Jason rubbed his face and heaved a deep sigh before starting to speak. “I am surrounded by people who want to act first and think later. I don’t know who is stirring them up, but I am constantly drawn into situations where we need to root out dissenters. Yet, when you get to the bottom of it, the council is trumping up charges and against people who legitimately refuse to act against their beliefs.”
“Do they have real authority for these charges? Is there a mandate from the King to enforce some new legislation?” Jerrol asked. “I heard something similar in Greenswatch. The council is twisting some of the accepted rulings.”
Jason looked down at his hands. “I haven’t seen anything, so I think it’s all noise, but it’s getting worse. The councillors are taking it upon themselves to exact punishments. I’ve interfered where I can, but I don’t always hear of it in time. The punishments are not petty. They are causing real hardship, which is what they want. They want to ensure no one else steps out of line. The councillors seem to have forgotten their purpose,” he finished, his face stern, the new lines accentuated by the flickering lamp.
Jerrol leaned forward. “Are there any new councillors? Usually, councils are comprised of local people, but in Greenswatch, there is a new person with supporting henchmen who seems to be orchestrating change in the background. They are targeting Guardians. Though I have no real proof.”
Jason grew still. “That is not as farfetched as you might think. There aren’t any new councillors, but they are targeting those who follow the Lady. Anyone who visits the groves, asks the Father for a blessing, invokes her name. Now you mention it, it’s almost exclusive, though they are not all Guardians.”
“But everyone invokes the Lady. She watches us all, who does not?”
“You’d be surprised. There is growing support for the Ascendants. Even among some of my men. They like the idea that they can rule themselves.” Jason snorted. “As if they would know how. They believe that the Ascendants are the true saviours, and were persecuted – not true of course, but I hear the rumblings. With the rumours of the King’s ill health, and this constant rain affecting crops, people are seeking salvation, and whispers are falling on fertile ground.”
“Well, I don’t have any good news for you. In fact, I have some pretty bad news.” Jerrol paused and in a neutral voice reported: “I came across a skirmish on my way here. Lord Hugh of the Greenswatch was attacked as he returned home from Deepwater. The attackers were dressed as bandits, but I would say that this was a deliberate attack. It was too well equipped and orchestrated for it to be a random attack.” He pulled out the Greenswatch standard and laid it on Jason’s desk. “He fell, his whole guard was wiped out.”
The blood drained from Jason’s face. “W-what?”
Jerrol rose and poured him a glass of wine from the jug on the cabinet by the wall. Jason sat, stunned.
“I discovered them as we were heading here. Hugh sent his runner back to Greenswatch, in advance of his return home. It was for the attention of Garrick, his steward, but Garrick shared it with me. Hugh was instigating stringent security protocols, and he had updated his instructions for sweeping the Watch. He was doubling the number of sweeps, effective immediately. Garrick was implementing the changes as I left to come here. I have his updated protocols so that you could have a copy as well. Makes you wonder what Hugh found in Deepwater.” Jerrol placed the parchment on top of the desk. Jason reached for it instinctively, his mind still numbed by the news.
“I was hoping to cross paths with Hugh on the way here, so I swung further east than I normally would have into Deepwater. We managed to spook the last of the bandits off, but we were too late to make any difference. Well, there was one survivor.” Jerrol made sure Jason was listening before he continued. “Lord Hugh’s daughter was travelling with him, Lady Alyssa. We scraped her off the field before any of them returned.”
Jason’s head jerked back. “Is she hurt?” he asked, dropping the parchment.
“When she fell from her horse, she was knocked unconscious. I left her at Hannah’s house. I wasn’t too sure how safe it would be to come blatantly up to your front door and drop her off.”
“I think you’d better. Bring her up to the infirmary. Tyrone can protect her from anyone,” Jason said with a slow smile, recovering his composure, “and it will be more official. I can send out a unit to recover Lord Hugh and respond to the threat of bandits, and I can give her my protection as well until we find out what happened.”
Jerrol stood, nodding acceptance. “I was actually coming here to meet Torsion, but I understand he went up to Velmouth?”
“Yes, and he’s been gone for too long. I was debating about sending someone up after him; you’ll do nicely. He wanted to go and spend time up at the Watch Towers. He must have left here early spring, that’s four months now. He hasn’t sent any reports, which is unusual for him.” Jason followed Jerrol to the door. “You can show me how you got in here,” he said, an edge to his voice.
Jerrol laughed. “You’re not going to make me go back the way I came in, are you?”
Jason wasn’t smiling. “Oh yes,” he said. “I think the fewer people who know we had this conversation, the better. Even here.”
The night was well advanced by the time Jerrol was ready to return to the keep with Birlerion and Hannah in tow. Fortunately, Birlerion had been sitting in the kitchen, engrossed in a soft-toned discussion with Hannah when he arrived. Hannah was in full motherly mode; she had seen something in the Sentinal that needed cosseting.
As Jerrol watched them, he
