'I have also heard nothing to say those suspected-' began Tori. Bahl raised a hand to stop him. 'Neither have I, but neither do they rush back to the fold. My lords will need convincing, it seems, and that is what we will do.'
'Lesarl?' asked Isak with a faint smile, looking quickly at the woman, who was crouching easily at the side of the tent. He noticed that Ked wore a look of pained resignation. No doubt he'd hoped the time for savage measures had passed.
'Legana has other duties,' Bahl said. 'She will be returning to Helrect, where she will join the White Circle. We have little information about them or their plans because they have been so hard to infiltrate. We have few female agents of Legana's talents; to waste her on this would be foolish. In any case, Lesarl will have to restrain his feelings for Duke Certinse for the moment. I do not destroy powerful families lightly, for that would, I think, come back to haunt us.' 'And counts?' prompted Vesna quietly.
'Kinbe and Solsis should both disappear. There's no doubt that they are guilty of murder and heresy, though we've never had evidence enough for a public trial. That should send a clear message to Duke Certinse; after that, we will have to watch how he reacts. I will have Suzerain Nelbove in my pocket by the time his daughter marries Certinse. His allegiance to Malich was only ever intended to further his fortune.'
'Count Vilan and those marshals of his,' supplied Sir Cerse. 'The count sent ambiguous letters to my predecessor – they were delayed and by the time they arrived the colonel had died and a relative in the city had claimed his personal papers. There is no reason for Vilan to know his letters were not burned, as I'm sure the rest were. I've known him for years, so I doubt his importance to the general plot, but it would send a message to anyone thinking of pulling strings.'
The grey-haired Tori blinked in surprise. Vilan was one of his subjects – and one of his most important. 'I had no idea,' he said, looking at Bahl. 'It's true I have never been on the best of terms with Vilan, but I've had no reason to think him a traitor. His family have always supported mine; he's my second cousin.' The suzerain pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily. Isak watched, fascinated at the
effect of this revelation on the normally granite-faced soldier. 'If you would be good enough to show me the documents, Sir Cerse?'
.
The knight nodded. 'Of course, sir. They are under lock and key. If it helps, it mentions your hidden armouries at your hunting lodge and Riverbree Manor – I assume that was information he shouldn't have shared.'
'Vilan was the only one outside my family to know of those, damn him. I will deal with him, but I want it to be seen as an accident. The Vilans have done my family good service over the years; I don't want their reputation to be stained because of one man.'
'May I ask something?' asked Isak. He looked around at the expectant faces and felt the memory of his display on the battlefield rise in his throat. He'd been trying to avoid being the centre of attention since he regained consciousness. 'I'm sure you've all grown up discussing this sort of thing, but I didn't. It's obvious there is disloyalty, and problems with the Cult of Nartis, but I still don't know what Malich actually did. Could I get the short explanation before we decide who to murder?'
A barking laugh came from Suzerain Ked, not mocking but brotherly, as if Isak's request had made him appear human again. There were smiles all round and the sombre mood evaporated.
The colonel cleared his throat to attract Bahl's attention. 'I think that perhaps I might be the best person for that, my Lord. I know enough to give a brief outline.' His tone was respectful but bold as he warmed to his new position in Bahl's inner circle. He could make a good guess at the sort of man the Lord would value.
Bahl gestured for Sir Cerse to continue.
The scandal was brought to light by a Cardinal of the cult of Nartis, Cardinal Disten,' he said. 'He was once chaplain to a cavalry regiment in Amah. He discovered daemon worshippers spreading a cult devoted to a being called Azaer, mostly in the Cardinal branch, but they were slowly gaining control of the whole cult of Nartis. It was rumoured that the Dowager Duchess Certinse was at the centre of the plot, taking orders directly from Malich. I heard that the men who round Suzerain Suil's body were on their way to arrest him for high treason. They were preparing for a full-scale rebellion when Cardinal Disten uncovered the plot last summer.'
'But how could any Farlan rebel against the Chosen of Nartis?' demanded Isak, unable to keep from interrupting.
'Firstly, if you'll forgive the observation, my Lord, even a white-eye of Lord Bahl's ability cannot face an entire army. With necromantic powers augmenting their forces and the military support of those nobles they controlled, the danger was very real.'
'But surely most are loyal still?'
'Possibly, but by rigging the election of one of their own to High Cardinal of Nartis they have great authority over the people, as well as the ability to declare Lord Bahl Forsaken.'
Isak sounded confused. 'What does that mean?'
'Forsaken means abandoned by the Gods. While we are servants of the Gods, they rarely pay much attention to us. Nartis is like any other God of the Upper Circle. The Chosen must be able to protect both their positions and persons, otherwise they do not deserve his blessing. If the Cardinals declare Lord Bahl to be Forsaken, then they can order those loyal to join them or stay away. Not all would obey, but enough. Lord Bahl is head of the cult of Nartis, but the Cardinals speak with divine authority. With intelligence and magic they could manipulate the mood of crowds; they could turn public opinion even against the chosen Lord of the Farlan.
'Half the tribe seems to have been implicated by one rumour or another. Mostly these have been false – petty revenge or family feuds, such is court life – but some must be true. I believe that there was a large faction of Devoted involved.'
Sir Cerse looked at Bahl for comment but received merely a blank stare. He coughed and continued quickly, To best Lord Bahl in battle, Malich would have needed to control at least one duke and five powerful suzerains. That's the only way he could be confident of defeating the loyal troops. The true extent of how many were involved we may never know, but the tribe has been severely weakened by suspicion. Many have failed to maintain proper, lawful levels of stock, trained soldiers, campaign supplies…" His voice tailed off as gloom overtook the tent once more.
Isak looked around at the faces staring at the ground. Bahl's own naturally grim expression was reflected on the faces of Tori, Vesna, Sir Cerse – even the beautiful assassin, Legana. Suzerain Ked, normally a calm and reflective man, had his jaw clamped tight and anger tightened his brow.
With a start Isak realised their dismay was not at the task facing them, but shame that their own people could turn on each other in
such a way, and against the will of the God.
Insurrection was nothing new, but plotting the downfall of the entire nation was a completely different matter. Their tribe had remained strong by relying on its own – an arrogant and xenophobic Way of life, possibly, but one that had kept them whole nonetheless.
'Thank you,' he said quietly. 'Now I understand what's at stake, of course I'll be part of it – I'll do anything you need.'
Expressions faded to acceptance and resolve. The next few hours saw each man writing a painfully long list while outside, winter tightened its grip on the mountains they called home.
A discreet knock came at the dining room door. Amanas raised an eyebrow at his wife, but from her expression Jelana knew nothing about it. The Keymaster frequently spent all day in the Heraldic Library, or at official functions. Dinner was their time: they would eat together and undisturbed every night unless it almost was a matter of life or death. As absentminded as Amanas was, he knew his wife felt strongly about this. He actively dissuaded visitors at the best of times; the evenings were sacrosanct.