Faith: The Councils of the Mighty

(Part of a continuing series. Previous post here, first post here.)

Jared came to a halt before a pair of ornately carved doors, guarded by a pair of soldiers. The servant who had guided him through the maze-like palace halls hurried away. Jared had been ordered to a meeting with the Prince of Ostek, whose service he had entered and whose life he had saved; though still relatively new to civilized society, being born in the rural lands at the Heart of the World as he had been, he knew enough to respect and fear the Prince, for the power he represented. So he entered, handing his sword to the guards at the door as he went, the wooden doors swinging wide.

The Prince sat at a throne of black stone, at the head of a small table. He introduced Jared to the others as the latter sat at the only empty seat, opposite the Prince. "This is the commander of my army, the Baronet von Erich. He came here looking for pay, and earned a title for his deeds in my service," the Prince said of the grizzled-looking man to his right. Pointing to the young woman to his left, the Prince continued, "She is my niece and heir, Evelyn. Quick of mind and body - she can outrun a horse! She is here to learn from me how to rule a city." Evelyn blushed at the compliment, while the Prince turned to Jared. "Now. Tell me about the assassin."

"I don't know him," Jared protested. "I encountered him for the first time today."

"How did you know he was going to attack His Highness?" Evelyn asked.

"I'd noticed something odd about him - he was carrying a metal blade," Jared said, feeling uncertain of himself. "But I didn't know he was going to do anything until he did."

"And then you stopped him," Evelyn confirmed.

"Yes."

"You said that you'd recognized the coins he was carrying," the Prince of Ostek asked.

"Yes," Jared agreed. "They're Intaki coins. I'm a little bit surprised I'd recognized them; it's been years since I saw their like. But there's no mistaking them."

"I do not come from around here," the Baronet von Erich said. "I was born in the Holy Empire, of the West, and came here as a mercenary only a few years ago. So I must ask: Why is it so strange that coins of a people from the Heart of the World should be found?"

Jared waited a moment; then, realizing it was his responsibility to explain, spoke. "The Heart of the World is very isolated; almost no-one enters or leaves, except once every generation or two, when a group fleeing outside oppression enters to find sanctuary. Even within, there's very little communication or trade: valleys are like little worlds. I never ventured out of my own valley for over fifteen years, until I joined the army. The same was true of almost everyone in my village."

"And yet the Intaki coins were in the assassin's purse," the Baronet mused. "And so are you, though you say that there's no contact between the Heart of the World and civilized lands. And you say you joined an army. What use is an army in a completely isolated valley?"

Jared said nothing, looking pained. He'd rather hoped to leave the Beckoners behind, after his exile; but now they'd come back to haunt him.

"Well?" the Prince asked. "These are, I think, the questions for which I asked you here."

"It's really one question," Jared began. "And it's best answered with a story."

The Prince nodded. "Begin."

"I grew up among the Beckoners. We believed - ah, something like - 'the end-times have already come, and it is the duty of the faithful to help it along.' That is, er, to kill everyone. We hadn't done anything about it in a long time - we just believed that the time would come, when our strength was great enough. But that changed, very suddenly. A girl I knew - older than me - forged an alliance with a nearby tribe and began a war against all the other tribes. Not all at once - one at a time, exploiting their isolation. She was - is - a genius, a military genius. The Intaki were one of the first tribes to fall at her hands. I joined the army, but was disgusted at the atrocities that were committed. So I left - I was exiled. And, eventually, came here."

Jared stopped. Evelyn was looking at him pityingly. The other two had considering expressions - perhaps wondering how much of Jared's story was accurate. Jared knew they were right to wonder - he had truncated the story to his own benefit, leaving out the details of his relationship with Thera.

The Prince asked the next question. "So what of the Intaki coins? You still haven't told us why they're here."

Jared thought for a moment, then spoke carefully. "I'd... heard, before I was exiled, that the war would continue otherwise... ah, sorry, that was badly said. When I was exiled, we - the Beckoners - had conquered much of the Heart of the World. We expected that we'd have it all within years. When that happened, we'd continue the campaign, fighting out of the mountains. But our leader, the girl, wasn't stupid enough to think that our tiny numbers would match the legions of the world beyond. Our entire village would fit within one of your marketplaces! So we planned to continue by spying. I don't know exactly how, but this assassin, holding Intaki coin, seems like he's probably involved."

"Is he from the mountains?" Evelyn asked.

Jared shook his head. "He's no Beckoner. If he were, I'd have recognized him. He might be from another part of the mountains, but it's not really in our creed to recruit outsiders. It would make more sense for us to hire a mercenary from Outside, if we were going to do so."

"And you think that's what they're doing?" the Baronet asked.

The Prince answered. "It makes sense. If what the young man said is true, then a lot of things start to come together - the bandits flocking everywhere, rebels popping up in every village... not only in my lands, but in other kingdoms as well, from what I've heard. The Beckoners must be funding them. I wouldn't normally be so quick to believe him - but the assassin is the proof."

"So what shall we do about them, Your Highness?" the Baronet von Erich asked.

"From what he's said, there are only a pittance of Beckoners, exerting influence beyond their numbers by using their wealth cleverly. No match for armed force."

"Shall I put together a company for an expedition?" asked the Baronet, grinning.

"Make it two," said the Prince after a moment's consideration. Explaining to Evelyn and Jared, he continued, "We're going to cut off all the recent troubles at the root, by marching into the Heart of the World, in - say, three days. And you're coming."

He thought for a moment. "You don't have any trouble fighting your own people, do you?" he asked Jared.

Jared frowned. He was full of trepidation on a number of counts - fear of Thera, concern over the course of action that he suddenly found himself committed to, and reluctance to, as the Prince of Ostek had phrased it, "fight his own people." Still, he answered truthfully when he replied, "No, Your Highness. I left when I discovered the, well, evil they were doing - and if they want to bring it outside the mountains, I will fight them."

"Good," the Prince said, already rising. Jared hastily followed suit, walking with the other two to the door.

The guards returned Jared his sword, which caught the Prince's attention. "Is that the best you have?" he said critically, looking Jared up and down as he said so.

Jared flushed. "Yes, your Highness," he replied. "I apologize-"

The Prince shook his head. "Don't bother," he cut Jared off. "I'll have the steward get you something better. Some chain-mail, perhaps, and a replacement for that dinged-up piece of iron junk you're using."

Jared let the guard take his sword, the sword his parents had given him, saying only "Thank you, Your Highness." His heart was filled with uncertainty, but in this, as the rest, he felt carried away by circumstance.

Preparations for the expedition to the Heart of the World began.