Fire Angels

Chapter 11 Part 4 The Task

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 "No doubt you already know that the Patriarch had entered Moria from the North and that he has his own candidate for the throne in Gerard Hawksmoor, Lady Julia's cousin through the female line," said Lord Sercel. The Patriarch's army will be reaching Lake Lammer in a couple of days and I have offered him my castle in RougeLammer. It is only 15 miles from here and gives enough distance to avoid trouble without being so far away as to make negotiations to difficult.

"For this is a very complicated situation, which will require much negotiation. Two candidates for the Morian throne now exist; Gerard Hawksmoor with the support of the Orthodox Aumazite Church, the Northern Elector and many Northern Morians, and Duke Leon Saar with Lady Julia as his wife with the support of myself and many other Morian's who do not want to see the Church dominating this country."

"What about southern Moria?" I asked.

"Ah well, we must leave them aside for the time being.

He brushed off the south very easily for a man who had been expressing such concern only moments before. At least we were agreed on the subject of the Church.

I must tell you I am greatly afraid that the situation here on the shores of Lake Lammer could easily deteriorate into civil war," he continued. "If that happens, who knows how long it will be before we can drive the Burning Light out of Moria and stop their excesses from ruining this country. I very much pray that we can resolve this situation by making use of the electoral system. Do you know much about this system, Enna?"

"Its a system by which the five major powers in Morian Society pledge their alliance to the ruler by casting a vote in his favor, isn't it? But surely it's only a symbolic system?"

"It has become a symbolic system, yes, but it was originally designed as a practical way of resolving precisely the problem we have before us now.

"As you may know, there are have only five Morian electors since Smazor's Run, but it is enough to give a majority to one candidate or the other. There is Lord Rouget of the North, Myself in Central Moria, the Shomnee elector from the south, the chief mage of Moria who represents Magery and the Church Elector who is always the highest priest in the land."

"Is Blanche Shomnee the elector of the South?" I asked.

"It seems likely that she will be, although I am waiting for my investigators to return to see if this is really so. She has made it clear that she is still undecided over who she will support in the election."

"But she surrendered herself to the Duke, didn't she?"

"Actually she surrendered herself to my protection," said Lord Sandor. "I agree it looks as if she favors the Duke's candidacy for the throne, but she had made it clear that certain conditions, one of which is a safe passage into exile for her uncle, Hierarch Jarraz, are attendant on her actual casting of her vote. I doubt she will ask for anything else the Duke will be unwilling to give her. No Enna Dion in actual fact it is the Elector of Magery who is going to give us problems."

I noticed that Tomas suddenly began to look very excited. Nice for him if he knew where things were going. I was still completely in the dark.

"The Elector of Magery. That is the head of White College of Moria. But surely he supports the Duke. I met him on the steps this afternoon, didn't I? What was his name?"

"Ren Daniel Devoirs. Oh yes he supports the Duke. The problem is that his to right act as Elector has come into question. I know its been the custom for many years for the Elector of Magery to be the head of the White College of Moria, but in fact the constitution states that the Elector of Magery is to be the most powerful mage in Moria and although Ren Daniel is an excellent head of the White College, he is not a very strong mage. The Patriarch has a much more powerful mage in his train at this very moment, one who claims the right to be elector of Magery and who has challenged Ren Daniel to a Battle of Mages."