Cardinal Sin III: The Leashless Hound
The Twenty-Forth Day of the Second Moon, 873 AD.
Athio, Aegan Hills, Western Dathan.
Angels, this was all horseshit. Four days until he was to set out on the road, and in that time he'd hardly been able to see to his nightly duties. He needed good rest and a clear mind if he was to survive Aegos, and Saints be good he hardly had a clear mind at the best of times. This wasn't something he could afford to fuck up; if at any point Spyridon or Admeta saw through his act, or even worse than that, if Adikos saw through his act, he'd be begging for the end before he saw the next sunrise over the holy city. There was no way in all the hells that had ever existed he'd allow himself to fail here, not when the lives of so many people were at stake.
He ran through the motions with his sloe-cane again, making doubly sure that he was just as good as ever with the unassuming weapon. In his line of work you never quite knew who the next to strike at you would be, though he'd learned it was almost always from someone within your own ranks. That was the trouble with sitting at the top of the pile; the only place to go was down.
Well, he wasn't quite at the top, he supposed. There was still Adikos between him and the true height of power, but there was no way Sin would be able to outmanoeuvre the old man in games of intrigue, and especially not when the man had the home field advantage. No, there would be no attempt to topple the old man whilst Sin was in the capital, as disappointing as the thought was. He just needed to bide his time a few years more, and then his people would breathe the free air once again. Perhaps history would remember him as a monster, or perhaps the people would believe him when he told them of what he had truly done. If he was exceedingly lucky, he may even retain control of Athio under whatever authority arose out of the ashes of the Most Devout Church. Probably not though.
"Trying to decapitate the dummy with a wooden stick again?"
Sin rolled his eyes. It was Hawk, of course. The old man was one of the only people who came out into the training grounds when Sin was there, and certainly the only one to speak to him wish such a casual tone.
"Very funny, old man. I don't know if you recall, but I'm to head to the capital in a few days. Therefore I'm doing my best to practice as much as I can between now and then, in case I get in a fight."
Though Sin never turned to look at the man he could almost feel the incredulous eyebrow raise behind him.
"You believe you will be able to fight your way through a city of armed and armoured guards, inquisitors, and paladins, with a stick. Unarmoured. By yourself."
Sin shrugged, still not turning to face the man.
"It's worked for me before."
"Because people are too afraid of you to pick a fight. Whilst your former classmates will no doubt be somewhat cowed by your reputation, that will not stop the more reckless amongst them from acting without thought and provoking a reaction from you. When that happens, there is nothing that your stick will be able to do that will save you."
Sin chuckled out a dry laugh.
"Probably not, no. But what do you suggest I do instead? No sword will allow me to carve my path through a city towards safety, and no guards could stand between me and a cohort of knights. Even if we assumed that I took a hundred guards and carried with me a dozen blades, and then we assume that I am able to travel back to Athio, what do I do then? If I have angered my compatriots in the capital to the point that they attempt to seize me with impunity, then their anger will follow me to the very walls of this city. There is little to be done other than train myself to remain hidden if needs be, and slip out if I can should such a situation come to pass. That is why I continue to use this cane. After all, how many old beggars stooped in a robe and leaning on a walking stick stalk the streets of every city in the world? More than a few, that much is certain."
Hawk sighed, half amused and half annoyed, and then seemed to get himself back on track.
"If you say so, Cardinal. I thought you might wish for the latest news from abroad."
Sin propped his cane up against the dummy and stretched his arms in front of him, allowing the tension to leave his muscles as he turned to face his faithful servant.
"Of course! Anything good? I hope there is, I could use some good news right about now."
Hawk nodded.
"Bits and pieces from here and there. The Citizen's Republic of Kallitrios have held a vote on their stance towards our very own Most Devout Church, and whilst they will not go to war they have barred all traders from crossing the border either way. When you add that to the rest of the nation-states embargoing our own, it leaves us almost completely isolated."
"Except for the Imperatrix to the south."
Hawk nodded in acknowledgement, a mild snarl on his face at the mention of the slaver-empress.
"What more can be expected from one who holds men as farmers hold cattle? Not that it matters; Adikos is too pious to consider dealing with a slaver, and the Imperatrix is too smart to consider aiding a religious madman. It might not be official, but for all intents and purposes the Khyprians have cut ties with us as well. No one is coming to aid Adikos, but with that same stroke no-one is coming to aid us either. We will have to remove Adikos from power on our own, and fend of the Imperator to the north-west at the same time. Any way you cut it, we can't win."
Sin smiled.
"Of course not. There's no chance of victory no matter what we do. That doesn't mean we can simply roll over and let bad things happen to people, Hawk."
The old man smiled back.
"A smart man would take his money and run far from this place while he still could."
"How telling," Sin replied with a grin, "that we're both still here. Come on, Hawk. There's bound to be more news from abroad. What of Kortheros? Licotemos? Hells, even Polaeros? There's bound to be some news from the eastern Klironomeans, surely!"
Hawk shrugged impassively.
"None that we didn't see coming from a mile away. More petty rebellions and vassal-wars across Licotemos, more skirmishes across the borders of Kortheros both on our side and the Licoteman side, and nothing of import up in Polaeros with regards to our plight. No changes in any of them."
Sin latched on to what little good news he could from this mess.
"Tell me of the skirmishes between our own forces and the Kortherans. How fare the soldiers of Admeta and Trios?"
Hawk chuckled.
"A few losses on both sides, neither really have the upper hand over the other. Besides, there's no major actions anywhere; a few dozen men on each side for the largest of the engagements."
"A pity. We could do with a few hundred Kortheran Borderrunners falling on a couple of Trios' patrols. A war with the Kortherans would be a fucking miracle for us, and no mistake."
Hawk laughed again, a full bodied and throaty thing.
"Well, that much is true. I don't think their king is keen on Dathanian entanglements, however."
"Are they ever?"
Hawk snorted.
"Right again, Cardinal. Still, I do share in your sentiment; a foreign invader is almost exactly what is needed to topple this system. A pity that the only man looking to invade our lands is Imperator Thrax. He might not be a zealot, but I'd still rather the people of the Aegan Hills live free again. I want to see freedom for our kind in my lifetime. If I do, then we've done well."
Sin nodded again, drinking deeply from a waterskin. He splashed the last few trickles over his face and hair, hoping to wash away some of the sweat that he'd built up over the last few hours of training.
"Well, I can't imagine you came down here purely to give me some mundane news. Have you need of me for something?"
The man nodded curtly, his face suddenly losing its mirth and becoming almost completely deadpan.
"I do, yes. It is best if you follow me to your quarters, Father. There is more news I must share, but its nature is... delicate. One befitting your status should not require such news to be shared with... unwelcome ears."
The man's expression and tone had changed more than a little, and as he looked around Sin realised why. There was a woman half-hiding in the corner of the courtyard, staring at him. When he gaze fell upon her she made a sort of squeaking noise and fled, causing Sin to shrug.
"Well, I guess the courtyard is free once more. I take it you'd still rather tell me this in the confines of our own workspace, however?"
A curt nod was the only response he received, so he picked up his cane, walked back inside, and was simply thankful he'd been able to enjoy the twilight hours whilst they'd lasted. It was rare he got any time to himself anymore.
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"So you're saying... not at all? Not even the faintest hint of a chance?"
Hawk shook his head.
"Not anymore. There's too much tension between the rest of the cardinals, and the cutthroat nature of internal politics means that they're all too busy fighting off overly-ambitious subordinates to deal with other threats. As such the first council meeting won't even have the time to hear any proposals for reform, since it'll be too busy trying to muster and allocate the resources to our squabbling friends around the Aegan Hills. Monastic orders are beginning to come under closer scrutiny as well, and are chafing against this new authority. The church is beginning to crumble from within, but not at all in a way beneficial to us. We walk a very fine line, Cardinal, and tipping the balance of power too far one way or the other will see our tightrope cut. We can't afford to try and shoehorn in a motion for reform, not at the moment. There's just too much tension at the moment, and whether or not the proposed motion were to pass we'd be in a civil war. If it passed, Admeta and Trios would rise up with the extreme wings of the faith. If it didn't the people would rise up alongside yourself."
"Spyridon may join us if that were the case."
Hawk nodded, not in agreement but in a way that suggested he was considering the idea.
"Perhaps. But then we have already discussed that possibility. Regardless, it would be good to have an ally within our theocracy, a friend amongst your peers. I have come into contact with a few members of the clergy within Chytos, which may pique your attention. They speak a little of how Cardinal Spyridon sees you."
Sin smiled a little. Chytos was a nice city, smaller and cleaner than most. Situated in the western Rocks of Aercad and overseeing the majority of the smaller isles surrounding it, it made for quite the valuable port city. It might not be able to call upon vast armies by itself, but it could certainly be useful to attract mercenaries and sellswords if push came to shove. Yes, these new contacts could be quite useful.
"Please, do tell."
Hawk bowed slightly, moving to sit in his chair.
"Well, despite the rest of my news being bad this is the good I can offer you; I have come into contact with an Archbishop, a Bishop, three Archdeacons, and half-a-dozen or so Deacons. All are known and trusted men in Spyridon's administration, and all say roundabouts the same thing; he does not view you as a monster in totality. He despises what he believes you to have done, but he does not despise you. According to more than one of them he actually quite misses your company. I believe that, if the two of you were to meet on the road, it would take little more than a short conversation about the truth for him to become a staunch ally."
Sin blinked a few times in surprise, happiness and excitement bubbling up inside him. This was perfect! Not only did Spyridon want to reconnect, he also believed the things Sin had said he'd done! That meant that his image was still intact, but his friend could still be a true ally of the cause!
"Now this is wonderous news! Oh, this trip may still be worth it after all! To forge an alliance in the depths of Aegos, the very rotten heart of this corrupted vision, I can think of no thing that would please me more. Before you say anything yes, I do understand the inherent risks of this situation, and no, I do not intend to back down from this opportunity. We have a chance here to get some real help and hash out a far more concrete plan when it comes to hiding the non-conformists on the isles and rocks. It's technically his territory we've been hiding them in anyway, so I'm quite surprised that no one in his administration has noticed what's been happening."
"Unless they have," Hawk began, a smile slowly forming on his face, "and have been letting us send them here."
Sin smiled back. If that were the case then he almost certainly could count on Spyridon as an ally. He just needed to confirm this first, and then he'd be as set as set could be!
"No sellsword companies lingering in Kortheros, I take it?"
Hawk shook his head, and despite what the man would claim Sin was absolutely not pouting, he was frowning, there was a difference.
"Where the hell have they all gone?"
Hawk shrugged.
"West, I think. News is slow to arrive from the western kingdoms, but though the Teleytaian civil war has ended tensions in the area are only increasing. Well, that's what I've heard anyway. News doesn't come easy from so far away."
Sin nodded, a little annoyed that they wouldn't be able to get any contacts to aid them from the northwest. What was it that they were gathering for in the west?
He shrugged again, deciding that he didn't have the time to care. He had far more important things to be taking care of at the moment, things he stood to lose far as a result of than whatever the answer to that particular question was.
"I see. Well, it was worth asking I suppose. Still, there's a good chance Cardinal Spyridon will stand with us, and that's a good thing! Even better would be if something happened to the other two, or Adikos, but I won't hold my breath for a stroke of luck like that to fall."
Hawk's face contorted into a grimace. He'd never much trusted Spyridon, nor any of the other Cardinals for that matter. To him they were all monsters, and even those who hated the burnings but still allowed them to happen were complicit in the crimes of their compatriots. Sin was the one exception to Hawk's rule, for one reason or another, and as soon as the man had realised what he was truly doing he'd almost immediately become indispensable to Sin's efforts, and his advice was well heeded. Still, the older man couldn't grumble his way out of this fact, and he was far from stupid enough to try; regardless of whether the man held Spyridon up to the same level as the other Cardinals, there was no denying the fact that having a friend at such a high level would be beneficial to their efforts.
"So you say, Cardinal. Are you still planning on leaving the city on the night of the twenty-eighth?"
Sin smiled and nodded.
"Yep! If all goes to plan I should arrive in Aegos on the night of the second or third. If I do bump into Spyridon on the road then it may take a little longer, given that he'll likely be with a retinue, but for the most part the journey will all be said and done with in around half a week. Maybe a week, depending on the conditions of the road."
"They should be no different than they were when you last travelled on them after the civil war. They might not be paved like all the best roads are, but it's still a trip with cobbled, straight roads all the way along your route. You should be more than fine so long as you remember to rest along the way."
Sin made a 'psh' noise and waved away the man's concern that had been conveyed in the last sentence.
"Of course I will, who do you take me for? Besides, even I'm not reckless or stupid enough to arrive in the viper's nest sleep deprived and tired. Any opening will invite conflict from the more 'extreme' of those amongst my rank, and I don't intend to give either Trios or Admeta the satisfaction of seeing me dead. No, I'll be very much okay, don't you worry about that."
Hawk huffed a little and turned back to the papers he'd no doubt been reviewing before he'd come out to find him. Taxes, tithes, levies. All just numbers on pieces of parchment. It's almost funny, Sin thought to himself, that despite overthrowing the burghers and the lords, we clergymen have managed to become both. Oh, for sure, the Most Devout Church of Aegos was at its core a theocratic state, but there was no denying that as the months and years went by more and more trappings of feudalism were starting to manifest. That was what happened when you parcelled out land to your 'loyal' subordinates, after all. The Cardinals were like feudal dukes, and Archcardinal Adikos was their king. Just like a king and his dukes, they plotted and schemed against each other relentlessly, no matter their oaths of loyalty and pledges of fealty. The four cardinals that served under Adikos, Sin himself included, might have played nice up until now, but he had no illusions that such a streak would continue as the four of them gathered in the capital and met with each other for the first time in two years. Well, all in one place anyway. He knew Spyridon and Admeta had met once a year or so ago, and Admeta also liked to keep up a regular correspondence with Trios, but that was about it. He wasn't a big fan of how close Trios and Admeta seemed to be; neither of them liked each other, and he could use that to his advantage, but Trios had a great deal of favour amongst the old guard and Admeta had the skills to apply that favour in a very effective manner.
"Remind me, Cardinal," Hawk broke in once more, "why exactly are you going on foot?"
Sin shrugged noncommittally.
"Because I haven't left the confines of this city in two years. I want to spend a little time walking amongst the natural world, a little time enjoying myself. Besides," he continued, "I used to love rambling with the acting troupe when I was a kid. It'll be nice to return to my roots for a few days."
Hawk nodded, seemingly torn between Sin getting there with a quick getaway horse or Sin allowing himself to enjoy what he loved for a little. It wasn't as if the man had tried to dissuade him from taking time for himself, far from it! Sin had lost count of the number of times the man had tried to persuade him to take some time off, and Hawk had practically had to become his self-preservation these last few years. Even still, the value of having a fast and steady horse that could get him away from danger if needs be did, admittedly, seem to have more than a few advantages.
"Look," Sin started, trying to compromise, "if I meet with Spyridon on the road I'll take a horse from his party. It's hardly like there won't be any spares with him, after all."
Hawk nodded in acquiescence, returning once more to the dull and yet vital work of filing away taxation and tithe reports. Sin sighed a little, only a tad dramatically, and made to join him. Saints, this work was boring, and yet without it everything would fall to anarchy and disrepair. He felt a little bad knowing that Hawk would be left by himself to deal with all this paperwork for perhaps as many as two or three moons, but that wasn't something he could control. Sin had been summoned to the capital by his master, and so to Aegos he would go. At least he could look forwards to trying to repair things between himself and Spyridon. That was a nice prospect.
Who knew, perhaps this trip wouldn't be so bad after all?
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His cane had clacked along the cobbles as he'd set out through the northern gate, and the sound carried on softly through the night as he continued walking along the road. The guards at the gates had been quick to part ways, this time with no questions asked. One particularly brave and loyal man had wished him well on his journey, which was a pleasant surprise, especially seeing as most still remained scared of him, but he hadn't really stopped to thank the man save giving him a deep nod and a small smile. It never hurt to be polite, after all.
Still, he was given some precious time away from his responsibilities to quietly contemplate the happenings of the world, and he intended to use it well. The Boy-King had always had an affinity for the wild places of the world, or so the scriptures had read. Perhaps that was the result of his Skraeling blood? The Barracks-Kings hadn't been of noble Klironomean stock, after all. Maybe. Maybe it was simpler, and the child had simply had a strong connection with the world around him. Who could say? Regardless of the whys and hows, Sin felt that same strong connection to the outside world that any spiritual man did. The feeling was similar and yet totally different to the feeling of standing on holy ground in churches and cathedrals, a sense of peace filling him, putting him at ease. If he closed his eyes and just listened out here, he could almost pretend he was back with the troubadours and actors of his childhood, walking from town to town and city to city to put on their plays and sing their songs. Things had been simpler back then. It was a shit life, don't get him wrong, but it was simpler, and despite knowing how badly it had all turned out there was still a part of him that wished for those days back. Hell, at least no-one was being burned en-masse while they entertained crowds with re-enactments and bawdy songs.
It wasn't a long way to Aegos, far from it, but it would still take him a fair few days to walk it. He looked forwards to it, seeing as once he arrived at his destination he would be in a city far larger and more dangerous than his own. There were people here willing to be ruthless, vile, and truly wicked so long as they were the ones who came out on top when the smoke cleared. They would lie, cheat, steal, bribe, blackmail, and kill, and they weren't particularly picky about who they needed to throw under the charging horse to save themselves. The most ruthless always won these games, the one willing to go just one step further than their comrades and opponents always came out on top.
If Sin wanted to survive, then he needed to make sure he could be more vicious than anyone else.