Dusk Into Dawn by William Fewox

Author:William Fewox [Fewox, William]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-12-17T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Letters and Sermons

As the king’s sister, Irene had been gifted a house in Stefanurbem years ago. It was as luxurious an estate as could be offered by a young city on the edge of the civilized world; a stout, two-story stone house with a courtyard protected by a high wall. Hierophant Ferrin and his people guarded the courtyard, while Derogynes had summoned Captain Sanidus and his second to guard the main gate, making Irene’s house look like it was preparing for a siege.

The disciples gathered in the house’s main hall, a musty, cavernous room thick with dust. All of them sat around a careworn table, wearing grim or shocked faces as they recovered from their meeting with Cyril.

“I can’t believe it,” Derogynes muttered, shaking his head. “What am I to tell Gordias? Any chance of an alliance with Fosporia is finished.”

“That is your great concern?” Magnus looked at the Andrathi with some disgust. “Our Prophet, our friend was just shown to us for the first time in twenty years, and is taken away from us just as fast, and you’re thinking about politics?”

Derogynes scoffed at Magnus. “I’m trying to keep your country from being a danger to the rest of the world. If Cyril, a provably powerful mage, has done this to Stefan, capturing ‘heretics’ and sending them off to gods know where, and he’s provoking Qingren, it may be in Theragos’ best interest to invade and install someone more amiable on the throne.”

“You would invade Fosporia?” Floriana rose, her face aghast. “Are you mad? You would see humanity throw off Qingren and my father’s yoke, and then place them under the iron fist of the legions?”

“We would put you on the throne, Floriana,” Derogynes countered.

“So I can be Gordias’ puppet? Are you our friend or enemy, Derogynes?”

“And what would you have us do, then?” The Andrathi palmed his fist. “Cyril is insane, and he needs to be put down like a mad dog!”

“That may be so,” Irene looked at the ambassador coldly, “but we will do it on our own terms. We freed ourselves from slavery, we can free ourselves from my brother without the Ardri’s help.”

“Mm-hmm. And where would you be without the Ardri’s fleet? Would you have swum here?”

Magnus scoffed. “Some of us have been working our whole lives toward freedom, while you were sitting in your villa getting fat off the profits you made from ferrying us across.”

“I was helping a friend!”

“You were lining your pockets!”

“Fine words, Magnus,” Irene chimed in. “And what did you do when Cyril began his descent into madness? You stayed at your farm, and hid from the court.”

The curly-haired man rolled his eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry, all the good huts in the middle of the wilderness were already taken by some self-absorbed healer too concerned with her arts than she was with helping us find the prophet she helped turn into a wolf.”

“Quiet!” Matthias roared. “All of you!”

Magnus and Derogynes stared at the warrior, and both began to speak at once.

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