After New Ghis fell, the coalition launched a sweeping internal campaign to "rectify conduct and purge traitors."
They believed there were two possible reasons their military secrets had been exposed. First, the coalition commanders might have loose tongues, carelessly spreading the contents of high-level meetings everywhere, or they might be too undisciplined and leave confidential documents lying around. Second, there might be a traitor within the coalition leadership.
"Rectifying conduct" targeted the first possibility; "purging traitors" targeted the second.
And during the hunt for spies, the incident that shocked the coalition leadership the most was the mutual denunciation between Traeger and Zaro.
The identities of the two were simply too prominent. One was Quarth's representative and the commander of the Third Fleet; the other represented the alliance of Lys, Tyrosh, and Myr, and controlled nearly a quarter of the coalition's logistics and supply convoys.
If even people of that rank were betraying the revolution, then what hope did the revolution have left?
That round of spy-hunting nearly shattered the coalition's morale. Fortunately, Jenny discovered the Dragon Queen's true operative and cleared the names of the two commanders who had already been thrown into prison. Only then did the coalition regain unity, allowing the high command to stand together against a common enemy and recover its spirit.
But how did Traeger and Zaro end up biting at each other?
Do you remember the second dragon battle that happened in Meereen?
The one where Barristan was ambushed by the Dragon Queen, and the Dragonslayer's Horn was destroyed.
After the incident, the coalition suspected there was a traitor. The one whom the War God Yunkai suspected was Traeger.
Traeger's rise to power had been inexplicable. There seemed to be the Dragon Queen's shadow behind him, and his wife, Rinnece, was the sister of White Knight Garth. That connection alone…
So the War God Yunkai quietly sought out Zaro, told him his suspicions, and instructed Zaro to inquire discreetly while redeeming the captives in Astapor (see Chapter 524).
Zaro remembered his mission well, and he indeed questioned both Daenerys and Tyrion.
Unlucky man.
He just happened to ask the two most intelligent and cunning people in Slaver's Bay, and both of them were plotting against him at that exact moment—planning to return captured wyvern riders equipped with tracking devices back to the coalition.
Naturally, Zaro returned to New Ghis carrying the conclusion that "Traeger may be the traitor," and Daenerys also learned that Zaro suspected Traeger.
On the night of the New Ghis raid, she even deliberately arranged for Daenys to perform a staged act at Traeger's home.
The letter Daenys had Traeger copy had actually been written by a scholar imitating Zaro's handwriting and style under Daenerys's instructions.
Traeger only felt the handwriting looked familiar at first. Later, he quietly found Sanetti—a native of New Ghis, a local powerbroker—and asked him to gather letters and documents from all coalition commanders.
Eventually, Traeger discovered the substitute the Dragon Queen had prepared for him, the one she intended to take the blame, the "real" traitor within the coalition: Zaro.
Zaro was the Dragon Queen's old acquaintance, someone with whom she had shared life-and-death experiences.
That was Zaro's supposed motive for betraying the revolution.
At first, Traeger remembered Daenys's warning that "there are more spies in the coalition leadership than just the two of you," so he did not immediately report Zaro.
It was not a particularly clever choice, but it was certainly a cautious one.
Think of Chan Wing-yan from Infernal Affairs. If he had been as patient as Traeger—after discovering Lau Kin-ming's identity as a dirty cop—he might have survived by staying silent and watching for Han Chen's other undercover agents in the police force, instead of getting shot in the head.
But Zaro actively dragged Traeger down with him.
After New Ghis fell, the surviving coalition commanders searched for reasons behind their defeat.
There was no need to guess. Even a fool could see there must have been a traitor.
Zaro immediately thought of Traeger. He summoned Rinnece for a simple attempt at intimidation, and Traeger "exposed himself."
But from Traeger's perspective, it was Zaro who had betrayed the coalition. Fearing exposure, Zaro naturally tried to use him—the scapegoat—as a shield.
How could Traeger endure that?
He revealed everything.
He publicly laid out all the causes and consequences.
The Dragon Queen had framed him, intending for him to take the fall for the real traitor.
And to be fair, it all sounded quite logical.
Thus, both Traeger and Zaro were arrested.
Then, the investigation into Zaro implicated the War God Yunkai, and Sanetti appeared to be Traeger's accomplice. Following the trail from Grazdan and Sanetti down the chain…
The entire coalition leadership was thrown into panic. It would have been strange if morale had not collapsed.
If not for the sudden outbreak of the Blood Plague, and the shapeshifters' overly frequent activities exposing their tracks, who knows how far the "rectification and purge movement" would have gone.
Although the two were eventually cleared, the resentment between them had taken deep root. They even suspected the other might actually be the real traitor, because—
They themselves were traitors now.
"That is how it happened. Jenny does have a trump card, but she clearly does not trust us, so she did not reveal it during the meeting. However, Your Majesty can rest assured. I will continue to follow up on this matter."
After the meeting, back aboard the Third Fleet's flagship, Zaro spoke quietly to the sea-swallow perched on his desk inside the captain's quarters.
"Prince Raggedcloak is a believer of Balerion. He knows Jenny's secret. The Long-Nosed King also seems to know something. I suspect it is related to the elephant soldiers. I recommend allocating more intelligence resources to monitoring their units.
"Also, the Eastern Army is about to undergo a major strategic redeployment."
After the meeting, Traeger returned to Green Isle. Keeping it from his wife, he spoke to a raven in his study.
Well, they were not traitors at first. But after being imprisoned as traitors, and after Daenerys repeatedly threatened and enticed them through ravens, they truly became traitors.
First, both had been wronged, so resentment simmered in their hearts.
They resented the Dragon Queen's deceit, and they hated how their fellow coalition officers never trusted them.
Second, both had weaknesses Daenerys could exploit.
Traeger's rise to power truly owed itself to the Dragon Queen burning the Lyseni princes alive from dragonback. But the only reason she had been able to locate them so precisely was because Rinnece guided her.
Rinnece was Traeger's wife. Traeger had benefited the most from the deaths of the princes.
Zaro, on the other hand, had no true "weakness," but the Dragon Queen knew his home address.
During her dragonfire destruction of Qarth, she had deliberately avoided burning down his mansion and the warehouse he owned by the docks.
If he refused her today, she might correct that "oversight" tomorrow—burning Zaro into a penniless beggar.
And finally, the most important factor: profit.
The Dragon Queen promised them wealth and status.
When the coalition had just been formed, her promises were worthless. In the early stages of the war, everyone believed she was destined to fail.
What use were promises from someone doomed to lose?
But after the Battle of Tolos, the Meereen dragon battle, the fall of New Ghis, the Blood Plague ravaging the Eastern Army, the horsemen of the Northern Army departing, and the Dragon Queen striking in all directions on dragonback day after day…
The coalition was not made of iron, and not everyone possessed steel-forged resolve.
After experiencing all this, how could they not be discouraged? How could their hearts not grow shrouded in doubt?
Oros.
Outside the sacred hall where Daenerys once received the Grand Mage's inheritance.
The sea of smoke from the erupting lava spread outward, and an endless dark-red ocean rose with towering black pillars of smoke. The seawater boiled, and white steam billowed above the waves.
"I understand that there are traitors among the high command of the allied forces, which is why I only told the secret to you."
At the edge of the cliff, the scorching sea wind mixed with the smell of sulfur blew against Jenny's cloak. The red glow rising from the depths illuminated her porcelain-doll face in flickering light.
"What are you planning to do?" The Ragged Prince, drenched in sweat, rasped out his question.
He was from an old noble family of Pentos, a descendant of Valyria, and even a branch of House Balerion. After the Doom, he still worshiped the ancient Valyrian god Balerion.
That was why, after meeting Jenny, he completely abandoned his connection with the Dragon Queen.
But he was still just an ordinary human, struggling to endure this cursed land of extreme heat and high magical radiation.
"Beneath this sea, the earthfire of the Fourteen Flames still remains." Jenny spread her arms wide as if embracing the world. Her voice was ringing, her expression full of pride. "Do you know what this means?"
"It means I can rebuild a magic-net nexus at Oros, at the seaside sanctuary, with power a hundred or even a thousand times greater than Dragonstone."
"A magic-net nexus? What use is that for the upcoming Battle of Meereen?" the Ragged Prince asked in confusion.
"Heh. In an information war, I can block every glass-candle transmission in the world and turn every mage into the equivalent of a blind and deaf fool. In a magic war, I can—"
Her words stopped abruptly, and the fervor on Jenny's face suddenly shifted into regret.
"Unfortunately, the gods sealed this land. The magic tower cannot transmit the power it extracts, so it cannot send unlimited magic to me at the front."
"Even gaining an information advantage is already remarkable," the Ragged Prince said excitedly. "Euron recently sent a raven to contact us. Maybe we can dispatch a squad of wyverns to Westeros, cut off Dragonstone's magic-net communications, and then strike to capture Aegon!"
Jenny's eyes brightened. She nodded with a smile. "A good idea. If we seize Aegon, we might be able to use him as leverage. Even if she refuses to be threatened, sacrificing him before the final battle would throw her mind into chaos, and then—"
"And then my little darling can make its grand entrance."
"Boom!" Before she finished speaking, steam-shrouded water suddenly erupted, splashing forty or fifty meters high from the smoky sea.
"Aaaaargh—" Even the gray clouds overhead seemed blasted apart, revealing a thin ray of sunlight.
The Ragged Prince widened his eyes, then collapsed to his knees with a thud, trembling as he muttered, "Balerion above… that size…"
"Large? No, this is still only the newborn stage. Once I complete the magic-crystal tower and the sea-like power of magic pours into its body… at that time, Daenerys's five little reptiles won't even be enough for one bite. Hahahaha!"
Valyria truly had deep reserves. Balerion's methods truly reached the heavens. To think they still had such a weapon. No wonder not even two hundred thousand Dothraki could make her flinch.
The Ragged Prince felt his heart boiling with excitement.
When Daenerys received the intelligence report and began racking her brains over what other ultimate weapon Jenny might have, trouble arose once again in Westeros.
Tommen I was dead.
Tommen was ten years old that year, with golden hair and blue eyes, a round chubby face, and a plump little body. His temperament was as harmless as his appearance—gentle, shy, fond of reading, and fond of playing with cats, dogs, and other small animals.
The last two years had been difficult for poor Tommen. First his mother was arrested by the High Sparrow and paraded through the streets.
Then his wife drank moon tea, causing a scandal known throughout the realm.
The people of King's Landing did not blame Margaery; instead they believed he was incompetent and could not satisfy "Saint Margaery."
Even that might have been manageable, since he was young, naïve about matters between men and women, and no one had bothered to whisper explanations in his ear.
But then his mother suddenly locked up his wife. Next she killed his in-laws, and not long after that another shocking revelation surfaced—his beloved elder brother, King Joffrey, had been murdered by his own wife. No, wait. At that time she had still been his sister-in-law!
Now Tommen was finally free. He had escaped the cesspit that was King's Landing and returned to the arms of the Mother. That was how the High Sparrow phrased it, though both Blackfyre and Daenerys disagreed.
Early that morning, a maid waited outside the king's chambers for a long time but heard no call from Tommen. She entered with Ser Meryn Trant of the Kingsguard, only to be horrified at the sight: the king's face was swollen purple, and a black crust of dried blood marked the corner of his mouth.
Ser Meryn reached out again to test his breath.
There was no need. His body was stiff and cold, with faint corpse spots forming beneath the skin.
The Red Keep instantly descended into chaos.
Cersei nearly collapsed, clutching her son's body as she wailed in indescribable grief.
Just as she ordered the Mountain to slaughter the servants in Tommen's chambers, her cousin Ser Davon reminded her: the dead can sometimes be brought back. Better to keep the servants alive for questioning and first seek out the High Sparrow at the Great Sept.
This was Cersei's first time returning to the Great Sept of Baelor since the trial by combat.
When she arrived, she found that even more believers had gathered to pray to the Seven.
On the marble plaza, a long line had formed of those seeking healing—gray-robed commoners, nobles in rich silk and fur, and knights with swords at their sides.
Cersei had only just risen from bed and still wore her nightclothes. Her hair was loose, her clothes disheveled, and her feet bare. Clutching Tommen in her arms, she rode hard through the city, forcing her way through crowds until she reached the steps of the preaching platform.
She didn't queue. Holding her nearly hundred-pound son, she shoved her way through like a madwoman, crying out, "Your Holiness! High Sparrow, help me!"
The High Sparrow was standing at the entrance of the statue of the Mother, pressing a healing hand to the head of a frail little girl. Whatever the illness was, his holy healing had no side effects anyway.
"Your Grace?"
The sight of Cersei—wild-eyed, distorted with grief—startled the High Sparrow. For a moment, he barely recognized her.
"Your Holiness, Mother have mercy, please save my son!" Cersei's usual sharpness and pride vanished entirely. She fell to her knees before the High Sparrow, fragile as a cattail in winter, weeping in desperate supplication.
"Ah… the king. King Tommen…" Only now did the crowd notice the swollen, blackened face of the boy in her arms.
A flicker of hesitation passed across the High Sparrow's aged face. He was about to refuse, but after seeing Cersei's pitiful state and recalling the teachings of the Mother's mercy, he sighed and said, "Bring him into the inner hall."
Seeing several Kingsguard hurrying from afar, he added coolly, "Monsters may not enter holy ground."
In the end, only Cersei and Ser Meryn entered the Great Sept.
And that was how Daenerys learned that Tommen was dead.
The High Sparrow did not deceive Cersei. He sincerely prayed to the Mother: although Tommen I was born of sin, he had been gentle and dutiful. During every festival at the turn of the moon, he came to the Sept to pray. He hoped the Mother might show compassion and grant a miracle.
The High Sparrow was not acting from pure kindness. If the Seven could revive a king, the significance would be enormous.
But even the Mother could not resurrect someone whose soul had already drifted beyond reach.
Tommen might have believed in the Seven, but he did not even have fifty points of devout faith. He was far from the two hundred needed for a saint. In other words, he could not open the gate of faith, and his soul could not enter the Seven's realm.
"This is fate. He has been dead too long," the Mother said with regret.
(End of chapter)
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