunted under his breath and muttered, “Not what I asked, Your Highness, but…”

Anneliese took on a stern affect and said, “The true insult would be from their side toward ours—taking affront at a valuable member of both Vasquer and this alliance for merely being who he is.”

Artur floated away and turned, perhaps to hide his embarrassment, and said, “The flattery is appreciated, Your Highness.”

“Flattery and truth are not mutually exclusive,” Elenore contributed, then looked to Anneliese for the signal to go ahead. Artur was more at ease, so Anneliese had nothing more to do. She nodded, and Elenore directed them forth. “Let us be on our way. Remember—we dealt with the Ebon Cult. That should give us considerable leverage.”

They exited their room of the parliamentary hall, walking to greet the envoys. Orion led them while other Veidimen royal guards watched the back. The building had become suitably grander, with sizable gardens along its walkways and other buildings meant to accommodate the various diplomatic needs of the parliament and the royal family. It was becoming something of a palace, despite the absence of the king.

When they came to the small conference room, Orion opened up its double doors. Eight heads turned to look at them. The dwarves were short, squat, and brawny all. They stood at the table, the chairs pushed aside, and were surprisingly uniform in appearance. All eight were males, and wore white robes—togas, Argrave had called them—with their right shoulder and arm exposed. They had dark, curly hair, all about down to their ears, and wore wreaths of silver. They were immaculately shaven—face, arms, all of them.

“Welcome, envoys of the dwarven senate. We trust that your journey was without peril?” Elenore greeted them politely.

“Yes. You’ve tamed our cities well,” the closest of them nodded.

Melanie scoffed. “Given who was occupying them a few months ago, I think it’s pretty safe to say they aren’t your cities.”

“Yet its streets still bear statues of our heroes, its senate hall still bears the inscriptions of our philosophy, and its design remains privy to us alone,” another envoy returned. “What else would it be?”

Anneliese walked to the table, looking at them all. “You have dropped a diamond to the floor, and now that we have picked it up and cleaned it, you would call it your own? Is this what the Dwarven Senate would convey to us after freeing you from the Ebon Cult?”

The dwarves looked among each other uneasily, and then dipped their head to Anneliese. “No. We are glad to be rid of Mozzahr and his zealots. But we did not expect, nor ask, for your aid. Our nation maintains a favorable, yet neutral perspective toward your actions. The dwarves put forth no claim on our old cities. We abandoned them for a reason. As such, they are yours if you wish them.”

This was where introductions were in order, it seemed. Elenore seemed prepared to give them, but Anneliese kept talking.

“All of you here bear silver wreaths,” Anneliese continued, hardly acknowledging their ‘generous concession’ of the cities that they had abandoned. “I know some of your culture. The metals or gems that you are allowed to wear indicate your status in society. And from what I know, silver wreaths have no authority in operating independently. You cannot truly speak for the Dwarven Senate—you can only deliver messages. Am I correct?”

The dwarves grew rather still, and then one said politically, “In our capacity as envoys, we are given the authority to relay messages from the heart of the state.”

“…so, yes, you’re just messengers,” Durran rephrased. “Why didn’t you just say that?”

Anneliese sighed and crossed her arms. “I was prepared for a much longer conversation… but given the lack of authority of these supposed envoys, I will simply deliver a message and have you return it. I am Queen Anneliese, and I speak on behalf of both the Kingdom of Vasquer and the Blackgard Union of which our kingdom is a part. Both say only this; the dwarves do not possess the luxury of neutrality any longer.”

“Excuse me?” an envoy stepped away from the table. “Is that a threat?”

“It is a message from the heart of the state,” Anneliese rephrased. “Your kind will perish just as ours if the cycle of judgment completes. You have your part to play in this.” She looked off to the side. “Alongside this message, you will deliver a gift: freshly-forged weapons. They are born of your smithing techniques, using your metals, but they were made in our lands with our knowledge. Let that be sufficient draw to allow someone with genuine diplomatic authority to come. Come, everyone.”

Anneliese walked out with the same amount of dignity that she’d entered. She could see it on the dwarves—they were there to do nothing more but maintain the status quo that the underground-dwellers had endured for so long, even despite their contact with Anestis, a senator’s son. Their meeting was ruined, but all she had ruined was something that promised to be a dead-end. The situation demanded a little force.

Once they were isolated, Elenore sighed. “Not… not how I expected that to go. That bit about the silver wreaths—was that true?”

“Yes,” Anneliese confirmed. “Argrave and I talked about it ages ago. Trust me—I saved us time.”

“Wonder where this goes from here,” Melanie mused.

“If there is truly nothing else we’ll do with them…?” Elenore trailed off as question, and Anneliese gave confirmatory nods. “Then, we need to invite Hause to the Blackgard Union. That’s all that remains for today. She is nearly fully manifested.”