Author:
Bob
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Date Posted: 06:49:51 09/04/02 Wed
Bob’s expression does not alter as Raistlin makes his offer, his stony gaze not giving an inch, meeting the strange eyes of the Shadow Lord, an old enemy and enigma to the young Prince. Though those eyes look older and cloudier than ever, the body weakened by all he has been through, the Shadow’s black heart has clearly lost none of its devious fervor, its cruel unpredictability. Out of the corner of his eye he notices B&C’s expression. Odd, I thought she would have been the first to approve. After all, she’s the one who had an affair with him. With a mental shrug he temporarily dismisses the matter, staring into the decrepit drake’s eyes long and hard. When he speaks his tone reveals nothing. “Well. An Alliance between Everdark and Dark, eh? But an Alliance is somehow so… formal. What about more of an agreement? I scratch your back, you scratch mine, style of thing?” The canny young purple drake would be a true fool to trust the self-ordained master of deception; Everdark and Raistlin both serve their own needs first and foremost.
Turning to his brother a soft smile cracks the hardening of his features, but he says nothing. Tarquin, you’re cleverer than everyone thinks you are. I know you won’t be brainwashed by him. Allowing the dracling to take the first steps onto his own path unhindered, the elder brother’s eyes narrow as Dark Tiger speaks.
His voice turns dry. “Dark Tiger, your rhetoric is inspiring indeed but to write in stone one needs a chisel. The Darks at present are little more than a crude mallet, if even that. Learning from our mistakes? Why, of course! The veterans of past wars would teach youngsters what we did right and what we did wrong. We are not seeking war yet. We are seeking a new system that will allow us to win the war, when it happens. And by win I don’t mean merely Light casualties, Light rulers murdered. I mean the end of Lights, full stop. And clearly that can’t be achieved by our present blithe methods. We’ve got the brawn and the numbers. Now we need a system that will make the best conceivable use of them.”
The eldest Prince’s eyes are aflame again. “Now, at this turning point, is where we decide the future. Do we continue to fight futile wars, or do we prepare properly, learn, study, spy and train…. And then destroy the Lights finally, when they least expect it? Those in favor of restructuring territories into warpacks… those in favor of my plan… say aye. Those against, say nay. Those who think my plan is a start, but have more to contribute, do so!”
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