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Third Person
Qohor
57 AC
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"Four priests of the Black Goat were found hiding in one of the city's sewers, just as Tyanna said," Valka gave another summary of the latest raid against the followers of the Black Goat.
Tyanna had been of great help, whatever her method, she knew perfectly the places where they were hiding, places that even the witches could not find, or overlooked. She was like a bloodhound, able to smell them out wherever they took refuge.
Thanks to this, just three weeks after Qohor was conquered, thousands of worshippers had been burned, just as R'hllor, or Hephaestus, had ordered their execution to be, because, if they were murdered, that power residing in each worshipper would go to the Black Goat, who grew stronger with every sacrifice.
The city, due to the constant burning of thousands of people, had acquired an unpleasant smell, and the streets were perpetually covered with a thin layer of ash, even with the cleanings that Caspian had ordered to be done every three days to prevent disease.
Caspian watched Valka, or his woman, as the Bloodriders had begun to call her after noticing the two slept together. And while they hadn't married, or even discussed the topic, it was clear that their closeness went beyond simple sex.
He had noticed a certain venom in Valka's tone when talking about Tyanna, and although he had been letting it go, he decided to get to the root of the problem and end it, as it was not the time for cracks to appear among his people, and the woman who had accelerated the progress in the city.
"What's wrong with Tyanna? I've noticed friction between you, and I've let it pass, but I cannot allow differences, not now." Caspian decided to address the subject. They were both in the chamber where city-related matters were discussed, but since they were alone, he took advantage of the moment.
Valka sighed. Today she was not wearing her robes or her mask, but she did wear her crown—Caspian himself liked to see her wear it. "It's not that I don't see that she is useful, she is. She has guided us to places that even I have overlooked. There is something about her, something that makes her see things the rest of us don't, and that is what I dislike, her body, her aura, she must have done something evil to obtain what she now uses to help us, and I do not like having her close to you because of that." Caspian sighed. Truthfully, even he had felt it; something about Tyanna didn't sit right with him, and according to Kinvara, she had been close to the reign of Maegor the Cruel, serving him.
And to be frank, Caspian did not like that news, especially upon realizing the fate of the man's mysterious death, and that the one who was thought dead was alive, living comfortably on the other side of the world.
"She is necessary, at least for now, I must keep her close. Besides, I gave her my word that I would give her whatever she wanted as long as she didn't overstep, and I always keep my word."
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Third Person
Volantis
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"Azor Ahai has come, he has been kissed by the sun, and with the mounts of the sky, he will guide us all to a safe future, free from darkness, only life and warmth," a priestess preached before a large crowd of people. The multitude had been listening to her for over half an hour, and as more minutes passed, more people joined.
They did not arrive empty-handed; they brought food, medicine to treat the sick in the streets, and even rough but good clothing. Therefore, whenever a priest prepared to preach, a crowd immediately surrounded them to listen.
Today, as every day, the arrival of Azor Ahai to the world and his task of guiding everyone was preached. But something changed in the middle of the sermon; the priestess said more than she usually did: "Riding a horse over the world, Azor Ahai will come to lead us, and when that happens, everyone must listen and obey, because that is the will of R'hllor."
A few meters away, a hooded man listened attentively, and when the priestess finished her sermon for the day, the man slipped away through the city's alleys.
Minutes later, the same man arrived at a house. The door was guarded by six men, combat slaves judging by their tattoos, but who made no trouble in allowing the hooded man to enter.
Inside the house, the air smelled of stale incense and old wood. The house was not large, just a long hallway that led to a descending staircase, which ended at a thick oak door.
Without wasting time, the man took out a key and opened the door, entering the adjoining chamber, and once inside, he locked the door again.
The chamber, excavated into the live rock beneath the Rhoyne River, was only lit by a tallow candle chandelier on the ceiling, casting dancing shadows over tense faces. Faces that belonged to those who held the city's power.
The chamber was occupied by three men, seated around a table with solemn faces and sneering expressions. "My masters, this one brings news," the hooded man spoke in a respectful, almost pitiful tone. None of the three men looked at him, as if the simple action were beneath them.
"Speak," was the simple response of one of the men. The hooded man did not keep them waiting and began to recount what he had heard in the Red Priestess's sermon. Triarch Nyessos, a member of the Elephants, struck the obsidian table with his signet ring. "If this is true, then we face a possible religious uprising. Volantis has never been affected by the Red Temple; something must have changed for even them to be preaching about conquest."
"It's clear it has to do with Qohor," Malaquo Maegyr, Triarch of the Tigers, spoke. "Qohor fell to a Dothraki Khalasar, something unprecedented. My informants say there was no battle, that the Khalasar entered the city because the gates were opened from within, and that the Unsullied did nothing—apparently they were given no orders."
"Why are you sure of this? While it's clear that the timber trade has completely ceased, this doesn't affect Volantis in any other way. Volantis is large and prosperous, and the luck a Khalasar had with Qohor will not be the same with Volantis," Doniphos Paenymion, a member of the Elephants, did not understand what connection there would be with Qohor that would make the Red Temple preach about conquests and myths.
Malaquo looked at Doniphos with contempt; it was clear there was some resentment between the two. "Because the Khal has been giving orders to burn thousands since Qohor fell, and those who are leading the burnings are Red Priests."
A murmur of disbelief ran through the chamber. Nyessos, the eldest, leaned forward, his sunken eyes shining. "Impossible. The Dothraki despise everything related to magic. I don't see how they could have allied with priests and be letting them carry out a slaughter. They would do it themselves first, before letting others enjoy what they have obtained."
Malaquo slid a stained parchment across the table. "Read, if you have the stomach for it."
Nyessos unrolled the document with steady hands and a scrutinizing gaze. The letters on the paper were written in a hurry, there were even ink stains on it: "...the demon Khal... his riders did not take the city. Something else did. They murdered all the nobles in a single night, and have burned all the temples, prayer, and sacrifice halls, ... everything to ashes. As for the worshippers found inside the city, they are doused with oil and burned alive, all at the hand of the priests of the Red Temple..."
Nyessos spat on the floor. "Dothraki! Cursed savages. But Qohor resisted the Khalasars for centuries, their walls are large and tall."
Malaquo smiled humorlessly. "This is no ordinary Khalasar, Nyessos. This Khal... commands hooded people who, according to accounts, are more dangerous than the sorcerers of Asshai. And he gives orders to burn. As if he served..."
"R'hllor!" Doniphos's raspy voice completed. "The Red Priests do not stop preaching about Azor Ahai. If they follow a Khal who burns people in Qohor, it is possible that this Khal is the one they preach about."
"If this is so, what do we do? The Temple controls a large part of the city, even if we think they don't. If the Temple rebels, we won't be able to fight, not when the enemy is inside the walls."
Malaquo sighed, "We will hire some mercenary companies, the largest ones, gold doesn't matter. The Temple only has their Flaming Hands, and they are only a thousand. If we kill them, we can have control of the city. That way, even if a Khalasar of a hundred thousand men arrives at the gates, they won't be able to do much more than perish like the Khalasar of Khal Temmo."
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Third Person
Qohor
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"You have been helpful," Caspian spoke loudly and concisely when he saw Tyanna enter the room, guarded by two witches, one on each side. After almost four weeks of hard work, thousands of Black Goat worshippers had died.
And although at first glance it didn't seem like anything had changed, for those with access to the arcane arts, it was the opposite. The witches, Kinvara, and even Caspian himself felt the city breathe. It was a strange feeling to explain, but it was as if everyone had taken off a corset they didn't know they were wearing and could breathe normally while in the city.
But everyone knew it was simply the calm before the storm, because not much time was left before the Black Goat would appear, and when it did, because it had to, no one knew how that encounter would turn out.
Tyanna stopped about six meters from the war room table, the same one where she met everyone on the first day. "The pleasure has been mine, my Khal," she replied with her enigmatic voice, a combination of hoarse but mellow.
"When all this started, I promised you that I would give you what you asked for, as long as it was within my interests, of course."
The woman with hair and eyes black as pitch nodded, and a peculiar smile appeared on her face. "My Khal, for nine years, I have been fighting to obtain power, something that was denied to me some years ago, even when I was helpful. I implore you for that."
Caspian frowned. The word 'power' was too vague. What would Tyanna want in particular? Potions? Enchanted armor or swords? Money? Land? All of that gave power. "You have to be more specific," Caspian spoke after a few seconds of silence, and Valka narrowed her eyes behind her mask.
"I have fought for years to gain control of the city. That is what I desire." A guttural sound came from Valka, which gave several people goosebumps. "You are very bold to ask for that. What stops me from tearing out your tongue and dismembering your precious body?"
"My Khal, allow me to kill her," Essino also did not hesitate to contribute his two cents. The two of them had developed a great closeness, and now, Essino practically followed Valka as her guardian, so the fact that he agreed to kill Tyanna was no surprise.
Caspian raised his hand, silencing the discussion before it escalated. "I gave my word, and..."
Whatever Caspian was about to say was stopped because the room door flew open. On the other side, a sweaty and exhausted Dothraki entered. The two witches who had been on either side of Tyanna, in a blur, held glowing whips in their hands. "Stop!" Had it not been for Caspian's quick response, the poor man would have been torn to shreds.
"My Khal, I... jah," the poor man was hyperventilating, it was clear he had been doing something strenuous. "A beast, a beast like those of Valyria fell in Vaes Yeraan, I came as fast as I could."