Hell's Foundations Quiver (100 page)

“What are you suggesting?” Salthar asked.

“Before I answer that question, I'd like to ask Sir Rainos to speak to the fashion in which the men and officers of the Army of Shiloh responded to the heretics' announced policy where
their
prisoners were concerned,” Fern replied. “I submit that we need to consider both the positive and the negative consequences of delivering the captured Charisians to the Punishment they undoubtedly deserve. It's not a matter of
refusing
to surrender them to the Inquisition, of course. If that should be Mother Church's decree, then as her loyal sons we would obviously have no option or desire to resist it. If, however, there's the possibility of a decision—even a temporary one—which seems likely to us to yield a greater short-term, purely
tactical
advantage, then I believe it's obviously our responsibility to respectfully share our analysis with Father Ahbsahlahn and Bishop Executor Wylsynn.”

He paused, clearly inviting a response, but no one spoke. He waited another handful of heartbeats, then returned his attention to Ahlverez.

“Could you give us your impression of how the Army of Shiloh's rank and file responded to the heretics' announced policy where prisoners of war are concerned, Sir Rainos?”

*   *   *

“Do you really think they're going to argue with Clyntahn?” Sharleyan Ahrmahk asked.

She sat in a private council chamber with Earl Pine Hollow, Baron Rock Point, Maikel Staynair, and Ehdwyrd Howsmyn. She and the archbishop had returned to Tellesberg only three days ago, and news of the Kaudzhu Narrows catastrophe had arrived—overland by semaphore to Windmoor Province, then across the Tarot Channel to Tranjyr, across the Tranjyr Channel to Margaret's Land, and on to Tellesberg—four hours before she had. Nothing could have prevented her Old Charisian subjects from greeting her, their beloved archbishop, and the heir to the throne with enthusiasm, yet the battle—and especially the loss of both
Thunderer
and
Dreadnought
—had cast an undeniable pall over her return.

Which was fair enough, she thought, given the pall it had cast over the entire inner circle well before anyone else in Tellesberg had heard a word about it. Now she gazed at her husband's image, projected onto her contact lenses, and her own expression was anxious as she thought about the prisoners headed along the long line of canals towards Gorath. Or perhaps “anxious” wasn't precisely the right word. Perhaps the word she wanted was “anguished.”

“
Argue
with Clyntahn?” Cayleb shook his head, his own expression somber. “No, they're not going to do that. But I think it's possible they really will suggest an … alternative disposition of their prisoners.”

“Salthar and Thorast sure as hell aren't going to sign on to any ‘alternate dispositions' willingly,” Rock Point said flatly. “And despite the fact that Ahlverez is directly related to Thorast, I don't think Fern's scoring any points with the Duke by asking for Ahlverez' opinion.”

“He's not really asking Ahlverez'
opinion
, Domynyk,” Merlin put in over the circuit. At the moment, he was in his Dialydd Mab persona, moving through a rain-soaked forest towards one of the columns of concentration camp inmates being driven towards the Border States. “In fact, what he's trying to tap dance his way around to is even more problematical than that. He wants Ahlverez to suggest that his own men were less willing to fight to the death in a hopeless position because they knew it was our policy to treat prisoners humanely so that
he
can suggest to Kharmych—
not
Clyntahn—that our people might react the same way if they thought they wouldn't be handed over for the Punishment. I think he hopes the Group of Four may be desperate enough to embrace at least a little rationality after what's just happened to the AOG in Siddarmark. He's not doing Ahlverez any favors by asking him to say anything of the sort, though, and I have to say I'm a little surprised that Ahlverez seems willing to answer the question honestly. He has to know he's putting his neck right back into the noose—potentially, at least—if he takes a position that ends up pissing Clyntahn off.”

“A noose might be the least of his problems if he pisses off Zhaspahr Clyntahn,” Aivah Pahrsahn observed ironically from the study of her Siddar City townhouse.

“Personally, I think what's most significant is that Fern is even considering suggesting, however diffidently, that it might be wiser to not give our people to the Punishment,” Pine Hollow said. “Consider how completely silent he was when it was Admiral Manthyr's turn.” The Charisian Empire's first councilor shook his head. “I'll bet you're entirely right about the way what happened to Kaitswyrth and Wyrshym—and even more what's been happening to Rychtyr, too, now that I think about it—is driving his position, Cayleb. There's no way he'd be doing this if he was remotely as confident as they're all trying to pretend they are about just how their ‘Jihad' is going to work out in the end.”

“You're right about that,” Nimue Chwaeriau said from her post outside Princess Irys' bedchamber. Irys was going to be irritated at having missed this conference, but Nimue was recording the entire conversation for her and she needed her sleep. Her advancing pregnancy was taking a lot out of her, and Nimue wasn't going to wake her for something like this. Besides, it wasn't as if Irys was still the only Corisandian cleared for the discussion.

“To be honest, I wasn't all that surprised when Desnair effectively bailed on the jihad after what happened to the Army of Shiloh and the way Zhaztro hammered Geyra and Desnair the City. I wasn't too surprised Mahrys weaseled his way around the decision with all those earnest promises to ‘return to the field as soon as humanly possible,' either. It's a bad sign for Zion when an emperor begins deliberately lying about his intentions to support the jihad, but Mahrys and Desnair in general have always had a lot of cynicism in their devotion to Mother Church. More than I think even they realized, to be honest. And, frankly, how big a loss to the Group of Four does Desnair's military collapse really represent? They can still squeeze gold out of Mahrys, and it's not as if the Desnairian Army—or Navy—covered itself with glory, is it? No.” She shook her head. “This is potentially a lot more significant, I think.”

“Agreed,” Phylyp Ahzgood said firmly.

The Earl of Coris might be the inner circle's newest member, but he'd taken the revelation in stride. His familiarity with the Group of Four's tactics and ruthlessness had made it much easier for him, and like the princess he served, he'd decided any God who agreed with Zhaspahr Clyntahn was no God of his. Now he sat beside his bedchamber's window, gazing out into the Manchyr night, and nodded crisply.

“Dohlar's been the Group of Four's most effective secular supporter from the beginning—at least since Armageddon Reef, anyway. I think that probably surprises the Dohlarans as much as it surprises
us
, frankly, but it's true. So if Fern's looking for ways to mend fences with us, that says some really unpleasant things from Clyntahn's perspective.”

“The problem is how Clyntahn chooses to take any suggestions coming out of Gorath,” Sharleyan said. “From his track record, any suggestion that he might not get his own way is only likely to make him even more furious.”

“I don't think that really has a downside as far as we're concerned,” Cayleb said somberly. “Pissing him off isn't going to make things any worse for any of our people he gets his hands on, after all. It
can't
. But if he responds to any perceived criticism from Dohlar the way he very well might, the consequences for the
Dohlarans
could be … severe. And from our perspective, anything that reduces Dohlar's effectiveness—like, oh, a situation in which the members of the entire Royal Council find themselves desperately looking for ways to protect themselves and their families from the Inquisition—has to be a good thing. And, frankly,” the emperor's expression was grim, “after what happened to Gwylym and his men, it won't break my heart to find them having to do exactly that.”

“I have to admit I'd feel a lot better if Dohlar's relationship with the Temple came a little unraveled, too,” Howsmyn said. “Something that buys us a couple of more months for the
King Haarahlds
would be really, really welcome just now.”

“It certainly would,” Rock Point agreed. “On the other hand, now that we've officially gotten word about what happened in the Kaudzhu Narrows I can dispatch a couple of more
Rottweilers
to back you up, Dunkyn. Unfortunately, they'll have to come from Tellesberg, so it'll still be at least a couple of months before we can get them there.”

“Speaking solely for myself,” Baron Sarmouth replied from his sleeping cabin aboard
Destiny
, “I'm in favor of anything that gets us something with the armor to stand up against
Dreadnought
as quickly as possible. At the same time, I don't think they're going to be using her very aggressively against us anytime soon. They're too busy still figuring out what they've got, and Kahrltyn had expended most of his ammunition before they took her. That means Thirsk and Zhwaigair are going to have to figure out how to produce more of it for her. Mind you, now that that clever bastard Fultyn's producing shells for his own rifled guns that may not take them as long as we'd all like for it to. But for now, she's more of a long-term threat than an immediate problem.”

“What about diverting the
Cities
from Hsing-wu's Passage?” Cayleb asked.

“I don't think we can,” Rock Point replied. “Dunkyn's probably right about how long it would take Thirsk to get
Dreadnought
back into action, and Kynt needs the
Cities
up there on his right flank. For that matter, we need those bastards in Zion worrying about where they might go next. I could probably pull out the ones keeping an eye on Desnair, but they're all the way on the other side of the Sea of Justice. That's damned near five five-days for a dispatch boat, even if we use the semaphore to pass the message to Tarot and send the dispatch from Brankyr Bay. That'd cut a thousand miles or so off the voyage time, but by the time I got a dispatch boat to them with orders to leave their present station, I could have
Lightning
and
Seamount
a solid month on their way. And even after we got any of the
Cities
moving, they'd be limited to the speed of the galleons carrying their coal along with them. I think it's entirely worthwhile to think about redeploying them eventually, especially with the delay to the
King Haarahlds
, but it'll be faster to send the
Rottweilers
first.”

“Agreed,” Cayleb said after a moment. “We'll do it your way, Domynyk. And in the meantime, if anyone has any spare time on his or her hands, I think it might not be a bad idea to spend it praying Fern does suggest that ‘alternate disposition' of their prisoners and Clyntahn actually listens.”

“I'll see to that,” Archbishop Maikel promised, then smiled a bit sadly. “We're already holding daily masses of intercession for the prisoners, after all. On the other hand, I'm afraid some miracles are more likely than others.”

 

.II.

The Temple, City of Zion, The Temple Lands

“If this continues, Wyllym, there are going to be some
changes
,” Zhaspahr Clyntahn said coldly. “You can tell Wynchystair and Gohdard that. And—” his eyes were frozen flint as he glared across his desk “—it might not stop there.”

“Your Grace, I entirely understand your sentiments, and if you truly wish me to pass that … warning on to Father Allayn and Bishop Markys, I will, of course,” Wyllym Rayno replied levelly. “Unfortunately, removing them from their posts—or removing
me
from
my
post—isn't going to defeat these heretic terrorists.” He returned the Grand Inquisitor's icy glare without flinching. “The Inquisition has no servants better at their jobs or more aware of their duty than Father Allayn or Bishop Markys. I'll leave your estimate of my own capabilities and loyalty to your own judgment. Replacing any of us, however, is more likely to create confusion among our agents inquisitor than to have any beneficial effect.”

“I don't see how it could have any
detrimental
effect,” Clyntahn half snapped. “It would be rather hard to accomplish
less
than a total lack of progress or success, don't you think?”

“We have made some progress, Your Grace,” Rayno said in that same level voice, working hard to make his expression reflect both an awareness of Clyntahn's rage and just the right amount of confidence. It was rather more difficult to project the latter. “Over the last six five-days, we've intercepted two assassination attempts and killed a half-dozen of the heretic terrorists,” he pointed out.

“Yes, and
failed
to intercept the assassination of Vicar Styvyn and Archbishop Samyl,” Clyntahn shot back. “And unless my memory of your reports is in error, all but two of those terrorists killed
themselves
when they realized they couldn't escape. Which brings another minor point rather forcibly to mind. It's all very well to
kill
the bastards, but without someone to interrogate, we're learning fuck-all about who they are and how they've gotten their hands on such fiendishly accurate intelligence!”

Rayno began to reply, then stopped himself, partly because contradicting his superior was always risky when Clyntahn was in this sort of mood and partly because the Grand Inquisitor had a point.