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[I]Here we go, Chapter 11 all finished. I'm starting chapter 12 and I hope to have it up soon providing the time to write it. Enjoy:)

Meg[/I]

Chapter 11

When Allarick returned to the council chambers it was to find the room in chaos. The three lords, whom he had left to better prepare their cases, were now arguing over who had the rights to the tract of land amongst themselves, and they were coming close to physical violence. All Allarick could do for a moment is watch the scene before him. The people of his city who had problems to bring before him were looking on in awe at the show the men were providing. They had never been privy to any of the bi-yearly meetings of the lords, and because of this they had never been witness to anything less than regal behavior. To see three of their world’s leaders arguing, like a bunch of hot headed youths, was comical, and, seeing the laboror’s expressing turning to amusement, Allarick put a halt to the argument.

“Enough,” His raised voice echoed throughout the chamber, “I will listen to no more of this senseless bickering. There is a change in the schedule for the rest of the proceedings today. Since the three of you seem determined to argue and offer no substantial claim to the plot of land I will make my judgement now rather than hearing any further argument. It is to be shared by all of you. The land will not be equally divided, but instead you will all have to find a way to work together. You will have to work with the others in order to reap any crop from the land, and all of the profits will be shared equally just as the work will be divided as an equal burden between the three of you.”

At his pronouncement, all three lords stopped a gaped. They had been so focused on arguing over who would be given acessfor the fertile ground, they had missed the look of impatience and anger on their Syine’s face when he entered the chamber. The short balding lord was the first to move. He threw his hands up and stalked from the chamber in temper. The other two watched his departure with twin expressions of bewilderment. The younger of the lords spoke.

“Syine, I humbly ask that you reconsider your edict. I have with me a man who will testify that my father’s father did indeed hold the title to the land and work it.”

“I’ll not change my judgement Phelon,” Allarick replied with a frown, “I returned to listen to rational discussion over the ownership of the land, but instead I find my lords squabling like children in my council room. My judgement stands, and I will give the three of you until four days from now to present me with an agreement about how the land is to be used. If I am dissatisfied with the plan, then the land will revert into my possesion. I also wish to add that you are to inform Damick of the additions to my ruling when his upset has calmed. I’ll tolerate no further argument on the subject. Will you please present me with the next case I am to hear.”

Phelon was barely able to mask his anger at the Syine’s ruling. His green eyes were spitting emerald fire as he turned away from his ruler. He was the lord of a vast expanse of land three days frde from the Syine’s palace. His father had served the previous Syine loyally for many years, and because of this he believed that he was entitled to better treatment from Allarick. Phelon turned on his heal and stormed from the council chamber before he could give the Syine reason to grant the land to another lord.

When he reached his own chamber, Phelon let loose of his temper and began to break the valuble glassware that was set throughout the room. The first thing to be broken was a pretty golden vessel that was being used to hold flowers from the garden. The next was the eartheware bowl that held water for washing his hands and face. Shards of the destroyed items scattered across the room, and still he was not satisfied. His need for violence was spent, but a cold rage had settled upon him. He vowed that he would find a way to make the arrogant Syine pay for the slight he had been given. All he had to do was determine how he could harm someone of the Syine’s station. He had to find something that mattered to Allarick, and then he would take pleasure in using it to bring the haughty Syine to his knees.

“I thought that you were to spend the afternoon in council,” a waspish voice asked from the dressing area in the chamber. The owner of the voice emerged, and it was with a smile that was more of a grimace that Phelon greeted his mate, Lianna. Lianna was a lovely woman with shortly cropped scarlet curls, emerald eyes, and clear skin the color of parchment. She had the type of body that most women envied. She was petite and slender, but she was also appropriatly proportioned. Often it seemed that shorter women were either too short in the body or legs, but Lianna was like a perfect minature doll. Theirs was not a love match, but they dealt well enough together. Phelon found her gossiping and vicious tendancies useful in many of his intrigues, and Lianna enjoyed wealth and power as the mate to one of the better endowed lords.

“The Syine has already ruled. We are not to be grated sole rights to the land, and instead he has given it to all three of us to share equally. We are to have a concise plan for how the work and profits are to be divided equally to present to the Syine in a matter of days.” As he spoke, Phelon showed his disgust with this decision through the sneer on his face, “How dare he insult my family this way. My father served the previous Syine for much of the time that he ruled, and now we are to be treated as if we are no more important than the weakest of lords. I want you to listen closely at the meal tonight. I have plans for our Syine, and I need you to provide me with information that could be used to cause him harm. I think it is time that a new Syine is chosen, and I am just the man for the job,” this last was said as the idea occurred. That was a sure way to cause as much damage as possible. After all, in order to pull the Syine from power he would have to bring about his death. The position of ruler was only passed on through the death of the current ruler, and Phelon had just decided that Allarick’s time as Syine was going to be of a limited duration.