Chapter 4

Niles slowly closed the large door behind him. He hated coming here, but this was where the work was.

He was standing in one of Holmberg's largest homes, surpassed only by the Church and the Council building.

The Church was in the eastern portion of the settlement near what the locals called the Market District. The settlement was not large enough to have proper districts, having only one hundred thousand people. Still, with the large number of relocated families from the capital and other major cities, it caught on quickly and stuck.

The church was more of a large compound with several buildings dedicated to the many gods and goddesses than a traditional single building. This was because of so many different people coming from all over the continent in the area. It was hard to believe how large the continent was sometimes.

The grounds were covered in statues depicting all forms of higher beings that the resolute would pull power from through bindings and servitude. It made Niles uneasy whenever he had to pass through that area. The thought of people giving their lives and freedom away just because someone was stronger than you never made much sense to him.

‘Maybe someday I will be strong enough, and people will worship me.’ he thought.

The Council building was in the dead center of Holmberg. The original building was built when the first travelers decided to take this land for their own. That building had been torn down, and a large coliseum-style building had been built in its place. It had theater seating where anyone who wanted to attend any of the meetings had the opportunity.

His father and mother had even let him come along one day when they had to settle a land dispute with a neighbor who wanted to take some of their land. They had won, of course.

There were twelve elevated seats at the center for the twelve Council members, who were Holmberg's true authorities. They would listen, pass judgment on anyone who requested it, and ensure the ruling was fair.

The rest of the settlement consisted of wooden buildings with stout yet simple local architecture.

The Baron’s mansion, however, was made of stone reminiscent of the capital itself. Grand peaked rooftops of its many wings reached past the skyline. It was all made with intricate stonework that took the local masons years to complete, even with the help of a master brought in directly from the capital. It was in the northwestern portion of the settlement, separating the Mage District to the north and the Living District to the south. It was full of twisting staircases and too many doors that, inside, seemed to go on forever without end.

There were too many halls and levels for his liking. He preferred the simplicity of the average home.

Niles was only fourteen when traveling bandits raided his family farm, and he lost his family. The Baron and his men had swept in just as he was about to be the final execution and slaughtered the bandits. It was not fast. Since that bloody day, he has worked for the Baron in hopes of paying back his debt or turning of age. It also helped that there were no other options for orphans like him. He lives in a community home the council had set up to ensure no citizen went without. It was not bad considering his situation.

The typical work he received was minimal tasks: following people, eavesdropping, and courier work were the most common. However, what he wanted to do was be a fighter. You had to be eighteen before joining the guard training and entering the local guard. There, he could become a true warrior and defend his home. Tomorrow was his eighteenth birthday, and he swore on his family’s graves that he would never be weak again. He would be a protector.

He made his way down the main hallway of the Barons’ mansion. The long and immaculately tiled walkway echoed with every step. The bright white tile gleamed in the morning light, illuminating the pictures and portraits lining the walls. He went to the second level to reach the study, where he was supposed to report to his employer.

“Niles, my boy, what have you got for me today?” Said a cheerful voice from behind a desk cluttered high with papers.

The next moment, Niles crested the stairs to the study and walked towards the voice.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

The Baron stood from behind the desk with a smile and gestured for him to sit beside the fireplace.

The room was large, with walls covered entirely in bookshelves apart from floor-to-ceiling windows that stretched twenty paces across and the fireplace on the opposite wall. Outside the windows sat a large balcony overlooking the rest of the grounds.

He sat in a high back chair beside the fire as the Baron joined him.

“How did you know it was me, sir?”

He tried to restrain the playful laugh but was unsuccessful. “I will tell you a secret few people know: my mana senses are second to none. I have honed it to such a fine point that I can tell an individual apart from the feeling of the mana they emit alone. It is quite extraordinary if I say so myself. That will stay our secret, yes?”

Niles nodded.

“Excellent. Now tell me. Have you any news on Cassius?”

“No, sir. He has not been seen in a week. Not since he was hired to guide a new traveler down the tunnels. I overheard that the local priests were hired again for a cleansing and entered the same location three days ago. I watched them return an hour ago, and they did not mention finding anyone down there when they reported to the guard, sir.”

“Hmm, that is strange. Normally, that rat would have been back long before now. Check his usual holes after we are done here if you would.”

“Of course, sir.”

“And the others? The three I told you to follow.”

Niles looked down at his hands in his lap, “It was not easy keeping up with those three. Crafty they are. I did see them enter the abandoned butcher’s home on the east side in the Market District just after sunrise, but I lost them after that. They must have had another way out or entered a different building because I found no trace of them after.”

The Baron steepled his fingers in thought. “Anything else that you remember while you were waiting?”

“There was a man that walked down the ally half an hour later, but he looked to be just another lost drunk waking up from a long night at the tavern, sir.”

“Tell me what you remember about this man, Niles.”

An hour later, the boy left the mansion with a new task.

A slender man dressed in black leather stepped in from the balcony. “The boy just left the grounds. What did you find out, Boss?”

The Baron placed his chin in his hand, contemplating the information he had just received. He stood and walked over to the desk. He popped a hidden compartment on the side and retrieved a glass along with a bottle of dark liquid. Then, he filled the glass halfway. He paused and continued filling it until it was completely full.

“That bad? What do you need me to do, Boss?” looking at the Baron with concern.

After taking a long drink from the glass, he sat at the desk and turned to the slender man.

“There is another entity in play. Currently, I do not know exactly who or what it is, but someone new has entered the game. I have my suspicions, but nothing definitive. The Blade and his crew are dead, and the twins got away. They must be found. East of the church, at the edge of the Market District, is an abandoned home where an old butcher lived. He died a few years back, and from what information I have gathered, I was able to confirm that is the location the twins were using as a base of operations. Look and see what you find and report back. I am going to guess you will find large traces of magic on their corpses. Gather all the information you find and return to me at once.”

“What is happening? Is it the church again? Or is it the Capital? What is at play here?”

The Baron looked at his glass for a moment as if it held all his answers. Finally, he tilted it back and finished it. “I am not positive, and as I said, I have my suspicions. For now, gather information and report back. Put another crew on finding the twins. Use Fenrick if you must, but get it done. If they had left the city, they would not have gotten far. Until we reclaim what is rightfully mine, the situation will continue to get precarious with the council. I need to stall till this is all resolved. Go. Get me my answers.”

“Boss, one more question, any word on Cassius?” He asked, shifting slightly.

He looked at the slender man a moment before continuing. “I suspect he is dead as well. I have the boy looking into the supposed nobleman to see if he ever emerged from the tunnel, but I do not hold much hope. The tunnels can be dangerous.”

Shocked, he asked, “Do you suspect the church? The priests are nothing more than con artists and drunks hiding behind the faces of their gods, but a move against you would make sense right now. With the council being so preoccupied with you, it would be perfect for them to strike a blow against us. Or did he just run off with the nobleman’s coin?”

The Baron let out a heavy sigh. “No, my friend, he is dead. Your cousin is too much of a coward to run, and while the church would make sense, and I have not discounted that, there is something else tying this together. There is something heavy weighing on my senses that I cannot seem to place. Something old. Something ancient is moving and I do not know who would be controlling it. There is something moving in the dark between the council, the church, and the twins. It radiates heat in my mana sense, and I fear it might be too much for this world. It feels as though the world is going to burn.”

After reeling in his temper, the slender man turned towards the balcony and began to walk away. “I will report back in two days with my findings. If the nobleman is alive, I will have an exceedingly long and slow talk with him once I am finished,” he said, then disappeared out the door.

“I would not have it any other way, my friend.”

Now alone, the Baron poured another glass and leaned back in his chair. He closed his eyes, reached out with his senses; he began to shake. Burning heat, ancient magic, and death filled his mind, so powerful it took all his concentration and several minutes to break the connection. Fragmented images of green flame and a city on fire seared in his memory while he recovered, sweat beading down his face.

“What the hells kind of evil have they brought down on us?”