Working God's Mischief (38 page)

Had the Aelen Kofer sealed the doorways between all the worlds, or just those to the Realm of the Gods? Evidently the former, at least for now.

Hecht considered Hourli's remark about nothing happening in a vacuum. Did that apply to the gods as well?

He intuited that the gods in Eucereme were aware of the situation in the middle world. They would want to open doorways, too. They would want to enjoy Eavijne's apples, too.

Hourli said, “We need not share details but we have discovered ways that we can prosper here, despite the weakening wells of power. Moving with you to your Holy Lands will be part of that. In time, we could return to being major gods again.”

“But for that you need healthy apples.”

“We do, yes, to make it last.”

“And my God, or any of our gods today, don't concern you?”

“They do not. Their very nature makes them no threat.”

“But!…”

“Your God is everywhere. He sees everything. For those things to be true he gave up the ability to be all-powerful wherever that suited. Once we left the world, and others like us did the same, he needed only be a god who listened and comforted and meddled in small ways, locally. He spread himself out so he could be in touch with every worshipper all the time. Now it would take him an age just to understand that he needed to pull himself back together, then another age to do it. So we're free to do as we like. All of our divine jeopardy comes from those great primal things that were here before our own advent. With your sister as an ally we destroyed the worst of those. But another, that we do not know, is stirring in a far place called Andesqueluz; Asher, the Mountain, who was
the
god in that land before the appearance of any of the gods of today. And those, it seems, are all aspects of a son of Asher once connected with wind, thunder, and storms, who was unpredictable and frequently unpleasant.”

“None too smart, either.”

“Yes. The son of Asher shared many of Red Hammer's less endearing traits. Less so, these days, diffused, of course.” She went on, “Spring will come early and remain cool. You will have an extra ten days to get started. Snow melts will not be catastrophic, despite the heavy falls this winter. They will proceed slowly and steadily. The rivers you need to use or cross will never run too swiftly or too high.”

A flicker where nothing changed made Hecht glance to his left.

Aldi had come straight from her day job as every lad's fantasy. He felt a stirring himself. He wondered if different men saw different Aldis.

Aldi had nothing to say. She just nodded to Hourli. Hourli told Hecht, “Things are in motion. Our endgames begin.”

Which meant what?

No matter what the Shining Ones contributed, Piper Hecht was not prepared to trust them fully.

Hourli did something with her hands. Her fingers became ropes of smoke. In a moment she was holding a fat candle a foot long that appeared to be purest beeswax. “A gift for you and your Empress. Light it and time will stop for you as it has for us here. Those whose attentions you fear will not realize how long you have been missing. Employ it carefully. You will still age while it burns. It will last a long time but not forever. There won't be another.” She placed the candle in his hands. It was massive. It had to weigh more than ten pounds.

Hourli smiled a small smile. Hecht thought it might be the very smile the Adversary wore when he presented an irresistible temptation.

“Enjoy, Commander of the Righteous.”

*   *   *

Hecht wakened in his own bed. He did not remember his transition to the chapel, nor his return. He had a headache. It was dark out still but breakfast smells came from the next room. He heard Carava de Bos talking to somebody who sounded like Titus Consent. Hecht clambered out of bed, hunger driving him.

Consent and de Bos, yes, making free with breakfast foods as they chattered. Their conversation was animated but did not register. Hecht settled into a chair where the steward was already filling a platter.

“And why are you two here? Especially you, Titus. I sent you to command a line company at Hochwasser but here you are, underfoot again.”

“One of your odd female friends woke me up last night. She gave me this.” He tapped a stack of papers half a foot thick. “I read a few pages, decided they were crazy to bring the stuff to me, had a horse readied, and got my ass down here in time to catch Carava going on shift.”

De Bos said, “Carava read a few pages and decided we should be here to share your breakfast.”

“What have we got?”

De Bos said, “Based on the pages I skimmed, transcripts of meetings between people involved in plots against you, the Empress, one another, and the Enterprise. Lots and lots of plots. The third sheet down got me all wet. It tells us where to find Race Buchels and Willem Schimel.”

“Really?” Even the Ninth Unknown had been unable to find those would-be Hecht killers. Schimel had masterminded the attack that had seen Hecht die and be resurrected. “I'd like to sit down with those two.”

Hecht chose a random page. He held it in his left hand while he ate.

He had drawn the record of a conversation between Helspeth's uncles. Clearly, they meant their pledge to give Helspeth the support they had failed to provide Katrin. They were scheming to rid their Empress of an Elector she and the Commander believed reliable.

“Good stuff,” Hecht muttered, never questioning the facts. He did not doubt the Shining Ones in that.

“Earthshaking stuff,” de Bos said.

“Who else knows?”

Titus pointed. “But only that it's really important.”

Hecht stared at the steward, who had come with the Still-Patter house. The man froze.

The Commander said, “I think we can control this potential leak.”

De Bos nodded. “I'll make sure.” At which point the steward began to protest.

“Of course it's unreasonable,” Hecht told him. “But something is going on and I don't want you talking about it to your wife, your brother, your best friend, your confessor, or anybody else.”

The steward protested that he would do no such thing, that he knew better, that he never talked about work when he left the house.

“I don't believe you. You talk to somebody about things you shouldn't. You all do.”

Titus presented a couple of sheets from high in the pile, chapter and verse about the household staff, including the steward. None of the staffers were spies. But they all had talked to somebody about something, never thinking of that as a violation of security.

Hecht read briefly, aloud. The steward's eyes widened. “Now, who do you suppose she told?” He did not have that information. His point had gone home. “Titus. Send word to your number one to take over your company. I need you here. Start by talking to all these people who don't think they're doing anything wrong. Convince them of the error of their ways.” After scanning only a random few pages he knew that he and Helspeth had some serious housework to do. “Carava, you and Vircondelet drop everything else and focus on this stack. Identify and number each page. Make a separate synopsis. Tell me about anything that needs immediate action. Buhle Smolens hasn't had enough to do lately. Pile your current work on him. Sedlakova, too. And Brokke, when he gets back. Have we heard from him lately?”

De Bos replied, “Not for several days. Last report had him at the Arnhander frontier being cranky because there was nobody there to meet him. The King's mother was busy with raiders out of the Connec. Brokke said he was going to go on, cautiously.”

“He should probably try harder to keep us posted.”

De Bos and Consent both gave him a hard stare.

“All right. I see.” He had espoused the philosophy of giving a man a job, then getting out of the way, for as long as he had been less than the man who was ultimately in charge. He had waxed quite bitter about the waste of time and manpower needed to run messages to people far from the head of the spear, whose input could not possibly do anything but make things more difficult for the men doing the actual, everyday work.

“All right. Suggestion withdrawn. We have plenty to do here.” But he did understand the other side now, some. “We'll need to screen my appointments more tightly. I want to push this…”

Consent said, “Boss, don't change anything. Let us deal. That's our job. You aren't a worker bee anymore. Your role is to be the lightning rod for everybody who thinks they should be able to use us. Just go right on having fun doing that.”

Titus was right. And Hecht did not like it. “I'm wondering if it's too late to fire you.”

“Probably.” Consent chuckled. He beckoned the steward. “You can take this stuff away, now, Maxillan.”

*   *   *

The meeting with the Empress and her advisors stretched interminably. Several councilors were blatantly obstructionist in their efforts to extort concessions. Helspeth was, after all, only a woman. She did not have that much strength behind her—though every one of those men quelled under Hecht's glare.

Hecht was patient. He contributed little. He refused the bait when challenged to offer assurances no commander could provide before a campaign. Each time someone came at him directly he responded with a knowing smile that left them uncomfortable.

The Shining Ones made it sound like the entire Chaldarean world was excited about liberating the Holy Lands. Even in the Connec commoners and nobles alike were finding money and men to contribute. In Arnhand, despite the flood of specie that had gone away since the advent of Anne of Menand, they were raising noble companies of dedicated adventurers. Inside the Grail Empire the folk seethed with eagerness. Many of the nobility remained oblivious to that. They seemed interested only in locking horns with the Grail Throne while it was occupied by a woman with no strong man coming up behind her.

Hecht stood. “I would like to request a recess, Your Majesty. And permission to approach with intelligence recently received. Intelligence I will share with the Council following the recess.”

Helspeth was tired of the bickering, too. “One hour, gentlemen.” She rose, ignoring all protests. “Lord Arnmigal. Follow me.” She left the council chamber. Lifeguards and ladies-in-waiting scurried. Helspeth went straight to the closest quiet room. She let no one in but Hecht. She was rude to one dowager who said something about propriety.

To Hecht's consternation Helspeth threw herself against him the instant the door clicked shut. “This isn't what I had in mind.”

“You did. But you didn't expect it to happen.”

He extricated himself reluctantly. “We'll see about that later.”

“Always business first. What is it?”

“You have been tasking me about my intelligence crew not producing.”

“We never see them. They don't seem to be doing anything.”

“This morning they delivered a six-hundred-page stack of reports. The detail boggles. There are minutes of scores of conspiratorial gatherings, many featuring some of those men out there. I brought a representative sample.” He pulled the sheets from beneath his shirt.

She had not stepped back when he peeled her off. Now she turned away but leaned back against him while she read. He did not push her off. In fact, he discovered his arms around her, his hands clasped. He felt her anger build.

“Is this stuff credible?”

“It is.”

“How could anyone get that close?”

“You know who they are.”

“I didn't really believe it. I have to, now.”

“I'll never tell you anything but the truth.”

“That might not always be smart, love.” She turned. They kissed.

*   *   *

Algres Drear and a dozen Braunsknechts entered and lined the walls. The councilors eyed them nervously.

Helspeth announced, “I am going to read from an intelligence report. Captain Drear, I am not to be interrupted.”

Drear clicked his heels and bowed.

Helspeth read from the record of a meeting that had taken place eight days earlier. Four men now present had participated, two of whom had made a great, mocking show of firmly supporting the new Empress. Subjects discussed had included the possibility of ridding the world of the Commander of the Righteous to facilitate the subsequent deposition of “that Ege chit.”

The truth was made obvious by the ghastly pallor of the conspirators.

Algres Drear kept order, though he faced no real challenge. None of those men were prepared to fight his Braunsknechts.

Hecht could almost hear the conspirators thinking the Imperial lifeguard would have to be disbanded once the Ege chit went.

Interestingly, Ferris Renfrow had come in with the returning recess crowd. He made certain his presence was noticed. Too, Hourli, in frumpy middle-aged form, blocked the main exit. Hecht was sure she was recognized as his new head spy.

Helspeth said, “Graf fon Gerilein. This conversation took place in your home. Care to comment? Without bluster or wasting time denying the facts?”

The Graf shook his head, conceding that he was well and truly caught.

Helspeth polled the other conspirators. None cared to comment.

“The Ege chit is not pleased. There are more of these transcripts. Hundreds of pages. Here is one that pleases the Ege chit even less. It is a blatant praise of treason.” She read.

Then she read from several other reports. Finally, she asked, “Have I made my point? You didn't hear
your
plot mentioned? I have six hundred more pages to examine. Should you feel a need to know if your own flirtation with treason is on record, consult the intelligence arm of the Righteous.” She paused, glared. Men began to shift nervously. “The answer will be yes. Your villainy is known. Now that you know that I know, we can wipe the slate. I will take no action on any of these reports, however foul the crimes contemplated. A new era begins. This is now One Empire ruled by One Will. Future bad behavior will not be tolerated.”