Lith saw through Solus’ eyes how the Undead Courts’ representative had politely rubbed in the senate’s face how desperate the situation of the underground city of Zelex was and how much they needed the Courts’ help for survival.
“My people have upheld our side of the bargain.” Now that Lith was caught up with what had happened since Solus had reached the city, he could now follow the debate as well. “We have given you resources and scouted the cities of the Kingdom for you.
“Without our help, you would have never learned where the major reserves of food were located and how the Kingdom’s troops were deployed in the various cities. If not for our intelligence, you would have been forced to spread your forces thin and would have never gathered so many resources.”
The undead pointed at a pile of dimensional amulets that grew in size as the raid teams returned. Lith noticed that Eryon was there as well, lined against a side wall with the rest of the squad leaders.
The expression on the Fomor’s face changed faster than a Hati’s body, switching from pride to fear and then from joy into sadness. He stood with his arm crossed, his fingers drumming his forearms while his feet tapped the ground with impatience.
“All we ask in return is a few Harmonizers. That was the deal that we struck with god Glemos and we expect that his proud children will keep his word. I can assure you that your gains will soon outweigh the loss of a few artifacts.
“Unlike you, the Courts have access to the best Forgemasters in Mogar’s history, both ancient and contemporary. As soon as they manage to crack the cloaking device, we’ll mass produce the Harmonizers and everyone will be better for it.
“Our future will be bright, with our respective communities finally free to walk in the sunlight. But it’s a future that won’t come to pass unless we work together.” The representative of the Undead Courts looked like a man in his mid-twenties, but he was likely to be a few centuries old.
He had blonde hair and chestnut eyes, and wore tailor-made noble clothes of the latest fashion. Judging by his blood core and aura, he hadn’t been chosen for the task for his strength but for his eloquence and diplomacy.
Every time he talked about the hardships that the children of Glemos suffered, his voice almost teared up. When he looked around the room, his face was full of compassion and empathy.
Every word that came out of his mouth sounded like the reasonable advice of a trustworthy friend.
“I would definitely like to work together with the Undead Courts, Elder Urma.” The King steepled his ever-changing fingers, the corners of his muzzle twitching in what was as likely to be a smile as a sign of annoyance.
“My problem is that trust goes both ways. True, your Courts have done much for my people, but only because we have leverage. If we die, the Harmonizers die with us. You have every reason to help us, but only until you get what you want.
“If we give you the Harmonizers now, we’ll lose good people, the evolution rate of our species will drop, and nothing would stop you from turning your back on us.”
“That’s not true.” Urma grimaced as if those words had physically hurt him and shook his head. “You have our word and if that’s not enough, we are willing to pay you upfront with food and even give you our Elders as hostages.”
“Food that sooner or later would run out and Elders that might have just become a bother to your Courts.” The eyes of the Hati flashed with the collective brainpower of his subjects.
“You would trade something you don’t need and someone you want dead in exchange for a priceless treasure. I’m sorry, Elder Urma, but I have to refuse your offer again. This is the only way the fates of the children of Glemos and the Undead Courts will be truly bound together.
“Any alternative would set you free from our bargain and leave my people at your mercy.”
“Are you calling off our deal?” The representative stiffened, his voice colder but still respectful.
“That would make us enemies and we both have invested too much in this project to allow it to fail.” The King curled his lips, revealing a row of clenched sharp fangs that could be a smile or a threat.
“I only ask the Courts to agree to a few conditions that will ensure we both get what we want. First, you’ll help us reach the site of our new haven. Then, you’ll provide us with the resources needed to restore our numbers after the cull and set a new defensive array field.
“Once the children of Glemos will have regained the strength to defend themselves from the enemies outside and inside our borders…” His eyes pierced at the undead, hinting how he considered the Courts among the latter.
“We’ll give you the Harmonizers. You have my word. Take it or leave it.”
“But-”
“How am I supposed to take your word at face value if you disregard mine?” The King cut Urma short. “I swear upon the name of Glemos. If that’s not enough for you, there’s no point continuing the negotiations.”
“You drive a hard bargain, my King.” The undead gave the Hati a deep bow while wearing a friendly smile on his face. “I can already assure you of our cooperation, but I’d like to contact my superiors, just to be safe.”
“Thank you for your understanding, Elder Urma.” The orc shaman stood up, giving the undead a polite bow while the King remained seated. “Escort our honored guest outside and make sure that nothing happens to him.”
It was a polite way to say: “We don’t trust you with letting you know the way out or leaving you unchecked” but Urma feigned ignorance and thanked his hosts profusely.
The members of the senate remained silent until their guest was escorted out of the room and the Hush zone restored upon the closing of the doors.
“Are we really going to give our precious Harmonizers to those bloodsuckers?” The Fomor representative stood up in outrage, slamming his hands on the table.
The Balor behind him nodded, and loud grumblings of approval rose from the spectators’ seats.
“Yes.” One word from the King and the room fell silent again. “We have no choice.”
“We do have a choice!” The orc representative stood up as well, hating having to agree with a Balor.
No matter how much time the two species spent together, Balors were too similar to the demons of old who had caused the orcs to fall. Balors, on the other hand, considered orcs greedy imbeciles who’d rather point fingers than own their mistakes.
The mutual distrust was one of the reasons the Hati had become King since neither of them trusted the other to not sacrifice them at the first opportunity they got.
“We just give them nothing and keep leading them by the nose. We already have only a handful of Harmonizers left. Any less and even once we’ve moved to the new haven, there will be no way to stop the culls!”
