Chapter 21: October 1613
The afternoon after Cecil's funeral, the Queen met with her Cabinet. She'd hoped to go over what she'd learned on the continent as soon as she'd gotten back, but there were just too many pressing concerns.
So now she sat with her ministers and Gin, who had a sack of various visual aids. The men were no doubt curious, though that would no doubt be replaced by shock at what Elizabeth had to say. "Lords and gentlemen, I need you to take action for my sake, and that of the Kingdom. And I will not lie to you, these acts will risk war with the Holy Roman Emperor."
Shock was followed by panicked reluctance. "We haven't yet heard back from our agents in Paris-" Salisbury warned.
"-even with the support of the Protestant Union-" Lord Hamilton, the Scottish representative worried.
"We can't get drawn back into those Wars of Religion-" Lord Cork, the Irish representative winced.
Elizabeth let her ministers squawk for a few moments then rapped in the table in front of her. "I'm aware what an incredible risk this is. But once you see what we've uncovered, I'm sure you'll agree we need to act. And there is a hope that if we do our job we might in fact prevent a war."
That silenced them all. The Queen gestured to Dare who placed what was now Elizabeth's sword on the table. "This was recovered from one of raiding parties. The King Consort confirmed that it's of far higher quality than most bandits could ever buy."
"Yes, it could be stolen," Elizabeth allowed, cutting off that debate. "But we've seen more of them on our return. Enough to look like someone is arming them."
They are also far better organized than they should be," Gin noted. "A key part of our escape from their trap was the reconnaissance from my men. They found an interconnected force that moved to cover gaps and showed both communication and common training."
"Mercenaries then?" Salisbury asked. Gin felt badly for the man. Though holding together, he was pale and far quieter than he'd been even when she first arrived.
"Yes, my Lord," she answered. "And the most likely sources for those mercenaries are Hapsburg."
"But surely the situation can't be that grave," insisted the advisor to the Church of Wales. "You did manage to get here unmolested."
Elizabeth shook her head. "Even with our scouts, we still saw combat three times. And that was with warriors used to not using roads and several subterfuges."
Gin pulled put a bird's mask. The type doctors used during the plagues, and the ministers flinched back reflexively. "Many pulled back from this attire, as you do. But to do this regularly is untenable."
"Which means we need to break an outwardly looking crime movement that extends through outwardly looking friendly territory. You can see how this could go badly if misinterpreted," Elizabeth explained.
"Or used as pretext," Salisbury noted.
"May I speak, ma'am?" The Archbishop of Canterbury was introspective, and rarely spoke at Council.
Elizabeth nodded warmly. "Of course, sir."
"I don't see how we can morally refuse her Majesty's orders," he admitted.
"Really?" The Archbishop of Dublin gasped.
"There is one thing that hasn't been mentioned yet," Canterbury noted. "These are cruel men dispatched across many lands. Though their target may be our peoples, they put hundreds of innocent lives at risk. Now that we are aware of them, we must respond."
The church advisors were immediately convinced by that argument. And there were other helpful ideas there too. "That could be our official response," Hamilton suggested. "Humanitarian assistance could persuade France and the Emperor not to intervene."
"Very good", Elizabeth told them. "Please make up what plans you need. I'd like to see my children again before Christmas."
"Yes, ma'am," they all answered.