Chapter 211: Lord of Astapor (Part One)
It wasn't until the morning of the second day after Ian's army had marched out of Astapor that Kraznys's riders caught up with his column on the coastal road along the Ghiscari shoreline.
The message was simple: Astapor had reconsidered. The Good Masters — or rather, the man who now spoke for all of them — were prepared to accept Ian's original terms and offer him the use of three pyramids within the city.
Ian received this news with a performance of convincing bewilderment, agreed to the revised terms, and turned his army around.
On the afternoon of the third day, he rode back through Astapor's main gate into the Punishment Plaza.
The air still carried the iron smell of blood. But the plaza looked different now. The crucified slaves were still there — that hadn't changed. What had changed was everything else.
There were no more Good Masters in Astapor.
The day after Ian's departure, Kraznys mo Nakloz had moved fast. His Unsullied had surrounded the other Good Masters before they'd finished dividing what they thought would be their spoils, taking them in a single sweep. Fehmar's soldiers had then spent the following hours dismantling the power of every major family in the city. Kraznys had declared himself the sole lord of Astapor before nightfall.
Of the eight families that had shared power in the city, only the Kerviz family — longtime allies of the Nakloz — had survived with their holdings intact.
Three families had been purged outright, including old Grazdan's. His family had controlled the largest share of trade in Astapor, held vast farmland along the east bank of the Worm River, and owned tens of thousands of serfs and laborers. When Grazdan and his kin refused to submit and made the mistake of voicing their contempt for Kraznys openly, they were nailed to the posts of the Punishment Plaza. Their entire household followed them.
Their pyramid had been cleared and handed over to Ian.
The remaining three families had simply reshuffled. After their patriarchs were arrested, the Unsullied instructors that Celia had quietly cultivated at Ian's banquet stepped into the vacated positions. Having sworn loyalty to Kraznys, those three families were spared.
Sunlight came through the diamond-cut green glass panels set into the sloping pyramid walls, washing the hall in cool emerald light. A breeze moved through from the open terrace, carrying the smell of flowering plants from the roof garden above.
Kraznys mo Nakloz sat at the head of the hall — alone at the high seat now, no equals flanking him on either side. The surviving Astapori lords stood arranged to his right, quiet and careful. To Ian's left stood his own people: Rol, Case, the man they called Black Wing Dorian, Poron, and the newly commissioned Unsullied officers — Grey Worm among them.
The hall could have fit several hundred people without crowding. It was well-kept, richly furnished, and genuinely impressive.
Ian had to admit that Ghiscari pyramid architecture was something else entirely.
He stepped to the center of the hall, offered a formal bow to Astapor's new master and the assembled nobility, then straightened.
"I think someone owes me an explanation." His voice carried easily through the space. "When I left, I was told the Good Masters had reconsidered and agreed to my terms. When I arrived back, I was informed there are no longer any Good Masters." He spread his hands. "What exactly happened here while I was on the road?"
Missandei translated the words into High Valyrian, loud and clear. She stood directly behind Ian, and whatever fear she'd once shown in Kraznys's presence was gone.
Kraznys's brow furrowed immediately. He turned to Fehmar beside him. "What is this? You told me you had brought him around."
"Telling an outsider about internal Astapori affairs in advance would have been a security risk," Fehmar replied quietly. "It's not too late to make the case to him now."
Kraznys straightened in his seat and addressed Ian directly. "As you can see, Astapor now has a single master. Me. Which means our agreement stands without complication. There's no one left to block it or interfere."
"That may be." Ian let a note of genuine disapproval enter his voice. "But you slaughtered your colleagues, Lord Kraznys. Men you sat across from at table. Men you shared a city with for years. You butchered them for personal gain." He shook his head slowly. "You've stained the name of the Ghiscari. You've put a crack in the reputation of Astapor that may never fully close."
After Missandei translated, Ian watched the Astapori lords on the right side of the hall. Several of them exchanged glances and murmured to one another — but none spoke up. The smell of blood in the Punishment Plaza was still fresh. No one was feeling brave.
"Given all of this," Ian said, his tone dropping into something quieter and more deliberate, "I find myself wondering whether I should revisit our agreement entirely."
Kraznys stared at him. "You can't be serious. Who else in the known world can hand you a trained iron army within two years? Who else has what Astapor has?"
"An army means less than it should if the man providing it has shown he'll cut down anyone who stands in his way." Ian let the words settle. "What does it say about me if I'm known to do business with someone who operates like this?"
He held the hesitation for a long moment — then shook his head as though he'd reached a decision, and turned to signal his people toward the door.
"If there's no other business, we'll take our leave."
Kraznys felt the floor shift under him.
He couldn't let Ian walk out. He'd thought this through — he'd been so certain Fehmar had handled it. But if Ian left now, taking eight thousand Unsullied with him, everything Kraznys had just done would collapse on top of him. The families he'd purged had supporters and allies outside the city walls. The lords he'd spared were already watching to see which way the wind blew. Yunkai and Meereen would not sit still for a man who'd just executed half his city's ruling class out of personal ambition. They'd move to make an example of him before the season was out.
He'd die badly. That much was clear.
"Stop him! Say something!" He turned on Fehmar in a panic. "You guaranteed me he would cooperate!"
"I believe I said I could guarantee he would cooperate with me," Fehmar replied, his voice level and quiet.
With Kraznys now occupying the high seat alone, there was no one close enough to overhear them. Fehmar wasn't particularly worried about it.
"What are you—"
"Uncle Kraznys." Fehmar raised his voice suddenly — loud enough to carry to every corner of the hall.
The change in register stopped Ian and his people at the doorway. They turned back, watching.
"Out of loyalty to our family, I have done everything you ever asked of me without question." Fehmar walked down from the dais as he spoke, moving toward the assembled Astapori lords. His voice was carrying the full weight of a public address now, and everyone in the hall could feel it. "When you told me to take Astapor, I did it. I did not hesitate. When you ordered me to move against the other families — men I had known my entire life — it tore at me. But I did it. Because you are my blood, the head of House Nakloz, and I believed you were building toward something worthy of the cost."
He stopped. Turned back toward Kraznys.
"But this order — what you are asking me to do now — I cannot follow. I will not. I am sorry, Uncle. Forgive me."
Kraznys sat very still in the high seat.
He had absolutely no idea what order Fehmar was referring to.
(End of Chapter)
[Reader Support Milestones]
500 Power Stones → +1 Chapter
10 Reviews → +1 Chapter
Enjoyed the read? Leave a review.
30+advanced chapters on P1treon Soulforger