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Chapter LI : Candlelight
Midnight of Denuo, Tenth Day of Autumnmoon
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In the mid of night, in a room lit by a single, flickering candle, two men met in private. One man, First Advisor to King Richard. The other, the Gnostic Knight, Samuel Cortez. The former chancellor cast a spell to protect the conversation from eavesdropping, something he had failed to do only once. The careless oversight resulted in severe punishment, but it made him more cautious. Now, he double-checked all his conversations.
He had waited all day to meet with the Knight and plan his next moves. He could barely contain his giddiness. “You should have seen the look on his face as we dragged the Craftsman down to the dungeons. It was the most fun I’ve had since Minoa.”
His smile, lit by the candle’s flame, was painted in sickly amber. “He’s so traumatized, he’s weeping like a baby in the corner of his cell.”
The Knight reproached with his deep baritone voice. “Don’t lose sight of the big picture! We need him to complete the project. You can’t break his spirit, just yet.”
The wizard’s smile quickly faded. The Knight was a buzzkill, reminding him too well of another man he knew.
“Not to worry, I assure you. He’ll finish his design. One way or another.”
The plates of the Gnostic's armor gnashed as he shifted in his seat. “Our timeline is short, as you well know. You had best get him back to work, and fast. What else?”
Virgil folded his arms. The levity was gone. “Abaddon’s power has grown considerably, just like I told you. The kingdom is now fully under its command. There are none left who have not been exposed to the blue smoke.”
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The Knight responded more levelly. “That’s good, but I’m concerned that we haven’t yet mobilized on Koba. Your ruse involving so-called insurgents was too elaborate, and it cost us too many resources to execute. Our soldiers should be marching toward the Sagittarius Stone, not still in Angkor rounding up Kitezhians.”
Virgil felt wounded. “My ruse was perfect. If we had attacked Kitezh without reason, we’d be fighting social upheaval here with even greater cost in manpower. My method plunged half of Angkor in fear of their own neighbors, while the other half is singing our praises for ‘protecting’ them from insurgents. It took us only a few days to assert control of the government, and now we can proceed more quickly.”
The Gnostic still seemed dissatisfied. He was always dissatisfied!
He pounded the table. “I want the sunstone in one week’s time. Shorter, if possible.”
Virgil was aghast. “If we move too fast, we’ll spread our forces too thin. Don’t forget: we still need to deal with the factions hidden in Rungholt.”
Samuel held his ground. “Kitezh was unprepared, but I don’t expect the same from Koba. The longer we wait, the more they shore up their defenses. It’ll take all the more strength to topple them.”
Virgil frowned. “The Master might have chosen you to lead our strategy, but I urge you to exercise caution. Why not finish our business in Kitezh, first? Destroy their resistance, then move our ground contingent to attack Koba’s flank? Otherwise, they could manage to organize and liberate the city, and our plans will quickly unravel.”
The Gnostic slammed his fist again into the table, hard enough this time to topple the candle. Virgil flinched.
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take, Mister Garvey! You worry over fleas who have taken refuge underground, but our greatest enemy is time! I say we act quickly and decisively. Once the sunstones are ours, any uprising will be insignificant. Do you understand?”
Virgil hated it, but the Knight was right. “You are the strategist, after all.”
The Knight stood up, ready to leave. Virgil reached out. “Samuel, wait. What do you want to do with the Gemini Stone? You know we can’t have more than one on hand at any one time.”
Samuel glared back from inside his helm. “Keep it in a safe place. I’ll use it myself on the siege on Koba. It will ensure our victory.”
With that, the Knight left. What he suggested was a reckless move. Clearly, The Master’s promotion went straight to his head. The First Advisor giggled before blowing out the candle.