Temple Commander

1. Pursuit-2

"More congratulations from his court. It appears sweeping the sea of pirates has been good for trade."

"So, no bad news for once?"

Marlena smiled. "I"m afraid you"re not getting off that easily. Somehow, he discovered we"ve been stealing some of his shipwrights."

"We didn"t steal them, merely hired them away. Besides, the duke doesn"t maintain his own fleet."

"I think he"s just annoyed that we didn"t ask him first. Speaking of shipwrights, how did the Vanguard fare?"

Vanguard"Quite well. She"s a fine addition to the fleet."

"Will we build more?"

"I think so, although that would be the admiral"s decision, not mine. Any more problems with the Cunars?"

"No," said Marlena, "which concerns me. Ever since their new captain arrived, they"ve grown quiet. They don"t even bother showing up at court anymore. It"s as if they"re withdrawing from the world of politics. Did you know they reduced their garrison here?"

"They"ve been shrinking their garrison for the last four years. I"m surprised they haven"t pulled out completely."

"And if they do?"

"That"s hardly our concern, unless you"re suggesting we make up the numbers?"

"Is that even possible?"

"I don"t know," said Charlaine, "and in any case, only the grand mistress can make a decision like that.” As they rounded the corner, the commandery came into view. "Ah. Home, at last. It"ll be nice to put my feet up."

"There’s still that dispatch to read," said Marlena.

"Don"t remind me. It"s probably another warning about fraternization outside of the order."

"I doubt that would be marked urgent."

"Good point."

Charlaine sat behind her desk. Most Temple Captains passed the bulk of their time in a room such as this, but she found it much more engaging to spend time amongst the sisters. After all, this was a fighting order, and to her mind, the most effective leaders led from the front.

The letter sat there, daring her to open it. "Ah, well," she said. "I can"t keep putting it off."

She used her dagger to remove the seal before carefully unfolding it. Inside was a two-page letter, written in a fine hand she recognized as belonging to Sister Nicola, the grand mistress’s aide.

The message was of immense interest, and Charlaine read it twice before finally putting it down. She rose from the chair, walking over to the windows facing west where the setting sun hung over the city, casting long shadows in the streets.

The door opened, revealing Marlena. "I brought you some dinner, Captain."

"Thank you. Put it on the desk, will you, and then please inform Leona I wish to see her."

She heard the door close but remained where she was. She’d spent the better part of five years here in Korvoran, and she would miss it dearly.

Charlaine had no idea how long she stood there, mulling things over until the door opened, revealing Sister Leona.

"Come and sit, Sister," she said. "There is much to discuss."

"Am I in trouble, Captain?"

"Not at all. Why would you think that?"

"You must admit, it"s not every day I get summoned to your office."

Charlaine chuckled. "No. I suppose it isn’t, but let me put your mind at ease. You are not here to be punished for some transgression of the rules."

"Then why am I here?"

"You"ll find out in a moment. We"re just waiting for the admiral to join us."

"She"s here?"

"She will be shortly. I saw her coming down the street." Charlaine turned from the window to where her food sat on her desk, likely cold by now. She sat down, looking at her treasurer. Leona’s leg was missing from the knee down, but her injury hadn’t prevented her from contributing to the order’s welfare.

Marlena opened the door. "The admiral’s here, Captain."

"Good. Come in, both of you. We have things to discuss."

Charlaine waited as they entered. "I received word from the Antonine," she began. "I"ve been promoted to Temple Commander and reassigned."

"To where?" asked Danica.

"Arnsfeld. Do you know it?"

"Yes, though I"ve never been there myself. I believe it"s one of the westernmost Petty Kingdoms. If I"m not mistaken, it borders Halvaria."

"It does," said Charlaine. "And that"s one of the reasons I"m being sent there. It appears the Temple Knights of Saint Cunar have withdrawn from the area."

"Surely, you jest?" said Leona. "They"re the only thing keeping the empire at bay."

"The grand mistress is well aware. I am to take command of the commandery there and those in the neighbouring realms. We’re increasing our presence to compensate for the deficiency."

"Any word on your successor?" asked Marlena.

"Yes. She left the choice up to me, and I"ve decided to promote you, Leona, making you the order’s senior representative in Reinwick. You"re more than ready for the role."

"And what of me?" said Marlena.

"Don"t worry. You"re coming with me. I"ll be dealing with the court of Arnsfeld and need your expertise." She turned to Danica. "As for the fleet, I shall prevail upon you to deliver the two of us to my new command."

"Of course. Will we be maintaining a presence there?"

"That is for you to decide, but at the very least, you should take the opportunity to learn more about Arnsfeld"s defences. I suspect it won"t be long before the empire takes advantage of the Cunar’s withdrawal."

"So, it"s true, then?" said Leona. "The Temple Knights of Saint Cunar are falling apart?"

Charlaine held up the letter. "According to this, they"re reassigning their forces to better reflect a defence in depth in the event of an invasion."

"This is terrible," said Danica. "It also puts the Petty Kingdoms in a very precarious position."

"I agree, but we must work with what we’re given."

"When do you want to leave?"

"I"d like to be out of the harbour by week"s end. Can you arrange that?"

"Of course."

"Good,” replied Charlaine. “In the meantime, I must put my affairs into order."

"You should alert the smiths guild," said Danica. "They"ll need to know where to send the correspondence."

Charlaine nodded. Since her arrival in Korvoran, she"d been using the guild"s messenger service to deliver important and confidential information instead of trusting the Church"s couriers. Her time in the Antonine had revealed traitors in her order, and she"d spent the intervening years building up a network of trusted confidantes.

"I shall talk to Barbek," she said at last, "and trust that he can make the appropriate arrangements."

"If I am to command here," said Leona, "have you any special orders?"

"Yes. Trust your instincts. There may come a day where we can no longer remain neutral in the affairs of the Petty Kingdoms."