The Fire and The Storm - The Nexus of Kellaran #2
Chapter 113

Part 17

"So right now, your thinking is as advanced as it was when we were all Linked and holding all that power?!" Yazadril asked, flabbergasted at the thought.

"No." Val responded with a shake of her head. "For one thing, even with all the safety measures we came up with, I think it's too dangerous to keep that much extra energy in your brain all the time. But it's all automated, so if I'm trying to figure something out and I'm not smart enough to get it, the spell will charge my brain up until I get it done, then release the extra charge when I don't need it anymore. It works really fast too, so we won't notice it happening, we'll just be as smart as we need to be whenever we need it. The other thing is; the benefits of the Link can't be duplicated. No one can be as smart by themselves as we all were together, not with the kinds of brains we've got.

"So. Can we go?" she finished.

"There's only twenty minutes left until the Assembly will be called to order." Nemia said as she soothed Yazadril's impatience. "There's no use having these young ones make all their big announcements twice, is there?"

"I suppose." he admitted. "Somonik, if you'd be so kind?"

"Certainly." The ancient white dragon nodded as he clicked his claws together, and then they were all elsewhere.

PART 18

The space they arrived in appeared in many ways to be the Hall of The Just Alliance. It was constructed of the same white marble, they'd arrived beside the same low, round podium at the center with the Truthstone of Falgaroth embedded in it, the floor sloped gently upward from the center of the room in all directions, and it was lit by the same sourceless white light. But this was much larger. "Damn, this is big." Mark quietly muttered as they all looked around.

He'd seen some big rooms, including the one in Kraka where the council of dragons had met before they'd abandoned the city, and The Stadium of The Empire in Verzaclon City, which was built to seat eighty thousand giants plus thrice that number of gnomes. Zarkog's Hall in Serminak had been most of a kilometer wide, before it was destroyed. But this dwarfed them all. It was so big, none there could even estimate it's size without measuring. Mark thought it might be less than a kilometer wide and less than three hundred meters high, but he wouldn't have bet so much as a copper on it.

There were several renovations beyond the increase in size.

About a sixth of the room appeared to be walled off with glass and two-thirds filled with water, both of which were supernaturally transparent. At first glance it seemed the same as the rest of the room, and only the slightest reflection on the clear wall's surface, the rippling line at the water's surface, and the sight of Selkies, Mer, and other beings swimming around in it showed it for what it was.

There were glowing blue Translocation circles of every size scattered about all over the vast floor space. They were marked with glowing blue letters in Trade Common in the air above them; either Incoming, Outgoing, Privacies, or Facility Staff Only. The latter were busy with a constant stream of Xervians carrying trays or pushing carts laden with food and drink for the attendees.

An area along a third of the room's vast perimeter and a hundred or so meters deep appeared to be filled with dense tropical forest.

"May holy Amirgath preserve me." Kragorram softly marveled.

"Why yes, I may, since you asked." Amirgath stated as he appeared beside them, then chuckled like an avalanche at his own joke. After a moment to adapt to the surprise and the novelty of the situation, his joke got them too, and they chuckled along with him.

"So, you like the improvements we've made here?" he asked as he looked around.

"It's very impressive, thank you." Somonik nodded, and indicated the forested part of the perimeter. "I take it that the woodland area was provided for the comfort of the representatives of The Hidden Nation. Very considerate of you."

"All of us gods co-operated on it." Amirgath explained. "It didn't require us all to do it, of course, but it's meant as a tangible gift from the Pantheon of Kellaran to the rest of The Just Alliance, so we all helped a bit."

"And we all thank all of you for it." Mark smiled.

Fire nudged Six and nodded towards her left. "Here comes Emperor Osbald's group." she said as that monarch approached with Empress Emeroth, Overlord Senchak, and various associates. "Why call it Osbald's group?" Karz asked. "The other two are his equal in power and ability, by any measure. I'd actually put Senchak ahead of him in power, and Emeroth ahead of him in ability."

"Any measure but initiative in international affairs; the quality by which he leads them." Fire explained. "He initiated the diplomacies that led to their bilateral alliances before the war, he called for their formal three-way alliance and then helped bring them into The Just Alliance, which he was largely responsible for initiating. Emeroth and Senchak actually show more initiative than him in domestic affairs as well, but not internationally."

"Ah." Karz nodded.

"It seems that everyone is arriving early." Somonik noted as the influx of dozens of Translocations per second accelerated all around them, and the colossal room filled rapidly from the center outward. "All the national leaders are already here with their senior advisers and commanders. Those arriving now are leaders of populous provinces and large cities, and mid-level officers. Also several dozen professional news-mongers and criers. And a surprising number of what seem to be random citizens from everywhere on Kellaran in groups of four to eight."

"And why not, since we have the room?" Mark laughed as Osbald's group arrived within speaking distance.

"I'm pleased to see you again, Prince Mark." Osbald declared as he extended his hand with a wide smile. "I trust your vacation was pleasant?"

"Quite pleasant indeed!" Mark agreed as he shook the man's hand and returned his smile. He introduced the human Emperor, the giant Empress, and the dwarf Overlord to his children, then introduced his children to the monarchs, including their parentage, full names with titles, nicknames, and major achievements, and finished by adding that he, Talia, and Alilia were now a bonded trio.

"Congratulations on your amazing family!" Emeroth laughed as she returned their bows.

"Thank you!" Mark laughed.

"Somonik, I wonder if you're on duty?" Senchak asked. "It appears that you're not, but with your breadth of concentration, it's sometimes hard to tell! And there's a great deal being done here tonight." "For once, I am as relaxed as I appear to be." Somonik chuckled. "Tonight the vouching of attendees, their Translocations, and apparently a great many of their invitations, are all being handled by the gods. I'm unsure how many of them are co-operating on it, but I do know that Amirgath here, among others, is not as unoccupied as he appears."

"It's going to be a big night, in every way." Amirgath stated as he looked over the crowd with a bit of a mischievous smile. "We wanted to do something appropriate to the occasion."

"A big night?" Senchak inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Amirgath fixed his gaze on the dwarf, and the Overlord of over a billion Kleti had to gird his loins to calmly return the first dragon-god's inspection. "The spell of Falgaroth's stone gives an interesting sensation when it forces me to do something, or to refrain from doing something, like Reading your life from your day of birth as a reflex action." Amirgath commented.

"At any rate. Are you aware that we are gathered here to hear what Prince Mark and his companions have achieved in the time-bubble?"

"No." Senchak replied. "I only know we would gather to welcome him and his family back to the world, knowing that it's been a long time, for them. I imagined he would speak, and explain why they had emerged early."

"That much is true." Amirgath nodded. "First to announce shall be the Healer Hilsith. Then Prince Mark and his mates will discuss what he discovered today. Then these children will address us." Though everyone expected him to continue, he said no more.☐☐☐

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