Thayer was always relieved to exit the chancellor’s tower. Whether Marks knew it or not, the foul odor of his poor hygiene somehow mixed with his clouds of dark thought. The musk of it seeped into the very stone of the tower itself, making the chancellor’s flat insufferable to remain in for long periods of time.
The two had been allies for the last three years, since Thayer graduated from the academy. The chancellor had taken Thayer under his wing and even introduced the young man to the Remel orbs. He still had yet to control one of the orbs properly, but Marks promised his magical technique would be harnessed in time.
For now, Thayer was perfectly capable in the physical realm. His influence and movement through the ranks in the castle was impressive. When pressed on why Marks had taken such a liking to the boy, Marks told them that Thayer showed what true undying loyalty looked like. It’s something that cannot be replicated or fabricated; genuine trust in his lord’s rule and instruction to the dying breath.
That was the façade Thayer had put on for the chancellor and his yes men of the Parceta Council. Thayer was actually a survivor. He would do and say whatever he needed to ensure he either moved up or at least stayed within the same range of trust as his station allowed. This was partially on Marks’s direct orders, but also Thayer’s survival instincts.
Marks told Thayer after giving him the orb that he needed to fall under the good graces of as many people in the government as possible. He needed to remember every name and face so that he could find those names and faces within the orb once he mastered the orb’s abilities.
After that, one could begin to blackmail these individuals. Their needs, desires, and wants would become clear with the orb’s assistance, and those in turn could be exploited. The orb would eventually show the user the deepest, darkest secrets of those constituents. With the right leverage, any politician could then be moved.
Thayer was just descending the steps from the chancellor’s tower when he heard the voice of Marcellus Marks, the duke’s dimwitted son who was largely unaware of the goings on within the castle. When it came to Thayer, however, perhaps it was the natural competitive rivalry young people with large ambitions have toward one another, maybe something else: Thayer got the sense Marks didn’t trust him.
Thayer didn’t press the issue. He became passive around Marcus to allow himself to be ignored. It was important to move up without being noticed.
Marcus’s voice filled the corridor as he beckoned for someone to follow him. That’s when Thayer saw Susi up close for the first time. He glared from the top of the steps as she came into view.
That was their target.
The girl had made his mentor uncomfortable to a degree that Thayer had never witnessed. That meant the chancellor considered her to be dangerous.
She didn’t look dangerous, but Thayer could feel an energy from her that wasn’t natural. She was the kind of person you couldn’t tell a lie to. A thief would naturally avoid a perceptive target, and Susi was all of that.
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Thayer stayed in the shadows as the red-faced Marcus asked if the girl would have any food, to which she declined. Thayer was barely listening to them. He was watching what he could see of the girl beyond the banister of the stairwell.
Something about her felt…familiar. Thayer couldn’t put his finger on what it was. He tried to remember if he had seen her in the past, but couldn’t think of any time where they might have encountered one another.
Thayer descended the steps as Susi moved out of sight down the hall with Marcus. He stepped into the corridor behind them to see the two headed toward the library ahead.
Seeing the girl in close quarters, and seeing her mingle with Marcus…Thayer understood the chancellor’s concern. It didn’t feel like happenstance, it felt like coming upon a river of destiny. You couldn’t stop this river if you tried.
The two disappeared into the library. Thayer didn’t follow. He remained standing in the center of the corridor in thought.
For some reason, Thayer imagined Marcus rutting the girl. He saw the two within some closet of the castle, Marcus sliding his slimy member in and out of her until completion—her leather pants bunched around her ankles. He imagined the girl getting pregnant, and the problem snowballing from there.
A voice of protest rose in Thayer’s mind. But the Talea monks are celibate.
That was rich. Anyone can be celibate until the right circumstances come along. The path to ultimate power was a short one. Life is a game of strategy, and a beautiful woman passing up a future king would be a foolish move strategically.
Is she beautiful? Thayer asked himself. She was, but not in a sexual way if that made sense. She was something delicate that needed to be preserved. He could understand Marcus’s infatuation with her in that regard.
Thayer had a different philosophy about women. He knew Marcus was a player—and had a better than fifty percent chance of bedding the girl if he chose to—but Marcus wanted to fall in love.
Thayer saw women as a means to an end. It wasn’t personal. Susi wasn’t the kind of girl Thayer would chase because, as he observed before, she was too perceptive.
Has the situation changed? He mused to himself. He was a little surprised to know that it had. He would need to retrieve the second Remel orb.
And the third? Thayer stroked his clean-shaven chin. Deltia Chester was too deeply entangled within the Ignasis orb’s grasp. Requesting that he part with it might cause problems.
Thayer turned and made for the castle entrance.
Deltia and Ignasis would have to wait. For now, he would need to contact a few people he knew. That much would change if the girl wasn’t defeated by the end of the second day. If Susi could survive the gauntlet Thayer was preparing for her the next day, then he would need to bring Deltia into the fold.
If the girl was still alive at this time the following day, no amount of power was too much to exterminate such a dangerous nuisance.