The walk back had been mostly silent. The sun was just starting to set as its light was stained by day’s end. Crowds were thinning off the streets. Food stands and loiterers were gone. Even the ramparts overhead began to disappear from view as he and Naki drew closer to the Gate. Well, one of them anyway. Apparently, there were several around the city. He’d only seen the biggest one.
Clergy peaked over at Naki from beneath his hood. She had donned her own beige cloak, which covered most of her face and dreads. Only a few strands fell loosely along her umber skin and eyes, their placid gaze set firmly ahead. Her mind in her thoughts.
Once they’d left Saadya’s place she’d kept mostly to herself, which was more than a little surprising. She told him about the Gate, eventually, but after everything that had happened he figured she’d have questions. He knew he did. The fire, the arbiter, and now all these revelations about his dream, if that’s all it really was, Clergy thought to himself, though at this point that was just wishful thinking. Everything he’d dreamed was bearing out in reality, but just not in the ways he was expecting.
Arbiters were real and hunting him, but the first one he’d seen had let him go. He thought the conversation between one and Galahad would become the most critical part, but he still didn’t even know who ‘Galahad’ was; and Saadya seemed much more interested in the flaming bird than anything else. A ‘phoenix’ is what Naki had called it, and... that was all he really knew. More like all I understand, Clergy thought to himself. He remembered what Saadya had said. That everything from his dream to being healed in his cell was all part of some ‘natural power,’ whatever that means. At a minimum, Clergy thought, it means as chaotic as these past few days have seemed, everything’s connected. There were no coincidences.
Thinking about it that way there was only one consistent threat he’d dealt with. One through line between everything that had happened so far: Arbiters. No matter who he was with they were always feared, and always a suspect when things went wrong.
Abel had said an arbiter was in the city, and it seemed like everyone at Stella’s thought it was because of Gad; but if he followed his own logic, they were probably here for me.
He couldn’t explain why they’d let him go at the fire, but they did recognize Clergy. That was enough to put him on edge. If he had any chance to stop them he needed Saadya’s help, and if he wanted to earn her trust he’d have to keep Daniel, and probably everyone else, in the dark about that fact.
He’d have to lie. He already had mixed feelings about that.
The crowd in front of him slowed as the path ahead widened. Clergy took a breath. He’d have to worry about that conversation later.
They’d reached the Gate.
“We’re here,” Naki said, breaking the silence at last.
The space before them was more like a corridor than a plaza. A square maybe as large as two houses was left bare before the looming stone wall. The Gate itself was just a small archway carved into its face, but the passage was well-fortified.
Archers glared down from atop the towering ramparts, as the masses below trickled into a line before them. Even more guards were stationed alongside the line, keeping an eye on the herd and a hand near their swords. There was an armored scowl set at least every ten paces. Clergy’s stomach turned at the sight. The message was clear. There’d be no more riots today.
Without a word they slipped into the crowd, and waded with them toward the Gate. There’s no warriors here, Clergy noted as he walked. I guess Micah was right. Gad really couldn’t bring in more than a few. That did settle his nerves a bit as he looked around to confirm it, but checking ahead he realized he’d fallen behind Naki. I’d rather stay close to—
“You there!” One of the guards shouted. Clergy’s stomach dropped. He can’t mean me. The crowd stopped as the man strode over from his post, shoving his way through the line. He can’t mean me. The guard came closer and closer, walking up until he was only a few paces away.
He glanced over at Clergy. Shit! Shit! Shit! The guard stopped for a moment… then turned to another man in front of him. “You,” he said, pointing over at him. “Lose the hood.”
The stranger hurriedly agreed, taking off the covering to reveal a graying Amarian man.
The guard looked him over for a moment. “Too old,” he said at last, then he waved his hand in the air and the crowd continued on. He walked away.
“Hold there!” Another voice shouted behind him. Clergy turned and saw two guards stop a younger Amarian man this time. He had short, thick braids and a scar on his right cheek. The first guard that approached grabbed the stranger and spun him around, but when they saw the scar the second man came around and grabbed the other’s shoulder.
“It’s not him,” the second guard said. “He doesn’t have a scar and the hair is wrong. Move on.” The first guard groaned but let the young man go.
Another Amarian, Clergy thought to himself. Who are they looking for? Then he realized— oh shit, if they’re checking Amarians then Naki—
“You there!” A guard shouted, this time up ahead on the left. Clergy turned toward the voice. The guard was heading towards Naki.
The crowd around her froze as the guard sifted through them. In a few moments he’d reached her. “Take off your hood.”
Naki did nothing.
The guard reached down and grabbed his hilt. “Your hood,” he said again.
This time Naki complied, slowly revealing her face as she met his gaze.
The guard sucked his teeth. “A woman,” he said, before grumbling something under his breath. Then he eyed the rest of the line. “Keep it moving!” He said. After that he turned and left.
From then on Clergy stopped looking ahead. He didn’t want to give anyone another chance to recognize his face, or ask if I fell down some stairs. Eventually though, they lumbered under the Gate’s shadow and—”
“Do you really think he’ll show up here?” It was one of the guards, clearly unaware Clergy could hear.
“I doubt it,” another guard said, “but then again he might not have a choice. The way out to the plains is way more guarded than this, and if he doesn’t leave the lower district, they’ll sweep him right back into the Coves. We’ll find that Amarian soon enough.”
The Coves? Clergy thought to himself. So they are looking for someone. An Amarian. He had a bad feeling he knew which one too. There wasn’t much time to mull on that though, as he came out from underneath the Gate’s shadow. After he’d taken a few steps away from the entrance, he dared to look up at the Upper District scene.
Crowds here were still thin, but there were noticeably more people roaming on this side of the Gate. The houses were as plain as before, just the same blend of wood, mortar, and stone, yet compared to what he’d seen in the Basin they almost seemed cozy.
“Hey,” Naki called, and Clergy turned to face her. “Go up that path over there until it connects to one of the main roads again,” she said, pointing ahead toward a smaller side street. “Stella’s place will be over on the right.”
“Got it,” Clergy said, as he turned to leave, but then Naki grabbed his arm.
“Listen,” she said. “I… I never said thank you. For coming back for me.”
Oh! Clergy barely kept the surprise off his face. “I— uhh… don’t worry about it,” he said, rubbing his neck as he grinned. Then he thought back to the fire, and regret wiped the smile away. “I… I’m just sorry that—”
“I know,” Naki said, looking away as the silence lingered between them.
What could they say?
It took more than a few moments before Naki finally spoke. “It’s not over,” she said. “We’ll find who did this.” She took a breath, nodded, and the fire in her eyes burned again. “Just remember what Saadya told you. Keep your mouth shut when you get back to Stella’s. I’ll find you when she’s ready.”
“Right,” Clergy said, nodding back.
Naki took another breath as she looked him over. “Don’t fuck this up.”
Right, Clergy thought, as he nodded again. No pressure. With that he turned to leave once more, making his way through the crowd down the path she’d pointed to.
- ~ -
Shadow encroached across the cloud-ridden Dargas sky, as the twin moons took up the night’s watch. Clergy was standing in front of Stella’s now, watching his shadow flicker with the dim torchlight, trying to— figure out how not to fuck this up.
The shop had an inviting feel to it, even in the dark on an empty street. Like most of the storefronts around here it was made of mostly stone and wood, and was set at the bottom of a two-story building. Windows with pastry stands set before them flanked a modest front door, while a wooden sign hung overhead. A swirl reminiscent of a sweet bun was burned into the simple placard. A homey scene Clergy couldn’t appreciate right now. He could barely stop himself from shaking.
‘Keep your mouth shut.’ That was all he had to do. Just walk in, say everything was fine, and keep quiet until Naki came for him. Right, Clergy thought to himself, because no one’s gonna care if Saadya thought arbiters were a threat. That was the reason he went to her after all. To ask her about the arbiter from his dream. Just tell them she said it didn’t matter, he thought to himself. They weren’t even sure what to think when they sent you to ask. They’ll except the easy answer. It was just a dream.
Clergy thought back to the last time the group had spoken. Alvon would’ve killed him back then if he could’ve, but Stella saw through it. It was more than that, Clergy thought to himself. She found a way to warn me when I had no idea what he would do. I’d be dead without her. He sighed. And now… now I have to hope she isn’t smart enough to see through this. Her or any of the others. His mind drifted back to the moment he’d met Nitara. When she’d slammed him into the wall while he bled through his shirt. And they always react well when they think I’m lying to them. Clergy’s stomach squirmed at that.
Right. No pressure.
He stepped up to the door and grabbed the handle. Let’s get this done. He pushed and… it didn’t move.
Except it’s locked, Clergy thought. Of course. Gotta go around—
Footsteps suddenly rushed up from behind the door, until the key clicked and it flung open, with Stella bursting out from the doorway.
“Ab— Oh! Clergy!” She said, as surprise popped off her face. A moment later though and she’d composed herself again. “I was getting a little worried,” she said with a smile. Then she looked around behind him. “Did you see Abel and Micah on your way here?”
“Abel and— no.” I figured they’d be back by now. “They never came back?”
“No,” Stella said, then she shook her head. “Never mind that now, come in. We should talk.”
Clergy’s stomach sank at that, but Stella quickly grabbed his arm and hurried him inside, closing the door behind him. The front of the shop was about what he’d expected. A small, open space walled off by a long counter that blocked the path to the kitchen beyond. Display trays laid empty across the wide, wooden surface. A few chairs were set along the walls, beside two or three bright paintings hanging between them.
She quickly towed him up the counter, flipped up the bar door, then continued on into the kitchen. How do I get out of this? They stepped through the doorway. I just need to get to my room.
He was staring at the familiar bakery scene now. Among the shelves of bowls and jars was Ezra, sitting in a chair by the table. He was facing the door with a look that said he’d been waiting. As soon as he saw Stella he jumped to his feet.
“Stella!” He said. “Is Micah—” then he glanced over at Clergy. “Oh… it’s just you.”
Glad to see I was missed, Clergy thought to himself, but he said nothing and smiled as Stella ushered him over to a chair beside Ezra.
“No,” Stella said. “Not yet, but he will be.”
“What about Daniel?” Clergy asked. “Have you talked to him yet?”
“No, but we weren’t expecting to,” Stella said. “He told us he probably wouldn’t be back until tomorrow. We’ve been a little anxious to hear how everything went.” She leaned in a bit closer. “So, what did Saadya say? Was Abel right? Is… is there an Arbiter here?”
And we’re getting right into it, Clergy thought to himself, as the other two stared him down. If Daniel didn’t come back yet, then they haven’t heard anything about Saadya’s place. I might be able to play this off for now. He swallowed down a bit of his nerves. Don’t say too much just get back to your room.
“I—” make it quick. “She… she didn’t have much to say, but… honestly, it’s been a long day. I’m pretty tired. I’ll talk to everyone in the morning, but I just want to get some sleep. I’d rather not have to say the same story twice if that’s ok.”
Stella and Ezra looked on in silence as the question lingered for a moment. “Of course,” Stella finally said. “It’s been a long day for all of us.” Then she nodded toward the side door that led upstairs. “Your room’s all made up. We’ll talk in the morning.”
“Right. Thank you.” I can’t believe that worked. Clergy couldn’t hide his relief as he nodded then briskly made his way to the side door that led upstairs. The other two watched as Clergy hurried out the kitchen, up the stairs, and down the hall to his room. He’d bought himself one night, somehow, next came the morning… in front of the whole group.
Right. No pressure.
~ - ~
Morning came far sooner than Clergy would’ve liked.
He wished he’d slept more.
He sat up from the bed, as thin rays of sunlight lit up the modest space. His nerves had tormented him for most of the night, and they wouldn’t let him sleep now. Then I guess I’m up, Clergy thought to himself, as he looked over at the door to the room. And now I get to head downstairs and try to lie. His stomach squirmed, and he knew it wouldn’t be the last time today. Things were only going to get worse from here.
Yeah, this is gonna go great.
He brought himself to the edge of the bed where he’d left his boots. Hold on, he thought. I need a plan before I get down there. He looked over at the nightstand on his right where his eyepatch was waiting for him. Some of its edges were burned and frayed, scars from the long day he’d endured. He clutched the stained shirt he’d had on since yesterday. Last night he’d just fallen into bed but— some clean clothes would be great too.
Forgoing the boots and patch for now, he went over to the dresser. There’s gotta be some in the drawers or— he stopped and smiled. Sitting on top of the bureau was a fresh tunic and pants beside his cloak from yesterday.
Stella must’ve read my mind, he thought to himself, then he thought about that a little more. Well… anyone would’ve known I needed clothes. Shouldn’t read too much into that.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
He quickly threw on the beige shirt and dark brown pants, and as he did he caught another look at himself in the mirror. His face looked… better, honestly. There were still a few lines from the scars and some bruising around his eye, but it was nothing like before. Probably don’t even need the patch anymore. He was glad to go without it, but… still. It wasn’t like he was an expert, but healing this quickly didn’t seem normal. His face hadn’t even burned like his chest did back in the cell. A natural power, Clergy thought to himself. Just one more thing he couldn’t explain. More proof of what he already knew. Saadya was the one with answers, and he needed to stay in her good graces. There was no turning back now.
Once he was dressed he went back for his boots then headed for the door. Now I just need a plan. A few steps into the hall didn’t provide any new inspiration. Actually, he thought to himself. Who says I need something new? Maybe the plan from last night was still fine. Tell them Saadya said the dream meant nothing, and there were no signs of Arbiters nearby.
The only ones who might have questions were Abel and Daniel. Since he spoke to Saadya too, Daniel might have doubts, but no one else had been at the fire. No one had any new evidence to refute him. All that was left to deal with was Abel’s tip from before. It was just his word against Clergy’s though, and even if they decided to check for themselves Saadya would back him up. As long as he was convincing he could walk out of here in one piece.
He could do this.
The stairs to the kitchen were coming up on his right now, but as he approached he—
“We should tell them.” It was Micah, talking in a hushed but forceful tone from the bottom of the flight.
Clergy pressed himself against the wall, quickly and quietly. He didn’t know what they were talking about, but if he could get a little extra info going into the conversation ahead, he’d take it.
“No,” Abel replied. “It’s too soon, and it’s got nothing to do with the rumors. Those should have our attention.
“But what if it does!” Micah said. “As far as we know they could be who set the fire! We’ve got to at least bring up Mona—”
“No!” Abel said again curtly. “We’re not even sure what we know yet. We just have theories, and if the news is true then… then we don’t want to add more fuel to the fire. Panic will get us nowhere.”
A fire? Clergy thought as he leaned in a bit more. Are they talking about the one from yesterday? If they’d heard too many details that could blow up Clergy’s whole plan—
The floor creaked against his extra weight, and Micah and Abel snapped toward the noise.
“Clergy?” Micah called. “Is that you?”
So much for being discreet, Clergy thought to himself. But I guess I gotta talk to them now. He stepped out into the open.
The two of them were almost huddled in the corner at the bottom of the stairs. Abel had on a dark green tunic with a brown vest, matching pants, and even darker boots.
Micah stood beside him in an embroidered, light brown tunic with green pants and boots much like Abel’s. He had a bandage wrapped around his right eye, and his hair wasn’t quite as unruly as before. Clergy still wasn’t used to it being short though, hopefully that wouldn’t faze him now.
“Hey,” he said with a grin. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“It’s fine,” Micah said. “We were just coming to get you anyways.”
Coming to get me? Clergy thought. “Did something happen?”
Abel and Micah glanced at each other. “That’s what we’re waiting to find out,” Abel said at last. “Come on, we’ll find out together.”
What did they hear? Clergy thought to himself. Not knowing made him uneasy, but at this point he didn’t have a choice. With a breath he headed down the stairs, joining Abel and Micah before the three of them headed into the kitchen.
Sitting around the table now was Nitara and Ezra. Both of them had changed. Ezra was sitting in almost the same spot as last night. He wore a white shirt now though, with fading gray pants and dark boots. His chair was set close to the table, where he held his head up with one hand, while he rapped the other’s fingers on the wood.
Nitara sat across from him, donned in a beige tunic and darker brown pants. She had a leather boot on one foot, while the other was kicked up on a chair and wrapped. Only her tan toes and heel were exposed on that one. The rest was well-covered in that violet Nepis gauze. She kept her brown hair out of her face in a ponytail, and had just noticed the three of them enter the room.
“That took a minute,” she said, leaning back as she looked them over.
Micah stepped in first as he gave her a shrug. “What can I say?” He quipped back. “We got lost.”
Nitara smirked and shook her head. “I see you found him easy enough though,” she said, nodding over at Clergy. “Wasn’t sure if you were going to run.”
The thought had crossed my mind but— “I still have unfinished business,” Clergy said. “I won’t leave until I at least try to make things right.”
Nitara scoffed. “Well,” she said, “that sounds nice at least. You might even get me standing with all that good will.”
Clergy put on an awkward smile as he moved to stand over by Ezra. He was going to take a seat, but if it meant being closer to her then— maybe I’ll just wait right here.
“Leave the boy alone,” Abel said as he walked over to the table. “He’s been through enough. We all have, and we all have bigger things to worry about right now.” He looked around the room. “Stella left?”
“We weren’t sure when Daniel would get back,” Ezra said, perking up a bit as the three of them approached. “She wanted to see how things were for herself.”
“The Hall must be a mad house right now,” Micah chimed in. “Can’t beat drama like this.”
“I’m still hoping that’s all this is,” Abel said with a groan.
Micah came up to the table now and pulled up a chair next to Ezra. He sat then fist bumped his brother, who gave a quick grin while he returned the gesture.
Why would the Hall be a madhouse? Clergy thought to himself. It didn’t seem like anyone there would care about a fire in the lower district.
Just then the front door opened.
“That must be Stella now,” Abel said, as he and the rest of the room turned towards the noise.
A moment later Stella appeared in the doorway leading towards the front. She wore a long brown skirt with a green drape fastened beneath her belt. Above that she had on a long sleeve white shirt with a brown vest, and a look that said things were not going well outside.
“That was quick,” Ezra said.
Stella sighed as she stepped into the room. “Honestly, it didn’t take long to see how things were going. It’s a mess out there.”
“And Daniel?” Abel asked.
“There’s a big crowd in front of the Hall right now, so I’m not really sure. Hopefully he’ll—”
The back door swung open.
“— be here soon.”
Sure enough it was Daniel, standing before the frame and alley beyond. He had on a dark cloak with brown pants and boots, with a long sleeved white shirt. His hair was a mess in front of his face, his glasses were on, and he had the same look as Stella. Much to the room’s dismay.
“You’re back,” Stella said. “From the look of things I thought it might’ve taken you a call or two to get here from the Hall.”
“It probably would have,” Daniel said, as he stepped in and closed the door behind him. “But I managed to sneak out the back before the crowd got too big and the guards locked down the plaza.”
“And?” Nitara asked.
Daniel sighed as he took off his glasses and pushed his hair and hood back. “It’s not good,” he said after a moment. “The King is dead.”
Wait… what?! The room had much the same reaction, as shock marred everyone’s faces.
“How do you know?” Abel said at last. “There hasn’t been an announcement.”
“The Council knows,” Daniel said. “They’re keeping it quiet for now, but the announcement’s coming around midday.”
“Who did it?” Nitara asked. “The fire last night?”
Last night? Clergy thought to himself. There was another? That was surprising news, but then he realized— Abel and Micah, he thought to himself. They weren’t talking about Naki and me by the stairs.
“There’s an investigation,” Daniel said. “Obviously, but so far no one knows anything.” He paused and brought a hand to his chin. “Now that I think about it though, earlier that day in the clinic. There was that other fire.”
“That’s right, I forgot about that!” Micah said. “Clergy, you went there with Naki, right?”
Clergy’s nerves squirmed at the sound of his name but, you knew this would come up eventually. He looked around as the room met his gaze. “I was there,” he said at last, “but… we got there too late. Whoever started it was gone and… there was nothing we could do.”
“I’m sorry,” Stella said, stepping over with a grief-ridden smile. “That must’ve been hard.”
Wow… I— Clergy didn’t know what to say. He’d imagined everyone having doubts, even accusations, but empathy… his chest tightened a bit with guilt, of all things. He almost wanted to tell her the truth. To show her he wasn’t broken yet, but then he thought better of it. He took a breath and smiled back. “We’re doing what we can now.”
“And Saadya?” Daniel asked. “Did she have anything to say about your… dream? Did she know anything about Arbiters being nearby?”
“We didn’t talk for too long,” Clergy said. “But she didn’t think the dream meant anything. She was sure there wasn’t an arbiter around though, she pretty much told me to forget about it.”
No one seemed to mind his answer, though Abel did look a little surprised.
“What about that girl, Abel?” Daniel asked after a moment. “Mira, I think it was. I know I had my doubts, but what she told you sounded like a—”
“It wasn’t,” Abel said flatly. “We still have a little more digging to do, but for now, we’ve still got nothing.”
Daniel groaned as his gaze drifted down into his thoughts, leaving the rest of the room to mull on Abel’s words. Almost everyone looked somewhere between contemplation and concern as far as he could tell. Nitara did seem more displeased than anything though, and Micah had just looked away and scowled for a moment.
At this rate, Clergy thought to himself. They’re just gonna keep asking me questions, and I can’t keep lying forever. I’ve gotta steer the conversation somewhere else. He thought about that some more. They just need a suspect for the fire. Maybe… maybe someone the guards are already looking at, and I can only think of one thing—
“I did hear something yesterday though,” Clergy said. “On my way here I overheard the guards by the Gate. They were looking for someone. An Amarian, who used to be in some place called the Coves. Maybe that’s the guy you’re looking for?”
That seemed to catch the room off guard.
“The Coves?” Micah asked. “You’re sure? Those are prisons, bad ones.”
“That’s what they said,” Clergy replied. I’m even more sure now.
“Could be the same one we ran into at the archives,” Nitara said. “We never did see him get away, and he could definitely cause trouble. He was a fighter.”
“That could be something,” Stella said, joining the group at the far end of the table. She looked over at Daniel. “Has there been any word in the Hall? The guard must be looking into a breakout.”
“No,” Daniel said, still visibly surprised. “I haven’t heard anything about that… but I’m not surprised. The King’s death would eclipse most news.”
Stella stared at him for a moment, before nodding her head with a shrug. “Makes sense,” she said at last.
“Well, if they haven’t started an investigation then maybe we should,” Abel said. “We could find them a lead. If we get the ball rolling they might end up doing all the work for us and—”
“It doesn’t matter!” Daniel shouted.
Everyone was bewildered by that. Abel most of all. “Doesn’t matter?!” He spat back. “Someone killed the King!”
“And who did it is irrelevant now!” Daniel said. “All that matters is what comes next.”
“Come on, Daniel!” Micah said, throwing his head back as he rolled his eyes. “We can’t just ignore this! If someone killed the King then—”
“No…”Abel said, shuddering as he brought his hand to his head. “No, he’s right. Caleb doesn’t have an heir. He was the last of his line… the Council…”
“Slow down,” Stella cut in. “What happens if the King doesn’t have an heir? Who takes the throne?”
“The Council decides,” Daniel said, stepping up closer to the table. “Over the next month there’ll be three rounds of voting between all the sitting members, and if we’re being honest, right now that means—”
“Gad’s gonna win.” Nitara said those words with venom. The room flinched at their sting.
“No,” Stella said, her voice trembling with rage and disbelief. “No… there has to be something we can do. Something you can do, from the inside—”
“I work in the Hall,” Daniel said. “I’m not on the Council. An aide can’t do anything to stop something like this—”
“Then what are we going to do?” Nitara snapped back. “If Gad takes the crown this is over. We can’t run. We’d all be as good as dead.”
No one corrected her. Yeah, Clergy thought, not a big fan of that…
“If it’s a vote,” Abel said. “Someone else has to be running. Gad can’t be the only one who wants to be King.”
“No, he’s not,” Daniel said, then he gave a begrudging nod. “The next most likely option is Councilor Nachman—”
“Ivar Nachman?!” Micah snapped. “You want him to have the crown?! He’d be just like Gad! Maybe worse!”
Daniel groaned. “I’m just saying he has the most influence. If someone were to take it from Gad it would be—”
Clergy jumped as Stella slammed her hand down on the table. “No.” Her tone was firm, her face rigid and furious. “Not him.”
Daniel took a moment before he went for his next words. “There’s no one else with the kind of leverage we need to—”
Stella slammed her hand again. “Not. Him.”
Daniel sighed as he suffered Stella’s glare some more until, “that’s what I thought you’d say.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Which means— if we are working together on this—” he paused and looked around the room.
No one corrected him.
“Then the only real option left is Avram.”
Stella cleared her throat, as worry quickly marred her rage. “Ok,” she said, “but… isn’t he…”
“An aging, senile fool?” Daniel asked. “Most of the time. Enough of the time.” He rolled his eyes with that. “And somehow—” he snorted— “somehow we have to convince the most powerful people in the city to step aside and make him King.” He shook his head. “Or die trying.”
Those words sat uneasy on the open air, as everyone balked and shared worried glances until—
“You’re skipping past the easy answer,” Nitara said. “We kill Gad.”
“No,” Daniel said flatly. “No, that’s a bad idea,”
Nitara scoffed. “Why?” She asked. “Because it’s not yours?”
“Because we tried that before—”
“We can try a little harder—”
“— and it didn’t go so well. Now we’re down two people and we have even less time to prepare.” Daniel looked around the room. “We don’t have the strength to be that aggressive, and we can’t afford to make anymore mistakes. I’m sure we can all at least agree on that.”
Again, no one corrected him.
“Fine,” Nitara said after a moment. “Then what’s our next move? How do we get Avram the crown?”
Daniel huffed and balked at that. “I don’t know, honestly,” he said. “But the Council’s next step will be the funeral, and that’s something I do have access to. I can at least get a feel for how they’re planning to vote in the first round. Maybe find us a place to start.”
“Guess somebody has to,” Ezra said. “If no one else has anything.”
The room gave nothing more than silence.
“Then we should prepare,” Daniel said. “Once they announce Caleb’s death things are gonna get a lot harder.”
“They’ll probably restrict travel between the districts for a while,” Stella said. Then she walked over and nudged Ezra’s shoulder. “You’re still hanging out with me. We should grab some supplies for the bakery while the stores still have stock.”
Ezra grumbled a bit at that. “I—”
“‘Can’t do anything else right now, so I’d be glad to help out,’” Micah cut in, before raising a brow at his brother. “Just hang out for a bit. I know you want a fresh sweet bun anyway.”
Ezra grumbled again but didn’t argue.
“They’ll do more than lock down travel,” Abel said. “They’ll start cracking down on leaks, And I’m about to lose a lot of access if Gad starts tightening his leash on the guard.” He looked over at Micah. “We should go out again. I know everyone might not agree, but I still think we need to figure out who caused the fire. If there was foul play involved, finding out might give us some leverage. We can’t just sit on our hands while we wait for Daniel again.” He looked over at him. “No offense.”
“None taken,” Daniel said with a nod. “And you’re right, more information will help us stay ahead. I’ll head right back out to the Hall. Make sure I stay in the loop with the funeral arrangements.”
“Then I guess that settles it,” Stella said. “But if everyone’s going out you should get your cloaks. I kinda underestimated the chill myself.”
“Right, upstairs then boys,” Abel said with a resounding clap. “We’ve got work to do.”
Micah and Ezra both nodded and left up the stairs with Abel trailing behind.
Don’t wanna stay either so— “I’m just gonna head upstairs too if that’s cool. I just… want some time to absorb all this.”
Stella looked over at him and smiled. “Of course, there’s really nothing else for you to do but sit tight anyways.“
Music to my ears. Clergy nodded before briskly making his way towards the stairs himself. I can’t believe I made it out of this—
“You know they were lying, right?”
Clergy’s heart dropped. What?! He nearly stumbled but kept walking.
That was Nitara, talking softly from the kitchen, but loud enough that Clergy still managed to overhear. There’s just no—
“Yeah,” Stella said back. “I know.”
Clergy nearly threw up right there.
“What do you wanna do?” Nitara asked.
There was a little pause after that.
“Let me dig around a bit,” Stella finally said. “I’ll find something to work with.”
What am I gonna do? Clergy tried to quell his nerves as he made his way up the rest of the flight. Who were they talking about? Who knows? He didn’t know what to believe after this. Who was lying? Who got caught? And what do I do if it’s me? He groaned at the thought. All he really knew was he had to get through the next couple days… somehow.
Right. No pressure.