Chapter 2 - A Call to Assembly

"You saw WHAT, Gregorex?!"

With those words, Samek leaped out of his chair, his head nearly smashing into the ceiling of his humble hovel in the middle of Cliffton.  And when his stocky frame came back to earth, the dirt floor seemed to tremble.  What Samek lacked in height, he made up for in thickness.  Samek's feet kicked up dust into the air as he began to pace around the house.

"I saw a band of men--or more likely, slaves--building a roadway through the forest," reported Gregorex to his master.  "They are not close--it took Spartacus and I about 4 hours to make it back.  But clearly, someone is on the move."

Samek scratched his scraggly hair as he continued to pace around the inside of his home.  Samek was the chief of the village of Cliffton, which lay on southern fringe of the Kingdom of Aberdeen.  Samek and his servant Gregorex had been sent to this village by King Maximilian himself, shortly after his return to the throne four years ago.  Yet despite their exalted positions and  friendship with the king, Samek and Gregorex lived a humble existence, dwelling in a simple one-room home in the midst of the village.  A table, two chairs, and a couple of straw beds made up the furniture in the home.  It didn't take Samek long to take a lap around the inside of the house, and Gregorex grew dizzy trying to follow his visibly disturbed master.

A few moments of awkward silence followed, as Gregorex stood in the middle of the room, encircled by Samek.  Gregorex cleared his throat in an attempt to break the silence.  Finally, Samek asked, "Who do you think it was?" 

"I'm not sure, though I did manage to grab this arrow that they shot at me.  Here, take a..."

"YOU WERE SEEN??!!" demanded Samek, who again flew through the air at this disturbing revelation.

"Yes, I was seen!" retorted Gregorex.  "Hey, I suppose it didn't occur to you to ask, 'Are you okay?  Did the arrow hit you?'  I almost became a human pincushion, and yet all you care about is that I was seen!"

Samek paused from his pacing and turned toward Gregorex.  More soberly, he said, "Yes, of course, Gregorex.  You are right.  If there was a group of men in the forest, they certainly would have had an advanced scouting party."  Then, reaching toward Gregorex, he said, "Let me take a look at that."  

Gregorex handed him the arrow.  A few more quiet moments ensued as Samek carefully examined the shaft.  He nimbly rotated it through his large fingers, his eyes studying every detail, then closing in apparent meditation.  Then, passing it back to Gregorex, his deep, penetrating voice broke the silence.

"Gregorex, you know why we were sent here.  Our village is all that guards the southern flank of the kingdom.  If an army were to penetrate through these woods, ascend the Ragged Mountains, and march through Freedom Pass, then they would have a direct line to the castle.  That is what we were sent to prevent at all costs."  After a dramatic pause, Samek continued, "Gregorex, our hour has come.  It is time to act."

"I don't get it," replied Gregorex.  He always grew annoyed when Samek introduced his dramatic pauses.  Gregorex was not the theatrical type.  "All right, so some band of bums is clearing a road.  I don't like it, and you don't like it.  But what makes you think they pose a danger to us?"

"Look at this inscription," Samek replied, handing back the arrow.

Gregorex scrutinized the shaft.  He soon found the writing, very carefully inscribed in the arrow. "I see.  It says, 'Supremacy - Dominion - Partnership.'  What in the world is that supposed to mean?"

"DON'T YOU SEE?" Samek bellowed.  His impetuous nature had earned him the moniker "Sudden Samek", and Gregorex had learned to weather his impatience.  Without waiting for Gregorex to respond, Samek continued.  "This is code language.  The 'S' is clearly for Slumbutter, and the 'D' is for Dor-ko.  The word 'Partnership' represents their alliance.  Those two ne'er-do-wells, despite being banished to the western wastelands four years ago, have re-grouped.  They are marshaling their forces and they are preparing another assault.  Wretches!  Troublemakers!  Their thirst for power and conquest is insatiable.  Someone once said, 'It is hard to kick against the goads.'  Well, my friend, Slumbutter and Dor-ko are preparing to kick once again.  Our job is to make it hard!  To crush their feet!  To send them back to the miserable holes from which they crawled!"  Samek punctuated his exclamation by pumping his considerable fist into the air.

Gregorex pondered this a minute.  Then he replied, "That sounds great, Samek.  But our village is pretty small.  And you might be strong and everything, but I don't think that you are singlehandedly going to repulse any kind of attack.  I don't care how big your biceps are.  We're going to need some help."

"Yes, of course," said Samek, overlooking Gregorex' mild insolence as he sat down and rested from his pacing.  His face, which had grown bright red as he pondered the impending assault by Slumbutter and Dor-ko, returned to its natural color (which was still fairly red).  Then, at the top of his lungs, he barked out, "Hey Pilch!"

"Yes, sire!" came a voice from outside.  A short, slender man with a high, raspy voice came scurrying into Samek's hut.  "What can a do for you, sire?"

Pilch was the village clerk.  He had also been sent by the king to work alongside Samek and Gregorex.  While Gregorex had been appointed to patrol the southern forest, Pilch had been appointed to help Samek administer the affairs of the village.  Gregorex was the outdoorsman; Pilch was much more of an indoorsman.

"We need to blow the horn of assembly, Pilch," directed Samek.

"Er, sire, uh...we've never blown the horn of assembly before," said Pilch.  He obviously was uncomfortable with the command.

"That because we've never needed an assembly before, Pilch!" retorted Samek.  He reached up on the mantle over the fireplace and grabbed the rusty old horn, mumbling under his breath.  Handing it to Pilch, he again demanded, "Now blow it!"

"But sire...uh, do you mean now?"

"NO, I MEAN TEN YEARS FROM NOW!"  The force of the outburst nearly sent Pilch sprawling on the ground.  "WHEN HAVE I EVER ASKED YOU TO DO ANYTHING AND NOT WANTED IT DONE AT THAT VERY MOMENT--OR BEFORE?!"  Samek then reached and grabbed the horn back from Pilch.  "Hey, I'll blow it," he declared.

"But sire, you are not authorized to blow the horn of assembly!" Pilch protested.

"Authorized shmautherized," Samek replied.  He put the horn to his lips and blew.  Nothing happened.  He blew harder.  Spittle scattered around the room, dousing Pilch and Gregorex, and Samek's face again grew red.  But not a sound was emitted.  Samek tossed the horn back to Pilch.  "All right, fine," he declared.  "You blow it."

Pilch grabbed the horn and blew.  A shrill, piercing blast penetrated the silence.  It was followed by an audible bustling throughout the village.  An assembly had been called.  Samek, his face set like a flint, marched out of the house.  The eyes of the village were upon him.