Soldiers marched from the snow-capped mountains in the thousands. They brought with them horses, wagons, and even a detachment of wargs. They wore armor, both leather and metal, with shields and spears on their backs and the flags of the Seven-Headed Wolf God flattering in the blizzarding weather above.

“You did well, Captain,” the bald priest said with his scarf pulled high up his face. “I had my doubts you would have them ready in time.”

“We’re prepared to fight, High Priest. For the Seven-Headed Wolf God, we defy our limits. But we’ll need to gather additional supplies as we march. Speed has cost us preparation time, and we carry little.”

“So be it. There are plenty of families along the road who are still loyal to the temple. And I don’t think you or your men have forgotten how to forage, yet have you?”

“Of course not. However, it will slow our march. At best, we are likely a couple of weeks from the fort.”

“Not good enough, Captain. The wargs pass across this land at speeds we can only dream of. It would be a disgrace for us to take that long and lower our standing among the Lord of the Daggers. Be assured that I have not worked this hard and come this far just to be demoted once we finally conquer the world. I will be granted my own domain to rule, or I'll have your neck.”

“But, sir–”

“I don’t want to hear it. Two weeks is a failure in the wargs' eyes. We must move quicker. Everything depends upon it.”

“Yes, sir. Well, a forced march could likely get us there in a week.”

“Faster,” the high priest hissed.

“F-four days,” stammered the captain. “Give me four days at least.”

“Hmm, I suppose that is acceptable, Captain. But do not fail me.”

“I won’t,” he nodded eagerly. “We will be there in four days, and we will flood that tiny fort with our numbers.”

“Good. I will hold you to that. Do not forget any one of these men would cut out an eye for your position, Captain.”

"I understand."

**Imperator**

All this waiting is getting tedious. Mark’s eyes drifted across the cushioned room. He and the acolytes sat cross-legged on the floor, a short table between them and various fruits and cured meats across it. At least this stuff is delicious.

“I can’t,” Radic groaned, holding a piece of salami in his trembling hands before his mouth.

“No appetite?” Mark asked.

“I’m starving, but I’ll throw if I force it down. I’m sure.”

“Maybe drink something?”

Radic snuffled his runny nose and took the cup of wine at his side, gingerly bringing it to his lips. “No,” he coughed after barely a sip. “I can feel it fighting with my stomach.”

“Well, maybe just take a moment to rest?”

Callum nodded from across the table as he himself struggled to eat fruit.

“I think that might be a good idea,” Radic grimaced and shuffled back from the table, then lay down on the cushions beside it.

The kid doesn’t look good. We’re going to need to get a move on. What are these damn librarians fiddling about doing?

Interrupting Mark's thoughts, two men came through the silk curtains with their heads bowed. “Imperator,” one of them said, coming to a halt beside their table.

“Yes?”

“The Lord Librarian is ready to see you now.”

About time.

“Great,” Mark smiled and climbed up from his seat. “Let’s get going then."

***

A corridor lined by windows looking out across the sundrenched city led them to the Great Dome. As they entered, Mark glanced at the mosaic ceiling depicting a battle between the gods. It must have been thirty yards above his head, and as he entered the impressive room, he found himself lost in a maze of dissecting bookshelves.

The two men led Mark through a zigzagging path until they reached a desk at the dome’s center. A sickly white, old man was hunched over it, the hin white curls on his head barely visible beneath the filtered light piercing through stained windows above.

“The Imperator,” the man croaked, looking up from the page he inspected with a magnifying glass.

The two men at Mark's sides bowed and stepped aside silently.

“Lord Librarian,” Mark said, bowing—he figured that he probably should, although he wasn’t entirely sure what the protocol for meeting this man was.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

“My people say you seek entry into the Archbishopric of Deloise?”

“That is correct.”

“Sunken eyes, purple lips, profuse sweating, gaunt features,” the Lord Librarian tapped on the book’s page. “Symptoms of poisoning of the Great Razor’s Edge Miasma,” he looked up again at Mark pointedly.

“So, you figured it out?”

“I’m the caretaker of the world’s largest library, Imperator. Of course, I did. I suppose this is why you seek out your enemies in the Archbishopric?”

“It is, Lord Librarian.”

“Intriguing. I’m surprised one of your kind is capable of making such a rational decision that goes against your indomitable pride. It’s not often you meet Imperators such as yourself.”

“I’m not just going to roll over and die.”

“But many of your kind would do just that, especially if their only salvation lay in the hands of a centuries-long rival such as the priests of the Archbishopric.”

“Well, I guess I’m built a little differently,” Mark shrugged.

“That’s for certain,” the Lord Librarian raised a suspicious brow and went quiet for an uncomfortable moment. “I can help you. I am the close friend of a rather powerful bishop. His word would be enough to grant you safe entry and the chance to plead your case in front of the Archbishop himself. Whether that results in your death or not, I cannot be sure.”

“I suppose that’s as good a deal as I’m going to get,” Mark sighed.

“It is,” the librarian nodded thoughtfully. “The cost will be steep,” the man’s wrinkled eyes passed over the notes on his table.

“How much?”

“The equivalent of ten thousand of your Imperial crowns. You may pay in crowns, gold coins, or any other major currency.”

“Ten thousand?” Mark gritted his teeth. “I carry goods with me, but there’s no way they’re worth that much. Can’t we come to some kind of an arrangement?” Mark said, realizing there was no point trying to lie or weasel his way out of this. The man before him was likely the most educated person in the world.

The Lord Librarian nodded. “There is, but not within your power, Imperator.”

“What is it? Just tell me.”

“Fine, I shall entertain you. You see, our library is ever-growing, and you might have noticed that we are rather short on trees. This is an ever-present conundrum for the Great Dome. Our need for paper is never-ending. Of course, we already trade for this most precious good with your great Imperium, but it is never enough. However, I fail to see how a single Imperator could help us with this. No matter how impressive you might be.”

“I have a throne ship, I’m sure you’re aware.”

“I am,” he nodded.

“With it, I can travel across the ocean.”

“Obviously.”

“I rule over a fort deep within the Frontier region surrounded by endless forests. It is well within my power to provide timber to Manh.”

“I suppose you could bring shipments in that flying ship of yours, but you wouldn’t carry much, especially not over the sea that separates us. I am very much aware of the limitations of your Imperial throne ships. Paying off a debt of ten thousand crowns with the timber you would be capable of ferrying would take the rest of your life. Probably longer,” the librarian chuckled. “That is not a wise investment on my behalf.”

“Well, what if I could process the timber into paper?”

“Oh, paper, you say? That is no easy task. From my understanding, your forts are barely manned with a handful of rejects from your Imperium. How exactly would you make paper?”

“I employ local people and in greater numbers every day. I won’t lie; it would take me a while to get such an operation started. But I promise you, once the pieces are in place, I will churn out all the paper you could possibly need.”

“So much risk,” the librarian hummed. “You would have to agree to repay the debt as soon as possible and sell the paper at half the standard rate.”

“I will, I promise,” Mark inched close, bundling his hands into fists.

“Hmm… okay, Imperator. I shall take this chance on you. I shall send out my contacts and reach out to this bishop. You will hear as soon as I have. For now, you will return to the waiting room. Soon, my people will come to you with a contract. I warn you against betraying this contract. The Great Dome may not have a huge globe-spanning army to hunt you down, but we have allies everywhere.”

“I will keep my word,” Mark thumped a fist against his chest.

"See to it that you do. I take great risks in this investment. If you fail to uphold your end, I would be greatly angered."

"Understood."

That was too close. Damn it. This doesn’t make things as easy as I hoped they might be, but at least we have a chance of surviving this miasma now.

**Lord Librarian**

“Do you believe he can uphold the contract, Lord Librarian?” a barrel-bellied man in fine silk robes said, stepping to the side of the librarian’s desk.

“He’s an interesting one, isn’t he? I had heard the rumors of an Imperator within the Frontier that doesn’t follow the rules. I hadn't expected fate to bring him to my doorstep, however.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“I have no idea whether or not he will even survive the week, let alone make good on this deal. It’s a massive gamble, no doubt,” the Lord Librarian nodded. “I will spend the favor Bishop Rayleigh owes me. Such a thing is valuable but an asset we can live without. Such a decision may be risky, but I have a feeling it would prove wise. You know those stubborn princes in the Imperium spend their days endlessly squabbling, ignoring the valuable resources held up in the Frontier. If someone was open-minded and in a position to make change happen, the value could be immense.”

“So, we just gamble on this man and hope for the best?”

“Precisely. He could be a great ally if he manages to achieve half of what he is trying to. But more importantly, a great ally in desperate need of friends. The road ahead of that man is pathed in strife. Position ourselves wisely, and we have a great opportunity available to us.”

“And what of his enemies? Is it wise to anger them by helping this wayward Imperator?”

The Lord Librarian shrugged. “They are far away, and we have many friends of our own. Besides, everyone knows how the Great Dome works. Fear not; none will come hunting our necks for behaving precisely how they expect us to.”

“I feel you’re too relaxed. The Imperium, for all its weaknesses, is still the greatest force in the world. If they chose to make us an enemy, they could crush this city.”

“They could indeed, but they won’t. They have plenty of their own issues. And who knows, something of this magnitude might even be enough to break the camel’s back, so to speak.”

“You suggest–”

“I do. It has been a long time coming. That incompetent child sits on the throne. The princes bicker endlessly with the legates. Derision plagues the sick man to the north, and the great kingdoms are watching. Already, they plan and scheme. Watching for weakness and a chance to pounce. Be ready, by councilor, for soon the world will burn as opportunity arises and greedy men seek their fortunes and fame.”

“You truly believe that day is so near?”

“As you know, it has been brewing for decades, but I wasn’t sure whether or not I would live to see the day. However, after seeing that man, I have changed my mind.”

“Was he really so brilliant? He seemed rather ordinary to me,” the councilor huffed.

“Perhaps, perhaps not. But his potential is more complicated than that. He sits on a goldmine of opportunity and is the only one willing to try and seize it.”

“And the stories of wargs and barbarians?”

“A near impossible obstacle to overcome–”

“But then–”

“Silence, Chancellor,” the librarian raised a hand. “Wargs and barbarians are deadly threats. Those monsters might just be the world’s greatest warriors. But they do not understand trade or commerce. They fail at industry and craft. Their leaders are stubborn and headstrong. No,” he shook his head. “Their potential is nothing. They are simply a thorn to anybody who attempts to make their throne in their land. But to the rest of the world? Their threat is minor. The real value is in that land. If someone who processed the vision to see that wealth realized... someone willing to seize that unrealized power. Now, that could be a real threat. Or a real opportunity."