John Carr - Siege of Tarr-Hostigos

Davros, his voice filled with lightly veiled impatience, said, "It was done and many innocent lords were killed. I propose we put Hos-Hostigos under the Ban of Dralm."

Xentos let his voice fill the room. The highpriests looked at him with surprise. "The Ban of Dralm is always the last resort, particularly in the case of a ruler who has done more of Dralm's work than any Great King in living memory. Styphon's House was about to annex Hostigos as their own fiefdom; without Kalvan they would have done so and the Temple of Dralm would have been forbidden within Hostigos and the neighboring princedoms of Sask, Nostor, Beshta and Sashta. Would anyone care to refute that statement?"

Most of the highpriests were suddenly busy studying their sandals-all except Davros, who stared at Xentos as if he were seeing him for the first time.

He continued, "I believe we have more important work to do than attacking our friends. Am I the only one who has noticed that the Union of Styphon's Friends is not only raising gold for the war against Hos-Hostigos, but troops as well? Where do you think they're going to stop once Kalvan is removed?

"If you have no answer, I ask you to turn your eyes toward Hos-Harphax where the Captain-General of the Royal Army recently stormed one of the Beshtan tarrs, Tarr-Veblos. I'm sure it is not news that Captain-General Phidestros took the castle by force of arms even though it is part of the Great Kingdom of Hos-Hostigos."

"A Great Kingdom we do not recognize!" Davros answered.

"Nor does Styphon's House, which does not mean it does not exist. Prince Phrames of Beshta is a devoted follower of Dralm and has demonstrated his support by sending a thousand rakmars of gold and ten times that of silver for the new Temple. Now, how are we to show our support of Phrames?"

Even Davros did not have an answer to that question, nor had Xentos expected him to. Xentos was still unsure of King Kalvan, where he really came from, whether he represented the interests of men or gods. However, he did know that Kalvan was Styphon's greatest enemy-and that was the truth. Another truth was that Kalvan was an important counterweight towards keeping Styphon's House from establishing control over all of the 'old' Five Kingdoms.

If this meant throwing the Council behind Kalvan, so be it. Lysandros' ascension to the Throne of Hos-Harphax was more dangerous to Dralm's interests than Rylla's blunder in Phaxos. Especially now that it had provided Lysandros the internal support he needed to become Great King and begin the annexation of those princedoms and baronies loyal to Allfather Dralm.

The next question, and most important one, for the Temple's survival, was: Do I dare to throw the might and purses of the League of Dralm into the coming war? If he did, he might risk a war of religious persecution should Styphon's House win in the field. Or should the Temple continue their policy of neutrality and risk Kalvan's wrath-or certainly Rylla's-if Kalvan won? There had to be a third option. If there was, he meant to find it.

"What do we do, Primate?" the Highpriest of Glarth asked. The old man was actually wringing his hands.

"We dare not openly support Kalvan, for if he loses, it will be laid at our feet and we will face a war of extinction with Styphon's House. A war they will win."

"I do not see that," Highpriest Davros stated. "Styphon's House will be busy for many years in Hostigos stamping out heresy and removing all traces of Kalvan."

It was interesting to see how Davros made claims and counter-claims to Xentos' every statement, even if it meant contradicting what he had said before. Is Davros a Styphoni sympathizer, or merely trying to undermine my rule? "We have all known for some time that there has always been a strong One God party within Styphon's House. This party has always been a minority, since most of the archpriests of Styphon's House have been unbelievers. That has changed recently. Archpriest Roxthar has solidified his control of the Inner Circle and he is determined to root out all the unbelievers from Styphon's House and elevate Styphon as God of Gods. He is our enemy, not Lysandros, not Kalvan, not Rylla, not Grand Master Soton. The Holy Investigator has already purged many temples of 'unbelievers' throughout Balph and Hos-Ktemnos."

"We must stop Roxthar at all costs. We will surreptitiously send funds and soldiers to aid Kalvan, but not openly. This way we will not bind the Temple's fate with that of Kalvan's. Whether we like it or not, we must aid Kalvan." He only hoped it wasn't too little and too late, but he didn't dare start a religious war with Styphon's House that there was almost no hope of winning.

"But Primate, how do we know if this is the will of Allfather Dralm?" a highpriest asked.

"Until this bronze statue speaks, we'll have to assume it is His decision. I do not think that Dralm would approve our actions if we stood here wringing our hands while his High Temple fell around our heads."

Highpriest Davros shot him a look that said, "You may have won this round, but don't count on winning the next one."

For not the first time since arriving in Agrys City, Xentos missed the pastoral peace of Hostigos. However, if Mytron's letters were to be believed, Hostigos was in as much, if not more, turmoil than Agrys City as they prepared for the invasion of Hos-Harphax. If only King Demistophon had some of Kalvan's spine, Xentos might be able to offer more than token support to Hos-Hostigos. At the moment, he wasn't sure if he most wanted to aid his former friends, or do whatever was necessary to halt the advance of Styphon's House.

In truth, the answer was obvious: it was Xentos' duty to do whatever it took to protect Allfather Dralm's House Upon Earth-even if it meant the loss or death of his old friends. Xentos hoped it would not be so, but experience argued otherwise.

As Duke Ruffulo walked into King Theovacar's private audience chamber with one of the King's Companions on either side, he noted that it was decorated in marked contrast to the gilded throne room. Theovacar's private inner sanctum contained scrolls and finely glazed amphora with battle scenes from the Western Sea. A large mosaic covered one wall showing the Kingdom of Grefftscharr, outlined in gold, and its vassals Lyros, Brythar, Helmout, Maumue, Rhinnar and even Thagnor, which was a vassal in name only.

The Duke noted that both of the King's Companions, his sworn bodyguard, left the room after a slight nod from Theovacar, an observance signaling both trust and honor to his guest. When King Theovacar rose to touch palms, he noticed the dark circles under Theovacar's eyes and lines of worry that bracketed his mouth. Ruffulo was known in the Assembly to be an occasional ally of the king, but this was the first time he'd been invited for a private audience.

The Duke wondered what Theovacar's price would be, since the king never did anything by accident; all was by design, down to the silver oil-lamps in sconces on the stone walls made in the image of Thanor's hammer, which was Theovacar's personal emblem.

After the expected formal greetings were expressed, King Theovacar asked, "Duke Ruffulo, you are well known to be a respected leader within the Assembly of Lords. Is this not true?"

Ruffulo knew this was a question that needed no answer, just as he was certain he wouldn't have been invited to a private audience with the King were it not the truth. He nodded his head, avoiding the King's direct gaze. Theovacar's eyes were an endless pool of gray ice, like the heart of a frozen glacier. All knew tales of shamans on the Sea of Grass who practiced spells that enslaved free men. He would not be surprised to learn that the King had taken instruction from such a magician.

"I need someone to represent Our interests in the Assembly, someone who is not known to be in Our confidence."