"So… who was that, exactly?" Henrik, ordained two years ago, asked, breaking the silence that had fallen after their new Incendiary's departure.
Colbern felt his lips twitch, then Seras snorted and they all lost any chance of holding onto composure, the group dissolving into somewhat hysterical laughter as the events of the past not-even-mark caught up with them. Somehow they had gone from tearing themselves apart at the seams to having a new mission, a new Head and a Firecat here for their Order.
And they hadn't even introduced themselves.
"That was – that was Kir Dinesh," Jaina managed to gasp, wiping her eyes with her sleeves, no longer bearing the gold-edged black trim of the Incendiary and the weight on her shoulders seeming all the lighter for that lack. "He is the Eldest First Order Firestarter, and new Incendiary. We were ordained together, but he was the one ordained as a First Order Firestarter, my promotion to First Order was a few moons later."
"Ordained straight into the First Order?" Tristan, ordained alongside Henrik, raised an eyebrow, "That's… extremely impressive. Why have we never heard of him then?"
"He got on the bad side of a summoner Voice by the name of Phyrris," Seras replied, having always been the most concerned with tracking current and former Firestarters to know the fates of each of their fellows. He had come to view it as his responsibility, being the truly eldest of them.
Kavrick choked on his tea, neighboring Second Order, Valerik, gleefully pounding his fellow on the back with possibly excessive force. They'd always had a strange relationship, ever since the first time Kavrick had tripped the younger man on purported accident.
Spluttering as he managed to swallow, he gave Valerik a dirty look before saying, "I've heard of that one – nothing good. From what Fredric said, even the other summoners were rather grateful he was dead. Power-hungry man, wanted to climb the ranks and could care less who he stepped on. Not all that uncommon, really, but he was a particularly nasty breed of it."
"Yes well," Jaina sighed, "Kir never did pick easy enemies. I think that's one of the main reasons Varius recommended him for First Order trials straight away – none of us had any doubt he could pass them, failed prodigy rumors or no, but anything less and he'd be a lot more vulnerable to actual actively pursued death. As it was – I basically forgot about him, he was sent away so quickly, and it was understood he was supposed to die in a convenient accident soon enough."
"That's where I'd heard his name before!" Lumira snapped her fingers, "The failed prodigy! Everyone was so excited about him when he showed up – hells, Varius kept bragging about the boy he'd dragged in and then it all just… died out. Never did anything to really distinguish himself."
"Well if he really did doubt the burn-worthiness of witches ever since he was an initiate, that only makes sense," Colbern shrugged, "Even if he didn't really doubt their burn-worthiness for that long, which I doubt, keeping your head down in Sunhame only makes sense. Particularly if he has a knack for making powerful enemies, like Jaina said."
"Which is really the last thing we need with our position so tenuous," Jaina sighed, hands carding through the Firecat's fur while it curled up on the table in front of her. Colbern raised an eyebrow at her, agreeing in theory but considering just Who had played a hand in naming him Incendiary, he had a feeling things were going to work out reasonably well for their Order.
"You forget that he made powerful friends as well, if he's been working for Her Eminence for so long," Valerik pointed out shrewdly, "Besides that, stories bearing his and his Enforcer's names, if not guesses similar to them, are all over the place, if you care to listen – there were rumors of the Oathbreaker long before we received any sort of report on it. Rumors of a haunt, monster-slayings, a rogue witch-powered… that we need to find another name for – even a fire in the Comb!"
"I forgot you liked to don plainclothes and slip into Sunhame," Lumira snorted, "Well, you'll have an easier time of it now then, there are rumors Her Eminence is going to throw open the gates."
"Oh I hope not," Seras groaned, "Not yet anyway, that's a terrible idea. Especially if people are being mobbed, we won't be so lucky as to have an initiate get cornered and rescued every time, we're not the only ones terrified, just the most vulnerable."
There was a long silence at that, at yet another reminder of the challenges their Order was going to face for the near future. Finally, Colbern sighed and said, "Well there's nothing for it. We're going to have to present this all to Kir on the morrow, because to be perfectly honest the man was right, we could all use some sleep. I recommend dream-tea, everybody. I recommend it highly."
:I can ensure peaceful dreams for one night, at least,: the Cat spoke at last and all of them twitched at the voice in their minds. It was… decidedly unnerving, and reassuring, all at the same time.
"Thank you, Honored Kari," Seras murmured, echoes of thanks circling the room. There were a few more awkward, silent moments before Laskaris, another Second Order, recently promoted, shoved back from the table and stalked out, hands locked in the small of his back. The room emptied rather quickly, Kari stretching and padding out after Tristan, leaving the former triumvirate of the Order sitting at the table.
"There's so much I need to discuss with him," Jaina murmured, crossing her arms on the table, "I don't even – I mean honestly, I don't think his Enforcer has the first idea as to proper policy in Sunhame."
"If they were running around killing blood-mages and lothga and conducting investigations for a coup, Sunhame manners would hardly be a priority," Seras said dryly, "I wouldn't worry about it Jaina. That same ignorance you're worried about may very well be exactly what we need – bluntness can be its own weapon."
"It may even keep people from eyeing us too sidelong," Colbern suggested hopefully, knowing it was highly doubtful, even improbable, but couldn't help but hope. Politics – of the honey-coated poison, silken-covered razors variety – had been the mode of operation in Sunhame for… for centuries, at the least. Seras had always been better at it, while he had gone to being a chaplain thinking the Sunsguard would be a haven from that doubled-back political mess, and for a time it had.
For a brief time, a wonderful, if isolated and fear-tinged, time, it had.
Someone who was just as inclined (and, more importantly, entirely able) to cut through the dross and set it on fire would be a refreshing change from the norm. Seeing what sort of twists might come from a Firestarter trusted by his Enforcer, trusted by a Sunsguard to the extent those two clearly did, was going to be more than a refreshing change. It promised to be highly entertaining to boot.
"Get some rest, Jaina," he repeated, gentling his tone for the girl his partner's year-mate had trained, that he and Seras had been backing and counseling from the moment she'd donned the gold-edged black trim of the Incendiary. She nodded, exhaustion in every line, before finally shoving back from the table and slowly making her way out.
The door shut behind her, and Seras perked up, "So – to our new leaders? But first – the archives?"
Colbern rolled his eyes at the latter request, but still said, "Naturally."
***===***pagebreak***===***
Kir swept into the records room while Anur pondered what questions he would ask first, watching as Kir looked around the shelves of books with clear fondness. He wouldn't doubt if this was the one place in Sunhame Kir had truly regretted leaving behind. It was an impressive room, perhaps half the size of the formal Hall they'd entered first, and filled with shelves of books. A large central area of chairs arrayed around tables left space for a shielded and screened hearth to not be an immediate threat to the books, while massive windows opposite the hearth provided light without bathing the tomes in damaging sunlight most of the day.
Around the edges he could spot occasional desks with writing implements, and he could almost see groups of young people studying, researching topics or debating methodology – just like any study room in the Collegium. It was strangely comforting.
"Ha! My couch is still here," Kir cheerfully grabbed a small couch with worn blue upholstery and pulled it into the sun, setting his mug of once again steaming tea on the table now next to it and sitting down, kicking his boots off and literally curling up in it. Anur stifled a laugh at how cat-like Kir looked at the moment, curled up in the sun with half-lidded eyes, a barely-there smile on his face.
He felt an almost uncontrollable need to ruffle his hair.
Managing to restrain himself, Anur instead claimed the other half of the seat and pulled his boots off, taking advantage of Kir's odd pose to stretch his legs out a bit, wedging his legs around Kir's and cheerfulling ignoring his friend's grumbles as he was forced to reposition a bit. "Now, for my questions," he said at last, "First, why did they all call you Eldest when most of them were clearly older than you?"
"I'm the First Order Firestarter who's been ordained the longest," Kir replied promptly, Anur nodding as he'd guessed something along those lines.
"All right – so what's this Conclave business then? It sounds like something that would require all Firestarters to be present, if big decisions are made during it," Anur tilted his head back to stare up at the vaulted ceiling thoughtfully, continuing, "And if that's the case, how could they have one without you there?"
"The Conclave – well, it's simply a gathering of Firestarters that decide policy and review incidents over the past year," Kir shrugged, taking a sip of his tea before elaborating, "That occurs every winter, and Firestarters not given a permament posting elsewhere are required to attend. Firestarters with permanent postings are few and far between, for the most part we simply are assigned districts to inspect and patrol for witchcraft. It's a very… liberal order, in a sense. Standard Firestarters are sent out to their districts and have to patrol for a minimum of 10 weeks, after that they are free to do what they like so long as it's within the scope of their duties and they don't step on any toes, politically speaking. From what I remember, for the most part once those 10 weeks are over Firestarters return to Sunhame and – well, lurk, for lack of a better word."
"And it's some sort of Firestarter-only gathering?"
"Usually not enforced because they have servants and initiates bring tea and paper and notes and all manner of things, but in its original form, yes, it was a Firestarter-only gathering. Also, I'm fairly certain they called an emergency Conclave, rather than the usual annual one, since usually the annual report session takes place the week before Midwinter's Day. Emergency Conclaves are exclusive to Firestarters and are extremely rare. Technically speaking, if anyone not a Firestarter enters, it's within our rights to burn them where they stand."
"So needless to say, no one's tried pushing the issue," Anur frowned, looking around at the library and wondering at the sheer size of this Hall – it was a misnomer, this was far more of a compound, a district within a District and he had to wonder at how many other Orders had this – for that matter, how many other Orders were there? He had studied the basics of the Sunpriests, but had never had to deal overmuch with them and even his crash course in Enforcement had run more along the lines of situations they'd been likely to encounter.
Spending the winter in Sunhame had not been one of their focuses.
"What about me then?" he asked finally, "I know where I stand with the Sunsguard – and you mentioned I'm something of an honorary Firestarter once, but with relation to the others here… what can I expect?"
"Well, it's very dependent on my status within the Order," Kir shifted slightly to rest his head against the back of the seat, "If we look simply at the class of Enforcer, you're viewed as something of a… Fourth Order Firestarter, you have authority over the acolytes and initiates no matter what rank your sponsor is. With my being First Order, and remember that you're essentially viewed as an extension of me, you have authority over the entire Order aside from Jaina – technically speaking, again. Since I'm the head of the Order now – you're essentially a First Order Firestarter, as far as authority goes. I wouldn't recommend actually acting on that for a while, we're going to be in a tenuous position, but that's where you stand on paper."
"Ideally I won't be in a situation where that's necessary, but it's something I should know," Anur shrugged uncomfortably, "I'm not exactly the typical Enforcer."
"You couldn't be," Kir snorted, "I'm not the typical Firestarter. Our focus was entirely different than a Sunhame based pair. Hopefully with Colbern around to remind both parties that there's a distinct difference in lifestyle we'll be able to work things out without offending anyone, but if anyone asks about your lack of knowledge just blame me and my dislike of Sunhame. Not like it isn't true."
:Best not to breathe a word even hinting at your northern origins, even alone,: Kir continued mentally, a distantly thoughtful look on his face as he examined the hearth – a clear stalling technique so their silence wouldn't be noticed as out of place. :And we may have to reassess Aelius' description as a reasonably friendly battlesteed, we're a little too used to having everyone in the area cover for us.:
:I can take care of that,: Aelius spoke up, having been lurking in the background the whole time. No comments, just a presence – this was quite possibly the most dangerous place in Karse for them right now, and he had a feeling if he thought about it too hard, a panic attack would be almost inevitable. :Just be ready to cover for me – I now hate certain voices. And Riva might end up hating blondes.:
:Um… okay?: Anur replied, wondering how exactly hating certain voices was going to work into anything but trusting Aelius could handle it.
:Blondes?: Kir echoed his dubiousness, but had come to trust Aelius enough that he didn't ask for elaboration either. Probably best they didn't know anyway, their reactions would be more genuine.
"What about this Hall?" Anur finally spoke, letting his own contemplative mask fall away, waving a hand around to indicate the whole building, "It seems… remarkably self-contained. Your own archives, your own assembly room, a kitchen – given, very basic food when you consider citrus tea as comparison, but decently stocked with the essentials – a central courtyard garden area, and that's leaving aside the rest of the building I haven't seen yet! Is this… common? For each Order to have their own place?"
"Not really, no," Kir replied, "The others are all too big for it to be practical. The most basic of divisions is black and red-robe. Originally, black-robes were scholars, lawmakers and such – the governors, once Karse became a true theocracy. The red-robes were the ones who carried out the more classical priestly duties, ministering in parishes, serving as chaplains and healers and the like. After a while the divisions became much less clear, but at the most basic, black-robes are expected to be more knowledgable, to be able to quote Writ and Rule and technicalities, whereas red-robes are considered more… practical. The ones that actually take action."
"But aren't summoners always black-robes?"
"Yes, because initially only black-robes were mages. As a standard rule black-robes have a tendency to draw more mages, simply because so much study is necessary when one is a powerful mage. Now it's symbolic, black-robes can be summoners or scholars, or both, or neither."
"Okay, so we've got our black-robes," Anur waved his left hand, "And our red-robes," waved his right, "And they essentially split the priesthood in half."
"Correct."
"Now you said once that Firestarters are between red and black robes in authority – except you police the entire priesthood – so… how does that work? That seems to imply that red-robes are lower than black-robes on the power-scale."
"No, that's not – we're between because we have practices from both. We're lawmakers, decree-givers, and at the same time we serve an active purpose, have more active roles. We're scholars in addition to having practical obligations and responsibilities. It's not that red and black robes contain a different rank – at least not within the priesthood. Outside, it is entirely possible, even likely, that lay-people consider black-robes more powerful because there's always the chance that a black-robe is a summoner."
"Okay, so between as in a mix, rather than a divider. Makes sense. So then are there subdivisions within each half? Black robe and red robe, I mean? When Loshern introduced himself he said black-robe of the Second Order, I think? Then tacked on circuit judge and summoner as afterthoughts?"
"All right," Kir set his tea aside and shifted so he was sitting up straighter, half tailor-style and hooking an arm around his knee while he gestured, "If I were to introduce myself formally, I would say Kir Dinesh, Incendiary, Chaplain of the 62nd. You list your name, your Order, your rank within the Order, then your particular duties if you have some permanent assignation."
Anur could feel his lips twitching, and he couldn't help but ask, "Incendiary?"
Kir sighed, "That's one of the least ridiculous titles for the Head of the Firestarting Order."
"Doesn't that also mean arsonist?" Anur asked around choked down laughs, but he soon lost that battle at Kir's resigned nod and dissolved into snickers. "Oh, man, I needed that," Anur managed to get himself under control and chuckled again, "Incendiary, wow. Talk about a two-faced title. Right – so then there are ranks within the Orders? And those ranks are called Orders? That's confusing."
"The Firestarting Order is an overall rank as well as subdivision," Kir elaborated, "So we have Black-robes, Red-robes, and Firestarters, essentially. Ranks are referred to as Orders, First, Second or Third, depending on length of service, abilities within your particular field, exemplary duties, or being good at political games. A variety of things, really. You'll note that no one says Firestarter Order, you say you are part of the Firestarting Order – technically speaking someone could be part of the Firestarting Order without being a full Firestarter. That's where you're at, actually. You're part of the Firestarting Order, but you're not a full member of the Firestarter Corps, you're an associate."
"…You don't happen to have any flow-charts with this, do you?"
"Sorry, no."
"Ugh. Simpler question – does anyone else have a Hall compound district thing like this? Is there a Summoner's Hall, a Healer's corridor, a Circuit Judge residence? An Exorcist lounge?"
"Nothing so formal. There are areas which are understood to be mostly occupied by one or the other group – except for the exorcist one, I don't think there's any sort of regular 'spot' for them, in the rare incidences there's more than a few active," Kir shrugged, "Firestarters are unique in that respect."
"Is that because you – oh what was it you said – predate the theocracy? And the Son of Sun, I think you mentioned?" Anur wondered at that; he'd looked into the Valdemaran records regarding Karse and found mentions of the Son of Sun and the theocratic government of Karse from their very first encounter – some bare century and change after the Founding. That made for near a millennia of theocratic rule, and if that were the case, where did Ari's story fit in? Clearly further back – there were no stories of crazily powerful Sorcerers in Valdemar's legends that he recalled, but how far? Was it far enough to truly predate the theocracy?
"How far back do your records go?" he finally asked, somewhat awestruck as he started truly considering the implications. If he held the gist of Ari's story as true, which he did, something in it struck chords, resonated within him from the first time he heard it – it was true, at its core, probable elaborations and fancying up with the Karsite equivalent of Bardic license aside – then take in Kir's claim of their Order predating the theocracy and the implications were ridiculous. They had records that barely predated the founding – hazards of being founded by refugees, he supposed – but nothing further back. The idea of having that much history, that much knowledge, recorded away – well. He would have to introduce Kir to Myste when this whole thing went through. He had a feeling the two would get on like a house Kir didn't like on fire.
"There are no written records of Ari's life from his day that survive here," Kir replied, "There are written oral histories, from some time later, but nothing from that era itself. The earliest written Writs predate the proposed dates of Ari and Witach's encounter, as the very first of recordings have little mention of abusing magical power – afterwards, there's a distinct shift in tone towards mages, one of being held accountable and being content with what the Sunlord grants. But there aren't any writings aside from Writs that have been preserved for that long. And to be honest, I don't know if even they still survive – the copies of copies that I read were… in jeapordy. Hopefully someone has managed to hide them away from various political purges but it's something of a miracle we still have records that old after all this."
Correction; Kir and Myste would get along like fire and a blood-mage facing Kir.
Really well, in a way that would send most people running for the hills.
"As for predating the theocracy," Kir shrugged, "That is confirmed. Firestarters were simply part of the Priesthood, fulfilling everyday duties for the most part until reports came in of a witach terrorizing people or signs of blood-magic or a priest gone power-mad. Then they'd don their black-edged robes and ride out. It didn't become a full-time job until the theocracy started some centuries later, and even then it was only a few that were Firestarters and nothing else. It wasn't until… oh, six, seven hundred years ago that Firestarters were pulled from normal duties and made full-time witch hunters. Based on the timing alone, it can be somewhat assumed that it was in response to the attempted assassination of the Son of Sun by a blood-mage."
"Huh," Anur frowned, "Are you going to try and return the Order to that? A part-time job, of sorts?"
"I think it would work out better that way," Kir sighed, "But that will have to wait until we have something of a cohesive Order to work with."
"Valid. All right then, how about a tour of your cataloging system? If we're going to be spending time here, I might as well explore these ridiculously ancient records of yours – and where are your Firestarting manuals? Griff would love to hear about them. And then a tour of this Hall we're living in might be in order."
Kir was entirely at ease here in this room of books with no one to act for, so he might as well prolong their stay here as much as he could. The fact that it would provide more information to stall a vengeful Herald-Chronicler with was entirely incidental.
