Garth and his retinue had been traveling for three weeks. They could have reached Hesh earlier, but Garth decided to stop by some important villages and towns to meet with the nomarchs there. Then, as they traveled beyond their borders to Hesh and its surrounding villages, he stopped by the important ones, meeting with the elders or the councils that ran each village. He also scouted for nomarchs among them and invited them to travel with him to Hesh.
As they got closer to Hesh, the verdant greenery he had been familiar with for the last two years near Haven gradually gave way to a more arid, rocky terrain. The lush fields and plains slowly thinned out, replaced by sparse vegetation and the occasional stubborn tree, clinging to life in the harsher climate. The air grew hotter, the sun beating down more intensely with each passing mile.
His retinue consisted of five of his most trusted aides. Once his students, they had been with him through many challenges and had proven their worth time and again. There were also Ten Immortals, the enhanced warriors who were a legend in their own right in Lhazar. Irina had made them out to be the great protectors of Lhazar, an extension of Jason himself. There were also thirty regular soldiers; though not as awe-inspiring as the Immortals, they were selected for being the best of the best.
The last of the group were scribes,diplomats and other officials, their numbers decreased whenever they passed through a large village so that the integration of these territories into Haven's domain would be as smooth as possible.
Instead of going straight to Hesh, Garth had decided to visit the army camp Cregan had set up here first. He could see a village in the distance; the camp was only a few leagues away from there.
“What is this village called again?” he asked Darian, riding closer to him.
“Amol, my lord,” he answered.
“Make sure your brother won't fall off. We can rest at the village,” he said, motioning to Darian’s twin, Darius, who was drifting off to sleep on his horse.
He cracked a smile as Darian smacked his brother awake and looked ahead to see a gathering of villagers waiting for them to arrive. Jason was worshiped as a god, and as his Grand Vizier, many had begun to see him in a similar way. He had to uphold an image of a divine emissary when he was amongst them, something he had perfected all too well over the past two years.
But he could not deny the allure of the power he now held. Jason had once commented that Garth would come to enjoy his new power. He was right. Only seven years ago, he was just a Maester at the citadel, destined to live out the rest of his days assigned to a castle and its lord. But now, he held more power than his lord father. He wondered if his mother was still alive; he had been thinking about her lately as after Jason enhanced him, he could finally recall her face, something he had been unable to do for years.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of people as he realized they were now almost at Amol. The villagers lined the dusty path, their eyes wide as they watched them ride in. As he dismounted, he heard whispers of his title, ‘Grand Vizier,’ and a new one to his surprise, ‘Emissary of the Liberator.’ He was welcomed by the leader, a middle-aged man, who declared that there would be a celebration held in his honor. Tired, Garth accepted, deciding to go to Cregan's camp early in the morning.
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“You may leave,” Garth said, dismissing the leader of the village. He had invited him to his tent to gather information and to evaluate him for the role of nomarch, something he had done in all the villages. More importantly, he asked them all for information about Lhazosh, other than things he already knew; there was no new information.
He thought back to his conversation with Irina three months ago, when he had approached her to learn more of Lhazosh, a few days after Jason announced the tour.
"The city, as you know, was built from the remnants of a Ghiscari city, destroyed by the Valyrians long before our time. Its most striking feature is the black pyramid, a relic from that ancient era," she explained.
“You spoke of a family that now rules the city; they've managed to keep the Dothraki at bay through agreements?" Garth asked, leaning forward, intrigued by the history of the city.
"Yes," Irina nodded. "For decades, they've negotiated with the Dothraki, ensuring Lhazosh remains untouched by their raids. Kosrak had a similar pact, which was negotiated with the help of Lhazosh and held until Jhoggo's assault."
"And this family, what more can you tell me about them?"
"Their past is shrouded in mystery, but their roots are undeniably Ghiscari. They've maintained a low profile, yet their influence is quite large. Their dealings have kept Lhazosh relatively prosperous and safe for decades.”
"And these rumors of a slaver ring, are you certain of their validity?"
Irina’s expression was grave. "It is not yet confirmed, but Priestess Mara, whom I sent to Lhazosh, has raised her suspicions.”
"Could Mara be mistaken?” Garth challenged.
“Mara is not a person who would raise an alarm without good reason," Irina replied confidently.
He then shifted the topic slightly. "What about the conversion efforts? How receptive has Lhazosh been to the faith?"
"The process has been slow," Irina admitted. "Lhazosh is resistant to change. However, Mara's last message indicated that the ruling family showed some interest.”
Garth stood up and began pacing in the tent, trying to piece together what was going on in Lhazosh. He suspected the Ghiscari family might have something to do with the slaver ring, if it existed.
There was also the report from his aides that there was a significant exodus of followers of the old faith to Hesh, a detail that piqued Garth's interest and suspicion. The consensus among the people in the villages was that their continued presence might provoke the wrath of ‘the Liberator’, and they would not be granted boons if they let the non-believers stay; and this was also subtly being implied by some priestesses. He wondered how life must be like for those of the old faith in Hesh.
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“You may leave,” Garth said, dismissing the leader of the village. He had invited him to his tent to gather information and to evaluate him for the role of nomarch, something he had done in all the villages. More importantly, he asked them all for information about Lhazosh, other than things he already knew; there was no new information.
He thought back to his conversation with Irina three months ago, when he had approached her to learn more of Lhazosh, a few days after Jason announced the tour.
"The city, as you know, was built from the remnants of a Ghiscari city, destroyed by the Valyrians long before our time. Its most striking feature is the black pyramid, a relic from that ancient era," she explained.
“You spoke of a family that now rules the city; they've managed to keep the Dothraki at bay through agreements?" Garth asked, leaning forward, intrigued by the history of the city.
"Yes," Irina nodded. "For decades, they've negotiated with the Dothraki, ensuring Lhazosh remains untouched by their raids. Kosrak had a similar pact, which was negotiated with the help of Lhazosh and held until Jhoggo's assault."
"And this family, what more can you tell me about them?"
"Their past is shrouded in mystery, but their roots are undeniably Ghiscari. They've maintained a low profile, yet their influence is quite large. Their dealings have kept Lhazosh relatively prosperous and safe for decades.”
"And these rumors of a slaver ring, are you certain of their validity?"
Irina’s expression was grave. "It is not yet confirmed, but Priestess Mara, whom I sent to Lhazosh, has raised her suspicions.”
"Could Mara be mistaken?” Garth challenged.
“Mara is not a person who would raise an alarm without good reason," Irina replied confidently.
He then shifted the topic slightly. "What about the conversion efforts? How receptive has Lhazosh been to the faith?"
"The process has been slow," Irina admitted. "Lhazosh is resistant to change. However, Mara's last message indicated that the ruling family showed some interest.”
Garth stood up and began pacing in the tent, trying to piece together what was going on in Lhazosh. He suspected the Ghiscari family might have something to do with the slaver ring, if it existed.
There was also the report from his aides that there was a significant exodus of followers of the old faith to Hesh, a detail that piqued Garth's interest and suspicion. The consensus among the people in the villages was that their continued presence might provoke the wrath of ‘the Liberator’, and they would not be granted boons if they let the non-believers stay; and this was also subtly being implied by some priestesses. He wondered how life must be like for those of the old faith in Hesh.
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Garth left for Cregan's camp in the morning. He had asked all the village leaders traveling with him to ride ahead to Hesh. After riding for two hours, the camp came into view. As he entered the camp he could see a large tent in the center, he observed rows of uniformly arranged tents that housed the soldiers, laid out in a grid. The camp was interspersed with watchtowers that stood sentinel over the surrounding area. Soldiers patrolled diligently, their eyes scanning for any signs of danger, ensuring the camp's security.
"Where is the supreme commander?" Garth asked the soldier who had joined them at the entrance.
"At the training grounds, my lord," he answered.
Garth dismounted and walked to the training ground, where he spotted Cregan drilling a group of soldiers. He watched as the group, each with a heavy bag strapped to their shoulders, ran in formation across the field, spears in hand.
He approached, and Cregan turned to greet him, a slight smile breaking through his stern demeanor. "Training the new blood," Cregan gestured towards the now-identified recruits. "Are they any good?" Garth asked, standing near him.
"They're getting there," Cregan replied, his gaze returning to the field.
"Has our glorious leader come out of his castle yet?" Cregan asked.
"Yes, just before I left," Garth answered, a bit annoyed as he remembered that he had to leave without any answers.
Cregan led Garth into the large tent in the center of the camp. This military campaign was decided on by all four of them, proposed by him a year ago.
He wanted to bring all the lands the Skahazadhan flowed under their dominion. These lands were beyond Lhazars borders and at the outer edges of the Dothraki Sea they were fertile but sparsely populated due to years of Dothraki raiding.
Garth's plan was more ambitious: he wanted to push east into the patrimony of Yinhsar and the Poison Sea. These two phases would secure new lands for cultivation and settlement and also open up lucrative trade routes with the cities of the Kingdom of Hyrkoon and give them freer access to Yi-Ti. If successful, they could also establish a military presence in the region; it was important since they could have direct access to Vaes Dothrak, the only city of the savage Dothraki.
Sometimes, he wished the Dothraki would try to invade Lhazar again, then Jason to finally finish them off for good.Essos would be far better without those savages.
"That book Jason gifted has been a great help in some matters," Cregan said as he led him through the camp. "We have been using tactics similar to the Ghiscari to fight the small bands of Dothraki we come across now and then."
"Are the Dothraki still coming?" Garth asked, surprised.
"Like I said, small hordes, no more than fifty, but it's been a great help in bloodying the troops, especially the new ones."
Inside the tent, Cregan led Garth to a large map on the table, showing the lands around the Skahazadhan. Cregan explained the current state of the lands they were going to annex.
"The territory is largely uninhabited now, save for some scattered settlements. The few who remain are constantly under threat from Dothraki raids and slavers from Slaver's Bay," he said.
He leaned forward, his expression serious. "With your permission, we can begin moving our forces into these regions. The priestesses have been very successful in preparing the locals for our arrival, so I don't expect any resistance."
"Do it," Garth said, giving the nod of approval.
Their conversation then shifted to other matters, one of them being about Lhazosh. Garth had asked Cregan to gather as much information as he could about the city, and it seems he was somewhat successful.
"In Hesh, I looked into the alleged slaver operations in Lhazosh," Cregan began. "I couldn't find out much there, but I did manage to get some information from another source."
"Where?" Garth asked.
"We captured a band of slavers near Hesh. They were capturing Lhazareen and transporting them to Lhazosh. From there, they planned take them to Port Yhos and then ship them to New Ghis."
Garth was disturbed as he listened to Cregan's report. It seems the slaver ring does exist. The mention of Lhazareen being abducted and transported to Yhos, and possibly to New Ghis, meant the Ghiscari family that ruled Lhazosh might have a hand in the operation; they could be the ones running it.
"Did the slavers mention any names, anything about the family that rules the city?" Garth inquired.
"No, this is all I have," Cregan responded.
He was now sure the Ghiscari family ran the operation. It seemed they were covertly abducting Lhazareen and transporting them to Yhos and from there shipping them to the markets of New Ghis and Slaver's Bay.
Garth began to think of ways to oust the family. He could wait for Jason, and he could use brute force, but it seemed the city's inhabitants had a deep-seated loyalty towards this family, making a direct confrontation risky and potentially turning the populace against them. Garth considered a more covert approach, one that would expose the family's illicit activities and undermine their standing among the city's inhabitants.
"Right, I'm off to Hesh then," Garth announced as he got up to leave.
Cregan chuckled.
"What?" Garth asked, confused by his reaction.
"Nothing, nothing at all," he said, still chuckling. This unnerved Garth. What was he going to find in Hesh?