227 The Alliance (1/2)
”You again,” Lord Rah looked me over with an imperious eye.
”Nice to see you again, Lord Rah,” I said as genially as I could while the memory of the bastard trying to ambush me and my friends outside the Undercroft remained fresh in my mind.
Aura and I were standing behind Darah while she lounged on her chair at the head of the Great Hall's long table. Opposite us was Lord Rah. Standing behind him was Dawn, the Dawnbreaker. Everyone else had cleared the room so whatever was discussed would remain between the five of us.
Dawn nodded her head toward me. It was most likely her version of a warm handshake. I smiled back at her although that might not have been the best move since Aura noticed it as well. It would be just my luck if she misunderstood.
It was just typical of Darah to look at ease while everyone around her was tense. Perhaps one day, after all the battles had hardened me enough, I too would be relaxed in these types of situations.
”So…” Darah played around with the knife in her hands. ”What brings you to my neck of the woods, Rah?”
”You know very well why I'm here, Darah,” Rah said in a snippy tone.
”The Scarlet Moon,” Darah answered confidently.
”The Scarlet Moon,” Lord Rah repeated.
”The Scarlet Moon?” I asked confused.
Lord Rah's eyes narrowed slightly as he turned his gaze on me.
”Um, shutting up now,” I whispered.
He waited a few more seconds, probably ensuring I was done with dumb questions, before continuing his explanation. ”The Scarlet Moon have interfered in the affairs of the central regions long enough… They have become a thorn on all our backsides.”
I rolled my eyes. He could have just said 'butts'.
”Nice of you to finally notice what my clan's been dealing with for the last two hundred years…” Darah chuckled softly.
Darah sat forward and set her elbows on the table. Her hands clasped together, their fingers intertwined.
”But you didn't call me all this way so we could both gripe about the injustices of the Scarlet Moon,” Darah continued. ”So again… why did you request this meeting, Rah?”
Rah tapped long fingers against the wood of my table. Yes, I would like to point that fact out. And yet I was a simple observer in this exchange.
”It has come to my clan's attention that you have recently allied yourselves with that group of failures,” Lord Rah said.
And I noticed he spat the word 'that' like it was some kind of nasty word.
”The Starfall clan,” Darah answered.
That's when it clicked in my head. Rah hated the leader of the Starfall clan, my senior Sense Knight, the Lord of Stars.
”Yes…” Lord Rah answered.
”If we're discussing allies,” Darah replied, ”Then I already know that you've allied yourselves with the Mighty Federation in the Northwest.”
”That alliance will benefit your clan as well should these negotiations prove fruitful,” Lord Rah answered.
”And here we come to the heart of the matter,” Darah smiled. ”You seek a grand alliance… one that might challenge the might of the Scarlet Moon in the north.”
Lord Rah nodded silently.
”Holy…” I stopped myself just as Rah's eyes glanced toward me.
Darah chuckled.