Trilverda - Winds of the fall

Chapter 19

"Come, sit sit, King Renur" Kulnar greeting, his fingers plucking shiny grapes from a golden plate which rested in the long wooden table. "Three important guests, here at final"

Disturbing laugh from outside the door, everyone flinched a little. The room was small, they had to sit in the cushions. A cool atmosphere around, Reynor searched for any ventilation in the wall, found non, but yet he felt the cool and pacifying air licking his body. He sat, eye to eye with Kunlar but from the next side of the table. Julia, Hobbo and Shesh had sat to the east making his place the north, well, he assumed it was north - looking at the compass engraved in the table's centre.

Ectern bumped in, sweat vanished from his brown forehead. He too sat beside his Queen, leaving the west side of the table vacant. Kulnar swallowed a grape, he put his hands in the table, "So, we assemble. I guess we finished all our jokes" he glanced at Ectern. "King Renur of the North, Queen Julia, Master Hobbo and Shesh of the East and me from South, this has happened after long"

Now Reynor guessed why the west remained empty, no leader had been recognised beyond the Brethren, no land had been named. His body, big for the table, half of his back spurted out of the cushion. Kulnar let a grin, watched Reynor struggle from inside. "North men are big, I know" he hauled another cushion. Reynor made himself comfortable, his soul rested in peace.

"As we begin, I want us to know who we are in real" Kulnar said. "This man who blesses us with cool air inside this hot room is Shesh, known widely as the son of Jitrl". Reynor looked at him, this man can control the weather? His heart let out a question.

"It is among my many abilities, King Reynor" Shesh replied, aloud. Reynor let out a chuckle, dazzled. He had never seen anything such, his beliefs trembled.

"So, next we have Queen Julia Sedur of Belgriya, a young Queen" Kulnar continued. "We have Master Hobbo, immortal being, he has much lore about him. And we have the Queen's Champion, Lord Ectern Helber". He watched all their faces, "If anything you wish to say to one another, please do ... before I start to come to the problem"

No one said anything, they had nothing to say. Kulnar looked around and inhaled, "Okay, now, let us begin". Everyone looked at him. "The Coronation will take three days from now, the contenders for the throne will give us knowledge to their future wishes and dreams for the empire. We will give the guests till dusk to come up with a decision and the one who gets two or more support, will be crowned as Rahaj" he halted.

Impatient eyes, Reynor asked "Who are the contenders, sire?"

"Does no one know?" Kunlar look surprised, he touched everyone with his sights. "Not even you, Shesh?"

"No, sire" he said. "Unfortunately, knowing the unknown is not one of my traits. Only God knows the future and everyone's secret"

Kulnar looked at Julia and Ectern, they had no notion either. "So, they have remained loyal to the rules that bound them" Kulnar said. "There are three candidates for the throne"

Three? I thought the whole country would take part, Reynor tilted his neck as he heard Kunlar mention the number. Back in Neamora, every single Northman wished to be King if given a likelihood.

"And thy are - Hismal Hiddi, the minister of Vajra, Jubin Dalhal, the famous and richest merchant in Vajra" Kunlar continued.

Jubin is the richest trader in Vajra? That makes him richer than the Valvor family combined, Reynor thought. He had seen many rich nobles from the day he arrived at Vajra, everyone had the rare Vajrian silk resting over their shoulder, but he never witnessed Jubin dressed in luxury. He had just carried two long curved swords the morning. Maybe that's what makes him the richest, restraining from spending gold on useless luxury, another voice, a different but familiar voice crept inside his head, it was Shesh. Reynor looked at him in awe, but he shook his head and the voice vanished.