Ansara was trying to pray.
The darkness of the temple was broken only by a single light. The tomb of her ancestor, Andoa I, stood before her. She wondered what he would have thought of her. Very little, probably, Andoa; I had been a noble warrior with no interest in peace. He had battled with Baras, the ancient Dren warrior, for six years. Theirs had been a long rivalry with many tales of other heroes around them.
In so doing, he had long drawn off the Calishan's hand. But with the coming of the Viokins, he was forced to withdraw. Baras died of a disease that even now raged throughout her Kingdom. Andoa himself died slaying a great minotaur chieftain in single combat. After that, Sorn had broken away for good, and no one had ever reclaimed it.
He'd won the battle, but his traitorous enemies had swarmed him to death in his exhaustion. Enraged, his army had slain them all and allied with Calishans. Andoa II, her grandfather, had been great in peace and war. Raised as a ward by elves, he claimed the throne because all but one of his brothers was dead. From there, he'd made peace with all his neighbors and done much to repair relations.
Information and wisdom had been exchanged between them. Antion was more beautiful than ever, reflecting the nation's soul. The population had swelled, and empty lands had been filled in. Estal had become a Harlenorian colony and stood as a bulwark against invasion by sea. The minotaur's bloodlust had been broken, and his visits made them civilized. The people were raised up and given prosperity like never before. Peace had reigned with the Sornian colonies, and they had been recognized.
Andoa II had preferred to think of them as friends rather than subjects. Everyone liked him and met him. They'd felt at ease.
Now, all but the minotaurs had betrayed them. The nobility had turned on one another; the people were enslaved to one brutal faction or another. The elves had used Andoa's kindness as an opening to destroy his Kingdom as he lay on his deathbed. And yet, even here, a single letter through Marn had engineered their downfall.
They had gained nothing by their treachery but blood and lost reputation. And Grandfather still lived. Jehair was in transfer as a prisoner and could be interrogated to gain the names of everyone she knew. Combined with Lamech's testimony, Ansara could send every one of them to the gallows.
Every elf, every human, every dwarf, and undead, from this world or any other.
Ansara would hang them all for their betrayal. And Korlac would be here means to do so.
A political arrangement with House Gabriel at this point was logical. Her personal desires did not matter. Marrying William Gabriel would strengthen the crown and give them legitimacy. Artarq could become a permenant royal province. The other nobles would be brought into line.
Rius' death would ensure they would be on their toes.
The reports of the werewolves joining the force were good. John Korlac would give them instructions. Werewolves had tunnel vision and obsessed over their goal at any one time. If they were to be given the task of enforcing the law...
What police they would make. They could smell emotions and people, sometimes even after rainfall. Full moons weren't common, even if they changed during a full moon. So they could easily gather evidence and give it to legitimate police officers.
The werewolves would not be allowed to make arrests outside of Blackfear.
But drinking the blood of condemned prisoners? That would cut down on murders and put them to good use. It was apparent why Grandfather had chosen William as his agent. He was intelligent, charismatic, and a hero. But not the kind of hero who followed orders, broke orders, or kicked in doors. His primary concern was solving the problem of the plague.
Yet this had allowed him to converse with every part of society and observe them. Ansara would speak to Lord Dunmoore about reorganizing the Paladins to do more of that. The epoch of shining mail and hitting one another with swords was waning. Another task must be found for the Paladins.
Do oaths not involve themselves in local politics? Save to defend the King's authority? That would ease the trouble of the nobility. It would prevent another Healer's Guild fiasco. Yes, this could work.
Ansara stood up.
She was curious to know if she had communicated with her ancestors. And she needed to find out if her prayers had reached anyone. Even so, by praying, she had composed herself and could turn to the doors and walk toward them. There was a knock before she arrived, which meant Spinal was there.
Could she trust him?
It didn't matter. He was her only source of physical power; without him, she would have been a prisoner. Indeed, he seemed serious about wiping out the corrupt forces here. But it was apparent he had other considerations. Ansara was less a benefactor and more an ally to some other purpose.
Whatever it was, it did not matter.
What did people do when they were not prisoners in their own homes?
Drink with friends?
Ansara never drank, let alone with servant girls. She pretended to be friends, but she wasn't. "I'm sorry to interrupt your meditations, Princess Ansara," said Spinal, entering the room. He shut the door. He moved away from it. The temple was the one place that could not be magically observed. The Gods would never allow someone to corrupt it. "But we have Jehair.
"Sir John Korlac shifted her to the dungeon on your behalf. However, he believes hanging or imprisoning her could cause problems."
"Good," said Ansara, standing up. What did other people feel when they prayed? Did they say things? "Arkan has lost most of his money and has gone to Haldren, and his subordinates are scattered. Cirithil is insane, so he can't take his place."
"Actually, Cirithil will make a miraculous recovery," said Spinal.
What?
Ansara turned around incredulously.
"Impossible," said Ansara. "I saw him myself when he came in. He was a raving lunatic, screeching like an animal. He's not a good enough actor to fake that. Even if he was, he'd have dropped the guise long after Coalmarsh led him off by a leash.
"You can't shrug off madness."
"You can with a supernatural backer," said Spinal. "Someone strong enough Elranor wouldn't want to contest power with. Either that or someone willing to cut a deal with Elranor on his behalf. Or Elranor himself.
"But no one I know would pull strings for him," said Ansara. "Cirithil was a useful idiot."
"You'd be surprised what people can say and what effect that can have," said Spinal. "He might have been an idiot, but he's an idiot that the Demoration has poured all its investments through. They absolutely need him, or they will lose all the contacts they have for their money.
"He was the only person willing to do a deal with them, and if he dies, they lose everything."
"So let them," said Ansara. "I don't care about their losses."
"As much as I'd love to," said Spinal. "My organization needs Cirithil. Or we risk throwing down the gauntlet with the Demoration. And so do you. Who is going to negotiate with the bishops about fighting the plague?
"Some random temple maiden who exists to talk about art? Cirithil is the only person who can command the bishops. If he's sane, we can force him to do his job at swordpoint. But, if he's a dribbling idiot, there's no one to organize the church.
"And since Atravain has been enslaving priests and setting up her cults, you might not have a church in a bit. So Caskav has sent in demands to Prince Bor to mediate.
"Whether you like it or not, you're stuck with the church, and we need it. You can always have his throat slit after he outlives his usefulness. Besides, aren't 'heroes' obligated to show mercy."
Father was being called to mediate by Lord Caskav? This was wonderful; it meant the crown was gaining back power. "This is my Father's orders?"
"Yeah," said Spinal. "But you didn't hear that from me."
Ansara would check with him herself. "What is your organization doing here?"
"This is a sideshow for us," said Spinal. "Our goal is further east. And they want a favorable government in Antion when they finish it. The Demoration has specific regulations we have to break to operate. They look the other way while we move between worlds.
"In exchange, we must help look after some of their interests. So we rub shoulders with the Sorcerer's Guild and Magicora."
Spinal was trying to distract. Where were they operated from, this organization?
Ansara had to be taken seriously.
"You're operating in the Kalthak region?" asked Ansara. "King Abdul Sahshir?" It was the most rational assessment. All other areas in Calisha were stable; Dinis had an Emperor. And anywhere further east would have no fear of Antion.
"His land has agents in it," said Spinal. "However, he wasn't part of the plan.
"He forced his way into it by accident and was such a good warrior they had to change things to account for him. He might be an asset or a serious enemy. Or he might be nothing.
"It all depends on the coming war in the Islands of Power and if he's involved. But he has enough connections to cause serious problems."
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"Is he loyal to Baltoth?" asked Ansara.
"Sahshir is a zealot," said Spinal. "Zealots believe their own lies. The only question is what they apply those lies to. Sooner or later, his vision of reality will conflict with reality.
"At that point, he has to change reality or be destroyed by it."
"...How good is he?" asked Ansara.
"Very," said Spinal. "He successfully orchestrated the defection of half of Zigilus' population. He fought off an army of monsters and the legions of Dinis without only a minor militia. Then, he wounded two gods in single combat. Finally, he stood before Zigildrazia and was unaffected.
"And that is his first battle."
"This has to be a myth," said Ansara.
"It is both," said Spinal.
"Who do you want to win the coming showdown between Dinis and Sorn?" asked Sorn.
"Calisha," said Spinal. "We need the country intact for what we have planned." He paused. "Now, Jehair has not written her obituary. She isn't cooperating. Torture is useless for gathering information, so I haven't bothered."
"Father doesn't even keep such implements," said Ansara. "But it doesn't matter.
"If Korlac believes we can't hold her, that's it."
"You're not serious," said Spinal.
"John Korlac is the most merciless hanging judge in history," said Ansara. "Only Lord Arthur was ever able to bring out his merciful side. If he says someone cannot be prosecuted, you should believe him. Jehair is well-liked and popular with a lot of influential people. "Executing her would cause a significant disturbance.
"At best, we can ask her to sell out her friends. And she knows that much; otherwise, Korlac would have taken care of her personally."
Silence.
"May I suggest a strategy?" asked Spinal.
"Doesn't seem like I have many to choose from," said Ansara. "Father has no doubt already made one."
"The Urishia have an ancient tactic," said Spinal. "When you have the means to destroy a man when he is off guard, but you're at war, you make peace. First, you deal him a moderate defeat and gain some ground. Then feigning weakness, you let him restore his old strength. The reason you do this is that his guard is up.
"If you continue to push your advantage, he'll fight to the bitter end, and you will take losses. Some of his men will escape and flee elsewhere to gather strength.
"So, you let him think the danger is past and gone. Let them become accustomed to normality and rise in rank. Our enemies should believe this unfortunate fluke has allowed them to grow in power. Several corrupt officials are executed. Now, a new group of corrupt officials can have their day in the sun.
"Korlac will be shut down again and contained.
"The books should be kept, but action should be taken once they think all is forgotten, if they know at all. Then, let someone use the information to shake down a few enemies and become King of the Underworld. We must make them think everyone is just as corrupt as they are.
"Let them think everyone is just as corrupt as they are. If everyone is in on it, no one will take action. And then make them believe House Korlac is your enemy. You are afraid of them and House Gabriel and hanging on to power through corruption.
"Of course, you have means of communication, so the nobility will know this is untrue. Vanion's crystal balls allow most major players to communicate in an emergency."
"What about the common people?" asked Ansara.
"The common people will want a return to stability," said Spinal. "So give it to them.
"Let there be organized crime. Do the absolute bare minimum to keep them in check. Change only what you can without alienating the criminals. The ordinary people wanted organized crime and let these people do this to them.
"So give them what they wanted. Give them the reward they have been seeking.
"Let them live with the reality of their actions. As we shall dub this, the Road of Chaos incident will be all for nothing. Everyone who died will have died for nothing, and a new group of criminals will take the old one's place. Then, we can return the same people to your council, Arkan, Lamech, Tavish, Marn, and the rest.
"A complete reset, as though it never even happened.
"The criminals will believe what they want to believe. They will think they are here to stay; they can do whatever they want. So they'll drop the mask and show who they really are because they believe they have been accepted.
"I can use my abilities. Spread a few mistruths about how the criminals show who they are, and they'll follow suit.
"A few years of that, and no one will tolerate it. You must remain completely silent and focused on foreign matters. Retrain some militia and make a few minor changes.
"The nobility will look after their own matters.
"And then, when the populace can no longer bear it..."
"We unleash the dogs of law," said Ansara. "And hang them all."
"Right," said Spinal. "Moving now will only gain you back a small amount of territory. The criminal groups will call in more money from Bretus and Escor. That and other Demoration worlds. There are infinite brutal thugs in the universe if you have a portal. And right now, the people backing those criminals are afraid.
"At best, you'll be a constant distraction. At worst, you could be assassinated.
"So move your focus toward foreign conflict. You can put your total effort into that while finding out who is providing all their funding. Learn who your enemies are and devise a plan to deal with them.
"And then, when they are confident nothing can go wrong, murder them all.
"Down to the last thief. No survivors.
"Sending a clear message here will avenge the humiliation. It will be good for you and your associates."
"Does this have to do with the Heir of Kings," asked Ansara.
"There are many Heirs of Kings," said Spinal with a shrug. "Prophecies can be interpreted in a lot of ways. They are like lies; they have only as much truth as you make them have. Nevertheless, it will come true in some form, provided it is still remembered.
"However, if I were you, I would focus on how you can benefit from the prophecy and how to avoid being in the way. If you can't, just speed it along as fast as possible and hope it goes away."
"It doesn't even matter at this point," said Ansara. "This is Father's decision. He may have a completely different strategy. And I will not be consulting it with you."
"That is wise," said Spinal. "...I don't think you even need Jehair.
"Yes, she could speed things along. But she's devoted to the cause, and many people like her. It might be wise to get an oath from her not to attack Antion again and release her. Larxe alone should be able to verify most of what she could say.
"And Larxe is your enemy in this particular lie."
Ansara nodded. "I will bring it up when I next see my Father.
"Can you get me a meeting with him?"
"Yes," said Spinal. "But that's going to take some effort."
"I will meet Jehair, then," said Ansara.
Ansara departed and walked again through the halls where the guards had shifted out. Father had taken the opportunity to kill off many of Arkan's loyalists. Ansara didn't know whether the men were loyal to her or him. But she wasn't in a position to ask.
So she made her down a flight of steps to the same dungeon. Again, a guard waited for her, a new arrival.
"Princess Ansara?" asked the guard.
"Open the door," said Ansara.
"Yes, ma'am," said the guard.
Ansara halted. "Has anyone come through here?"
"I am forbidden to speak on that subject from the highest levels," said the guard.
Not Spinal, then. So either Father, one of Spinal's benefactors, or someone else. It hardly mattered at this point.
Moving up to the cell, she found Jehair sitting cross-legged. Once, Ansara met Jehair when she was young with high hopes and big dreams. Jehair had promptly ripped all those dreams to shreds with a few polite statements. Now the beautiful elf looked younger than she had then; her hair had gone gold.
"You return, child," said Jehair, opening her eyes.
Ansara looked at her. "Has anyone come to meet you here before me?"
"Your Father," said Jehair. "He told me my fate was to be in your hands.
"That was all he said."
"It's true, milady," said the guard.
Father must have made all the same calculations by himself. But unlike Father, Ansara could afford to discredit herself. She could look ridiculous and not destroy the monarchy.
But Ansara wasn't feeling ridiculous now.
Why would Father give her this kind of call? Well, it didn't matter. She hadn't hung Lamech, and he deserved far worse.
"I'm going to release you," said Ansara simply. "I will release you because you gave me useful information if it gets out. My entire family could be murdered." Then, one of the guards gasped, and some looked at the others. "I'd love to stop the criminals that have kept me a prisoner here with your help.
"But this insanity could destroy Antion. And while Antion would win Father, Grandfather, and I would all be murdered. That would be long before the liberating army got here. And the Demoration or Bretus would use it as a pretense to invade."
"I'm sorry that reality offends you, girl," said Jehair.
"At least I did something," said Ansara. "Even if I was trapped in this place, I tried to change it.
"You could have done anything. But all you did was pretend to be people's friends while feeding them the flowers."
"I simply helped them decide they wanted to," said Jehair.
"Spare me," said Ansara. "At least Lamech is openly evil. I let him go because I knew he'd slaughter many people during his escape. But you let others think you are good.
All so you can lead them to their end. I can't help but notice that the most heroic people in this place revile you. Frederick has always hated you every time you met.
"That's why William had you arrested.
"You thought you could pass off responsibility for your atrocities. You were going to use Neral Dinis as a scapegoat. But your best behavior couldn't hide your nature, and William must have understood it. All he had to do was keep trying to be a hero, and he uncovered your part.
"You were so deluded.
"You thought you could pin it all on Neral Dinis and overthrow him using elven mercenaries. But, simultaneously, a plague would consume the heartlands and spread into Ascor. The nobility would lose all credibility, and Cirithil would gain greater prominence.
"If it had worked, the Empire of Qor'Dana would be refunded to cheering crowds. Ready to be shackled anew.
"And if anyone suspected what you had done...
"They'd be in no position to refuse your help. And it isn't as though any of it could be directly traced back to you. Instead, your part in it was like nature itself. A mere background element that nudged things in the right direction.
"Well, it didn't work. And pretty soon, everyone will know why."
"You see much more than you pretend," said Jehair with a shrug. "I knew exactly what William was doing from the start. I chose to walk with him anyway."
Ansara paused. Had she known? "If so, why walk with him?"
"Well, I could not assassinate or abandon one of the few people who tried to understand me," said Jehair. "His feelings for Antion and mine were completely alike. The difference is that William is interested in making humanity strong. I am interested in making the land strong."
"The land?" asked Ansara.
"I am a druid," said Jehair. "There are too many people in this land, and the ground cries out under their feet. Most of them are terrible people. Since Antion wanted to spiral into oblivion, I helped it get what it wanted.
"I'm not interested in the survival of nations, only the lands they ruin. It took ages for the land to recover from the God War and Anoa the Bright. King Andoa's foreign policy has seen the number of humans increase.
"You are starting to become a threat to the land.
"Thus, the Flower Maiden bade me take action. I helped to give the right people what they wanted to create a crisis. One that would cut the population of Antion substantially. I should note that slavery is likely to be abolished because of this. And much progress has been made.
"But the truth is, I was unimportant. Like William, I was a supporting character in many other stories. Most people I worked with would have done the same thing. I just gave them a chance to do it more cleanly.
"Tavish Kern, in particular, I helped set up his outposts. His operation would only have succeeded with me. Ansara, if you're looking for some dark villain, there is none. I designated Neral Dinis as such because I hated him for killing a friend of mine. I offered Queen Dawn the chance to move in because she wanted that.
"But she might have figured out a way anyway. And Sen Kaba was looking to make a sale of weapons already. I just made it, so he made more money doing it. Small differences?
"Perhaps.
"Important? Maybe so.
"But if you wish me to write down names for mass execution, I will not. That would be a violation of my client's privileges."
"Get away from me, animal!" said Ansara in disgust. "How many people have already died? People with memories, hopes, and dreams? If you'd tried to convince people to live in harmony with nature. Or do less damage; this wouldn't have happened!
"What if you had tried to be good?!"
"Even if I was good," said Jehair. "Sentient races grow exponentially.
"The fewer there are, the less they can grow. A garden needs weeding, and rot has to be cut out. I limited my targets to the worst humanity had to offer. This would never have happened if Antion had made a concerted effort to root them out. If you call upon others to do your work for you, you will get a solution you don't like.
"Kafka made an admirable effort, and Vanion did foil the worst of their plans. But frankly, I'm extremely unimpressed with the Golden City."
"Open the cell," said Ansara. "Let her out.
"Asking her for an oath would be useless. Who would ever give any credit to what she has to say?"
"I've never lied to anyone," said Jehair with a shrug.
"We can't let her go," said the guard.
"My Father doesn't have the manpower to drive the criminal element out of Antion," said Ansara. "The criminals are panicked. But they'll kill us all if she is still in prison when they recover.
"Names are useless if we can't enforce them." She paused as the door was opened. "Think yourself lucky to escape another flogging, Jehair; now get out of my city! And make sure you give her all her effects first!"
"As you wish," said Jehair. "You have my sympathies for my troubles. Gods protect you." Then she departed without a word, escorted by armed guards.
"They can't be allowed to get away with this," said a guard as Ansara walked out. "The Royal Family prisoners."
Ansara stopped. "Guard... what did my Father say when he was here? To her, I mean."
The guards looked. "He just looked at Jehair.
"She flinched back in fear, and then he left. We didn't understand it then. It must have been some exchange. Prince Bor sees more than lesser men."
And Ansara left in disgust, walking back to that office where she'd stored the names. It was a mournful silence she felt as she walked through the palace. Everyone felt it, even the guards.
Back in that same office, which she came to almost without thinking, she found her Father. He was leaning back in his chair as though he had been resting. His cloak was about him as if returning from a journey. Yet his gaze was sad, and many books were laid about him.
All the writings of Lamech.
Bor looked up sadly, a volume in tired hands. "My child...
"I hold a book that could destroy a thousand nations. There will come a time to use it. But not yet."
Ansara cried and wrapped her arms around him. And Father held her, as he had not in years, and for a moment, everything was alright.
The vengeance of the crown beckoned.
But for a time, it was not so pressing.