The Assassins by Alan Bardos (read novel full .TXT) 📕

Monarchy. At home, its eleven different nationalities were all clamouring for equal rights and in some cases self-determination. Abroad, the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy had sought to expand to the east and open new markets to compensate for the loss of territory it had suffered in the west, but they were being resisted by the new Balkan nations rising from the crumbling Ottoman Empire, all of them with competing territorial claims that were destabilising the region.

Serbia had emerged as the Monarchy's main rival; it had grown in power and prestige after its success in the two Balkan Wars and now Serbian nationalists dreamed of recreating a Greater Serbia out of Austro-Hungarian territory in the region, where they spread dissension among the populace.

The Austro-Hungarian Monarchy had adopted an increasingly aggressive foreign policy, in a bid to bolster its prestige and secure the Balkans from nationalist dogma. The wrongheadedness of this approach frustrated Franz Ferdinand. All it achieved was the further straining of relations with Serbia, driving them into the arms of Mother Russia, who was also trying to increase her influence in the region. A number of hardliners in the government and military believed that war was inevitable, and advocated a pre-emptive strike against Serbia, arguing that any risk of war with Russia would be mitigated by their alliance with Germany.

Franz Ferdinand had reservations about the prudence of such a war and had argued against it. When he gained the throne he planned to stabilise the country by reducing Hungary to a Habsburg Crown land and create a centralised state - a united states of Austria, crushed and reshaped back into a feudal society subservient to the will of its Emperor once again. Then he'd deal with the South Slavs and re-establish Habsburg hegemony in the Balkans, once and for all.

Franz Ferdinand was eventually shown into the Walnut Room, where the Emperor conducted his audiences surrounded by dark walnut panelling, lavishly detailed in grand rococo style. The room was both austere and refined, like the Emperor. Franz Josef rose from a consort desk, his kind, benevolent features greyed by his recent bad health. Uncle and nephew greeted each other formally; their relationship was always gracious, but never intimate.

'Your Imperial and Royal Majesty - I am glad to see you are recovered.' If the Emperor had succumbed to his illness, Franz Ferdinand pondered, he wouldn't have had to go through this ridiculous charade.

The Emperor returned to his consort desk and checked his notes. 'I believe you requested this audience to discuss the Bosnian manoeuvres, Franz Ferdinand?' In his youth, the Emperor had been noted for his love of such things, riding bolt upright for hours on end and sharing the men's hardships. However, he'd shown a declining interest in the military with the arrival of modern warfare, finding it all rather bewildering. Franz Ferdinand wondered if that was why the Emperor had made him Inspector General of the Army, handing over the responsibility for attending manoeuvres.

'Your Majesty. I have concerns about the intense summer heat of Bosnia. I'm uncertain whether my health could stand up to it.'

'I see.' The Emperor gave his nephew a hard look. Franz Ferdinand stood up to the unflinching gaze. Despite his current state of infirmity, the Emperor was rarely sick and appeared less than sympathetic to his nephew's concerns.

In his thirties, Franz Ferdinand had contracted tuberculosis and had been exiled to die. The Emperor had even cut Franz Ferdinand's allowance and had begun preparing his younger brother to become heir. The Archduke felt a flush of anger at the memory. He was determined not to get sick again and the chances were that the extreme heat could bring on an asthma attack.

'You understand the importance of a visit by my successor?' Franz Josef asked. From his brusque tone it appeared he still viewed Franz Ferdinand as weak and sickly.

Franz Ferdinand knew that if he missed the manoeuvres it would reflect very badly on his commitment to his role as both Inspector General of the Army and heir to the throne. Franz Josef often expressed reservations about his heir's character, suggesting that he was blunt and overly aggressive, and he refused to share official documents with him, let alone the reins of power. Franz Ferdinand would not give his uncle any further reason to question his suitability to be Emperor.

He looked at a huge wall map that described the Monarchy in a great blur of blue, at the centre of Europe. He would not be responsible for losing any more of it. Franz Ferdinand touched his 'life certificate', the letter his doctor had given him to certify that he had fully recovered from tuberculosis. Franz Ferdinand carried it with him everywhere. 'Yes, Your Majesty. The visit would help check Serbia's growing influence over our Balkan provinces by increasing support amongst those subjects in the province who are loyal to the Monarchy. They would therefore act as a defence against Serbian expansionist policies.'

'Precisely,' the Emperor agreed. 'I was under the impression that you'd asked for the 15th and 16th Army Corps manoeuvres to take place in Bosnia.'

'Yes, Your Majesty.' Franz Ferdinand suspected that the army was in no condition to launch any kind of military campaign in the Balkans, least of all the pre-emptive strike against Serbia that the hardliners were calling for. 'I would like to know how well the army performs in the region,' he explained.

The Emperor almost nodded approval then remembered, 'Yet you do not actually wish to attend the manoeuvres yourself?'

Franz Ferdinand bristled, but managed to control his temper. The Emperor looked at his nephew through tired eyes and sensing the Archduke's rage, he took on the pallor of a sick old man, making Franz Ferdinand feel like a bully.

'It's a matter for your own discretion, Franz Ferdinand. If you feel your health will prevent you from doing your duty, then so be it.'

Franz Ferdinand disagreed with many aspects