Empire of Avarice (24 page)

“But how can they afford this?” Valson asked.

“Easy,” Frendicus cut in. “Without paying taxes they can
do this and enjoy large profits. Current imperial taxation on merchant sales
are thirty per cent.”

All went silent to digest this. Isbel looked at
Vosgaris. “How widespread is this organisation?”

“It extends into Bathenia, obviously, as they are also
prominent in the textile manufacturing. They have good trading connections with
the west. We can close down their warehouses in the ports, arrest those who
have been bribed to take part and seize the materials and hand them over to the
legal traders who can then enjoy a run on selling without having to buy the
stock in the first place.”

Frendicus tutted. “Vosgaris, we would sell them the
material, at a reduced price of course,” he added with a wide smile. “Extra
income for the treasury.”

“What, and get a tax both in supplying them and when the
products are sold at the end?” Vosgaris asked.

Frendicus grinned smugly. Vosgaris shook his head. “Which
is why you’re a taxman and I’m not,” he said, chastened.

Isbel looked at the council members. “You have all been
given the bare facts. Do we censure Vosgaris here or congratulate him?”

“The Fokis will employ the best legal minds to prevent
all this,” Sereth warned the rest. “We must be prepared to offer Vosgaris as a
sacrifice to pacify their anger.”

Frendicus, Pepil and Valson all looked at Sereth in
puzzlement. Isbel quickly cut in. “I think Vosgaris should be congratulated on
his quick thinking and initiative. I certainly do not intend having Vosgaris
set up for any ‘sacrifice’, as you so crudely put it, Counsel Sereth.”

Sereth scowled. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Noted,” Isbel said indifferently. “Frendicus, you’ll
arrange for the goods to be taken in, assessed and then offered to the legal
traders in Kastan and Niake, split fifty-fifty between the two cities. Sell it
for one fifth.”

“One fifth, ma’am?” Frendicus practically shrieked in
dismay.

“Frendicus, we’re looking to gain friends; we’re a new
regime, and any gesture like this will be remembered for a long time. Tell them
of the circumstances, and that this is a once-only offer. If they turn you down
and then later change their minds, offer it to them for the normal discounted
amount.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Frendicus sighed deeply.

“If Counsel Sereth speaks true, then we must prepare a
legal defence in this matter,” Valson said. “We may be taken on in the courts
about seizure of goods, and redistributing them to rivals. If the Fokis are the
aggrieved party then they will almost certainly demand a court hearing. They do
have powerful allies.”

“And powerful enemies,” Isbel countered. “This could
well bring them down once and for all.”

“If they are to fall, then I would guess they’d drag
down plenty of others with them, ones that would do all they can to prevent it
from happening.” Sereth faced each and every one of the council in turn. “You
may well end up taking on not only the Fokis but all those whom they have
information on which they may divulge to you in order to try to save themselves.
You may end up having to try to take on the entire nobility.”

“Honour amongst thieves?” Vosgaris sneered. “The sooner
all these diseased cutpurses are rooted out and cast into the imperial
dungeons, the better.”

“Talking of cutpurses,” Sereth said to Vosgaris, “I
wouldn’t be surprised if the Fokis take out contracts with the Thieves’ Guild
on each and every one of the Koros and their allies. Be wary lest you’re
deserted by all but a close circle of dedicated followers.”

“But that wouldn’t include you, Counsel, would it?”
Vosgaris smiled in a way Sereth didn’t care for.

“I give my counsel to the emperor and empress as best
someone of my ability can,” he said defensively, “and I’ll serve the empire as
faithfully as I can. But if my counsel is ignored I refuse to get caught up in
the consequences.”

Vosgaris laughed. “Oh, you’re a poisonous demon, aren’t
you? You just cannot resist playing your backstabbing games even though it got
you thrown into prison the last time you did it.”

Sereth stood up. “If I’m going to be insulted then I
wish to have no further part in this council.”

“If that’s what you wish, Counsel,” the empress said,
“then please hand me your letter of resignation.”

Sereth stopped and stared in disbelief at Isbel. “Ma’am,
you would accept that from me? A faithful servant of the imperial throne?”

“Do I have your resignation, Counsel?”

Sereth suddenly saw the chasm opening up before him. He
slowly sank into his chair. “Where did I go wrong?” he asked, half to himself,
half to the council.

“The Fokis,” Vosgaris said, helpfully.

He looked up. “The Fokis?”

“You mentioned them specifically, yet neither the
empress nor I mentioned them by name. The first their name was spoken here this
morning was by yourself, someone who could not possibly have known what or who
I raided yesterday evening. You damned yourself, Counsel.”

Sereth thought back, then shuddered. “Oh, by the gods,”
he said softly, damning his own carelessness.

“I wondered why all my information that was coming in
yielded nothing,” Vosgaris said bitterly to Sereth. “I always consulted this
body, which included you. So every time I presented my plans, you dutifully
reported them to the Fokis. Therefore if I went outside the council, it was
likely the Fokis or whoever else it may be wouldn’t be forewarned, and so it
turned out.”

Isbel wagged her finger at the guard standing behind
Vosgaris. “Take him to the dungeons.”

The guard marched round the table and hauled the
crestfallen man up out of the chair and marched him aggressively out of the
room. There was a heavy silence for a moment. Then Isbel smiled. “Vosgaris cut
a deal with Geris Fokis. In return for his freedom – a nice retirement on
Zipria, I believe – he informed on all those currently supplying the Fokis with
information, including Sereth.”

“Anyone else?” Pepil asked, his voice strained.

“Only Vosgaris and I are privy to that information. It
is best that this information is not spread about. Do not worry, gentlemen,
continue to serve us faithfully and you will continue to enjoy the benefits. We
intend crushing this corruption in Kastania, and letters will be going out to
the governors and acting governors all over the empire to arrest certain people
and close down certain businesses.”

Valson spoke again. “I must advise that the Fokis may well
seek to challenge your actions. They have a voice on the Council of Nobles.”

“The Council of Nobles includes our family – and the
Taboz,” Isbel nodded towards Vosgaris. “They will not be able to summon a
Council of Nobles without our consent.”

“If you refuse, you run the risk of a revolt amongst the
nobility,” Valson warned the empress.

“I doubt it will come to that,” the empress said. “We
have evidence here of complicity amongst one or two other families and this
will be used to bring them to heel. The nobility are a spent force in the
empire in any event. Their greedy behaviour has alienated them from the army
and the palace.”

“You are nobility, too, ma’am,” Valson said.

“But the Koros control the army and the palace. Without
military backing no coup can succeed.”

“If the people rise up, they can depose you,” Pepil said
darkly.

“And who will lead them? One of the greedy nobility that
stole from them? The Fokis are without friends outside their own small social
circle. They still believe they wield influence, yet they cannot see that their
days are at an end.” Isbel waved her hands at the ledgers. “At last here we
have evidence to crush them once and for all. Should anyone try to arouse the
populace, we shall use this to counter it. When the people see how they’ve been
stolen blind by these thieves, their wrath will be redirected against the Fokis
and their allies.”

“Nevertheless, your regime is still uncertain; it is
still early days and it wouldn’t take much to oust you,” Valson persevered. “I
would recommend caution. Remember the Duras managed to raise an army.”

“Leave the nobility to me, Valson. We have little to
fear from them. Besides, my husband took care of the Duras army!”

However, Isbel had forgotten one group of people.

____

Gaurel Burnas was not pleased with what he had found in
Niake. It had reinforced his conviction that the empire was turning its back on
the old ways and the gods, and consequently being punished for such actions. There
was an air of despair and apathy prevalent and hope seemed to be dying in the
people. Worship had gone from public life, and only the truly devoted still
openly prayed. He had seen enough to convince him that he had a sacred mission
here in Niake to save them all from the coming storm, and only he could do it.

He had not become High Priest for nothing. He had many
friends in the temple, and sought them out. They all had a similar story to
tell. There had been a campaign directed against the gods, but by whom it
wasn’t known. There were a few suspected people or organisations, but nothing
had been found as to who had organised the burning of the temples in the riots.
The governor, Evas Extonos, had done nothing to stop the destruction, nor had
he done anything to rebuild them. The question was, had he been behind the
temples’ destruction?

The local priests thought not. Evas was merely a
fence-sitter, seeing which way the wind blew. A concerted campaign of action
was not his way. No, they said, Gaurel would have to look elsewhere for the
culprits. Certainly the people had carried out the wanton acts of destruction,
but as in all riots the majority only joined in for enjoyment, or out of a
general feeling of discontent or frustration. It was the small hard core of
fanatics who manipulated them that were those Gaurel needed to seek out. They
used the unrest to their own selfish ends.

So who had benefitted from the temples’ burning? The
other religions for one, certainly. The eastern Divine God, Sonos, as it was
called, was a monotheistic religion and dedicated at all costs to forcibly
convert the non-believers, or kill them if they refused. This was the threat
posed by kingdoms such as Mazag, Zilcia and the Venn Republic. But if they were
responsible, why pick on Niake and not Turslenka which was closer to their
influence? Then there were the western religions, a mixture of monotheistic
beliefs that just as often were at one another’s throats than taking on
heretics and infidels. The Tybar religion was one such, a single god they
believed in, called Lamka, a god shared by the Epatamian Shanate, an organised
state far to the north-west of the empire. They may have a common god, but the
two disagreed on the way Lamka should be worshipped and they often clashed as a
result.

Then what about those who wished to possess the souls of
the people? Taking away their beliefs was the first step. There were whispers
that said there were those who worshipped wealth above the gods. These same
whispers also said that these people had decided to destroy the gods by
destroying the temples in order to corrupt the hearts of the populace and
enslave them with greed. There was certainly a problem in Niake with money
lenders who charged massive rates of interest. None of this was legal as the
gods forbade money lending to individuals, saying it led to sin. The money
lenders whispered into people’s ears that they could have possessions beyond
their means if they took the loans, and they could repay it back later. Of
course, there was no way the loans could be repaid as the interest quickly
outstripped the original sum and interest upon interest soon made it impossible
for the debtor to pay, and that was when the heavies moved in and took all the
debtors’ possessions.

The money lenders were beginning to own a good number of
properties in Niake.

Other suspects were the rebel factions in the empire,
wishing to promote unrest and rebellion in order for the people to turn to them
as they who promised peace and law and order, something they were not enjoying
under the current regime. Followers of the Lodrian rebellion had been seen in
Niake, as were those from far off Tobralus, another former imperial province
that had thrown off the rule of the emperors and gone their own way, remaining
loyal to a now dead former emperor.

Gaurel would have to conduct his own investigations, but
he would have to tread carefully, the priests warned him. Niake was no longer
the safe city it had been before the troubles began. Evas had survived the
recent regime changes but at a cost of doing nothing which led to an increase
in crime and evil. Gaurel would have to work very hard indeed to counter the
bad feeling in the city.

He was not deterred. The first thing he did was to call
all the priests in the city to him and arrange for a procession, in praise of
all the gods. The march would finish at the site of the former main temple, now
a pile of blackened beams and rubble along the main street. The call went out
to all those who believed in the gods to attend, and on one day in deepest
winter when the icy wind blew from the south west, Gaurel donned his most
colourful robes and tallest hat and began the slow walk from the north gate
down the main street. Incredibly, hundreds of people stopped work and joined
the procession, all chanting in praise of their particular god or gods, following
the priests and the three animals that were earmarked for sacrifice.