Chapter Twenty-Six
About an hour later, Keo and Maryal—wearing identical dark hoods and robes that Maryal had bought off a shady merchant a few blocks from the Citadel—stood in front of the Citadel. It was a massive building; not quite as huge as the two towers of Castarious, but it was just as magnificent as them, if not more so. It was shaped like a castle, with turrets and towers rising from its interior, and large stone walls that provided an excellent defense from outside attacks. The Citadel itself appeared to be made out of platinum, with statues of various ancient Magicians, who Keo did not recognize, set up either side of the wide steps and front door of the building. Dozens of people streamed in and out of the building, while Enforcers wearing crimson armor and carrying huge swords in their hands stood on the walls or by the entrance, their sharp eyes scanning every man, woman, and child that entered or exited the Citadel.
According to Maryal, normal civilians and visitors were not allowed to bring weapons of any kind into the Citadel, so Keo had hid Gildshine underneath his robe. He did not think he would need to use it, but he would need to bring it to Nesma, so he had to come up with a way to get the sword inside the Citadel without letting the Enforcers take it away from him.
Keo and Maryal exchanged a look with each other, nodded, and then started walking up the steps. As they made their way past the various people entering and exiting the building, Keo quickly reviewed the plan in his mind.
An hour ago, Keo had laid out his plan to Maryal: The two of them, disguised as mere travelers who were coming to see the great Citadel of Capitika, would enter the Citadel. Maryal would then use her magic to create a distraction, which Keo would take advantage of to sneak into the Inner Chambers of the Citadel, where the Magical Council were supposed to be. In fact, Maryal claimed that the Magical Council was supposed to be in session today, so Keo would merely need to find the Council's meeting room and then he would find Nesma.
As with every plan, there were many things that could go wrong. The Enforcers might notice Keo trying to enter the Inner Chambers and arrest him, or maybe Maryal would get caught too soon and then be forced to tell them about Keo. Or maybe the Magical Council would believe Keo to be an assassin and attack him when they saw him; that wasn't such an unrealistic worry, because according to Maryal, the members of the Magical Council were very capable of defending themselves with magic, despite the presence of the Enforcers protecting the building.
But it was the only way that Keo could see that would allow him to meet Nesma and the rest of the Council quickly and easily. He just prayed that it would go smoothly, because he was horribly aware of what might happened if it didn't.
They passed by the two Enforcers at the entrance, who merely scanned them with suspicious eyes but said nothing to either of them. That was good. Those two Enforcers at the entrance had been the first major obstacle toward getting inside.
Upon entering the Citadel's lobby, Keo was surprised by its immense wide-openness. A perfectly scrubbed floor, covered with a dazzling variety of markings and paintings that Keo did not understand, spread out in every direction. Dozens of people—mostly visitors, though a handful wore Magician's robes—stood scattered around the place in small groups, talking among each other, their voices echoing off the lobby's walls and making it somewhat difficult to hear. The lobby's ceiling was a glass dome, giving them a perfect look at the blue sky outside, while a large statue of a stern-looking old man sitting on a throne stood in the center of the lobby, directly beneath the glass dome.
On the perimeter of the lobby were about a dozen doors, though Keo could not tell what was behind them. Beyond one of the open doors, he thought he saw a bunch of clerks running around with stacks of paper in their hands, and beyond another, he saw two Enforcers escorting a dangerous-looking man with shackles around his ankles and wrists and, ominously, a steel mask covering his face.
But the most important door was the one all the way on the other side of the room, a large golden door with four Enforcers, carrying spears and swords, standing guard before it.
“That's it,” Maryal muttered, pointing at the large golden door. “Beyond that door are the Inner Chambers.”
“All right,” said Keo, keeping his own voice low, his eyes darting around the chamber for anything that might possibly cause them problems. “Ready?”
Maryal nodded, albeit shakily. “Y-Yes.”
Keo looked her in the eyes. “You don't sound ready.”
“No, I am,” said Maryal, her voice becoming stronger. “I'm ready for anything. You don't need to worry about me.”
Keo didn't like Maryal's obvious lack of courage, but he decided not to bring it up. He would have to trust her to do what she needed to do and to do it without getting caught.
So Keo nodded and then the two split up. Keo walked along the right side of the room, doing his best to look inconspicuous, while Maryal walked along the left side, where she also tried to look inconspicuous. A quick glance at the Enforcers in the room showed that none of them were paying him or Maryal any attention, which was very, very good.
Keo stopped in front of a painting near the door to the Inner Chambers and pretended to be interested in it. The painting showed that same stern-looking old man whose statue was in the center of the lobby, except this time he was standing and his hands were glowing with light. Keo figured that the old man, whoever he was, must have been very important if he had all of these statues and paintings of him made, but Keo did not know who he was. Maybe he was the founder of the Magical Council.
In any case, Keo glanced over his shoulder. Maryal had stopped near the statue, still looking like any other visitor to the Citadel. She rubbed her hands together, which was the sign that they had agreed upon to signal that she was going to start her part of the plan.
There was an elderly man standing not far from Maryal, who was leaning on a cane and looking up at the statue. He did not seem to be paying Maryal any attention, which meant that he was a good candidate for the distraction.
So Maryal lifted her hands into the air and then brought them down. A huge blast of wind exploded from her body, knocking down everyone around her and even making the statue in the center of the lobby wobble. The elderly man who had been staring at the statue almost fell to the floor, but Maryal caught him and then held him with his arm twisted behind his back.
The Enforcers, as expected, acted immediately. While the rest of the visitors in the Citadel's lobby looked at Maryal in shock, the Enforcers from the front entrance and the Enforcers in front of the Inner Chambers moved to apprehend her.
But Maryal, still holding the elderly man hostage, said, “Don't move! Or I'll hurt this man! I'm serious. I'll do it.”
Keo rolled his eyes at Maryal's nonthreatening words, but the Enforcers continued to approach her as if she was a dangerous killer anyway. Maryal started firing blasts of wind at the Enforcers, which distracted them enough to the point where they did not seem to notice Keo. The rest of the people in the lobby ran to the exit, but Keo took advantage of this moment to run up to the golden door of the Inner Chambers, crack it open, and slip inside before anyone noticed.
Now Keo found himself standing inside a narrow hallway that was just as clean and ornate as the rest of the Citadel's lobby had been. The hallway was currently empty; in fact, there did not even seem to be any Enforcers. Maryal had told him that Nesma's room was somewhere down the hall to the left, which was the direction in which the Council members' individual offices were located. The only problem was that Maryal had been unable to describe what the door to Nesma's room looked like, because she had never actually seen it herself. Still, Keo doubted it would be difficult to find. He might even bump into Nesma somewhere along the way.
So Keo walked down the hallway to the left, keeping as silent as he could so that no one would hear him. He didn't see anyone, but there were closed doors on both sides of the hall and there could be people behind them. And if those people heard him, they might go to investigate, an
d if they did that, then Keo would have to resort to drastic measures not to get captured.
“Hey!” a voice shouted behind Keo. “Who are you?”
Alarmed, but trying not to show it, Keo turned to see a middle-aged man approaching him from the other end of the hall. The man wore a green suit, which meant that he was not a Magician, but he still looked quite stern as he approached Keo.
Keep your cool, Keo, keep your cool, Keo thought. As long as you don't do or say anything stupid, you might be able to use this guy to your advantage.
“I, er,” said Keo, thinking of a lie as quickly as he could, “I'm here to, uh, see Magician Nesma.”
The middle-aged man stopped a few feet from Keo and glared at him. Although the man was thinner and skinnier than Keo, he exuded the kind of authority that Keo did not wish to cross.
“I don't recall Magician Nesma having any appointments today with men so … uncouth as yourself,” said the middle-aged man. He put special emphasis on 'uncouth,' like it was a devastating insult. He wrinkled his nose. “You smell like the Hanuf River.”
“I, er, accidentally fell in it and did not get a chance to shower before I entered the city,” said Keo, scratching the back of his head. “But I can assure you that Magician Nesma does have an appointment with me today. She's my friend.”
“Really?” said the man. His eyes narrowed. “I will have you know that I am the young mistress's personal assistant. I have complete access to her calendar and I know that she does not have an appointment with anyone today. In fact, she cannot have an appointment with anyone today.”
“Oh?” said Keo, feeling the sweat start to trickle down the back of his neck. “Why not?”
“Because Magician Nesma is currently in an important meeting with the rest of the Magical Council and has had it scheduled for this time for three weeks,” said the man. “That means you're lying to me, and if you are lying to me, then I will have to—”
Keo interrupted the man by punching him in the face. The blow made the man immediately collapse onto the floor.
Keo stood there for a moment, almost stunned by his own impulsiveness, because he hadn't thought that action through at all, and then shook his head. He couldn't stand there and stare at the unconscious man lying on the floor before him; otherwise, he risked the Magical Council or someone else finding him, and there was no way he could explain this situation to anyone without making himself look really bad.
So Keo opened the nearest door and peered inside. It was a broom closet that was almost empty, so Keo dragged the man inside. But just as he dragged the unconscious man inside, he heard voices from down the hall, voices that sounded like they were coming from the direction that Nesma's assistant had come. Alarmed, Keo closed the closet door, even though that locked him in here with Nesma's assistant, and then stood as silently as he could, even breathing quietly so they would not hear him.
As the voices came closer, Keo could make out what they were saying. He also heard shoes clicking and clacking against the marble floor as the people who wore them walked, though the footsteps were not quite as loud as the voices.
“... And the Road Enforcers brought in a record amount of revenue this month,” said one of the voices, which sounded masculine and gravelly. “Two thousand lems! That's twice what they usually bring in.”
“That is amazing,” said another voice, this one feminine and far younger than the first, which Keo recognized with a jolt as Nesma's voice, even though it had been over a year since he had last heard it. “It sounds to me like Masiz deserves a raise for having such a good month.”
“True, true, I have been considering giving him a raise,” said the older man, who Keo realized was another member of the Magical Council. “But I'm a little worried that the gravy train might not last. Masiz is good, but he's also arrogant and if I give him a raise right away, even for a job well done, he might slack off.”
“Then give him a bonus,” said Nesma. Her voice sounded the same as it always had; decisive and strong. “Tell him it's an extra for doing such a good job, and that he can get another bonus next month if he keeps up the good work.”
“An excellent idea, Nesma, an excellent idea indeed,” said the older man. “I must admit that having a youngster like you on the Council has to be one of the best decisions we've ever made. Your youthfulness lets you look at the world so much differently than we cranky old crones.”
“Thanks, Daoli, but you don't need to tear yourself down like that,” said Nesma, with the same modesty in her voice that Keo had always remembered her having. “You 'cranky old crones' have been leading South Lamaira with your wisdom and knowledge for decades now, ever since King Riuno's death. I am just lucky to get to work alongside such wise and intelligent men and women such as yourself. As a young Magician myself, I am always on the lookout for every little bit of knowledge and wisdom I can gain from my elders.”
Keo smiled. Nesma had always been a modest girl, a modest person in general, and he was glad to hear that she had apparently not changed at all. He knew there was no way that she could be conspiring with any demon to kill him or the others, but he did not step out of the closet just yet. Nesma's assistant still lay on the floor of the closet and Keo did not want to explain to Nesma or Daoli why he was hiding in a closet with an unconscious man twice his age.
“So modest, Nesma,” said Daoli with a chuckle. “With an attitude like that, I believe you will be a great Magician, perhaps even go down in history as one of the greats.”
“I hope so,” said Nesma. “But in truth, Magician Daoli, all I want to do is serve the people of South Lamaira and defend them from all threats to their safety and well-being. If I can do that, then I will be happy regardless of what happens.”
“That is a good goal to have,” said Daoli. “And of course, you don't mind making a little bit of money off of the peoples' tax revenue, too, yes?”
There was a hint of greed in Daoli's voice that told Keo that he probably meant more than a 'little bit' of the peoples' taxes. Considering how fancy the Citadel was, Keo figured that the Magical Council probably got far more than just a 'little bit' of the peoples' money.
“Well, I won't say no to extra money,” said Nesma with a laugh that sounded oddly forced to Keo. “But really, I would do it for free. The security of my people and my nation matter more to me than all of the money in the world.”
“Certainly, certainly,” said Daoli, although he didn't sound like he entirely agreed with Nesma about that. “Anyway, I am going to my office. Will you join me? We can continue our discussion in there, if you wish.”
“No, thank you,” said Nesma. “I need to return to my own office because I have a lot of work to get done. I received a detailed report from Captain Wrat on the northwest front about the battle against the Restorationists and I need to read it.”
“Captain Wrat is hardly known for his brevity, so I guess you will be spending the rest of the day reading it, huh?” said Daoli, who sounded disappointed at Nesma's rejection of his offer to talk with him in his office.
“Unfortunately, yes,” said Nesma. “But that's why the gods invented coffee, for important government officials like me who have to spend hours reading verbose reports from our men in the field.”
Daoli chuckled. “Yes, indeed. Well, perhaps we can continue our little chat later at dinner.”
“Maybe,” said Nesma. “I'll have to ask Gers to check my schedule and see if I'm open for later.”
“Very well,” said Daoli. “See you later, then. Try not to die of boredom from Wrat's report.”
With that, Keo heard one set of footsteps walk away from the broom closet door. Still, Keo kept his breathing low and stood motionless, because even now he did not want Nesma to know he was there just yet. He listened for any movement from her, but it sounded to him like Nesma was being very quiet and still herself.
Why hasn't she gone off to her own office yet? Keo wondered. If she has that important report to read, why waste time standi
ng in the hallway in front of the broom closet?
Then he heard another door somewhere down the hall slam shut, and there was complete silence in the hallway. For a moment, the only thing that Keo could hear was his own breathing, as quiet as it was.
And then, without warning, Keo's eyes became heavy and impossible to keep open. A sudden drowsiness came over him, causing Keo to lean against the closet's door as he fought against the sleepiness.
He managed to open the door and push it open. But even as he staggered out of the broom closet, his vision turned black and he lost consciousness well before he hit the floor.
***