Aristocles was the first to speak. "It's good to see you looking so well, Grand Master. Everyone I have met speaks well of Styphon's Fist, the man who conquered the False Kingdom of Hos-Hostigos and destroyed the viper's nest in Tarr-Hostigos!"
Soton couldn't help but grin. Styphon's Fist? So that's what they're calling me now, hmm. When he was a young man, behind his back at the Order Academy, they had called him something entirely different-Styphon's Pip-Squeak, because he was the smallest cadet in his class-but never to his face. Not twice, anyway. "It is good to see you again, old friend."
"Tell me all about this great victory. I'm sorry I missed it. Start at the beginning."
Soton went on to tell his friend how they had tricked Kalvan by spoofing his signal towers with false signals provided by the traitor Sthentros, a former Hostigi nobleman and now the new Prince of Hostigos. How they had out-maneuvered the Hostigi, forcing Kalvan to either fight at Ardros Field or face having all of Hostigos Investigated by Archpriest Roxthar, while Kalvan sat and puffed his pipe in Tarr-Hostigos. And how, after the Grand Host's success at the Battle of Ardros, they had chased Kalvan's army out of the capital and laid siege to his last citadel, Tarr-Hostigos.
He went on to describe the siege and numerous attacks on the castle, ending with the Hostigi-created explosion that had leveled the old castle to its foundations. "Too many good men died over an old man's folly, but one has to admire Prince Ptosphes' courage and mettle."
"A good campaign and well ended, but why are you and the Grand Host still waiting outside Hostigos Town? I thought by now the Host would have reached the Sea of Aesklos and pushed the Usurper Kalvan into it."
Soton threw up his hands. "Politics! Now that we are a success everyone wants to rake off the coins on our offering plate. Roxthar wants the Host to dig out every Hostigi left in the entire False Kingdom, which includes every man, woman, child and stray cur. Not that there are many left; all the Hostigi who can still walk, limp or crawl have left Hos-Hostigos in mortal fear of the Investigation. And, for good reason; Hostigos Town is littered with Roxthar's bloody leavings." He spat on the floor.
"A pox on this madman and his minions!" cried Knight Commander Aristocles.
"Sadly, the Inner Circle views him as a necessary evil, until the Usurper is vanquished-at least."
"Is that why he's attempting to keep the Grand Host hostage?" Aristocles asked. "Does Roxthar plan to keep Kalvan safe so he can use the Inner Circle's fear of the Usurper to stoke the Investigation's fire?"
Soton paused, releasing a lungful of smoke. "You might have something there, if the Investigator was as involved in plots and machinations as Great King Lysandros and Archpriest Anaxthenes. However, Roxthar is consumed with a righteous fire that he believes to be sparked by Styphon. Outwardly, he seeks no personal gain for himself, other than demonstrating moral superiority and the right to bend to his will all those less committed to his reforms"
"Roxthar is a man who inspires fear and a belief in demons in human form," Aristocles spat.
"Many Hostigi view him as such. Regardless, we still have to deal with his ardor."
"And the trail of dead bodies he leaves behind," finished Aristocles.
Soton put his pipe down and made to clear the air with his hands. "Fahhh! Enough of this talk; we have as much chance of changing Roxthar as we do of moving the moon from the sky. There are other political problems, too, starting with Great King Lysandros who believes it's his destiny to command the Grand Host of Styphon."
"Lysandros! Has he been sucking on Herons peace pipe again? Or is he another Ormaz-cursed mad dog we have to deal with?"
"No. He's a cur of another color-this one is green with envy of Captain-General Phidestros who's gotten the panther's share of glory for the conquest of Hos-Hostigos and the siege of Tarr-Hostigos."
Aristocles sucked in a big breath, then expelled it. "What? You were the one who commanded the troops at the Battle of Ardros Field, the one who laid out the siege and drove the Usurper out of his False Kingdom, so how does this upstart mercenary gain the credit?"
"Again, politics," Soton said, although he knew in his heart that Phidestros was in part responsible for the victory. Still, if the Inner Circle wanted to give him all the credit, who was he to protest? "If it hasn't sunk in, old son, the people of the Northern Kingdoms despise Styphon's House and anyone who is connected with it, be he priest, banker or soldier. The Order and the Inner Circle know whose hand was behind this victory; I don't care one whit if the rabble give it to Phidestros the Upstart."
"Still, it must rankle."
"True, it pains me, but I am a man of reason, not some beast chained to his emotions-like Roxthar or Lysandros. Great King Lysandros believes he needs to destroy King Kalvan himself-cut off the Usurper's head, by his own hand if possible, and bring it to his people. By doing thusly, he believes they will love him.
"Now, Roxthar has joined the chorus behind King Lysandros, telling one and all that he is the right leader to co-command the Host."
Aristocles laughed. "Aha! The Investigator still harbors hatred for Phidestros because he humiliated him in the Gull's Nest with some redheaded harlot."
"How did you hear about that?"
"On the Great King's Highway, we were met by a group of wounded soldiers returning home who regaled us with stories of Phidestros' heroism and how he was the only man in the Grand Host with the stones to spit into the Investigator's eye. They then told us this tale about Phidestros' bearding Roxthar that they, of course, in turn heard from someone else. Who knows if there's any truth to it or if it's a grog shop fantasy? By now it's on its way to becoming legend."
"The story is true," Soton said. "I talked to General Geblon and he told me the entire tale. He said the real story is that the girl was a wounded Hostigi healer who a farmer had brought into Hostigos Town and dropped off at the Gull's Nest seeking a reward. He got a few phenigs for his efforts, you know whoremongers. The girl is called Sirna and she was taking care of the Iron Band's wounded when Roxthar arrived unannounced and ordered her off the premises to be Investigated. The Captain-General all but threw Roxthar out the door-which was admirable. By Galzar, I've wanted to do it myself on several occasions."
"So has most of the Grand Host!" Aristocles hooted. "Truly, it is a feather in the mercenary's cap."
"No doubt. And in his bed, as well-if rumors are to be believed; it appears the girl is now his mistress, as well as his healer. It has also cemented his bond with the common soldiers, who love their heroes larger than life, which in turn has inflamed Great King Lysandros' envy and stopped the Grand Host in its tracks."
"I cannot believe all this nonsense. What's happened to straight-out war? It used to be that you went into a disputed territory, won a few battles, conquered the land and then declared victory. Suddenly we have priests and kings arguing over every step we take. A pestilence on all their houses!"
Soton nodded. "And there's more to Lysandros' sudden martial conversion than pure envy and frustration. Word is that his men captured a wounded Hostigi wainwright who was shot off of one of Kalvan's treasure wagons."
"Treasure wagons?"
"Before Kalvan departed from Hostigos Town, he loaded up every valuable, including most of the food and his treasury, and loaded it into his wagons. Several hundred to a thousand of these wagons-if you listen to all the grogshop talk in Hostigos Town-were filled to the gunwales with gold coins and ingots, silver of all description, jewels and all the portable tapestries and paintings in the capital."