14.2

The next night Vector appeared in the prince's sleeping chamber very late. It had taken several hours to locate the information Dirk had demanded of him. Vector pointed his finger at an empty table, and a stack of books materialized upon it. Each had various pages marked with thin strips of leather.

Vector looked annoyed. "We do have librarians who are paid to locate these sorts of things, my lord."

"I don't trust their accuracy, Vector. When I require precise research, I trust the results from you far more. You have a vested interest in pleasing me, after all," Dirk smiled coldly, fingering the monocle. They both knew the librarians would have never been able to locate what he wanted. The prince looked at the pile of books and smirked. He had no intention of wading through them. He took a seat in his favorite chair, glaring at the Wizard expectantly. "And?"

Vector sighed and recited resentfully, "Baal is a name for a demon lord. He is also known as Bael and Belphegor. His element is warfare. His representation, lightning. In the infernal hierarchy, he is Zyr's executioner and reputedly commands legions of undead."

"He serves Zyrdicia's father?" Dirk clarified, surprised.

"Yes!" Vector snapped, as though it were a silly question. "Several scholars in Lyr believe he manifested himself throughout the ages as a variety of war gods, causing strife and bloodshed among mortals."

"Has he ever been slain?"

Vector, oblivious to the reason for the question, scoffed, "Of course not! It is unthinkable, my lord. Why the sudden interest in demonology?"

"Idle curiosity," Dirk responded absently, his eyes fixed thoughtfully upon the flames in the fireplace.

Vector gazed at the prince suspiciously. The Wizard knew there was more to this, but chose not to pursue it directly. He would have to investigate through other channels. Changing the subject, he demanded, "Why are you convening the nobles?"

Dirk's gaze moved from the fire to the Wizard's face. His hand closed around the monocle. "You shall become aware of my plans as they require your assistance. You answer my questions, Vector."

"As you wish, my lord," the Wizard responded, his tone deceptively subdued.

"What did you learn of the Kastania family?"

"I located the information you requested."

"Well?"

"For southerners, they're a rather colorful clan. Time and again, in past centuries, they tried to secede from Camarand. They declared themselves an independent kingdom several times."

"That's ancient history, Vector," Dirk commented indifferently. That history was common knowledge in Aparans. Kastania had been part of the Greystone Realm since the last Great War.

Vector's eyes twinkled. He loved knowing more than the prince did and having the opportunity to demonstrate that fact. "Not as ancient as you might think. They attempted it last in the time of your grandfather. Just prior to the last Crusade. All sides tried to keep the dispute very private, hoping to solve it peacefully and avert a bloody civil war in the South."

"And how do you know of this private dispute, my Wizard?"

"When peaceful secession did not work, Duke Ellington Kastania came here and asked your great grandfather for troops and a secret alliance. Ellington intended to dissolve all political ties with Camarand. He and the Greystone king came to hate each other bitterly."

"Why?"

"His beloved sister had married the king's younger brother, a controlling and rather ambitious lad, though he went quite mad later in life. Prince Philonius. Perhaps you remember reading of his failed Crusade?"

Dirk nodded impatiently. He knew far more about that Crusade than Vector realized.

The Wizard continued, "It seems his wife died soon after the move for independence began, and Duke Ellington suspected her husband of foul play."

"Why would Philonius have killed his own wife?" Dirk arched his eyebrow. Such reprisals against innocent family members might be typical of the Blackpools, but certainly not of the Greystones.

Vector shrugged. "It was never proven that he did. Many believed that it was orchestrated from the highest levels."

"King.-" Dirk paused, thinking a moment.

"Gregory Greystone."

"Right. He was involved in the murder?"

"That was the rumor. The death was far too convenient, given the circumstances. That sister was the only living successor to the troublesome Kastanian bloodline. She died childless. Ellington himself had but a single daughter, no sons and no other living brothers or sisters. His wife had died in childbirth, and he never remarried. His only daughter disappeared under mysterious circumstances about the time the political turmoil began. With his sister dead and daughter missing, there were no legitimate heirs. He was murdered in his sleep, and his lands and title passed out of the original bloodline, to his sister's husband."

"To Philonius?"

"Yes, back to the Greystones. That is how Camarand retained control over Kastania. The crisis was elegantly averted. Really, it's a story worthy of your own family. The current Kastania family members are descendants of Philonius. They took on the old family name purely as a political matter. By blood, they are Greystones, not Kastanians."

"I had no idea the Greystones had such a sordid past!"

"The story was covered up. Fortunately, since your great grandfather considered sending troops to Kastania, I took an interest in the goings on down there. I found it quite entertaining to watch, really."

"And this daughter who disappeared under mysterious circumstances. What was her name?"

"Corinna, I believe," Vector answered indifferently.

"So if this Corinna were to have had progeny, all of Kastania would fall to her offspring, severing the current clan's illegitimate claim," Dirk mused, smiling to himself. Kastania was the largest, wealthiest province in Camarand. It covered the entire territory from Tronin south to the sea and west almost to the Baaldorf border. Greystone's kingdom would decrease by a third if it fell out of his hands. Taking it legally would almost be more enjoyable than taking it by force. It would also free up more troops to throw at Baaldorf. The prince chuckled to himself as he imagined Erick's face upon learning of the claim.

It was one more reason to look forward to Zyrdicia's return. She was useful to him before. Now she was even more so. His bride-to-be had a birthright to holdings that would currently make her the single largest non-royal landholder in Aparans. Northern property laws would soon put that land firmly under his control, whether she cared to claim it or not.