Cry of the Newborn

by James Barclay

Behind Herine, the door to the chamber had been thrust open and two guards were already halfway across the room. She waved them back without looking round, waiting until the door closed. She looked across at Yuran, whose embarrassment forbade him to look up at her. She felt a short stab of guilt at provoking his outburst now it had happened and decided against a formal rebuke, though she was disappointed at his lack of self-control. His desperation was more acute than she had anticipated. She supposed that was what she had been trying to ascertain.

  She spoke quietly and deliberately, seeing his head come up at her first words. 'I will do everything I can,' she said. 'And believe me when I say I worry about every citizen who dies on a Tsardon sword. But over this dusas, you have to learn to help yourself. Work with the legions in Tsard. Put faces on the battlements of the border forts, trained or not. Encourage your citizens to prepare their own defences if they are all you have. Deterrents are powerful, even in the face of Tsardon raiders.

  'Before you go, and you will go without saying another word, let me remind you of three facts. First, the Conquord works because its member states provide their own backbone to aid the cause of the whole. All have gone through what you experience now. All succeeded because they believed and were prepared to stand up when faced with enemies they once thought of as partners in trade, if not friends.

  'Second, short-term austerity is often the price of long-term prosperity. I note that you wear enough wealth on your fingers and around your neck to fund much of the trained defence you so crave. Perhaps you should consider personal sacrifice above that of your citizens.

  'Third, I am not a woman. I am Marshal Defender of Estorea, Prime Speaker of the Order of Omniscience and Advocate of the Estorean Conquord. You should take care who it is you choose to damn.

  'The breeze is harsh. Be sure to close the door firmly on your way out.'

  Exchequer Paul Jhered strode along the magnificent colonnaded road that led away from the palace complex, feeling the deep chill of a dusas night slice into his body despite his leggings, the wool he wore beneath his moulded leather breastplate and the fur-lined cloak wrapped close about him.

  It was a walk he had so often enjoyed. The cold invigorated him. The lanterns suspended from columns and trees shed pools of light on cobbles that rang beneath his steel toecaps and heels. Taverna Alcarin, where he was meeting Vasselis, was easily the finest in Estorr and that was up against significant competition. Glorious cuts of meat, the freshest catches from the Tirronean Sea and rich sauces, the mere thought of which caused him to salivate in anticipation.

  Yet on this quiet mid-evening, with stars scattered thickly across the skies and barely another citizen on the street, Jhered felt at odds with himself. It had all stemmed from his summoning to an audience with the Advocate. It had been a particularly one-sided conversation. Herine had meandered through a series of requests, from opening new investigations into Atreskan levies, through an assessment of the troop levels in Tsard and on the conflict borders, and to an unusual demand on him to seek the detailed views of the Chancellor of the Order with regard to Conquord-wide loyalty, morale and religious education.

  None of these, unwelcome though at least one of them was, had led to his mood tonight. It was the fact that Herine had been distracted throughout the meeting; and it wasn't that her mind was wandering to the new lover that awaited her. Another pretty young man destined for castration and guarded banishment to the Advocate palace in Phaskar, should he prove fertile enough within her womb.

  Something she had learned from her meeting with Vasselis had disturbed her deeply. Indeed, Jhered had never seen her so unfocused on the matters in hand. Matters of great importance to the Conquord. One of the many reasons Jhered had such respect for the Advocate was the sharpness of her mind and her determination that the Conquord should prosper above all personal goals.

  She would not be drawn on what Vasselis had revealed to her but the trouble it had caused had been inscribed in her every word and movement. Herine had locked eyes with him just once to say:

  'You are his friend are you not? You respect and love him like a brother, don't you?'

  And it had seemed almost an accusation. And his reply, that indeed he was meeting Vasselis for dinner that night drew tears to her eyes.

  'He trusts so completely and he might have need of those he trusts. You are one. I am another. Why do I wonder if he is mistaken in that trust?'

  She would say nothing more on the subject and had left Jhered confused and ill-at-ease. When he had taken his leave, her enigmatic words had hastened his steps to his rooms and thence to the taverna, the door handle of which was now in his gloved grip. He opened the door on to a wash of heat, light, noise and beautiful cooking scents.

  The taverna was crowded. Packed tables lit by candles sat amongst narrow black marble columns that supported a low wooden roof. There was another equally busy room on the floor above. Jhered was well used to the reaction of the appearance of his imposing frame and famous face in a place such as this. Stooping under the lintel, he was seen by one diner and, quick as a brushflre, conversation dipped and faces turned to and away from him, nervous for no reason he cared to consider.

  It alerted the taverna's owner who hurried over, his delicate-looking hands outstretched and his face bearing a wide smile below his bald pate. He crushed Jhered's left hand in his surprisingly strong grip-

  'Exchequer Jhered, it is too long since you graced our modest tables. Welcome. Welcome.'

  Jhered forced a smile on to his face while the conversation picked up once more. 'And I have missed the God-blessed taste of your dishes, Master Alcarin.'

  'There are new ideas for you to sample,' said Alcarin, letting go his hand and beginning to weave through the tables. 'I'll bring some to you. Marshal Defender Vasselis is this way.'

  He clucked happily as he led Jhered through the taverna. Jhered was acutely aware of how he dominated the room. How chairs moved automatically for him, how heads nodded respect and recognition and how all eyes followed his progress. The taverna had two private rooms and it was to one of these that Jhered was happy to be taken.

  The door opened on a richly decorated room. Timbered walls were painted in deep red. Two green and gold recliners were at right-angles to each other with a table inside them covered in food and wine. A fire roared in a grate surrounded by a sculpted marble mantle. Vasselis was standing by the fire in a cream and yellow toga, looking out of the single window on to the cold street beyond, hands clenched behind him.

  Alcarin withdrew and Jhered ducked his head and walked in. The atmosphere was anxious and nervous, leaving him unable to smile as Vasselis turned. Instead he frowned, unsure. Vasselis looked more than nervous, scared even. His eyes were pinched and the corners of his mouth tugged up unconvincingly. He wasn't much older than Jhered but tonight, he looked haggard. What had happened in that meeting with the Advocate?

  'I hope you don't mind, I ordered for both of us and Alcarin says he has some treats for us to try.'

  Vasselis gestured to a recliner and took the other himself. He sat upright, too fidgety to lie back. Jhered felt like a stranger and he had little appetite though the food on the table looked sumptuous. He poured himself a goblet of wine, mimicked Vasselis's position and drank deeply.

  'I'm sure you've chosen wisely as always,' he said.

  'I'm not sure I am always wise,' said Vasselis, his voice barely above a whisper.

  'Right,' said Jhered, pushing both hands through his hair. 'I am not about to play cat and mouse with you like I tried to with the Advocate. What has gone on today? And if you refuse to tell me, I am leaving now and I am taking this meal with me.'

  Vasselis stared at him, Jhered seeing him weigh up whether he should trust his old friend with whatever it was he had to say. Jhered found it hard to believe it could be so serious that the question was being posed. The Marshal Defender took a sip of wine. His hand was shaking.

  'Paul, I have either taken the bravest decision of my life, o
r have made the biggest mistake of it. And on it rest the lives of almost everyone I hold dear.'

  'That is some statement,' said Jhered, finally, after a chasm of a pause. 'Care to elucidate?'

  'It's curious,' said Vasselis after a moment's contemplation. ‘I travelled from Caraduk knowing I was doing the right thing, absolutely the right thing. But equally, I knew that I might never leave Estorr. It made "goodbye" a hard word to speak to Netta and Kovan.

  'I had courage though, and pride in the virtue of my mission. I had rehearsed speeches and the answers to every question. And I was happy that I was pursuing the best interests of my citizens and - God-take-me-to-rest-in-his-embrace - I was and am prepared to burn for them.

  'But the day I breasted Gorn's Rise and I saw the pennants flying from the Hill, I felt my courage begin to ebb. And now I sit before you little more than a child forced to confess a guilty secret.'

  Jhered blew out his cheeks, completely intrigued to discover the source of Vasselis's troubles. But he was never above empathy with this man.

  'It is easy to be courageous five miles from the fog of battle,' he said. 'Less so to hurl yourself at the pikes ranged against you when you can see the fervour in the eyes of your enemy. Surely the fact that you are here speaks all that needs be spoken about your bravery.'

  'You say that without knowing what it is I have to tell you.'

  'I have faced enemies across the lines of a battlefield that I respect for their bravery,' said Jhered. 'Now, enough prevarication. Remember, I am your friend. Tell me what you must.'

  Vasselis nodded and rubbed a hand across his chin. Jhered could see him struggling with how to begin. Eventually, he nodded again and clapped his hands lightly on his thighs. His voice remained so quiet that Jhered had to lean in to hear him. The smells of the food assaulted his nostrils.

  'Paul, what I'm going to tell you goes to the very heart of who we are and who we want to be. It goes against teachings thought inviolate by most but demonstrates that there is so much more that people can be. All we need do is open our eyes, accept evolution and not be afraid.

  'Fourteen years ago, four children were born in a small fishing town in Caraduk. They are special, very special. They are the future of man and the Conquord. And they are proof that those persecuted by the Order over the centuries were right all along. We are more than farmers and guardians of God's earth. God has given us the ability to bring ourselves closer to him. To heal the earth and all his creatures, to purify the water and engender growth. To bring rain where there was drought and banish cloud so the sun can warm the crops. All using the power of their bodies and minds. To make us one with the world God has created for us so we can better do his work.

  'Others have been born since but we know nothing of their potential as yet. These four have the talents I describe and so much more. They are a glory to see and a joy to entertain. But they are a danger as well. I am not naive. I understand what they represent to the eyes of the Order as I understand the reactions of those who fear change and the unknown thrust into their midst.

  'It is why I have to come to the Advocate and to you. I trust you. And the Conquord must trust me now and protect them from those who would have them killed. You must believe me, Paul, they are the Conquord's greatest triumph. Incalculable treasures. The Ascendancy lives.'

  Jhered sank back into his recliner, his hands covering his nose and mouth. All thoughts of food were banished by a roiling nausea that reached up into his throat. Vasselis's words sank into his mind, the import of them causing palpitations in his chest. For sometime, he was unable to respond, only able to consider that the reason for the Advocate's distraction was all too clear.

  He forced himself to focus on his friend, seeing the anxious, earnest face and those honest brown eyes searching his for a sign of support or comfort. Jhered fought the desire to ridicule Vasselis for his claims. There was no doubting he believed utterly in what he was saying. But how to react to such blasphemy? He opened his mouth to speak three times before finding the words he knew were as much for his benefit as for Vasselis.

  'Even to claim such notions is a crime against the core of our faith,' he said, mimicking Vasselis's whisper. 'But for them to be true and for you to be complicit goes beyond even that.'

  'But only if you hold up discredited thinking, assumptions and dogma as evidence against me. I have living proof.'

  Jhered found it almost impossible to take in. 'I have to ask you as a friend if you understand the consequences of what you are saying. As an official of the Estorean Conquord and an upholder of the scriptures of the Order of Omniscience, I have to ask whether you are prepared to set seal on your statements.'

  Vasselis chuckled. 'You will do as you must. And yes, I know what I am saying and I would set my seal. I have seen and you have not. I trust you to do the right thing. You know me. You know I am no heretic, nor am I a traitor.'

  Jhered threw up his hands and battled to keep his voice quiet.

  'The right thing? And what is that? Loyalty to a friend or to the faith I have followed since a child and in which I have unflinching belief? God-speak-for-me, Vasselis, what you have told me flies in the face of all reason and of God. It is the propagation of evil on this earth. It is the placing of man above God. How are you not heretic?'

  'And yet you sit there and wonder why you do not strike me down, don't you, Paul?' Vasselis was quite calm now.

  Jhered paused. He was right. And the gladius would stay scabbarded at his side.

  'Because it's you, damn you,' he growled. 'Because of what I believe you to be . . . who I know you to be.'

  Vasselis nodded his thanks. 'I know this is difficult for you. As-God-warms-the-earth it is difficult enough for me and I have known of this potential all my life. Caraduk is steeped in the lore of the Ascendancy and was the centre of protest and demonstration against the rule of the Order when the Ascendancy belief was outlawed.'

  'I have read my history,' said Jhered. 'And it's all ancient. It has no bearing.'

  'Of course it does,' said Vasselis a little sharply. 'It leaves a mark in the heart of everyone born in Caraduk. We respect and revere the Order if not all of its officers and methods. We believe in the sanctity of God and the holiness of the Advocate. But ancient or not, faith never dies merely because it is repressed.'

  Jhered shook his head. ‘I had no idea you harboured such ideologies.'

  'Oh, Paul, so many times I have wanted to take you into my confidence. You and the Advocate. The people who should stand behind us. But all the time, just one slip and . . .'

  'The Order,' said Jhered. Vasselis nodded and spread his hands. 'So why now?'

  'Because before, even these four only exhibited potential. Now they are emerged, they are true Ascendants. They can manipulate the elements. Word will get out one day and when it does, I need all the power I can muster on my side against what the Order will try to do.'

  Jhered sighed. Vasselis had appeared so reasonable. 'And you went to Herine, the living embodiment of God on earth to ask for that power? Come on, Arvan, what do you expect me, or Herine, to do with this?'

  'Just try to view it with an open mind. Trust me that this is good and not evil.'

  'It goes against every teaching I have ever learned,' snapped Jhered and he couldn't help but raise his voice a notch.

  Vasselis held out his hands in a calming gesture. 'I know. I know. Sleep on it, talk about it with the Advocate. Whatever you decide, of course I will abide by, and will give myself up to you if you so demand it. But don't make a snap decision based on fears propagated through the Order's doctrine.'

  'You mean, don't tell the Chancellor what you have told me.'

  'That rather goes without saying, Paul, don't you think? One hint and we are lost before we have begun.'

  'We?' Jhered raised a finger. 'I am not with you, Marshal Vasselis.'

  Jhered growled in his throat. He felt utterly at a loss. His faith screamed at him to denounce Vasselis but the soldier in him kne
w that the Marshal deserved more respect than the justice that would undoubtedly be meted out by the Chancellor's court.

  'Come to Caraduk,' urged Vasselis. 'You are long overdue a visit anyway. See for yourself before you decide whether I am on the side of the future or of destruction.'

  'I cannot, Arvan,' replied Jhered. 'In case it has escaped your attention these past few days, we have significant problems on our borders with Tsard and my presence is required there by the

  Advocate for the remainder of dusas. Meantime, you expect me to carry this knowledge with me in secret, I suppose?'

  Vasselis spread his hands. 'It'll give you time to think.'

  Jhered shook his head, feeling an anger growing. 'You have placed me in an invidious position. Merely by not reporting you to the Order, I am committing an offence that would see me burn next to you.' He paused, noting that Vasselis was clearly all too aware what he had done. 'Yet I know you believed you had no choice and I respect what you felt you had to do.

  'Any other man, I would arrest here and now as my duty dictates . . . damn but this is not what I, the Advocate nor the Conquord needs. Internal strife among the closest of allies would be so dangerous and we cannot allow the Chancellor reason to enact her more repressive plans. Reason that you, you fool, have given her, should she discover what you have done.'

  He sighed again. 'Here's what I will do. I will talk with the Advocate before I take ship back to Gestern. We will decide on a course of action and notify you of it, so I suggest you don't leave Estorr before you are summoned back to the palace. That is all I can do and if you experience sleepless nights in the interim, good. Consider it a fraction of the price you are asking us to pay on your behalf.'

  Vasselis breathed deep and relaxed, leaning back again on the recliner.

  'It is all I could ask of you, Paul. Thank you.'

  'You are lucky it is you,' said Jhered, feeling the edges of a smile on his face. He leaned forward to grip Vasselis's arm briefly. 'Meanwhile, be sure your people are defended. You must be prepared for everything.' He clapped his hands once, feeling a desperate need to change the mood and calm his thumping heart.