Chapter 6 Part 6

The throne room of King Rigel of Keron was a thing of splendor and culture. Tapestries from all of the major cities lined the walls. Beneath each tapestry stood a small pedestal. The pedestals routinely held documents and books containing treaties that the ambassadors would petition to the king.

The throne itself was carved from a massive piece of marble and polished smooth. The cushions were deep purple and the coat of arms of House Durrance, the line of the kings, was suspended on the wall above the throne. The shield bore the crossed sword and scroll emblem of strength and wisdom that was the ruling house's philosophy.

King Rigel Durrance himself was a tall man in his middle forties. His short yellow hair was pulled back and held in place by a diamond encrusted gold headband that served as the crown on non-official occasions. The brow was prominent as was the receeding hairline. A square jaw framed high cheekbones and dark black eyes.

The king was a very handsome man and his queen of twenty years had been faithfull to him in spite of the fact that his displeasure with her for not conceiving was openly displayed. She was barren and repeated sacrifices to the goddess of motherhood had not produced an heir to the throne. It was the only significant flaw in the royal couple's marriage.

On that particular day, the Aspbergian delegation had won the support of the Unified Church, the combined voice of the gods in the governmental arena, and the Omniguild, the craftmasters' voice on the great council. Against the wishes of the Senate, the independent voice of the great cities, the delegation had partitioned for the acceptance of Miguel Blackheart as the Lord of Aspberg.

The king was not at all happy about the choice, but his hands were tied. He himself had dictated the terms, and although House Blackheart would follow the letter of the agreement, Rigel was certain that they would exploit all loopholes and totally disregard the spirit of the agreement.

"We are satisfied that the son of Ragnera has indeed complied with our requests," the king announced, "and thus do we proclaim him the Lord of Aspberg and bestow upon him the rank of Count of the Caliko Plains and Earl of Aspberg with the lands and titles therein."

The courtiers displayed a mixture of groans and muted cheers. Many of the major cities had fought the declaration with enough political clout to have the First Senator vote against the reinstatement, but the Arch Priest of the Unified Church and the Grand Master of the Omniguild had countered with supporting votes. That left the choice up to the king and the House of Lords to either tie or pass the resolution.

The lords all decided that instead of promoting a new lord, and instead of bickering among themselves the division of Blackheart assets, they would rather return to the status quo. Thus had Rigel been forced to vote in favor and pass the resolution.

The king dismissed those assembled to hear the ruling and called for an end to the day's audience. "We wish to retire to our chambers to rest. We will hear requests again on the morrow." The court director took his cue and led the assembly in a deep bow as the king vacated the throne.

Rigel, surrounded by guards, left by the main entrance. He would have preferred a quick escape, but it was his station and duty to be formal. He paused only briefly to speak with the First Senator, Grand Guildmaster and Arch Priest. Though legally his equals, they were elected officials where as his station was a result of his birth. In real life, this difference made him a little more influential than the others.

The Grand Guildmaster, a stout man named Hopha, was a master freighter. He had spent well over thirty years hauling, and directing the movement of supplies and goods between the cities by the overland routes. Rigel also knew that the man was a smuggler and had used his guild's influence to help him make an impressive fortune. The face of the man was plain and unremarkable except for a scar which ran from Hopha's right forehead down across his nose into his left cheek. It was the testimonial of just how angry the thieves' guild could get when they were not given tribute.

"Your Majesty," the guildmaster asked as the king passed. "May we discuss the royal treasury's debt to the freight guild before retiring?"

Rigel rubbed his eyes. "Master," he bowed slightly. "The crown acknowledges its debt to the Omniguild for the assistance given during the recent campaign against House Blackheart. Rest assured you will be reimbursed. But the day has been long and we are weary. It can wait until tomorrow."

The Grand Guildmaster nodded and departed dejectedly. Rigel watched him go. Almost as soon as the guildmaster disappeared, the First Senator stepped into view. The king did not show any signs of displeasure. The First Senator was a kindly man who had long been a friend of the crown.

"Rigel," the senator started. Would you and the queen care to join my wife and myself for a carriage ride through the town?"

The king smiled but declined. "Sorry, Devan, but I am a little tired. I will ask the queen if she is interested, but I am afraid that I am just too tired."

The First Senator nodded as well and watched as the king left. The Arch Priest of the Unified Church came over followed by a small heard of acolytes and priests of lower rank.

"The king seemed a little tense today did he not?"

The First Senator shook his head. "This business with House Blackheart is not good. They violated the Pact of Quatar and slew a god. I must admit that I was as shocked as anyone when the Church supported their reinstatement."

The Arch Priest was silent for a moment. His fine golden robe was pulled protectively about him. Only the shaved head and midnight eyes were visible within the cowl. "It is not my place to make decisions for the gods, but to voice their wishes here among mortals."

"I wish I knew what was going on," the First Senator said at last.

"The events are not perfectly clear, but I can tell you this," the Arch Priest confided, "the gods are restless. Some event long foretold is nearing and the battle for power among immortals has shifted in favor of the darker side."

The First Senator looked puzzled. "How do you know all this?"

"Do not forget," the cleric reminded, "I am a servant of Weoden. The gift of vision is mine. And though my lord does not favor the reinstatement of House Blackheart, when I am in office I must obey the whims of the majority of the gods. Too many of them have rallied to the side of the Godking and Ragnera."

The Arch Priest and First Senator, theoretically two of the four most influential and powerful mortals in the world strolled down the hall of the Council Palace, that castle where the king chaired the High Council, the ruling body of the world.

"Rigel too was not in favor of the resolution, but the House of Lords seem to have lost their backbone," the senator remarked.

"Blame them not," the cleric advised. "The things that are coming to pass are necessary for the future of that which we call good."

The senator started. "You mean in the interest of the future, Blackheart must gain power?"

"Evil is like a snake; an appropriate analogy. It consumes all including itself. If Blackheart becomes very powerful, then it will be the best choice for the snake when mealtime approaches."

"My friend," the First Senator responded, "you speak in riddles."

The cleric smiled. "But of course."