An Angel Called Eternity

The Field Rat's Banquet - Lykourgos IX: By the Light of the Moon

Lykourgos IX: By the Light of the Moon

The Third Day of the Eleventh Moon, 872 AD.
The Woodsroad, Southern Teleytaios, Klironomea.

The prince watched, amused, as the soldiers sang while they marched. The air was frigid, and the cold winds were starting to pick up. They would likely only grow stronger as the days grew shorter and the nights longer, but the armsmen marched along, caring little about 'cold' and 'wind'.
"And there he stood with sword in hand,
above a hundred men.
Red was the grass beneath his feet
And red was the burning fen!"
The soldiers' voices were rough at best, but that didn't seem to deter them as they sang.
"Red was the bloodlust in his eyes
And red was his memory of them,
'Come one, come all' the young lord cried
'Come give me a proper end!'"
Elikoidi rode up beside him, looking as regal as ever despite the scarring on his face.
"At least they picked out a good song this time."
Lykourgos snorted.
"I think Symon might have been right; Derry's Ten might be the only song they know. It's all they seem to sing."
Elikoidi shrugged.
"To be honest you could have told me it was the Two Grey Hounds and I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference. They're some of the shittiest singer's I've ever heard."
Lykourgos chuckled mirthfully.
"You should hear them when they're drunk. Actually you'll be in the war-camp with us tonight, you will hear them drunk!"
"Dear Saints help me."
Lykourgos burst out laughing at his friend's deadpan statement, and Elikoidi soon joined him.
"Angels, that's good. You come here to tell me anything or are you just enjoying my company."
His friend snorted in mock derision.
"As if. No, I do bring news I'm afraid."
"News from whom?"
"Well, from your dear sweet family."
He grimaced and turned away, but nodded to show his attention was on his friend even as he watched the column of men continue onwards.
"Roma sits the throne now, de-facto if not de-jure. Rhema's gone missing somewhere. Best bet is the north of the city, since that's where most of his loyalists lie at the moment."
He nodded. He was concerned for his little brother, of course he was, but there was little to be gained dwelling on it here. Last time he went missing...
Perhaps it was best not to think on that too much.
"Anything else?"
"Not much substantial. Apparently his court faction finally has a name that sticks in with the Roses and Violets."
"Oh? Isn't it normally either the Thorns or Hemlocks?"
He saw Elikoidi nod from the corner of his vision.
"Indeed, but nothing universally accepted. Now Hemlock seems to have stuck however."
"Why's that?"
"Well... I'm not quite sure on the specifics; the rats in the castle couldn't rustle up many more details than simply the entire inner council of your dear sweet sister was found dead. They say the physician's note read they had all succumbed to paralysis of the lungs, which effectively means something they ingested stopped them from being able to breath."
"Poison, then."
"Yes. Hemlock, given the stench in the room apparently. Though given the number of corpses I'm not entirely sure how one would tell, but then it's not my job I suppose."
"Well, the death of the council would certainly explain why we've been allowed this rest with little more than disconnected skirmishes to challenge us. There's likely paralysis at the capital with the power vacuum."
Elikoidi nodded while grinning, the teeth on the scarred side of his face peeking past his lips like fangs.
"Likely. There is some talk of strange people coming and going from the palace as of late, though the increase in guards has made it hard for my agents and rats to enter. She's becoming paranoid. She think's she's always being watched."
"How do you know that?"
"Because I'm watching her, pay attention. I never said she was wrong to think she was being watched."
They chuckled quietly between themselves for a moment, enjoying the levity in such a serious time.
"I hope Rhema's doing alright. Any details we do know on these 'strange men'?"
"Not much, but a little. They're almost always men of the cloth, at the very least purporting to be members of the New Church. Their leader seems to have had a seat on the Conclave of Patriarchs for a while now, but I have no details to know which Patriarch it is."
His friend handed him a sheet of parchment nonchalantly as he spoke.
It simply read "False Patriarch. Unsanctioned Cult. Rats Assigned. Rats Missing. No Further Knowledge. Dispose of Parchment."
The words had been capitalised to make sure the meaning was clear even on a first reading. Lykourgos finished reading and nodded once at his friend, crushing the paper into a ball and soaking it in his waterskin. When he pulled it back out the paper was sodden and unreadable. He handed the wet mass back to Elikoidi.
"Understood. Focus on making sure we're not at risk of sparking a religious war if we try and prosecute this Patriarch. I may not like some of the Minor C-"
"The New Church."
"Of course, the New Church, but that does not mean we can just ignore their own religious laws. The last thing we need are fanatics descending on all from all over the civilised world for overstepping our boundaries."
Elikoidi nodded. Judging by what Elikoidi had written this Patriarch was a member of one of the myriad minor cults simply pretending to be a member of the New Church, but he was right to correct Lykourgos when he did.
It would be safer to pretend they didn't know for now.
That still begged the question: To which cult did this man belong?
It couldn't be a member of the Dragon or Ichorian Churches, as they were still sworn to his brother. The Cult of the Deep Waves had seen their worshippers burned alive in the docks by Roma in Rhema's name, so it wouldn't be them, and the Old-Church were unlikely to work with someone who had spent most of her life decrying their pagan syncretism. But who else was there? The Silent Cult? Even the thought of them getting involved in politics seemed laughable.
A mystery for another time, he supposed.
"Well, if that's all then we should keep riding. We should reach the castle only a few hours now."
His friend grinned at him.
"Well then, my most gracious royal liege, please do lead the way!"
Lykourgos rolled his eyes and playfully nudged his old friend.
"Keep that up and my brother won't be the only one that goes missing."