Smoke rose from tall chimneys of brick into the sky, mixing there with vapors that had floated up from the River Yenehir. The two clouds, one gritty and dark, the other white and yielding strove together, the one taking the other into itself and churning violently before descending again on the town. It swirled around the two hills that flanked like guards the place where the Yenehir was met by the Demhir River, opposite which steam launches and barges, belching their own smoke, fought for a place on the docks. The Palace and Temple stood atop these hills, the Temple’s massive, black-marbled, cylindrical bulk shielding the Palace from the smog, and absorbing the dark coloring into itself. The Palace, though shorter than the Temple, gave the impression of a greater height, its spires and buttresses contrasting with the Temple’s round, squat, solid bulk.
Inside the Palace, Musa, the Sihirbaz or High Priest, stood next to Serkan, the Beklarbek, who ran the government in the name of the Khagan. The two men looked not at each other, but at the single polished oaken door leading to the Khagan’s study. Serkan thought of Musa and his frequent visits to the Palace. He had been insinuating himself into Palace life with greater success than any Sihirbaz had done since the days before the Empire and the assimilation of the worship of Melkor into the state. In the old days that meant the subordination of the Priesthood to the Palace, but Aytac had come to rely more and more on his advice. The door opened, and the men walked through, Serkan silently insisting on his right to enter first.
The two men removed their headgear in the presence of the Khagan, Serkan holding his cloth cap in one hand with a light grip, the Sihirbaz cradling his high-swooping iron helmet-mask in both arms in front of his chest, as he might a child. Next to the Khagan, they could see Eda Sari, Nazir of Tongues, standing behind the sitting Khagan. Serkan’s eyes flashed briefly over at the Sihirbaz, and he could see the man gripping his helmet so tightly that the blood seemed to drain from his hands. Serkan knew part of the reason for his excitement. The Nazir of Tongues was a creature of the High Priest, doing his bidding in the Palace even though he was supposedly subordinate to the Divan over which Serkan presided. Serkan had attempted to excise him for some time, but had always come up against the Khagan’s disapproval and the fact that Sari had made himself indispensible to Bolu’s foreign policy. It was he who had brokered the first treaty with the Haradrim, then made it unthinkable to gain positive relations with any other power, and then finally restricted access to Haradric diplomats ever further so that he was the only one who could maintain ties with Bolu’s main ally and trading partner. And then he spoke.
“My lords,” he began, deliberately failing to hide his smile completely, “One of you, at least, know why I requested your presence, and has foreseen this day for many years.” That would be the High Priest, Serkan knew. Nobody else was permitted to prophesy, or to claim such gifts.
“They have done it then?” asked the Priest, not even trying to hide his smile.
“Yes, Your Omniscience,” confirmed Sari, and proceeded to read aloud copies of the notes between Myroria and Harad, cabled to Yenikent that morning. “I know not the circumstances surrounding these notes, but our own course of action is clear.”
“You dance around the subject, Nazir, and around your masters’ speech”, admonished Serkan, asserting his presence and his authority. “You speak as though war is our only option.”
“We said we would fight,” bristled Sari, insulted that Serkan would disparage his handiwork of several years.
“Is that your only reason? The Strong of this world need not keep their promises to the Weak. By their discovery, and by the fact that they needed to resort to such duplicity at all, the Haradrim have proven themselves unworthy of the favors of Melkor, and their Emperor is not the Prince of prophecy.”
“I shall be the judge of that!” shouted the High Priest, “and do not think, my lord, that you have the authority to make judgments of that kind.”
“I am merely applying your own criteria,” Serkan replied, remaining calm and projecting self-assurance.
“Serkan, I am glad you appreciate the gravity of this decision,” said the Khagan, speaking for the first time, his own self-assurance neither gratuitous nor faked. “However, would we not simply broadcast our own weakness to the world if we turned from this fight? If we are to win the favors of Melkor, we must face enemy after enemy and bring the world itself to heel. Thank you all for your input, but I have decided. We will fight this war. Serkan, I need you to give the mobilization order, Sari, you will meet with the Haradric envoys and decide upon a strategy, and Musa, you shall conduct the appropriate rites to prepare the people internally and ensure order. Go”
Serkan felt as though he had been slapped in the face. The Khagan, he realized, had made up his mind before he had entered the door, and determined to use him to deliver messages before he had spoken. He left the room scowling, the other men remaining behind to discuss their own obligations further.
An Edict of the Khagan
November 11, 1898
The Four Imperial Guard Divisions in Mucatsehir are to entrain and make ready for transport.
The Imperial Guard Division in Basmelek is to attach itself to the North-Eastern Front and subordinate itself to its commands, such commands to be overridden only by order of the Khagan.
The Commanders of the North-Eastern, Northern, South-Eastern, and Western Fronts are to mobilize their standing forces, entrain, and make ready for transport.
The Beys of Beyliks Mucatsehir, Basmelek, Yenikent, Ust Yenikent, Courskent, Celik, Zarafet, Tepelik, Sankaterin, Hacibey, Akcagaac, Katsehir, Yenisibrinya, Kirmiznehir, and Batefendisi are to enact a general mobilization of all males over eighteen years and under twenty-five years, to form units, and to subordinate these units to whichever Front has jurisdiction over their Beyliks. They are, further, to prepare the Imperial subjects under their watch for this test of Strength.
Deserters, saboteurs, and draft-evaders shall face the Trials. The Khaganate is in a state of siege.
The chiefs of all coal-extraction, shipping, steel, chemical, rail, and armaments companies shall meet with the Nazir for Armaments on a twice-weekly basis beginning November 14, 1898 in order to coordinate this Great Armament.
For Life!
Beklarbek Serkan, in the name of the Khagan
To: Foreign Minister of Myroria, or Recipient
CC: Foreign Minister of Eluvatar, or Recipient
By your actions against the Haradrim Empire, by our treaty with that Empire, and by the strength of arms and of will which sustains us through this world, the All-Bolu Khaganate declares as state of war against the Royal Confederacy of Eluvatar and the Empire of All Houses of Myroria.
May Melkor despise the souls of the Weak.
Nazir of Tongues Eda Sari, in the name of the Khagan
