Book of The Dead

Merigold wasn’t too sure what she should expect when she arrived back in the capital. In truth, she had very deliberately tried not to think about it. There were many, unspeakable ways in which those who had failed the Empire could die, especially if they were successfully labelled a traitor by the court. Even in the back of her mind, she’d never thought it would go that far. Being from a minor house, she may not have any power in the court, but she had been appointed to her position by a decree of the Emperor, that had to count for something!

Shivering in a small wine parlour in the city, not from the cold, for the roaring fire and heavily enchanted internal walls of the establishment maintained a steady warmth, but from the swirl of emotions she felt inside. Fear, doubt, relief all warred within her in equal measure, none able to triumph over the others. Being alone for the first time in weeks didn’t help, leaving her feeling isolated, alone against the world.

Only then did she realise just how much she had come to rely on the steady presence of Stennis to feel safe. He had saved her life dozens of times over the previous month, from assassinations, raging battle and foraging and hunting for food as they travelled.

Without him, she felt incredibly exposed. Any of the other diners, laughing, smiling, drinking their wine and enjoying the various aromatics, served on shimmering plates of Arcanist Porcelain, could be a killer, waiting for their moment to strike.

To try and steady her nerves, she reached down and lifted her own cup. The heady scent of the grapes, undercut with a hint of citrus, spoke of a much stronger wine than anything she would normally drink, but Merigold took a deep sip anyway. It wasn’t her first, and the buzz in the back of her head was growing louder by the minute, helping to quiet her shrieking nerves.

By the time she had finished the cup, the shaking had stopped, but her vision was starting to blur just a little around the edges. Hopefully she didn’t need to do anything too important today and could wait a few more hours while her head cleared.

“Lady Herimar.”

Merigold blinked, then turned to the side. Honoured Stennis stood, hands behind his back, looking down on her, his expression as inscrutable as ever.

“When… when did you get here?” she asked him.

“Just now.”

“Oh,” she turned back to the door, directly in her eyeline. “How did you get in?”

“Quickly,” he said, pulling a heavy coin from the pouch on his belt and placing it on the table. “Come, we must go, now.”

Her hands began to tremble once more, the fog receding a little as the fear broke through.

“How bad is it?” she mumbled. “Are my parents in prison?”

“No, they’re fine,” he insisted. “Excuse me.” So saying, he reached under her arm and helped her up out of her chair. “Let’s go.”

“Where are we going? Stennis? What’s going on?”

“There have been some changes in the court,” he said, herding her out the door, his eyes darting in all directions at once. “This location isn’t secured, I don’t want to say too much here, there may be Listeners.”

Every wine parlour, tea shop and restaurant in the capital could be the setting for a gathering of important nobles. Even minor nobles such as herself, workers within the grand machine that was the Imperial Court, held information that might mean nothing to them, but could be life-changing to others. To harvest this great field of gossip, rumours and hearsay, professional eavesdroppers, or Listeners, infested the capital, trading on titbits of information for their livelihoods. With skills and feats that gave them unbelievably fine hearing, the best were said to be able to hear the words on a page from two rooms away.

Bursting with questions and a renewed anxiety, Merigold kept her mouth shut as Stennis led her out into the busy street and then took off, his long strides eating up the ground. She was completely unable to keep up with even the casual speed of a platinum ranked warrior, but with his hand supporting her and holding her up, she was half-dragged along, struggling to keep her balance.

Not falling took so much of her focus, she didn’t notice at first where they were heading.

“Why are we going deeper into the city?” she hissed with alarm as she realised they were closing in towards the inner court, the Palace of Ascension, glittering like a jewel in the sky, drawing ever closer overhead.

“You need to get to your administration,” he replied without looking at her. “Things are moving quickly.”

His eyes continued to scan constantly. Every person, every window, every angle was examined for danger, assessed for threat. Merigold felt a chill run down her spine. There was real danger here.

“What things? What’s happening?” she asked.

“We can’t talk here,” he said. “Trust me, you will be safe once we arrive at the Administration.”

Safe? There? In her eyes, that was the most dangerous place she could be! There would be nowhere to hide, buried in the middle of the Imperial Compound, surrounded on all sides by the bureaucracy! Yet, she had only survived this long by trusting in Honoured Stennis, she wouldn’t begin to doubt him now.

To arrive at their destination, they had to cover a lot of ground and get through multiple security checkpoints, though. Once she was identified, surely she would be taken into custody. Her enemies would have brought charges against her weeks ago, surely.

Stennis was ahead of her.

“Get ready to produce the Emperor’s Seal,” he muttered to her, his voice so low as to be barely audible.

“What?” she gasped, still struggling to maintain her balance as he hauled her down the crowded streets.

He deftly pulled her around a wagon of cabbages without breaking stride.

“You need it to skip the security checkpoints. I could carry you over the walls, but that would stir up the guards.”

Jumping over the wall would be sheer madness! Whipping out the Emperor’s Seal in such a public setting, though… it would draw attention, a lot of attention. Even if she only showed it at one checkpoint, word would spread throughout the court before ten minutes had passed.

Lost in a haze of confusion, unable to ask questions and mostly occupied with not falling over, Merigold could barely think and before she knew it, they had arrived at the first guard post. The presence of Honoured Stennis was enough to have the members of the Divine Army on duty standing tall. When she produced the Imperial Seal, they all slammed into the ground, pressing their faces down so as not to stain the document with their lowly eyes.

“Please. Pass through with the Emperor’s blessing,” the chief rasped, barely able to summon the words.

Before Merigold could even finish folding the page and slipping it back into her sleeve, Stennis had seized her arm once again. Surely she was starting to bruise by now, his grip was like iron, and they were moving once again.

“Surely you can say something now,” she gasped, running out of breath after so much running. “What’s happening?”

“There has been restructuring in the court,” he told her. “Things are in chaos right now, but it has moved in a direction that is beneficial to you. I can’t say much more, even here.”

Not even here?! Through the first checkpoint, away from the citizenry?! Wait… was the Palace of Ascension descending? Everything was happening so fast, Merigold felt as if the world were spinning around her.

Yes, the Palace was definitely coming down. Perhaps the court would be meeting today? It was a little late in the day for a full session to start now, though, surely….

As they moved deeper, the buildings became larger and more elaborate, the gardens more beautiful, the passersby more dignified. These were the outer noble families and houses, blessed with godly lineage, but without much power or influence. Soon they arrived at the second checkpoint, a gate through the decorated wall of the inner capital. Here too, the guards prostrated themselves the moment they laid eyes on the Imperial Seal. Not for a second did they consider the document to be fake, for who would dare impersonate the Emperor’s mark?

Even if it was fake, if they questioned it, they could be put to death for failing to honour such a convincing forgery, their loyalty shown to be insufficient.

Through the wall, they were now inside the Court. Every estate here was palatial, with its own outer wall and carefully maintained outer garden. Even the street was a piece of art, with every tile underfoot carved into an intricate mosaic pattern before being sealed with alchemical agents to preserve the stone.

These were the houses of the higher nobles, those with greater wealth and positions within the court or administration. The more they ran, the larger and more opulent the structures became, all of it a blur in her eyes as Stennis refused to slow down.

Eventually, they arrived at the third checkpoint, larger than the two previous combined, with a hundred troops in elaborate armour standing at attention, their polearms held at a precise forty-five degree angle. Behind them, the enormous wall that separated the Imperial Court from the outside world. Within, the various bureaus and administration buildings, palaces, cathedrals, libraries and record-keeping facilities, along with the grand array that supported the Palace of Ascension itself.

Clearly, word had reached the wall ahead of them. When Merigold produced the seal, the men were shaken, but not surprised, and lowered to prostrate themselves on the ground with grace and dignity.

Once inside, Merigold yelped as Honoured Stennis pulled her towards him, swept her off her feet, and began to sprint, holding her in his arms. Shocked beyond words, the world became a blur as he ran as fast as he could, his strength and speed far beyond human capability. He kicked, and she shrieked in alarm as a fierce wind struck her. Looking down, she realised he had leapt over a building rather than go around it, landing lightly on the other side, never dropping his speed.

Dishevelled and pale-faced, she arrived at the entrance of her own, humble administration building. Stennis placed her down and she staggered, her legs gone to jelly, before he caught her and quickly ushered her inside.

“We made it,” he said to someone in the room, she couldn’t tell who. “I’ll establish a perimeter with my men.”

Just like that, he was gone again, vanishing outside while Merigold wondered if she was going to throw up. Blearily, she raised her head, wondering who was in the room with her.

The High Lady Lofis met her gaze coolly, no shroud concealing her appearance.

“My Lady!” Merigold croaked, surging to her feet, only to fall back into her chair as her legs refused to support her weight. She averted her gaze, horrified that she had committed a cardinal sin.

“Don’t get up,” the High Lady said, a slight smile on her face. “I understand you arrived here rather quickly.”

“I don’t… really know what’s happening,” she said, still trying to catch her breath. She must look horrible, her hair a complete mess and her clothing drenched in sweat. It was humiliating to be seen this way by someone of such a high station.

“It will be explained soon,” she said. “There has been a great change in the court over recent weeks.”

A deep, rumbling tone rolled through the air, a sound that everyone in the capital recognised immediately. The Palace of Ascension had settled at ground level.

“Have a glass of water,” Lady Lofis advised, pointing to the waiting decanter on the table. “The Emperor will want to explain it to you himself.”

Merigold froze.

“I’m sorry?!”