A Story Of River Read Free Page B

gems. Naturally, he would still need
farmers and bakers to provide food for the workers. It was not his desire to
kill his own subjects. No, it would be much easier to kill citizens of the
nearby kingdom of Na’zora. They were numerous and had provided him with several
quality souls for binding.
    Finally the ships made it to shore, and
the soldiers began to disembark. Master Ulda turned to look at General Fru. “I
trust you have assignments ready for these troops?”
    General Fru replied, “Yes, your majesty.
The plans are all in hand. Every inch of Al’marr will now be under watch by our
troops. We should have extra to tend the mines and prevent any theft or halt of
work.”
    “Excellent,” Ulda replied. “Make sure they
are aware that anyone caught stealing from me will face most dire consequences.
I will deal with them personally.”
    “Yes, my lord.” General Fru bowed and
strode forward to meet his lieutenants.
    Ulda turned and headed back up the slopes
to his palace. It was small but suitable as a home for now. After he had
secured his place as absolute sovereign, he would begin work on a much more
lavish home. By that time, he would be able to control the will of every subject
in his realm.
    He approached the palace doors as his
servants rushed to open them. They bowed low as he walked through. First
Minister Tu’vad was waiting for him in his throne room. Tu’vad had been an
invaluable ally in Ulda’s seizure of the throne. As First Minister to the
former king, he had provided nearly every bit of information necessary for the
murder of the royal family. He had personally opened the doors for Ulda’s
assassin. When the king’s youngest daughter had tried to run, it was Tu’vad himself
who grabbed her and snapped her neck.
    “Majesty,” Tu’vad said, bowing.
    “Ah, Tu’vad,” Ulda began “The rest of our
army has arrived, and soon every corner of the kingdom will be fully under our
control. I’m putting you in charge of the mines. They are of the utmost
importance to me, so naturally I need someone in there I can trust. Make sure
you install supervisors who are trustworthy as well. I cannot afford to lose a
single gem. Ensure the largest gems are brought to the palace immediately. Have
you taken care of the jewelers for me?”
    “Yes, Majesty,” Tu’vad replied. “Every
jeweler in Al’marr has been brought to the palace, and a workshop has been set
up on the lower floors. They are at your service, my king.”
    “You have done well again, Tu’vad. I shall
not forget it. Do we have any new prisoners?”
    “Today has been surprisingly quiet. I
suspect word has gotten out of what happens to those who disobey their new
king. Once the new troops are in place, I doubt you will have any trouble from
the outlying villages for very long.”
    “We can always keep a few prisoners on
hand, though.” Ulda shook a finger at Tu’vad as he spoke. “You never know when
we will need to use them.”
    Tu’vad nodded. “I’m sure there will be
some petty thievery once the mines are running at full capacity. Even knowing
the punishment, some people are always tempted to break the law.”
    “Very good. I don’t want to run low on
specimens.” Ulda sat upon his stolen throne. If only those elves who were so
keen to reject him could see him now. The ideas which caused him to be reviled
by his peers in Ral'nassa were all coming into fruition now. He had managed all
this with only a small group of soldiers and a few purses full of gold.
    Humans were certainly much easier to
conquer than elves. Had he tried to stage a coup in Ral’nassa, he would have
had countless sorcerers to deal with. Surely some of them would have come to
his side. Limitless power would be a very attractive reward for a sorcerer, but
given the so-called morals of the royal council and the general dislike of dark
wizardry, Ulda was sure to fail.
    Here in Al’marr he had succeeded. Men are
weak and their souls easily corrupted. They are