Secret of the Sunstones, Part 1: The Wanton Kingdom

Chapter XLV: Dissent

Earlnight of Somnus, Eighth Day of Autumnmoon

Tom sat at the head of a long table in his private dining hall at Bancroft, the mansion on the hill. Four other gentlemen sat before him, colleagues he had invited to form a joint committee. Its goal, to review and assess the perceived lack of order and decorum in the Angkorian government.

He reviewed the committee’s members: Alfred Everly, Deputy Chairman of the Legislature; Ezra Duke, Senior Court Magistrate; Reuben Fernsby, Senior Chairman of the Commerce Department; and Zachary Fletcher, Chancellor of the State Department. It was a diverse group, providing visibility into the primary roles of government. Yet it was incomplete. The Palace Chief of Staff, Jasper Quill, had been invited and was not present. Nor was Phineas Blair, General of the Army, though Tom suspected his latter guest might still be enroute from Rungholt.

The room looked restless, so Tom raised his hands and spoke over the crowd. “Order. Order, please. We’re ready to begin.” They quieted immediately.

He stood up to make introductions. “I wanted to thank you all for accepting my invitation to join me at my home. We’ve been in contact, individually, but today is the first meeting of the Joint Committee in the Interest of Order in National Governance of Angkor. I will be your prolocutor, but let me be clear: I only intend to chair the meeting and mediate discussion. We’re all peers in this room. Respect will be portioned equitably.”

He cleared his throat. “First order of business is the oath. We’re here voluntarily, because we’re concerned with the direction of our country. However, our committee is not authorized, and our findings might lead to various dissent opinions. Our oath ensures that anything said in this room will be safeguarded to ensure candidness and sincerity. Simply being here could be interpreted as unlawful, and the words we speak: potentially treasonous. So I must insist that if it brings you discomfort to swear this code of silence, you may depart now.”

Tom turned to each of his committee members. They all repeated the same oath, “I swear to safeguard the contents of this committee and to protect the membership therein.”

Tom nodded to signal his satisfaction. “Very good. I’ve asked each of you to prepare an opening statement. It’s intended to clear the air and put our top concerns and information on the table. Alfred? Please go first.”

The Deputy Chairman of the Legislature stood up. He was a dignified fellow, tall and slender, with well-combed gray hair. “Gentlemen.” The others in the room nodded in acknowledgement. “As many of you are no doubt aware, the legislature has been put on temporary leave. Our agenda is on hold, which prevents us from passing a budget and will soon put some of our accounts in jeopardy. Obviously, the upcoming war will be our greatest expense. However, I was appalled to learn that the palace seems to have illegally siphoned funds directly from the treasury. It’s as if they’re completely ignoring the Legislature, in violation of our National Charter. My wish is that we correct this travesty, post haste.”

Alfred sank back into his seat, arms crossed. Clearly, he intended for his body language to communicate his displeasure.

Tom rose. “Thank you, Alfred. Ezra, would you please update us on the state of law enforcement and the judiciary?”

The Senior Court Magistrate was a clean-shaven older gentleman with thick jowls, which jiggled as he spoke. “The justice system is in turmoil.” He placed his hands on the table and leaned forward as he spoke. “It’s more of an injustice system, at the moment. Each day, our military apprehends more Kitezhian families, all without cause, all without trial. I understand the need to punish insurgents, but there doesn’t seem to be any evidence, rhyme, or reason for whom they apprehend. They’ve completely taken over, and most of the magistrates don’t even bother coming in for work, anymore.”

He returned to his seat, looking quite distressed.

Tom moved on to the next committee member. “Disturbing, indeed, Ezra. Reuben, would you please go next?”

The Senior Chairman of the Commerce Department was a short, round man with orange hair and a tuft of beard at the tip of his chin. He looked weary. “Commerce has stopped, dead in its tracks. We’ve shut down the harbor and sent most of the merchants back to their countries of origin. It’s stunning, really. Even in the midst of the previous war, we still operated trade and kept the ports opened. Sure, we had to escort many of the ships to protect them from enemy fire, but when commerce is shut down, the money stops flowing. We can’t fund another war without taxes; and without trade, our citizens are quickly becoming broke!”

He took out a handkerchief and blotted his brow. He settled down in his seat, looking exhausted.

Tom faced the Commerce Chairman. “Agreed with the fiscal irresponsibility, Reuben.” He then turned to the final committee member. “Zachary, we’d like to hear from you on foreign affairs. And please, with Phineas absent, we’d also appreciate anything you can tell us about the attack on Rungholt.”

The Chancellor of the State Department was smart-looking fellow, with dark hair and sideburns, along with a thin mustache. He had a notebook in front of him and was apparently well prepared. He spoke clearly and eloquently.

“Gentlemen. It’s clear after hearing your updates that the administration has run afoul. From my view in the State Department, our neighbors have already taken notice. All this before word of attack even spread. My friends, from the perspective of the world, Angkor’s actions infer weakness and ineptitude, especially in the wake of our recent foray with Minoa. That unfortunate and ill-prepared stunt has already cost us trust from overseas. And now, the deportation of tradesmen and closure of our borders only amplifies some embarrassing questions: What on Gaia is going on with Angkor? Is Richard of sound mind? Does he imagine phantom enemies?”

Alfred raised his hand to politely interrupt. “Did you hear this directly? Or is it mostly your interpretation?”

Zachary explained. “Vineta’s diplomat is a scholar, and Koba’s diplomat has scholars on his staff. I caught up with both of them after they were dismissed from their positions. You can be sure they’re livid and have already included full reports to their governments via magical channels. We’re only just now seeing the early signs. Word takes time to travel, and alliances take time to unravel.”

Tom was more interested in the attack on Rungholt. He saw an opportunity to enter the conversation without coming across as overbearing, so he took it. “The attack on Rungholt was two days ago, and we only found out about it yesterday. Rumors abound, making it difficult to sort fiction from fact. What can you tell us?”

Zachary folded his hands together thoughtfully. “In the spirit of transparency, I’ll disclose what I know, but I must first point out that the intelligence was received during a high-security briefing. Only those with the highest levels of clearance even know about it.”

Tom respected security protocols, but he felt that disclosing the knowledge was necessary. “You may speak freely. We all took the same oath. Nothing leaves this room, and that includes every word of your briefing.”

The chancellor nodded. “Our scholars have setup a communications channel, so this information is fresh from the source, as of this morn.”

All eyes were on him. He took a deep breath.

“The attack went better than expected. Rungholt put up very little resistance, but we think it’s because their army took refuge in underground tunnels. Finding an entrance has since proved ineffective, so they sent a Gnostic Knight to secure a path to the sunstone.”

Voices spoke over one another. They all asked similar questions.

Tom brought order. “Apologies, Zachary, but you might need to bring others up to speed. The impetus for the attack is ostensibly retaliation for the brutal attacks made by Kitezhian insurgents on our eastern villages. However, I’ve also heard rumors about interest in the sunstone. Could you explain?”

Zachary nodded. “Keep in mind that many in the State Department still don’t fully understand this secondary objective. Certainly, retaliation is the primary motivation, but the orders came straight from King Richard, and they were quite clear that a Gnostic Knight was to seize the sunstone. As soon as the Knight completed his objective, Richard withdrew the air fleet, and now only a ground contingent remains.”

Reuben scoffed as he mopped more sweat from his brow. “How can that be? You think we’d attack a sovereign nation for a flaming religious bauble?”

“Who was this Gnostic Knight?” Ezra asked.

“Indeed,” Alfred added, “What do we know about this man? Is it the same Abraham Morrison that Richard sent to Minoa?”

Zachary shook his head. “No, Sir Morrison defected and joined the enemy. Hadn’t you heard?”

The room erupted with shock and outrage.

“The same man that Richard honored at the banquet?”

“The war hero? He betrayed us?”

“It can’t be.”

“Gentlemen, please!” Tom asserted himself over the crowd. “One question at a time.”

Zachary took advantage of the silence to explain. “A few days ago, a bulletin went out to military leaders to apprehend Sir Morrison. But, there was no one to apprehend. The Knight had already fled the country. Also … several weeks before all this started, Richard promoted a man named Samuel Cortez as his seventh Gnostic Knight, as if he had somehow foreseen the need. It was Sir Cortez who led the ground unit into Rungholt to seize the sunstone.”

Tom had never heard of the man, and by the look of things, he wasn’t the only one.

“Who is he?” Ezra demanded. “Do you happen to know anything about him?”

Zachary shook his head. “No, but funny you should ask. While the Gnostics report solely to King Richard, there’s still a great interest inside the State Department to know more about them. It isn’t completely sanctioned, mind you, but we do our own background checks. I looked into him personally, including a search of birthing records from the capital, Niedam, and surrounding cities. I also started to go through the smaller bergs and villages. So far, nothing.”

“Stunning ….” Tom found it difficult to frame it any other way. “Does this imply that he came from outside Angkor?”

Zachary shrugged. “Not necessarily. He could have been born in a small farming village, much like Sir Morrison. That’s quite rare, you know; but it’s even rarer for the king to choose Knights from outside the country. Their only true value is in their loyalty, you know?”

The comment was an obvious dig at Bram’s defection, which reminded Tom of something he’d been meaning to ask. “Regarding Sir Morrison, I heard he was presumed dead. Was that ever confirmed?”

Zachary smirked. “We haven’t received any confirmed sightings. We’ve put up posters in towns and along the major byways, but so far no leads. However ….”

Tom learned forward, now quite curious. “Go on.”

“The grunts at the south gate in Rungholt logged something curious this morn in the report. It seems a man entered the city. A Gnostic Knight by the name of Luke Baron. He claimed he wanted to escort a scholar into the city for questioning.”

Tom’s interest was piqued. “Another Gnostic? Even after Sir Cortez already left?”

Zachary chuckled. “Did I mention Sir Baron died last month after contracting cholera?”

Tom’s eyes widened. A man impersonating a Gnostic Knight, who happened to have a scholar by his side. “Could it be …?”

The conversation stopped in its tracked when a knock arrived at the door. Tom had been quite specific to Geoffrey, his butler, that nothing should disturb the meeting. He quieted down the room using a hand gesture and beckoned the visitor inside.

Phineas entered, dressed in his starched blue military uniform.

Tom smiled. “Ah, you’ve arrived. Please, come over and sit. You must be exhausted from your travels. I was just about to start my own report, then we can hear from you.”

Phineas marched over to his place at the table but remained standing. Tom didn’t like the man’s obsession with posture. It made the other guests more uncomfortable than they ought to be.

He played it off by starting his spiel. “There have been grievances aplenty this evening. Clearly, the sudden shutdown of our government and mismanagement of key governing bodies is most distressing. Fortunately, for my own report on the treasury, I’m happy to announce that our funding ought to last through winter. Even at the torrid pace of military spending, we’ve entered this war with our caches quite full. Even so, we’ll need to reign in some accountability, if we’re to weather the storm.”

He looked over to the general. “Phin, it’s your turn. How about you provide a report on the status of Rungholt.”

Phineas placed his hands on the back of his chair. “Now, why would I do that?”

Murmurs erupted from the other guests. Tom held out his hands to quiet them down. He was anxious, too, and it was clear the general had a lot on his mind, having just flown back aboard his airship.

“Come, now. We’ve all had a go-around. We discussed this before you left. You need some skin in the game if you want to build trust.”

Phineas scanned the room, as if memorizing the faces of other committee members. “Yes, I remember. You believed we might all share an interest in scheming against the government.”

Tom’s heart sunk. So, Phineas was a cuck for the administration. He must have arrived with the intent of reporting the meeting to the authorities. Even so, he couldn’t have overheard much. There was still time to correct the narrative.

Tom was stern. “How dare you accuse us of that. We’re voicing our concerns in a safe space, hoping to course correct what we observe as potentially hasty actions. It’s for the betterment of the kingdom. No one here is scheming.”

Phineas smiled. “We could use a smart man like you, Tom. There’s far too many weak administrators in this city. It’s time to thin the herd.”

Tom felt his chest tighten. The general’s words chilled him to the core. They didn’t sound like something Phineas would say at all.

Something wasn’t right. “What’s the matter with you? What’s going on here.”

Phineas left his seat and walked to Tom’s place at the head of the table. He stood close enough to look down upon the Bank Chairman.

“Come back with me to the capital and find out.”

Tom stood up and backed away. “You’ll leave this table and walk away at once. Go, keep your secrets, and we’ll all go back to our jobs in the morn. Sound good?”

Phineas shook his head slowly. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. From the hallway, a dozen armed soldiers marched into the room. Tom felt his leverage slip away. He saw the faces of these men, and they looked hungry for blood. He had to think carefully. Survival was all that mattered, now.

“Where’s Geoffrey?”

Phineas shook his head once again, this time with a creeping smile. “We have no place for the weak in this kingdom. If you want to eat, you must first weed the garden.”

Without warning, the soldiers surrounded the table and attacked the men in their chairs. Ezra fell, then Reuben, followed by Alfred. Zachary still lived, but he cowered in his chair, shaking. Tom observed the blood-letting with detached emotions. His jaw hung slack, unable to move. His own life was moments away from finished. His breathing was labored.

Phineas placed a hand on his shoulder. “The choice is clear, Tom. And it remains an option to Mister Fletcher, too. I know you’re a smart man. Either join us, or die here.

Tom was paralyzed. He nodded swiftly, because his jaw was still numb. Phineas seemed pleased.

“You made the right decision, Tom. We welcome you, into the chaos.”