The Sanctuary Series: Volume 02 - Avenger Page 13

  Cyrus's eyes narrowed. “He must have spies in all the governments.”

  “I'm sure he does,” Vaste said, leaning over from Cyrus's other side, “but he also communes with the dead, and there are so many dead listening to everything said that he wouldn't need any spies.” Cyrus gazed at the troll for a moment in bewilderment before Malpravus dragged his attention back.

  “Sanctuary's attacks on these convoys,” Malpravus continued, turning a pointed gaze to Alaric, whose helm was lowered like a bull ready to charge, “have called possession of the southern plains into question. The Human Confederation has already sent an army, an action that is being mirrored as we speak by both the Sovereignty and the Kingdom. The humans also have additional armies marching this way, which will, inevitably, lead to armed conflict.”

  “I'm sorry,” Cyrus interrupted. “How do you know that?”

  “He's right,” Elisabeth said, taking her feet. “This will escalate into a war here in the south, and once it starts, it will spread north. Armies will begin sacking the towns and villages along the borders and all of western Arkaria will mobilize.” She looked around in dismay. “The governments will activate the homestead clause in our guild charters, and then we'll all be at war.”

  “What's a 'homestead clause'?” Cyrus looked at her blankly.

  “Those of us headquartered in a major city,” Elisabeth began, “had to sign a homestead clause before locating our guildhall there. It states that if the country goes to war, the guild will fight under their banner.” She looked at Erith and Cass. “Because the Daring and Goliath are headquartered in Reikonos, we would be required to fight for the Human Confederation.”

  “Not quite,” Malpravus said with a smile. “Those clauses are flexible if you have the proper connections. I have a great deal of latitude when it comes to Goliath's homestead clause. But that is neither here nor there. In the eyes of the three great powers of the west, Sanctuary is responsible for beginning this conflict; they have levied fines to force restitution, and if restitution is made and the attacks cease, this war can be stopped before it begins.”

  “No restitution will be made,” came Alaric Garaunt's quiet voice. “Sanctuary has had no part of these attacks and we will not be made to pay.”

  “Is it because you don't have the gold in your treasury?” Malpravus said. “Because while Goliath has in excess of two hundred million gold pieces, I recognize that not everyone is so proficient at amassing wealth –”

  “Corrupt and thieving, you mean,” came the barely audible rumble from Vaste. Malpravus shot the troll a dirty look but did not answer his accusation.

  “It matters not whether we have the money,” Alaric said. “We are not culpable, and to pay would be an admission of guilt. We will catch the raiders and prove our innocence; it is the only course we will entertain at this time.”

  “Very well,” Malpravus said, voice cold. “Your intransigence will have repercussions beyond those you have already been dealt. In the wake of these sanctions, your fellow Alliance members have held a discussion to determine your status with us. To have such renegades allied with us is a mark upon our reputations that we do not wish to bear without comment. Therefore, jointly, the Daring and Goliath have taken the following actions.”

  The Goliath Guildmaster reached into the folds of his cloak and produced a parchment which he read. “First, Sanctuary shall be reprimanded for their conduct, and marked among the Alliance. No Alliance voting rights shall be acknowledged during this time of shame.

  “Second, in participation on Alliance expeditions, no loot rights shall be acknowledged for Sanctuary or any of its members.

  “Third, no calls for aid will be answered from Sanctuary and no Alliance members will take part in any expedition, adventure, excursion or invasion run by or involving any Sanctuary members except those run by the Alliance.

  “Last, these sanctions shall be in effect so long as Sanctuary remains a renegade guild operating outside compliance with Arkarian governments. For you who have chosen to shun the bounds of civilized society, you shall be cast out of our fellowship.” With that, Malpravus rolled up the parchment and placed it within his cloak.

  Cyrus sat there, a low hum echoing in his ears as numbness crept through his limbs and he felt a slight sway in the room. Niamh, next to him, was open mouthed in her shock, and a small flame glowed around her hand. Terian's spiked pauldrons had matched his forward lean and the dark knight looked as though he was ready to charge through the table and impale Malpravus. Alaric remained with his arms crossed and head down, while Vara offered a look of utter contempt hot enough to melt Quartal.

  “While the Daring regrets to take these actions,” Elisabeth said softly, “our guild is a democracy, and every one of our members has a vote. An overwhelming majority of our members felt that the stain upon Sanctuary's honor is not one that we wish to bear with them.”

  “It's good to have friends,” Vaste said. “But even better to have ones that will abandon you at the first sign of trouble.”

  Elisabeth blanched, while Cass stared down at the table in front of him. Neither he nor Erith looked pleased.

  “If these things seem unpleasant, know that we undertake these actions with great personal pain,” Malpravus said, voice dripping with sincerity. “And as your allies and friends, we come to you as well with a proposal, one which we believe will help remedy this situation before it spins out of control.”

  “Oh, this should be good,” Vara said.

  “Indeed, it is,” Malpravus agreed. “Your reputation is soiled, irrevocably, in the eyes of all the major powers. As word of their judgment spreads, it will become sullied in the eyes of the people of Arkaria as well. The Daring and Goliath, by association, will be viewed in unflattering terms, but less so. If we were to disband our individual guilds and reform as one, it would give a fresh start to all of us. The fines could be paid out of Goliath's treasury and we would be the fourth largest and most influential guild in all of Arkaria.”

  Malpravus's eyes glowed as he expounded on the possibilities. “With numbers such as ours, who could challenge us? Within months we could be uncontested in the top three, and in the course of a few years become the top guild in Arkaria.” He surveyed the officers of Sanctuary. “The Daring has already voted and approved this proposal, pending acceptance by Sanctuary. The problems you're having could be dispensed with, all at once.”

  “We have the money to buy you out of your mistake, no questions asked,” Carrack added, face twisted in a smirk.

  “We did not commit these crimes, you repugnant toad.” Vara's reply lowered the temperature in the room by several degrees.

  “Very well then.” Malpravus nodded. “Think of the force we could bring to the plains. Of course we would headquarter ourselves here, and we could assist in stopping these attacks and put an end to this war before it starts.”

  Alaric stood so abruptly his chair tipped over and broke. “I think I've heard quite enough. Sanctuary will not consider that request.”

  Malpravus flushed, his complexion turning a darker blue before he unveiled a nasty smile. “I am aware of the bylaws of your charter, Alaric. You need to bring this to a vote before your members. And what do you think they'll say when they are given a golden out, after being placed in such a bitter position? We can make this problem go away, all of it, right now. They can all be welcomed home rather than be shunned in their own lands. And all it takes is one tiny formality – solidify the bonds of Alliance between us.”

  The Ghost was silent. Vara was not. “It would seem you intend to use the bonds of Alliance like a rope to strangle us.”

  “Vara, that's unnecessary,” Elisabeth interjected. “If this proposal is to be decided, it should be decided by your members, not by a group of officers that have grudges that are based more on rumor than truth.”

  “Speaking of rumors,” Cyrus said with unrestrained irritation, looking directly at Malpravus, “you spread a rumor that Goliath single-handedly
killed Ashan'agar.”

  Malpravus favored Cyrus with a pitying look. “Such an accusation seems petty when we are dealing with matters of war.”

  “So you don't deny it?”

  The Goliath Guildmaster sighed. “Of course I deny it. Prove otherwise.”

  “In this Alliance, it appears you need no proof of wrongdoing,” Vara said.

  “I think we've made all the progress one could hope for,” Malpravus said with an air of finality as he stood. “We'll look forward to hearing the results of your vote.”

  Without another word, he gestured for the other officers to follow him. Carrack cast a cocky smile backward over his shoulder as he disappeared through the door. Elisabeth breezed out behind them, sending a reluctant look to Cyrus and the others. Cass hesitated, looking as though he wanted to say something, but left without expressing it.

  Erith paused at the door. “This sucks,” she said without hesitation. “Cass and I were outvoted by our guild members but we think this is just as ridiculous as you do.” Without waiting for a response, she walked out the door.

  Niamh was the first to turn inward. “What do we do?”

  Alaric's voice was strangled but unmistakable. “Council Chambers. Now.”

  Chapter 16

  They trooped up the stairs in silence, until the door was shut behind them and all the officers were assembled within. No one spoke for a beat as they looked around the table and Alaric finally removed his helm. The Ghost's face was suffused with rage, and Cyrus felt a momentary urge to back away; he had never seen Alaric as angry as he appeared now.

  “Why didn't we leave the Alliance just now?” Vara demanded before Alaric could speak. “They have insulted us, stolen recruits from us, and now they have placed us in a subservient position. I see no reason to continue our association with these flagrant jackals.”

  Alaric's response was barely above a whisper, but heard by all. “When we leave the Alliance, it will not be with our tail between our legs and a stain upon our honor; it will be with our heads held high in triumph and with the knowledge that we need not ever associate with the remnants of those horrors ever again.”

  “Also, members have to vote on forming and leaving alliances, according to the charter,” J'anda added.

  “I give less than a damn about the charter right now,” Terian said. “Malpravus is intending to use it to force us into a marriage with Goliath. I say we suspend the charter right now.”

  “We can't do that,” Niamh said, face pale. “Isn't it possible our members will understand? These are difficult times, they should be reasonable about it.”

  Vaste laughed. “Our members are about to be told that with the exception of the gnomes, dwarves, the rock giant and myself, none of them can go home again under penalty of death. I'm sure our human, elven and dark elven guildmates will be very understanding about that.”

  “Especially when they find there's an alternative, and all it requires is to tighten the bonds to an Alliance that we have played up as being good and useful,” J'anda agreed.

  “We have been hiding the difficulties with the Alliance for far too long,” Vara said. “We should have been frank with the members long ago, when our troubles with them first began.”

  “It's not a secret that we aren't fans of the Alliance,” Cyrus noted. “People have noticed that you, Terian and Alaric don't attend Alliance expeditions and have asked why. Under normal circumstances, I think the members would go along with a call from the officers to remove ourselves. Unfortunately...”

  “These are not normal circumstances,” Alaric finished for him. “And many of them will see a 'golden out,' as Malpravus called it, and go along just to return to the status quo.” He shifted his gaze to Curatio. “I foresaw that things would go unpleasantly for us in Reikonos and Saekaj Sovar, but I am puzzled that you did not fare better in Pharesia.”

  Curatio frowned. “It was not for lack of trying, I assure you. It would have gone much worse were Nyad and myself not the representatives – I have a personal history with the King, stretching a long ways back. Weighing against us, however, was our suspected involvement in the theft of Amnis, the Spear of Water.” The elf looked around the Council table. “With its loss in Ashan'agar's den, we were never able to clear our name in the Kingdom.”

  A knock on the door halted conversation. Nyad entered the room with an envelope that she handed to Alaric and then departed. She was still quite pale, Cyrus observed, even an hour after the events in Pharesia.

  Alaric grunted after reading the contents of the envelope. “This letter is from a friend of mine, a member of the Council of Twelve. As I suspected, Pretnam Urides prearranged the results of our hearing. He intends to force a war to annex the southern plains and is blackmailing us to fill his treasury in preparation.”

  He crumpled the note and cast it away. “His support is not strong, but enough to carry a majority. If we can find evidence to cast doubt on our role, we can remove the sanctions. If we find the true bandits, we may be able to break his support for war.”

  “What about in Pharesia and Saekaj?” Cyrus asked. “Surely they can't want a war?”

  “The King of the Elves does not,” Curatio agreed. “My sense is that he is in a politically tenuous position right now because of... certain events that have occurred back home regarding the shelas'akur...”

  “What does it have to do with Vara?” Cyrus asked. Vara flushed red but remained silent.

  “I've said too much. Sorry, friends,” Curatio replied with a sad smile and a tone of apology. “Those of us who are not elves will have to understand that this is not a topic for discussion outside the Kingdom.”

  “Thanks for bringing that up that titillating piece of information just to tell us we're not allowed to know about it,” Vaste said. “Would you like to tease us with any other secrets we're not allowed to know?”

  “We all have secrets,” Alaric said. “We will respect their wishes and table any discussion of this topic in public.”

  “But in private, we'll be discussing it later in the lounge,” Vaste added.

  “I'd appreciate you not talking about me behind my back,” Vara said, cheeks burning red.

  “You're more than welcome to attend,” Vaste agreed. “Perhaps you can answer some of our burning questions.”

  “The burning you will feel if I find you discussing me will not leave you with many questions.”

  “DAMMIT!” Alaric's fist hit the table, splintering it down the middle. “We are embroiled in a fight for our lives here; we have no time to bicker and discuss irrelevancies! I don't care about anyone's secrets at this table – we are losing face, recruits and money every day this madness continues, and that will expand to include members, as well, when we announce this to the guild.”

  “Screw the Leagues,” Niamh said in a whisper when Alaric finished. “They're involved with the governments that have condemned us without any evidence.” She looked around at all of them, quiet determination on her face. “They've basically branded us all heretics. If you can do it, we should go ahead and teach our healers the resurrection spell.”

  “I'm glad we've settled that, but it's tied to a discussion that we had before all this broke loose,” Vara said with a healthy dose of sarcasm. “Perhaps we can focus on the matter at hand – namely, catching the bandits, clearing our name and sticking our victory so far down Malpravus's craw that it gets lodged in his skinny throat.”

  “What I'm discussing does pertain to that.” The red-haired druid surveyed her fellow officers with an air of hope. “We need to step up our efforts to catch the bandits but we also need to do something to fight against a slide of guild morale. We need a bold undertaking, something to involve the members.” Her green eyes danced, alight with possibility.

  “You mean a distraction,” Vara said acidly.

  “I mean a challenge,” she clarified.

  “Yes,” Alaric agreed. “Something that will inflame the excitement of our guildmates, give them somet
hing to focus on, some positive news in the wake of the terrible blows we have suffered. Something to unite us in these dark times.” He nodded. “We need an expedition, something that would be of great note.”

  “Why can we not just focus on catching the raiders?” Vara shook her head in disgust.

  “We shall, but we also require a challenge,” Alaric stated. “This army is not well served by garrison duty, especially in light of the dismal news that they cannot return home. To have them stew on it for long hours while watching the plains with nothing else to look to will reduce morale further.” A fire entered the Ghost's eyes. “We need a victory,” he pronounced. “A big one. Cyrus?”

  Cyrus blinked, stunned. “I came up with a list of targets we could explore, but they're on the edges of Arkaria, and none of them is well known.”

  “It matters not. Find a target and let us attack.” The paladin's jaw was set. “Make it something that will challenge us, that will tax our abilities, something that will fire our imaginations.”

  “I'll come up with something definite in the next twenty-four hours,” Cy agreed, a pool of nervous thoughts swirling in his head.

  “Very well,” Alaric said. “I am pleased that we were able to reach a consensus on what needs to be done. While we may argue and discuss as much as necessary within the walls of this chamber, we must be united when we leave. In light of the trials that are coming, we must provide a bulwark of strength for our guildmates to look to in these troubled times. We will only see our way through this morass if we draw together.”

  Curatio nodded. “We have, in the bylaws, a way to postpone any vote that is to be presented to the members for as long as six months, but only with unanimous officer agreement. I suggest we do that now. The measure must be validated every month for it to be kept in effect.”

  “Agreed,” Alaric said. “Any disagree?” A shaking of heads from every officer sealed the vote. “Tomorrow evening at dinner I will address the issues at hand to the members. I suspect by then the rumors will have made their way to almost everyone.”