by Ian Gregoire
Fay marched into the circle, passing between the rostrums of her fellow Sanatsai, Karlberto Sandi, and the veteran Jaymidari, Sister Ariana Bellini, one of the four members of the Sisterhood on the Council. She joined Ari at the centre of the circle, and he gestured for her to speak while he stepped aside to observe her from half a dozen paces away.
“Honoured Council,” she began. “I regret to inform you that I received news this morning that potentially jeopardises next week’s mission in Anzarmenia, and if the worst should happen, it could have dire consequences for the future of the Nine Kingdoms.” Slowly she paced in a mini circle so she could look at each Council member in turn as she spoke. “As you are already aware, it’s been almost three weeks since the attack on Antaris by a twenty-strong group of unaligned Sanatsai from Anzarmenia. You also know that the attack was an assassination attempt on one of my apprentices, ordered by the Anzarmenian cult leader styling himself as Master Yosarian, a man who we’ve recently learned may actually be Josario Sandolari, the instigator of the Great War seventy years ago.”
From the looks on some of the faces staring back at her, Fay knew her colleagues were waiting for her to tell them something they didn’t know.
“In the wake of the attack,” she continued, “I made the decision not to tell the apprentice in question that she was the intended target of the attack. Knowing Kayden as I do, I was concerned that if she were to be told the truth she would want to go to Anzarmenia to eliminate the threat herself, and when I subsequently learned of Master Yosarian’s true identity I felt vindicated in my decision to keep her in the dark.” Fay halted her slow pacing within the circle, and briefly averted her eyes to gaze at the floor. “Unfortunately, earlier this morning I found out that my effort had been in vain.” She lifted her gaze to face the scrutiny of her superiors. “Not only does Kayden know about the threat to her life, she knows the source of that threat. And just as I feared, ten days ago she set off on a journey to Anzarmenia to deal with it.”
Right away Fay sensed a shift in the atmosphere of the Council chamber. The revelation about Kayden’s actions had brought a nervous tension to the room, though Fay was certain her high-ranking colleagues—with the exception of Ari and Idelle—were more concerned about the integrity of the pending mission, rather than the safety of the apprentice.
“In a letter she left behind on campus for me,” Fay continued, “Kayden spelled out her intention to capture Yosarian before the Order can move against him, then bring him back to Shintana to face the justice he escaped at the end of the Great War.” She glanced sideways, locking eyes with Ari as she addressed him directly. “It’s imperative that Kayden is intercepted before she locates the cult of Yosarian. We already have thousands of people in place in southern Anzarmenia. We only need to task a few of them to monitor the main roads leading to—”
“That’s simply out of the question!” blurted a voice behind Fay.
She turned around to face Benzino Ardan, the most recent addition to the thirteen-member ruling body, and the only other elite Sanatsai within the ranks of the Order besides herself and Ari. He was three decades her junior, but had the appearance of someone slightly older, despite only looking half his sixty-eight years. Standing at his rostrum, he did not look happy. Perhaps that wasn’t surprising given he was the man in charge of the impending mission in Anzarmenia.
“With just a week to go before we eliminate Josario and his cult,” he said, “we cannot risk exposing the presence of our people because of your inability to instil discipline in an out of control apprentice.” Benzino’s sanctimonious tone reminded Fay why she had never liked the man. “Do you have any idea how difficult it has been to conceal the presence of five thousand Sanatsai? And need I remind you of how long it took to build up those numbers, and the lengths we’ve had to go to in order to prevent the wrong people from learning of it?”
No, you needn’t remind me, thought Fay. She was well aware of the Council’s concerns that the Sisterhood in Anzarmenia had been infiltrated by Master Yosarian’s cult, and the subsequent measures employed to restrict knowledge of the mission from all members of the Sisterhood. Those Santasai deployed to the realm couldn’t travel there via the Sisterhood’s portal network, so they had to journey by horseback in small groups over a period of many weeks instead. Likewise, they couldn’t base themselves at any Sisterhood seminaries; safehouses had to be established until the order to execute the mission was given.
“The risk is minimal,” insisted Fay. “Only a handful of men will be needed to monitor the main roads in the south of the country. Despite her linguistic talents, Kayden won’t exactly be inconspicuous travelling through Anzarmenia. She will stick out like a sore thumb.”
“Especially when she makes no attempt to avoid drawing attention to herself,” quipped Benzino.
Cocking her head slightly, Fay narrowed her eyes at her counterpart. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked. Evidently, Benzino knew something she didn’t.
“At the end of last week I received a report from covert operations in Anzarmenia,” he said. “Seven days ago, eight soldiers were injured in an attack on a checkpoint in the north of the country. The attack was supposedly carried out by a lone perpetrator, described as being a young Vaidasovian woman who wields Zarantar. Naturally, I didn’t give the report much credence at the time, but now that I know about your pain-in-the-ass apprentice I think it’s safe to assume she was responsible.”
Fay wondered what had prompted Kayden to attack an Anzarmenian military checkpoint. It was hard to imagine the apprentice doing something like that unprovoked.
“As it is,” continued Benzino, “I don’t think we’ll have to waste time intercepting your wayward apprentice. Kayden Jayta is now a wanted woman in Anzarmenia, with a price on her head of fifty gold anzaris. She’ll either be arrested or killed before she gets the chance to jeopardise next week’s mission, if she hasn’t been already.”
“I’m sure we would all like to avoid that eventuality,” interjected Ari.
Glancing sideways, Fay saw her friend amble forward to rejoin her at the centre of the circle.
“It can’t do any harm to have a few eyes on the roads looking out for Kayden,” said Idelle, speaking for the first time. “As Fay has stated, someone of Vaidasovian descent would be easily noticed travelling through Anzarmenia.”
“Maybe so,” said Ari. “But how likely is it that Kayden will find Josario? I don’t see how she could have attained that information.”
Fay replied, “Kayden is a very resourceful person. When she sets her mind to something, you can assume that she can achieve it.”
“I feel the need to remind everyone that this upcoming mission is more important than the life of a single apprentice.” Benzino sounded thoroughly irritated by the situation. “We are so close to eliminating Josario, and putting an end to whatever he is planning in Anzarmenia. Allowing him to get wind that the Order is closing in around him by having our people gallivanting out in the open to find an unruly apprentice would be folly of the highest order.” He fixed his gaze upon Fay. “I put it to you, Danai Annis, if you were so concerned about the life of your apprentice you should have kept her on a much shorter leash.”
“Kayden is not a dog, Ben,” said Fay in her matter-of-fact fashion. She placed her hands behind her back, effortlessly maintaining her composure despite the attempted provocation.
“Danai Annis! I would remind you that I am now a serving member of the Council. You will address me as Rendai Ardan, as is proper.” Benzino’s voice was dripping with condescension. “The bottom line is this,” he continued. “If Kayden Jayta needs to die to ensure the success of the mission, then we must let her die.”
“Just so we are clear… Ben,” she said pointedly. “My primary purpose in bringing this matter to the Council’s attention is not because of concerns about Kayden being killed. I am here to warn you that Kayden and Yosarian cannot be allowed to meet. If that should happen it could have devastating consequences,
and that is why the Council needs to task a few people to intercept her right away.”
“I am confused, Danai Annis.” The lilting female voice belonged to Mariza Kasiras, one of two Sanatsai women on the Council. “What are these ramifications of which you speak? You seem to be implying that Josario will not kill Kayden if she finds him, which doesn’t make sense if your assertion that he was behind the assassination attempt is correct.” She tucked her greying hair behind her ears.
Fay turned her body a little to the left so she could address her Sanatsai colleague directly. “Based on what I was told by the only surviving member of the Anzarmenian group who carried out the attack on Antaris,” she said, “Yosarian doesn’t know the first thing about Kayden. For the time being, she is merely a black-clad apparition plaguing his dreams; the embodiment of a distant, theoretical threat.” And Fay was determined to make sure that perception didn’t change. “The danger in allowing their paths to cross, and meet face-to-face,” she continued, “is the likelihood of Yosarian realising what Kayden is, and what she is capable of. In that event, he won’t want to kill her. She is too valuable an asset.”
“So you’re worried he will recruit Kayden?” said Mariza. “Even though she knows who he is, and is currently absent without leave in an attempt to capture him?”
“Yes.”
Fay was more than worried. It was a terrifying prospect.
“Kayden is still young and malleable. Don’t assume she is capable of keeping Yosarian out of her head for very long if they should meet. This is a man who inspires fanatical devotion in the people he wishes to use.” She cast her gaze in a semi-circle to look at the faces of half the membership of the Council. “I will remind you that he has already persuaded scores of Jaymidari in Anzarmenia to abandon their calling and leave the Sisterhood to join his cult. Having Kayden at his side would make it that much harder to thwart his plans. Who knows, we may one day see a repeat of the Great War.”
“Since when are you the expert on Josario Sandolari?” Benzino sneered. “And you can lay off the hyperbole. Why would Josario give a damn about an apprentice?”
Letting out a sigh of frustration, Fay had to refrain from giving the authoritative answer she had. Though two members of the Council were aware of her past, she could hardly reveal to the others that she was the infamous rogue Sanatsai who spearheaded Josario’s forces during the Great War.
“It is an indisputable fact that Yosarian, like all Saharbashi, craves power,” she said calmly. “I can also tell you categorically that a decade from now Kayden Jayta will be the most powerful Sanatsai we have ever seen. If he should meet her, and realise her true potential, he will want to turn her, hoping that maybe she will help him succeed, in the not-too-distant future, where the Rogue failed seven decades ago.”
“Oh, please!” Benzino’s scoff drew everyone’s eyes to him. “Ifs and maybes!” he said dismissively. “So what if Josario might recruit a good-for-nothing apprentice? The only fact that matters here is the mission to eliminate Josario and his cult happens next week, and we cannot jeopardise it by exposing ourselves before then. To do so would give him a chance to escape his just fate for a second time.” He shifted his gaze to Ari. “Rendai Shinadu, now would be a good time to call a vote to settle this matter.”
With a quick glance to her right, Fay saw Ari preparing to enact the request.
“Honoured Council,” she interjected. “Before you vote, I would ask you to bear in mind the following: Kayden is ten days into her quest to find Yosarian, so we may only have two or three days to prevent that. She is also aware of next week’s mission to move against the cult, so if she is captured it’s possible she will make Yosarian aware of it too, whether willingly or unwillingly. In other words, it would be a mistake to view intercepting her as a potential risk to the mission. Instead, you need to accept that it’s the only way to ensure the mission can go ahead as planned.”
With the final appeal to her colleagues out of the way, Fay fell silent and looked towards Ari, waiting for him to call the vote. He duly got things under way by first asking for a show of hands from those in favour of tasking a few men to form small search parties to monitor all the main roads leading to the southernmost city of Nagornorak, so that Kayden could be apprehended before encountering Josario’s cult. Six hands were finally raised, including Idelle’s, but Ari conspicuously kept his hand down by his side. Fay chose not to read anything into it; Ari usually didn’t participate in Council votes unless there was an equal split among his counterparts, leaving him with the deciding vote. Assuming there were no abstentions from the remaining six members, there would be six people opposed to intercepting Kayden, and Fay had no concerns about how Ari would cast the deciding vote.
Ari proceeded to ask for those opposed to Fay’s proposal to raise their hands. Benzino’s arm shot up before the question was complete, and moments later a further five hands were raised. As Fay anticipated, the vote was split.
“We have six in favour and six opposed,” said Ari, “so the deciding vote is mine.”
Unbidden, a wry smile curled Fay’s lips as she stared at Benzino. She knew Ari was about to authorise the search for Kayden—despite Benzino’s best efforts.
“In light of what we currently know,” continued Ari, “I have decided to abstain.”
Fay’s head spun to the right so fast, as though she’d just been struck across the face. She stared in wide-eyed disbelief at her oldest, dearest friend, unable to understand what was happening.
Averting his gaze, Ari slowly paced in a circle as he explained his rationale to the other Council members. “In my view, there are two things we have overlooked in this matter,” he began. “Kayden doesn’t specifically know where to find Josario; she knows only that he is operating in southern Anzarmenia. That is too large an area for her to feasibly cover between now and the day of the mission, plus Josario never stays in the same location for longer than a day, so the odds of her ever finding Josario are so low it wouldn’t make sense to jeopardise the mission to apprehend her.
“Secondly, now that we know Kayden is being sought by the Anzarmenian authorities, we can tip off their military that they are looking for a runaway apprentice of the Order, likely heading to Nagornorak. Having Anzarmenian soldiers monitoring the roads on our behalf to detain Kayden should eliminate the risk of exposing the pending mission. Given all of that, we don’t need to task our own people to look out for Kayden.”
Lips pursed, Fay was far from happy with what she was hearing, but she held her tongue. Turning on her heels, she didn’t wait to be excused or ask for permission to leave the chamber. She marched out of the circle, heading for the exit as she swallowed her displeasure. The next stop was her quarters. She had plans to make before her departure from Temis Rulan.
It had taken Kayden considerably longer than she would have liked to persuade the people that Baldassian was the Saharbashi mastermind behind the ten-month reign of terror when she returned to Mirazan Square and the governor’s residence. Persuading them that Baranzev Kazdaranian was completely innocent, and shouldn’t be killed, took almost as long before she felt it was safe to release him from the barrier sphere in the wine cellar she’d trapped him in. Nonetheless, she couldn’t really blame anyone for being sceptical about Baldassian’s stated motives for why he did what he did; she found it hard to believe, too.
While escorting her prisoner through the streets of Sevdanor back to Mirazan Square, Baldassian had confessed to being a traitor in the employ of Sirathania’s military intelligence. His disgruntlement at his lack of advancement up the ranks of government had made him open to recruitment while he was serving as the Anzarmenian ambassador to neighbouring Sirathania. In exchange for agreeing to assist in a future invasion of his homeland, Baldassian would be made regent of all Anzarmenian territory successfully annexed for the creation of a Greater Sirathania. For the duration of his five years in the ambassadorial role, Baldassian learned the ways of the Saharbashi from his hosts, to
be better able to fulfil his ambitions. Much to Kayden’s surprise, Baldassian admitted to convincing the Sirathanians to pursue the incremental takeover of Anzarmenia, one province at a time, rather than a full-scale invasion that would likely fail, again.
The eventual plan was to weaken Anzarmenian government rule over its territory, by making each successive province ungovernable due to rampant banditry that effectively cuts the province off from the rest of the country. After maintaining this state of affairs for twelve months, the Sirathanian army could ride in, appearing as saviours, bringing an end to the banditry and restoring law and order. The people would subsequently be so grateful that they wouldn’t oppose the annexation of their province. This process would be repeated until Anzarmenia was too weak to resist an all-out invasion of its remaining provinces, and fortuitously for Baldassian, his recall from Sirathania to fill the post of provincial governor for Yeverezan province put him in the ideal position to initiate the elaborate scheme.
Kayden had wanted to question why the Sirathanians would agree to pursue such a hare-brained scheme, but then she remembered it was common knowledge that the ruling class of Sirathania were a people with delusions of grandeur, who believed it was their manifest destiny to rule the world—no matter how many times they failed.
She watched as Baldassian, now bound in rope, was led away through the first-floor corridor of his former residence to an empty room where he would be kept under guard until he could be transported to a Guard station prison cell. Soon enough he would stand trial for his crimes. Government forces from outside the province were expected to arrive in town within the next two days, to restore royal authority. At her side, Baranzev Kazdaranian thanked her yet again, and announced his intention to leave at once to visit the town’s four jails. He wanted to free his subordinates among the Royal Guard who’d been imprisoned after refusing to obey the orders he’d been compelled to give them.
“I’m glad I was in the right place at the right time to help you,” said Kayden. “In the brief time I’ve spent in your company it’s been obvious to me that you are a man of honesty and integrity. It would have been a travesty if Baldassian had forever tarnished your name and legacy.” She caught the attention of Sartis, standing at the other end of the corridor, and beckoned him to her with a finger. “Please take Sartis and some of the militia with you when you go,” she said to Kazdaranian. “I suspect news of your innocence hasn’t yet reached the cells of Sevdanor’s prisons.”
