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[Thrax]

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As he sent Harbinger to notify his informants and aides to meet with him, Thrax considered his conduct and counsel at the Regency meeting. With a heartlessness that bordered on criminality, he sought to forestall any attempt by the council to send official military aid to the stricken city of Magincia which had asked for it first via Athlon, Isk's son, and then Legerion. It was so convincing that he knew he had infuriated a few loyalists along with Duchess Molly and possibly Isk himself when he learned of it. But it would be worth it in the long run, he mused. The Regency strove hard to avoid being seen as seeking to undermine or interfere with city governments, especially independent ones like Isk's Magincia. His advice to the council and his rather emotional argumentation, along with that of others which was quite honest, would fortify that notion, he believed. At least he hoped it would, for he had a plan and official secrecy was needful. The only person he would tell would be his wife, Ishtar, and he knew she would see the value of it.

When his aides appeared at Whitehall he had them ushered up to the rooftop where he addressed them all:

"You have been summoned here to fulfil several important tasks, not just for me but for the entire civilized realm. At present there is a great evil that has taken root in Magincia as you well know. Magnate Isk has been duped and overthrown by the Armor of Evil, an heirloom of his that is reputedly drawing magic and evil toward it in the form of daemons. This threat could ultimately be to us all. Therefore, I commission you all to fulfill the following tasks and to do so immediately. First, I will give each of you enough gold to hire twenty mercenaries apiece to assist in fighting the daemons that threaten the city. Hire good ones who will work hard for their pay. Send them there as quickly as you hire them. Second, I will give you enough gold to each hire one grandmaster thief, skilled in stealth most of all. I want them to shadow Isk and keep me informed of his whereabouts at all times. Instruct them never to reveal themselves in any way nor take part in any of the fighting. They must locate the Armor of Evil and, if possible, steal it. If he is wearing it in battle and falls, they must loot him of what they can of it. I will have others to stand ready to come to their aid should the Armor be located. We must have that Armor recovered! Third, I want you to commission one ship apiece, first to transport the mercenaries and thieves to Magincia, then take on and evacuate any refugees. Take them here unless they are willing to stay at one of the islands. This part will be the "official" nature of the mission, but it is as important as the rest."

An aide raised his hand and Thrax acknowledged it. "Why is all this secrecy necessary? Why does not the Regency make this official?"

"The answer is simply that the Magnate must believe that the Regency has distanced themselves from his plight. Should he know that Regency soldiers are in town, he will maintain a stronger guard for himself, realizing our presence could be two-fold---to fight the daemons and to relieve him of his heirloom. It will be trouble enough that the Consensus of Light will likely be there fighting. It is too bad they do not realize the opportunity they have in recovering the Armor by doing things a bit differently. But then, strategy has always been a foreign word to them. Isk must be lulled into a false sense of security wherein the Regency is concerned. But part of it is official. The sending of ships to take away those wishing to leave the island is just that."

Satisfied, the man nodded approvingly. Then another aide spoke up. "But why not send Regency soldiers disguised as mercenaries? Who would know the difference?"

"I had thought of that but there are two problems. First, the Regency has not authorized the use of military force as yet, and second, Isk is no fool. He knows some of our soldiers personally and would recognize them. Those you hire must be complete unknowns."

"I see," the man replied.

"Why send mercenaries at all? Why not just send in the thieves?"

Thrax smiled. "It would be wrong to stand by and do nothing. That is my part in the defense of the city. Even if I, or the Regency, get no public credit for aiding in the fight, it doesn't matter. I am told honor and compassion are their own rewards. If that is true, then that is all anyone really needs. Let the others vilify us as they will. We know what we did and are doing."

Thrax passed around goblets and poured his best wine into them with his own hand. They toasted their efforts and after doling out enough gold to take care of expenses, he sent them on their way. He then went to speak to Ishtar about his plan.