Kevlin awoke to a knock on the door and smiled. It felt great to hear again.

A young woman in the palace uniform of green and gold stood in the hall. Her brown eyes and curly brown hair bounced when she curtsied, but gave him no hint as to her nationality. Her skin was fair, so probably not Freyarr. Beyond that, Kevlin couldn't tell.

"Lord Kevlin?"

"Kevlin is fine. I just woke up. Using titles so soon makes me a little nauseous."

The young woman cracked a smile.

"What's your name?"

"Marjani, my lord. I'm here to summon you to the emperor's council."

Kevlin stepped into the hall and shut the door. He should probably change into something nice before being presented before the emperor. Unfortunately his spare clothes weren't much better, and they'd emerge from his pack even more wrinkled than what he'd been sleeping in.

"Marjani, can I ask you something?"

"Anything, my lord."

"Where in the name of the seven gods am I?"

"Why, Lord Kevlin, you're in the palace."

Kevlin laughed, and Marjani smiled. As she led him down the hall, she asked, "Are you new to the palace, Sir Kevlin?"

"I am. Which palace are we in right now?"

"The Underground Palace."

"I haven't heard of that one."

"There are quite a few. It can take a while."

Kevlin looked around but it didn't look like they were underground. The halls were plainer than the fancy main halls, but didn't need torches to light the way, and the air didn't smell musty or dank.

"How is it possible?"

While they walked, Marjani explained that the entire greater palace compound was built upon several sub-levels carved down into the heart of the plateau.

"The entire palace compound? But it's huge."

"It is. The inner city stretches exactly one and a half miles north to south, and almost twice that east to west."

She explained that the sub-levels were used for guest housing, barracks, storage, and a multitude of other supporting functions. It was an entire city unto itself. A grid-work of sunken gardens situated throughout the inner city provided fresh air and light. That light was reflected throughout the complex through a series of mirrors.

At night the fountains placed in the center of every sunken garden glowed with enough light to maintain the sub-levels in perpetual twilight. Every fountain glowed a different color, and Marjani highly recommended Kevlin explore some of them. They were among the city's famous attractions.

"So how do I find my way back to my room later?" Kevlin asked.

Marjani showed him brass plaques mounted at each hall intersection with codes similar to the one he carried. She showed him how to read the codes. Each of the Six Kingdoms was responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of sections of the sub-levels closest to their individual palaces. The key was to know which sub-level he needed, and which section. Every section was named after a city in the kingdom sponsoring that part of the Underground Palace. He was assigned Bracken-Parthalan. Bracken was the name of an outer suburb of the great trading city of Parthalan in Freyarr.

"So," Marjani concluded. "Once you know the system, it's fairly simple. Head toward the Freyarri-controlled under-city, find your sub-level and section, and then use the brass plaques on the walls to find your hall and room."

"If you find me wandering the halls, please show me the way home."

"I work in the first sub-level, but I'm a floater so I get around a lot. I'll keep my eye out for you."

Kevlin grimaced. "Where I come from, floaters are . . . something different."

"Meinarr?"

"Yes."

"Bodies found floating in the sea. I hear that a lot."

Marjani showed him how to locate the stairs to higher levels, and eventually led him to one of the sunken gardens. She said this one glowed emerald green at night, so he could use that as a landmark when he tried to find his way back.

They climbed the staircase carved into the circular outer wall of the garden. Apparently every garden had similar stairs. This garden was plush, but only a fraction of the size of the central garden situated in front of the Great Dome. Wildflowers carpeted the lowest level and surrounded an entire orchard of apple trees heavy with ripe fruit.

"The harvesters should be picking those any day now," Marjani said. "There will be fresh fruit in the dining halls next week."

They surfaced finally and wound their way along cobbled paths through the upper section of the garden. Marjani said, "I took you this way so you can get a sense of the layout. It's possible to travel between any of the buildings in the greater palace complex without going outside if you have the security clearance."

The central boulevard passed not far from where they stood. To the east, the Freyarr palace seemed to glow in the midday sun. Unlike the Tamarr palace, the Freyarr palace was open and airy. High, arced entrances lined the walls, and several small domes capped various sections of the roof.

Marjani noted his gaze. "The Freyarr Palace is one of the wonders of the inner city. The original palace was torn down thirty years ago for the new one." As she led him toward the Great Dome's main entrance, she added, "The Fire Stalwarts run a gambling house in honor of Akillik. It's worth going in just to see the wealth on display."

Kevlin glanced back at the palace before they were swallowed up by the Great Dome's vast expanse. He thought back to the disturbing interview he'd had with the god of Luck. He wouldn't willingly draw closer to Akillik than he had to.

After a long, confusing walk, Marjani led Kevlin to a council chamber situated in the Emperor's Palace. Kevlin found most of the company already gathered, and he suddenly wished he'd found a way to find a change of clothes.

Drystan and Jerrik wore parade uniforms of their respective nations. Gabral wore his silver-trimmed imperial guard uniform and a wine-colored cape with his house emblem on one side and the emperor's seal on the other. He'd managed to cut his hair already, and every heavily-oiled lock was situated perfectly. At least Harafin and Leander looked unchanged.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Kevlin felt deeply self-conscious as a servant ushered him into the small conference room. Emperor Tegnazian sat in an overstuffed chair situated next to a crackling fire. Two Healers attended him. Three Sentinels and two dozen guards had been stationed in the hall approaching this room. He'd been ordered to surrender his sword and belt dagger outside.

Security was tight, but they hadn’t noticed the stilettos concealed in his wrist guards or the enchanted dagger hidden at the base of his neck. He didn’t correct the oversight.

Kevlin bowed deeply when the emperor looked his way. He was suddenly nervous at the prospect of meeting this great man. Emperor Tegnazian, born on the very day the last great war ended, had reigned for the past three decades during a time of unprecedented peace.

Widespread belief held that as long as Emperor Zuberi Tegnazian ruled, there would be no war with their enemies to the west. Kevlin wondered how the man would handle the likelihood of renewed hostilities.

The emperor spoke in a rich, resonant voice. "Lord Kevlin, welcome."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Kevlin was impressed the emperor knew him.

The emperor beckoned him closer and even extended a hand for Kevlin to take. Kevlin dropped to one knee and bowed again.

"Lord Kevlin, the King's Avenger," Emperor Tegnazian said warmly. He looked tired and the curse had left his hair bleached white, but his voice remained strong. "We all owe you a debt of gratitude for what you did in Hallvarr."

Kevlin stammered his thanks. He had been surprised by the adulation in Diodor, but could understand it at a certain level. He hadn't expected much recognition outside of Hallvarr, nor did he want it. It only reminded him how skewed everyone's understanding of events there had become. There had been no heroics involved in his fight with Dhanjal. He felt like he was lying to everyone.

The emperor waved them all to seats and dismissed his attendants with orders not to disturb the meeting. "Where are the two brave ladies from your company that I heard so much about?"

Harafin said, "Lady Ceren offered to act as liaison with your wife. She should arrive shortly from their first meeting."

The emperor smiled. "Excellent choice. From all accounts, that young woman is very cunning."

The word was a good choice. Ceren had indeed been given the title of Cunning by Antigonus, a reference to the prophecy of the Catalyst Antigonus was trying to force to fulfillment. He'd been wrong about many things, but although the prophetic title of Cunning didn't belong to Ceren, she had proved herself resourceful and brave.

"My ward, Indira, asked to be excused," Leander said. "She was needed urgently in the hospital."

"Very well. I'll get right to the point. Harafin, I've thanked you once already, my friend, but I want to thank you here with your company. I owe you my life. Again."

Harafin nodded graciously.

The emperor continued. "You will not have time to rest, I'm afraid. This attack has shaken the city and weakened morale. With war looming, we must be strong."

Gabral interjected. "Certainly news of your recovery will help."

"Perhaps. However, word of the curse was aggressively suppressed. So word of my recovery cannot be widely communicated without highlighting the secrecy, which would just reinforce suspicions among the populace that their leaders lie to them. My wife's brilliant announcement of a ball to celebrate the engagement of her cousin to Crown Prince Lievin will probably do more to help. People will see us healthy, enjoying ourselves, and willing to celebrate despite grim tidings. In the meantime, I summoned you to hear your candid assessment of the situation, and to prepare for our response."

"Should I summon the rest of your security council?" Gabral offered.

"Not yet."

Leander spoke. "Who knew the name Abaval?"

"Almost no one."

Leander added, "Can you provide a list? That will be our best focus for investigation."

The emperor nodded. "Myself, Field Marshall Ankur, Sentinel Felix, the ambassadors."

Leander's eager expression faded to a grimace.

Harafin said, "Then it was not such a closely guarded secret after all."

"Perhaps not," the emperor conceded.

Harafin rose and paced to the fire. "What concerns me the most is the curse was cast by a Shadeleech. There is no doubt. And yet, the palace defenses should have prevented such a creature from penetrating into the inner palace. The shields are keyed to recognize sthenic energy and trigger an alarm."

"What if they dropped all connection to their power?" Leander asked.

"It might be possible," Harafin admitted after a moment's thought. "But they would have to sever all connection to their power, to their enslaved Makrasha, and even to their shielding, leaving them completely helpless. I don't believe they would do it, nor am I convinced a single Shadeleech could then cast such a curse without taking another life."

"Have there been any unsolved murders recently?" Gabral asked.

"We'll have to inquire of the palace guard," the emperor said.

Harafin shook his head. "Even if a Shadeleech penetrated the defenses by rendering himself completely helpless, murdering someone with his powers would certainly trigger the palace defenses."

"Are you certain?" Leander asked. "They are a series of layered shields surrounding the palace. Do they extend even to the inner halls?"

Leander's comment triggered a thought, something Kevlin had been wrestling with during his solo practice sessions with his mental shields. He filed the information away for later consideration.

Harafin crossed the room to an ornately carved column in the far corner. "I will double-check." He placed one hand on a carved knot shaped like a clenched fist.

"Could Tanathos really have done it?" Kevlin asked.

"It's remotely possible he traveled this far in the time he had," Leander said. "If he bent his entire will to it and sacrificed several of his slaves. However, I doubt he could have penetrated to the inner palace without assistance, even if he did strip himself of all power."

Kevlin doubted Tanathos would allow himself to be left helpless. He shivered to think of Shadeleeches wandering the halls of the palace.

Drystan said, "If he did make it in time, and even if he somehow slipped into the palace, he couldn't have brought his strike force in with him."

Gabral shook his head. "No. There's no way."

Jerrik spoke for the first time. "Then where are they?"

The emperor said, "That presents an opportunity. I'll order the palace guard to send scouting parties into the surrounding countryside. Perhaps they'll uncover evidence of these marauders."

Harafin cursed in the corner and his hand flared with bright white light. He remained that way, for half a minute before turning. "Interesting."

Kevlin was getting used to his often-understated expressions. Harafin found the prospect of enemy armies hidden in Hallvarr interesting, and the thought of facing multiple Halimaw only 'difficult'.

"What have you found?" the emperor asked.

"I discovered a wormhole in our defenses."

Harafin seated himself with a satisfied smile. "It was quite ingenious, like a snake. It twisted through some of the weaker portions of the shield, deflecting the regular shields around itself until it became all but invisible. I nearly missed it, but it leads right to the inner palace."

"So Tanathos did breach the shields," Kevlin said.

"No. No Shadeleech could have done this. Only someone with a detailed knowledge of our shielding technique could have. They also needed access to the matrix of defensive spells built into the very walls of the palace. Only then could they have breached our defenses undetected."

His voice became grim. "Only an Elite or Master Sentinel could have done it."

Drystan tapped a small table in front of his chair. "That should narrow down the list of suspects quite a bit."

"Unless Bajaran did it before he left," Leander said.

"Could he have done that?" the emperor asked.

Harafin considered the question for a moment. "He had access. That begs the question, is this somehow part of the original plot we thwarted recently in Hallvarr, or something set in motion in response to events there?"

"I'm getting a headache," Jerrik said, tugging on his unruly beard. "Just tell me who to kill."

Leander chuckled. "To speak to Harafin's question, we must first determine what the attackers hoped to accomplish."

The emperor looked surprised. "Isn't it obvious? Their intention was to cripple the government in one brilliant, daring stroke."

"I am not convinced that was the reason," Harafin said.

The emperor looked a little disappointed. "Then why else attack me?"

Gabral said, "If they wanted you dead, they had plenty of time to do it. They didn't kill you, so what were they after?"

Gabral managed to keep a straight face while he presented the same argument to the emperor that Harafin had made on the Ceara. Kevlin wanted to borrow Jerrik's gauntlet and punch Gabral in the mouth.

Harafin didn't seem to mind. "Exactly. I don't think the attackers forgot to key the curse to take your life. They proved far too clever, and this attack shows a level of planning rarely seen outside of the highest levels of the enemy circles."

"Perhaps they meant to cause a panic," Leander said. "From what I've heard, a few more days of that curse and they would have succeeded."

"I don't know what these hidden assassins hoped to achieve," Emperor Tegnazian said in a loud voice. He rose and surveyed the small company. "But I'm certain of one thing. This hidden enemy, be they a lone assassin or a conspiracy a hundred strong, must be rooted out."

He swept an arm across the room to include them all. "My security forces have been compromised. I summoned you here today because of all the forces at my disposal, this company alone I trust above all others."

He declared in a ringing voice, "You are hereby commissioned to discover the identities of these traitors before they strike again."

He seated himself and said to Jerrik, "Then my good man, by all means, kill them all."