Heaven and Hellfire Chapter 129 One: The Mission

House Gabriel had been very busy with the consequences of profit.

Lands were distributed to victorious soldiers in place of plunder. Many of the new colonies in Khasmir would require a garrison.anwhile, the Calishans and Harlenorians were still hunting the remaining demons.

William Gabriel had not been idle.

And now he was ho.

The palace of Arsheen was beautiful. A place of white walls, ticulously clean and flowing fountains. The air was cool, even in the blazing sun that had beco all too common of late. They stood upon a great plateau at the center of the city. The steps of the tower where his father had set his office winded upwards in a spiral. Father had been here a great deal of late, with Mother off at the border. Servants said that he often stayed within this high tower for hours, and whispers had been heard.

Often, he would co back to town to spend ti with Soren and Calgora and drink bread and water. Then, he would return like a man to battle and say nothing of what he saw. Yet, often, servants thought he was fighting so private battle. There, he pitted his will against an enemy unseen.

As he ca to the door, William thought this utter nonsense. So he knocked and then opened the door.

Duke Vanion was sitting at his desk, hands hovering over a crystal ball. The walls were filled with books on shelves. Each one had been read a hundred tis on subjects from magic to war. The Duke's dark hair and clean-shaven features fell around his shoulders. His blue cloak concealed all but his hands, and he had black gloves on them. William wondered where he had gotten that orb of crystal.

The others created by Rusara were re copies.

"Where did you get that crystal ball?" asked William. "If you don't mind

asking?"

"Oh, during my adventures in Themious," said Vanion. "A prize won in Spirtana, I think. It was all long ago. It might have been sowhere; I have the record sowhere."

"I've been looking through our recent finances. House Gabriel has beco unassailably wealthy through our rule of Artarq. And we are becoming richer still. Malas provides a steady profit. But our strong position in Ran Telus and Artarq has ensured we control major trade lanes. All the new trade between Calisha and Harlenor is going through us. And we have more money than we know what to do with. It's beco sothing of a problem."

"What do you an?" asked William. "Surely we need the money."

"Wealth is like food, William," said Father. "Once you have a certain amount, you don't need anymore."

"What of the temple to Kiyora and Typhos?" asked William. "That's imnsely expensive."

"Well, it was a repair and renovation job," admitted Vanion. "Though splendidly done by the architects Vensus and Brinsiege. But, we've made back virtually all we spent on it by pilgrims. I have given out much of our profits to the fighting n as prizes for Khasmir. That's done a great deal. It has helped out colonization. But it is only a stopgap asure."

"Surely having an added supply of finance is a good thing," said William.

"Untapped success is a problem, William," said Vanion. "When you beco powerful, it attracts attention. If you do not make the best use of that power, you will be destroyed. I've heard whispers of ill contentnt and jealousy against House Gabriel."

"So what will we do?" asked William.

"For now?" asked Vanion. "I plan to institute a new welfare system, one intended to help the needy. People don't usually beco criminals without a motive."

"Uncle Arthur says there such a thing as malice and revenge, Father," said William.

"Certainly there is," said Father. "I am pleased you rember. But malice and revenge make poor motivations."

"I'm not sure that's true, Father," said Willliam.

"Good," laughed Vanion. "You ought to have so different opinions from myself. Speaking of which, I need you to seek a eting with Adrian Wrynncurth in Gel Carn. Tanith was unwise in her behavior there, making us so powerful enemies."

William rembered tales of the fiasco. Tanith had, according to so reports, nearly started a war. However, others had argued that the war had already started. By that line of argunt, Tanith only forced Benarus into action. She'd not spoken of strange events in Antion, save ntioning killing many bandits. Tanith had a military mind, after all. "Why am I being chosen?"

"Because you are capable, and you have not had anything to occupy yourself," said Vanion with a wry smile. "I think you could use another opportunity to prove yourself."

"Ah, of course," said William. "And traveling to heal every village in Artarq does not count?"

"Not now that the main pandemics have been blunted," said Vanion. "You've run the circuit several tis by now. And I'm arranging for other healers to take your place.

"I doubt they shall have a difficult ti. Rusara assures

your powers of healing are truly imnse. It also lets you speak to people and get a sense of what is going on. And you can figure out what is going on for yourself. Raynald and Rusara have sothing they would also talk to you about."

William considered things. "I'll take Felix and Massacre with , then. They should be more than enough. I wish I could take Tanith, but she wouldn't be welco."

"She might be able to go with you to Ascorn," noted Vanion. "And Rusara should make arrangents. Your Mother and I, however, will not be able to see you off. I'm afraid that I have to leave almost at once. I have to diate so disputes between one of our appointed Lords and one of his neighbors.

"Sarris has taken offense to certain actions by his neighbor, Dufray, and there was a skirmish. Several n were killed, and if unchecked, this could lead to a flare-up. So among the forr nobility are convinced I'm trying to supplant them."

"But you are, aren't you?" asked William.

Vanion shrugged. "Not exactly.

"If they are loyal, I take no action against them and accept them as loyal subjects. If they betray , I sideline them and replace them with soone loyal and competent. Then, I provide them a ans of their family to get things back. Those who I have stripped of their lands have only themselves to bla.

"A society can only be orderly when everyone has a stake in the system. If even one group is left out, they will eventually beco alienated enough to burn it down. Oh, one more thing." Vanion drew out so letters. "Take these to our relatives in Brisgald. The one with the red string should be given only to your Uncle Arthur or soone to hold it for him. The others should be given to Auga and Vorn preferably, or Arthur if you can't get them."

"Can I have more information?" asked William.

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"I'm afraid not," said Vanion. "You see, there are certain plans we are interacting with. And lchious could be part of them. I'd tell him how I intended to foil him if he was. Things have been set to put you in the right place at the right ti. Hopefully. But be prepared to improvise; nothing ever goes fully as planned."

"Right," said William, smiling.

Vanion put the letters into a case and handed them to William. William smiled at the responsibility and nodded. Then he went out and down the steps, feeling happier than he had in a long ti. Father had trusted him with sothing, a duty of apparent great import.

Of course, he wasn't telling him everything, but it made sense. Father was telling him what he needed to know, and he had faith he'd be able to do what needed to be done. It showed that William was considered a genuine asset now.

He hardly noticed the tower's steps as he walked through the halls. As he did, he noticed Tanith staring at a tapestry. It showed a faraway land Mother had identified as Themious, her holand. There were many figures, dryads dancing, and warriors fighting; all save one were won.

A little further down, there was another one with the Goddesses of Themious on it. Above them was Zeya with a lightning bolt in hand in the center. White robes rippled around her form, as did her hair. Then there was a golden-haired woman in green and white with a harp, Isriath, Goddess of Music, to her right. To her left was a long-haired pink-haired goddess wielding a scythe. That Imogen, Goddess of Thievery and Healing {She'd stolen the power from Elranor.}. And to her left was the figure of Tamar, wielding her fans to conjure up winds.

And opposite Tamar was a dancing figure clad in revealing red-wielding fans. Yet these were throwing flas, and the Goddess drank from a gourd. Her long brown hair was tied up in a ponytail and flowing around her. And at the bottom of the picture was the Shark Queen, the proxy Goddess of Death. She had blonde hair and tan skin yet was half-bestial.

At the center of them was a dark-haired woman clad in red and gold armor with bared legs and arms. She was hovering as though sleeping. William rembered she was called Themousia, Goddess of Truth.

If mory served, she had beaten Mother to the position.

Tanith's blonde hair had gotten longer, and her face looked odd. She didn't look like herself; her smile was a different kind of confidence. And a hand was hovering over the image of Tamar.

"Admiring the artwork?" asked William.

Tanith shook awake as if from a trance, the movent causing her bosom to rise and fall appealingly. "Yes. I'm not sure who made this, is all. It's very accurate."

"Isriath, Goddess of Arts and Music," said William. "She presented this as a gift to Mother after Calgora was born. And Soren was given the other as a gift. They were hand-weaved by her."

"I don't rember them weaving anything for you," noted Tanith.

"She didn't," said William sourly.

"Oh right," said Tanith. "Well, that would explain why they got the image so wrong. I t Maius and Isriath on my journey. We got on pretty well when I ran into them in Calisha. They seed to have heard of ."

"They heard of you?" asked William, feeling slightly insulted.

"Well, I am the better swordfighter," noted Tanith.

"That's not the point," said William. "I am the son of Princess Azgora, one of the heroes of Themious. They thought it worth giving gifts to Soren and Calgora when they were born. So Mother can't have exaggerated that much.

"You, Tanith, are of lower rank than

on both counts. So why am I being stepped over?"

"Well, you were kind of weak-willed back then," said Tanith.

"But that's how Themiousian n are expected to behave," said William. "And anyway, they could hardly tell what my life would be like before it happened."

"Well, apparently, Maius loved my work anyway," said Tanith.

"In Calisha?" asked William.

"Yeah, Maius has been shut out there for ages," said Tanith. "Baltoth hates revelry, and it keeps her from being able to act. Though Isriath does so business there."

William rembered so of Tanith's war stories. "Which work did Isriath love, exactly?"

Tanith shrugged and smiled. "I did a lot of work, but we were otherwise distracted.

"I hear Isriath's been working with the Sorcerer's Guild. Helping them with spellwork and such. Artwork and spellwork have so things in common. Anyway, Rusara and Raynald want to talk to you."

"I know," said William.

Parting ways with Tanith, William felt a little annoyed at what he'd learned. He put it at the back of his mind as he made his way into the training hall. In the hall, he found Raynald and Rusara instructing recruits.

Quickly, Raynald looked up and a smile ca to his scarred face. And then they explained things.

"A Tournant of Kings?" asked William.

"Well, not of Kings," said Rusara. "There are not enough Kings in Harlenor to complete an entire tournant. But representatives of the Kings will be there. We think it would be best to have soone represent Artarq."

"Why not Tanith? She's the better swordsman and knows the way," noted William.

"I can't send Tanith, William," said Raynald. "It's in Gel Carn.

"She crossed Adrian Wrynncurth, and he is in control of the finances for the entire region. And when he sent two dragons after her, she killed both. Sending her back there is a bad idea. I'd go myself, but Vanion needs

here as a commander. So the only person I have left who can represent us is you. Anyone else would hardly be noticed at all."

"I see," said William. "Well, I was being sent that way anyway."

"We know," said Rusara. "We're all plotting to manipulate you as part of an elaborate revenge sche."

William laughed. "Well, obviously, and I permit you your dreams.

"But Raynald, I do not know that land at all. I've read about Brisgald and Varsus living there with the rest of our family. But south, I know virtually nothing."

"You don't have to worry," said Rusara. "I've arranged for a guide for you, a Druid of Laevian nad Jehair."

"Is she any good?" asked William.

"You don't imagine I'd put your life in the hands of an incompetent, William?" asked Rusara.

"No, I suppose not," said William. "I'll take Felix and Massacre with , then. They should be more than sufficient as guards for my purposes. And my armor and weapons, of course."

"Then you'd best beco prepared soon. It would be wise to head out as soon as possible," said Raynald. "Jehair will probably get there ahead of you. She is a high-elven woman with long blonde hair and an overbearing personality. Here is a picture of her; don't lose it." And he drew up a portrait, one that was very well made. "Don't worry, she always keeps her word."

It showed a beautiful elven won with long ears and braids. She had smoldering eyes even through the picture, clad in leather. Her expression was resolved but sad, and her arms were bare with her blonde hair combed back. She had a slim waist and was very buxom. Her hips were wide.

"There is one other thing," said Rusara. "William, I was wondering if you could do

a favor while you are there?"

William paused. "Of course."

"You rember the Fists of Baltoth?" asked Rusara.

"The malas smuggling gang Father's n wiped out?" asked William.

"Well, we believe they had a lot of contacts in Antion," said Raynald. "They and many other gangs, though they wouldn't be using the sa na. And judging from so letters, we confiscated from their operation. There are so very extensive operations. The criminal elent in Antion was a problem before.

"But it seems to be growing far worse. Frankly, it's been worse for years, and no one is reporting on it. If you could keep an eye out for any information while journeying, I'm sure it would help."

"Thank you," said William.

"Oh," said Raynald. "One last thing. We've heard that the Heir of Kings has arisen and proclaid herself."

William halted. "Herself?"

"Her na is Relma Artorious," said Rusara. "Arengeth had her raised to be the Mother of the King, but she seems to have ambitions of her own. We'd like you to take her asure when you arrive and tell us what she's like. It could be very important."

"Oh, co now, Lady Rusara," said William. "No one is going to bow to soone just because of their bloodlines, no matter how noble."

"I certainly hope not," said Rusara. "But she could be more dangerous than we think. That's why we're sending you. Jehair should be at the port of Ascus on the northern part of Antion. You'll find her at the Grip of Steel Inn, in the company of Anos. Do you rember him?"

"Yes, he was your lieutenant in the Khasmir campaign, taller than most Dust Elves," said William.

"Good," said Rusara. "Look for him, and you'll find Jehair nearby. Though he will not accompany you all the way, he'll break off for other business."

William walked out, wondering what the point of all this was.

He decided that Rusara and Raynald were pretending to operate by a different plan. Father would know of such an action so they would not be so foolish. But if lchious saw the two different scenes, it might confuse him.

Either way, Felix was waiting outside in the shadows, arms crossed. He was dressed for travel in black, as was his custom. "So, what news?"

"We're going to Antion, Felix. Raynald needs us to fill in for Tanith in the Tournant of Kings," said William. "Soone called Relma Artorious is proclaiming herself to be Anoa's heir."

"So the Heir of King's has arisen, then?" said Felix, voice strange.

"I wish," laughed William, walking past. "We're probably just going to see a noble with delusions of grandeur."

"No, we have a problem," said Felix as he fell in. "You can count on it."

Finding Massacre the chira around the corner, William saw her sleeping. As usual, only her goat head was awake. Yet, as usual, she knew more than she let on.

"Massacre, I'll need you with ," said William. "I don't have the Goldenwood Harp, but I'd play for you as best I can."

"Bah," said Massacre.

"Let's make our plans, then," said William. "And hope for an uneventful trip."

But he wouldn't get one, and everyone knew it. Trips were never uneventful for William Gabriel.