Herine already knew that a significant force was camped on Atreska's border because Megan Hanev had seen it for herself before travelling to Solastro. Rumours hinted it had invaded. Megan felt that unlikely, given General Davarov's position in front of it, but the words in Roberto's letter kept on repeating themselves. No smoke without fire.
And there was talk of plague sweeping Gestern. Katrin Mardov's absence from the Conquord Senate was already a deep concern. This rumour added to it, particularly when mixed with the Karku man Harban's assertions of experimentation just inside the Karku border with Gestern.
'Absolutely, I do,' said Herine. 'You were young when the Ascendants first came to such extraordinary prominence. Your memories are probably a little dim on the subject. But I have lived with them and their development very closely this past decade. They think Gorian is a threat. They believe this walking-dead theory has credence. Your brother is concerned about Tsardon invasion and I am far too long in the tooth to do anything other than respond to his fears.
'But that's not the issue, is it, my love? It's those papers in your hand that we have to deliver to Elise Kastenas and then see if she can make them into some form of coherent defence.'
Tuline was clutching the leather bag containing latest definite legion strengths as if her life was tied to it.
'You know, you could put it down,' said Herine. 'I won't try and steal them, I promise.'
Tuline smiled and laid the bag on the seat beside her. Both of them knew it would be back in her hands soon enough.
'I don't understand,' said Tuline. 'Shouldn't we just be making the decisions here? We aren't going to get back to Estorr for nine or ten days. Won't it be too late?'
'We'd better hope not or we might encounter the enemy before we reach the Hill.' She patted Tuline's hands indulgently. 'No. What you need to understand is the length of time it takes any army to march across a country or cross any sea. You also need to understand what our legions' standing orders iican.'
'Yes, but so many of them aren't even turning up.'
'No.' Herine felt the betrayal bite once more. 'And that is another reason we must be careful. Not only do we have fewer legions for the defence of the Conquord, we also have to watch our backs, I'm afraid. And we need to know where to place our forces once we have beaten back the Tsardon and whatever this menace of the dead really turns out to be.'
'Oh.' Tuline reached out and grabbed the bag again.
'But we're amongst friends at the moment,' said Herine. 'So don't worry. When we get back to Estorr, we'll have all the latest messages and news from the territories and we and the Marshal General can make some informed decisions.'
'Will you be sending the Ascendants out to fight?'
'Wherever Gorian is, they are first on the roster sheet, believe me.'
'And what happens when we beat the Tsardon? We seem to have enemies all around us now. The Conquord was so great and now it's broken.'
Herine picked up her daughter's chin and turned her head so their eyes met. Tuline had tears in her eyes, and a single one dripped down her cheek. Herine wiped it away. There was so much of her in her daughter. Tuline, whom she'd thought would be fit for nothing in government, and yet who had proved herself so passionate and capable. A wonderful daughter to complement two wonderful sons. Roberto would be with Adranis now in Gosland. That border was as secure as it would ever get. She had her best people in all the right places. And Jhered to welcome her with accurate information when she returned home. It was a comforting thought. She smiled.
'We are not so weak. The heart of the Conquord still beats strong and you have to keep on believing that. The Del Aglios way is to remain positive as well as realistic. We have been betrayed by those we thought of as friends but that doesn't mean that whole countries have turned against us. Just individuals. And individuals can be replaced.
'Our loss of Dornos, Tundarra, Phaskar, and the martial law in Bahkir ... it's all only temporary. People are scared and they have turned away from us rather than turning to us for help. And that is deeply disappointing. But as Atreska discovered, so shall they.
'What belongs to the Conquord is only ever mislaid, and never lost. We always find what is ours and we always, always keep it. No matter how long it takes.'
Chapter Thirty-Nine
859th cycle of God, 40th day of Genasrise
The whole trial was to be conducted to the backdrop of anti-Ascendant chants and shouts from beyond the Victory Gates. News of the event had spread to every corner of the city and beyond. Citizens thronged every street, every alley way and every open space on the approaches to the palace complex, waiting for news.
Already, there had been ugly scenes. Pro-Ascendants had staged a counter-demonstration, denouncing the Chancellor. People had died as a result. It had left the mood charged and aggressive. Every palace and Ascendancy guardsman, every Estorean garrison legionary and even every member of the Conquord navy, the Ocetanas, in port had been pressed into service.
Inside the basilica, the noise was deafening as the Ascendants and the Academy hierarchy were brought in to sit in three rows of seats to one side of the throne. Opposite, sat the Chancellor, with the Speakers of Winds and Oceans. In the throne sat Aurelius. To his left, the Speaker of the Earth, to his right the Speaker of Fire.
The trial was under the jurisdiction of the Order of Omniscience, as were all matters of faith and heresy. It was fortunate that Aurelius was a strong man and determined to take his place in the stead of the Advocate, spokesman for the Prime Speaker of the Omniscient in her absence.
Even so, Arducius tasted injustice on the air. The public benches were packed with the great and the good of Estorr. Merchants, Order ministers, senior soldiers, Conquord administrators. But the Chancellor had ensured a good number of ordinary citizens were present to shout their hatred and vent their spleen.
Surrounding them and covering the courtyard, the palace guard were an imposing presence. No chance of summary justice the way Koroyan would doubtless have preferred, but none of escape either. The will of the people would ever be stronger than the fear of the Ascendants. As it should be.
Arducius sat with Ossacer on the front bench. Hesther Naravny, Mother of the Ascendancy, was to his right. Her sister, Meera, Gorian's mother, sat to Ossacer's left. Behind them, the four fit members of the tenth strand. Scared teenagers. And in the third rank, three twelve-year-olds. The eleventh strand. Emerged so very recently and plainly confused by all that surrounded them. They were flanked by two more members of the old Echelon, Gwythen Terol and Andreas Koll. Poor Andreas, one hundred and four. His service to God should not be called into question at this late stage.
Arducius thought it fortunate that the ancient Willem Geste, well into his mid-one hundred and thirties, was in Westfallen and far beyond the clutches of the Chancellor. Every day they waited the call to travel back for his ceremony at the House of Masks. But God had use for him yet, it seemed, limited though it must be.
'It doesn't look promising,' said Arducius, his voice a whisper in Hesther's ear. 'This is hardly a judge-split that favours our continued cycles, is it?'
'But we are not without allies. Aurelius is smart. And this is a time we should all be thankful that the military considers you a powerful weapon. No verdict will be given without due diligence of prosecution or defence.'
'But they will find against us.'
'In all probability. But it is then our allies will stand or turn. Appeals, objections. Anything to delay sentence until Herine returns. The Chancellor knows all this, of course. Now we'll see who's the better at playing the game.'
'We're wasting time,' said Arducius. 'We lose training and Gorian gets closer.'
'And we must waste as much more time as we can.' Hesther managed a smile. 'A paradox indeed. Just keep your brother's spirits up. You might hate him this morning but we need him.'
Arducius nodded. 'We spoke last night.'
'Good.'
'Hesther, I cannot see Orin.'
'He'll be here.'
'He should be here now.'
'He'll be here.' Hesther looked out into the basilica. Like Arducius, she could see the empty place next to Marcus Gesteris. 'Probably doesn't want to show his hand too early.'
Arducius was not comforted by the explanation. They needed all the help they could get.
Aurelius stood. The basilica fell silent. Outside, the singing and chanting echoed through the columns and into the roof. Across the stage, Koroyan smiled. Arducius shuddered. Memories of Westfallen's forum and murder crowded his mind.
'The charges have been posted and read. The trial for heresy will begin and every rule and law of its conduct will be followed to the letter.' Aurelius stared hard at the Chancellor, ‘I will not allow hearsay. Nor will I allow fabrication and exaggeration. Any who speak without express permission will be excluded from the basilica. Any in the public benches who feel the need to shout for one side or the other should think again. I will not hesitate to clear the chamber if I feel it necessary.
'Let us not forget who is in charge here despite the seniority of those involved in the proceedings.' Aurelius tapped his chest. 'I am in charge here. My honoured Speakers of Fire and Earth will join me in final judgement but in all other matters, I stand as sole arbiter. I trust that is clear to all present. Chancellor, proceed.'
Aurelius sat down. Koroyan shared brief words with her Speakers before standing. She was, as always, an imposing and chatismatic figure. Her energy map was alive and densely interconnected with the world around her and everything the Omniscient gave to His people. She wore a formal toga, slashed green for the Advocacy, and braided gold and purple for the seniority of her position within the Order. On her greying head sat a tiara of interwoven leaves and roots, centred by a sun motif.
She smiled at the Ascendancy benches. It was such a warm gesture that even Arducius felt himself swayed. It suffused her map with gentle green and slow pulsing blue. She had a mastery that she could only guess at. Surely it was not a genuine emotion she displayed yet her life map spoke otherwise. It was love and it was forgiveness.
‘I do not set out each morning to hate anyone. No one who opens their eyes on a God-blessed morning can have such darkness in their hearts. The joy the Omniscient offers us with every breath sweeps away such notions. We are all free under the gaze of God to go about our lives as He deems we should. And in return He gives us this bountiful world in which to live.
'Yet within this beautiful simplicity there is darkness and there is evil. If there were not, then I could disband the Armour of God, could I not?'
A titter ran around the rear benches. Arducius saw smiles on most faces. But by no means all.
'It is my job to ensure that such evil does not persist to taint the work of the Omniscient or turn the heads of his faithful. And I fear that many heads have been turned by the evil of the Ascendancy. Senior heads. For more than ten years, crimes against the Omniscient have gone unpunished, and indeed have been indulged by those whose position surely forbids them to do so.
'But, I am not going to stand here and read out that list. After all, we all need our rest tonight, do we not?'
Another titter and a few calls of agreement, hushed quickly.
'I do have it with me though, so if pressed ...' The Chancellor indicated behind her. 'What I am going to do is keep this very simple, but first I am going to answer a question that will be on the minds of all here present. Do I hate those who commit heresy? Is it this that drives me to seek their destruction, because destruction is what awaits the guilty.'
She turned back to the Ascendancy benches and delivered that smile again. Arducius fought hard not to believe what she said next.
'No. Of course I don't. Hate has no place in the heart of any minister of the Omniscient. What I feel, as do my fellow Speakers and Readers, is pity. Pity that any should have been turned from the path to follow evil. Pity that there is anyone in this world who seeks to destroy the work of God.
'But I live in the real world so I understand that there will always be those who will set their wills against the Omniscient and seek to undermine Him for their own ends. So it is not for me that I seek out this evil and determine to destroy it. It is for every faithful citizen who awakes to the same beauty I do every morning.
'I understand that destruction is the only way because those who choose heresy cannot be brought back into the embrace of God. They must stand as markers to those who are faltering that the Omniscient is the only way. Not hate, pity. And I weep for every one of them who burns, as does my God.'
The Chancellor paused. Within his heaving sense of injustice, Arducius found time to admire her and even understand her just a little more. He had certainly just gained an education as to why she remained so powerful and so popular, even though shorn of the support of the Advocate. That she would end with the majority of the public on her side was not in question. Aurelius was the key. He, Marcus Gesteris and Elise Kastenas.
'So, as I said, simplicity. I do not need to prove a vast number of individual crimes. On their own, many might not be considered heresy. Indeed some might argue that taking back a life from God to be some form of mercy. I tire of such debate. No. I can prove far more conclusively, that these Ascendants and their backers are heretics by the words of one of their own.'
Arducius nudged Ossacer. 'Here it comes, Ossie. Be careful.'
'Ossacer Westfallen, you will stand,' demanded the Chancellor.
Ossacer did so. Wearing his Ascendancy toga and with his hair cut short, he looked every inch the respectable citizen. He clasped his hands in front of him.
'Ossacer. May I call you Ossacer? It is informal but familiar.'
'It is my name,' said Ossacer.
'Did you or did you not state to me that Gorian Westfallen, previously thought dead, is able to raise the dead? To wrest the faithful from the arms of God and impel them to his will?'
'I did.'
A ripple of conversation and revulsion fled around the basilica. Aurelius raised a hand to still it. Arducius watched Marcus Gesteris rise and excuse himself.
'And did you not tell me that to counter this apparent threat, your brother Arducius and the rest of the Academy were training in, Works, is it? Works of fire in order to destroy these faithful?'
'I did.'
'Is not the threat of the use of fire to destroy an innocent of the Omniscient a heresy against the faith?' 'It is written thus.'
The Chancellor spread her hands wide. 'The case is proven. Surely?'
'You are asking me?' said Ossacer.
'Naturally.'
'Of course it isn't proven,' said Ossacer. 'Only the feeble-minded would believe so.'
To her credit, the Chancellor did not flinch despite clearly expecting a less vehement response.
'Are you sure that is what you believe? You did come to me to ask me to stop what you yourself described as a crime, did you not?'
'I did.'
'Then surely, you agree that the crime is one of heresy because to burn or threaten to burn is such a crime.'
'The problem, Chancellor Koroyan, is that you claim simplicity but we all know the world is not that simple or every legion commander would be facing similar charges every time they dipped a stone or an arrowhead in burning pitch. I asked for your help by calling on people's—'
'Enough. I have heard enough.'
'I am merely answering your question for the assembled company,' said Ossacer. He made to continue but the Chancellor turned to Aurelius.
'Senator, order his silence.'
But Aurelius shook his head. Arducius smiled.
'I think not. Or at least not yet. As I mentioned in my opening address, I will decide what is allowed and what is not. When I feel the question is answered, I will call it so. Continue, Ossacer Westfallen.'
Ossacer inclined his head. 'Thank you, Senator. I did visit the Chancellor to stop what I would describe as a crime before it was committed. The Chancellor was invited to win a
n argument on theological grounds that would have seen the use of any form of flame or explosive by Conquord armies outlawed. This is because the use of such puts the faithful in the front line at inevitable risk. The fact that in the enemy front line we might face, should the rumours be true, our own dead walking against us merely heightens that risk.
'No Conquord commander stands with us, accused of this particular heresy. On the battlefield, use of fire is currently sanctioned by her own Order. I disagree with it but it is so. Hence, no crime of heresy has been committed by any Ascendant, merely one of ethics.'
Aurelius held up his hand for silence, having heard far more than was necessary. The Chancellor was incandescent.
'Perhaps you should read out your list of charges after all, Chancellor,' said Aurelius. 'Unless you wish to pursue this line further.'
Orin D'Allinnius ordered that the door to the laboratories be unbolted and had his guard stand outside until Marcus Gesteris left. He didn't get out of his chair. His back and legs were agony today and there was a crawling sensation where his missing ear had been. He laid down his quill when Gesteris reached him, not wanting the senator to see the tremble in his hands.
'Sit down, Marcus. Come to see our progress?'
'That was one reason,' said Gesteris, taking the proffered seat.
D'Allinnius cleared a space of papers and two flasks and signalled for herb tea.
‘I didn't realise you were coming or I'd have organised something a little more fitting.'
'Tea will be fine,' said Gesteris. 'And you knew full well I'd be coming.'
'But not the exact time.'
'Where the hell have you been? There is one empty seat in the front row and it has your name on it. We need you there. They need you there.'
A Shout for the Dead Page 39
