The Last Whisper of the Gods Saga_Stories from Ayberia by James Berardinelli

Author:James Berardinelli [Berardinelli, James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-06-19T23:00:00+00:00

The Spymaster

Here, many of the events recounted from Rangarak’s perspective in “The Iron King” are related from Gorton’s point-of-view. There are, as one might expect, some glaring differences. This story also transpires about five years prior to the beginning of the trilogy.

Vice Chancellor Gorton, chief advisor and spymaster for King Rangarak of Obis, was an ambitious man - it’s just that his ambition didn’t follow traditional arteries. For one such as him, blessed with superior cunning and intelligence but limited physical prowess, the concept of sitting on a throne and leading men in battle held little appeal. He found the former boring and the latter tiring. His current position allowed him to act the puppeteer for a ruler who wasn’t aware of the strings. King Rangarak was easily manipulated; although the Iron King was shrewder than many gave him credit for, he was predictable. Gorton didn’t like the tyrant but he respected him and it was to his advantage for Rangarak to have a long reign. In fact, his own grandiose plan for the future of the continent demanded the current ruler’s longevity (among other things). He and Rangarak had a shared passion for empire building but their methods for achieving the end goal were vastly different. For Gorton, it was all about deals, matchmaking, and the occasional assassination. The more military-minded Iron King undoubtedly saw a role for his army in the process but the spymaster was committed to avoiding war. Not only was it messy but it needlessly wasted lives and made any subsequent ruling structure unstable.

Gorton bore the official title of “Vice Chancellor” only because he didn’t want the marginally more respected “Chancellor.” That office was held by the aging and increasingly senile Fogram, who had filled the role for five decades, dating back to the early days of Rangarak’s father’s rule. It would be simple to have Fogram eliminated - the deaths of old men were rarely challenged - but the current order suited Gorton. Vice Chancellors were lesser targets than Chancellors and they enjoyed greater freedom. Whereas Fogram was forced to accompany Rangarak to all functions, Gorton enjoyed his autonomy.

Gorton’s reputation within social circles was that of a womanizer. He cut a dashing figure and the salacious whispers about his character aroused the interest of nearly every female at court regardless of her marital status. Gorton was cautious with his conquests, however, ensuring that the women he bedded were looking for a dalliance instead of a more permanent attachment. Gorton demanded discretion and he had it within his power to silence a tongue that threatened to wag, although such a thing had never been necessary. He enjoyed carnal pleasure but, unlike many men, he wasn’t ruled by what rested between his legs.

But he had made a mistake. The problems had started because the affair appealed to his vanity. After all, she was the most lovely, desirable woman in the whole of the city and there had been a formidable challenge associated with wooing her. He hadn’t seen the jaws of the trap or, if he had, he had been convinced he could escape them.

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