After a few angry words from Don Lucas to his companions for scaring Sarina off, the heroes set to figuring out the situation in Vaticine City. Lucas reported to Don Francisco Guzman de Aldana and astonished him with the news that Prince Javier had been found and was willing to step forward to claim the throne, on certain conditions. Don Francisco explained that meanwhile, the Grijalva family had spent a fortune to buy all the votes they could in both the Council of Dons and the Concilio de la Razon, for their new dark horse candidate Doņ Sara Yanez de Grijalva. He was keeping the Council of Dons deadlocked while the Concilio de la Razon was slowly leaning toward Doņa Sara.
Then Lucas had to make his report to Cardinal Verdugo, who had left numerous urgent messages to contact him. The Cardinal was dead set against Sara and the Grijalva line, all heretics, coming anywhere near the throne. Lucas reported his successful contact with Don Javier Torres de Sandoval (but NOT with Prince Javier Bejarano de Sandoval.) He then revealed that Sara Yanez de Grijalva was none other than the woman hitherto known as Melisandre de Ramirez! He asked the astonished Lucas to intervene with her to withdraw her claim.
Meanwhile, "Beggar John" and Constanza had gone to the House of the Seven Crosses, the chapterhouse of the Rose adn Cross, only to find a lone Poor Knight left in charge with a few harried novices. The Knights, it turned out, had all been hired by the Grijalva family to provide protection around the wing of the Palace of Wolves that housed their delegation. Beggar John and Constanza headed for the Palace, and ran into Lucas. The three of them asked for, and were granted, an audience with Doņa Sara.
Sara-Melisandre was white as death, dressed up in a sumptuous gown and surrounded by armsmen and attendants. In guarded terms, she explained that she had learned that the man she had known as her father, Tobias Senelda de Ramirez, had in fact been nothing but a pirate hired to break the ship -- the same ship, by mischance, on which Don Albino and Loydna Yanez de Grijalva and their infant twin daughters had booked passage. His accomplice Tibold Dedrick had paid him to keep the little Sara alive, and Tobias had eventually learned to love her as his own daughter.
But the Grijalva family had found her by chance, and drawn her into their desperate bid to regain their former glory and break the yoke of the Inquisition all at once. They guarded a secret, for which the Inquisition had accused them of heresy and nearly extirpated their line. She said she did not wish to be queen, but felt obligated to aid her family.
After a short private exchange with some of the main players, Don Estevan, Don Francesco and Don Lisandro de Grijalva, Sara revealed the full details to her friends: the Grijalva had historical documents accumulated over the years, tracing through the centuries the Inquisition's true source of power: Blood magic, Bargainer sorcery. This was passed not through blood lines like Porté or El Fuego Adentro, but through a ceremony where the candidates drank from the blood of a practioner. This sorcery gave them the power to exchange thoughts without speech, to read the surface thoughts, and even, for true masters, the hidden thoughts of unwitting subjects. Constanza was allowed to peruse the documents gathered by the Grijalva, and was convinced of their authenticity.
This changed everything. Constanza hinted to Melisandre that Javier had returned, trusting that her friend would understand. The heroes drew plans for a temporary alliance, then Lucas returned to Don Francisco Guzman de Aldana to inform him of the developments. Don Francisco advised Lucas to contact Prince Javier and bring him with all haste to make his claim.
Meanwhile, Beggar John ran into his old nemesis again, the Comte de Sinjin, while Constanza returned to the inn and informed Sebastiano of Melisandre's new status, if not of the specifics of her story. When Constanza saw Ferdinand again, she was surprised to see that he no longer wore burlap and that carried a sword. He announced that he had renounced his aspirations to the tabard of the Rose and Cross and withdrawn his candidacy. Constanza offered her sympathies, but welcomed him back as Ferdinand.
Sebastiano rapidly went to see Melisandre-Sara, and reassure himself that she was well protected. He asked her if she wished to be queen, and insisted firmly until she admitted that she was doing this for duty, not by preference. He left after having promised to help her in any way he could.
Ferdinand and Constanza then gallopped away toward San Cristobal, while Lucas penned a written report for the Cardinal which he sent by a messenger, then made himself scarce. He feared having given away many dangerous secrets simply by being in contact with Verdugo. He headed for Don Hector de Ontivares's estancia and reported the situation to the Inner Council of Los Vagos. Don Hector promised to contact El Vago himself.
Lucas, hoping to draw in the representatives of Gallegos province before the secession was irreversible and use those votes for Javier, contact Bishop Tito Garcia, representative of Gallegos Province on the Concilio de la Razon. The bishop had been busily muddying the waters and running interference for his province; after an explanation of the situation he agreed to present Lucas's offer but promised no results. The very next day, however, the bishop and Doņ Elodia Avila de Torres were both found murdered. Lucas blamed himself for having told the bishop too much and made him a target.
Constanza and Ferdinand galloped furiously until San Cristobal, where they immediately headed for the inn where Didi was staying. They asked her to contact Captain Allende, and she said he would be there in a day. As soon as he arrived, Constanza apprised him of the new developments. He still had no taste for the position of king, but joined them and they travelled right bacik towards Vaticine City.
During the five days that this round-trip had taken, more deaths occured in the Concilio de la Razon and the Council of Dons. Decimated, the Concilio de la Razon had been disbanded and his remaining members were in hiding. Lucas met with El Vago himself, only to discover that the Vagabond was no noble hidalgo but a simple commoner, who had originally thought to stike a blow against the Montaigne and rapidly found himself immensely popular. Lucas and him organized Los Vagos into a discreet protection force for the members of the two councils, foiling at least a few more murder attempts.
At last Ferdinand (who started sporting unexplained wounds), Constanza and Javier returned, and Lucas told them of the most recent news. As they were still discussing how to approach the Council of Dons, however, they heard a rumour running through the streets that the Concilio de la Razon had declared Sara Yanez de Grijalva "Castillorum Regina"! Apparently, in an uncharacteristically swift and decisive move, Cardinal Beppo Meuso had appointed new members and carried the motion.
The heroes rushed to the Council of Dons and introduced Prince Javier. Some of the well-paid supporters of the Grijalva claim denied recognizing him. Constanza spoke to them, explained Doņa Sara's position and support, and disclosed the gist of the Inquisition's secret sin. There was, she said, no need to dispute Javier's claim to the succession since he would uphold the Grijalva, protect them from their enemies, and bring the Inquisition to justice. They needed only speak with Doņa Sara herself to be convinced. Lucas went to fetch Sara-Melisandre, and found the Grijalva delegation in disarray. They had heard of Javier's return and were certain their bid had failed and they must run for safety. Melisandre convinced Don Estevan to bring her, and the archives, in front of the Council of Dons and ally with Javier.
The dons were convinced by the evidence, but the situation remained complicated. Because of all the alliances, trading of favours, promises, and bribes, it might take months to realign all those interests and silence the nay-sayers, months during which Montaigne could recover or Avalon could feel opportunist, and pounce on a fractured Castille. All these fine politicians concocted the perfect solution by proposing that Sara and Javier marry and rule jointly. The two principals in this were less than enthusiastic. Constanza brought some good arguments to muster an easier consensus from both councils, but sadly agreed that the alliance would be a sound tactic. She had of course, expected this solution to be proposed. Javier and Constanza both tried to convince the dons to try a government of the people by the people but this was rapidly dismissed as infeasible.
However, Ferdinand chimed in with the suggestion that the monarchs have the marriage annuled as soon as the political situation was smoothed out, allowing Melisandre to step down (and elope with Sebastiano). There was some doubt as to how feasible it might be to obtain such an annulment, but Constanza perked up. She had a few words in private with Javier, suggesting that bigamy would be a fairly iron-clad reason to annul the second marriage. Javier proposed this solution to the schemers, and Melisandre-Sara added another twist: she could, she said, obtain a sworn affidavit from a renowned physician that she was incapable of bearing children due to an injury she had received during her adventures. They hoped that this combination would make an annulment likely to be granted.
The affidavit was obtained within the hour, and everyone ran to the cathedral for a highly improper, un-rehearsed and hurried wedding ceremony between Prince Javier and Constanza. An agreement of principle was hammered out betwen all factions, then the new King Javier and Queen Sara (publicly bethrothed) handed to Lucas a jointly signed warrant for the arrest of Cardinal Esteban Verdugo.
Lucas took Ferdinand and Constanza to assist him, and headed for the Cardinal's appartments. They were admitted by the gruff Eisen guards and found the Cardinal alone, drinking wine. Lucas refused the offered cup and ordered the Cardinal to accompany him. Verdugo ignored the order, musing aloud on the nature of sin. Pressed to comply, he laughed and announced that he would make his own exit; the wine would see to it. Then he collapsed. A quick look at the carafe informed Ferdinand that this was an extremely fast-acting poison. Constanza rushed to the dying Verdugo's side, asking him to save his own soul and reveal the Inquisition's sin.
"It is strange," he murmured, "that I have ordered hundreds to their death in order to save their souls. Only once did I hesitate -- and he lives..." With a last gasp, the Cardinal expired.
Frantically, they searched his rooms but he had had enough time to burn all his papers. Ferdinand found only, in one fireplace, a partly melted wax seal which still showed the shape of six serpents entwined, and the words "St. Julius". Constanza frowned; there was no St. Julius in the calendar, but there had been a Senator Julius at the time of the Bargain. From the Inquisition gaols, they freed many poor souls but of the Inquisitors themselves, only the rank-and-file could be found. The Knight Inquisitors had disappeared to a man.
They reported this to the monarchs. Queen Sara demanded that the charred body of King Sandoval be exhumed from the royal crypt so that she could examine it and try to determine if it was in fact him. All that could be concluded in the end, however, is that there was no way anyone could have determined that this was in fact him, making the interment rather suspect. Nevertheless, no King Sandoval was found among the liberated prisoners.
