They ended up procrastinating until the last minute, and then having to hurry to be ready in time.
Once they were, Talia Translocated them.
They arrived in the midst of a huge celebration, surrounded by the Assembly of The Just Alliance and their families and friends, in an outdoor oval amphitheater that must have been the largest stadium on Kellaran. The infield was five hundred meters long, and the gigantic banks of seating rose one above another hundred and fifty meters high, filled with people of every description. Everywhere there were scattered tables where people of every type sat before mountains of food and barrels of drink of every kind, with plenty of open lawn left between for mixing and mingling, and for dancing to the joyous music that was heard throughout the great facility. Glowing circular blue Translocation Stages like the one they’d just arrived in were scattered about, marked with warnings. All the way around the top of the gigantic grandstand Kleti-style Revealings thirty meters high showed other people celebrating at other huge gatherings all over Kellaran. And Mark realized by the size of the doors and seats both tiny and huge that the facility was literally gigantic, being of Shiganzhu design, so they must be in Felion somewhere.
Kleti Spell-Mongers wandered about in the crowd, transmitting what they saw to other places and providing exuberant commentary, as did others who transmitted the experience via broadcasted Readings.
Mark, Talia and Dalia looked around for a moment, then a pretty young Kleti Spell-Monger recognized them and hurried over, the glowing red stone on her chest showing that she was transmitting a Revealing. “The Keys to The Just Alliance, and Princess Dalia! Good day and greetings, from the people of Kellaran, most of whom are watching right now!”
Mark laughed as he noticed the great Revealings at the top of the stadium quickly switch to a view of himself and the radiant twin elves. “Good morning, my fine friends! At least it’s morning for me, as I just woke up! Welcome to a bright new day, whatever time it is where you are!
“Other than that, I’m afraid I’ll need some breakfast before I’ll be capable of the eloquence this wondrous occasion surely deserves. It’s sure nice to say good morning to everyone in the world at once though! For now, I see my grandmother beckoning me, and so is the big stack of berry cakes on the table there!”
“Thank you everyone, for everything you’ve done for our victorious effort!” Talia grinned as she gave a friendly wave.
“Hi! She’s Talia!” Dalia laughed as they turned away, clearing up a great deal of confusion, since Mark had one of them on each arm, and they were informally dressed for summer weather, and so wore no signs of office.
“Thank you for talking to us!” the broadcaster grinned.
Yazadril and Colonel Markhan Longstrider the Third presided over a gigantic long table occupied by everyone in Mark and Talia’s families. Most of those they knew by name were seated close by, or stood gathered in small bunches around the table, most with a glass or a small plate in hand.
“Welcome to your victory celebration!” Bezedil called over the music and the many happy voices.
“Those are my mother’s aunt and uncle! I haven’t seen them in months!” Talia happily pointed out.
“And these new faces seated with us are your cousins’ spouses and children, and some relatives of mine.” Mark’s grandmother announced.
“There was ample room, so we thought to bring as many of your family together as we could find on short notice!” Yazadril chuckled, as Alilia filled the newcomers plates and smilingly graced them with a quick kiss.
“Most fine!” Mark laughed. “Good morning everyone, and welcome to… Where are we, anyway?”
“The Arena of The Empire, in Verzaclon City.” Talia told him. “It was here that Empress Emeroth has won the throne of Verzaclon on four occasions.”
“It’s the biggest arena on Kellaran!” Dilimon added as he and Yalla moved to stand at Mark’s shoulder, their hands filled with glasses and rolled peach-filled sweetened flatbreads.
“I suspected that!” Mark chuckled, and set to with gusto.
He paused in his enthusiastic consumption a few minutes later, but only long enough to ask Yazadril; “Any significant developments?”
“The gods have shown themselves to some, and in every case it was an act of Healing. They have healed all the sick and the wounded, and brought peace to the traumatized. And I do mean all of them. That includes thousands who were in the Great Link and were driven to the brink of breakdown by sharing in your deaths and Talia’s suffering during your battle with Zarkog, and some suffered from being Linked or contributing power beyond their healthy limits. Also thousands who have been hurt or shattered by the events of the war all over Kellaran, including those Serminaki who were near the battles in Zarkog’s capitol, and his wizards who were stricken when we breached their Wards. Thanks to the gods, every person who lives at this moment is well.
“Quewanak appeared physically in The Hall of the Assembly two hours ago, after we had decided the location and timing of the festivities and their activities. He tells us the gods will appear here at an appropriate point in the agenda, and that they will officially announce the ending of the withdrawal.
“Every Serminaki we could catch has been sworn to justice, and that’s almost all of them. They’ve been encouraged to mingle among us all over the alliance, and to take part in enjoying the festivities. The rest will be caught by tomorrow.
“Crafters and builders from all over The Just Alliance have gone to Serminak to help rebuild their battle damage, as many of their crafters have volunteered to help rebuild ours. It is a great act of healing and reconciliation.
“It was found that many of Serminak’s young dragons have been suffering from an abnormal lack of parental attention due to Zarkog’s forced breeding programs, and all of the worst-off have been fostered to a Xervian dragon. Almost every Draconian adult in Xervia is caring for a young dragon who was deprived of affection or forced to be a warrior from too young an age, and most care for two or three.
“Once most of that was in motion, those in Venak saw how things were developing, and decided to take the prudent course. They have astronomers who were capable of confirming what we told them of the approach of the demons. That helped decide King Pirkan, heir to the late King Renem, who was killed in an insurrection by those in Venak who objected to attacking The Just Alliance on Zarkog’s order. Pirkan has requested entry into The Just Alliance for Venak, and he has been sworn. Most of his citizens have agreed to be sworn as well. He will probably force it on the rest by use of the Compulsion stones, and we will not impede him. He is eager to make amends for his late great-uncle King Sorrin’s crimes on behalf of Zarkog’s conspiracy.
“In about an hour there will be a few official addresses made to mark the victory, and everyone hopes you and Talia will consent to speak. I imagine the gods will make their appearance after everyone has spoken.
“General Zwak has asked to speak on behalf of the Sylvan. He says he has a proposal that will suit the sensibilities of his people and The Just Alliance’s as well. I’m eager to hear what he has to say, since I’m one of many who doesn’t think that returning Zarkog to power is the best choice of government for Serminak. Many who’ve lost loved ones due to his actions would not stand for it, despite his having been sworn to justice, and I don’t blame them. I remember all too well how I felt when we thought Dalia was dead. If you feel he should be returned to power when he is ultimately responsible for the atrocity at Shinosa Valley, you’re a more generous soul than I.”
“Luckily, I don’t have to say.” Mark nodded after a swig of berry juice. “I’ll leave that for cooler heads to decide, and I don’t plan on offering a suggestion one way or another, because frankly, I’d just as soon think about him as little as possible.”
“That’s how I feel as well.” Talia added with a bit of a shiver. “Is there anything more pleasant to report, or to discuss?”
“I have something.” a familiar voice contributed, and a tiny, glistening white dragon only a meter long landed carefully on the table in front of Nemia, in a clearing between the dishes. “The gods have found the secret to Healing the wounds of demon-fire.”
“Somonik? Is that you?” Nemia asked in amazement. “You look wonderful! And I see you’ve mastered the Shrink spell!”
“Yes. It required ninety Draconian gods and nine gods of other races working together to Heal me, but I am restored. It feels even more wonderful than it looks! To be free of pain after enduring it for so long is ecstasy itself!
“And if you look around, you will notice many people who have altered their apparent size in order to mix with other races more comfortably. There, a giant who has Shrunk to a third her height dances with a selkie, and there is a gnome who is two meters tall, due to his size-altering Simulacrum. And that female hovering there is not a one meter tall elf with pretty and decorative artificial wings, that is the queen of the sprites, who has not yet chosen a personal name that is pronounceable by any of us. She casts her fully-sensory Simulacrum from the safety of her distant location in Xervia, but experiences every sensation of being here in person, and in a more appropriate size for such experiences as shaking hands and offering hugs. A delightful experience she shared with me a few minutes ago, I might add. Her aura is almost as pleasant as a goddess’s, even through a Simulacrum.”
“Well congratulations, my handsome friend!” Mark told him with a broad smile.
“Thank you. And now I intend to ask Grakonexikaldoron to dance in flight with me. I haven’t danced since the demon war. And you know, I may just ask her to be my mate for an eon or two!”
“You have my blessing, old friend!” Yazadril laughed.
“Good! I may need it!” Somonik laughed as he launched himself carefully enough to not wrinkle the tablecloth, and flew off, darting with agility through the crowd with crisp snaps of his wings like an exuberant adolescent in an obstacle course.
“There’s one who truly trusts his flying, considering that he still weighs many tons.” Alilia commented with admiration.
“Ah, he is reborn, and his joy is wondrous to see.” Sana laughed, shaking her thick gray hair in ripples. “As is yours, my fine young grandson.”
“I was healed by a goddess last night, Grandmother.” Mark chuckled. “And enjoyed many other glorious experiences as well. And I had an extremely pleasant wake-up call too!”
“That would explain it.” Colonel Longstrider nodded, and grinned as he availed himself of a frosty mug of ale.
Mark’s cousin Dren turned to his girlfriend Mandri, and grinned. “Maybe Somonik has a point. Why get married, when we can simply agree to have a quick fling for the next two million years or so? I mean really, you’re sure to be bored of me by then!”
“You still have to marry me.” Mandri insisted with a matching grin. “It’ll take me at least three million years to become bored with you, and when I do, I’ll ship you off to join the navy and have tawdry affairs behind your back while you’re at sea.”
“Oh you will, will you?” he laughed. “Do you still think it’ll work now that you’ve spoiled your plan by telling me?”
“Are you serious? You can’t even remember where you left your socks last night! There’s no chance that you’ll remember this conversation in three million years!”
“I see. I guess I’ll have to write it down on something.” he smiled mischievously as he rummaged in this pockets. “Now let’s see, I don’t have any paper, but I can write it inside this little box I have. The lining is white, but first I’ll have to empty it of all the stuff inside.”
He opened the little blue silk-covered box, took out a gold ring bearing a diamond, and said; “Here, could you hold this for me for a minute?” as he handed it to Mandri.
The girl almost went crazy! She started jumping around and screaming in joy while trying to inspect the ring at the same time, then jumped into his lap and frantically hugged him, then jumped off and bounced around some more, waving the ring overhead like a battle trophy and cheering at the top of her lungs.
“All right, give it back.” Dren chuckled as he stood and deftly snatched the ring from her fingers.
She froze and her countenance dropped in shock, but Dren went down on one knee before her. “We have to do this right.” he explained with a grin as he held the ring up to her again. “Mandri my love, will you marry me?”
She almost collapsed into his embrace and wrapped her arms around his neck, and sobbed hysterically into the hollow of his shoulder for a minute, too overcome to even speak to say yes. But five minutes later she sat perched on his lap with the ring on her finger, grinning like a madwoman and wiping at her tears as she accepted the congratulations of all.
When Mark and Talia had finished eating, they excused themselves for a dance. They joined a huge throng of dancers in the center of the field, where many of the tables had been cleared and taken away.
Eventually the music stopped at the end of a tune, and the dancers were politely asked via a Speaking; “The organizers would be most grateful if we could please have the center of the field cleared for a presentation?”
Once the dancers had dispersed, Empress Emeroth’s magically augmented voice was heard to announce; “I present Somonik the White, Speaker for The Ninety Nine, Speaker for The Grand Council of Xervia, Communications Director of The Just Alliance!”
Somonik appeared full-sized in the center of the field, and was warmly and enthusiastically applauded. He waited a moment for silence to fall, and as he did, half the Revealings high above changed to various views of him from different Spell-Mongers throughout the great stadium, the others showing various crowds of happy and expectant people waiting for him to speak, indicating that his image was being watched by people of every race, from locations all over The Just Alliance.
“It is fitting that we have feasted before commencing with the more official portion of today’s activities, for this is a time of great contentment, and one is seldom more content than after feasting!”
Some found humor in his sentiment and laughed, while others applauded, and some cheered with boisterous joy.
“We came together to deal with the threat of the insidious conspiracy, but we have triumphed, and that threat is no more!”
This time the cheering was a great roar of happy approval.
“When Zarkog’s conspiracy failed to give him power over us, he declared war upon us with all the forces of Serminak and tried to terrorize us into submission, but he failed!
“He swore that he would exterminate us if necessary to ensure his conquest, but he was brought down in defeat as we rose in triumph!!
“Today, justice reigns supreme and unopposed on the united world of Kellaran!
“Today we enjoy the dawn of a new age of prosperity even greater than we ever hoped for!
“We declare this the first day of an official week of celebration for our victory!”
After each sentence he had to pause for a louder cheer, and his voice rose to match them, until he let the last great outburst run its course for a few moments.
Silence fell as he continued speaking in a more somber tone. “Unfortunately, our victory was not without a grievous cost. Three hundred and forty-one of us were slain by the insidious conspiracy before it was discovered. Nineteen thousand three hundred and sixty-one of our soldiers lost their lives in open warfare with Serminak, as did one hundred forty-one thousand and twelve of our citizens.
“A great monument to all of those who fell in the struggle against Zarkog and his forces will be raised in every great city in The Just Alliance. Each monument will be a large roofed open-columned quadrangle of purest white marble surrounded by lush and beautiful gardens, and in the center of each will be a great cube of gold, and on the sides of each cube will be written a brief history of this conflict. Also written upon the gold will be the names of each and every person who lost their lives in the great struggle that finally ensured that we who survive them can live in freedom and justice. In this way the memory of our fallen comrades and loved ones will be forever preserved, revered, and honored.
“Let every one of us at every place on Kellaran now have a minute of silence to remember those we have lost.”
After the minute was past, the ancient drake continued in a brighter tone. “We must also remember that many more lives were saved than lost, and they were saved by acts of bravery, of brilliance, and of sacrifice. The stories of these fine acts should be remembered and preserved, and I urge every one of you to record anything you feel to be significant that you experienced or observed over the last nine days and nights, for collection in The Archive of the War of the Founding of The Just Alliance.
“Many of those acts of bravery, brilliance and sacrifice were of such significance that no one could deny that they are deserving of public recognition and a token of our appreciation.
“To speak further on this, I present my dear friend Grakonexikaldoron, of The Ninety Nine.”
“Thank you Somonik.” the gold dragon said with a bow as she appeared beside him. He bowed in return and vanished, and she continued speaking.
“I hold in my hand the award for the very first act of heroism performed in this struggle that is deserving of our public recognition. It is The Medallion of Service of The Just Alliance, the first such to be commissioned, and it bears the words: ‘For bravery and sacrifice.’ If our broadcasters will supply a close view, you can see that it is the symbol of The Just Alliance in sapphire on white gold, and it is mounted on a silver plaque. The words on the plaque tell the story of the act that is being recognized. Sixty-one years ago, in one of the first violent acts of the insidious conspiracy, they firebombed a warehouse in Pabaks, a city in northern Thon. The recipient of this award is a warehouse porter named Basrin Davess, who risked his life to save two co-workers from being burnt alive in the fire. The two had been overcome by heat and smoke, and though all three were severely burned before they escaped the flames, they all lived and eventually recovered.
“Basrin Davess will receive this award before all who know and care for him in a presentation held in Pabaks within the hour. Every one of the thousands who performed such acts of valor will receive one for bravery, all who were wounded will receive them for sacrifice, and all who contributed important ideas or research will receive them for brilliance. All those will be presented over the coming hours and days, at the celebrations the recipients are attending all over The Just Alliance.
“But first, there are fourteen individuals whose actions were absolutely crucial to our victory, and who deserve to be recognized for their service before the watching and appreciative eyes of the entirety of The Just Alliance. Without the efforts of these fourteen individuals, it is very likely that we would all be Zarkog’s slaves right now, or in the near future.
“The first two will receive The Medallion of Service for Brilliance, but their awards must be presented anonymously, for they are seers, and it is easier for them to read the shadows of the future of events that they are not part of. They fear that even having their identities widely known may cloud their visions, but they still contributed many crucial insights to our victory, including their help in the discovery of the coming great Nexus, and in identifying the two who are Key to that Nexus.
“Our third great seer is possessed of a slightly different variation of the talent, and needs not fear that acting publicly will affect her performance. She will be asked to receive the awards on her companions’ behalf, and to convey them to their rightful recipients with our profound and heartfelt gratitude.
“Tithian; seer, oracle, Justicer and Speaker of the Senate of The People of Morning, please come forward.”
Tithian’s striking black and silver form appeared beside the gold dragon, and they bowed to each other.
“Tithian, for your crucial insights into many matters of magical research and spell design, for your crucial role in initiating the formation of The Just Alliance, and for your work as a seer, both that which you accomplished on your own and that which you shared with the previous two recipients, I present you with The Medallion of Service for Brilliance. Please accept it with our deepest respect and our most sincere thanks.”
“I am humbled and honored beyond words. Thank you all.
“I will faithfully convey my companion seers’ awards to them. They are taking Readings of these events and following them closely. They ask me to say for them, that they feel they do not deserve these awards as much as some others may, but they will accept them in honor of all who labored or fought for our great triumph in anonymity or obscurity. They offer their humble gratitude.
“I also feel that there are others more deserving of this recognition than myself, but I will gladly accept this medallion with honor, and with great pride. Again, I thank you all.”
The crowd cheered her from all over the world, as they did for all of the fourteen who received a globally broadcast presentation.
The next four presentations were of a similar pattern, and all were of awards given for brilliance.
Osbald the Eighth was honored for creating his oath, for being the first to swear it, for helping to make doing so the defining act of the new age, and for his crucial role in initiating the formation of The Just Alliance.
Alilia was honored for her role in initiating the formation of The Just Alliance, and for her deciding insight near the end of Mark’s confrontation with Zarkog.
Yazadril was honored for his role in initiating the formation of The Just Alliance, and for his tactical, strategic, and command performances prior to Mark’s assumption of command.
Somonik was honored for his communications brilliance, and it was pointed out that at one point he had been conveying or participating in over eighteen hundred different conversations simultaneously.
All of them gave brief and humble acceptance speeches.
Then Grakonexikaldoron called out; “Lady Equemev of The Six of Hilia, please come forward.
“You are presented with The Medallion of Service for Bravery, Sacrifice, and Brilliance, for your actions in the battle, for participating in training that involved far more suffering than any warrior endured in the real fighting of the war, for your part in the infiltration of Zarkog’s senior officers, and for your contributions to creating the solutions that won us the war on its final day.”
Equemev was almost frozen with stage fright. “I am so very moved by this. I thank you all.” was all she said before Translocating back to her place beside Tithian and the rest of her friends and family.
Silaran and Kragorram were the next two called, and were honored as Equemev had been for the achievements they’d shared.
After Silaran was presented with his medallion, he reared joyously and did a pirouette on one rear hoof before sweeping a graceful bow onto one front knee with the tip of his horn touching the turf. His body language portrayed his emotions with great eloquence, so he simply added; “Thank you my friends!”, and galloped off to rejoin Equemev.
Kragorram was more loquacious in his acceptance, after taking a moment to consider what he would say, while the crowd waited in anticipation. “I bargained my service as a wedding present for Mark and Talia only eight days ago, but it seems that I have done a great deal of living since then. I am changed profoundly, and for the better I think. I received in the bargain a chance to finally win the love of the beautiful Povon, my perfect mate, and she has blessed me with her affection, and exhilarated me with her prowess as my companion at arms.
“I hoped that my association with Mark would give me a chance to combat the forces of evil in an effective way, and that I might share in mighty deeds, and that I might be considered a great champion of justice who is recognized and cheered by multitudes. I have wanted this as long as I can remember, and one of my earliest memories is of playing at being a hero, but my dreams have often seemed like foolish ones over the years. And now my hopes are fulfilled beyond my farthest imaginings. Mostly because of my association with others whose greatness far exceeds my own, and whose love and friendship I treasure above all else.
“It is with profound gratitude that I accept this award, and I will dedicate it to the memory of my dear friend Dekagnath, who fell while fighting over Zarkog’s lair as a warrior of The Strike Force of the Just Alliance. Thank you.”
For his eloquence, the crimson dragon was indeed cheered by multitudes, and heartily.
Povon was given the award for the same reasons as her squad mates, with special emphasis on her groundbreaking contributions to spellcraft and psionic techniques.
“I did it all because I love Kragorram, and because I wanted to be a better person, so that I would truly deserve his love.” she frankly explained. “Then I had to see him wounded three times in reality, and I saw him wounded and killed dozens of times in training, and each time that hurt almost as much as if it was real. I like to think that it was all worth it. We stand ready to do it all again if we have to.
“I thank you all for this honor.”
Rather than Translocating back to her place at Kragorram’s side, she Levitated from the turf and slowly flew back with great grace. After she landed, Mark saw to his surprise that between her and Kragorram was a very young black dragon only six meters long in total. The young drake wasn’t using a translation spell, so Mark couldn’t read its expression or understand its words, or even guess its gender, but the black infant clung to Kragorram and Povon with desperate affection.
“Prince Mark and Princess Talia, Keys to The Just Alliance, please come forward.” Grakonexikaldoron called.
They appeared before her, smiling and holding hands as the multitudes cheered them with a mighty roar. They bowed in unison to the four corners, then waved as the wild applause went on and on. Finally the gold dragon held her wings and her hands up for silence, and eventually the crowds quieted.
“Princess Talia, we award you The Medallion of Service for Bravery, for Sacrifice, and for Brilliance. You have shared in all the valiant deeds of The Six of Hilia, for which you deserve this award and recognition. We also recognize the crucial nature of your work as Key to The Just Alliance, for everyone knows that you and Prince Mark share every task. His is the role of leadership, but I think that neither of you could have achieved what you have without the other, and your contribution was no less important than his. Furthermore, due to the brilliance of the battle methods that your squad introduced, only you two, of all our fighters, needed to take direct and personal risk in the final battle of the war, though most of the world took part in the fight. You and your husband volunteered to take the risk for all of us. You were killed in that battle, and you were tortured with madness. We know for a fact that you were killed, as the experience was shared by the billions in the great Battle Link, and we know for a fact that you two are not gods. Our researchers have yet to reconcile the discrepancy between those two facts, but I suspect that we will soon. You suffered horribly for us, and you were crucial to our victory, and for all of that we offer this award.”
“Thank you so much.” Talia smiled as she took the plaque from Gran’s careful claw-tips. She took a long look around at the hundreds of thousands in the arena, and the huge views of millions more in other places. She gave a spontaneous giggle and a wave. “Hi everyone!” she called, and billions laughed and waved and called greetings in return. Then she waited until almost total silence had fallen, and it didn’t take long.
“The last ten days have been… incredible. Yesterday, they seemed like seventy-eight years, but the memory of the Eldest’s training is fading a bit, and it’s starting to seem like ten days again. During that time, it seems like we’ve been sucked up by a tornado of events, and there’s been no time to get used to things before everything changed again. I’ve been cursed and blessed, been married and assassinated, fallen madly in love, been gifted with fortunes and tasked with great responsibility. I’ve saved lives and I’ve been killed. Four times in real life, and dozens of times in training, perhaps hundreds. It’s amazing how many times you can be willing to experience the horror of death if you know that a curse is going to bring you back to life again, especially when millions of your fellow soldiers and citizens are depending on you. And sometimes even then, you cannot do enough, and they are lost anyway.”
She paused to wipe away a tear, then smiled and carried on.
“Now, we should have some time to achieve a new stability in the new order of things, time to come to grips with everything that’s happened, time to enjoy all the good fortune that we still have.”
She spent a moment considering her award, then hugged it to her chest and bowed her head over it. “I’ll always treasure this.” she quietly finished, and her tears escaped her control an