Alaric shifted his weight uneasily as he eyed the giant demigod guarding the door at the other end of the backroom. Alaric guessed that he had to be close to eight feet tall, and half as wide. The suit that the giant wore may as well be painted on as it barely concealed the muscled arms that were bigger than Alaric’s thigh. On top of the broad shoulders was a pumpkin-sided head, that almost matched the color. And no neck to speak of. Alaric looked into his eyes. Eyes a blue so deep, like that of the ocean, that Alaric could see no end, and yet, vacant.

Alaric winced with the pressure that he felt. Was it from that statue carved from muscle? No. There was definitely a rock in his shoe.

More of the elite guests filtered into the room. Alaric squatted down and untied the culprit. Elara joined him.

“What are you doing?” She hissed.

Alaric tapped the heel of his shoe on the intricately woven rug until two tiny rocks tumbled out.

“Got you, you bastards,” Alaric muttered as put the shoe back on.

“Try to be a bit more dignified,” Elara continued. “Anyway, that has to be the entrance to the lab. We just have to get past the big guy guarding the door.”

Alaric rose and then tapped the point of his shoe on the ground. Satisfied, he looked around the room again. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined most of the walls, all carrying the burden of heavy, leather-bound tomes. A fireplace with a stone mantel broke up the monotony of the room. A pair of leather high-winged chairs and a lounge were off to the side. And in all four corners of the room, we’re a pair of guards. Each more grizzled than the last. Alaric wondered if the duke hired his underlings based on looks, or lack thereof. The main problem, Alaric decided, was getting past that giant of a guard.

They’ll have to wait for the meeting to finish, and when most of the guests have left, he’d rush the entrance of the basement. Elara had proven herself quick to catch on to his plans. Besides, Alaric figured the tight staircase would impede the mountain of a man, hopefully long enough, for them to find Kethyrll.

There were now twenty or so people in the back room, not including the guards, all wearing the pendant and murmuring to each other.

“Let’s see how this plays out,” Alaric whispered in Elara’s ear.

There was a commotion behind them. The other guests ignored the raised voices, so Alaric thought it best not to look. The door behind them locked with a finality that made him turn.

“Uncouth riffraff,” the duke muttered as he walked through the assembled elites and took his place in front of the fireplace.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the duke began. All murmuring ceased. “I do apologise for the ruckus. But as I’ve made it quite clear, if you don’t have the appropriate paraphernalia that was agreed upon at the previous meeting, then you can not enter this most clandestine of meetings. But I digress.”

The duke smiled and worked the crowd. Alaric raised an eyebrow.

“Now, to business,” the duke’s smile slipped from his face. “Our use of the Magenta hand has…concluded.”

“Unfortunately,” the duke said. “They failed to deliver their final shipment. Regrettably, that will diminish tonight’s…proceedings. And earlier tonight I received word that one of their warehouses was compromised.”

There were audible shocks from the crowd, there was even a gasp of horror. Alaric shot Elara a look, she shrugged in reply. The duke waved his hands to calm the crowd.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“To what extent I don’t know.” The duke smiled weakly “So, we will have to move up our timetable. You have all heard the whispers tonight, gods be damned, the common people proclaim it from the street corner. The Crown can no longer be trusted. The very fabric of society is beginning to tear, and it's all thanks to your efforts.”

The crowd started to clap. Alaric joined in. A guard slipped up to the duke and whispered in his ear. He nodded in acknowledgment, scanned the crowd and then relayed something to the thousand-pound meat bag stuffed into a suit standing next to him. Alaric swallowed his nerves.

“The gods may have abandoned us centuries ago, but I will not abandon you, my people, in our time of need. By standing with me, you are standing for a brighter future for this land. A future that must be forced upon those who oppose us. Unfortunately, there a two of those amongst us tonight.”

A heavy hand slapped down on Alaric’s shoulder and squeezed. He heard a squeal that he assumed was Elara until he realised it was coming from his mouth. He bit his lip to stop the embarrassment. Through a tear-filled eye, he squinted to see that the giant guard was no longer next to the duke. Alaric couldn’t understand how someone that big could have moved so fast.

“Spies!” the duke pointed at the pair. “Interlopers. Sent by rival Princedoms, no doubt. We knew this day would come. Think yourselves so clever. Did you think I wouldn’t recognise a stranger's face? I will see you both hanged. Only as a mercy, after I’ve tortured every secret from your blackened souls. I—”

“No, no no,” a croaky voice interrupted.

The giant swung around to face the owner of the voice, taking Alaric and Elara with him

“Not them.” The old general Alaric served hors d'oeuvre to was pointing a wrinkled stub across the room. “Them!”

At the other side of the room stood a couple that could have been the mirror image of Alaric and Elara. Right down to the identical outfits. However, Alaric believed he was more handsome than his counterpart. Maybe. These things are subjective, and besides, it's what’s inside that counts, or so he was told as a child.

The iron-like clamp released them. Alaric had to use all his strength not to fall to his knees. He checked on Elara, who waved him off. The giant stomped over to the other two, grabbed them by the scruff of their necks and lumbered out the door that led to the basement, leaving it ajar.

“I thought I’d recognised you,” The general patted Alaric on his crushed shoulder.

“Thanks,” Alaric managed to say as stars clouded his vision.

The general leaned in and eyed Alaric carefully, then shrugged.

“And with that little distraction out of the way,” the duke pointed to the door that the crowd had entered. “Tonight, we will make our intentions known to the realm. There will be panic, mayhem and confusion, across the realm. From the King down to the lowest beggar. Some will come into the fold. Others will cling to the status quo, unwilling to relinquish their power. People will perish, but it is a sacrifice I’m willing to make for the greater good. Now let us rejoin the party. I’m sure this revelation will blow them away.”

The crowd applauded and began to file out of the no open door behind them.

“Make a distraction,” Elara hissed.

Startled, Alaric looked around, then stuck his foot out tripping the old general. The old man reached forward, grabbing the woman in front of him by the back of her dress. The material tore as the general continued to fall. A scream rose as the woman was dragged down with the general.

“Oh shit,” Alaric gasped as turned wide-eyed to Elara.

In the space of a few heartbeats, Elara shook her head at Alaric and looked to see that all the attention was on the falling general and his unlucky support. Elara grabbed Alaric by the wrist, reached behind her neck and with a swift motion pulled over her magical cloak that was somehow hidden within her dress.

Alaric saw the world slow down to a crawl as the cloak enveloped him. The scene before him was like one of the duke's absurd portraits that hung in the ballroom. He could see the duke reach out in vain to catch the general whose hip was just now impacting with the ground. From the grimace on the old man’s face, Alaric was certain there was a fracture or two. The woman, whose high-pitched scream was slowed down to a deep, drawn-out note, waved her flabby arms in the arm. They seemed to ripple with each, painstakingly slow, moment. Beads from her dress flew majestically in all directions, one of which lodged in the eye of a guard.

A haze of purple rippled at the edges of Alaric’s sight before he was torn away. The world smudged like a hand across fresh paint, then smoothed back into an underground hallway.

Time continued as if nothing had happened, and Alaric took a few steps forward to get his bearings.

“Wha…” Alaric shook his head. “What happened?”

“I got us in,” Elara slapped him on the shoulder.

Alaric fell to his knees.