Chapter 32: A Friend in Deed

“You rowed to the middle of the ocean and waited for them?” Joseph asked Genrico.

“Amelia had found a pennant with the DuBront coat of arms on it,” Genrico replied with a laugh. “We put it on a stick and waved it about once we were certain we were in the shipping lanes. Empress Yana recognized the insignia and, once she was close enough, she recognized us. She pulled us and the row boat aboard.”

“That sounds incredibly ... foolhardy,” Joseph said. “I was so concerned about pirates that I took the unplanned step of opening the spire in order to see who approached.”

“I’ve heard,” Genrico said, shaking his head sadly. “I believe some of your guests believed our statements about the situation that existed here in previous years to be overblown. If nothing else, they know understand things more clearly.”

“People are always going to believe what they want to believe,” Joseph said dismissively.

“Was it ... as bad as I’ve been told?” Genrico inquired gently.

“Perhaps worse,” Joseph answered. “They ... they kept me away from seeing it.”

“They?” Genrico asked because he was unsure of anyone that could keep Joseph from doing anything he might wish to do.

“Rucar and Jonathan accompanied me up there,” Joseph said, “along with Octavia, Liala and Julia.”

“They went up there?” Genrico asked incredulously. “You permitted this?”

“I was given little choice in the matter,” Joseph explained. “I had ... I had spoken of the spire and what I thought we might find there. I was ... with them ... when we saw the boats. It was near to dark and I needed a vantage point where I could see. I knew full well the view from the spire. I spent much time there in my childhood. I determined it prudent to open it again in order to see what we might face. They weren’t exactly open to accepting my plea to stay down here and I didn’t have time to argue with them. However, I believe I will have a less difficult time in the future after what they found up there.”

The conversation came to an abrupt close when the men heard light knocking on the door.

Alexander Burbridge poked his head in the door and was bid to enter. He was surprised when Joseph and then Genrico gave him a warm hug. It heartened him because Elizabeth had been mostly standoffish during their reunion — which was no surprise since she was standoffish around him for most of her life. Still, he had hoped for something more than a lukewarm response.

Elena and Jonathan had been effusive in their greeting but Alexander had expected it. The greeting from King Joseph (and the usually dour Genrico) had caught him off-guard. He came into the small office with Elena, Jonathan and Choran.

“Come in and take a seat,” the king told him. “I have missed your wise counsel these months.”

“Well ... thank you,” Alexander replied.

“I understand from Genrico that you’ve enjoyed your travels,” Joseph continued. This caused as smile to crease the older man’s face.

“I have truly enjoyed them,” Alexander admitted. “Osid sends his regards – and you’ll be happy to know that I passed along several gems to Choran. Osid said part is for payment of items you sent to him from Blue Harbor and the rest is repayment for coin you lent him in his quest to become the next Caliph. Do you mind if I ask what you sent him from Blue Harbor? I’ve heard rumors of what might have transpired there.”

Joseph looked at the older man for a moment.

“I sent Osid the leaders and the upper-class citizens from Blue Harbor as slaves,” Joseph stated.

Alexander’s face went white.

“They were keeping several hundreds of people there in bondage,” Jonathan said quickly. “Father, it was ... I was about to say it was the most disgusting thing I’d ever seen. Then I recalled what we found last night.”

Alexander shifted in his seat to look at his son.

“We opened the tower,” Joseph explained. “It was ... gruesome.”

“The bodies of perhaps 300 children,” Jonathan added when his father’s look didn’t change.

Alexander’s already pale face went ashen.

“I ... I had ... gods above,” Alexander stammered. “Those monsters! Until your return, it had been years since I was here. I heard the rumors while we were waiting to travel southward, of course. But ... all those poor people.”

“They got a measure of revenge in Drell’s execution,” Elena said. “I know some were appalled – and I was, too, at the time – but as time has passed and I’ve heard more about the things that transpired here, I find it bothers me little now.”

“You were here for more than a year,” Alexander pointed out.

“That ... that was different,” Elena said with a frown. “I had so many duties and responsibilities. I couldn’t really take the time to listen to all the stories. Or if I did listen to them, I didn’t have the time to really hear them. Coming back here this spring, I finally had the opportunity to sit down with the people and give them my full attention.”

“Since we’re all here,” Joseph said, “I think we should move to a larger venue to sit and discuss some things. I realize that most of you haven’t been had the chance to get settled in yet but I want to discuss this with you before one of you decides to vacate the capital again.”

“You forget that we have a wedding to plan,” Elena said cheerfully. She already had an idea of what Joseph wanted to discuss, courtesy of her talk with him the evening before.

“Yes we do,” Alexander agreed. He was happy to talk about something other than the acts of Wilhelm, Drell and the rest.

Joseph smiled at his oldest friend.

“I think we should get this out of the way so you can focus your attention on the ceremony,” he told her.

As it was, Elena led the way down the hallway to what had once been used as the private family dining room.

Joseph rarely used the room because there typically were a dozen people at his table. The private area had room for six. Alexander and Joseph were the final two into the room. Joseph frowned because everyone had taken a seat – and left him to sit at the head of the table.

He realized that everyone had always treated him with deference – from the people in the castle when he was a child, to the priest that had cared for him in his youth, to the men he led on campaign to those he now called his subjects.

The group turned to him when he sat down.

“As Elena alluded to, the task of running this country is too large for one man,” Joseph said.

“Or one woman,” Elena said with a laugh. It was then that Joseph realized that not everyone had thought of him as special. Elena never had. She was more respectful now than when they were children but she tended to give him someone around whom he could relax.

“Or one woman,” he agreed, smiling at her. “That is why, at Court, I am going to appoint several people I trust in positions of authority. In theory, I suppose I will oversee them but, in practice, I believe I will accept their decisions without question.”

The group at the table exchanged glances but no one spoke.

“In my travels, I have seen perhaps every type of leadership there is,” Joseph continued. “I have seen countries where an autocrat controlled every facet of daily life.”

“Or they did until we arrived,” Genrico pointed out.

“Well, yes,” Joseph agreed with a wry smile. “Genrico can concur that we once saw a country where the citizens elected their leaders – and it worked because of the size and the small population. I have determined it will not work for us. Choran, I think I recall that you were still with us then.”

“Yes,” the chamberlain agreed. “It was interesting but I agree it won’t work here. We are ... too diverse.”

“And too large,” Alexander said. “It takes six months from end to end – although I understand our new friends have brought animals to make the trek easier. Still, it is too immense for us to elect anyone.”

“Before I go farther, how did you wind up with the Troyvettians?” Joseph inquired.

“I was in port with Osid in Deseret,” Alexander related. “Empress Yana stopped for supplies. One of her people heard us speaking Az and asked us if we knew of Tyrell. I told him that I knew it well, having spent a great deal of my life there. Shortly thereafter, Empress Yana appeared. I mentioned that I was about to begin searching for a ship and she offered passage on hers. It was a hard month on the ship but it was a lot easier than a seven-month hike. I was not looking forward to that march; as eager as I am to witness Elena and Jonathan’s nuptials.”

“Very interesting,” Joseph said, nodding. “It seems that our alliance with the Troyvettians is already paying firm dividends. I’m also pleased that you’ve made the empress’ acquaintanceship. It will aid you greatly in the role you will play in the future. Alexander, I will soon name you as Commerce Minister at Court.”

The older man sat back, stunned at the news. Joseph continued unabated.

“It will be your job to pursue avenues of trade with our allies and seek out new partners with those we have not made partnerships with,” Joseph said. “I will have a fuller description in the next month.”

“I’m honored,” Alexander said. Jonathan sat and beamed at the man who’d raised him. Joseph decided that was reason enough to move to Jonathan next.

“Jonathan, you will be named Interior Minister,” the king stated. “Your purview will be matters of importance inside of Azkoval. You will be the person I want to liaise with the lords and the people to ensure they get a fair hearing on their concerns.”

Joseph saw the young man swallow noticeably.

“Lady Elena will be our Foreign Minister,” the king continued. “She will be responsible for dealing with our foreign policy – deciding who will be our ally and who will be our enemy.”

Elena only nodded. She was well aware of what Joseph expected from her because of their discussion from the night before.

“Choran, you will be our Finance Minister,” Joseph stated. “You will have overview of all expenditures and income. The others will prepare budgets and you will determine if we can afford what they desire.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Choran replied. As chamberlain, he was already the keeper of the purse for Azkoval. It was an important job but one he felt that he was capable of handling.

“That leaves Genrico,” Joseph said. “He will continue his duties as our Defense Minister. I believe he is uniquely qualified to ensure that we face no attacks from without or from within. He will direct his adjutants to spearhead recruiting, training and weaponry. He will likely try to oversee all facets but I would prefer he takes more of an overall view and focus on ensuring we can afford to maintain our readiness.”

Joseph looked around the table and saw three faces that appeared to take the news with aplomb. The other two, the past and present Lords Burbridge, appeared unsure if they possessed the mettle to achieve the tasks the King had tasked them.

“I made these decisions for many reasons,” Joseph said. “First and foremost, it is because I value the skills and counsel each of you has provided in the present and in the past. Secondly, I have taken stock of how things operate here in Tyrell and in the country as a whole. My father – and his successor – had more in front of them than they could handle. The Fall is a direct result of my father’s inability to understand the scope of the problems he faced. The usurper’s downfall was because he cared little about the needs of the citizenry or how much it cost them.

“I almost fell into the same trap. I focused too tightly on righting wrongs produced in the past. I lost sight of how the changes would hurt Azkoval as a whole. I found myself too busy to treat foreign dignitaries in the manner they should be treated. I have spent so much time looking at small concerns that I failed to see the larger problems I created. That is why I want everyone in this room to have areas he or she looks after to ensure that I never make this mistake again.”

Victoria found her sister more morose than ever when she found her way to the room she still shared with Julia.

“What calamity has befallen you now?” Victoria wondered. Her sister had greeted everyone at the port and then returned to the castle with her two new friends.

“It is a calamity that has befallen us all,” Julia said in a toneless voice. She had been unable to sleep because the images from the night before had continually popped into her brain. She had tried to force herself to think of something else – the enlightening encounter at the hidden pool, for instance – but the sight of hundreds of tiny bones piled in a room was not to be denied.

Victoria sat down on a bed opposite her sister and studied her for a moment. There were dark circles beneath Julia’s red eyes and tear stains on the side of her face. She immediately regretted being so flippant when she entered.

“Tell me what has transpired,” she urged in a gentle voice.

“I ... I’ve been proven a fool,” Julia said.

“Is this about Joseph?” Victoria wondered. “Did you press a suit and get rebuffed?”

“No!” Julia said angrily. “It is about something far more important than my silly infatuation with a man above my station. Has Genrico told you of the spire that rises above the castle?”

“No,” Victoria said. “I’ve asked him about it but he said it was closed. Please tell me you did not attempt to sneak into a place you were prohibited.”

“Is that what you think of me?” Julia asked. “That I’m a silly girl with vapid ideas and I can’t be trusted to respect boundaries?”

“Well, the first, no,” Victoria said, offering a wry smile. “The second, uh, absolutely. I’ve always found you to be the one to test limits. Is that what happened now?”

“Last night, we spotted the ships you arrived upon,” Julia said, frowning at her sister’s assessment. “We were ... concerned that it might be pirates or an enemy force. The spire was closed because ... because Joseph knew what he’d find there and wasn’t prepared to face it. Your arrival forced him to confront something before he was ready. We ... we spent a very nice afternoon with him yesterday. We talked about ... a great many things. He was very open, far more than he’s been previously. Then he tore down the walls to the tower and went up. Because we are fools, we followed him. He tried to get us to stay below but we refused to listen to him.

“We thought – because we are friends – we should be with him while he confronted whatever was to be found up there. In hindsight, it was a mistake. He told us it was his burden to bear but we refused his entreaties. Now, every single time I close my eyes, I see it. I can still smell it. Liala is a warrior, as hardened as any man Joseph ever led, and she was traumatized as much as I was. Poor Octavia, she ... she had never imagined anything in her life like it. And Joseph ... all the walls we breached in the afternoon were right back in place by the time we left the spire.”

“What did you find?” Victoria asked urgently. She had never seen her sister so out of sorts.

“The children I didn’t believe were taken,” Julia said sadly. “Jonathan says perhaps 300 but I would not be surprised if there were more.”

“Joseph walled up the children in the spire?” Victoria inquired in confusion.