The Orb And The Spectre (Book 2) (2 page)

   "The evidence which you have so long refused to acknowledge is now laid stark before you, King Leth," declared Chandiston of the Golden Thought sect. "Even you can no longer deny what is obvious. The gods are angered by the continuing obstinacy of your family. They have given us signs for so long and you and your predecessors have deliberately ignored them in pursuit of your own repressive aims. Now they bring their wrath down upon us all!"

   Opiah Forthruth, imperator of one of the lesser factions, the Hand of Freedom, accused: "Our people will be destroyed, all bar the true believers who will live on to serve the true gods and spread the knowledge of their ways. And you will bear the blame, King Leth. So will your name be remembered by future generations, the generations of the righteous who will be privileged to survive these dark days."

   "Sire, you would be wise to repeal the Deist Edict now," opined Astress of the Children of Ushcopthe in less abrasive tones. "Let us make obeisance and petition our divine rulers for mercy; let them restore order through our efforts, let them turn back the
Karai, or Enchantment's Reach is doomed."

   "They have put the
Karai upon us!
Aaaahh!
" asserted Madroluardh of the Open Light, gripping his jaw, his face twisted and sour. He suffered from chronic tooth rot, and spoke in moans. "They attack us from the skies!
Ohhh!
We all risk being overwhelmed! And now they have stolen our beloved Queen!
Ahhhh-ohhh
! What more does it take, King Leth, before you will respond?"

   Leth bore the arguments and accusations without interrupting, seated with his elbow resting upon the arm of his chair, a finger crooked beneath his nose, his gaze upon the ancient, gleaming surface of Gursmaeden. In time a tense and indignant silence stole the place of the raised voices. Leth sat back, and said, "I have heard you, now have the courtesy to hear me. Each of you is quick to find fault in me, so quick that I have cause to wonder whether you have the best interests of the Crown and Enchantment's Reach at heart at all. You storm me with your demands, but let us imagine, for an instant, that I
were to heed you. Let us just say that I repealed the Deist Edict here and now. Think of that. What then? What, truly, would be the effect?"

   "We have already said, we would petition the gods for mercy and redress."

   "But you do not know the gods."

   This brought a collective gasp from his accusers.

   "How can you?" persisted Leth. "This is the old argument to which none of you, nor your predecessors, have provided a satisfactory answer. You have never been to the gods, they have never come to you. How can you know them?"

   "They
have
been to us! It is written in the ancient scriptures! Then there are the sacred relicts, the commandments! What of the visions and visitations of our forefathers!"

   "The writings, tales, collections and visions of men long dead!" declared Leth, now impassioned. "Men who cannot speak for themselves, whose words and experiences may have been misinterpreted or misused by others who came later. Their writings may be valuable as an insight into our past, but let us never forget the power of the written word and the ways it may be used to control as much as to educate and enlighten. Why, I could write a document today filled with falsehoods, and have it published as truth to influence men and women now and in future generations. These examples that you cite are not proof of intimate knowledge of the gods. They are proof of nothing except that they exist in themselves. Those who wrote your scriptures may have been sincere, but equally they may not. Who is to say that over the centuries those scriptures have not suffered the attentions of others with designs of their own?"

   "This is madness!" declared Chandiston. "Though you are King, you may not trample upon what is sacred. I will hear no more of it!"

   "Your sacred scriptures conflict!" cried Leth. "Yours, Chandiston, do not accord with those of the Far Flame. Theirs contest the veracity of those of the Children of Ushcopthe. You argue, one with the other, throughout time, and thus is your credibility eroded. It is an undeniable fact that you cannot all be right."

   "Sire, you tread upon fragile ground," said Astress. "Where we differ is in perception and interpretation. But we all acknowledge the power of the gods and their right to worship."

   "
O-ohhh
, you will bring doom upon us all!" wailed Madroluardh.

   "You speak like a man possessed," said Edric of the Far Flame, with a voice dark and freighted.

   Leth shook his head. "No. I speak as a man dedicated to truth. I say again, what will happen if I give you what you ask for? You come to me, together, in one voice, seeing me as your common adversary. But dispose of me, allow you your gods once more, and what will you do? Your unity will be instantly a thing of the past. In the name of your individual gods you will fight with one another. The Karai will still advance upon Enchantment's Reach, and you will rattle your relicts and weep and howl your prayers, and nothing will be changed! I say to you now, the gods as you claim to know them do not exist. You, or those who went before you, have created them. Those beings that do exist within Enchantment, though they may as well be gods, yet know nothing of you! Nor would they care if they did!"

   Even Lord Fectur's head turned at this, as a shocked silence filled the chamber. He regarded Leth with an expression that was coolly and sternly appraising, while the faction heads sat momentarily as one, stiff in mute outrage.

   Leth quickly gathered his thoughts. He had gone further than he had intended. He had hinted at knowledge of the inhabitants of Enchantment! But he would not back down, not now. The kingdom depended upon him. He stood, quickly. "I say this to you: stand with me now, give me your loyalty, your strength and support. Let us battle our common enemy together, in mutual accord, not fragmented and striving to do one another down. Join me in this hour of need, or begone. Aid me, or put yourselves from my sight and be silent. If you cannot take one of these two courses you will force me into an impossible position, for I have no choice but to view any other action as treason."

  
"Treason?" The word flew simultaneously from several mouths.

   "If you are not with me you are against me and with my enemies. That is how the Crown must view any action seen to hinder its endeavour to combat this menace. These are dire days, requiring the sternest measures. I am declaring a Condition of Emergency, as of this moment. This Assembly is dissolved."

   Again the silence of disbelief. Leth wheeled before it could break and strode from the hall. Lord Fectur was quickly at his side. "You may have gone too far, Sire."

   "Not far enough, as far as I am concerned. I will not be opposed now, Fectur. Not when so much is at stake. Understand that. If any of them give me the slightest provocation I will throw them in jail."

   "I would advise against that. I would advise that you reconsider your Declaration of Emergency."

   "Why?"

   "It is extreme. It gives you the power of life or death over any person, without recourse to the judiciary."

  
"Quite so. I do not intend to invoke that power unless I must, but it is essential that I am not opposed from within. If they will not see sense they must be shown it, or be obliged to keep silence."

   "You will become isolated. Had you consulted me upon this decision I would have advised strongly against it. The consequences of your action may prove to be more far-reaching than you know. It will not be popular."

   "We are in a state of war, Fectur."

   "Of this I am quite aware."

   "I must have absolute loyalty now. Furthermore, I am faced with the possibility of having to restore the True Sept to legitimacy. I see no other way if I am to meet with Grey Venger and discover what is known of the Legendary Child. At least under Emergency that legitimacy will be limited, and therefore more pleasing to the other factions."

  
"As the Sept will perceive. Such conditions may be unacceptable to them."

   "We will see. But the fact is that I had no other choice."

   "Perhaps that is the problem. It may be seen as the tactic of a desperate man."

   Leth strode on, angered. Fectur remained at his shoulder. "Sire, you implied extraordinary knowledge of Enchantment."

   "I spoke heatedly."

   "Then you do not possess such knowledge?"

   "I said only what is obvious to any who are not shackled and blindfolded by received wisdoms and
fixed beliefs."

   "You spoke of beings within Enchantment, almost as though you had personal acquaintance. The factions will not let that pass. They will have every justification in calling for an explanation."

   "There is nothing to be explained."

   "Then there is nothing that I should be made aware of?"

   "Nothing." 

V

    Had he really gone too far? Leth had not planned in advance to invoke the Condition of Emergency. He had considered it in the minutes approaching the meeting, but until a few moments before he had uttered those fateful words he had not really known that he was going to do so.

   He had simply wanted to be done with these bawkers and complainers, these bloodsuckers who snagged and snared and sniped. To swipe them aside, at least temporarily, so that he might concentrate to the best of his abilities on the real emergency at hand.

   But his action had been impulsive and emotional.
Uncharacteristically so. This he acknowledged soberingly as he strode on alone through the corridors of Orbia. Alone, aware more than ever of the gulf that walked beside him now that Issul was no longer here.

   How he had relied upon her, even without knowing it!

  
This is not me! I am not myself!

   Orbelon, I must speak to you now! I need your advice!

   But as always the ragged tenant of the blue casket was not answerable to the King's summons. He came when he wanted Leth, but not the other way around.

   Leth resolved to consult Pader Luminis at the earliest opportunity and see if he agreed with Fectur's summation. For now, though, Pader remained with the faction leaders in the Hall of Assembly, and Leth had no intention of returning there.

  
Venger, I must see you. I must! You will tell me your secrets. Somehow I must get you to reveal all that you know of the Legendary Child. How is it that you, my enemy, my would-be assassin, inveigled my darling wife into your ancient labyrinthine schemings? What is your power?

   Tears stung Leth's eyes
. Issul, Issul, where are you? Why could you not have told me what you knew? What is this madness that has fallen upon us all?

   Ahead he saw a figure, frail and grey-garbed, passing almost ghostlike along the corridor towards him.

   "Mawnie?"

   She approached as though drifting, her face almost as grey as her thin gown, her eyes glazed and red from weeping. But a smile flitted ghostly upon her face as she saw her royal brother-in-law.

   "Leth. Oh, Leth."

   She came to him and put her head upon his shoulder. Leth held her gently. "Mawnie, what are you doing here?"

   "Looking for you, Leth. Don't you know?" Mawnie drew back her head, looked smiling into his eyes. She put her hand to his face, then reached up and pressed her lips to his.

   Leth pushed her away.
"Mawnie! No! This is wrong. You don’t know what you are doing!"

   Mawnie gave a harsh laugh. "Oh I do, Leth. I do. I am looking. It was me, you see.
In the woods. They all think Ressa. But truly it was me. But kiss me, Leth. Love me. You do love me, in your most secret heart, don't you?"

   She came to him again, but Leth stepped back. "Mawnie, I’ll take you back."

   "Back? No. I wish to see Lir. Where is she?"

   "In the nursery, I would imagine.
Or playing somewhere with her nanny."

   "And where
is. . . where is my sister? What has happened to her?"

  
"Issul? She has gone away for a few days. Come, Mawnie, let’s go back to your chamber."

   "Not Issul. I know about Issul," said Mawnie. "No. No. It is Ressa. Where is she? Where is Ressa? I want to see her."

   Leth put his arm gently about her shoulder and tried to steer her back the way she had come, towards her chambers.

   Mawnie pulled away suddenly, her eyes blazing. "
Bah!
You are just like him. You don't love me. You think me dirty. You think I am nothing!" She ripped at her gown, exposing her breasts. "I’m nothing!
Nothing!
"

  
"Mawnie!"

   He took her wrists, for she was striking herself, lacerating her pale flesh with her nails. Mawnie began to scream, fighting against him,
then her screams became sobs. "Oh why, oh why, oh why, oh why?
Oh why, why, why?
"