Xentos still felt uncomfortable greeting supplicants in his Chair; it reminded him too much of the old Iron Throne he had seen during his visits to the court at Harphax City. The Primate's Chair could just as well have been called the Golden Throne, since it was gilt covered and jewel-encrusted. In Xentos' mind this pomp was more appropriate to a Styphon's House temple than Allfather Dralm's chief house of worship. Davros, Highpriest of the High Temple of Hos-Agrys, however, had an answer for every question, and Xentos supposed that the chair's opulence lent a certain dignity to the High Temple. Yet, in his heart he still wasn't convinced that such opulence was at all proper.
Xentos was tempted to turn around and ask the towering statue what it thought, but-unlike Styphon's image in Balph-Dralm had never spoken to his flock. Xentos wasn't even sure if it was proper to use the former Great Hall of Dralm for the Primate's Audience Room. Again, Davros had convinced him otherwise. Or had his false pride allowed himself to be convinced? There was no comforting answer to that question so he focused upon the merchant asking his intercession with the Allfather.
"I admit, Patriarch, I bore false witness upon my competitors-even drove some of them out of business. Now the ague strikes almost every night. I awake shivering and lying in my own water. Please, ask Allfather Dralm to forgive me-I beseech you!"
The formerly obese merchant now swam in his robes. "Leave one hundred gold rakmars as an offering and I will intercede on your behalf."
The merchant fawned all over him, even kissing his ring finger- another custom encouraged by Highpriest Davros. He knew the High Temple needed the gold; what he wasn't sure of was how much good health, if any, it would buy for the suffering merchant. Still, tonight he would make a special prayer to Dralm in the supplicant's name.
The fever-ridden merchant was the last of today's penitents. Next was a meeting with the High Council of Dralm. The Highpriests, led by High-priest Davros, approached the throne with far less reverence than the supplicants. Xentos was beginning to resent their presumptuousness.
Davros looked him in the eyes. "Primate, we must come to a firm decision about the Usurper Kalvan. The princes, even Great King Demistophon, wish to know our policy regarding the outlaw realm of Hos-Hostigos."
Xentos sighed. "I have previously warned the Council about the impetuousness of Great Queen Rylla. She is willful and does take matters into her own hands; however, her actions in Phaxos addressed a legitimate grievance upon the traitor Araxes, who had both sworn and un-sworn fealty to the Throne of Hos-Hostigos in the same season. Had it been Great King Kalvan overthrowing Prince Araxes, I do not think we would have need of this conversation."
Davros, his voice filled with lightly veiled impatience, said, "It was done and many innocent lords were killed. I propose we put Hos-Hostigos under the Ban of Dralm."
Xentos let his voice fill the room. The highpriests looked at him with surprise. "The Ban of Dralm is always the last resort, particularly in the case of a ruler who has done more of Dralm's work than any Great King in living memory. Styphon's House was about to annex Hostigos as their own fiefdom; without Kalvan they would have done so and the Temple of Dralm would have been forbidden within Hostigos and the neighboring princedoms of Sask, Nostor, Beshta and Sashta. Would anyone care to refute that statement?"
Most of the highpriests were suddenly busy studying their sandals-all except Davros, who stared at Xentos as if he were seeing him for the first time.
He continued, "I believe we have more important work to do than attacking our friends. Am I the only one who has noticed that the Union of Styphon's Friends is not only raising gold for the war against Hos-Hostigos, but troops as well? Where do you think they're going to stop once Kalvan is removed?
"If you have no answer, I ask you to turn your eyes toward Hos-Harphax where the Captain-General of the Royal Army recently stormed one of the Beshtan tarrs, Tarr-Veblos. I'm sure it is not news that Captain-General Phidestros took the castle by force of arms even though it is part of the Great Kingdom of Hos-Hostigos."
"A Great Kingdom we do not recognize!" Davros answered.
"Nor does Styphon's House, which does not mean it does not exist. Prince Phrames of Beshta is a devoted follower of Dralm and has demonstrated his support by sending a thousand rakmars of gold and ten times that of silver for the new Temple. Now, how are we to show our support of Phrames?"
Even Davros did not have an answer to that question, nor had Xentos expected him to. Xentos was still unsure of King Kalvan, where he really came from, whether he represented the interests of men or gods. However, he did know that Kalvan was Styphon's greatest enemy-and that was the truth. Another truth was that Kalvan was an important counterweight towards keeping Styphon's House from establishing control over all of the 'old' Five Kingdoms.
If this meant throwing the Council behind Kalvan, so be it. Lysandros' ascension to the Throne of Hos-Harphax was more dangerous to Dralm's interests than Rylla's blunder in Phaxos. Especially now that it had provided Lysandros the internal support he needed to become Great King and begin the annexation of those princedoms and baronies loyal to Allfather Dralm.
The next question, and most important one, for the Temple's survival, was: Do I dare to throw the might and purses of the League of Dralm into the coming war? If he did, he might risk a war of religious persecution should Styphon's House win in the field. Or should the Temple continue their policy of neutrality and risk Kalvan's wrath-or certainly Rylla's-if Kalvan won? There had to be a third option. If there was, he meant to find it.
"What do we do, Primate?" the Highpriest of Glarth asked. The old man was actually wringing his hands.
"We dare not openly support Kalvan, for if he loses, it will be laid at our feet and we will face a war of extinction with Styphon's House. A war they will win."
"I do not see that," Highpriest Davros stated. "Styphon's House will be busy for many years in Hostigos stamping out heresy and removing all traces of Kalvan."
It was interesting to see how Davros made claims and counter-claims to Xentos' every statement, even if it meant contradicting what he had said before. Is Davros a Styphoni sympathizer, or merely trying to undermine my rule? "We have all known for some time that there has always been a strong One God party within Styphon's House. This party has always been a minority, since most of the archpriests of Styphon's House have been unbelievers. That has changed recently. Archpriest Roxthar has solidified his control of the Inner Circle and he is determined to root out all the unbelievers from Styphon's House and elevate Styphon as God of Gods. He is our enemy, not Lysandros, not Kalvan, not Rylla, not Grand Master Soton. The Holy Investigator has already purged many temples of 'unbelievers' throughout Balph and Hos-Ktemnos."
"We must stop Roxthar at all costs. We will surreptitiously send funds and soldiers to aid Kalvan, but not openly. This way we will not bind the Temple's fate with that of Kalvan's. Whether we like it or not, we must aid Kalvan." He only hoped it wasn't too little and too late, but he didn't dare start a religious war with Styphon's House that there was almost no hope of winning.
"But Primate, how do we know if this is the will of Allfather Dralm?" a highpriest asked.
"Until this bronze statue speaks, we'll have to assume it is His decision. I do not think that Dralm would approve our actions if we stood here wringing our hands while his High Temple fell around our heads."
Highpriest Davros shot him a look that said, "You may have won this round, but don't count on winning the next one."
For not the first time since arriving in Agrys City, Xentos missed the pastoral peace of Hostigos. However, if Mytron's letters were to be believed, Hostigos was in as much, if not more, turmoil than Agrys City as they prepared for the invasion of Hos-Harphax. If only King Demistophon had some of Kalvan's spine, Xentos might be able to offer more than token support to Hos-Hostigos. At the moment, he wasn't sure if he most wanted to aid his former friends, or do whatever was necessary to halt the advance of Styphon's House.
In truth, the answer was obvious: it was Xentos' duty to do whatever it took to protect Allfather Dralm's House Upon Earth-even if it meant the loss or death of his old friends. Xentos hoped it would not be so, but experience argued otherwise.