Chapter 10
Two of the most powerful men in the world sat in a tent, negotiating the fate of millions.
There were forty men in the vast command tent, twenty from each side—commanders, courtly men, their assorted functionaries, and a handful of bodyguards who had agreed to meet in the gentle hill country south of Vadal City. As a show of good faith, both of them had only brought along a token escort of a thousand soldiers. Both sides had far more they could send for if offense was taken.
The meeting had started as such things usually did, with the arbiters and diplomats making announcements and sharing niceties, speaking on behalf of their Raja or Thakoor. When the benevolent Capitol had learned of the demonic scourge and the great fiery destruction in the north, they had dispatched the Raja’s army to aid Vadal in its time of need. “Ever Law-abiding Vadal thanks the Capitol for its concern, but the problem has already been corrected and the Raja’s army is no longer necessary and should return home.” So on and so forth. Escalating back and forth. Now they were to the point where the Capitol’s eyes needed to see this destruction for itself to confirm the threat was really gone, Vadal taking offense at this insinuation that it was unable to attend to its own internal security, and the Capitol insisting that this scourge was not just a danger to Vadal, but all of Lok, and thus the jurisdiction of the Raja.
For nearly an hour, Raja Devedas marveled at the endless lies and distortions the first caste vomited up without hesitation or shame. So many words, to say so little that was objectively true. They danced around difficult realities, unable to speak plainly. It reminded Devedas why he hated his birth caste, and was further proof why Lok needed one king to rule with a strong hand.
The entire time, Harta and Devedas said nothing. Harta let his arbiters speak on his behalf, and Devedas allowed Omand’s pets, who had been placed among his entourage, to make their demands, all while the only two men who ultimately mattered studied each other.
“The Raja has yet to speak,” Harta suddenly said, cutting off one of his own arbiters. “Does he have his own voice? For all I’ve heard thus far are the wishes and platitudes of the Grand Inquisitor.”
Did Harta think he was weak? Did he wrongly believe that Devedas was simply another of Omand’s pawns?
“I have much to say, but I would speak with the Thakoor, man to man. The rest of you should wait outside.” The high-status men on both sides immediately balked at that, but Devedas silenced his by saying, “Begone.”
Harta smiled at this development. Apparently, he had been as bored by the first caste’s nattering as Devedas had been. “I’ll gladly forgo the rest of these chirping birds, but you have me at a disadvantage, Raja Devedas, for you are a formidable man, a legendary duelist and combatant, while I am but a humble orator. To maintain my confidence, I shall keep my bodyguards here.”
Devedas nodded in understanding. “Of course.”
“I will take no offense if you choose to do the same.”
“I don’t need any bodyguards for this.” That wasn’t bravado. Just simple fact.
“Of course. The rest of you may leave.”
The functionaries did as they were told. Omand’s spies—and he was certain to have many—wouldn’t like getting thrown out of the tent, but Devedas didn’t care. Their master spider was back in his Capitol web, cementing their new authority. Devedas was his own man, with his own goals, and a crisis to attend to.
Raja Devedas had dealt with Thakoor Harta Vadal before, but only at a distance. When Devedas had been obligated as Lord Protector, Harta had already been Vadal’s Chief Judge and representative in the Capitol. He’d had nothing but hatred for the man, since Harta was allegedly one of those responsible for the lie that was Ashok. Harta’s powerful connections had made him untouchable, even to the Lord Protector. For the crime of creating Ashok and deceiving the Law, Harta deserved to die.
But now was not the time for bloody revenge, and personal vendettas needed to be set aside in order to further his grand ambitions. Devedas had his own conspiracies to tend to, and Harta was one of the last obstacles standing in the way of his becoming king.
Now it was just Devedas on one side of the tent, and Harta and a handful of very proficient-looking warriors in fine armor of blue and bronze on the other…as well as a single, elderly wizard, who had never been introduced. If that old man was still present his magic must be formidable indeed. Devedas wasn’t worried this would turn violent because Harta’s reputation was that of a statesman, and he wouldn’t jeopardize that to strike down someone as famous as Devedas in such an uncouth manner.
Besides, the golden armor Devedas wore had been crafted to add gravitas to the new office of Raja, but he had insisted that it be as functional as it was awe-inspiring. If Harta was foolish enough to try him, Devedas would happily fill his tent with Vadal blood.
“Though I am very good at the games of our caste, sometimes I tire of them. Now we may speak plainly,” Harta said as he adjusted the pillows he sat upon. “You, and your army, are not needed here.”
Most of Vadal’s warrior caste were already occupied dealing with Vokkan incursions to the west and a war against Sarnobat to the east. Vadal already had two fronts to contend with. One it had asked for, a second it had not. They could not withstand a third.
“The Capitol disagrees.”
“The Capitol, or Omand Vokkan?”
Devedas was tempted to say that everyone knew they were one and the same now, but he refrained. “My army will remain encamped outside Apura until I decide the crisis is over. The scourge and the pillar of fire struck Vadal but threaten all of Lok. I have been appointed Lok’s singular representative. This is my obligation.”
“Thus this new title you bear…Raja.” Harta rolled the word around in his mouth as if it had a foul taste. “In a moment of fear, how quickly my fellows were to give up their power for a promise of safety.”
“The judges are rational men. In the name of expediency, they simply delegated all their emergency authority to me, Thakoor.”
“Which requires your emergency to never end.” Harta didn’t even try to hide his disgust. “My spies have told me about what’s going on in the Capitol right now. Men of status are being labeled as dissidents and traitors, imprisoned, or tortured upon the Dome…or the Tower of Silence, as Omand so haughtily changed its name. Judges cower in their estates like common criminals while the Chamber of Argument sits empty and quiet, as none dare speak out against Omand’s campaign of terror.”
“I am not Omand.”
“But you are his man. He willed your position into being, and then provided legendary hero Devedas, his honor above reproach with loyalty to no house, as the inevitable choice to fill it. Omand plays a dangerous game. The great houses will not stand for this. In time, they will restore the judges to their rightful place.”
“‘Rightful’?” Devedas’ laugh was genuine. “What foolishness.”
“Do you insult me, Raja?”
“It’s our traditions which insult us all. For two decades I traveled to every corner of the continent, enforcing the Law. I’ve been to every great house and most of the vassals. I’ve dealt with every caste, from the mightiest of judges to the filthiest degenerate fish-eater, and I’ve taken more lives than I can count. What all this taught me is that there’s no rightful place but what one takes. The men currently in charge, those who benefit from the way things are, they talk of the sanctified Law, while breaking it constantly for their own benefit. They held power so long they came to believe they deserved it forever, simply for existing. I am the cost of their complacency.”
Harta had wished for them to speak frankly, but he had clearly not expected this level of honesty. “You brag of treason.”
“Treason? No. Effectiveness. Where the judges would squabble and play their little games from the comfort of their palaces, the Raja will act and do what must be done. I won’t accept lectures on morality from one of the conspirators who tricked a stray dog into believing it was a Protector in a vain attempt to save his house’s ancestor blade.”
That caused Harta to glance at his warriors, because apparently that old family secret wasn’t even known to his closest guardians. However, Harta didn’t bother to gauge the wizard’s reaction to the accusation, which told Devedas much.
The Vadal wizard was a tiny, frail man, wearing black robes decorated with owl feathers. His eyes were milky and he had to be nearly blind.
“This charge doesn’t seem to surprise you, wizard. You must be Kule. I didn’t recognize you. I was only a boy when I saw you deliver Ashok to the Hall.”
The frail old man nodded as his name was revealed. His voice creaked. “My Thakoor has asked me to return from my retirement, due to recent events.”
“You erased a casteless and built a fearless servant of the Law in its place. You are the one who made Ashok what he is.”
Kule chuckled. “Cruel circumstances created Ashok. I will admit to no crimes.”
Ashok had been his closest friend, and yet Devedas didn’t know how much of that construction had been real, and how much had been the fabrication of this wizard. Somehow that felt like the greatest betrayal of all.
“I wonder…The spells you used to shape Ashok’s mind—were there flaws built into your foundation, or did your construction erode over time?”
Kule pondered on that. “I would never commit such a terrible crime, but any wizard who did such a heinous thing would certainly never expect a creature with its fear removed to survive long for it to matter. Ashok should have expired long before the pattern began to fray…but life is full of surprises.”
“Enough,” Harta ordered his prideful wizard, and Kule bowed his head in apology. “You never made these wild accusations against my house when you were appointed Lord Protector, nor is Ashok’s deception why you’ve led an army to my door now. You have been remarkably forthright with me, so I will cut to the chase. I know why you’re here, Devedas. The scourge—which, let us remember, was released by the Inquisition—and the resulting destruction was all the excuse Omand needed to seize great power for himself. Vadal is the only house strong enough to stand against him on its own. If I don’t bow to this new government of his, other houses will follow our example and refuse to as well. But if mighty Vadal is brought down, then the rest of the houses will tremble and kiss Omand’s feet. I’m just trying to decide if you are Omand’s equal…or his slave. Do I speak to a Raja, or a mere messenger for his true master?”
“You speak to the man who will rule all of Lok. Be thankful I’m in a merciful mood.”
“Omand wants me dead and my house in ruins. What do you want, Devedas?”
“A righteous justice and a ruler wise enough to dispense it.”
Harta blinked. “I thought we were past the flowery lies of the courtiers.”
“You judges have spoken in nonsense and poetry for so long that when a man who understands the true purpose of the Law tells the truth, it baffles you. I swear, the judges are as fallen as the fish-eaters and the Capitol is as unclean as the ocean. I will correct their errors and stop their excesses. The Chamber of Argument will become secondary and subservient to the Raja as I provide that righteous justice.”
“You’d force us into a new Age of Kings.”
“We never really left. We merely replaced one singular vision with hundreds of corrupt, petty, bickering, divergent ones. Great House Vadal can either support me in restoring that rule, or Vadal can be destroyed. It’s that simple.”
“Simple, eh?” Harta stroked his beard thoughtfully, but his face gave away nothing. “I’ve seen what Omand has been working toward all these years. You’d have all the great houses become vassals to the Capitol. For what?”
“The great houses already answer to the Capitol in all the ways that matter. You rule only as long as a committee says you can. You mint your own coins, but the Capitol controls the central bank notes you all use to trade. Their Orders tell your industries what they are allowed to make, and then tax you for it. They tell your scholars what they are allowed to learn. They tell you how much magic your wizards are allowed to have. They tell you when and how you can make war on your enemies. And when you cross enough lines to get a sufficient number of judges to vote against you, they send my Protectors to execute your commanders in punishment. No, Harta, you’re already vassal houses. Vadal has just been the best at using this broken system to its advantage, so you’ve abided your servitude. Only we both know with the way things are going, Vadal’s supremacy isn’t going to last.”
“Vadal is stronger than you can imagine.”
“So was Dev, until it wasn’t.”
“Ah, yes. There it is.” Harta gave him a cruel smile. “I know your history, Devedas. We are alike in some ways. Sons of the first, heirs to a great house, our fathers both bore ancestor blades. Only my father, the great Bhadramunda Vadal, died honorably—only to have his sword be taken up by scum—while your father’s sword shattered and he took his own life in disgrace. Your house was conquered while mine grew stronger. I was obligated to serve in the chamber, while you were given to the Protectors. If our fortunes had been a bit different, perhaps you’d be the Thakoor, and I’d be the madman telling him of my plans for overthrowing the Law in order to crown myself king.”
Perhaps Harta was right, for Devedas’s birthright had been stolen from him. The difference between them was that Devedas was strong enough to forge for himself a new one.
“The judges have already lost, Harta. Their time is done. You’re fortunate I’m the one who will take that crown, rather than one of the empty shells Omand would have installed otherwise. Those sheltered creatures of the Capitol would have no understanding of the costs of subjugating all the great houses. That is a degree of bloodshed and terror that I’m trying to avoid, for I have seen more war than anyone else alive…Perhaps one other man was my equal—and I killed him.”
“Good riddance to the Black Heart,” the Thakoor agreed, but then he leaned forward on his cushions, a courtly predator stalking its vulnerable prey. “You speak of costs. That’s because we both know your mighty Capitol army is barely unified, made up of warriors obligated from different houses who all hate each other, temporarily forced together by the whim of a Capitol whose will those warriors suspect will falter when it matters most. How much would it cost you to fight me?”
“Don’t forget, Harta, I’m also on unfriendly ground, with long and vulnerable supply lines which must run through other houses I can’t rely on. Oh yes, I’m very aware of my challenges. Which is why we’re talking now rather than butchering each other.”
“My army could defeat yours.”
“Likely true, but I don’t need to win. Merely weaken you enough that it will allow your neighbors have their way with your house. My Army of Many Houses could hurt you enough that Vadal would never recover.”
“Even if Vokkan or Sarnobat burned all of Vadal to the ground afterward, you would forever be Devedas the Defeated, and no one would support your mad ambitions after that. We would both lose.”
Devedas smiled. “Yes. That sounds unfortunate, doesn’t it?”
Harta considered this for a long time. Devedas was clearly not at all what he had been expecting. This was no puffed-up warrior, thinking glory could carry the day, but a pragmatic realist, willing to destroy them both in pursuit of his goals.
“You know the way in which we both lose, Raja, but is there a way both of us can win? If you would be as wise a ruler as you claim, then demonstrate it to me now. I would consider your proposal, but you must meet my terms.”
“Name them.”
“The Raja can have the Capitol and its Orders. Do with them as you see fit. Replace a hundred judges’ votes with your singular decision if you feel like it. Yet, the great houses must retain their autonomy. Leave us to do what we will over our own lands. Let us settle our feuds, manage our trade, and govern our people, free of the Capitol’s chains…or test us, for if Vadal were to prevail against your army, even briefly, it would send a message to the rest of the houses that the Raja’s threats are empty. Then you will have replaced the judges with nothing but chaos, as every house would then battle to claim whatever scraps it could. That righteous justice you seek would be destroyed in flames of division. But make us partners rather than servants, and you will have the great houses’ respect.”
Omand would never agree to such a thing, for he despised the great houses’ ability to push back against the Capitol, but the thought of thwarting the Grand Inquisitor in this way pleased Devedas. Omand was a sinister manipulator with an insatiable appetite for power. Their agreement had benefited them both so far, but Devedas would need his own allies for the future.
“I’m sure we could work out an arrangement like that.”
“We will let our courtiers debate the little things. That’s what those lesser members of the first are for. For now, if my terms are acceptable to you, then I could see Vadal supporting your claim to rule the Capitol.”
Harta was too good at this. It was impossible to tell when the best speaker in Lok was lying or not. His opponent was shrewd, but not suicidal. Was Harta buying time, hoping the situation would change somehow? Or was he astute enough to realize Vadal was trapped?
Time would tell.
“Then we will part today with a new understanding, Thakoor. We’re both reasonable men, who want what’s best for our people.”
“Agreed. Let us bring our staff back in and let them argue over the details of how a free Vadal could best support our new Raja.”
Omand would be furious. So be it. A real king did not require his advisor’s approval. With a tentative peace brokered, Devedas turned to a matter of the heart. “There’s one other issue, a personal one, and your resolving it would be a sign of our new friendship.”
“Name it, Raja.”
It was dangerous to ask, because merely mentioning her name demonstrated her importance to him, but Devedas had to know the truth. “I’ve been informed that Senior Archivist Radamantha Nems dar Harban is a hostage within Great House Vadal.”
Harta paused before responding, as if trying to decide why someone like her mattered to someone like him. “Radamantha has been a guest of mine. In fact, she has been serving as one of my scholarly advisors. Inquisition witch hunters tried to illegally haul her off. My guards stopped them.”
That was doubtlessly true, and once more confirmed that Omand was never to be trusted. Devedas tried not to let his anger show, because Harta might think it was directed at him, rather than the Capitol’s spider. “She is well?”
“She is in my care, of course she’s well. Rada even has one of your Protectors watching over her at all times. A gigantic beast of a man named Karno.”
“One of my best.” When Devedas had charged Karno with keeping Rada safe, he’d never imagined that he would hide her in the home of one of his enemies. Karno was far too honest to ever be made aware of Devedas’ schemes, so Karno couldn’t possibly have known his Lord Protector would end up at odds with Great House Vadal.
“Rada possesses a quick mind and a remarkably charitable heart by the standards of our caste. I have enjoyed our walks and discussions in my garden. May I ask how you know her?”
“I’m merely a friend of her family,” Devedas lied about the woman he intended to be his future queen. “Before I left the Capitol I assured her father I’d find her and return her safely to the Library. I would like for you to turn her over to me.”
“And I would like for your army to move their camp from the north side of Red Lake to the south while we work out the details of our new arrangement.”
If they did go to war, that was valuable ground to give up, but it was a small price to pay to get back the woman he loved. “An equitable trade, but we’ll wait where we are until she arrives, though, to spare her from having to travel that much farther.”
Harta chuckled, then he surprised his guards by getting off his cushions and walking over to Devedas. In the northern lands, it was tradition to bow to equals and superiors. In the south, agreements were sealed by the clasping of arms. Apparently Harta was familiar with the icy southern ways, as he extended his hand.
“There will not be peace in the north as long as Vokkan and Sarnobat press us, but let there at least be peace between the Raja and Great House Vadal.”
Devedas stood and shook the hand of one of the men conniving enough to have unleashed Ashok Vadal on the unsuspecting world.