Bishop Skaar had always been a stoic man, fatalistic and comfortable in his position. Devoting his life to Azmeritus without question was easy for him, it afforded him a degree of comfort and a sense of importance. The bishop knew more about the mongoose than any creature living and had seen him in the full range of emotions, from elation to despair. The other high clergy knew only the persona that Azmeritus reflected in his capacity as the leader of the Scarlet Brotherhood and while his personal self was in many ways identical to the figure he put forth, there were subtle differences.

Skaar had never known the albino priest to be so focused on a single task. Nothing else seemed to matter but the awakening of Xenophus, all Azmeritus' energy was focused on that single point. Rumors of unrest within the clergy did not seem to even register with the high priest. The scheming of the Deev, the disregard for the liberated castaways and the rebellious pirates, none of those pressing matters seemed the least bit important to him. It was as though he were rushing to a finish line beyond which nothing existed.

Skaar did not care, he would follow the mongoose to the gates of hell and leap into its flames without question if his master simply asked. Azmeritus for his part considered Skaar as more than an acolyte, to him he was an appendage, a part of his own body. The mongoose did not trust easily nor deeply and had an abiding disgust for the human race, but these prejudices did not extend to Skaar. There was something about this human outcast, discarded in the desert, roasted and tempered by the sun, empty and ready to be filled with the prophecies of Neure, that reassured the mongoose of his own purpose.

Bishop Skaar entered the sacrificial cave, seeking Azmeritus after evening devotion. The mongoose had not attended and the bishop was concerned. Azmeritus sat next to the Abitar, bent over a table, deep in thought, studying the prophecies as he did each day. He addressed the bishop without looking up.
"I take it you are concerned that I have not left this cave in over a week?"

"Yes, eminence." Skaar responded, "I'm just checking to see if you are ill."

"Never better, dear bishop. I will no longer be attending any masses or functions outside of this space."

"May I ask why, your eminence?"

Azmeritus actually chuckled.
"You are the only one who may ask me why...at least the only one I would answer truthfully." He looked up and closed the book, then stood and walked over to a flagon of port. He poured two glasses, handing one to Skaar,  "I know you feel that I have been distracted, that I am unaware of all the small storms brewing around us. I can assure you, nothing is further from the truth.

"I am well aware that there is a conspiracy to remove me before the awakening...many of our brothers do not have the courage or the faith to see the ceremony through...they fear Xenophus...they fear nothingness, but not you my faithful servant, you alone obey without question. I am certain that this conspiracy is being led by our own Chief Acolyte Zaphyr...he is a bureaucrat and a pragmatist who has become seduced by the possibility of power."

"Shall I have him arrested?" Skaar asked.

"No, no. I will deal with him when the time comes. In the meantime, I plan on avoiding all meetings in large groups where the apostates could move against me...but do keep an eye on him."

"I will," Skaar took a deep drink from his glass, "what about the Deev?"

"As you know, Vasheron has sent word that he has secured the Rubitar and will be returning to Xenoth with it. In the slight possibility that this might actually be true, I have granted them permission to leave Minga and return here."

"You think the Prince is lying?"

Azmeritus made a dismissive gesture.
"I'm fairly certain of it. I think he is returning to support the coup."

"What do you plan on doing, your eminence?" the bishop asked urgently.

"Simple enough. Their ship will not be allowed to enter the shield where the Deev are unkillable. They will dock at sea and if they have the Rubitar, we will transport it ashore ourselves. Whether they are honoring the agreement or not, we will sink their boat with all onboard and the Deev will no longer be a threat."

"You are not as distracted as you have seemed, my lord." Bishop Skaar smiled.

"No, Skaar, just fully occupied. Seventeen more days, my faithful right arm...just seventeen days till our lord returns," Azmeritus smiled blissfully, "and then we will make this world right."

At about the time Azmeritus was meeting with Bishop Skaar, Chief Acolyte Zaphyr was pacing along the battlements. The past few weeks had been hard on the weasel. The conspiracy he had put into action was weighing heavily on his nerves.

There were at least ten senior clergy who were anxious to join his cause. They were older members of the Brotherhood, long comfortable as leaders of their respective sanctuaries, more interested in creature comforts than spiritual enlightenment.

They spent hours in secret meetings trying to justify their treason through complex rationalizations, knowing that Azmeritus' success would spell their own doom along with the world's itself. Time was becoming short and they knew it. If they did not act soon, they would lose everything. Zaphyr was their focal point and it was not a position that allowed him any comfort. Each day found him more paranoid, more convinced that either Azmeritus, Skaar or both, knew him for what he was, a traitor...an apostate. Each sideways look and glance, each conversation he could not hear was to Zaphyr an imaginary accusation aimed at him and his treachery.

He barely slept anymore. He hardly ate. He had begun to avoid his co-conspirators whenever possible and spoke to them only in cryptic phrases and dismissive utterances. Whatever time Zaphyr spent actually planning the coup was in private with equal time spent praying that he would remain unrevealed. He had received word that the Deev were returning to Xenoth with the Rubitar and knew for certain what Azmeritus only suspected, that Vasheron was ready to move...to eliminate the mongoose.  

Zaphyr looked out over the Cold Narrows straining to see if he could make out any approaching ships. He sighed loudly, only Brotherhood ships were visible dotting the horizon and coast, there was still no sign of the Deev. Be strong, he told himself, it is too late to change course, now it was a matter of patience, courage and will. It was a race to the finish and the final sprint had begun.

Not all the Deev were in Minga preparing to return to Xenoth. Colonel Taois and his small band of Minge were about thirty miles north of Seth-e-Raman and heading at a steady pace toward Port Saud. The Colonel had been in a foul mood since their last failed attempt to secure the Rubitar. The hot weather, humidity and insects along the coast they traveled did little to improve his humor.

An unbeaten commander in battle till now, he was not taking his defeats at the paws of Herman Corkspike well. There was no way, he thought, that he could maintain his honor unless he killed the hedgehog who had humiliated him.  

He was forced to concede that the hefty Master of Assassins was a far more formidable foe than he had first given him credit for. From his distant perch in the dory, he had seen the dead Deev after the hedgehog had dispatched them and it was a sight he still could not understand.

Killing Herman to Taois was not an act of revenge for the dead Minge, it was the only way to regain his honor. Revenge is a weakness in warriors, honor was a strength. But all his internal conversation about honor was just a justification and lie which the mink told himself. The truth which he would not admit to himself was that he wanted the hedgehog dead because he hated him. He hated him more than he had ever hated anything or anyone. Herman had humiliated him and outsmarted him in front of his men and that was an unforgivable sin.

Taois' mind was made up. Conquest and Vasheron be damned, Taois would see the Master of Assassins dead at his feet before any other duties were performed. He would travel to Port Saud with the three remaining Deev, re-arm and then return south to once and for all eliminate the odious creature who had become the bane of his existence.

The beast which Taois deemed so odious was himself in a state of seething anger. Herman was convinced that until Taois was killed or captured, he and those he loved would never be safe. It was only at Vattus' insistence that he did not immediately pursue his dangerous adversary.

Herman realized that he would need a wizard at his side to face the Deev. He would need surprise as well. To defeat the Deev, he would need them in corporeal form. If they saw his approach, they could transmute to smoke and hide invisibly in the dense coastal undergrowth waiting patiently till he was within striking distance and then quickly and quietly kill him with little or no fuss. But knowing he needed the wizard's help did not mean that waiting for Vattus to feel well enough to go was not a study in frustration for him. When word finally reached him that the wizard was sufficiently recovered to proceed, he was almost jubilant.

Winnie approached his brother with concern.
"I don't think you should be follerin' those ghosts, Hermie. I'd be just horrible feelin' if anything happened to ya."

Herman ruffled his brother's head-spikes affectionately.
"Don't you worry about me, liddle gaffer, I'm gonna be real careful-like and I'm takin' a wizard with me, don't forget. I gotta stop this Taois feller now or he's a gonna sneak up on us one night and slit our gullets. From what I heard he's right mad at us for messin' up his plans. I figure we both want some nice peaceful sleep in the nights to come and if'n I don't do this, it just ain't very likely."

Winnie scrunched up his face as if weighing the merits of his brother's logic, then responded.
"I guess you're right, but you better take real good care of yourself...and don't be forgettin' your sword...and don't get to believin' that you really are the master assassin...we both know you don't even like squishin' mosquitoes."

Herman smiled , then snapped to attention and saluted his brother.
"Got it sir! Don't worry, really. I know that you're still a bit peeved that I ain't lettin' ya come, but Pellus needs ya here. We can't both be runnin; off and leavin' Seth-e without a Corkspike to keep her safe."

"I suppose," Winnie said begrudgingly, "when do ya leave for your Deev-hunt?"

"Soon, liddle gaffer, soon. We'll be takin' a dozen of King Sigus' guard along. We're takin' the fastest carriages up to Port Saud and then workin' our way back down here. If we get lucky they'll be more watchful behind 'em than in front of 'em and we'll catch 'em by surprise. Vattus thinks they'll stick close to shore to keep their eyes on the sea. He figgers there's a fifty-fifty chance we'll find 'em."

"I still ain't sure that I want ya to find 'em. Make sure you wake me to say goodbye when ya head out or I'll be real mad." Winnie said firmly.

"I wouldn't think of leavin' without lettin' ya wish me well. We'll take breakfast together and ya can see me off."

Winnie stuck out his paw. Herman grabbed it firmly. The little hedgehog looked up into his brother's eyes.

"You got yourself a deal!"