by Radu Aldea
They pretended to be customers and they bought some stuff, when the first follower made his appearance. They weren’t that stupid after all, they tried to make sure the place was safe. Of course, they weren’t that good at it. The scout gave the signal for the priest and the rest of the followers to come. They attempted to blend in, just like Aleyna’s group. It didn’t work. Baelis knew all of them and pointed them out.
“Check them,” Aleyna ordered Thea. It was very useful to have a diviner with you. Thea confirmed almost all the followers were under the control of weak senators and Baelis still had the priest. “Take them over!” It was not a command, but Sarah and Christian knew what they had to do. The powerful senators looked at each other and with than one look divided the cult between them. Aleyna didn’t feel the use of senatorial power, but she knew a fair amount of it was used now. And then she heard Christian swearing and she had a very good idea why.
“Damn! I didn’t think this was possible. You try now,” Christian told Sarah and she did. Judging by her expression, Aleyna understood she was just as unsuccessful as Christian.
“All right, this is the worst possible scenario, but we expected it,” Aleyna tried to calm them. Then she turned to Baelis. “Are you sure the followers can be controlled?”
“I experimented with one of them and when it worked I instructed him to tell the others he was scared and wanted to leave.” Unspoken remained the fact that man was dead and hidden somewhere no one would find him. Senators didn’t like loose ends.
“Then we watch them until we figure out what is going on. Is that a problem?”
“No! There are twenty of them, I have ten and she has the rest. It’s not a burden.”
As powerful as those two were, controlling ten more humans wasn’t a hardship, but she could see they were troubled. Aleyna was troubled too. None of them believed someone like this priest could exist and now here he was and they needed to deal with him. She considered the possibilities. Either he had some immunity, just like the sorceresses, and the senators would eradicate them, or someone was playing games with the Order, and that was a very dangerous occupation. When she heard the priest speak, Aleyna was sure it was the latter.
“Only through the Sun God can true freedom be attained. To receive his blessing one has to master himself. When one has mastered his desires and followed the Way, one will not be controlled ever again by anything or anybody. To master oneself is to know the Way!”
He was obviously referring to senators. The philosophy, however, was not one Aleyna was familiar with and she was educated, so either it had made its way here from beyond the borders of the empire or it was something that was invented. Not that it mattered.
“Ransack their minds! Find out why he is immune.” Sarah and Christian gave her a look that told her they were already doing it. No offense to Baelis, but battle-senators had the training for this, could pick up on the minutest details and, more often than not, were smarter. If he missed something Aleyna was confident Sarah and Christian would find it.
She continued listening to the speech while the two battle-senators searched the priest’s memories, as well as those of his followers. It wasn’t an easy task. There was a lifetime of memories to go through. To find a particular one was far more difficult than listening to thoughts. It would take them some time, but they would find it. Aleyna had seen Kara do it and it had never taken longer than a few minutes. Christian and Sarah were powerful and disciplined, but they were not Kara. Time was not a factor, so she didn’t worry. Her friend had once told Aleyna how she did it. She picked a thought and followed a trail until she reached the memory she wanted. Inside the mind, everything was connected. One thought led to another, which led to another and so on… There were many ways to reach a destination and finding the right trail was important. It was the difference between spending minutes or hours on the task.
She saw him before anybody else. At the edge of the market he was looking, searching. Aleyna knew he was a senator right away. Most humans wouldn’t recognize a senator, because they never knew they met one. Senators only rarely advertised what they were and the weaker ones didn’t look that much different than a rich human. Come to think of it, the powerful ones didn’t either. You just had to know what you were looking for.
“Senator,” Aleyna pointed with her gaze at him. Everyone in her party was looking in that direction and they were lucky to get a glimpse of him, because he was already leaving.
“He’s a senator, all right! Not one I recognize, though.” Thea was the first to react and, other than Aleyna, got the best look at him. “How did you know?”
How did she know? Like she always knew. It had become instinctive.
“I didn’t recognize him either, but I didn’t get a good look at him.” Sarah had been busy with her search for memories and reacted a split second later. “Aleyna has a sixth sense when it comes to us. She can pick out a senator from a crowd faster than we can.”
The men only saw his back. Unfortunately, they didn’t bring that many soldiers, not wanting to spook the priest and his people, and now the strange senator eluded them.
“I’ve never seen him before. He’s not one of ours. He didn’t look powerful, though. Somebody thinks our territory is up for grabs. We are going to teach him differently.”
Baelis and Thea looked doubtful, but didn’t question her. Sarah and Christian were a lot harder to read. Aleyna knew she was right. That was why the mysterious senator left in such a hurry. Somehow he knew they were there before they saw him and that was really impressive. He didn’t set off any alarms, either. They didn’t bring many soldiers with them, but odds were he should’ve tried to connect with at least one of them and alert her companions.
She would have to deal with that later. The priest had finished and was leaving. His followers were making their escape using different routes. They were probably congratulating themselves for evading the senators once more. No matter, she knew where they were going.
Two men were following the last disciple to leave the market. Aleyna almost missed it. The two were better at blending in than their master. There was no accounting for skills, she guessed. “Check those two men,” she told Thea. Yes, having a diviner was really useful.
“Senator, about as powerful as you two, maybe a little less so, but not by much!”
“How do you know that?” Sarah asked and her question had all kinds of implications.
Thea gave them a sheepish look. She had tested the humans under their control. Aleyna couldn’t blame the diviner. She would’ve done the same. But Aleyna’s theory was confirmed. Someone was moving in on their territory. “Thea, don’t try something like this on someone who is Circle. They will know what you are doing and there’s a good chance you’ll end up dead.”
“How will I know?”
“You’ll know when you try it because you’ll be scared out of your mind. It might be too late, though!”
“Well, there isn’t any doubt now someone is meddling in our territory. All our powerful senators know we are here and not to intrude,” Christian concluded.
Finding a senator in a large city was far more complicated than finding a human. He could be hidden anywhere, take over anyone. No local senators would question a human under control. They would just assume he belonged to someone else in the family. Sure, they would eventually find this meddling senator, whose power was troubling, but it would take time and resources better spent elsewhere. Of course, she was fairly confident the senator she had seen was not the powerful senator who controlled the two humans. If she had to guess, that senator was somewhere far away and out of their reach. She could be wrong, she had been wrong on occasion, and the senator from the market was not a client sent into danger by an unconcerned patron. Anyway, she had a plan that could potentially solve both problems.
Which was why she was alone in a narrow alley at night. Sarah’s and Christian’s search had proven futile. The priest was exactly what he claimed to be. The revelation
of the Sun God had come to him in a dream. The disciples were with him because of the teachings, although none of them had any love for senators. It was disappointing and it didn’t get them any closer to the person who was pulling the strings. Not as sure as before, Aleyna still believed such a person existed, but was more difficult to find.
The last of the followers to leave the market entered the alley just as she knew he would. Their strategy was to wander around the city until they were sure they weren’t followed and then return home. They didn’t realize that the longer they stayed outside, the risk of being discovered by some random senator increased. Of course, none of it mattered, because they had been taken over by senators already.
The two men followed at a safe distance. The disciple didn’t even realize they were there, which didn’t say much about his astuteness. Of course, those two had the training and were almost certainly soldiers, while the follower didn’t.
The training wouldn’t help those two against her. Aleyna stepped out of her hiding spot and caught the three men by surprise. They didn’t know where she came from. “Please, help me! Help me,” she wailed and grabbed onto the disciple almost falling to her knees. Then she moved to the two men. “Please, please, help me!” She wore a hood and it was dark, so they wouldn’t get a good look at her. They were cautious, but didn’t regard her as a threat. It was a mistake. She broke the first one’s nose with the back of her hand and sent him into a wall. Aleyna was sure he would be out for at least a couple of minutes. The second man didn’t have time to react. She was simply too fast. He was stunned by the elbow to his throat, she hit him hard enough to incapacitate and not kill him, at least she really hoped so. Aleyna followed with a kick to his plexus that sent him in the opposing wall. It only took a few seconds, but both men were out. She looked at them. The attack had been quick and vicious, just like in practice. They were going to be hurting for a while, but were otherwise fine. She didn’t have any more time to waste with them so he turned to the follower.
“I’m Aleyna. I saw your teacher at the market and I followed you here.”
“Why did you do this?” The follower was still in shock.
“They followed you here from the market, too. They belonged to a senator.” He didn’t seem to believe her until she showed him the weapons they were carrying. “We don’t have time. We have to get out of here before they wake up or their master sends someone else.”
Reason seemed to be returning to him. “Do they know where we live?”
“I don’t think so, but sooner or later they will find you. You have to leave.”
“I’m Marcel. Let’s go inside. The master will know what to do.”
Chapter twenty-two
She had finally gone too far and she knew she had gone too far. All those taunts and gibes, she thought they were pretty funny at that moment, but regretted them now. Maya berated herself. She had been flying high after her resounding success over the three idiots and it made her reckless. Being a smart-mouth was her usual state of being and she could handle anyone, but she had never met and opponent of this caliber before. Maya had forgotten that. She should’ve listened, kept her mouth shut and tried to figure out what Kara was planning.
Of course she recognized Kara. How could she not? The dyed hair was a flimsy disguise that barely concealed her identity. Yet nothing could hide Kara’s power. Cyprian and Teresa, although cautious, didn’t seem to be aware of it. It suffocated Maya, made her feel there wasn’t enough space in the room for both of them. She was being foolish, she knew, but there was nothing she could do about it. Seeing Kara on the battlefield, Maya knew better than anybody what the powerful Suttland senator was capable of.
Unlike everyone else in the city or in the world, she knew Kara had entered Orenburg. Staying away from the southerner had seemed like a good idea. She had every intention of leaving in the morning and didn’t need the complication. Then the complication knocked on her door. Maya couldn’t believe it when she learned Kara wanted a meeting with Cyprian. The historian wanted to refuse, spurred on by his wife, but she didn’t think it would be such a great idea. It was not as if the most powerful senator in the empire was going to take no for an answer. Besides, she was curious about Kara and wanted to know what she was like.
She had gotten her answer. Kara was tense like a bow ready to release its arrow. She had no visible weapons on her, but Maya was sure she was ready to strike. Besides, the folds on Kara’s sleeves didn’t seem right and she was willing to bet they concealed a weapon. In a physical fight, she was no match for the powerful Suttland senator. She had training of sorts, and was not a weak fighter, by any means, yet Kara’s skills and discipline were unparalleled. Battle-senators were taught to fight since they could walk and some were more enthusiastic than others. Kara had been really enthusiastic. In a test of senatorial power, Maya would be found lacking as well. She had the feeling it wouldn’t come to that, hundreds of soldiers clashing in a bloody battle. It would be fast and brutal and Maya, Cyprian and Teresa would be dead in seconds and the rest of the people in the house would follow soon after.
She needed to defuse the situation quickly. Undoubtedly, what Kara was considering was if it was worth the trouble to kill her right now and deal with all kinds of unforeseen consequences or wait until she left Orenburg and risk losing her. The problem was Maya had no idea of what she should say and had to think of something.
“So what caused the veil?” Maya hoped the distraction worked.
Cyprian, oblivious as he was, didn’t disappoint her. Sometimes scholars were not in tune with the real world. “It had to have been a catastrophic event. War is the likeliest culprit, and there is some evidence to support this theory, but we are talking about a truly disastrous war.”
“Aren’t all the wars disastrous?” Maya glanced at Kara with the corner of her eye.
“No! Of course not!” Cyprian’s tone suggested he couldn’t believe someone could ask such a silly question. “The loss of life may be tragic, but some wars are worth fighting. They could lead to the destruction of a tyrant, or bring about positive social change. The Great War, for example, fostered an age of prosperity and unprecedented scientific and technological advances. Nobody talks about this, but we did bring stability, probably for the first time in history. This is the longest period of peace the empire has ever known.”
A lot of people would disagree with that. Millions had died, the wizards had been destroyed and the human lords lost most of their power. While the wizards were the main power in the empire they made sure the senators were kept in check and the human lords were strong. After the war was won the only control imposed on senators was self-control. Yet the life of most people was probably improved. They didn’t care who their lords were, but sometimes senators were better than humans and almost never worse, and they benefited from the long peace. With virtually no restrictions imposed on them, some senators were free to follow their interests. It was easy to be brilliant when you had access to the minds of smart humans and their knowledge, although most senators were hardly stupid, so sciences, arts and engineering flourished. Some thought it stealing, and maybe it was, but there was no denying the positive effects, which were most visible in Suttland.
“So if the Great War couldn’t have caused the veil and the wizards had been squabbling forever and that didn’t cause it, then what kind of war could have?”
“I shudder to think,” Cyprian answered Kara.
“War itself, although it is always destructive, is not enough to explain this kind of devastation of knowledge or, one might say, civilization. Something else or more caused it.” Kara was more relaxed and seemed to have decided against killing her for the moment. Cyprian must’ve been valuable enough for her to risk losing Maya. Besides, it wasn’t a trick, Kara was interested in the veil. Maya exhaled relief. Her distraction worked, at least for the moment, and that was all she needed. And she was rather curious why Kara wanted those books.
“A long-drawn-out war th
at engulfed the whole empire might.” Cyprian was the scholar who studied the past and he was probably right, so Maya didn’t say anything. “There might be other explanations, a natural calamity being one of them, but I have good reason for my belief.”
Cyprian had a gleam in his eye and Maya was pretty sure the historian knew something and he was dying to tell someone. Perhaps it would be in his next book.
Kara was still intrigued, but Maya was not fooled into thinking the powerful senator had forgotten about her. “Full-scale war can’t be sustained for long. It drains resources. The Great War only lasted five years and when it ended half the senators, virtually all the wizards and probably millions of humans were dead. And that was only the cost in lives. It doesn’t take into account the economic devastation that, truthfully, cannot be quantified. As resources dwindle, the battles get smaller. It’s just the way it is.”
Ever the battle senator, Maya thought. If Cyprian knew history, Kara was an expert at war. The historian may have fought in the Great War and Kara hadn’t, but he didn’t make any strategy decisions. They were made by people a lot higher-up, who taught and now surrounded Kara. It was always confusing when experts contradicted each other. Maya didn’t know who was right and she didn’t really care. Finally, she was doing the smart thing and kept quiet.
“I don’t know about that, but I have found something.”
Cyprian must’ve given an order to his servants because they brought a piece of rock. Maya had no idea what could be so interesting about a piece of rock. She saw there were some inscriptions on it and thought it might be a part of a stela. Still, it wasn’t that interesting.
