Chosen of the Endless One [Kingdom Building]

I was pacing back and forth across the small room as Benjamin read the letter over again.

"I don't understand this," He said in confusion.

"Standard Prophecy 101, my friend. The more cryptic it is, the more likely it is that we are all screwed. We have a barrier-breaking in the south. The only barrier I can think of is the mountains south of the kingdom. If we are attacked from there, how hostile are the people south of the mountains?"

"We have a treaty with them. The Turabe have folded several smaller kingdoms into their empire, like we have, but we have never had a conflict with them. They stopped spreading north when they reached Hitub about two hundred years ago. I am not aware of whether or not they are expanding south, but I have heard war is common on the main continent," Benjamin said.

"So they may be an expansionist empire. That doesn't sound promising. I am beginning to have doubts about our government's competency. Hitub is a buffer between us and Turabe. Why would we burn through our resources to fight with Hitub only to put ourselves next to a larger force?"

"The main caravan route runs through Hitub, and they have always been hostile to us. Many of our caravans have gone missing in Hitub, and those that do make it through have to pay so much in bribes and travel fees that it has almost completely stopped our trade to the southern portion of the continent."

"So why not just ship it from West Cove?"

"Ship travel can be dangerous. Risks associated with shipping on coastal routes can be significant. You also have to remember ship travel is seasonal due to winter storms increasing the risk to the point where only the brave or desperate try thier luck. And don't forget, Rabiss raiders do sometimes attack our ships. It isn't often, but enough to make it unfavorable to travel through the channel. "

"I thought we traded with Rabiss," I said in confusion.

"We do, but Rabiss raiders are just like the bandits you have everywhere. Even the Rabiss traders are not safe from them if the raiders cannot find enough other prey."

"So this whole southward expansion is due to establishing a safe trade route?"

"No, but that is part of it. The kings have always wanted to unify our peninsula and claim it as the Falmoren Empire."

"Ok, so moving on. We have a peace treaty with Turabe. Is there any reason they would break the treaty?"

"If their priests said to, they would."

"Wait, I thought they worshiped the Endless One. How could their priests make a call to arms?"

"They do worship the Endless One, but unlike our people, who believe that their priests are there to guide the people based on the laws the Endless One has given us, they believe that the priest receives word from the Endless One to guide them as a people," he said.

"So they are a theocracy?" I asked.

Benjamin gave a look of confusion. "I am not familiar with that term."

"In general, it means that a religious organization runs its government."

"Well, the emperor is not the High Priest, and neither are the regional governors."

"So I guess my question is, does the emperor or the priest have more control over the people, and what is their disposition to us?"

"Forgive me, my lord, but I simply do not know. I see where you are going with this. If the priests decide or are persuaded to incite the people, then Turabe will be the ones who break the southern barrier."

"So, according to this hint. We have a possible invasion from the south, and at the same time, the country is on the verge of falling apart. We need to prepare against this," I said.

"I just cannot see Turabe breaking the peace agreement that has been in place for hundreds of years. It could be something closer to home. What if Vaspar is planning on turning on us? That could relate to the shattering of the country."

"I don't know. Maybe. But the Endless One isn't clear on this stuff. However, I think it's time to implement the wall idea. The assassins are a great excuse."

"Yes, we need to discuss what happened to you on your way here. My lord, please explain."

So I gave all the details about my adventures on the way back to Bicman to help Benjamin better assess the situation.

"You must have the blessing of the Endless One, my lord," Benjamin said as he finished listening to my tale.

"Maybe I do, but to be honest, I would rather not have those types of experiences to prove it. It was one of the scariest experiences in my life. But the most important part about this is that we can use it as an excuse to build the walls." I clenched my fist. Remembering the fear I saw in Emily's eyes.

"Walls? I thought we were building one wall?"

"We were but the raiders, the assassins, and the illness brought by the refugees is an excellent excuse to create multiple walls. The first thing to do is spread information about the assassins sneaking across the Nore and the fact that our cove was attacked because we were unable to protect it. The refugees who flooded in without my permission spread disease. Fortunately, that wasn't a big deal since we had isolated most of the problems this time. But when a plague does occur, the wall, along with a quarantine zone, will help."

"So you want to wall around the entire Cove?"

"Well, not the entire cove. We will build a specific harbor for ships. I would love a chain across the mouth of the Cove like they had in Constantinople. But I don't know how we would do that yet. Now that we are a county, we will probably want a wall on our southernmost border as well."

"Wouldn't that be pointless since Baron Malcomp was put there by the council?" Benjamin asked.

"No less pointless than putting a wall along the Nore since they are about to give my barony to another guy sometime soon. We will try to persuade my barons to turn sides. If we cannot, we will deal with them when the time comes. We need to build up a large enough force to suppress them if they are ordered to rebel against us."

"And money to bribe their people. Barak should start getting reports from his people in Malcomp and Plimgus soon."

"Have you identified any prospects for our Book Readers of North Cove?"

"Yes, and we will start our…What did you call it?"

"A pilot program," I said.

"Yes, we will have them trained as both book readers and information gatherers by next month, and we will send them throughout your county."

"Good, remember we need them to focus on things we can use as leverage to persuade or force my new barons in line. In my world, we called it blackmail. Don't ask me why."

"According to reports from North Point, Baron Malcomp is favorably disposed towards you in most respects. He feels you are naive, but a good leader. There haven't been any reports of him acting against you. We haven't found much information about Plimgus's position, but he seems somewhat dismissive of you. From what we have gathered from third-party sources, he just laughed off your threat in the letter you sent him."

That made me grind my teeth. Not because he disrespected me, although that did annoy me, no, it is because he felt the council would save him from his disregard for my laws. It only made me want to catch him doing something even more. I would at least put him on public trial and humiliate him. Much the same as Baron Decmoore tried to do to me.

"Ok, let me read this letter from Baron Tine, and then we can get back to other matters. I hope it is not as boring as his last letter."

"Well, he also sent three cases of wine. I know you do not drink, but it will be good to have when other nobles show up." Benjamin said.

I nodded in agreement. This gesture was probably done in response to the books I sent with my last letter. One was for the Tines and the other was for Aaron.

I opened the letter and was once again disappointed. Behind all the flowery words, the letter boiled down to a simple thank you for the books, and then he talked about the type and quality of the wine. What he said about Aaron was that Aaron was doing well and was healthy.

This drove me nuts. Seriously, I wanted to know if Aaron had hit any of the developmental milestones. How was he doing at communicating? Does he remember me? What is his time for a five-kilometer run?

What I wouldn't give for a pair of iPhones that we could send pictures back and forth with. One of my favorite things was getting pictures of my niece from my sister Natalie. I had been mulling over the idea of trying to make a simple camera for a while now. Being an art major, I had quite a few Art history classes, and so obviously that included the history of the camera as part of one of them. I think the class was a history of visual art, but really, who knows?

I think the first one was called the camera obscura. Which wasn't actually for taking photos, but was a way to view an image on a smaller surface. The light coming through a small hole would be projected on a wall or a small board, where artists could use the image to paint a picture. Then they added convex and then later concave to help flip the image right side up, brighten it, and change the size.

Later, they came up with the idea of using a photosensitive material on a metal plate to capture an image. The first was some sort of asphalt. I remember this because one of the kids in the class asked if the reason asphalt turns from black to grey on the roads is the same reason it was used for pictures. The teacher gave him a look like he was stupid for asking the question. Then he went into a lengthy lecture about his knowledge of how different things were made photosensitive. I hated the teacher after that. Seriously, he probably had the same question at one point, along with half the class. Then he goes and spews out all his knowledge to make the kid feel stupid.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

On the upside, I learned that copper plates coated in silver and treated with iodine and something else replaced it. Then it was negative paper mixing silver sulfide or maybe nitrate or chloride with potassium and something else. I wish I could remember the chemicals, but even if I knew them, it would take real chemists to create them. Unfortunately, I barely passed the test on the history of the camera, and I have no idea what came next. There were also plant-based photosensitive materials, but I think I got every one of those questions wrong on the test since the teacher wanted the scientific name of each flower, and I had better things to do than memorize the names of flowers. I did remember that the first color photos were done by combining pictures that were run through red, green, and blue filters. But that is all I know about the process.

I would have to first build a camera obscura and get some transparent glass. Then I could worry about the next part. It dawned on me that if I did somehow manage to create a working camera, I couldn't send it to Tine. It would be too valuable, and I could make a lot of money off of this. This was yet another project to turn over to somebody else. I would have to write as much as I could down, and then find someone to trust with it.

I wonder if Jorb's son Michael would like the task. Hmm. He might be a little young.

Benjamin coughed, bringing me back to the present. "Have you thought of something, my lord?"

I sighed. "Just more distracting thoughts that may make us money. What do you think about sending a message to both the council and the king about the upcoming threat?"

"I thought of that as well, and I am torn on the idea. If either faction is part of the reason for this prophecy, then it might cause more harm than good."

"Like if the council or the king has come to an agreement with Turabe to help their side of the conflict. Word of the prophecy may prompt them to move their plans forward more quickly and catch us unprepared, as the Rabiss attempted to do."

"Or Vaspar." Benjamin said.

I thought for a moment. "What if this experience with Rabiss coming early was a lesson from the Endless One to teach us to keep our mouths shut when I am given a prophecy?"

"I have never heard of the Endless One working in such a way. Of course, I never thought I would hear a prophecy from the Endless One."

"I think if the Endless One wanted the king or the council to know, then he would have told them. We must prepare as best we can. I also want you to start thinking of a fallback plan if the county is overrun. I thought things might get better after the Rabiss, but it looks like this is just the tip of the iceberg. "

We sat there for a moment, each lost in our own thoughts. The Rabiss were up north doing something, and all I could do was sit here holed up waiting for a pigeon report. Had the Rabiss retreated, or were they pushing forward to the marsh fort? Maybe they would circle around it, head straight for us. Their scouts might find the Melnon road. There were just so many variables that we hadn't had time to prepare for. It's true that the smart guy said, "No plan survives first contact with the enemy." Especially when they bring way more people than you think.

Frederick Vaspar, Son of Count Vaspar

I looked down at the lifeless face of my father. Rage boiling inside of me. It had been the third assassination attempt this winter. Well, I suppose 'attempt' is not the right word for this. This time, the individual had succeeded. My only satisfaction was that the dog that had done it was burned alive after she was caught.

It was my father's mistress for four years. How my brother Peter had gotten her to slip the slender spike of metal into my father's heart, I had no idea. And I had no doubt it was my brother. He had always been desperate to sit on my father's throne. After the worthless North was taken from my father, he became even more agitated and was constantly arguing with my father. My father, who was always so calculating, was blind to his heir's desire for power. My father had threatened him constantly with sending him down to Hitub to help with the fighting if he could not learn his place. The fact that Peter had been the one to catch the wench and immediately burn her at the stake with a gag on her mouth only confirmed my suspicion of him being the true hand behind the assassination.

He claimed he and his men had interrogated her before she died, and the evidence pointed to someone up north. He did not directly accuse Amos Bicman. Nor would any rational person believe it, but I realized he was trying to sow doubt as he prepared to reclaim the north.

Now, as the sun rose into the sky, the morning after she was caught, I stood on the wall of the castle looking out at the city below. News had already begun to spread, and the city looked like a kicked ant hill. I had to figure out what to do next. I knew that my brother would consider me a threat, even though I had no desire for the position of count. I had been expecting to become a baron all my life. After my service in the war, my father would have given me the title of Baron of Windlow. Now, I would be lucky if my brother didn't try to kill me within the next month.

The smart thing to do would be to forsake my name, travel west to the Capitol, and buy myself a knighthood, maybe even a small barony. Then I could continue my plan to travel south to Hitub and gain glory in battle. Forsaking any claim to Vaspar might help to take any pressure off me. And maybe Peter would not try to kill me. The problem was that I wanted to kill him. Not to gain the county but for revenge. Having to travel far away from my brother meant that I wouldn't be able to enact any plan. I could hire assassins, and that may even work, but I wanted to kill him with my own hands. Unlike him, if I were going to murder, I would do it with my own hand.

That led me to another possibility. I could buy a knighthood in Bicman. Peter was brash enough to try to take Bicman by force. He wasn't smart or influential enough to do it through political savvy. If I were a knight in Bicman, it would give me the perfect opportunity to kill him on the field of battle.

I had enough gold for it, and I was friends with Amos, but if I could give him something more, I might get a better plot of land. That thought brought me an idea that might just help. I couldn't help but smile. I would have my revenge.

Edward, Owner of the North Cove Publishing House in Vaspar

My fingers drummed against the table as Jamie Vaspar finished her report. Amos had told me she had a pulse on the city, but I hadn't expected her reach to stretch as far as Kimton, or the Capitol.

She interrupted my musings. "Your criers are doing well."

I nodded, "That they are. The extra copper they pick up every day is surprising. The good ones are bringing in silver by doing private readings."

She laughed, "Who would have thought that having kids run around town yelling out news would be profitable?"

"Lord Bicman did."

"Which still amazes me. I sometimes want to leave this place and go see him. If I turn him upside down and shake him, how many good ideas do you think would fall out?"

If you only knew the truth, Jamie.

"Have I told you of the latest development?" I said. "Some write quickly but poorly. One girl had perfect penmanship but froze when she had to speak in public. A friend of hers had an idea. He bought her paper from her and sold it. Now others do the same. Amos even had to send more scribes from North Cove to keep up with the demand for these newspapers.

"That's where things changed. Everyone wants the paper even if they can't read.

Jamie gave a soft laugh. "So the paper is worth more than its words. A novelty item."

"A few even started teaching peasants to read. The wealthier ones buy the papers just to show off that they can recognize a headline."

Thank you for the distraction. I needed that. But we need to get back to the matter at hand."

"Yes," I said, leaning back. "Again, I want to say how truly sorry I am for your loss. Count Vaspar was a good man."

Jamie, always the professional, simply nodded.

"Jamie, I would like to release a special edition of the paper tomorrow detailing Count Vaspar's life and accomplishments. I want you to be my source, and if you can, Fredrick, to make a few comments that would be good. I want the criers out praising his name all day tomorrow."

Jamie gave her first hint of emotion as she said, "That…that would be nice."

Something else was on her mind. "I sense a but."

"You all are no longer safe. Peter knows who your backer is."

My shoulders tightened as I realized where this was going. "Could we hire mercenaries to protect us and our people?" I asked Julie.

"He could just seize your property," Julie said while shaking her head.

"How about bribing him or those under him?"

"Hmm, maybe, but I am not sure. I need to gather more information."

"No, need to gather information, cousin. The North Cove Publishing House will be one of the first targets Peter goes after once he is sworn in today," Frederick said as he strode into the room. "I don't think you quite realize the obsession Peter has with Amos's acquisition of North Cove County."

We immediately stood and bowed, and he waved us off. "Sit down, we have bigger things to worry about."

"Do you know what he is planning, Fredrick?" Julie asked.

"If he takes the time to listen to his advisors, then he will seize everything and make a profit by squeezing all the work he can out of your people. However, knowing my brother, he will probably kill you all and burn everything connected to North Cove down to the ground."

"And I am sure you came with a plan," she fired back.

Frederick smiled, "Of course I did, and with you here, it will be even easier."

Julie arched her eyebrow. "What are you up to, dear cousin?"

"The people of North Cove need to flee as soon as we burn down their Publishing House."

My jaw dropped. "Forgive me, my lord. I'm not sure if we can clear everything out by tonight. There is a lot of paper, and we only have one wagon. There is also food for a ten-day trip. And you said we...are you doing this for Peter? I thought..."

"No, you misunderstand. I meant we as in us. And you won't be bringing anything. You need to flee with nothing but the clothes on your back. We have to make it look like arson."

"You're planning on pinning this on, Peter, aren't you?" Julie said.

"You were always the smart one. Peter has already been telling people that my father's whore was paid off by people from the north. Before that can spread, we burn the publishing house down and have the North Cove people flee because they were threatened. Enough people know of Peter's hatred for Amos that it won't be hard to convince everyone that it was Peter who had the publishing house burned down. This should work like back-burning a fire to prevent Peter's accusation from taking root. People's sympathies will be swayed towards Bicman."

"Why are you doing this, Fredrick? Are you trying to overthrow your brother? I didn't think you wanted anything to do with running the county."

Frederick grimaced. "I don't, but I want revenge for the death of my father."

Julie's eyes went wide. "Are you saying that you think this was Peter's doing?"

"It was his doing," Frederick said through grinding teeth. "But that is not important now. You know my brother is scum. Do you really want him running the county?"

Julie looked at him with piercing eyes, as if trying to read his soul. Finally said, "What do you want me to do?"

"I have some people who will start the fire and threaten the people of North Cove. They will flee in the middle of the night. You will use your contacts to begin spreading rumors indirectly pointing the blame at Peter. I will leave in a few days as an envoy to North Cove to try and smooth things over and convince Amos that my brother had nothing to do with it."

"Which, of course, is a lie, and after you leave, I will spread rumors that you are really going to smooth things over because Peter did burn down the publishing house."

"I love how your mind works, dear cousin," Frederick said with a grin.

Turning back to me, Frederick said, "If you don't want all your money seized, I recommend not leaving it in the bank. At the same time, I recommend leaving at least half of it. When my brother inevitably seizes the money, it will add weight to his villainous nature.

I could feel the money draining from my face. "That is over 500 gold crowns."

Frederick whistled. "Not bad, Edward. It's not a lot, but still not bad. I recommend taking three hundred. Tell the bank you are investing it in a trade mission because you are worried about the situation in Vaspar."

I saw the logic in all this, but it broke my heart to leave the city. Nancy and I had made a home for ourselves here. I also had no idea what I was going to tell Amos about the two hundred gold. He was not going to be pleased.