FROM DYAN'S JOURNAL
Once I asked Cawdour why he supposed that the chancellor had been able to seize so much power with so little effort.
"The secret of Harouck's success," Cawdour told me, "is a thing that goes beyond his command of sorcery. He is a consummate politician. Sorcery combined with worldly self-interest weaves a dangerous spell.
"Most magicians are impractical dreamers. Try as they might, few of them amount to anything, as men rate achievement. The stories of accomplished spellcasters living meanly in forest huts are sometimes true. But while most wizards scorn the tedium of bureaucratic labor, Harouck thrived on it. He put both his political savvy and his sorcery to work for the fulfillment of his ambitions.
"Before long, those who stood in his way were being dismissed on charges of corruption, or were taking ill and retiring before their time. Whenever he confronted a more skilled politician, he relied on sorcery; when confronted by a superior wizard, he used political trickery.
“Harouck eventually rose to First Secretary to the chancellor. Hardly had the old king died before his superior was being confronted by accusations. Nothing was proven, but Harouck had a pivotal ally in Prince Cathmor, the heir apparent.
"For years, he had been flattering the youth for his devotion to a dissolute lifestyle and, whenever he could, enabled it. The old chancellor too much reminded the prince of his own stern father. He was only too ready to advance a crony whom he supposed would continue on as a servile underling.
"Harouck wasted no time in putting his own minions into power, so that the whole government soon became naught but an echo of one upstart's iron will. Only a strong king could have checked him, but I do fear that had King Cathmor become Harouck's opponent, he would have fared no better than any other enemy of the new chancellor. But the young king is absolutely surpassed in the politics of power. The sad truth is that he has always lusted for the empty pomp of kingship, not its taxing duties.
"Harouck reigns as a virtual regent while the king dwells in a countryside palace. Instead of consulting with his ministers, Cathmor is surrounded by mistresses and sporting companions. No doubt Harouck has selected the king's bodyguards and watches him with spies that report his every word and deed.
“A usurper craves popularity until his power is unchallengeable, and never doubt that Harouck is popular. He has robbed the exchequer to buy favor with the landless masses, men without shops or trades. The more wastrel they are, the more likely they will be to cheer the munificent statesman for the dole he bestows. He is beloved by the drunkard, the gambler, and the thief in the streets.
"The military distrusted him from the first day, of course, but the chancellor has used bribery and blackmail to retire the most troublesome of the commanders. Every year he has further reduced the size of the army. Its last units now languish in scattered barracks, while militiamen, many of them foreign hirelings, have been empowered to secure the internal order.
"They carry out orders that knights of the realm, men of the people, would not have countenanced. Harouck's sorry militia could not win a war, of course, but they are effective enough in keeping down an unarmed population.
“Remember this, Rodin: a nation is rarely brought low by invaders from without. Foreign oppression, in fact, unites a people in resistance, forges their love of country into a mighty weapon, leading to popular revolt and a robust revival.
"But native-born despotism is a demoralizing thing; it puts each subject at the throat of every other. Each one clambers over one another to snatch for the oppressor's handouts. The allure of gain is ever corrosive to the love of country. Harouck has won over many who should have known better. It is not just the wastrel, but also many a person of rank and office, who will welcome in a tyranny for no more than the promise of a few favors.”
*****
The Liar's Smile
