The third instalment in the excellent Agent of the Throne audio drama series (and follow up to the Scribe Award-winning Truth and Dreams), John French’s Ashes and Oaths continues the story of inquisitorial agent Ianthe and the dangerous missions she’s sent on by Inquisitor Covenant. This time around Ianthe and her team are tasked with acquiring the services of an ex-Administratum information broker, on the war-scarred world of Dustcorn. When things don’t quite go to plan, and a dubious figure from a past mission reappears, Ianthe is forced to make some unwelcome compromises in order to get the job done.
Three parts into the series, the structure and style is nicely established – an action-packed narrative featuring Ianthe (Colleen Prendergast) and her team tackling the ups and downs of their mission, interspersed with quiet, reflective moments of an older Ianthe looking back on her younger self. Plot-wise, this time around there’s less of an obvious antagonist as Ianthe navigates the grey areas of life as an inquisitorial agent, never quite sure who she should be believing or working with. If you’ve listened to Truth and Dreams you’ll recognise the sinister figure of Zand, played with oily charm by Beth Chalmers, whose ambiguous presence in the mix is the catalyst for the main conflict within the story.
While Zand’s involvement causes the initial complication for Ianthe and co, resulting in best laid plans turning into breathless, on-the-fly adaptation, the impact of her intrusion into the mission is arguably felt more in the conflict it causes in Ianthe’s sense of loyalty and duty. This is really a story about how far servants of the Throne are prepared to go in order to achieve their goals, and the ways they find to cope with the repercussions of their actions. There’s tension aplenty within Ianthe’s team as the mission progresses, while the older iteration of Ianthe is sounding increasingly bitter and world-weary as she relates not just the events of that mission but other moments in her past and questions of loyalty, purpose and – as the title suggests – the importance (or otherwise) of oaths.
By this point (some years after the events of Truth and Dreams) Ianthe has truly lost what fresh enthusiasm she once had, and Prendergast does an excellent job of portraying both her ruthless efficiency and her growing disillusionment. Likewise Steve Conlin’s Cull, the smart-talking scoundrel growing vocally uncomfortable with his role, in contrast with the rigid loyalty of Cliff Chapman’s cyber-devotee Artabanus. Excellent performances abound, not just from the main cast but also the lesser-used but still impressive Richard Reed and Gesella Ohaka, while once again (and entirely unsurprisingly) the standard of sound design – especially the contrast in dynamics between the explosive mission segments and the hushed moments of reflection – is second to none. As a standalone audio drama it’s action-packed and entertaining, but it’s as a development of these characters that it truly shines. Another worthy addition to this arc, and the overarching Horusian Wars series.
