Brent finished the file and laid it down on the table and picked up the glass of Cala whiskey Eylene had poured for him. He took a large swallow and leaned back into the couch and eyed the report.
“What do you think?” asked Eylene. She took a small sip from her own glass.
“I think I need to make better use of your Church Guard. They seem to be doing more than the army can. I shouldn’t be surprised. Healy made a right mess of it. He used the army to subdue the people. It’s no wonder no one trusts them now.”
Eylene laid back in the couch and smiled. “I was hoping you would say that. I have some ideas. The Church can do so much, Brent. You’ve seen the interest God has had in making sure you achieved what needed to be done. Work with me, Brent. We have the same desires here.”
Brent took another swallow and then nodded once. “I don’t see that I have much choice. I can trust no one else. What do you need?”
Eylene took a moment to herself and Brent glanced at her when she took a long time to respond. "Forgive me, Brent. This is difficult for me. It is hard to stay humble and say what I have to say."
“Please, you’ve listened to me go on and on about my problems. Say what you will. Go ahead.”
Eylene looked relieved and took a swallow of whiskey before speaking. “Alright. There are many in the Church who would see me rise to the position of Archbishop. You know this.”
Brent grunted.
"I know! I know! From Vicar to Archbishop. It’s unheard of. But Healy decimated our ranks. The Church looks to promote those who can best serve the needs of the people. I argued against this, but as you can see…" Eylene waved around the office. "I’ve already taken up residence in the Archbishop chambers. I do the role in everything short of being formally recognised."
Brent patted the air. “You misunderstand. I just wondered what took so long. I had expected something some time ago and assumed the Church was happy with just continuing as it has. It pleases me that the Church wishes to make you Archbishop.”
Eylene made a small sound which Brent assumed was one of delight. “That makes me happy! I was so worried you would disagree. The newly promoted cardinals and bishops would like to hold the ceremony next month.”
“Ceremony? Next month?”
"Yes, silly. You don’t just say 'you’re the Archbishop, good luck'. There is a certain amount of pomp and ceremony that must be followed. Traditions. Just leave it with me."
Brent hesitated and then smiled and nodded once.
* * *
Shortly after Brent left Eylene's office, the door opened, and Lana slipped in and closed it behind her. She no longer wore her draoi clothes. Instead, she wore an expensive blue dress that hugged her features and flowed down to brush across the floor. It gave her movements the illusion of gliding. Eylene smiled up at her and Lana came around the desk and gave her a light kiss on the lips. Lana pulled her face back a little to look into Eylene's eyes and smiled.
Eylene reached up to Lana's waist and pulled her onto her lap. Lana giggled and squirmed a little and they kissed once again, this time a little longer. A little breathless, Lana released the kiss and laid her head on Eylene's shoulder and reached up and played with Eylene's hair around her ear. She felt Eylene shudder ever so slightly and smiled.
"How is he?" asked Eylene.
"He suspects nothing. I guide his thoughts and shift his emotions ever so slightly. He is becoming more and more unstable. When he is with you, I push his thoughts and desires as you instructed. He trusts you but doesn't know why. More importantly, he is losing his trust in others."
Eylene kept her head still so as not to disturb the attention Lana was giving her. Goosebumps rose on her arms and neck, and for a time she basked in the attention and said nothing. Finally, she stirred, and Lana paused what she was doing. "I've just had a thought. How do I know you aren't manipulating me?"
Lana laughed a small laugh. "You don't, love. You'll just have to trust me."
Eylene turned her head slightly so she could look into Lana's eyes. She gazed at her for a long moment and then nodded. "I do. You know I do."
"And I trust you. You loved me long before I found my draoi powers. Whenever you doubt that, remember our times in Shape."
"How could I ever forget? You, me and Andrew made quite the team, did we not?"
"Yes, we did. Don't forget Kennit!"
"Yes, Kennit. I worry about him. He's too brash. Keep him in check, Lana dearest."
"I do. This is why I cautioned you against moving too quickly. But here we are and everything is happening as you predicted."
Eylene gently kissed Lana for a moment and then murmured against her lips. "Yes, it won't be long now."
* * *
Later that evening Brent heard a knock at his Outer Chamber door. He looked up from the paper he was reading and called out for the Captain of the Guard to enter. The door opened and footsteps padded across the carpet outside his study. He heard the knock at his Inner Chamber door and called out for him to enter.
The door opened and the familiar face of Major Hugh Tibert looked in.
Brent smiled and stood. “Major Tibert! What a pleasant surprise! Where’s Mary?”
Staff Sergeant Mary Eastman entered the room behind Hugh and beamed a smile at Brent. To anyone else the smile would likely strike fear, but Brent recognised it for what it was: pleasant. Hugh and Mary each snapped a salute and strode forward. Brent clasped their shoulders and settled them down at the small side table.
“I’m so glad to see you two. What have you been up to?”
Hugh and Mary looked at one another for a moment. Hugh answered. “Kingsmill had us up at Cala. We were stopping by the villages and such. Checking things out.”
Brent sat back and appraised the two of them. They looked tired and grim. “Uh-huh. And?”
“Kingsmill told us to come here and see you. We came up the back way. We waited three nights for the right Captain of the Guard to be on duty.”
“And you did this why?”
“Because there’s so few people left to trust, sir. Kingsmill wanted us to speak to you unnoticed like. So here we are.”
“So report.”
“Sir, yes, sir. It’s a right mess out there. The same all over. There’s unrest. The people are hearing all sorts of horrors. They don’t know what to believe, but they believe this: you are just another tyrant ruling over them. The word on the street about you is not good. Somehow the message coming out of this here castle is being twisted. Church attendance is way up. Thought you should know. It’s the Church Guard you see. They are everywhere. I’ve had a close look, Mary and I. All those trouble makers who sided with Healy. Most of them ended up with the Church Guard. It’s bad.
"Cala was the worst. Those northerners have always been a bit off the mark, but now, by the Word, they're walking the street preaching Church stuff. Katherine and Dog put a right fear in 'em and the Church has moved right in. Never seen it so strong. Frightening." Hugh turned to Mary. "Anything else?"
Mary shook her head.
Brent sat and went over what Hugh had reported in his head. It aligned with what Eylene and the two Roberts were telling him. He filled in Hugh and Mary with what he had read.
Hugh grimaced. “Something’s not adding up. I told you the bad lot are all in the Church Guard. Why do you think that is?”
Brent shook his head. “I’ve no idea. From all reports they are quelling the unrest. They’re doing good work. God’s work.”
Mary raised her eyebrows at that. “If you say so.”
“I do. I speak to Eylene daily about it. You confirmed what she’s been telling me. I’ve no choice but to let it continue. Otherwise we lose everything.”
Mary and Hugh looked at each other and shared a thought Brent couldn’t translate. He shook his head and then thought to offer refreshment. “Have you eaten?”
Hugh and Mary grinned and looked at one another again. “She owes us a half crown.” Hugh turned to the open door an
d called out. “Come in, lieutenant.”
Brent sat up in surprise as he watched Lieutenant Emily Barkhouse appear in the doorway, wearing her pristine Navy uniform, but with an added ornate gold braid on her left shoulder. She was carrying what looked like food and drink. She looked a little frightened. Emily stopped and lifted her chin and cast the defiant look Brent knew so well on her face. Hugh shook his head, and she glanced askance at him, and then lowered her chin and calmed her features.
“Evening, sir,” she said. “Major Tibert insisted I bring some victuals. I can place it on the table and depart.”
Brent watched Hugh and Mary. He could see the little upturn of a smile at the corners of their mouths. He sighed. “Out with it. Explain.”
Mary spoke this time. “We, me and Hugh that is, had a little chat with young Emily here. She was at a loss to understand her dismissal from you. She looked for clarification. We gave it to her.”
Brent stared hard at Emily. “Is this true?”
Emily nodded tightly and Brent was surprised to see a wetness at her eyes. Mary scowled, but Hugh placed a hand on her arm to quieten her. “Sir, yes, sir. I understand where I was lacking in officer like qualities. I was judging something I had little understanding of.”
Brent sat quietly and then spoke softly. “And do you now, Emily?”
She broke her stare and looked sharply at Brent when he used her first name. She hitched her breath and nodded again.
To Brent she seemed different. Less… straight up and down. He glanced at Hugh and Mary and raised an eyebrow.
"We wouldn’t have brought her if she hadn’t changed her ways," said Mary. "She understands now, we think." She glanced at Hugh. He nodded. "Maybe,' she finished.
“What’s changed? She hated the sight of people in uniform showing any kind of affection for one another.”
It was Mary who answered again. “She’s learned it doesn’t apply to her either.”
“I don’t understand.”
Mary laughed. “That’s another half crown. I'm rich tonight, my bucko!” Mary slapped Hugh’s thigh hard, and he winced. “She’s with you, Regent. Assigned by Kingsmill. Again. He said keep her this time. He said he won’t have her sullen moods bringing him down anymore. She’s your new executive assistant.”
Brent looked Emily up and down. She seemed a little different. Something was bothering her that much was plain to see. Her hands trembled a little with the tray she carried. “Set down the tray before you drop it, Emily. Grab a chair. There’s a spare one in what I guess will be your room.”
Emily almost dropped the tray on the table. “My room?”
“Yes, if you are to be my EA, you will take the spare room next to mine. Move your things in. Tell the Captain of the Guard you are to have access to me at all times, day and night.”
Emily gasped and stood upright and looked about in a panic.
Mary looked at Hugh. “Idiots.”
Five
Munsten and Rigby Farm, July 902 A.C.
MARTIN JORDAN PACED back and forth in front of the desk in Brent Bairstow’s private office. “She is bending the rules of the Church! She cannot be allowed to take the position of Archbishop until the King is crowned. You must listen, Brent! You must stop this at once.”
“Martin, you know I cannot. I cannot interfere with the workings of the church. Besides, it is only through the Church that I have been effective at ruling this land. You’ve read the reports. Belkin is in turmoil. It was the representatives of the Church that quieted the villages and cities once John Healy was put down.”
“They are armed mercenaries. The Church does not wield weapons and wear armour. These are military men wearing the guise of the Church. You’ve given them too much power.”
“They have replaced the soldiers. The same soldiers the people don’t trust. I admit I am worried. I am losing control. Eylene gives me the best hope for a peaceful future.”
“Nonsense. Eylene is only concerned for herself. She craves power. She always has. You know she has excluded me from the proceedings? Of all the vicars in Belkin I am the only one denied access. It feels as if I have been excommunicated in all but official status.”
“You were very disruptive, Martin. I’ve heard the tales.”
“Disruptive? I was telling them how foolish they were! I recited our canon and laws! They cherry pick that which serves them and ignore that which contradicts them. They have lost their way. They refuse to listen to a voice of reason and the correct interpretation of the intent of our laws. They refuse to listen, the cowards! They are under the sway of that woman and do all she desires! The Church is lost. Lost, Brent! We will never recover, never.”
Brent watched Martin continue to pace. He had lost a startling amount of weight. His face looked gaunt, and he appeared to have aged years. Martin was becoming more and more agitated. He spent all his time inside the castle trying to speak to any vicar he could find. Brent had word that the vicars fled on word of Martin’s approach. His friend was unstable, and Brent was deeply saddened.
Brent never felt so alone. He had lost the companionship of the Regent's Guard, his friend James was off on a quest, and now Martin was spending all his time beating his fists on the entire Church of the New Order and making a menace of himself. At least Emily was here now. She was off getting more uniforms fitted for herself. Being his EA meant a lot of different uniforms. She had rolled her eyes at him when he had asked why and fled.
When she was around, she doted on him. Never left his presence. She was always looking slant eyed at him in a way he found disconcerting. When he caught her watching him, she would blush and run off on some minor errand. He couldn’t figure her out, but she was efficient, that was for sure. And he welcomed having someone in uniform around him. He also appreciated her honest criticism. He bounced ideas off her and she normally scoffed at him and told him when it was a foolish idea. He wished the two Roberts were so honest with him.
Martin was another matter. He had to control himself. Eylene had spoken at length with him about just how disruptive he was becoming. She accused him of dragging the church back into the past. She was trying to make changes that would resonate with the times, but Martin would hear nothing of it. Brent could hear the sense of it. Archbishop Greigsen had done almost irreparable damage to the Church. Eylene was mending the damage and Brent admired her strength and conviction and her depth of faith.
Martin stopped in front of the desk and whirled toward Brent. “Send the vicars back out into the Realm. Get them away from Eylene’s poisonous words. Tell them what they need to do! You have wielded the power of God! They will listen to you. Use the voice of reason. Give the people hope!
"We must do something now! Without our voice, the people will have to face armed soldiers, which will cause both panic and fear. This is a land which rose from a violent revolution. The memories of those days are still vibrant. Still real. People have not forgotten our recent past and remember soldiers patrolling the streets and homes. They are reminded daily of those troubling days."
Brent sighed. What Martin says makes sense, but my problems are not that simple to solve. Why can he not see that? Brent spread his hands outward. “I cannot, Martin. It is not my Church to govern. Which is exactly why it is important for the Archbishop to be named. The new deacons and bishops are leading the future and assuring our path is laid with secular law and order. I will not—cannot—interfere with the Church.”
Martin looked stricken and moved up close to the front of the desk. “Brent, my friend. Please. Listen to me. The deacons and bishops Eylene is promoting? They are all her cronies! They owe allegiance to her and not the Church! She is building an empire within the Church! Can you not see that? She has created the Church Guard! Something the Church should never have! And yet they now exist, and they patrol the streets and assume powers only the military should have. You allowed this!
“You must realise these new deacons and bishops will flood the land and usurp any power Edw
ard hopes to wield when he takes the crown. We have laws and canon to avoid this very thing! You must stop it! The Realm is in trouble. As Regent it is your duty to hold the Realm until the King is crowned. Already Belkin slips out of control of a monarchy and into something else. Something the Church has power over. This will not go well. Please, listen!”
Brent looked at his friend and saw in his eyes the hint of madness he feared he would one day see. Martin needed help. Eylene had warned him. She had tried to help Martin with the new chirurgeons Edward was trying to introduce to Belkin—chirurgeons of the mind, or some such thing—but he had refused. She said she feared for Martin and now Brent could see what she had been loathe to reveal. Brent felt the loss of yet another friend in his life. He hung his head for a moment and then reached out and rang a small bell that sat on his desk.
He looked up and saw horror on his friend’s face.
“You would dismiss me? After all we've been through? You trust her over my words? Can you not hear my reason? Are you so lost, Brent?”
The door to Brent’s private office opened, and a guard stepped in and looked expectantly at Brent.
“Corporal, please see to Vicar Martin’s comfort.”
Martin looked at the guard for a moment and then scowled at Brent. “I can see my own way out. I am leaving Munsten. I feel a calling to be elsewhere. I have warned you, Brent Bairstow, and you chose to side with vipers.”
Martin didn’t wait for a reply. He pushed past the guard and exited the private chambers. Brent heard the outer door slam and winced.
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