Chapter 39: In the Shadow of Them All

Five slipped out as soon as we got through the city's impressive gates. I knew it was coming as it had been part of our plan, yet it still caught me off guard. She did it in a way that I didn't know was even possible, dropping through a trap door underneath the bottom of the carriage and crouching under the wheels as we rolled over her.

I grimaced at One as I shot her a look. With an apologetic look on her face, she grimaced in response. I guess it was unfair to expect her to have warned me about the door at the bottom of the carriage. However, I couldn't appreciate it whenever something surprised me and made me feel like I was about to blow my cover. It seemed that One knew that it would surprise me but hadn't found a way to warn me. I would have to live with that.

At least I knew that Five was about to leave. She was going to go and get the lay of the land. This city was dangerous, and without good information, it would be like walking into a viper's den blind. Not that any random thugs would pose a problem to my Numbered. I would put each of them up against any five people in the city. No, it wasn't the rough part of the city I was worried about. It was the politics. A city run by assassins was about as safe as it sounded.

After Five left us, we continued into the city. For the most part, things looked like a typical city. The buildings could have fit seamlessly in any of the places I had visited. It was a lot more dark black rock as it was a readily available building material, and the roads were well-paved. As the carriage moved deeper and deeper into the city, I couldn't help but just watch, looking for any sign that the city wasn't just a normal city servicing several mines nearby but the seat of the world-spanning assassination guild.

So far, I hadn't noticed anything. Maybe a few odd interactions that might have been some sort of spy network operating, but that was probably just paranoia. For the most part people just went about their day.

When the shadow cast of the giant cliff the city was cut into passed over the carriage, I noticed things began to change a little bit. As we went deep into the massive caverns lit by various forms of fire and magic, the guard's presence increased significantly. We started to have to stop every once in a while and go through checkpoints. No one bothered us in the carriage, but the drivers were required to present identification and reasons for going in. Nothing was a major hindrance, but it slowed us down.

After we reached the final checkpoint, there was nothing but a massive courtyard ringed in torches between us and our destination. That wasn't the impressive part.

Massive black stone gates stood open. The 70-foot tall slaves of black marble and hinges looked almost impossible to move. Yet I could see the well-oiled grooves of the tracks that they ran along. The steady wear on the floor showed that they were clearly designed to be moved and often were.

In front of the door, our diver stopped. As we got out of the carriage and ready to enter the Grand Hall, I couldn't take my eyes away from what lay beyond the threshold.

I could barely make out the ceiling in this massive open area, only because of my ability to see through shadows. It had to be 100 feet above us. The back wall was at least 300 feet away, and the sides of this massive room were at least 200 feet apart.

Against the back wall was a disturbing statue. Stretching up at least five stories tall was a young pregnant woman weeping into her hands. In front of the statue, several groups were standing in clusters of five to ten people. The most out-of-place thing in the room was a plain wooden stool that sat unoccupied by the left foot of the weeping woman.

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I took a deep breath before I stepped forward. My footsteps rang off the marble floors like a bell tolling as I walked into the hall. My Numbered fell in around me. One looped her arm around my right arm, and Six took my other side. Four walked behind us, watching our back.

Behind us, a grinding noise started up, and I resisted the urge to look over my shoulders. The eyes tracking our approach told me that showing any sign of weakness or hesitation would be a bad idea.

One raised her head and whispered into my ear as we walked. With subtle gestures, she indicated the groups standing in the hall watching us. No one spoke, no one shifted, no one moved. The room was completely silent, except for the whispers from One that only I could hear.

"The first group," she said, "those are the Nar."

I looked at them. They were shorter, with red hair, and dressed in furs, reminding me of Five. Their green eyes were barely at my chest level, but that didn't take the heat out of their gazes. They bored into me with a palpable hate that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

"The next group is the Ihererin. Stuck up bitches," One commented. There were three men and four women. The men were wearing black and gray suits, while the women wore fine dresses and were adorned with all sorts of jewels. My trained eyes picked out countless weapons on every single one of them. How they held their bodies told me they knew how to use them as well. They did their best to ignore me, but I could see them, their eyes shooting glances at my entrance.

The Shunul watched me as well. Their dark brown skin and slanted eyes were mostly covered by silks. The men and women both wore veils that covered their noses and anything below them. I didn't perceive the same feeling of hatred that the first two groups had given me, but there was no love either. It was a cool calculation that I got from them. I made a note of that for possible future use.

The other three groups on the other side of the room watched each other with almost as much hate as they watched me. According to One, they were the Khaganate North, Central, and South. They were the most normal-looking, in my opinion, wearing the simple yet elegant clothes I would expect to see on nobility. Each group had exactly ten people, the most we were allowed to bring, I assumed. They were made of an even mix of men and women. Only the colors on their crests let me tell them apart.

The last group was led by a tall woman with short, curly black hair above her dark, ebony features. Her face was framed by her extremely high, chiseled cheekbones, which perfectly displayed the chocolate eyes that smiled at me with some familiarity.

"They are the Oialas. The leader is Three's sister. They are our only allies," One whispered into my ear. I stopped near them and looked Three's sister in the eye. She was maybe an inch taller than me. All of her delegation were just as tall as she was. A moment passed when we considered each other. The slight tension eased when she gave me a differential nod. I returned the gesture just ever so slightly higher than hers.

Standing in place, I looked back and confirmed that the doors had shut. It appeared that we were the last to arrive. The eight groups stood in silence for only a moment before someone came to welcome us.

A figure in black, completely covered from head to toe such that I couldn't see a speck of his skin, stepped from behind the statue and went to both knees before speaking out in a whisper. Despite the low volume, the sound carried to all of us as if he was right next to us. Focusing, I could sense the subtle magic employed to carry his words around the vast space.

"All the masters are here. We, the shadow servants, have called you with the news. The Grandmaster is dead. We must choose a replacement. Let the 11 discuss and cast their votes for who shall be elevated above you all."

With the overly dramatic words, the cloaked man stood and disappeared behind the statue again.

I looked around, including us. There were only eight groups. Were there more to come? With the closed doors, I didn't think so. One had only mentioned the eight when she had briefed me on the situation. What was I missing?

To my dismay, I didn't have time to figure anything out as one of the Khaganate spoke out. "I think we all know how this will go. One of us needs to be removed."

I could feel my Numbered tense around me as all eyes fell on me.