Empire of Avarice (51 page)

A couple of servants came running from the house,
alarmed at his arrival. Jorqel hadn’t made any prior arrangement to meet
anyone, and the day after the celebrations would, he thought, be the perfect
time to catch people unawares. Since he had no intention of marrying Zana
Sendral, it wouldn’t matter too much in doing this to this family.

Jorqel recognised Lord Sendral standing in the doorway,
a look of consternation on his face. He was dressed in a short-sleeved rough
woollen shirt and linen half-length leggings. Not the outfit to impress anyone.
The prince smiled to himself. He had, indeed, caught the nobleman napping.

As he dismounted and handed the reins to one of the
servants, Lord Sendral came down the two stone steps and advanced towards
Jorqel, who made a show of slowly examining the house as he pulled off his
gauntlets.

“Your majesty!” Sendral said with concern, “this is
unexpected! Is anything wrong?” He bowed low.

Jorqel bowed slightly, acknowledging the greeting. “No,
Lord Sendral. I’m touring my province, and visiting every estate and
settlement. I want to see for myself the state of things rather than relying on
the manicured reports of other people.” He grinned to rob any possible offence
Sendral might have taken from his words. “You have a beautiful house, if I may
say so.”

“Thank you, sire. But we had no idea you were coming and
have prepared nothing!”

“Does that matter? I prefer to see things how they are
rather than artificially spruced up just for my benefit. Now tell me, Sendral,
do you have any problems, or worries?”

Lord Sendral looked at the prince carefully. “Ah, sire,
have you come to see my daughter on this visit?”

Jorqel smiled briefly. “Amongst the other reasons, but
not specifically.”

“I see,” Lord Sendral said, a tinge of disappointment in
his voice. “You are not intending to take her as your wife, are you, sire?”

Jorqel shook his head. “I’ll be honest with you, Lord
Sendral. She does not appear ready yet to take up the onerous duties of the
wife of the heir to the throne of Kastania. You have a charming daughter but
not one who I feel can rise to the challenge I would set.”

“Thank you for your candour, Prince Jorqel.” Lord
Sendral sighed. “I myself doubted whether she would be the right one. There
will be tears, you know. She had her heart set on being your consort.”

“I can only choose one wife; I’m no Tybar prince with
their multiples. Talking of the Tybar, I take it you have not seen any on your
estates yet?”

“Thank the gods, no! They are a worry, I can tell you. All
we hear is how they plunder and burn. My estates are farming land; we do not
have any military value, and apart from my personal retinue of half a dozen
men, I have no force to protect my estates with. Mind you, most of the other
noble houses are in the same situation; the recent financial hardships have
meant that most of us has had to offload whatever guards we had!”

The prince nodded sympathetically. He was relieved at
that; as a military man he believed the only armed men should be in the army
and not part of a personal mercenary force of nobles. The shedding of so many
armed men at once over the past few years had resulted in a rise of banditry
and lawlessness, especially as the hard-up imperial treasury found it
increasingly hard to pay for the militia to keep the roads clear. “The fruits
of avarice, Lord Sendral; if so many hadn’t sought to enrich themselves at the
empire’s expense, we would not be standing here talking with our backs to the
sea worrying whether our enemy would be appearing over the horizon at any
moment.”

Sendral nodded heavily. “I can only plead
self-protection; if I had not taken my share of the noble’s plunder, they would
have gobbled up my estates in no time. We all ate from the same trough but that
was because we had to.”

“I care not, Lord Sendral. In my eyes guilt is guilt. People
should learn to accept responsibility for their own actions rather than looking
elsewhere to place the blame. My family did not partake of this free-for-all. We
fought hard against the enemies of the empire, only to find that behind our
backs the life blood of Kastania was being sucked away by greedy
self-interested families. Now we are in command, people will be brought to
account. Taxes are to be levied, and those who took will find they will be
asked to pay.”

Lord Sendral’s face hardened. “You may find opposition
to your proposals, sire.”

“From you? With an army of six? I have five hundred men
at Slenna. My tax collectors will soon be sent out far and wide and all those
with wealth, and you certainly have that here, Lord Sendral, will be asked to
pay. However…” Jorqel rubbed his chin and looked at Lord Sendral with a
conspiratorial air.

“Yes, sire?” Lord Sendral asked, staring at the prince.

“Slenna is running short on food and the winter will be
hard. Your estate has plenty of food; you are one of the main producers in this
region, so I’m told.”

Sendral nodded. He kept on staring at Jorqel, then a
smile slowly broke out over his face. “In return for supplying Slenna with
sufficient food stock to last until the end of winter, the tax assessors may
pass my estate by?”

“Indeed, Lord Sendral. An – arrangement – of
convenience, do you not agree?”

“Of course, sire. I fully understand. Of course, I shall
not say a word to the other families as they may take the news badly.”

“Indeed they might,” Jorqel agreed. He looked at the
house once more. He decided to screw up his courage. “Why don’t you show me to
your charming wife and daughter, Lord Sendral?”

Sendral bowed and led the prince up the steps to the
front porch. Gavan grinned and turned to the other men, all holding the reins
of their mounts. “Now he’s got the old man inside the house, spread out and
take a good look at the immediate area. We’ve got to check what’s here quite
carefully. Count the animals, buildings, fields. Durzar, you write everything
down.”

The man called Durzar nodded and dragged a wax tablet
from his saddle. The province’s assets would now be recorded properly.

Kijimur the Tybar was summoned from his chamber to the
throne room once more. It was about time. These arrogant Kastanians had kept
him waiting for too long; he had other treaties to seal, treaties of friendship
with those kingdoms beyond the eastern frontier of Kastania, and perhaps
alliances. When the final war against Kastan came, maybe a simultaneous attack
in east and west would be the perfect way to end it all. Then the Tybar tribes
could go to war with those foolish and stupid kingdoms beyond Kastan.

Once more he bowed and paid respect before the empress. Surely
she would be more suited as a slave to his lord; she had a figure to arouse
passion in many men. Perhaps one day she would kneel at the feet of her master
and await his pleasure? He would write to his master and inform him of the
beauty of the empress.

Isbel looked down on the Tybar diplomat for a moment. She
had thought for a long time over the response to the Tybar peace offer, and
still wasn’t sure whether he was bluffing or not. “Kijimur, we have deliberated
over your treaty, and feel we cannot meet the cost of the peace offering. A
thousand furims is a high price, and the treasury simply does not have the
reserves to pay the amount you are asking. We do, however, wish for a trade
agreement, and offer you a mutual trade route deal between Imakum and Niake.”

Kijimur smiled. He had expected the Kastanians to turn
down the deal. “Your majesty, my master could not turn down a trade offer, but
I fear he may look unfavourably on not acquiring payment for ceasing his
attacks on your – helpless territory.” Kijimur smiled widely, mocking the
Kastanian military might.

“Kijimur,” Isbel replied, crushing the sense of outrage
she felt rising within her, “please convey my respects to your master and
inform him of our offer. We shall await eagerly his reply.”

Kijimur bowed and backed away, then walked out of the
chamber, ignoring the hostile looks from the assembly to left and right.

Isbel returned to the council chamber with Vosgaris and
the other council members. They sat waiting for the empress to speak. “Do we
have any indication the Tybar will invade Kastania should we fail to sign the
treaty?” she put to Panat Branas.

“There are no signs of any military activity anywhere
near the borders of Bathenia, ma’am. I have sent scouts and riders out all over
the province and nobody has seen a Tybar. We are still getting refugees coming
into the empire from the west, and from what I understand the main Tybar armies
are to the south and west. They do not seem worried about their eastern
frontier with us; probably because, ma’am, they do not see us as any threat. They
do have a garrison at Imakum but nothing of note close to our borders.”

“And our forces in the west?”

Panat waved at the map carved into the table. “Niake has
a decent garrison; fine for staying behind the walls and holding out in a
siege, but unless backed by substantial reinforcements they wouldn’t be able to
stop a full-scale invasion. Against the Tybar in open battle? No, ma’am, it
would be suicide.” His finger moved up to Lodria. “Now here Prince Jorqel has
the Army of the West, our most battle-hardened force. Should the Tybar invade
then the Prince is the best bet in meeting them in battle, but I would not risk
them against a numerically superior force. If they are destroyed then the west
is open.”

Isbel nodded. She was reliant on the good advice of the
general. Her knowledge of military matters was very limited. If Panat Branas
said not to risk the west by taking on a larger force, then so be it. “Should
the Tybar invade they will look to capture Niake and Slenna, is that not
correct, General?”

Panat bowed. “Indeed, ma’am. With their loss the west
would be gone. As long as those two centres remain in our hands, we have a hold
on the west.”

“Then send a message to both Prince Jorqel and Evas
Extonos to ensure all their defences are secure and as strong as they can be.”

“Ah,” Frendicus cleared his throat.

“Yes, Frendicus?” Isbel queried, turning to her left,
“what is it you wish to say?”

“Prince Jorqel is at this moment dismantling the walls
of Slenna, including the castle, with a view to rebuilding them further out and
much stronger. He has sufficient funds to do so.”

The council looked at one another. Isbel tightened her
lips. “Then send an urgent message to delay and await the outcome of the
negotiations with the Tybar. I do not want Slenna to fall a short while after
having it retaken for the empire!” She regarded Frendicus. “Is there anything
else I should know?”

“Not that I’m aware of, ma’am.”

Isbel rapped her fingernails on the table, then turned
back to Panat Branas. “General, you have concluded your appraisal of the
empire’s armed forces in the east as well?”

“Indeed, ma’am. The Army of the East under the emperor
is in Bragal, besieging Zofela, as we all know. If we are invaded from the west
this army would have to lift the siege and march back to Kastan to reinforce
Prince Jorqel.”

“That would not be a popular move with my husband,” the
empress remarked, “and what of the other forces?”

Panat pointed to a dot not far from Kastan. “Thetos
Olskan commands the Makenian garrison in Turslenka. They have two units of good
quality, a remnant of the old imperial army before things fell apart there, and
that’s all. Then down in Kornith a garrison at the castle there, a couple of
companies, one of spearmen and one of archers. They will keep Pelponia secure
for us as long as we hold out elsewhere.”

“And Zipria?” Valson of Zipria queried.

Panaet Branas looked up from under his bushy eyebrows. “Yes,
your home province has a garrison in Niksos, the capital there. Two companies
of spearmen. Enough to keep law and order, but not if the island is invaded. I’m
afraid that should that come, we do not have the resources to come to its
rescue. Zipria remains imperial as long as they can keep it so.”

Isbel nodded and peered at the map. The army units had
been placed there, marked by coloured blocks of wood. “Do we know what’s
happening further east in Epros? Have the Venn invaded it yet?”

Panat nodded. “I do not believe so yet. Drazino is not a
walled village so I suspect when they do march in it will fall without much
trouble. We would then have the prospect of Venn being on our eastern
frontier.”

“So we could not send the Turslenka garrison to help in
the west,” Isbel said.

“No ma’am, they would be needed to defend that city.”

The empress sucked on her lower lip. It was looking very
much like their neighbours were closing in, waiting for the opportunity to
strike. If the armed forces of Kastan moved in one direction, then the threat
would materialise from the other. “Then we must secure a treaty with the
Tybar.”

The council members exchanged quick looks. They knew
there was not much choice. They had to get some breathing space. As much as
they all hated the prospect, they knew they had to do a deal with their demon.

“And I hope our embassy to Mazag manages to secure a
deal with them, too,” Isbel said.

“If that comes to pass, ma’am, then we can turn our
attention to Venn,” Valson the diplomat added. “Venn may well turn out to be
our greatest threat, and once they have taken Drazino then they will be looking
towards Kornith and Turslenka before long. They are very aggressive. They
already control our former province of Cratia, and their fleets control the
seas to the north and east.”