John Carr - Siege of Tarr-Hostigos

Great King Cleitharses' eyes closed as if the last of his energy had departed with their agreement.

Anaxthenes turned to Danthor and said, "Highpriest, we will meet tonight to discuss the details of both your mission and your new responsibilities as a member-elect of the Inner Circle of Styphon's House."

Danthor nodded, his eyes carefully guarded.

Almost petulantly, the Great King stirred, adding, "I also want Danthor to continue to read my scrolls. He's my favorite reader."

"Of course, as duty permits, Your Majesty," Anaxthenes responded, almost without thought. To be allowed his own ear in Great King Cleitharses' private chambers was too good an offer to refuse. This Highpriest could be a valuable tool, or even possibly an ally. In these troubled times there were only two factions: you were either for Roxthar or against him. And in Balph, if you were against him, you were for Anaxthenes.

Verkan was waiting at his desk in the Foundry basement for a call from Danthor Dras, of all people. Ranthar had radioed him at his townhouse with a message that the Dean of Aryan-Transpacific Studies wanted to talk with him. A blue light lit up and when Verkan tapped in the proper code, Danthor Dras, calling from the Balph Study Team's office and still wearing the yellow robes of a Styphon's House highpriest, was on the screen.

Danthor looked like a ten year old who'd just gotten away with pulling his sister's hair. "You won't believe the kind of day I've had today!"

"Yes?" Verkan wondered, by the smile lighting up his face, if the Scholar had been appointed overseer of the Paratime Police.

"For the last moon half I've been reading chronicles aloud to Great King Cleitharses who suffers from an advanced case of cataracts."

Verkan nodded. It wasn't unusual to see cataract sufferers begging on the streets of Hostigos Town, since there was no known cure at this primitive level of technology. He was hoping that Danthor didn't want to effect a cure-that would be very close to Outtime Contamination.

"You'll never guess who visited the Great King in his private chambers today."

Verkan said, "Archpriest Roxthar?"

"Good guess! No, it was a delegation from the Inner Circle of Styphon's House headed by none other than Speaker Anaxthenes and Grand Master Soton. They were visiting to formally ask for King Cleitharses' military support for the spring invasion of Hos-Hostigos"-Danthor paused to laugh-"or as we're required to call it, the 'false-kingdom of Hostigos.' They were shocked into the last moon when the Great King turned them down! It appears the Holy Investigation has been building a bad name for Styphon's House right in the heart of Styphoni country. Cleitharses, in an unexpected show of strength, told the Archpriests to fight their own war."

Verkan whistled. "Kalvan would love to know about this!"

"Well, he might not be too happy about the conclusion of their chat, Chief. Archpriest Anaxthenes is quite the Machiavellian; when coercion, intimidation or naked threats won't work, he switches tactics and becomes as reasonable as can be. On the Kalvan Control Time-Lines I visited, he is not so self-assured or in charge; there he's more a puppeteer, content to pull strings off-stage. Here Anaxthenes has grabbed the reins of power with both hands: the word on the streets of Balph is that he's to be the next Styphon's Voice after Sesklos dies. Even Grand Master Soton was willing to stay beneath his shadow during the meeting with Cleitharses. Anaxthenes' power struggle with Roxthar over the fate of Styphon's House has made him both a hungrier and more dangerous man. Unfortunately for Kalvan, both Anaxthenes and Roxthar want to see Hos-Hostigos destroyed."

"Kalvan has his work cut out for him, that's for sure."

"By the end of the meeting, Cleitharses agreed to support the Great Host, but only if Anaxthenes could neutralize either Hos-Rathon or the Sastragath before this spring."

Verkan smiled. "According to our agents in Xiphlon, Wannax Sargos is secretly in the employ of King Rolthoff of Xiphlon and is planning a major drive into the Sea of Grass to force the southern Ruthani back into the lower portion of the continent, the land they call Mexico on Europo-American. On the way back, his army is going to attack the besieging Mexicotal and drive them away from Xiphlon and back to their Pyramid of Skulls."

"That means Anaxthenes doesn't need to bother with winning over Great King Nestros. That little tidbit would earn me a seat in Inner Council if Anaxthenes hadn't all but promised me one anyway-thanks to Great King Cleitharses."

"Come again?"

"I'm a guaranteed Archpriest of the Inner Circle, if I can help Anaxthenes pull off a deal with Nestros."

"Sounds awfully close to Paratemporal Contamination to me, Dras!"

"So you know the story."

"Sure, how old Police Chief Zarvan accused you of Contamination on Fourth Level Alexandrian-Macedonia because you were caught by Alexander's guards with a pocket recorder taping The God Alexander CXIV."

Danthor's visage clouded over, as he appeared to mentally replay the sensation and attendant publicity on Home Time-Line.

"If it makes you feel any better, I've always thought Zarvan made a mistake. Every good researcher slips up now and then. Isn't that what hypno-mech is for?"

"I'm glad to learn you have a vastly more flexible view of these things, Chief Verkan. I'm afraid I may have judged you too harshly in the past based on insufficient data and my own prejudices."

"That goes both ways, Scholar Danthor. I've taken your animosity towards the Force at face value. Zarvan Tharg's problem is that he was a paper pusher who was promoted over his head, not an outtimer. It takes a big man to apologize, Dras, and I not only accept your apology, but also offer one of my own. The entire Balph Study Team and my Police advisors are at your disposal. And, if there is anything I can do to make your job easier, let me know-and it will be done."

Dras smiled. "Thanks, Vall. I'll take you up on that. Archpriest Anaxthenes is going to travel to Hos-Rathon to try to convince King Nestros to forge an alliance with Hos-Ktemnos, which will keep him in Styphon's pocket and his army part of what the Styphoni are calling the Grand Host. I'll keep you informed on the outcome."

"What about you becoming a member of the Inner Circle? What deity do we thank for this miracle?"

"No deity. It came about because King Cleitharses doesn't trust Styphon's House to have his Kingdom's best interest in mind. Because he knows I'm new to Balph, he thinks he can buy my loyalty! What he doesn't know is that he already owns it. After Anaxthenes and Soton left, he promised me my weight in silver if I'd act as his eyes and ears in the Inner Council. Of course, like any proper highpriest of Styphon's House, I agreed.

"On my way back from Cleitharses' palace, to my temporary quarters at the Great Temple of Hos-Ktemnos, I was met by two of Anaxthenes' handpicked highpriests and taken to meet the next Styphon's Voice. The Balph Study Team just learned from an analysis of the sample of Sesklos' hair that someone has been feeding the old man arsenic. I suspect it's his new Healer, who is friends with Anaxthenes' concubine, Thessamona. For a Fourth Level middle-aged female, she's very attractive, and quite deadly in her knowledge of indigenous poisons.

"Archpriest Anaxthenes was friendly and forthright. He likes to take you by surprise. He sketched out the competing factions in the Inner Circle, his faction and the Dracar/Roxthar alliance, and told me why I should support him. As any proper out-of-town highpriest with the usual ambitions and lust for lucre, I was horrified at the Investigator's effrontery- True Believers in Styphon, how ghastly!-and immediately enlisted myself in the anti-Roxthar cabal.