A messenger stood in front of Wey Manor. The gold and white robes of a royal guard visible through the gates. General Wey rushed out to greet him. "What brings you here?"
"Report to the palace immediately." a youthful man handed him a golden serpent and left.
The King did not trust in sending hand written letters; when there were urgent matters to discuss, but had a golden serpent delivered instead. General Wey pocketed the serpent and set off to the palace.
He went through a private passageway used only by the King from the main hall. It lead to a separate room where only six men sat; himself included. "My apologies. I came as soon as I received your message," he nodded to his King first, Advisor Biah next, and the three unfamiliar faces across the room. King Taher only lifted a brow at him. General Wey guessed the King was in one of his moods again.
"How is Madam Wey?" King Taher asked.
"My wife," General Wey paused but did not want to offend the King. "Yes. She's doing well. Thank you for asking."
"The Queen tells me she hasn't been to the palace in weeks."
"Yes, my wife's been preparing for Yuliah's wedding and had no time to visit."
"You are aware she's the Queen's favorite and without Madam Wey here. I have to entertain the Queen. It inconveniences me."
"My apologies." He looked Taher right in his eyes. "Now that Yuliah's married, I'll send her over tomorrow." General Wey answered.
"Good. I take it Yuliah's wedding went well?"
"Yes. Very well." General Wey forced out a smile.
"Wonderful." With a quick wave of his hand, he ordered the General to take a seat. "These three men sitting here are from the Southern Kingdom. He is King Zehan, his brother Prince Lohan, and General Ryas."
General Wey nodded to all three men and strode over to shake their hands. The Southern King and his brother responded well to General Wey's handshakes, but their General only squeezed the tips of his fingers slightly. In the north, handshakes between men were a sign of respect. It's possible their General's not aware of this custom. General Wey nodded, then took a seat next to his King.
"I wasn't expecting you for another fortnight." Taher smiled at the men.
"With General Ryas' guidance, we passed through the Ethereal Forest sooner than we expected." The young southern King answered.
Taher spoke in a voice that commanded everyone's attention in the room. "I'm allying with the Nomens. My Kingdom's cut off from the rest of ."
"We can't trust the Nomens." General Ryas answered.
"The ones we can't trust are long dead. The remaining 18 Clans are desperate," King Taher ?? "They can't breed with their own. In a few years there may not even be any Nomens left-" he ??. "We can use this to our advantage. Finally, we have a strong enough reason to control the Nomens with."
"They will betray you." General Ryas answered again.
"It's not about trust General. It's about control. If your people are dying would you not do everything in your power to save them?"
"I would."
"That desperation to survive is what we'll use to control them with."
"Can you control a fire?"
"No. What kind of question is that?"
"Then you understand why Nomens can't be controlled. Fire is their blood."
"You don't understand General, our situation here. There are no magic walls or weapons to keep what lives in the Ethereal Forest from attacking us. My people live on borrowed time. How many fortnights did it take you to reach the north?"
When General Ryas didn't answer Taher answered himself. "Too many. By the time you reach us we'll be dead. Every year the forest stretches further and the land between the forest and our wall becomes less. Soon the forest will be at our door and it's creatures along with it. Without the Nomens we won't survive. We need their help. They've survived for years in the Forest."
"An alliance with the Nomens?" General Ryas asked Taher. "The Nomens will not help you unless you give them something of equal value in exchange."
"Our streets overflow with poor and starving women and young girls. Nomens can't breed with their own