Caedyrn’s antics the previous night had caused quite the stir within the palace, those in charge could do nothing about it as anyone could see the guard’s culpability in the assassination attempt. Three unknown men were able to enter the room of an individual under house arrest, as well as the Archon’s personal guest. The fact that such an egregious act was carried out within the palace and resulted in only a harsh reprimand of House Helotis, and the reinstatement of House Ocealus spoke volumes.
The punishment was an insult to House Amyntas, but whatever advantages Helotis had gained over their rivals after the poisoning of crown prince Phylacus was immediately lost. Patriarch Kleomenes of House Helotis should’ve been glad his and children’s heads didn’t roll for this brazen assassination attempt. Luckily for him there was no actual evidence tying him to the crime, and the investigator’s sent by the noble council considered it an opportunistic act by both guards. The guard’s families would be sold into slavery and the gold paid as restitution to the Scholar, while the investigations would continue into House Helotis.
It was now House Helotis’s turn in the hot seat, their other rivals within the government were likely to use the investigation as an opportunity to cut away at some of their power. Such an investigation was unlikely to yield any results but did ensure that at least some of the Scholar’s opponents would be suppressed in the meantime.
The assassination attempt had also removed the suspicion placed upon the Scholar for Phylacus’s poisoning, particularly when his arrest was based upon the initiative of House Helotis. With the Heloti now falling under suspicion, and their alleged use of assassins within the palace, their word had lost its value. The event would have likely ramifications, some of the family would be sacrificed for the whole, and their assets were likely to be seized, to a small extent.
“Lord Amyntas, I’m glad to see that you are well, you gave the maids quite the fright I heard.” Meliochus had come to retrieve Caedyrn for his brunch with the Archon, a wide smile plastered across his face. There was no denying his upbeat mood, his was the first house to denounce the Heloti, using the moment of weakness to punish their rivals.
“I see that the maids have been very chatty this morning, is there anything else they told you that I should know about… it would be a shame if your fiancée were to learn about your nightly escapades” Meliochus’s face turned pale, his mind appeared to come to a screeching halt as he desperately tried to come up with an excuse. Caedyrn laughed at the young man’s antics, “Well, my boy, you really need to learn how to mask your emotions, or else your enemies will always take advantage. Honestly that was a joke, and now I know the truth, work on that. Just make sure to get your head on straight… now enough with the pleasantries. Let us get to the matters at hand.”
“I’m sure that you have been made aware of the attack upon my compound. Surely, you do not feel this is a coincidence that it was House Duris troops, members of your own faction that committed this attack! Your own men were killed in the assault, that is the only reason I trust that you weren’t involved… but Leucena was taken, and I do not know by whom, what will you do to assuage my anger?” Caedyrn glared at the shaking Meliochus, the earlier playfulness no longer present within his stare.
“I… I will immediately deploy my men to scour the city. We can use our authority to search the homes and businesses of those we suspect.” Meliochus answered quickly, he held nothing back and offered the full support of the Ocealus house. Caedyrn’s reply was a simple nod, giving the frozen young man a forceful pat on the shoulder as he stood from his seat and walked towards the door.
“Come, we can walk and talk… I fear if we stand around doing nothing, we will end forgetting the purpose of our arrival here in the first place. As for your men, make sure to inform them that it is my people who will command the investigation… Maatilani and Malakos to be exact.” The Scholar understood that Timeaus would be more ideal as opposed to Malakos, but Timeaus’s relation with Leucena had the possibility of causing him to act unpredictably. However, Maatilani’s urgent message last night had discussed Malakos’s injuries, as well as the attack that resulted in his escorts death and his wounds.
There were at least two more catenarii out there, and those puppets wouldn’t move without a puppet master nearby. Meliochus wouldn’t have known about such creatures, even the Temrenosian’s didn’t know. Caedyrn was more surprised at how quickly things were progressing, the enemy was finding new ways to create the monsters they needed. It spoke of systematic experimentation, a control of a large enough population somewhere to speed up the process of creation.
“Tell me Meliochus, how is Phylacus doing? I suspect that the poison’s effects have already worn off, and I presume he is laying low to draw out your enemies.” The young man’s wary eyes and drifting gaze was all that needed to be said. Phylacus was maintaining the illusion of his condition, letting others believe it to be serious and drawing out the traitors in his midst. It was a solid course of action, however that was assuming he was in a position where he could afford to let go of perhaps a third of his base. With the military camp almost firmly within Hyllos’s grasp, Phylacus had to maintain his grip over the navy and bureaucrats, should he lose either faction he would never be Archon.
“Can you tell me anything about what I am about to walk in to. I assume as the Captain of the Palace guard you have some insight as to why I was called here?” Meliochus continued walking, but his eyes darted from side to side, checking for any wandering ears.
“I’m not certain, but things haven’t exactly been going well under the control of the council. Most likely I’m sure you’ve already guessed as to the situation, how the city is a tinderbox just waiting to catch fire. The Archon may wish for your return, as a member of the council to get the League back into shape before his passing.” That is all Meliochus said, but that information was something the Scholar was already aware of. No, his earlier nervousness stemmed from something else, there was more that he was not saying.
“What else is there? I can tell when you aren’t be honest with me boy. How long do you think we spent together? My troupe raised you, helped you regain your title. I know when know when you aren’t being honest with me… so, what is it?” This time Caedyrn was a little more forceful in his approach, forcing the two to stop before reaching the audience chamber.
“The council is raising funds, I happened upon the documents while looking into the crown prince’s assassination attempt. Warriors are being raised, supplies are being purchased, horses, timber, ores, and minerals. I’m sure you’ve felt the price increase, your mining operations in the south have probably been bringing in more revenue recently. Everything points towards one outcome.” Metiochus didn’t need to say it, the answer was obvious enough.
War was logical conclusion; with it the Archon could deal with the domestic problems by sending the troublemakers to the frontlines. He could acquire more lands by consuming the fractured Althai federation as they are in the midst of a civil war. However, they will have trouble attacking the northern region, the land there is hilly and mountainous, with heavily defended chokepoints. It would be very difficult and costly for an army to invade from there.
That left one area, and the reason why the Scholar would be called to come to the capital for a private meeting. The Archon or the Council intended on invading through the western wastes south of the Naulos mountain range. A region that was sparsely populated, lacking in natural resourced, and inhabited mainly by the numerous plain’s tribes. Those tribes excelled at raising horses and had grown through trade with Temrenos in the last decade, increasing their wealth and power tremendously.
The Scholar feared that it was improbable at this time to defend the entire region, having avoided conflict by inhabiting mainly the forests in the east. These tribes in turn understood that the Scholar and his forces held back the tides of monsters and rampaging beasts that had threatened their herds and people in the past. It was this mutually beneficial partnership that maintained the peace, that kept the civil war from spilling over into the southern frontier.
It was also these plains peoples that originally provided the large warhorses that the Temrenosian’s needed for their breeding program. Without them they would not have able to supply the numbers of horses needed to create their vaunted cavalry force. Caedyrn had no intention of turning his blade upon these people who had assisted him when he was weak, when no one else would trade or assist in the creation of his city. If that was what they had intended, then he would do everything in his power to deter them from this course and do whatever he could to keep his people out of such a fight.
“Lord Amyntas this is as far as I go. Please enter through these doors, and the Archon will be with you shortly. Good Luck.” Metiochus pointed toward the oaken double doors, which did not appear to be the main audience chamber, but instead a private dining area.
Caedyrn gazed at the door and after putting his thoughts in order went forward with confidence. There were none within this world capable of intimidating him, the Archon would get his meeting and Caedyrn would listen for old time’s sake. However, he would not simply accept any order, his responsibilities were no longer to the League, but to the people of the frontier.
