Azmeritus moved his living quarters directly into the cavern below the waterfall after his encounter with his brother Ozab. He did so not because of anything that Ozab had said, but simply so he could monitor the process of Xenophus' reawakening at any hour of the day or night. He had come to anticipate the aroma of the foul wind which emanated from the Alcove of Sacrifice and to quiver in delight as the ground around him trembled with the strains of the earth enclosing the Ürgod.

The pretence of supplication had been dropped altogether and every brother knew that the ceremony was a sacrificial offering, food for the beast. Despite this, the brothers, who were daily sent to satisfy the increasing hunger of Xenophus did so willingly, in blind faith and often with only the High Priest to guide them on their journey.

Azmeritus was becoming increasingly anxious awaiting the arrival of the mystic stones needed to finally release his god. When word arrived that the Deev's ship had been sighted and was approaching Xenoth, he went almost giddy with delight. He called for a meeting of his chief followers to direct their behavior and to outline his plans for the Deev, lest some misspoken phrase or gesture spook the Minge and threaten the thing he desired most, the awakening of Xenophus.

The meeting was held in the cavern and attended by Chief Acolyte Zaphyr, Prester Jauba, Bishop Skaar, Abbot Carr, as well as the other two Presters, Warras and Fromm, and two other Abbots, Vax and Groiind, fresh from the arriving boats of the Scarlet Brotherhood.

They sat around an oak table which had been painted a brilliant red. Azmeritus stood and addressed his followers.
"The final awakening approaches. After the next offering Xenophus will be strong enough for the final ceremony. The number of offerings before he returns is dependant only on when the Deev's return with the stones to complete his triumphant return. We have many brothers willing to give themselves to our lord, especially with our numbers growing daily."

He turned to Bishop Skaar, "It is only the final ceremony and its requirements which concern me...thirteen high-born souls...Have we fulfilled this need?"

Skaar stood.
"Among our brethren we have secured five barons, three dukes, two earls, and two counts...a dozen high-born souls of royal blood. Thus far we have been unable to find any others. Most of our Brotherhood come from simpler roots. While many, in the hope of playing a part in our lord's resurrection, have claimed noble heritage, I fear they are lying or have been misinformed by parents wishing a prouder bloodline.

"I have selected only those with proper documentation or those we know came from royal households. I will check carefully among the new arrivals, but most of those brothers come from rural backgrounds and it is unlikely a royal is among them. I fear we may need to choose the most likely of the unconfirmed."

The bishop took his seat. There was silence until Azmeritus, shaking his head, once more spoke.

"That will not do. We will not risk the culmination of a lifetime on a guess. Surely there is someone else among the thousands who can be confirmed to be of royal birth?"

After a brief period of pensive silence, Prester Jauba spoke meekly.
"Aren't the Deev all high-born? What about Brother Shatus?"

Azmeritus actually clapped and an unfamiliar grin cracked across his face.
"Of course! Perfect! Deeb Shatus will be more than perfect. He is noble and his magical gift is excellent fodder for Xenophus. I had been lamenting the loss of Lord Egbert of Gleneden, whom I had hoped would be the culmination of the sacrificial offering, but this is a far tastier choice for our lord."

He addressed his Chief Acolyte, Zaphyr, "Take the thirteen noble martyrs and house them in the Deev castle. Treat them like kings and deny them no comfort. We will summon them when the ceremony is imminent."

"It will be done." Zaphyr replied.

Just as Zaphyr was about to leave, a low-ranking brother entered the cavern and approached Azmeritus. After kneeling before him, he spoke.
"The Deev-ship has arrived, holiness. It is making anchor just outside the shield below the castle."

Azmeritus thought for a moment.
"Excellent. I suggest we adjourn and continue on the castle grounds...perhaps a lunch overlooking the Narrows. Have some tables set up, I'm sure our guests will be hungry.. I do not want them anywhere near our blessed alcove."

"Why don't we meet indoors, at the castle or compound? It's getting quite cold outside." Bishop Skaar noted.

"Yes, Bishop, it is, but we are dedicated beasts, are we not? The fact that it's cold will keep Vasheron from being too long-winded in his demands."

"I don't understand, excellency, what demands?" Skaar asked.

Azmeritus smiled coldly.
"He will not simply hand the stones over on faith. He doesn't trust us. If I'm correct, he will be leaving the stones onboard his ship...if he has brought them at all. He is going to be extremely cautious in his dealings with the Brotherhood. He has certainly seen all our ships in the Narrows and I am positive he has learned that his so-called fleet in Minga is being blockaded by our brothers as well. He is extremely nervous and wants to feel us out."

He turned to Zaphyr, "See to the preparations for lunch on the ramparts and insure the Deev's old rooms in the castle are ready to receive them...it will be reassuring to the Prince that we have not taken over his quarters. Then go down to the docks and meet his contingent and escort him and his beasts to their rooms to change for lunch," he swept his paw across the table, "the rest of you will join us on the ramparts in two hours...dress warmly."

Chief Acolyte Zaphyr and a dozen Scarlet Brothers were on hand at the docks to escort Prince Vasheron and his Deev to their accommodations. The Prince waited until all his warriors had debarked and put Mobus in charge of his beasts on their march to the castle. Zaphyr did likewise with his brothers who guided the Minge up the winding incline toward the fortress. When both Deev and Scarlet Brothers were a good distance ahead, Vasheron began slowly following with the Chief Acolyte at his side.

"How is Azmeritus?" the Prince asked.

"Clever, cunning, determined." Zaphyr answered.

"And you?"

"Equally as determined." Zaphyr said flatly.

"I'm happy to hear that Zaphyr. You will achieve all you desire if your determination remains strong."

The Chief Acolyte stopped and looked Vasheron in the eye.
"There is no need to doubt me, Prince. I do not share Azmeritus' desire to obliterate this world. I am quite happy at living...I only wish to rule the world, not destroy it. There are more than enough lands for us to share. Azmeritus knows about your foolish attempt to raise a navy in Minga."

"I know, I underestimated him, it won't happen again. I have severed all ties with the force in Minga. There is a slight problem however," Vasheron put his paw on the weasel's shoulder "I only have one of the stones...I know where the other is, but it won't be available for a while, how will Azmeritus react to that news?"

Zaphyr's eyes widened.
"You're missing a stone? That will not please him...," he paused, thinking, "which stone did you bring?"

"I have the Abitar with me." The Prince answered.

A look of relief passed across the Acolyte's features.
"Thank Targas! The Abitar is what he needs to free Xenophus. He will certainly want the Rubitar to be able to bestow full power on the beast, but that can be done anytime after the awakening. Pretend it is in you possession elsewhere...that you are withholding it for better terms. Azmeritus will pretend it is more important to him than it is, but he will gladly settle for the Abitar for now. Ultimately the Rubitar won't matter to him at all."

Vasheron looked puzzled.
"Why is that?"

"Because, Prince Vasheron, by the time he turns his focus to the Rubitar, he will be dead and I will be leading the Brotherhood."

    The battlements of the Deev castle were inordinately wide, nearly twenty feet, with six foot gaps every fifteen feet for archers and small catapults. Tables had been set up on the battlements themselves, offering a spectacular, if somewhat dizzying view of the Cold Narrows.   

It was nearly freezing and a cold northern wind blew briskly across the cold stone blocks which constituted the structure, making those beasts awaiting Vasheron's arrival uncomfortable indeed. All except Azmeritus. He alone seemed at ease in the frigid conditions, pacing comfortably along the very edge of the wall, pausing occasionally with his foot paws extending over the precipice to listen to the sound of the crashing waterfall.

The mongoose turned at the sound of approaching beasts. He saw Zaphyr leading Prince Vasheron and his Minge to the small steps which led up to the top of battlements. The Deev, like Azmeritus were unbothered by the cold and quickly made their way to the empty seats reserved for them. Azmeritus took his place at the head of the main table. Zaphyr sat at his right paw and Prince Vasheron at his left.

The mongoose sipped his wine and turned to the mink leader.
"So, Prince, was your mission a success?"

Vasheron emptied his glass and answered in an offhand manner,
"I believe so. Seven wizards are dead, so you needn't fear the council weaving that spell which concerned you. Arisha has been taken care of and will no longer be any bother..."

Azmeritus became anxious.
"Yes, yes, very good," he said almost dismissively and continued with urgency, "but what about the stones?"

Vasheron could see the excitement in the mongoose's eyes. It was the first time in their acquaintance that he had ever seen true emotion in the priest. He smiled to himself. He had discovered the chink in Azmeritus' armor, he had found a weakness.

"We have the stones, if that is your question."

The mongoose actually clapped.
"Marvelous! This is joyous news indeed! Where are they? Have you brought them?"

"They are easily accessible," he remembered Zaphyr's advice, "I have the Abitar on board my ship..." he noticed Azmeritus' eyes widen and pupils dilate, he continued, "I thought it best to transport the stones separately. It is not that I do not trust you to uphold your end of the bargain, but I am by nature a wary beast and I owe it to my Minge to see some proof of your intention before I deliver the Rubitar into your paws."

Azmeritus became visibly upset, not so much because the Rubitar was missing, but because he knew that there was no way to uphold his end of the bargain. The Deev were immortal only within the confines of the magical shield around Xenoth and there was no way to make that gift extend to the normal world, not that he would even if he could, the Deev were powerful enough without being completely immortal.

He calmed himself and thought about his situation. It was the Abitar he needed to awaken Xenophus and that was within reach. He could always retrieve the Rubitar after the Deev were eliminated. His problem now, he thought was to insure delivery of Abitar, to ease Vasheron's concerns. He sighed audibly.

"I am disappointed that you do not trust me Prince. It is not I who tried to raise a force in Minga, it was you..."

"That was for my own use, not against you, but to help secure a new kingdom when my Deev left Xenoth," Vasheron lied, "as soon as I learned you had misinterpreted my actions, I abandoned the idea."

"And my Brotherhood ships blockading Minga had nothing to do with your decision?" the mongoose said, smiling wryly. He felt better now, the Deev-Prince was on the defensive and could be more easily manipulated.

"I was not even aware of that action, I abandoned the plan because I did not wish you to get the wrong idea."

"Of course you did," Azmeritus said with sarcasm. He decided to press Vasheron a bit further on the defense, "How do I know that you actually have the Rubitar?"

It was clear to Vasheron what Azmeritus was doing and he smiled to himself. Azmeritus was focused entirely on the stones, he did not suspect at all that plans were afoot to eliminate the mongoose priest. The Deev was determined to keep the priest's mind on the stones. He thought about the question he was asked and the answer hit him. He motioned down the table to his Deev.

"Mobus!" he said loudly, "Come here!"

Captain Mobus approached and stood in front of Azmeritus and Vasheron. Vasheron waved his paw at him.
"Remove your tunic, Captain Mobus."

Mobus stepped forward and despite the bitter cold of the battlements, quickly disrobed. He stood in front of his Prince and Azmeritus stoically.

The Priest carefully examined the mink's body from head to toe. The captain's burns had healed leaving clear scars from the left side of face across his torso and ending just above his right knee. His fur in the injured area was completely gone leaving in its stead a large ridged patch of shiny pink flesh in an elongated geometric shape. The scarred area of his body was an intaglio image of the Rubitar.

Azmeritus' eyes widened.
"An interesting piece of proof," the mongoose said with a wry smile creeping across his face.

"The captain underestimated the power of the stone," Vasheron commented casually. He motioned at Mobus to redress, then continued.

"The Rubitar is safe and in our possession," he lied, "we will provide it to you when I am convinced of your good intentions."

"And the Abitar?" the priest asked a bit too anxiously.

"As an act of good faith, we will transport it off our ship to you..." Vasheron stood and walked to the edge of the battlements. He looked out at the Cold Narrows and across toward the horizon. At its very edge, a small sliver of land was barely visible, Morgaard. The prince cast his eyes down directly in front of the cliff to where his ship, the Windspirit, was anchored just outside the shield. Three Brotherhood ships were nearby in a arc.

Vasheron turned and addressed the mongoose, "As I said, we will transport the Abitar to you as soon as your ships are well out of sight."

Azmeritus held up his paw.
"They are there for your protection, Prince, we do not want anything unfortunate to happen to your ship."

"Of course they are," Vasheron smiled sarcastically, "none the less, the Abitar will remain onboard until those ships are well gone."

"As you wish, my Prince." The mongoose said flatly. He signaled a disciple standing between the battlements. The brother approached the priest and after some quickly whispered instructions, returned to his post and began a series of signals with a pair of signal flags.

Azmeritus returned his attention to the Minge ruler.
"The ships will depart immediately."

"And we will deliver the Abitar. How soon will you be able to fulfill your end of our agreement...to restore our immortality outside the shield?"

Azmeritus was prepared for the question.
"The Abitar is required for the manufacture of the potion you will be needing. It is a time-consuming procedure, possibly taking several weeks."

"We have waited this long, a few weeks is not a problem. We have no intention of staying on Xenoth for that time however, five hundred years on this accursed island is enough. We will await news of your success with the potion in Minga, it is the closest port. Be so good as to call off your blockade of that town. Rest assured that we will not make contact with our so-called navy."

"Is that where the Rubitar is?" Azmeritus asked a bit too nonchalantly.

"No, but we will see to having it ready for you when the bargain is met."

"Very well, I will send an escort with you to your ship to retrieve the Abitar and send instructions to allow your ship free access and exit to and from Minga."

"Excellent," Vasheron stood, "our business is concluded, I will return to my ship."

Azmeritus placed his paw on Vasheron's arm.
"One last thing...did you locate the Prophecies of Neure? Have you found the new Gadral Neure?"

Vasheron looked down dismissively.
"The book was destroyed long ago," he lied, "and the last master of the Guild of Assassins is long dead."

"A shame, very unfortunate," the mongoose shook his head, "but I suppose there is nothing to be done. Very well, go back to your ship and prepare the Abitar. I'll send one of my senior brothers along to take charge of it."

Vasheron nodded and motioned to his Minge. They all left the table and began their trek back to the ship. Azmeritus dismissed the majority of his brothers, until only he, Bishop Skaar, Chief Acolyte Zaphyr, and Prester Jauba remained.

When the Deev were well out of view, Bishop Skaar was the first to speak. He addressed Azmeritus with concern.
"I do not understand your agreement with the mink. There is no way to restore their immortality outside the confines of Xenoth, therefore they will not give us the Rubitar."

Azmeritus smiled and patted Skaar's hand in a paternal manner.
"You have answered your own question, my Bishop. To remove the blight of the Deev from our midst, we need them somewhere away from Xenoth, where they are mortal and can be killed...that has been accomplished. We have the Abitar, so nothing stands in the way of Xenophus' awakening...it is now inevitable." His smile became broader, "All in all, an excellent day."

"But what about the Rubitar," Jauba protested, "it is necessary in giving Xenophus his full power and we have no notion where it is."

"We don't know now," Azmeritus corrected, "but we will in short order. Vasheron's boatswain aboard the Windspirit is a loyal disciple...Brother Garrus is his name, I believe. His eyes and ears will be open and in time he will discover the whereabouts of the Rubitar. When Xenophus awakens he can retrieve the Rubitar himself and be complete. He will also make short work of any remaining Deev."

Zaphyr was listening with concern and tried not to let his worry show. He needed to warn Vasheron about the spy in his midst, not only because he might find the location of the Rubitar, but more importantly to him, that he would learn that Zaphyr was plotting against Azmeritus with the Deev. He ventured a question.

"Shall we prepare a place for the Abitar in the cave?"

Azmeritus answered quickly.
"I have already taken care of that, Brother. When we are done here I'd like you to take a dozen followers down to the Deev ship and insure the safe transport of the Abitar from the Deev ship to the cave. Escort it the entire way. I don't want it sinking into the sea on its way to shore, nor do I want any Deev back on Xenoth for any reason."

Chief Acolyte Zaphyr's heart raced with relief. It took all his control to answer Azmeritus calmly.
"I will see to it, excellency."

Azmeritus continued.
"The only truly unfortunate piece of news is Vasheron's failure to secure the prophecies. We still have no clue as to the Secret King's identity, if he still exists. From this moment forward, no stranger shall be allowed into the cave. After his awakening, I cannot imagine any beast or man who could be capable of defeating Xenophus and this concern shall pass.

"The full moon is tomorrow and the penultimate feeding of our lord will be held...then...a single moon's cycle longer and Xenophus will receive his final sacrifice and join us in all his glory. It is almost time for our devotions so I will let you go...Brother Zaphyr, you and your squad are excused from prayer to see to the safety of the sacred stone."

After his disciples left, Azmeritus again walked to the edge of the battlements and watched as the Scarlet Brotherhood's ships weighed anchor and left the proximity of the Windspirit.

He scanned the sea and the distant shore of Morgaard.
"Who are you?" he asked aloud, "What is your name, Secret King?"

When Chief Acolyte Zaphyr arrived onboard the Windspirit with his contingent of a dozen Scarlet Brothers to take charge of the Abitar, he silently signaled Prince Vasheron with wink and a nod. Vasheron, a cautious beast who was ever alert, noticed the signal immediately and led the weasel to the captain's cabin where they were joined by Captain Mobus. As the Brotherhood loaded their treasure onboard a dory, the conspirators spoke. Zaphyr was obviously nervous. Vasheron poured the three beasts some grog and sat behind his desk. He took a gulp and addressed Zaphyr.

"What troubles you, priest?" he asked directly.

Zaphyr took a long drink of the foul-smelling brew and looked intently at the mink leader.
"Azmeritus has a spy in your crew," he said anxiously, "he is to report the location of the Rubitar...he may discover I intend to betray the High Priest."

"Who, do you know?" Mobus asked.

"His name is Garrus."

"Do you know this beast, Mobus?" Vasheron asked.

"He's our boatswain, a ferret. He joined the crew at Port Saud."

Zaphyr nodded in agreement.
"Yes, the boatswain, that's what Azmeritus said."

"Well, good then, problem solved," Vasheron said casually. He noted the concern on Zaphyr's features and addressed him with annoyance, "Grow a spine, Zaphyr. You have nothing to fear, if Azmeritus knew of your betrayal. You'd be dead already. We will deal with our boatswain."

Mobus smiled,
"Shall we use him or lose him, my lord?"

"I'll decide after we're underway," Vasheron stood up and drained his grog, then faced Zaphyr, "Stop your worrying Chief Acolyte, the spy will be dealt with one way or another and Azmeritus will be none the wiser. Now go supervise the transfer of the Abitar while we prepare to get underway. Send word to me in Minga when you are ready to awaken Azmeritus' pet and we will be back in time to support you in removing the mongoose."

Zaphyr managed a smile, feeling reassured.
"Yes, Prince Vasheron, you should expect word within the month, the ceremony to awaken Xenophus commences with the next full moon and he should be among us shortly after that."

It was sunny on the Cold Narrows as the Windspirit cruised under full sail toward Minga. Squeeker and Squawker Fishpaw were side by side kneeling on the starboard deck, scrubbing the planking with flat pumice stones.

Prince Vasheron strolled the deck looking toward Morgaard, now clearly visible in the distance. He fingered his scabbard and removed the long scimitar it contained. He pressed a finger lightly on its edge and examined the blade. The Prince walked over to the two ferret brothers and prodded Squeeker with his foot paw.

"Who are you?" Vasheron asked.

The ferret looked up nervously.
"Squeeker Fishpaw, your lordship."

He handed his scimitar to the ferret.
"See if you can keen this blade for me with your stone, Mister Fishpaw, the salt air seems to have dulled it."

"Yes sir!" Squeeker said enthusiastically.

Vasheron walked to the rail and sat watching the progress.

Squeeker went to his task with a passion, pressing and running the pumice-stone along both sides of the blade countless times until the edge was razor sharp. He stood and approached Vasheron, returning the blade with both paws as though it were a holy relic. The mink examined his scimitar and nodded.

"Is it sharp?" he asked.

"Yes sir, I believe it is." The older Fishpaw replied.

"We shall see." Vasheron said quietly. He called to the rear of the ship, "Boatswain Garrus, I need your opinion, come here."

Garrus stopped what he was doing and approached the Prince. When he was within arms length, Vasheron swung his scimitar. The boatswain's head separated from his body and tumbled several times before coming to rest at the feet of a horrified Squeeker Fishpaw. Garrus' body remained standing for a few brief seconds, then collapsed, covering the planking in blood.

Vasheron smiled.
"Very good work, Mister Fishpaw, you are my new boatswain. See to cleaning up this mess."

With that, the Minge prince walked forward and entered his cabin leaving a confused crew in stunned silence behind him.