As soon as Salac left the hall, the weary magister turned and looked toward his colleagues and the couple of military commanders.
"So," he asked. "What do you think of his proposal?"
"I think," one of the magisters replied quickly, "that we should allow this. It is a good idea. And there are two reasons for my thoughts."
"First," he continued, "his ships have grain, and though as of now we do not really have a shortage of foodstuffs, more of it would always be welcome."
"Once Lord Aeos' ships reach our coast, he will definitely want to seize the city, and we cannot expect supplies from the outside for some time. It does not matter which merchant that grain belongs to, but it would be for the best if we boost our stocks before Lord Aeos' ships reach our coast."
"Secondly," he said, "Salac is an experienced seafarer, and so are his men. They are wonderful, and we can surely use some help from his twenty-three ships. It will give us a more advantageous position. His ships would provide us more mobility and maneuverability. "
"Also," he added, "the greatest point is that Salac is a man who hates Lord Aeos. He is someone we can bet upon not to betray us. And to find such men about whom we can say that they would never side with Lord Aeos is a very rare time in these times. His addition to our combined might will surely benefit us."
The magister turned toward the military commander and asked, "What do you think of my opinion?"
"I think I agree," the commander replied. "To have someone of the caliber of Salac would surely help us a lot."
The weary magister looked toward his other colleagues, and most of them nodded in agreement. Though a few of them also added their opinions, everyone was in agreement to allow Salac his two proposals.
"Very well," the weary magister said as he got up from his seat. "Inform Salac of our decision."
"Meanwhile," he added. "I will take a few hours of much needed sleep. Do not disturb me unless something very important comes up."
.
.
.
In the waters not far from Lys, twenty-one ships were huddled together in calm seas.
But the atmosphere on the decks of the ships was anything but calm. It was very intense. These were the very same ships for which Salac had asked permission to be allowed to dock at the port of Lys.
Salac had taken a contract from a merchant to fetch merchandise from the city of Pentos, but the ships had never reached Pentos. They had known that the time of war was approaching, and thus they had ditched that merchant's contract and remained close to the city of Lys itself.
Standing at the highest vantage point of all the ships was a middle-aged man. He was broad-shouldered, muscular, and had a powerful and bulky appearance. In the city of Lys, he was known as the second-in-command to Salac. In that story, this man, Moshan, was one of the men who had arrived with Salac from Meereen.
But originally, he had been one of the higher ranking officers in the Unsullied army of Lord Aeos and had arrived with Salac for a very important role in the city.
Standing on the deck of each of the ships were all the crew members. They were more than three hundred men in number. All these men were slaves whom Salac had, over a period of time, purchased and placed among his crew. But they were anything but slaves.
Salac and Moshan had bought slaves, specifically seeking out the most brutalized among them. These were the men who were the easiest to ignite.
Over time, Salac and Moshan groomed these men. Very slowly and carefully, they were indoctrinated. They were told about the greater purpose they had been bought to serve. Freedom was offered to them, but they had to continue wearing their collars as a facade.
All of this had been a very careful process. A single mishap and everything would have backfired. Every man was handpicked, and during the times when the truth of their mission was revealed, they were constantly watched. Failure had not been an option in this mission.
Then, these men had to train for only two things. The first was seafaring, and the second was fighting. In short, they were navy soldiers. They were a secret part of the navy of Lord Aeos' forces.
"Men," Moshan's powerful, loud voice boomed across the twenty-one ships. "The day we all have been waiting for so long has finally arrived. The day you all have trained for so many months is finally here. The day for which we have bled blood and sweat has finally arrived."
"The day when Lord Aeos' forces, his rule, and his laws crash against the shores of Lys has finally arrived!" he boomed. "The day he takes over the city has arrived."
"There are eight thousand men loaded in sixty-four ships coming toward Lys. There are seven thousand men led by General Sylvia waiting on the coast of the mainland. Together, these two combined are a powerful force," he said.
"But when the history is written, we will be the ones who are first to be mentioned and the first to be remembered!" he boomed, and adrenaline pumped through the bodies of the men. Their moment has finally arrived.
"Because we are the ones who are going to light the match of the revolution!" he roared. "We are the ones who will be responsible for delivering the greatest blow to the walls of the city of Lys."
"Our numbers are hardly remarkable," he thundered. "But we are going to make the greatest impact. We will strike the city, the evil magisters, and the proud slave owners from where they least expect it and at the time when they are least prepared!"
"Are you all with me?" he thundered, and a loud chorus erupted from the decks.
Moshan nodded, satisfied.
"So," he said, "as the first step of the battle, of the revolt, take the collars from your necks and tear them away!"
"From today, you do not need to pretend that you are slaves. You can proudly display that you are free. Men who have liberty. You all are officially in Lord Aeos' reign."
Another loud chorus erupted on the decks as collar after collar was snapped and thrown onto the wooden planks.
"The Monarch! The Monarch Lord Aeos!" This was the chant echoing across the sea.
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