by Erik A Otto
Paulo answered, “A Jawhari is my source for the information from Jawhar. In fact, I have brought him with me here to Spoons. He represents one of the key anti-Cenaran factions in Jawhar and has helped the princess Hella of Pomeria escape. As I’m sure some of you suspected, she isn’t a traitor to the Belidorans but rather the victim of treasonous behavior by pro-Cenaran factions in Jawhar. She could confirm much of what I said. I have also met a man who worked in the Great Library in the Old Keep. He learned much of what I have told you in a Sambayan prison. Lastly, I have traveled with Thelonian soldiers who have seen the scourges of the Cenarans in Sambai.”
The council seemed overwhelmed by the amount of detail. Paulo knew it was best not to dwell here. He didn’t want to diverge from the thrust of his plea, and questions would lead to even more questions. So quickly, before the frowns turned into inquiries, he forged on.
“If I can, I would ask that we address any more questions about my sources later. What I will say next is of utmost importance. We left at the question of why the Old Keep is so important, and why the Cenarans taking it would be disastrous for us. Let me explain further, because I haven’t yet provided you the reason that their taking of the Old Keep concerns me most.
“I have learned that in the Great Library there is a bone mouth door, similar to what we often see in silverstone ruins. As you know, we have never been able to get behind those doors. Well, I’ve heard from one witness who has seen what lay behind those doors at a silverstone mine in Sambai. He watched as the Cenarans tamed a mighty flesh-sucking beast that came from it. I have reason to believe that there are other great beasts with heads like mauls that can ravage fortifications. Furthermore, from behind those doors come the gargoyles, who I believe can also be tamed. Importantly, the Great Library contains not only one of these bone doors, but maps to all bone mouth door locations in the realm. It also contains ancient texts in the Forefather language that could be translated, and that would hold important secrets about the physical world.
“This is why if the Cenarans take the Old Keep and the Great Library, they will not only gain access to more beasts of war in that location, but over all the lands. They will be able to take advantage of arcane secrets lost since the days of the Shepherd. Their power will be all-encompassing, and they will not stop with the Belidorans or the Jawhari. I believe they will cleanse us as well, with or without contracts and waivers.”
Paulo paused. He was proud of the oratory, but he had to admit, the council looked flummoxed. Nevena was the only one who wasn’t frowning. Instead, she had a sad look on her face and was shaking her head. Meanwhile Waltham surveyed his colleagues, polling the confusion in their eyes.
Paulo kept on. “So what should we do about this? We need to expose the conspiracy so the southern nations can prepare some kind of defense. Otherwise, with the Belidorans so wrought with conspirators, they might simply give away the Old Keep. If we help reveal the conspiracy, word can spread, the Cenarans will at least be encumbered at the Old Keep, and other resistance will have time to mount. We can ensure the Cenarans are waylaid for months or years while the Belidorans resist them, rather than allowing the wholesale slaughter of the Belidorans in a short period of time.”
Some of the councilor’s eyes were wide with apprehension. Paulo knew his proposal might have this effect, but he had no choice.
Waltham interjected, “That is a bold measure, Paulo, and as you know, it is against our doctrine. We cannot interfere in the affairs of the other nations.” Waltham scanned the councilors. The others were still grappling with the long speech, but nodded at Waltham’s objection. “And this is a lot to consume, Paulo, I’m sure you understand. I suggest we take time to absorb it, contemplate any questions, and then come back tomorrow to determine action.”
“I’m happy to answer questions now. Every day counts, and I would rather not lose any.”
Waltham’s face hardened. He said sternly, “Paulo, we Fringe must take measured action to survive, so we will take a day to measure. I hope you understand.”
“Of course, Waltham,” Paulo demurred, knowing he was pushing his luck. “Thank you.”
“Then we must move on to other matters,” Waltham said. “Scribe, what’s next?”
Paulo sat through the rest of the council meeting, but there was little of any substance. He spent most of his time internally replaying in his mind what he’d said and what he saw of the reactions of the council members. It wasn’t a failure, but it didn’t go as he’d hoped either. The other council members weren’t fully engaged in the rest of the proceedings. Some of them looked his way with curious glances, their minds undoubtedly ruminating on his speech. Waltham often whispered to Nevena through the course of the meeting, leaning to her for counsel.
If there was anything he could divine from their reactions, that one exchange, at least, left him feeling less than certain about the outcome of his plea.
Chapter 6
The Commander
When Aisha was sixteen her parents had thrown a lavish party. They wanted to celebrate a surplus in the treasuries after they had sold off a sizeable swath of Albondo blue oak. Not that the good King and Queen needed any kind of excuse.
They spared no expense, and invited people from across all Belidoran lands. Afterward the palace grounds were so trampled and roughshod from parading horses and carriages that they took years to properly regrow. She also remembered there were just as many drunken dignitaries in every corner of the palace as there were slimy merchants and creepy minstrels.
Her most vivid memory from the festivities was the Royal Ball. It was only a year after she’d lost her leg. Her parents had carefully lined up young nobles from Belidor and Thelonia to have a chance to ask similar young Pomerians to dance. Of course Hella, Petra and Landon were chosen first. Then many of the noble Pomerian youth started to go, one by one, while Aisha sat alone at the royal table. No one wanted to dance with the peg-legged woman. It had been uncomfortable, but she understood. She could accept it.
Then she was “saved” by her father. He made a show of jumping in line and asking her to dance, a dance that ended up being an awkwardly timid shuffle lasting less than a minute. This only aggravated her more. She would have rather danced with the palace rats than with her father in some humiliating act of charity. She didn’t need to be the belle of the ball, nor did she care about saving face. She just wanted to dance with someone that actually wanted to dance with her.
Now, with her new appointments, and with the Queen’s keen interest, it was like they wanted her to be the belle of the ball again, even though she never wanted to be. And there weren’t many people that wanted to dance with her.
It was a steep learning curve, but in less than four days, Aisha had managed to receive her appointments, meet her new subordinates, arrange a replacement treasurer, and plan the logistics for a sortie of no less than one thousand men.
She had left her shy squire Loren in charge of the finances. Loren wasn’t the brightest or the most qualified, but Aisha trusted her, which was probably the most important criteria, given the situation. Mother had agreed to hold Loren’s hand on anything significant, even though Aisha doubted she would. The queen hated getting her hands dirty.
People paid little attention to Loren’s appointment, but some of Aisha’s other appointments to the Royal Guard surely raised eyebrows. She promoted three new colonels to her defense council, made Gwyneth her Head of Horse and Tandem her personal guard, for no other reason than because she trusted them. This surely caused some bitterness and resentment for those who might have worked for years in aspiration of those posts. It was something she would have to manage.
She could tell that the older admirals, or the “bushy brows” as Hella liked to call them, were particularly resentful of the new developments. Aisha couldn’t blame them. Why did a spoiled young accountant with little military experience deserve to be High Commander?
And so in the days before the regiment actually set out, sh
e longed to forego the assignment and retreat to her ledger. Her stump ached from hobbling to every corner of the palace, and so many uncertainties plagued her.
When the journey had begun, however, she started to feel less ill at ease. Riding calmed her and cleared her head. Moreover, while riding a horse, her stump could be given a reprieve. Many would find a week-long ride uncomfortable, but for Aisha it was relaxing.
The Pomerian countryside helped as well. It was covered with verdant foliage and well-kept homesteads, many that were hundreds of years old and steeped in history. Her advisers had explained that much of Belidor had to be rebuilt again and again because it had been ravaged countless times by marauding Jawhari, whereas Pomeria had never been properly invaded except for a few minor incursions over the Deep Well land bridge, when it existed. As a result Pomeria maintained a certain level of history and culture that Belidor had lost.
The countryside wasn’t fully devoid of blights, however. They crossed the path of two pairs of Fringe who were heading north. These would have come from Low Plains, which meant they had crossed Valdera. Aisha didn’t want the regiment to have any exposure, so her troops ground to a halt to give these Fringe a wide enough berth. Even though they didn’t look diseased, it was better to be prudent.
More curious was the gaping hole in the earth they discovered on the north road near the Belidoran border. Her scouts took her to a foul-smelling place where a viscous surface rimmed a dark pit. Here there were two great folds of red fleshy grime that had flowered and split open to create a giant toothless mouth. There was no bottom to the thing; it was an abyss of blackness. Aisha hadn’t brought any scholars with her, so she had no idea what it could be. She gave this curiosity a wide berth, just as she’d done with the Fringe, and then continued on her mission.
They camped near the undefended Belidoran border, far enough away from the road that any Fringe wouldn’t pass close by. One of her scouts arrived shortly after the evening meal and gave her some interesting news, interesting enough to prompt her to call her subordinates into her tent.
Tandem and Gwyneth arrived early for the meeting and then melted into the back. Aisha was glad to have them by her side, even though they would have little part in this meeting. The scout—a restless man named Finn—sat in the corner, his leg bouncing.
A gruff man with hairy arms and a grimace on his face arrived next. It was Colonel Mahrtan. He was the leader of the regiment, with a good history of results, albeit with a few complaints about being too rough on the men. It was said that Mahrtan once marched his squad halfway up the impassable mountains as punishment for complaining about a rainy day.
Landon had often made the comment that the guard was getting soft, so perhaps they needed more men like Mahrtan.
Admiral Collins arrived shortly after Mahrtan. He was a career guardsman, slightly overweight, with a fork-shaped scar on the side of his reddish face that reached up to the base of his ear. He was one of the “bushy brows”, and the skeptical glances cast her way left no doubt in her mind that he didn’t approve of her new role. Yet her mother had insisted on her taking at least one senior officer as an adviser, and he had volunteered.
Envoy Plymouth followed. Also a bushy brow, he was portly and mostly jovial, with blondish hair that was succumbing to grays. Plymouth was the closest thing to an intelligence officer they had, although according to the queen he played more of a lobbyist role. He had at times accompanied the king and queen on visits to Belidor and Thelonia.
With all her advisers present, Aisha opened the discussion. “Thank you for joining. I want to convene regularly, every evening at this time. Let’s start with the scouting report. Finn?”
“Yes, ma’am. I have some news. Apparently, a rogue Thelonian killed General Vanaden Granth. Folks are calling his murderer the Imbecile because he’s either some kind of idiot or has a mental disorder, depending on whom you ask. In any case, this Imbecile has also been Marked by the monks. He and his brothers are at large. In the confusion a number of people escaped the army camp, including the um…former princess Hella, but she was caught shortly after by another regiment led by Vanaden’s brother, Timothur. Timothur Granth has taken command of the army, and the last reports tell us that he has split a contingent of the army from the Thelonians and is headed south, back toward Belidor.”
“Any idea why they are returning?” Aisha asked.
“No, I don’t have any insight into the motivations of the army maneuvers or the new general, but it does appear to be a change in strategy.”
“Weren’t they going to take Ghopal and bring the Sambayans to heel?” asked Mahrtan.
“They were, after continuing to weed out any Sambayans in the countryside,” said Collins. “I know something of this Timothur. He is prone to fits of rage and can be volatile. We are left with the lesser of two brothers, I should think. Perhaps he runs for home after his brother’s death?”
“Perhaps he chases his brother’s killer?” suggested Envoy Plymouth.
Collins’ eyebrows raised momentarily. Then he nodded. “Yes, it’s possible. This would be a poor use of resources, even though they should be brought to justice.”
Aisha asked, “What do you think his mind-set would be relative to Hella…the Traitor? Do you think this man Timothur would treat her any differently?”
Collins shook his head. “I can’t see why. In fact, if the Traitor were to irritate him, it might accelerate her demise. Pardon my words, Aisha.”
“No pardon necessary,” Aisha said. After seeing no further commentary, she offered, “I assume this means we follow the same plan? It looks like we will engage with Granth’s army contingent sooner rather than later. I suggest we head north to the Shepherd’s Road and then turn due east so that we are sure to intercept them.”
There were some nods, but Collins was shaking his head. “Aisha, I think we should reconsider. Even at the palace I had my reservations, but they are greater with Timothur Granth in the mix. It may be better to head to the Old Keep with a small force and await the Traitor’s delivery by the monks. If we follow the original plan and show up facing a Belidoran brigade with a whole regiment, it might give the wrong impression. Whereas at the Old Keep we could say we wanted to pay homage to the Sandaliers, among other things.”
Collins had made some good points, but he didn’t know that her mission involved more than just speaking with Hella. She needed to find out what she could from the Belidoran officers, including Granth. And given her mother’s concerns about the breadth of the conspiracy, having the strong military retinue with her was important. No, Aisha must get to Hella as fast as possible and insist on being given an audience. That meant she had to intercept Granth’s brigade with the regiment, and with haste.
She said, “Thank you for your points, Admiral, but I think we should proceed to intercept Granth’s brigade.”
She had never disagreed with Collins before. He looked miffed. “That’s a mistake, Aisha. You should listen to those of us with military experience here. This regiment isn’t a toy, and the last thing we want to do is damage our standing with the Belidorans when relations with Jawhar are degrading because of your sister’s work.”
The patronizing comments made Aisha feel flushed, and his deliberately associating her with Hella was highly inappropriate. She tried to keep her cool. “How will we damage relations? We don’t intend to engage anyone in battle here, Collins.”
Collins waved her comment away. “That’s not how this works, Aisha. You show up with a regiment and they will suspect things, then word spreads. Accidents can happen with so many people carrying weapons, as you well know.”
No one was backing her, and Collins was one of the most influential bushy brows. It was hard to disagree with him. “I suppose—”
Collins nodded. “Yes, it would be best to avoid Timothur’s army, Aisha. We should also keep a garrison here at the border to limit the perception of a full regiment traipsing about…”
She tuned out as Collins wen
t on, altering the plan, altering her plan. Aisha felt lost. No one had ever talked back to her when she was treasurer. Everyone was watching her, looking uncomfortable as they saw the admiral walk over her. Aisha asked herself what Hella would do. Then she remembered what mother had told her. She had been very clear. She was to use whatever means necessary.
Aisha interrupted Collins brashly, “No. We will do it the way I said originally.” Aisha was trembling, but she hoped it wasn’t showing.
The admiral looked annoyed. “That’s ridiculous. Don’t let your pride get in the way—”
“Enough!” Aisha said forcefully.
The admiral’s face reddened, but he was still obstinate. He tilted his head toward Plymouth in a gesture of annoyance. “I don’t think so, Aisha. It’s just not a good idea. In fact, if I were to tell the other officers about your plan, they would tell you it’s folly. You know what, how about I do that? I’ll talk to them and we can reconvene and discuss with a broader perspective. It’s just not wise, Aisha. Trust me, it’s the only sensible course of action, but we can wait until tomorrow if that’s what you want.”
“I am your High Commander—”
He rolled his eyes. “Yes, sorry, Aisha. High Commander.”
She raised her voice, but it cracked as she spoke. “And as your High Commander, I hereby relieve you of duty. Please leave camp immediately.”
His eyes bulged. “What? Aisha, you don’t know—”
Aisha was yelling. “Yes, I do! I am quite in the know. It is you who don’t have all the facts at your disposal. But the most important fact here is that you have ignored a direct order and threatened mutiny. You are hereby relieved of duty, and if you push any further, I will charge you with treason. Do you understand?”