Chapter 20 2 страница

Blinking, Renly shared a look with Loras. " As I said, Lord Sorcerer, there were perhaps a dozen or more in their hideout. Most of whom met their ends at the skilled edge of Lo-"

" And how many of those you killed were of Essosi descent? "

This time it was Loras who answered. " Umm, perhaps half, Lord Sorcerer. "

" Half, meaning six, " Nox finalized as he leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table. " And did you find any documents pertaining to their operations here in King's Landing? How about the gold they were using to purchase the slaves? Or cages? Were there cages in their hideaway? And if so, were they empty or full of people? "

The rest of the Small Council turned their full attention on Renly and Loras, both of whom were fidgeting and looking slightly less sure of themselves than they were a moment ago. " There…There were cages, but they were empty. And we couldn't find any gold tha-"

" Six slavers in an operation that spanned all of King's Landing and perhaps the land beyond, " Nox said, cutting Renly off. " No gold. No documents. And empty slave pens. Which means that the slavers knew of your coming and cleared out well before you got to them. Stannis offered to help you two, I know because I heard him offer his own and Ser Davos's aid in tracking the slavers down. Yet in your arrogance you turned him down. And now because of your inexperience the slavers not only managed to escape us, but they managed to do so with Force only knows how many newly made Westerosi slaves. You two are lucky this is Westeros and not the Sith Empire, otherwise you two would be dead or worse for your incompetence. "

Both young men had curled in on themselves as Nox laid into the both of them. Stannis, in a rare display, had a slight grin on his face as he watched his younger brother be firmly put in his place. Even Robert seemed mildly amused and while Ned didn't seem to care for the tone with which he was using, he could tell that his friend fully agreed with him as well. In fact, the only one in the room who didn't seem to agree with Nox was Renly, Loras and Jon Arryn.

" As you said, this is not your Sith Empire, Lord Sorcerer, but rather Westeros. And here in Westeros we do things differently, " the Hand said firmly, no doubt trying to intimidate Nox, which honestly just made him want to laugh. " And Renly and Loras have done a fine job in ridding Westeros of these slavers. "

" A handful of dead slavers with the rest fleeing the city with their captives…Yes…such a fine job, " Nox scoffed. " The aim was to not only remove the slavers, but to take down their entire ring and make it so that they could never repeat what they've done here. Now we can't. The slavers will run and hide and lick their wounds. But because we cannot close up the gaps they used to get into the city in the first place, they will return after things have calmed down and your guard has lowered once more. "

" Eh, if they come back, I'll kill em myself, " King Robert scoffed as he waved off Renly, " Renly, sit your ass down and let's finish this copper counting session before I shit myself. Sorcerer, what's the progress of getting the wildfire out of my city? "

" Slow, " Nox answered as Renly took his seat as far away from Nox as possible with Loras awkwardly standing behind him. " The barrels are the size of a man's torso and have to be handled incredibly carefully and only at night due to their age. The men you assigned me have gotten the process down, but it will still take a long time before the city is clear of the danger. A few months at best. And that is from only clearing out the caches that we currently know about. Once those are clear, a much more thorough investigation of the city will need to be done just to make sure that there are no more surprises waiting to blow this whole place to the hells. "

" Months? " Jon Arryn questioned, his brow furrowing as he stared at Nox.

" Yes, months. " Nox reiterated, not backing down. " The men that I've been overseeing know what they are doing now and I'm confident that they can handle the task set before them. Especially if they're properly incentivized by the crown for their services. You are free of course to order them to move faster, however I would ask that you don't do so until after Lord Stark and I leave the city in a few days as I don't feel like dying in a wall of wildfire at the moment. "

" Eh, if that's what you believe to be best, sorcerer, we'll follow your expertise on the matter, " Robert shrugged, seemingly unconcerned about just how long the process would take as long as it was done.

" And speaking of the wildfire, " Stannis spoke up. " We must decide on what is to be done with Ser Jamie. He knew about the wildfire caches and kept quiet about them since the end of the Rebellion. His silence placed the royal family and the entire city in mortal peril for years. Men have been executed for less. "

The members of the Small Council sat in silence, their eyes darting at each other waiting for someone else to speak up first. " Jamie's silence was not meant out of malice, but rather ignorance. " Nox said, breaking the silence. " I am not defending or condoning his silence on the matter, but he honestly did not think the wildfire to be an issue after a certain amount of time had passed. If he truly had thought the wildfire to be a substantial threat, he would've never allowed his sister, the Queen, to stay so close to the danger. "

" There is also Lord Tywin to consider as well, " the Master of Coin spoke up. " The crown owes the Lannisters a not so inconsequential sum of gold. Should anything happen to Lord Tywin's eldest son, there is a good chance Lord Tywin will not only call for a repayment of the debt, but also a prohibition on future loans. And those would be the lightest of reactions from the old lion, I fear. "

" We can just dismiss him from the Kingsguard, " Renly shrugged. " There are others who would be more than qualified to take his place. I can even give you a few recommendations. "

That idea though was quickly shut down by Ser Barristan, who was standing just behind the King. " No man has ever been dismissed from the Kingsguard, Lord Renly. Our oaths are for life. "

" And a dismissal from the Kingsguard would allow Lord Tywin to reinstate Ser Jamie as his heir of Casterly Rock, " the Master of Whispers, Varys, stated correctly. " Such a move could be seen by many as a reward, not a punishment. "

" Bah, " Robert growled. " Can't kill the fucker, can't dismiss him from the Kingsgaurd, and we can't send him to the fucking Wall or Tywin would ensure he'd never make it there and he'd be in Essos before we knew about it. Hmm…Sorcerer. Back on Pyke, you left a lasting message on the squids. I think the same message needs to be sent here. That gold haired fuck kept silent for thirteen years…One lash for each year of his silence. I'll see to his punishment personally just to make sure the message is received. And if the queen bitch argues against it, I'll use a fucking iron whip. Anything else? "

" There is one more thing, your grace, " Jon Arryn said, stopping Robert who was in the process of getting out of his chair. " One of the prisoners taken by…Lord Nox is a Septon. And I've received word from the High Septon wishing for his release into the custody of the Faith so that they might deal with him. "

Nox would've rolled his eyes had he still the ability to do so. " In other words, the Faith doesn't want it to become known to the people that one of their own was supporting a slavery operation and was caught while balls deep in a young boy's ass. He broke several laws, most of which carry a death sentence. Why should the king even think of handing the man over when he was caught red handed? "

His comment drew a hard look from the Hand of the King. " Lord Nox, I understand that matters of the Faith might be handled differently in your homeland, but this is Westeros. Special consideration must be given to those who have sworn themselves to the Faith. "

" Why? " Nox questioned, focusing on Jon Arryn. " Men and women of the Faith need to be held up as an example to the people. Not an exception. You hand him over, and the Faith will probably make him do some menial form of 'penance' by praying or whatnot and then send him away from the city with little more than a slap on the wrist and a 'don't do this again'. "

" Lord Nox speaks true, " Stannis nodded, throwing his voice behind Nox. " The man was caught in the act of raping a child while also supporting the operations of slavers. The law is very clear on what must happen now. Death or the Wall. "

" He broke his oaths to the Faith with his actions, " Ned added in, nodding with Stannis. " The punishment is clear. No matter be he noble, of the Faith, or smallfolk. The sentence is the same. "

The Hand quickly looked towards the rest of the Small Council, trying to find some sort of support. But he was met with blank looks from both Varys and Baelish, neither of whom seemed particularly interested in the subject, and an unsure look from Renly. Seeing he was outnumbered, Lord Arryn sighed and backed down. " I will speak with the High Septon personally and try to…calm the fallout from this. "

" Bah, if that fat fuck has any problems with a rapist and slaver losing his head, he can come to me directly, " Robert scoffed, slapping his hand down on the table and rising, prompting everyone else to rise to their feet as well, " Enough counting fucking coppers for one day. Tell Payne to get his sword ready and get some fucking spikes set as well. We'll be decorating the walls with a few new heads tomorrow. "

With the King's departure, the rest of the Small Council quickly filed out of the room. Renly was the first to leave with Loras right behind him, followed quickly by Baelish and Varys. Jon Arryn was slower to leave, and as he did Nox could sense the uneasy look he gave him as he passed.

" Lord Nox, Lord Stark. A moment if you would, " Stannis said as Nox and Ned prepared to leave as well.

Sharing a look with Ned, the two men sat back down at the Small Council table with Stannis. " I have given the offer you presented to myself and my daughter back on Dragonstone serious thought, sorcerer, " Stannis said emotionlessly. " And I have decided to take you up on the offer to train my daughter in the ways of your…magic. And I would have her leave with you and Lord Stark when you leave King's Landing. "

'Another new acolyte, and one that is powerful. Excellent. ' Nox thought, resisting the urge to smirk yet another piece started to fall into place. " As you wish, Lord Stannis. I will ensure that your daughter receives the best education in the ways of the Force. "

" I will also send word to my daughter Sansa in Winterfell to begin preparing chambers for Lady Shireen as well, " Ned added in. " I assure you, Lord Stannis, that while your daughter is in the North, I will care for her as if she were my own daughter. "

" See that you do, Lord Stark, " Stannis said, rising to his feet. " Lord Nox, I expect regular updates on my daughter's progress under your tutelage. "

" And you shall have them, " Nox reassured the man. " There is one more item I would wish to discuss with you. A matter of trade. There is a mineral that I am interested in obtaining. And I believe Dragonstone, due to it's volcanic nature, is an ideal location for mining of the mineral. "

Stannis looked more than slightly intrigued. It was no state secret that Dragonstone offered little in forms of trade. So to discover that his island potential had a resource Nox wanted was tempting. " And what mineral do you wish to trade for? "

" Sulfur. Or rather brimstone as you might know it by, " Nox answered, which garnered little more than a raised brow from Stannis. " Other's may not find much use for it. But I have a few projects that I believe it can be of use in. "

Stannis thought the offer over for a minute before nodding his head. " I will send a raven to my steward to begin the mining process. Further details on the value can be discussed once the first shipment has arrived in the North. If that is all, I would spend this remaining time with my daughter. Lord Stark. Lord Nox. "

Once they were alone, Ned sat back in his seat clearly deep in thought. " I will have to adjust how we will be traveling back North. We did not set out with the mindset that we would be taking a child back with us to the North. "

" More than one, " Nox countered, getting up from his seat and approaching the window that overlooked the sprawling landscape that was King's Landing. " There are a number of Force sensitives in this city. Some with only a glimmer of power. Others with a decent amount. And a select few that could potentially rival your own children, Stark. And it would ill-behoove us to leave such talent wasting away in this place without proper guidance. "

Ned's impatience at wanting to return home started to seep out of the man. It was a feeling that Nox could understand. After all, he too was anxious to return to the North and to his wife. And they weren't the only ones. The other North lords and lady that'd accompanied them from the North were starting to grumble about wanting to return to their keeps. With or without the Starks as traveling companions.

" You have until the end of the week to find them, " Ned said as he got up from his seat. " If they are not located and with us by then, then they will be left behind. And try to limit how many you bring back with us. With your aid the resources at Winterfell have grown substantially, but they are not limitless. "

" Of course, " Nox agreed, prompting Ned to nod back and then leave the room. Once alone, Nox allowed his head to roll back as he turned his body towards the back of the room. " I'm not one that enjoys being spied upon, Lord Varys. "

There was a moment of silence before a small section of the wall moved, revealing a passageway which the Master of Whispers used to reenter the room. The man was a wall who kept his face impassive and his emotions well in check, but it was easy enough to tell that Varys, while he didn't despise Nox, was very much uneased when the two were together.

" Forgive the intrusion, Lord Nox, " Varys said, his hands folded together and masked by the sleeves of his robes.

" If you truly hadn't meant to intrude or if you were sorry for it, you wouldn't have been spying on the three of us in the first place. " Nox countered, returning to the Small Council table and motioning for Varys to retake his seat as well.

Smiling, Varys took the offered seat while taking care to arrange his clothes in a very specific manner as he sat down. " Ah, but I am the Master of Whispers. If I have no whispers to hear or speak of, then I would be a very poor Master of Whispers. "

" True, " Nox conceded. " Yet are you lucky that the discussion with Stannis and Ned was not supposed to be one that was kept quiet. Had it been, then I would've snapped your neck in your hiding place and left you to rot. "

To his credit, Varys didn't seem phased at all by the threat. No doubt he received similar threats almost daily considering his position in the court. " I see you take after Lord Stark in your hatred of the game. A mentality that I fear will do you no good should you wish to venture outside the North, my friend. "

" Is it any wonder as to why Lord Stark doesn't care for your 'game'? " Nox asked. " He lost his father, brother, and sister to the game. And as for myself…well. What you call your 'game' or 'great game' or 'game of thrones' or whatever you wish to call it, I have another name for it. Child's play. "

That got Varys's attention. " You find the game…childish? "

" In comparison to the strata of Sith politics that I am used to dealing with? Yes. You may think you know what it means to play 'the game' against one like myself, Lord Varys. But I can assure you, you don't. "

" I see, " Varys responded, leaning back. " If I might, my Lord, may I pose a riddle to you? One that I often like to ask those who are players in the game. A sellsword stands between a King, a rich man, and the High Septon with a sword in hand. The King orders the sellsword to cut the other two men down and promises him positions of power. The rich man offers the sellsword double his weight in gold to cut the other two down. And the High Septon promises the man eternal peace with the gods in the afterlife should hecut the other two down. Who does the sellsword kill? "

Smirking, Nox could only shake his head. " Again, child's play, Varys. It's a trick question. The sellsword will take the offer of the one who aligns with his values the most. Or rather, power resides where men believe it resides. And each person you ask will give a different answer, and their answer will give you an insight into how their minds work. A clever way to set the game board to favor yourself, Varys. But as I said, mere child's play when compared to Sith politics. "

Varys's face remained blank as he gave him a single nod. " Well spotted, Lord Nox. Perhaps your skill in the game will offset Lord Stark's lack of willingness to play. "

" Time will tell, Varys. Time will tell, " Nox stated as he got up from his seat and made to leave. " Oh, and by the way, Varys. You might want to get that boil on your inner thigh taken care of before it festers and ruptures. And if you want to keep them from coming back, I advise that you try and loose a bit of weight or wear something that will prevent your thighs from rubbing against one another. "

Varys froze for but a moment before he nodded his head. " I see…Well played, Lord Nox. I have a feeling that your position in the future will make the game quite interesting indeed. "

'Child's play, Spider. Simple child's play, ' Nox thought as he walked out of the Small Council chambers, leaving the Master of Whispers to wonder just how he managed to know something of such a personal nature that Varys had only discovered this very morning.

Ignoring the sounds of whores applying their trade, Petyr Baelish the Master of Coin to 'King' Robert Baratheon first of his name, made his way through his largest establishment without acknowledging any of the whores or patrons who crossed his path. Entering his own private sanctum, Petyr immediately shut the door behind him and rest his back against the door. It took a conscious effort on his part to raise his right hand and unclench his fist, and as he did so he noticed four small punctures in the palm of his hand that'd been caused by his own nails. An effect of having to bear sitting in the same room as Stark and Nox. The only reason why he hadn't attempted to kill either of the two was because he knew it would be a fool's errand. The wolves and the sorcerer had just survived an assassination attempt and had uprooted a conspiracy amongst the Maesters, which meant that both were on edge and on careful watch for any assassination attempts. They would die, but not yet.

Pushing himself off the door, Petyr crossed his lavish office and dropped heavily into the feathered stuffed chair he'd purchased from Pentos for a King's ransom. Many would, and did, envy his position. He had come from next to nothing and acquired a fortune to rival even the greatest of Houses in Westeros. He was own of nearly seventy-five percent of the brothels in King's Landing alone. And he was Master of Coin. Yet still, all his accomplishments had only a single goal in mind. Reaching a point where he could have his beloved Cat by his side. And now, now that goal was gone forever. And all his accomplishments and plots and plans meant next to nothing.

'Fucking Starks, ' Baelish fumed, taking a breath as his anger, now free to roam, began to get the better of him. 'It was bad enough when Brandon Stark was supposed to take my love away from me. And with his death there was hope that Cat would be mine…but then Eddard Stark took her from me on the command of Hoster Tully who sold her like a fucking broodmare instead of the queen she truly was. Then she was forced to rot away in that cold hell for years while pumping out wolf pups. And now, right when my plans were about to start, she gets taken away from me! Again! '

The day Petyr learned of Cat's death was the day that he died as well. All of his hopes and dreams for the future meant nothing if Cat was not by his side. 'Stark, Nox, Tully, Baratheon, Arryn, Lannister…hell even the Tyrells I hold responsible for her death! ' Petyr thought, his anger mounting as he thought of each of the 'Great Houses' that were responsible for taking his Catelyn away from him. 'They will all pay. I will make sure of it. '

Leaning back, Petyr began playing out several fantasies in his mind revolving around the destruction of each of the Great Houses of Westeros. Of the country falling into pure and unadulterated chaos. And of him climbing the ladder of the chaos to reach the top and watch as the realm that'd scorned and taken everything from him burned to dust. But as pleasing as the fantasy was, he knew that there were many obstacles that stood in his path. Namely the Old Lion, the Queen of Thrones, the Crippled Prince, the Old Falcon and the most dangerous of the lot…the Northern Sorcerer. Only a fool would take on even of those five let alone all of them. And he was no fool. He would not 'face' them. Instead, he would arrange it so that they faced each other. And destroyed each other.

And he was already on his way to achieving that goal. While the wolves and the sorcerer might have brought a time of 'justice' to King's Landing, they did so like a battering ram. And in doing so made more than a few enemies. And power enemies at that. All he needed to do was to stroke the fires of their hatred to the point where it became an inferno that non could control.

And while he set the foundation in place, he would have time to solve the riddle that was the removal of the sorcerer. If even half of what he was heard was true, the man was a one-man walking army unto himself. Conventional means of defeating him would not work. His fall would not be on the battlefield. But he did have a weakness. His wife. A common girl. One that could be exploited in much the same manner as had already happened. And despite his prowess, the man's magic was not infallible. Trant's death, while unfortunate because it meant that he had lost an easy pawn that was close to the King, did bring about one useful piece of information. And that was that the sorcerer could not read minds directly, but he could sense a person's desires or their hate.

With that in mind, Petyr had been working very carefully to keep himself completely calm and devoid of all emotion whenever he was within the vicinity of the sorcerer. And it seemed to have worked. The blind sorcerer seemed completely ignorant of his existence even though he was standing just a few paces from him. Was it truly that simple? That one needed to simply abandon all emotion to become a blind spot in the man's vision? He doubted that it was that simple, but it was a start none the less.

Grabbing a quill, ink and his private book that he hid in a compartment under his desk, Petyr began writing down a list of all of those that would gladly see to the sorcerer's demise. 'Once the sorcerer falls, the rest will fall with him, ' he thought with a smile as he began writing down the enemies the sorcerer had made in his years since coming to this land. 'It shouldn't take much to get them to work together towards the common goal of ending the sorcerer and his line permanently. And who knows, if Nox is as slightly capable as I believe him to be, then he will be able to take down more than a few of my other advisories on his was down. '

The Street of Steel within King's Landing was without a doubt a place that earned its name. The street ran from Fishmonger' Square and climbed up one of the three hills, Visenya's Hill, that the city was built on until it reached the steps of the Great Sept of Baelor and was littered with smith's and metal workers for nearly its entire length. And while some might not notice the hierarchy in place, it was obvious to Nox that the better the smith, or rather the more expensive the cost of one's services, the higher up the hill they were placed. And like many of the streets scattered throughout King's Landing, the Street of Steel was a hive of activity with so many people milling about that one could hardly take a few steps without bumping shoulders with someone.

Not that Nox had that problem as the denizens of King's Landing seem to be doing all in their power to stay out of their way, though not all had the same reason for doing so. He could feel genuine awe and admiration from some with a brave few even working up the courage to come forth and show him respect by bowing to him or offering words of blessing. But for most, their fear drove them from his path. Feared what he was, what he could do and what he had done since arriving in this city. While he could, and did, enjoy the simple no-nonsense lifestyle of the North, it was refreshing to once again be able to part a sea of people just by walking down a street.

It'd been over a week since they'd first arrived in King's Landing, and to say that their arrival had shaken things up would be an understatement. The day after Nox had berated Renly and Loras in the Small Council chambers all of the prisoners that'd been caught during the raiding of the slaver's bases along with Grand Maester Pycelle and the fallen Kingsgaurd Meryn Trant were brought out before the people of King's Landing and executed by the King's Justice, Ser Ilyn Payne. The foreign slavers didn't put up any resistance as they were forced down onto the block, they knew the price of being caught and knew that it was futile to try and escape their fate. The same though could not be said for the former Kingsguard, Pycelle or the Septon that'd been caught with the slavers.

Pycelle had broken down and was begging for his life and swearing his undying devotion to the crown even as he was being forced down onto the block. His pleas fell on death ears as Payne calmly stepped up and, with a nod from the King, severed the old man's head from his shoulders with a single blow. Trant had been next, and while the man had managed to keep a bit more dignity than Pycelle, he still cried out one last plea for mercy from the King before his head was removed. The last to be executed was the Septon that'd been caught with the slavers. And it was his death that caused more than a slight stir amongst those present to watch. The man went to his death with his head bowed low and mumbling a constant stream of prayers that was only ended when Payne's sword sliced clean through his neck.

The executions were quickly followed up by Ser Jamie Lannister being brought out before the people. He was stripped of his armor and secured to a post in the middle of the courtyard in front of the Red Keep. Then with all to see and hear, Robert loudly proclaimed that Jamie had known about the wildfire caches stored away by the Mad King and had for thirteen years kept quiet on the subject, putting everyone who lived in the city at risk. He then proclaimed that as punishment for his inactions, Jamie would be lashed thirteen times, once for every year of his silence. And perhaps most surprising, Robert declared that he would be the one to hold the whip. Despite his lack of physical activity, the King was still deceptively strong. And he proved it then as each last of the whip against Jamie's flesh was enough to tear it. And once the last lash had been delivered blood was freely flowing down his back and legs and Jamie could barely hold himself upright and had to be dragged by to the Red Keep by no less than three Lannister guards with the Queen immediately trialing behind them, her eyes burning with hatred as she glared at the King while she passed him by.

After the executions and whipping, things started to settle down slightly. All traces of the slavery operation within King's Landing were gone. The barrels of wildfire were still being disposed of at night by taking them far outside the city and igniting them, a process that would take months or perhaps years considering just how many barrels of the shit was beneath the city. Which meant that, with those two tasks handled and being handled, Nox had quite a bit of time on his hands. Time which he intended to use wisely, hence why this very morning he had awoken his apprentice at the crack of dawn and told him that they were going hunting in the city.

" Master, " Jon said from his place just behind him as the two were nearly to the top of Visenya's Hill with the Great Sept of Baelor coming into full view. " I – I can sense…something nearby. No. Someone. A force sensitive. But, untrained. "

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