Down Styphon!, page 15
part #8 of Kalvan Series
Geblon felt his heart sink. It was bad enough to know that his wife didn’t love him, but it was even worse to learn that she still worshipped a bloodthirsty tyrant like former Great King Lysandros.
“And what about my father?” she continued. “Did you forget about him? He’s Prince of Hostigos: what will those fiends do to him?”
Geblon just shook his head. If there were any justice in the world, someone would tie up Prince Sthentros and drop him alive and squirming into a vat of molten lead—the traditional punishmentfor a traitorous dog. However, he knew better than to say what he thought; it would bring about an eruption of bile, mostly directed his way “We will honor our oath to Styphon’s House and protect your father.” Silently, he hoped that Phidestros had other devilment to occupy his time.
“You’d better do so, or this will be the last night we share our marriage bed.”
III
When Duke Hestophes came into his private audience chamber, Phidestros could see that the Duke’s patience was just about at an end.
“Your Majesty, we have enjoyed your hospitality for far too long. I would like to know, what conclusions you have reached regarding Great King Kalvan’s generous offer?”
“I’m sorry to have tested your patience, Duke. However, since my friend and former comrade is involved, as ruler of Hos-Harphax, I decided to send Captain-General Kyblannos to Harphax City to ask him what his intentions are regarding Great King Kalvan’s return to Hos-Hostigos.”
Hestophes nodded. “I’ll assume that your emissary will inform him of my Great King’s offer to his coffers in regards to our return to Hos-Hostigos.”
“Yes, I believe that might play an important part in his decision,” Phidestros said. It had better be, he thought. When it comes down to it, Geblon owes me far more than I owe him. Unfortunately, too much depends upon that feather-head he married to gain his throne.
“How long before Duke Kyblannos returns?”
Phidestros shrugged. “He left by one of our fastest galleys over a moon ago. He arrived within a few days, but there has been a delay in meeting with Great King Geblon. Unfortunately, he will have to return by land. This late in the year one doesn’t want to tempt the Weather Goddess.”
Hestophes said, “Yes, Lytris can be very unpredictable, much like Great Queen Lavena.”
Phidestros smiled wryly. “Very good, Duke. You have put your finger on the problem we both face. I need to know Geblon’s intentions before I can make an informed decision.”
“I understand,” the Duke replied. “However, just this morning I received a missive from Great King Kalvan that might have some bearing upon your decision.”
Why wasn't I informed about that? Phidestros wondered. Apparently, my agents-inquisitory aren't as good as Great King Kalvan's. “And what might that be?”
“Your Majesty, Tarr-Ceros has fallen. Grand Master Soton himself surrendered the castle to Great King Kalvan. He has also completely renounced Styphon as a true god and denounced Styphon’s House as a fraud.”
Phidestros fell back against his chair in shock. Soton surrendered! I didn't know the word was in his vocabulary I never believed that he would renounce Styphon! This means that Kalvan will not have to tackle each of the Order's forts, moving up his timetable for the invasion ofHos-Ktemnos.
“That’s unexpected. I thought he’d fight to the last Knight...?”
“So did Kalvan,” Hestophes replied. “Soton has now rededicated the Order of the Zarthani Knights to Galzar Wolfhead.”
“Phew, that’s going to shakeup the Innermost Circle. But it makes sense, since most of the Knights are devout followers of the Wargod, not Styphon. I just never thought I would live long enough to see this day come.”
“Neither did His Majesty. Still, it will save him many moons of besieging the Order’s tarrs and tons of fireseed. Plus, it will leave the border of the Sastragath protected against the nomads and Ruthani.”
“I agree that it’s a good thing. Does this mean Great King Kalvan will be moving against Styphon’s House immediately?” he asked.
Hestophes shook his head. “No, as you mentioned it is late in the season and the weather is unpredictable even in the southern kingdoms. My Great King did reiterate that his offer is still on the table for you to join him in the sack of Balph.”
“Where will he be wintering? In Nos-Hostigos?”
“No,” Hestophes said with a smile. “He will be going farther south. The Grand Master has promised him use of the Order’s navy to help move his army to Xiphlon. From there they will travel to Hos-Bletha to join our ally Great King Valthros in his war against the False Great King Niclophon ”
Phidestros’ head reeled, one shock after another. Who else knew that the Orphan Prince was Kalvans ally? I doubt that anyone in the Innermost Circle knew. All of Balph will be in an uproar when they find out.
“Will Great King Valthros be joining Great King Kalvan in his quest to destroy Styphon’s House?”
“Oh, yes. It was Styphon's House’s assassins who originally killed Great King Valthros’ parents. He is most anxious to repay them in kind.”
This changes everything, Phidestros thought. Kalvan has more allies than I ever thought, and with Soton renouncing Styphon's House, the Temple is without their greatest general. I need Kyblannos counsel and quickly.
IV
“I got your message,” Arminta said, as she entered his private audience chamber.
Phidestros knew that she preferred to spend most of her day with little Soligon, and he hated to take her away from the nursery. He had never seen her happier, or more beautiful since the baby’s birth. “I don’t like disturbing you while you’re with the baby, but I’ve just received some vital information from Duke Hestophes.”
“Yes, the Hostigi envoy who has been waiting patiently for our decision,” she said, as she sat down next to him. “What did he have to say?”
“As our agent-inquisitory told us, he was making preparations to leave. I believe I convinced him to stay; that is, at least, until Kyblannos returns.”
“What’s keeping him in Harphax City, I wonder?”
“Kyblannos in his last letter said that he is still waiting for an audience with Great King Geblon. It seems he’s unable to get an appointment to meet with Geblon.”
“It’s probably his wife again,” Arminta noted. “She’s trouble, that one. Lavena is probably afraid that Kyblannos will be a bad influence on her husband.”
“Yes, maybe remind him of a time when he had a mind of his own.”
Arminta laughed. “My mother used the same technique. She would isolate my father from his old friends and advisors so that he was forced to listen to her. When she died of the pox, it left him bereft and depressed. That’s why he depended so much upon my advice.”
“Don’t disparage yourself, I depend on your counsel, as well,” Phidestros said, “because it’s sound advice and often warranted.”
Arminta smiled. “I love you, too.”
Phidestros reached over and took her hand. “Duke Hestophes passed on some very important news. It appears that Grand Master Soton has surrendered Tarr-Ceros and has publicly abandoned Styphon’s House. He’s gone so far as to label Styphon a fraud and his priests’ thieving hypocrites.”
“What took him so long, is the real question?” she said. “They’ve used him up like an old nag.”
“You wouldn’t bother to ask if you knew Soton as well as I do. The Soton I knew was a true-believer down to his core. Kalvan must have shaken more than the foundations of Tarr-Ceros with his attack. One thing is certain, Soton’s renunciation of Styphon will hurt the Temple in many ways.”
“Obviously, it will make it easier for Kalvan to besiege Balph, but how will it help us?” She asked.
“Good question. A lot, if we join Kalvan and help overthrow Styphon’s House. Hestophes also let it slip out that Kalvan plans to winter in Hos-Bletha with his ally Great King Valthros—”
“Valthros is Kalvan’s ally?!” Arminta interrupted. “That will give the Hostigi army additional weight. This means that Great King Niclophon’s days are numbered, too. I suspect that once the Innermost Circle learns of this alliance, they will be forced to order Archpriest Grythos to bring his army back from Agrys City, leaving a power void in Hos-Agrys. I wonder if Kalvan intends to liberate the Agrysi from Styphon’s tyranny and add those lands to Hos-Hostigos?”
Phidestros gave a wolfish grin. “Not if we take them first, my love. This 'power void’ means that all of Hos-Agrys will be ours for the picking.”
“I sense your excitement, but we must think this action through. Your father already added one former Agrysi princedom to our Kingdom, and its been difficult to win their allegiance. A whole kingdom would be a lot to digest. We could spend all our time putting down Agrysi rebellions, fighting revolts and dealing with recalcitrant princes and nobles. All the while we re still building the foundation of Our House here in Hos-Zygros; after all, you’ve only been Great King for less than a year. If were not careful, we might find ourselves in the position of a rat snake swallowing a calf.”
Phidestros tugged at his beard thoughtfully. “That’s a very good point. This is why I wanted to run this by you, my love. Sometimes my ambitions are longer than my sword arm. You’re right, I’ve already got more headaches here, than I have time to deal with them. It was never my goal to be Great King of Great Kings.”
“I believe we have enough here in Hos-Zygros to keep us busy for the rest of our lives, lives that will be a lot longer if we can refrain from sticking our fingers into every honey-cake that beckons along the road of life.”
EIGHTEEN
I
Great King Kalvan, with Rylla at his side, stood on the banks of the Lydistros River watching the flurry of activity in and around Kythar Town as its inhabitants returned and life began to return to normal. With the siege over, the streets were clogged with pedestrians, horses, buggies, hand-carts and wagons, while the river below was dotted with boats, including Hostigi warships and transports as well as the Order’s galleys and Hostigi transports arriving to take the army downstream on the Great River to Xiphlon City. Now that he had changed sides, Soton was anxious to make up for past mistakes; he’d all but offered to join Kalvan in the attack on Balph.
Kalvan was glad to have wrapped up the Siege of Tarr-Ceros without having to destroy the old fortress and the Order of the Zarthani Knights. They served a valuable service and now that the Order had rededicated itself to Galzar, he felt good about leaving them in Soton’s capable hands. Styphon’s Own Voice would probably blow a gasket when he got the news. Not only was Styphon’s House losing over half its military might, but also its greatest captain-general. Of course, if the Innermost Circle had really valued Soton they would have made some kind of attempt to break the siege. He suspected they were looking ahead and more worried about their own necks.
Meanwhile, he wanted to spend as much time with Rylla as possible since last night she had mentioned returning to Thagnor Town to be with the children. There was no need for her to winter in Hos-Bletha. There would be plenty of time for her to catch up with the army next spring.
Frankly, he wished she’d stay in Thagnor for all of next year’s campaign season, but that was like wishing for wings on pigs.
Rylla rested her hand on his shoulder. “Kalvan, I know you want me to join you in Hos-Bletha next spring, but I’ve been thinking it over. I think I can do more good by taking a small force and traveling through Old Hos-Hostigos than I can by joining you.”
He felt his heart catch in his throat. “But that could be extremely dangerous, my love. The only inhabitants are derelicts and bandits. Something might happen to you—”
She punched him in the shoulder. “Stop that! I wouldn’t miss our triumphal return to Hostigos for all the gold in Balph. Besides, it will give me the opportunity to see the lay of the land as well as settle a few old scores.”
It was the latter that worried Kalvan. He suspected that predominant among those “old scores” would be ending the reign of Sthentros the Traitor, who now wore the official chain of the Prince of Hostigos. “You do realize that most of our former homeland is in ruins and the rest has reverted to wilderness.”
“Yes, I’ve read the dispatches and talked to the scouts. So far this fall has been mild and I should be able to set up some food depots inside Ulthor along the Akyros Road, which will make our job next spring much easier. I don’t intend to bring a large army—just a few thousand men— and remember Hestophes will have returned from Zygros City; he’ll be there to help.”
Praise Dralm for small miracles, he thought. He wasn’t sure how favorably Captain-General Hestophes would consider his new assignment, knowing he’d rather be with the Royal Army in Hos-Ktemnos settling old scores with Styphon’s House, than babysitting a great queen. Still, Hestophes was the ultimate professional and would do his best no matter what the job. It was Rylla who worried him most; she had a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later, which could foul-up any possible settlement with Great King Geblon.
Certainly, Geblon wouldn’t look favorably upon Kalvan and the Hostigi Army when he learned that a separate force commanded by Rylla was raising hell in his provinces. To say nothing about how Great Queen Lavena might take such an adventure—badly, he suspected. She was a loose cannon at best; this might well set her to blowing up all her fireseed at once. She was known to have Hadron’s Own temper.
On top of that, Lavena was a Daddy’s Girl with a few loose screws.
Finally, he realized there was nothing he could do to keep Rylla home, unless he wanted to ruin their leave-taking. At least there was an end in sight to the Fireseed Wars; afterwards they would resume a normal life— whatever that meant with Rylla as his life partner. One thing he did know, it wouldn’t be dull.
“Fine,” he said. “But I want you to be extra careful. No leading the troops from the front.” That tactic had gotten better generals than Rylla killed back in otherwhen, like Epaminodas, the great Theban general who died at the Battle of Mantinea, or King Harold who died with an arrow in the eye at the Battle of Hastings or Richard III who died ignobly at Bosworth Field.
“I won’t take any chances. I’m a mother now, and don’t want to leave our children motherless; or worse yet, leave you with the first strumpet who bats her eyelashes at you!”
Kalvan guffawed, then Rylla quickly joined in.
“Seriously, my husband, I promise to lead the army from the rear.”
Kalvan wasn’t sure he believed her, but there wasn’t much he could do to stop her short of staying home himself. Now that events had been set in motion that was all but impossible.
II
This was Archpriest Danthor’s third visit to Anaxthenes’ private audience chamber in less than a ten-day. He was going to have to be on the outlook for assassins as some of the old guard were beginning to resent his apparent closeness to the current Styphon’s Voice. Of course, paranoia was de rigeur for a hotbed of intrigue like Balph where the slightest slip could cost one his life, or his place in the Temple hierarchy.
As the bodyguard opened the door, he caught the smell of incense burning on a brazier, probably to cover up the lingering stench of burning flesh which permeated the City’s air. There had been a big public auto-da-fe in the Great Plazos, which faced Styphon’s Great Temple, this morning and four former highpriests and nine underpriests had been burned alive. All had been convicted of trying to flee Balph with personal possessions and treasure, the definition of which—as in the case of one black-robed underpriest—included pocket change. It was the fifth public burning in the last three days.
One more sign of the growing fear that had hit the Holy City like a jolt of electricity when it was learned that Grand Master Soton of the Order of Zarthani Knights had not only surrendered to Great King Kalvan, but had recanted his belief in Styphon. Then he had publicly rededicated the Order to Galzar Wolfhead. Many of the City’s inhabitants could already see the Hostigi wolves at the city gates in their imaginations. Not even Styphon’s Golden Idol’s pronouncements had been able to calm the City’s fears.
Anaxthenes looked up from the table where he was pouring over a scroll. Probably the latest intelligence report from one of the Temple’s spies in the Sastragath.
“Please come in, Danthor,” he said, pointing to a stuffed armchair covered in gold brocade.
Danthor took the proffered seat and took out his pipe.
Anaxthenes dropped the scroll. “That’s a good idea. I could use a good smoke about now. Would you like some of the Hostigi drink called Ermut’s Best?”
“Yes, Your Divinity. That is, if drinking one of the Daemon Kalvan’s creations is not a heretical act.”
Anaxthenes chuckled. “I like you, Danthor. Most of these bed-sheeted fools around here are so afraid of me their voices tremble when they speak. Besides, when the time comes that good potables are considered heretical, no matter who makes them, it’ll be time for me to step down as Styphon’s Voice.”
A servant suddenly appeared out of a curtained area carrying a tray with two gold goblets, a large glass flask filled with drink, an ornately carved clay pipe and a porcelain dish overflowing with tobacco. There must be a hearing tube for the servants, Danthor concluded.
When the servant had finished serving them, Styphon’s Voice said, “Gasthos, you can return to your room, but shut off the listening tube. Is that understood?”
The servant nodded fearfully, then quickly exited the chamber.
Danthor suspected that, like most of Styphon's Voice’s servants, his tongue had been cut out.
“Good,” Anaxthenes said, then turned to face Danthor. “As I’m sure you’ve surmised, morale here in Balph is at an all-time low. We had prepared the populace for the fall of Tarr-Ceros, but no one in the Inner Circle, myself included, had expected this fireseed blast from Grand Master Soton. He has done the Temple a great disservice.”
