by J C Maynard
A door creaked open in the back of the nave. Kyan knew he wasn’t supposed to be in the cathedral and slid underneath a pew. A single pair of steps echoed toward him until he could see a pair of leather boots. He heard a girl’s voice laugh. “I’m not the priest . . . you don’t have to hide.”
Kyan slowly slid back out from under the pew. His eyes widened when he saw the smiling face of Raelynn Nebelle.
“What?” she asked, noticing his expression.
“Oh, nothing . . . What are you doing here?”
She sat down in a pew. “I probably the same as you, looking for answers. What’s your name?”
He swallowed and replied. “Kyan. Yours?”
“My name is Endra. It’s nice to meet you Kyan.” Her fake Ferramish accent was better than the last time he saw her . . . except, he had never seen her before — at least not in this body, but as Calleneck and Eston. She smiled, “So you also snuck under the “no entry” sign?”
Kyan let out a quick chuckle. “ . . . I tend to do things like that.”
“Well that makes you more adventurous, doesn’t it?” Raelynn signaled for him to sit down next to her.
“Why are you here?” asked Kyan. The orange glow of the sunset filtered through the dust in the air and landed on Raelynn’s pensive face.
“Well, personally, I’m not religious. But I think this is a nice place to come to think. Let’s just say I’ve come a long way to answer some questions of mine.”
Kyan saw this as an opportunity to find out more about why she was not in Seirnkov with the Evertauri, seeing as she didn’t know he was both Eston and Calleneck. He was still shocked by the fact that out of the whole city, he had randomly come across her twice. “And what is it you want to find answers to?”
She stared up at the vaulted ceiling. “I live with my father and my brother,” she looked up at the stained glass Great Mother, welcoming her into her arms, “but when I was very young, my mother vanished, and I was hoping to find clues here as to why.”
Kyan’s heart sank; both because that was the same reason he was there and she still did not know that her brother was dead. President Madrick did say that his wife had gone missing back after the fall of the Empire. “And have you gotten any clues?”
She squinted her eyes. “A few, but it’s all blurred and difficult to connect . . . Why are you here?”
“I just like the quiet.” Kyan looked over at her.
“What’s that in your hand?”
Kyan looked down and realized he was still holding the small silver medallion. He paused for a minute.
“May I see it?” she said.
He handed it over to her and she traced the three curved grooves with her fingers as Kyan did. Kyan swallowed, trying not to be conspicuous. “It’s an Olindeux.”
“I’m sorry?” she said.
“An Olindeux . . . It’s sort of like a family crest, but it’s a symbol of love . . . Some parents give them to their kids . . . they’re all unique. It’s silly I-”
“No, it’s beautiful . . .” There was a sadness in her voice, and the more she spoke, the more her fake Ferramish accent faded into her true tone. “Your mother and father must love you.”
“I don’t think so.” The smiled disappeared from his face.
“And why is that?” Raelynn turned toward him, a stranger.
“Because I’ve never seen them . . . I ran away from the orphanage when I was eight. I’ve lived in the city all my life.”
“Have you stayed in Aunestana waiting for them?”
Kyan sat silently.
Raelynn placed the Olindeux back in Kyan’s hand and closed it. “Kyan, was it? Well I hope you find what you are looking for, Kyan. You know, sometimes it’s the lonely people who can offer the most love . . . I should be going soon.” Her fake Ferramish accent returned. “I must go and check the mail tower. Haven’t gotten anything while I’ve been here, but it’s worth a try. I’ll be leaving this place soon anyway.” She stood up and walked down the aisle. “Oh, and Kyan . . . keep that Olindeux of yours.”
Kyan raised his eyebrows. “I wasn’t planning on- okay.”
“I hope we meet again.” Her footsteps echoed off the cathedral walls like the ticking of a clock.
Mordvitch
Chapter Eleven
~Afternoon, September 16th
As usual, the sky above Seirnkov was cloudy and enshrouding. Four Evertauri disguised in civilian clothing stood at a guarded gate to a mansion in the center of the city, near Xandria’s fortress. The four Evertauri — Calleneck, Aunika, and another man and woman — removed their hoods and the Guards stepped forward to meet them.
“What is your business here?” asked a Guard.
“We have a meeting scheduled with Sir Mordvitch.” The tall Evertauri girl in her mid twenties held up a letter invitation.
The Guards looked at each other. “I’m afraid we can’t let you four in without a formal request from the master himself.”
A butler walked out of the doors of the mansion and down the cobblestone driveway, which was lined with perfectly cut grass. “Guards, please grant them entry. I was just speaking to the master.”
The Guards bowed and opened the gate.
“Guests,” said the butler, “please follow me inside.”
Lead by the butler, the Evertauri made their way through the ornate halls of the pristine house. Countless rooms and halls wound through the mansion’s interior. The mansion boasted three separate wings, a library, an observatory, multiple studies, and a large fountain. The butler led them to the back of the mansion and out the doors into a massive garden, which overlooked the entire east side of Seirnkov. Rows of countless flowers lined the garden as well as marble statues and smaller fountains. The mansion and it’s hedges surrounded it, as well as snaking ivy, save for the stone balcony overlooking the city.
“The master will see you soon. Please wait here.” he began to walk away from them when he stopped. “And, well it’s not really in my place to address you but . . . thank you . . . for doing what the rest of us can’t . . . the master will see you soon.”
The four Evertauri looked at each other as he returned back into the house. Aunika grinned at Calleneck. “So this is where all the country’s money goes.” he said.
A large, muscular Evertauri with dreadlocks and dark skin who looked to be in his late twenties accompanied Aunika and Calleneck. He turned to him and pointed toward the mansion. “Except this is the one Crat who isn’t corrupt. Most of our sorcerers think he is third in command in the Evertauri, but nothing is official. He was one of the first who joined President Madrick. He’s the best spy in the world, and quite an interesting man at that. He’s leaked more secrets out of Xandria’s government than all our other intelligence combined. He’s also our only spy that Xandria doesn’t suspect. You could say he’s our poison dart.”
“Is it true,” asked Calleneck, “that he’s more powerful than even Borius?”
Fourth in their party, the girl standing beside him was tall and slender, and had dark brown eyes that angled like a bird of prey. Selenora Everrose was her name — famous in the Evertauri for being taught by Madrick Nebelle himself, almost as a second daughter, and for being one of the most skilled in their organization, rivaling even Madrick himself. She nodded. “I’ve seen his Taurimous myself. Few people wield his hue naturally; it’s a dark violet or iris. Of course it’s not as uncommon as ours, Mr. Bernoil.”
Calleneck’s stomach whirled a bit; she was the only other Evertauri with a crimson Taurimous. He felt unworthy of being near Selenora, like her magic was something he shouldn’t become involved with. His blood turned cold at the stories he had heard of her skills, and he nervously watched as Selenora Everrose knelt down and caressed a carnation. A little crimson ribbon of light exited her fingertips and made the flower glow like hot metal in a foundry. Within a few seconds, the flower grew to the size of a dinner plate; it’s leaves thickened and its petals shined brighter than before
, almost glowing with a soft red light.
Aunika’s eyes opened wide with the unspoken question of how?
Selenora traced her fingers along the giant petals in a trance-like state, eyes glazed over, searching back through her twisted memories.
Abruptly, the door of the mansion opened and Selenora Everrose stood back up with the three others. Out walked a man of around forty with tightly curled black hair and an expensive coat. His hands were in his pockets, but his back was straight, and he took his time walking over to the four like a true aristocrat. When he got close to the group he took a hand out of a pocket and motioned toward his mansion and smiled. “I’ll tell you, no guards in this part of Seirnkov have let in a bunch of ‘commoners’ like you in quite some time. Well that is, of course, untrue; you aren’t exactly commoners . . . What flies high in the day and low at night?”
The man with dreadlocks answered the code. “Buttered toast from Ontraug.”
The aristocrat smiled and gave a slight bow. “My fellow Evertauri, welcome to my humble abode. As I’m sure you all know, my name is Sir Mordvitch; you may address me as such. I am the Queen’s leading technology developer, part of her head political Council, and currently, I am committing high treason by speaking to you . . .” The man’s attention was caught by something behind them. “That carnation behind you has grown quite a bit, wouldn’t you say?” The four glanced back at the flower. “If it isn’t the famous Miss Selenora Everrose,” he said as he smiled and stepped closer to them, “I remember you. Always something new and special.” He pointed at her. “Scholars like me enjoy those types of people. It’s a pleasure to meet you again.”
Selenora shook his hand with a “sir.” With a heavy Cerebrian accent, the man with dreadlocks and an underbite introduced himself as Mr. Grennkovff, followed by “Mr. Bernoil and Ms. Bernoil, brother and sister.”
Grennkovff raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me Sir, but your butler . . . is he an Evertauri? He knows who we are.”
Mordvitch smiled. “He is not a sorcerer, nor is he an Evertauri, but I would trust him with my life . . . Walk with me.” said Mordvitch in his tall coat, gesturing towards the rows of flowers with a large silver watch. “Please excuse my inability to discuss matters in the Nexus, but the Queen is working tirelessly to step up Cerebria’s technological advantage against Ferramoor, which means that I have to stay within a third of a mile of her fortress.”
“Sir Mordvitch,” said Aunika. “if I may ask, what advantage are you giving the Evertauri by furthering the capabilities of our opposing forces?”
“Because,” said Grennkovff with nearly black eyes, “there must be something of Cerebria once the Evertauri dispose of Xandria.”
“Which is no light task.” answered Mordvitch. “But, yes, Cerebria must be able to function with a new government. We still want it to have a strong army and make sure it’s citizens are well off. We don’t want the Southlands invading us after we take down Xandria.” He stopped and examined an ivy plant which was growing up the side of his massive manor.
“The Queen began the war because she was too prideful to rule over just Cerebria, and she wanted what Gallegore never gave her, the Empire.” said Mordvitch. “She is convinced that she would have held the Empire together after her father’s death, that the fracturing of the Empire was Tronum’s fault; and I agree with her. Because the Queen and Tronum are twins, Gallegore had two eldest children and therefore had a choice of giving the crown to his son or his daughter. Had he chosen Xandria to rule the Empire, it would not have split. She’s smarter and more capable than Tronum, and Tronum knows that.”
Calleneck clenched his fist and then released it.
Mordvitch went on. “But, because he did not grant her the throne, former Governor Xandria took her territories and created a seceded nation of Cerebria; the other territories then followed the Queen’s path.” Mordvitch continued winding the group through a maze of statues and hedges. “However, many Evertauri and other rebel groups think she only started the war to get revenge on Tronum and her dead father and will stop once she conquers Ferramoor. But she will not stop there.
“After gathering the Ferramish military arsenal under her green banners, the Queen will propose a peace treaty with the Northlands, where the Northernfolk will agree to unite under her.”
Calleneck ran a hand through his hair. “Why hasn’t she already gained the Northlands’ allegiance if they would willingly join her?”
“She’s tried,” said Selenora, “but the Northernfolk want to see a more impressive military force before they pledge loyalty. Their chiefs would also need to be overthrown.”
“Exactly.” said Mordvitch, leading them to a stone balcony overlooking the city. “And once she owns that tundra, she will then march down to the Crandles, where the pacifistic Crans will have no choice but to join the new Cerebrian Empire. The Crandles will not supply military power, but countless products and manufacturing to the new Empire. With the combined military force of Cerebria, Ferramoor, and the Northlands, the countless supplies of the Crandles, the vast Ferramish agriculture industry, Cerebrian business and technological innovation, and the new naval force between all four former countries, the Queen will march to the Southlands for the second battle. Their Sultan, Abdu Faazernan, will counter the Cerebrian Empire with a massive army and defend his desert Southlands. But, because he has isolated himself from the other nations for nearly twenty years and imposed harsh laws on his subjects, no other countries will come to the Faazernan’s aid. Therefore, the Queen will take the Southlands, its massive army, and and its massive population. With that quantity of power and resources, she will proceed to destroy the kingdoms of Parusemare, Eilland, the island nation of Guavaan — our whole continent.”
The four guests stood silently, overlooking Seirnkov on the balcony. Mordvitch’s tight curls moved back and forth in the wind. “It’s far worse than many realize.” he said. A dark purple flame danced around his fingertips as he spoke. “We will thwart as many of her plots we can without causing suspicion. If we don’t dethrone the Queen soon, her rule will engulf the continent in five to ten years. So in short, the work I do for the Queen will help protect the citizens of Cerebria if the Evertauri succeeds. If we do not, my work will help lay waste to hundreds of cities. It’s a bet that I am taking.
“You are wondering why I asked you here today.” He looked up at the central hill of Seirnkov and Xandria’s looming fortress. It was taller and more daunting than the Palace in Aunestauna, but both were situated on steep hills. “The Queen has an underground wing in her fortress dedicated to technological developments — primarily for war. Other than the Innovation Square in Gienn, it is the most highly guarded and most important series of vaults in Cerebria. Although I am on the Queen’s board, I had to do some investigation to uncover her latest project — not including her flying machine prototypes in Gienn, which the famed Aris family is funding.” Calleneck’s stomach lurched at the sound of Gallien’s last name.
“I believe” said Mordvitch, “that the Queen has found something of the goblins’. You see, her incentive for murdering the entire goblin race just after the formation of Cerebria, twenty years ago, was not because they posed a threat to Cerebrian security; Goblins did not burn villages and kill children like she says they did. No, instead, she killed them because they were smart. They were unfathomably smarter than most humans, which threatened the Queen’s pride. She killed the only beings who could challenge her intellect. The only reason she won was because her military outnumbered the goblins’ eight to one.
“Sir Nebelle’s Network guards have reported disturbances in the goblin libraries underneath Roshk. Evertauri guards noticed that the entrances to the Network, which were sealed off after the genocide, are now put back together differently. The goblins were alchemists and they experimented not only with chemistry but with a little sorcery as well. My investigation leads me to think that the Queen has found it in her interest to borrow information from the goblins . .
. but, of course, they are all dead now. The Queen’s top scientists and scholars stole information from the goblin libraries on how to use a mixture of chemicals that explode. She is trying to figure out how she can use these explosives to create an even deadlier weapon. I saw a paper pass over my desk for authorization of parts to what was titled “The Canon.” After taking a glance at it, I believe scientists are finding a way to launch heavy projectiles through the air fast enough to break down a wall and easily take a person’s head off. These weapons would give Cerebria a major advantage against Ferramish troops who only have swords and bows.”
Aunika nodded. “And what is it you would have us do?”
Mordvitch put his hands in his trench coat pockets and leaned against the stone railing. “There is a woman in the Queen’s fortress who manages the incoming and outgoing supplies for the science wing — the Technological Advancement Vice-Supervisor, directly under myself. We want to know what she knows from here on out. Unfortunately, she is extremely loyal to the Queen. Miss Everrose and Mr. Grennkovff, this is where you two will come in. As some of our most gifted spies and sorcerers, your assignment is to assassinate this woman.” He reached in his coat pocket, pulled out an envelope, and handed it to Selenora. “Her information is in here as well as how we want the assassination to be carried out in order to not cause suspicion. We want to wait at least eight weeks until this is done.
