Two hours passed the high noon, then summoned the emperor's council to formalize that which everyone who was anyone to know already knew. This day was an important day for the empire. Duke Heathcliff stood to the right of the king beside Duke Drakkennide. Grand Marshal Heathcliff and the Right's Chancellor Drakkennide were among the emperor's strongest supporters. Yet both were in conflict with each other and thus, a strange atmosphere was brewing on the emperor's side of the court.
An army had been gathered at Castle Valerius, near where the Stonewall Mountains met the Altus Hills at the eastern border. This army prepared to traverse the Issutis Crossing at the upper end of the Anathion River.
The Crossing itself was pivotal to the strategic goals of Helios. T'was first formed in the Age of Gold and Silver at the behest of then Aurumere's second king, King Valerius, son of Providence, who was the great conqueror of his time.
This was the king who beheaded Magëa-King Mēnoth, slayer of Providence and called by some as 'The Az Watcher,' for the stories said that he could kill with a look. Valerius had many such victories before his divine punishment. But among the greatest was the conquest of the then known "Imbelloweshorai"—the Forest of the River Fartherlings. That was its name according to translations from old Venegéshai texts, those from the days before they integrated with the empire. After the invasion, however, t'was then called "The Forest of Valerius."
He fought seventeen battles in that place, five of which took place along the Anathion River. The Demigods were fearsome men, but they could drown just as mundanely. The Belissarian peoples, whom the old Venegéshai called Eshsųvenbúnmann—Enemies Across the River—fought fiercely to oppose Valerius.
Arrows hailed the demigods during their crossings, and Lizardmen were driven from upstream by the Belissarians to clutch the legs of Aurian soldiers and drag them into the beds of the Anathion River.
Four times King Valerius failed to cross the river and it made him furious. Thus, on the fifth crossing, he built not ships–but mines. These mines he filled with dwarven slaves that cut and moved stone until a portion of the Altus Hills were utterly cleaved, and what remained was a clear gap called the Pass of Valerius.
All the stone was moved from the hills–which were leveled–into the stream of the Anathion. The river was made shallow until it could be passed on foot, and this drove the currents of the river to shift into the northern woods, flooding Belissarian villages and forcing them to move south. It also diverted the native Lizardmen of the river and made them a bane to the Belissarians of the northern woods.
Thus was born the Issutis crossing and the Valerius Tributary to the Anathion. Later, in the days of King Pashum, Castle Valerius was erected at the pass to occupy it, and the Road of Valerius was added as such to make its path clear for armies.
Presently, this would be the path of Helios' armies; a force of ten thousand gathered there. Another gathered at the fortress city of Heathcliff, once the capital in a different dynasty. This second force of fifteen thousand had been busy already with the building of many ships. Officially, t'was a fleet made so that Helios could, in consort with Bethel, pacify the river pirates. Yet Caleb, being an Archphantom, knew that this was not the case. After all, those pirates were under his family's payroll–unofficially of course.
Caleb watched the Doves grind their teeth and scowl in bitter defeat as the Hawks raised their beaks high. His Grace Heathcliff was the head of the Hawks, grinning from ear to ear with anticipation.
Caleb counted twenty-two dukes and maybe a hundred or so counts. The barons were several hundred though only a few were present in the royal court. Those of the border barons and those along the great roads whose lands would be occupied by the imperial armies during transit.
War was coming. Caleb looked into the profile of his Grace, Duke Drakkennide. The Chancellor of the Right had dark lines beneath his lids, his hair was dressed for the court but appeared rough in places, his shoulders were sunken and a light like the gleam of a sword lingered in his eyes.
T'was apparent that many labors were set upon those shoulders. The Duke of Drakkennide was in his mid twenties. Yet he bore the responsibility his late father left him with the strength and resilience of stone. All the same, he was surely livid Caleb thought, to be preparing the finances of the coming war on a budget stretched thinly by his majesty's many works.
The Chancellor of the Left was presently vacant. Under normal conditions, the position was occupied by the High Communal Leader of the Syncretic Church—to advise his majesty in spiritual matters. But many of the member churches were in discord and a deadlock had settled of late on who should succeed the supreme position. Caleb supposed that it might be the work of his father, yet this was not the way of the Archphantom family. Thus, he was somewhat unnerved by the empty place where the Left's Chancellor should have stood.
Regardless, it greatly favored the emperor's goals that no one held the role for the foreseeable future. Caleb and the prince's knight took post at the end of the congregation.
Then–only then–when the congregation was settled in, the emperor set himself upon the Provident Throne.
T'was a pair, the two. Each throne bore a single arm and an arch formed of oak to create a great wingspan in both directions. The arches of the twin thrones were fixed with a sprawl of colored feathers set personally each by the lords of old Aurumere. One wing stretching to the right, the other, to the left.
The plumes were of every exotic bird written in apocryphal texts: of Paradise Birds, Peafowls, Quetzals, and Macaws; on its arm were the feathers of Starlings, Flamingos, and of Scarlet Ibises; crowning its ends were the faux eyes of peacocks, and its whole was trimmed with gold that made brighter these accessories, which so arranged to form a great span of colorful resplendance.
With the echo of the emperor's footsteps, a velvet cloak was his following. At his shoulders a jaguar's pelt–golden–ruffled and rolled with his gait. As his hands rested on the arm of his chair, the slight brush of rough skin on wood could be heard across the entire hall. He set himself down on the rightmost throne, revealing at last the solar diadem set upon his brow, as heavy as gold.
The throne beside him was vacant; the absence could not be missed. No matter the light and glory of the emperor, all could still see what was missing at his side. His majesty, Emperor Jaeden Titanus V, spoke:
"Well then, what matters of the court need settling today, Chancellor of the Right?"
A moment followed for the court to listen to the emperor's words. Only then did the Duke of Drakkennide reply.
"The ultimatum shall be delivered by his grace sir Avlad Heathcliff, upon the twenty-fifth day of the birth of Asurchanezzar, per his scheduled leave of the court to march with the army at Heathcliff. He shall deliver the message to the city of Thern personally so as to convey our intentions clearly…"
The chancellor paused a moment before saying, "Per the terms set by the court, the current leadership of Bethel shall dissolve and the Belissarian peoples shall submit to imperial suzerain, and be ordained a Governor General by the state to command their peoples. The court"—Lord Drakkennide emphasized the word strongly—"has determined that his grace, Duke Avlad Heathcliff of the duchy of Heathcliff, shall suffice to fill the role of Governor General of Bethel, and shall be instated immediately upon the successful submission of the Belissarian peoples to the empire. If any of these terms are refused–in short–it shall be war."
He kept emphasizing the word "court" repeatedly in his speech. But finally, he finished the long court ordinance:
"All shall proceed in accordance with royal decree. Assuming no delays, his grace Lord Heathcliff shall leave at the end of our present affairs. There still remains to be seen the defense of the southern territories, as of yet."
Many whispers among the court officials spoke of the chancellor's subversive message referencing the Night of the Bitter Chalice. What they had missed however–which Caleb noted–was the obvious meaning of his words.
The Anor Mountains in the south were still an important border territory. By all standards, the critical land was beset by myriad troubles. Yet it remained neglected in the emperor's current ambitions. Grain taxes and foreign wars were straining the south's economy, leading as such to their desire for secession. Yet poison had robbed them of their armies, breaking their spirit of revolt preemptively.
Whether or not his majesty had grasped the true intent behind Lord Drakkennide's words was irrelevant.
He merely shrugged and said, "they have already been pacified by careful works in advance. We shall proceed as planned. Let us proceed to the war council, Lord Drakkennide."
"Certainly, your majesty."
The chancellor took the floor center and set forth a large map of upper Jania. Beside it was another map focused on the passings and tributaries of the Anathion, and of the forest beyond. Downstream of the Issutis Crossing was a bend in the river'flow. The land mass beside that bend was marked in bold, elegant print. Thern, the capital of Bethel. There were also various outposts and hillforts marked, what glades and groves were known, suspected ambush spots, secret camps, or usable roads.
Small red flags signified approximately six-thousand men per flag. Two were stationed at Castle Valerius, another three at Heathcliff. Five at Lithopolis kept river trade sealed from down below by the Lower Heartland Tributary.
Duke Drakkennide pointed to the men posted near the Issutis Crossing, "the men stationed here shall be led by me, personally. They move a month and a half after the war shall begin. The objective is to march beyond the crossing and fortify the position. We shall seal the northern woods from Thern, cutting their connection to the Ram kingdom, and erect a span of trenches and Hillforts along the glades and high spots of the forest to secure the road to Thern."
He then gestured to a large unmarked stretch of territory in the forest.
"This shall be the most contentious position. I have delegated General Gwendobal to guard this section of the northern woods. Positioned near the Valerius Tributary, it cannot be fortified as the roots of the trees are too deep and numerous in this spot. I intend to cut the Drakkennide host in half and leave their span across the northern road–which we shall build as we march."
Lord Drakkennide then turned to face Lord Heathcliff.
"If the plan remains steady, then the Grand Marshal should successfully conquer the city by the time I arrive. If not, what remains of my forces shall join with Duke Heathcliff and he shall take supreme command of the thirty-thousand strong army. The twenty-five thousand men at Lithopolis shall be under the command of Duke Boreus unless some matter demands the Grand Marshal's direct oversight."
He pointed to the city of Thern directly, and let his finger drag east on the parchment, as if indicating movement.
"Once the Belissarians are driven into the forest groves, that is when the true rigor of this war begins. The estimated time of the initial operation is six months. It should be well into the Birth of Cyrus or Pashum by the time that the siege of Thern is finished… Are there any questions?"
There was no rebuke.
When the meeting adjourned, Caleb proceeded to the east court of the palace. He shadowed a count of the east end of the Samsinurimatu, just as Exallion shadowed himself. With a clasp on the shoulder he spoke:
"Count Wock-Kerrick, a pleasure to see you again after all these years. How fares the eastern lands of the Sunlight Plains these days?"
"Well enough lord Caleb, and how fares your father."
"Oh well, he's quite tired these days. You know that medicine is always a tiring and bitter work. But I heard that food has been a trouble of your territory, what with all the preparations for war. I wonder, how are you eating these days?"
"Pardon?"
The young Archphantom leaned in, wrapping an arm around the count's shoulders.
He whispered to the count's ear, "listen well, pig. I know about your dealings with the House of Chrysanthemums. What would the Church of Sól say if they knew what flesh you've tasted? You'd lose your biggest donor."
"Wha–"
"Hush now. I want you to think carefully about this count. You're a small man of humble means, son of a distant branch of the antiquated Kerricks. You've worked so hard to get here and now, with a few words from me, you shall be excommunicated; from the church, from the Hawks, from your house…"
Caleb shrugged and released the count before adding in a loud voice, "but I don't want to do that. After all, you're my dear friend!"
The Wock-Kerrick's expression wrinkled; wide, beady eyes became glassy. His hand twitched, Caleb looked down to the man's waist and noted the silvery gleam there. Yet the count never grasped what lay hidden behind his coat. T'was as he debated such an action that he spied the face of Sir Exallion and paused.
Caleb patted the count's shoulder again—twice.
"I'll see you later after our affairs in the palace are done. It wouldn't do to treat this grand house of lords as a palace of gossip. Find me at the Archphantom estate later this evening; I'll treat you to supper."
With that, the Archphantom scion left on his way.