Glade 29, Year 120
"Who will I be serving?" he asked. The woman turned, soaking the small towelette within the basin, before stepping back towards Taelian and applying the moist cloth to his forehead.
"Adelguth Iulide," she said. "Hideous name. I can't stand the Atinorin names -- some of them have a sort of... repressed beauty but others..."
"Glargabog Torbrundug," Taelian facetiously named. Eloise lightly laughed, nodding her head in agreement.
"The Queen's name is actually very nice. Luteria Ruthesee-Sil. She's a half-ling like me, but not Hytori; a Sil. Were you aware of that fact? I suppose it must refresh you to know that the ruler of one of the world's premier nation bears the blood of your own."
"Depends," he replied. "Does she actually use it to benefit our people? Considering I've never really heard of her until now... probably not."
"No," Eloise replied. "Probably not. You'll be near her, though, in Loregard. If you're dissatisfied with her job? Replace her. That's the power of mages like us -- the truly strong ones. We're Kingmakers. It's why they fear us; we have the power to upset the balance. This Finla of Loregard... Adelguth, you will be beneath him, but with the right steps you may issue commands above. He's a soldier, he's always been one." She emphasized this as a point, clutching her hands together before her thighs. The woman softly exhaled.
"Atinaw is similar to Daravin in that they respect strength more than administrative skill, more than stability. It's why Daravin is such a mess, as it currently stands -- the Empire has vast resources, a mass of fertile lands and an excellent strategic position to sweep across the rest of the world. It has mountains defending nearly the entire western and southern length, the Nametaker's Tides protecting the east, and a volatile and fractured Lorien to the north. Realistically, Daravin should have swept over Auris and Dalquia by now. And Atinaw, the same; I suppose they enjoy their bunker against their eastern Imperial foe, but the western one only continues to grow to outshine them. Before long, the Gelerian Imperium's technological advancements will make them rise to dominate Ailizane. Atinaw has no chance but to fail. Unless they expand their power."
Taelian bit his lower lip. Geopolitical power politics had always interested him to some degree, though he wondered of the legitimacy of Eloise's assertive claims. She was no augur; many things could happen that could, for example, force the Imperium into decline.
"I want Atinaw to succeed," she said. "Unlike other Empires, they do not use their power to subjugate or oppress. They do not discriminate against us Elves, or mages; they do not live in constant fear. While I cast scorn onto the brutish nature of this nation, I also revere it for its human simplicity. Taelian -- you must understand, the Covenant as an organization seeks to expand the toleration of mages across the world. We cannot afford to let lands like Atinaw fall to places that despise us -- that would see us thrown from the gallows at the end of a rope, tightly clutching our necks. We must fight the tide of change, and we do so from within."
He frowned. "How?"
"By gaining power ourselves. Taelian -- eventually we must dictate from above to below, not the other way around. I wish to gain power in Atinaw. And truth be told, I believe that we can."
