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Opening Notes (Intro: Sasarai, Harmonia) By Amber Michelle K. (Myaru) - One Temple, Harmonia There was still frost on the windowpanes when Sasarai called the morning meeting to order. The day promised to be as chill as the last, offering only weak sunlight, misty at the edges where it fell onto the mahogany conference table, the air heavy. Servants tread softly around the room lighting lamps while his collegues situated themselves, taking tea, straightening papers, and whispering last-minute orders to their aides. Someone placed a glass of water at his elbow, and then the servants began filing out. He cleared his throat once the door was closed. Fourteen heads turned in his direction, and Sasarai offered what he hoped was a benign smile. It was too early in the morning to draw inquiry. "Field news first," he said. "Elsa?" "The bandit threat in the mountains near Korev has been corrected by Bishop Lovelle's Red Brigade," Elsa responded crisply, pushing her glasses up as she read from her folder. "Several of the region's leaders have been pinpointed as accomplices, and most have been arrested. Two remain at large, and are suspected to be stirring up the populace somewhere to the west." Corel, across the table, nodded. "I've received reports of odd activity in that area. There are rumors flying across the border, but overall my officials assure me the area has remained quiet." "And Lovelle?" Sasarai's eyes flicked to Elsa again. She had agreed to take over Lovelle's affairs during his absence, but so far she had not been forthcoming with details about him. He wondered if the rumors were true, that they /were/ allied as some of the others suspected. He stood to lose nothing from it, but Gabriev in particular would be hit hard if Lovelle abandoned the traditionalist agenda for something more liberal. That was enough to bring another smile to his face when Elsa spoke again. "He reported success at the Jowston border last night. The message arrived this morning." Her aide produced a scroll, which she passed along the table. Sasarai unfolded it to read as she continued. "The problem appears to be the fault of the local population. He's going to meet with a representative in two days, and expresses hope that further conflict will be avoided." Sasarai nodded absently. That was a novel idea, a bishop that preferred harmony over battle. He wouldn't be surprised if, once things settled down, the suggestion of invading Highland came up again. Honestly, he didn't see the appeal anymore now than he did before. Right now the area drained Jowston's resources, and if they succeeded in taking it back, it would become a drain on their own. He couldn't stand the area, in any case. Twice, now, he had nearly been killed there. He'd had the misfortune of meeting Luc near there as well. What more would go wrong if he was sent to subdue Highland again? The others fell into discussion, and Sasarai took a moment to look over the note. Lovelle's report was exactly as Elsa had said, but for a small note scrawled at the bottom: 'Rumors crossed from Tinto about a veiled menace to the west.' He bit back a sigh and folded it again, handing it over his shoulder to an aide. That was a persistent rumor. By the sound, it would be more trouble than it was really worth. "...told you we didn't need to waste so much manpower on a border dispute," Corel was saying, lip twisted. "It would have been better spent on more /pressing/ concerns." Gabriev, seated beside him, snorted and leaned back in his chair. "You're suggesting we need a bishop to deal with a few farmers and their pitchforks?" "Certainly more than we need to spend manpower on a rumor in Magridal," was the cool reply. "/Enough/," Elsa said, snapping her folder closed and glared at them over the rims of her glasses. "We all know how you want to spend our resources. There are other matters to attend to right now." Sasarai folded his hands over his papers, eyeing the dull shine of his rings. "Speaking of Magridal..." He raised his eyes expectantly, moving his gaze to Gabriev as the others quieted. "I hear you sent an agent into the area independently. What is his status?" Not even a twitch of an eyebrow betrayed Gabriev's surprise at his knowledge, if indeed he was surprised at all. "He had crossed into the country from the Neutral Zone, according to his last message. It arrived two days ago." He straightened his papers, continuing slowly. "He was laying over in Milit when a concrete report of this 'veiled menace' we've been hearing about reached him." "And?" Sasarai prompted. He already had his orders, but more supporting information couldn't hurt. Gabriev's mouth twitched, in irritation or an approximation of a smile - Sasarai had never figured out one from the other on that stony face of his. "He believes the incident happened nearby, indeed in Magridal as we have heard." He pointedly did not look at Corel. "The only reasonable region to search is Barrinhill, so he is on his way there." "And our informants in Magrilla?" Elsa asked. "Crystal Lake?" "Nothing but rumors among the clans," Corel said curtly. Sasarai rested his chin on his hand, fingering the missive folded neatly before him on the table. His orders, for better or worse. "The capitol is crowded to bursting because of their festival. Even if activity at the cathedral has increased, we would have no way of knowing." "Yet we must do something," Gabriev murmured. "The rumor is persistent." That it was. Sasarai wished they had never heard it, and true runes be damned. "We have been instructed to mobilize a small force near Caleria and send more agents in to confirm the rumor. If there is a true rune at stake, I will lead troops into the area and subdue it." Elsa asked, "And if there isn't?" He smiled. "Then we send our troops back home." "/He/ has spoken on this?" Gabriev asked, eyebrow raised. "And instructed you to-?" "He left the decision up to me," Sasarai said firmly, cutting him off. "It is my opinion that our troops are needed elsewhere. Magridal is not weak enough to take right now, if these rumors are false." Gabriev's expression melted into something resembling a frown. "They've been troublesome for far too long. We have the manpower-" "Not if we lose territory," Corel cut in, at the same time Elsa asked, "Are you volunteering, Gabriev?" "/Yes/," he answered tightly. "If necessary I will take my own troops to subdue Magridal." "Let's not start this again," Sasarai said softly, the moment they paused. It was an old argument, one they had every time there was a territory or a rune at stake. Nothing had changed between them - not the alliances, nor the personal agendas. "The decision has been made. I will place Gabriev's recommendation under advisement, to be dealt with at the appropriate time. We must move on to other matters." Elsa flipped her folder open again and pulled out another sheet of paper. "Concerning faction rallies in the city's Lower Quarter..." --- By the end of the meeting it was a relief to see Gabriev's back as he left the room with his aides, all filing in step behind the others. He'd looked as if he wanted to say more, but Elsa had shooed him out at the last minute with a few sharp words. Many of the others thought she was waspish at best, and used more unpleasant terms for her in private, but Sasarai thought she was a godsend. Her meeting plans kept people on track, she kept strict tabs on the public affairs of the other bishops, and the provinces under her control were peaceful and orderly. If she hadn't been ordained to replace Luc, he would have thought seriously of hiring her for his own staff. Luc. Sasarai sighed and pulled a clean sheet of paper from his own folder. Five years later, things were still a mess because of that incident. He hadn't been afraid to stir up politics for his own plans, had he? The Firebringer war hadn't just affected the Grasslands; the ripples extended through the whole of Harmonia, into Jowston, and even into Toran. Relations with Zexen and Tinto had been completely destroyed. It would take /years/ to rebuild those trusts, at best, and now they wanted to start a war with Magridal. Harmonia was powerful, yes, and they had the manpower to take the country if they really wanted to, yes. Yet it seemed no one thought of what would happen if they continued to snatch countries up like that. If Harmonia was overextended, surely they would lose more than they would gain. And how many would jump on that chance...? He stared at the paper and wished Hikusaak had not spoken on the matter at all. Their attention could have been diverted from the rumors eventually. But of course, he had his own agents, his own ways of divining what was going on in the world. There was no way to hide it from him. There was a whisper of air against the back of his neck, and the faint outline of a shadow fell over the paper. "No need, my lord. I will inform him of your decision." "Asen." He nodded and put the sheet of paper away. One of his aides took the folder, and his empty glass. "Will you need a more detailed report later?" "No, my lord." Asen's voice was unearthly soft, a breath of air from a freshly open grave. The man was thin, pale, more a ghost than a member of the living. "He is only concerned with the rumors of the rune." Sasarai nodded again, still not turning, and his father's aide bowed, visible in his peripheral vision. "I will take my leave." Sasarai tried not to watch him go. There was something sickening in the placid expression on his face and the perfect folds of his uniform. Nothing was ever out of place. His hair was bone white and fell just so over his shoulders, hardly moving at all when he did except to drift on the air behind him like wisps of fog. He remembered thinking Asen was beautiful when he was a child, but now his perfection seemed inhuman. He might have been a doll for all the life in his eyes. At least he wasn't the only one who felt that way. The others habitually avoided looking at the wall behind Sasarai's chair where Asen stood to witness these meetings. Although he didn't attend often, there was an air of normality to his presence, and people were so used to avoiding him that it sometimes seemed they forgot he was there. He too had fallen into that trap a few times, and regretted it when he was admonished for neglecting orders. He pushed back from the table and stood, straightening his coat on the way to the door. His aide hurried ahead and held it open for him. What would he do if the rumors in Magridal were true? He could think of several plans of action if they were false, but he couldn't count on that. The rumors weren't quite convincing, but he might be pushed to invade anyway if they became more persistent. They were being led by a man with flawed judgement, after all. How many times in the past two decades had Sasarai been sent to subdue runes? He hadn't succeeded even once. Was Hikusaak even positive Sasarai had the power to do such a thing? Being instructed in the spells and /using/ them were completely different matters. Even Luc had needed Sarah's help to subdue the others. "Lord Sasarai?" He slowed, looking up to see Elsa approach him. "Yes?" He tried not to sound surprised. "There is a matter of Lovelle's that I would like you to look over, if you don't mind. It will only take a moment." She pushed her glasses up, folder held tightly to her chest. "Of course." He motioned for her to follow him and quickened his step until they reached the end of the corridor. Torches were lit along the way, the morning light still too weak to penetrate the stained glass decorating the hallway, and when they entered his office the lamps were already lit and burning brightly, and the curtains tied back for extra light. There was tea waiting for both of them, but Elsa waved it away when Sasarai offered and sat down only when he did, tucking a wayward strand of pale hair behind her ear. "He sent another message," she began without preamble, pulling a folded piece of paper from her folder. "I was directed to give it to you, personally." He leaned over the desk to take the note and unfolded it. It was a simple square of paper, and the ink was a little smeared, as if Lovelle hadn't taken the time to let it dry completely before folding it. 'The wisteria blooms in this garden, but the petals are most pleasing in your enclosure.' Sasarai breathed a laugh before he could stop himself, pressing his lips closed. The meaning was obvious, though it would be interpreted differently if it was found in Elsa's keeping. He looked up to see her smile. "You can count on our support, Lord Sasarai." "I should hope so, if you're going to send me erotic poetry." He chuckled again, handing it back to her and then leaning back in his chair. "Thank you." Elsa rose and bowed. "You should laugh more often, Lord Sasarai. It suits you." He raised an eyebrow, but she had already turned with a parting smile, and he let her go without inquiry, staring at the door after it closed behind her. Not all clouds were without their silver lining, it seemed. ~~~~~ |