The Sword of Retribution

Pargonn - Part 3

     The street they were following ran straight to the centre of the city and gradually widened out to become the Avenue of Heroes. All the city’s most important buildings stood on either side of this street, and along the grassy verge that separated its two carriageways stood marble statues of former Fellowship members.

     “You've come a long way since the Fall of Agglemon,” said Keller as the carriage pulled into the long driveway in front of the Grand Hall of Truth and Justice. “To think that you started off as nothing more than half a dozen priests and paladins. Going around righting wrongs and fighting bandits.”

     Resalintas gave him a sharp look. “You know little of paladins if you think you can use the words ‘nothing more than’ in relation to them.”

     “I only meant that they were few in numbers,” said the Sergeant. “I apologise. I meant no offence.”

     “None taken,” said the paladin. “You're right, we did start out small. At the time we were just one of several such bands. Trying to hold civilisation together. Trying to keep hope alive in that time of darkness. It was a close thing. We came so close to failure, to the very concept of civilisation dying out. We persevered, though. We endured, and we grew in numbers. We absorbed the other bands of heroes into our ranks to become a single organisation spanning what was left of the known world…” He fell silent as a footman arrived to open the door, and the passengers disembarked.

     Resalintas had been here before, but it had been many years and so the wonder in his eyes as he gazed around was almost as great as that of Keller, who was seeing it for the first time. Other carriages were moving along the wide avenue, and young people in smart uniforms were going in and out of the buildings opposite. Pargonn University and its associated library. “My son goes there,” the priest heard the Haldornian delegate saying to his aide. “My family has been sending our children here for five generations.”

     There was a wide flight of steps leading up to the Grand Hall's main double doors and Gelrad led them up as the Haldornian continued to describe his son’s achievements to his aide in proud, glowing terms. Resalintas tuned him out of his attention as they passed through the doors that had been left wide open to let a refreshing breeze blow through the building.

     The inside of the building was just as palatial as the outside. The corridors were wide with high, arching ceilings. The floor was tiled in a checkerboard pattern and statues of eminent historical figures stood on plinths in alcoves in the wall. There were padded chairs at intervals, one of them occupied by by a mousy looking man studying a sheaf of papers. He nodded to them as they passed by.

     Gelrad led them along corridors and around corners until they reached the conference room, where they saw that most of the delegates had already arrived. Most of them were still standing. Chatting to people they already knew, shaking hands and asking after each other’s children. Resalinates went straight to the large, circular table, though, where he looked for his name tag and sat down, Keller sitting beside him. The name tag at the spot beside him held the name of the Callinian delegate, Colonel Tuska, but the man himself was in animated conversation with a man Resalintas didn't recognise. He was young and energetic looking, though, and wore the uniform of a Beltharan Corporal. Resalintas guessed that he was the Colonel’s aide.

     Gradually, the delegates took their seats under the gentle urging of Fellowship ushers. The Sidonian delegate and his aide sat beside Tuska, and beyond them were the delegates from Belthar itself. A very self important looking young man in his twenties dressed in magnificent, expensive clothes and a General who spoke humbly to him and treated him with great deference. Resalintas guessed, correctly, that he was one of the sons of the Emperor himself, and hoped that he’d have the sense to let the General do the talking for him. Although the Emperor himself was highly respected and held in great esteem throughout the Empire, his children had a less favourable reputation, and were generally held to be rather arrogant and bigoted. Resalintas prayed silently that he’d keep his mouth shut and not say anything to anger the other delegates. The last thing we need is to start fighting amongst ourselves, he thought grimly.