Act 5.3

Beneath the olive tree Lomu is staring into his own reflection in the pool.

Vera- See something I like?

Lomu- I have to go, but I’ll be back ...for good this time.

Vera- You don’t have to promise me.

Lomu- this is a promise to me.

As dawn creeps upon the capital city in the distance, the ship is bustling with freed slaves. Sarah, all gauzed up enters captain's quarters where Lomu is hovering over the documents.

Lomu- Reza said that they wanted to kill Vance out in the sea, but failed because I replaced him. Dim will do so again inside the cathedral.

Sarah- Why would archbishop want that?

Lomu- As prince regent he can administer the kingdom, but he cannot end the war nor diminish Dim’s authority. He needs the majority; Edna holds Mikele’s seat in his absence and with me gone he is in a constant minority. So long as my father’s fate remains vague, Dim is in charge. In Barburg your master was searching for Cardus. Cardus oversaw the construction of the twin lords Cathedral including its secrets. Dim wants to make sure nothing and no one gets into the city without his knowledge.

Sarah- Why not declare that king is dead?

Lomu- As Mikele explained to me, if we do that the war is lost. Those who support us will fade away, Quaz kingdom will collapse, and our kingdom will feel the full wrath of the Tarl empire for aiding Quaz, not to mention for harboring members of the deposed royal family.

Sarah- your late mother….and you.

Lomu- We need the decree of regicide to coincide with coronation, to alleviate any cause for confusion, no pretenders or usurpers, no hesitation.

Sarah- So how are they planning to use the king?

Lomu- Cardus said something about Tarls and these papers fill in the gap, my father was mellified to keep from decomposing, according to these papers that substance is part of explosive concoction. All it would take Dim to fulfill his plan is add the missing ingredients and light the fuse blowing up his remains. Or better yet doing it when Vance was holding a vigil.

Sarah- That doesn’t explain why you were to be seized.

Lomu- With both me and Vance gone, Dim and your order would turn this kingdom into theocracy.

Sarah- It took us almost three days to get here, the cart would already have arrived, and on horseback inquisition would have reached the city long before that. How are you planning to stop them?

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Lomu- It will take time to prepare a funeral procession. All I need to do is reach the cathedral beforehand.

Sarah- and do what?

Lomu- kill the bishop.

As Lomu declares his intention, shocked Sarah is left speechless. They leave the quarters and stand on the deck to watch as the emerald city looms ever closer. Galleys surround the city, so their ship has no hope of approaching any of the ports, Lomu flicks through one of the diary pages and points to the nearest tower and matches it to the sketches in hand.

They lower one of the rafts and Sarah and Lomu begin paddling toward the city.

A few hours later, from behind one of the tapestries in the tower that houses one of the eternal flames Lomu and Sarah emerge.

The curfew is in effect, they start sneaking through the outer walls’ city streets avoiding the patrols. Lomu finds the empty streets eerie, before they left it was filled with merchants and bustling city life, fairs and competitions were going down and city was brimming with life even when nation was at war, now silence. They snuck to the gate of the inner walls which was surrounded by a massive group of inquisition forces. As with most other cases these men were not inquisitors, but adept militiamen, sheltered by the church from childhood and given the most rudimentary of trainings. They were more scribes and field workers than soldiers, but with most of the military at war, the church had pressed them into service. Even some of the beggars had been picked up from the streets and given purpose. Lomu was hesitant to engage, they were not zealots, and their intentions were noble at heart, but his task was nobler.

Before they can decide what to do city bells begin to toll around them. The massive group rushes away from the wall toward the outer wall, but some rush in.

Lomu and Sarah use the opportunity to sneak in sneak further in. As they approach the gates two inquisitors and a small group of gate keepers bar their way.

Guardian Inquisitor- Halt who approaches?

Sarah- Inquisitor Sarah and his royal highness Prince Lomu!

Guardian inquisitor- Yesterday maybe, but for your seditious acts you have been attainted by archbishop's decree! Drop your weapons and come with me! I need not take you alive Sarah, but out of respect for your deeds I will.

Lomu- well I thank you for your generosity brother Vyoda, but I’d rather cut through now!

Having had time to rest these past two days Sarah and Lomu easily cut through the barricade, Inquisitor Vyoda shows some promise and holds his own against the duo, but as his cohorts go down so do his chances of capturing them, with the other sentries incapacitated he reconsiders his generous offer of taking them alive and with a lethal gamble he hurls his blades at the duo who effortlessly dodge them and knock him unconscious. Again, the bells toll and Lomu decides to clamber up the wall steps and see what is going on.

What he sees beggars’ belief. The part of the fleet sent out years ago is sailing home with Mikele’s flagship clearly visible under the sunset, they have all but reached the city port and have started engaging and burning the inquisition blockade.

Lomus eyes dart from port to port, from harbor gates to the outer wall square, confusion and bloodshed everywhere, he is snapped out when he hears Sarah’s breathing by his side. He turns to meet Sarahs equally confused gaze.

Lomu- Can you get a message into the cathedral?

Sarah- you want someone there to know you are here?!

Lomu- I need more than that. Can you do that?

Sarah- Evidently, I don’t have any standing within the order anymore, but yes, I can.

Lomu fishes for coal and paper and scribbles something down and folds it, he removes the ring from his finger and puts it over the rolled paper.

Lomu- this needs to reach Vera, the flame keeper.

Sarah- how do you even ...

Lomu- I beg you.

Sarah need only look into Lomu’s eyes to see forlorn desperation which will brook no argument, nor hear any reason.

Sarah- ...done.

Act 5.4