Chapter 22 – Hidden agenda and flight plan – part 1

After retiring to their room, with King Vosen Rask staying in his courtroom, deep in his thoughts, Craydon asked the moment he closed the door behind him, "Fae, you said the Demons have certain circumstances, and they didn't attack the Ooman Alliance until now; only Monsters were sent to the front lines. By chance, do the Demons need the Oomans? Or do they need Demis? If so, for what?"

"It is not us who should explain it. It is up to the Dark Eight if they want to reveal something like that — the very reason for their existence and the creation of the Dark Eight council."

"That is even stranger…"

A knock on the door surprised them, then two others, making Craydon go to it with the serious Salamander at his side, already glowing and with smoke coming from the sides of his mouth, ready to attack.

Craydon opened the door and found it strange that Captain Ermo Sepp was looking worriedly at him. "What happened, Captain? You seem strange."

"May I enter? There is something we have to discuss before you and your daughter go to the dining hall."

After the Captain entered the room, Craydon closed the door and asked, "Dining hall? For what? We thought we would stay in this room, and a servant was going to bring food for us. We would then stay here until tomorrow morning. At least it was what the King said before we left."

"He decided differently. After you left, he wanted to talk to me and told me to come to you. I am sure it is not needed, but I have to ask you to never say a word about what we discussed in the courtroom. Mainly, what the King said about Oka's past, the terrible experience it has been to have an Oman Ambassador messing with the King and my King's veiled intentions of… being released from his clutches."

"You and the King don't need to worry about any of that. Neither I nor my daughter will ever say a word concerning those matters. But forgive me for mentioning this, but I got the impression the King had some kind of hidden plan because he seemed to be extremely interested in my daughter's power and what she was going to do when we arrived at the front lines."

The Captain sighed and said, "I might be mistaken, but he may have thought about using your daughter's power as a means to force the Alliance to leave Oka for good. Maybe by having her tame a few Monsters who would serve as a protection in case the Alliance invaded us. As we were talking, he kind of confessed that, but a Fae appeared and told him to wait for Meryda's decision upon arrival at the front lines."

Craydon looked back at the strange green being, and the Fae said, "We heard them talking, and we thought we should say something. We are almost sure about what Meryda will decide, because that is the whole point of this voyage."

Curious, Meryda asked, "How do you know what I am going to decide? I might want to join the Alliance for good! You don't know that!"

"If everything goes according to projections, you may want to take some time to decide. It wouldn't be right to only hear the Oomans. Maybe there is an opportunity to hear the Demons' side of this conflict."

"That… might be the best, sure. But how can I meet them?"

"First, talk with the Oomans. Then wait and see what happens. Just keep an open mind, okay?"

Captain Ermo Sepp made a slight frown and said, "You are scheming something, aren't you, Fae? Why are you putting your finger in this mess, considering the Fae haven't done a thing to help Oka or stop the Ooman Alliance?"

"Because Meryda's power will for sure cause an unexpected event. With her help, the Oomans might conquer the Demon's country. If she goes against them, they might go extinct. We Fae don't intervene in Oomans' or Demis' matters because we can't take sides. Meryda is a special case because her interference might change the entire World, and that is very serious. We swore we would protect her, and that is what Fae will do, but she is the one to decide her future. We can merely show her the options."

With a serious gaze towards the strange green being, Craydon asked, "What if her interference changes the entire World, causing a global war? What will you do? Will you get rid of her before that happens?"

"We would never do such a thing to sweet Meryda! Your suggestion is insulting! We already said to you that if Oomans disappear, Fae will wait for a more peaceful race to appear! We have all the time in the World, and Demis or Ooman's lives are just a mere breeze in the wind! Demis live longer than Oomans, but eventually, they also disappear, and we will remain here, watching and never interfering."

"By not interfering, you are also interfering, you know? Fae could put an end to the conflict on the front lines if you guys wanted, just like you did to stop the Ooman army that came after Meryda. Why you do nothing to stop what has been going on for years in the mountain range baffles me."

The Fae took a slow, deep breath and said, "We could, but at the same time, we can't. There are plenty of reasons for Fae not interfering in that conflict, but we can't explain because it concerns other species. It is up to them to explain, not us."

"You mean Demons, don't you? There is a reason for them not to attack the Oomans directly and end the conflict once and for all, right? They need the Oomans, or they don't see Oomans as a threat."

Seeing that the Fae went silent, Craydon grinned. "I nailed it, didn't I? The Demons need Oomans, or they think they are not a threat. That explains why the Monsters don't attack and why no one ever saw a Demon."

"Like we said, we can't tell you anything. Please don't insist on this matter. Shouldn't we all go to the dining hall? Considering you have to go to sleep early?"

"Changing subjects, are we? Very well. I won't ask anything more for the moment, but we still haven't finished this. You have much to explain because it might directly concern Meryda, and you know I have to protect her."

The green being nodded, and following Captain Ermo Sepp's lead, they left the room and walked along several large corridors, which finally took them to a massive room with tables set in lines, with the King on the bigger table next to the end of that room, accompanied by his Queen and two boys, one who seemed to have Meryda's age and one older.

When Craydon and Meryda bowed in front of the King's table, the conversations came to a halt, and every Noble and servant waited for their words. After a glance around, Craydon spoke, "It is an absolute honour to be invited to share a meal with you, King Vosen Rask. I hope neither I nor my daughter embarrass you with our lack of proper table manners."

"You say that, but considering the way you speak, even without knowing royal etiquette like you said, leads me to believe your table manners could very well be better than some people I know. If you wouldn't mind, I hope you and your daughter could sit near me so that you can tell me more about your voyage to get here."

Noticing the murmurs around, Craydon said, "Forgive me, King Vosen Rask, but would that be appropriate? We are mere commoners, and sitting at your table might be offensive to your guests who are also here."

"What about sitting at the nearest table? Would that be less problematic?" the King asked while looking around defiantly, silencing the voices.

"Perhaps that should be the best option. If you allow us, we will accept your generous invitation if your fine guests don't mind making room for us."

Noticing that the Salamander was looking directly at the table on the right side of the King's table, all the Nobles there changed seats, making room for Craydon, Meryda, the Fae, and the scary orange Monster.

Most of them looked with despise at the two Sub-Monsters who happily sat on the ground right behind Meryda's chair, and they all almost puked when she turned back and gave them a slice of bread while rubbing their heads with a kind smile.

After taking a sip of his glass of wine, the King said, "I heard you arrived by flying with two Karkadanns. How does it feel to fly?"

"It is kind of liberating," Craydon answered. "To feel the wind in your face and look down at the scenery is quite a marvellous thing. There are details on the terrain that you can only notice at high altitudes. Do you know that besides the mountain range that crosses our main continent from one side to the other, the land is mostly flat? There are a few hills, but they are not very tall. From above, I could also notice that there are small villages concentrated near cities, and all the cities are heavily fortified. I suppose the Monsters and dangerous wild animals are the main reason."

"That is the reason, yes. People tend to gather near strongholds to feel safe. In case of an emergency, all the villagers can evacuate to the nearest city and wait behind tall walls to be safe to return home. I suppose it is like that in other countries."

"Indeed, it is." Craydon agreed. "We saw villages and cities in that configuration in the Kingdom of Malgudria, Shoq League, and the Kamawaran Kingdom."

"Your voyage was quite long if you flew over all those countries. How long did it take?"

Craydon sighed while remembering and said, "Longer than what I was expecting. If our rides were flying solo, they could have arrived sooner, but they had to fly slower because of us. Demis are not meant to fly at absurd speeds, and the higher you fly, the more difficult it gets for you to breathe properly. We also had to land at nightfall to rest our bodies and sleep."

Ambassador Mairo Soosaar was seated at the King's table, and he asked with a slightly raised eyebrow, "How did your daughter tame such beasts? I never heard of a Monster Tamer achieving such a feat!"

Craydon took a sip of his glass and grabbed his fork, starting to eat as if no one was talking to him. The King noticed the direct insult to his most hated Ooman intruder, and he disguised a smile by saying, "You both are going tomorrow morning to the front lines. It is a pity because I would love to ride those flying horses."

Meryda was about to say something with a big smile, but she immediately went silent the moment she felt her father kicking her foot. He smiled at the King and said, "I think we can arrange something as a token of gratitude and friendship. For the royal family only, because we can't delay our departure. Judging from the way your Queen and sons are smiling, I am almost sure that thought crossed their minds the moment I started to describe our flight. At least, I suppose that is your family. If they are not, I apologise."

"I didn't introduce them yet, did I? I was too eager for your tale, and I forgot you hadn't met them yet. My wife, Queen Na Sheman Rask; my older son and heir to the throne, Prince Edum Sheman Rask; and my younger son, Prince Grevem Sheman Rask."

Meryda and Craydon made a slight bow with their heads, and Craydon said, "It is a pleasure to meet you."

The younger Prince asked, with his eyes shining, "Can we fly with the Karkadanns? Is that safe? If it is, I want to be first!"

The older Prince said, with a serious look, "Quite bold of you, brother, wanting to go ahead of the throne heir. If I didn't know any better, I would think you were going after the crown to get it before me as well!"

The young Prince turned pale and stuttered, "N-no… I-I would never… F-forgive me, I forgot my place!"