II

Seven-hundred Years Earlier

Currently Arlian’s desk was filled with sheafs of papers—reports from various districts within, and without Aevalin, concerning violence, looting and fires. He didn’t have enough men to contain it all.

The guard inside the city watch headquarters was thin as it was, and if attacked and burned out, there would be no central authority to keep the peace without mustering the whole army.

And there was very real danger of an attack by rioters on the City Watch Headquarters. The Schuarists were out in force, running about, causing a ruckus wherever they went. Their energy for “change”—for their savior Prince Balthezar seemed unending.

Without the prince’s favorable view on the group, the Grand Mage Klause Schuar would have no real power. In fact, he’d probably be in prison.

Arlian was off half a mind to have him killed in secret already!

The Captain Commander sighed as he perused the latest report. Clerks and servants scurried about, sending reports to various offices. Guards patrolled vigorously, the grounds too large for stationary lookouts.

Arlian rubbed his brow and quaffed a large gulp of his waking tea. If he kept this up, he’d probably drop dead, but everyone, including his nine captains, were stretched to breaking already. Seven of those captains were out overseeing operations—Cedris with the fires in the Venn district and Orvyn and his company in High City protecting the council members’ as they cowered in their luxurious manor houses.

Orvyn and Cenris were his best men. Couldn’t spare them. How long would this go on for? Another six months would break Aevalin.

The report in his hand was of a murder spree involving eleven deaths. If it had been up to him, he’d have called the army in and arrested the Schuarists already.

The damn Schuarists.

As the Captain Commander, he didn’t have time for this one. Too low key. He almost laughed. In normal days, he’d visit the scene of the crime himself. Instead, he hadn’t left this building in a week.

Mariel couldn’t visit him. No. Arlian wouldn’t allow it. In fact, he had stationed four guards at home, two outside, and two in the house.

There was enough intimidation going on as it was, and being the head of the guard, charged with keeping the peace—peace, ha!—he had to make sure she was safe.

The thought sent his blood boiling. Aevalin, the most civilized city in the world—a kingdom that influenced other nations, chose when to go to war, who to support and who to leave to their own divices.

Brought to this.

“Yahana!” he screamed.

Moments later the clerk to his desk from the other room, her hands held together in front of her. “Ye—yes, Commander?”

“I told you how many times—not to send me these kinds of reports. There’s nothing I can do about them.”

“I’m so sorry, Commander. I’m sure it was a mistake I—“

“Captain Commander!” someone called.

“Oh, what now?” He waved Yahana away. He could apologize for yelling at her later—surely.

He’d forgotten to give the clerk the report with the murders. He flung it in the air and it floated down to the blue runner.

During the last months, his name was increasingly called. Unless he ghosted himself like some necromancer scum, he couldn’t deal with all of the problems in Aevalin!

The man called again, his voice nearing Arlian’s office.

Gods damn all this.

He looked up, saw Captain Orvyn’s runner Brakso cresting the top of the stairs, his brow sweaty and his hair plastered to his face.

In the summer, wearing full plate was stifling. Arlian waited in his chair impatiently as the runner’s armor glinted from the gaps in his blue city guard tabard.

“What is it, man?” Arlian said, knowing he must have sounded lazy and apathetic, though that wasn’t what he felt in the least. He was simply exhausted.

“Commander Arlian! Commander Arlian. It’s Orvyn—I mean Captain Orvyn. He—“

“Slow down and tell me what the matter is.” He leaned forward, feeling in his tired guts that this was going to be bad.

Brakso gulped air, then blurted, “The line, Commander. We can’t hold it. They’re breaking through!”

Suddenly alert, Arlian demanded, “What?”

“They want Councilor Jorrissiana! They’re chanting and shouting that she come out of her residence and stand trial for treason.”

Arlian signed as he got out of his massive chair. “Fucking Schuarists.” He grabbed his sword laying on the left hand side of his desk. “Fetch Captain Lech—we go to reinforce Orvyn.”

“Yes sir!—I mean Commander.”

“Go, boy.”

He strapped his sword belt around his waist, hopping he wouldn’t have to use it. He would if he had to—to save the councilors. Without the City Watch, they’d probably be strung up.

He stalked swiftly across the marbled floors and down the stairs toward the arched entrance where Captain Lech and Orvyn’s runner met him.

“Commander,” Lech said with a solute.

Arlian regarded his men. There were twelve of them. “We need more men.”

“Sir,” Lech said, “I’ll have to pull from the Watch Guard—we’re already thin as it is.”

“Shit.”

“Do you want me to do it, Commander?”

Lech was a fine Captain, but he was no hero. Twelve men would be a token reinforcement at best. “Brakso.”

“Commander?”

“Go to the head clerk, find which of the Watch captains has enough soldiers to spare and go inform him that we require reinforcements.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Here, take this.” Out of his belt pouch Arlian retrieved a letter of order, sealed with his stamp. He handed it to the young blonde-haired man. “Make haste!”

The runner did as he was told.

To Captain Lech he said, “Let’s go,” and together, with their meager group of reinforcements, they left the city watch headquarters, the wind and the black clouds boding rain on this hot summer evening.

“Commander?”

“What is it?”

“We need the army.”

“I know that, but if we start calling them into the city these bastards are going to lose it and start using swords instead of clubs!”

As they walked, Captain Lech said nothing for a time, but then he ventured a possibility. “We… could disguise them. As City Watch?”

Hmm. That wasn’t a bad idea. But still, if the Schuarists caught wind of what they were doing, they’d burn the city down.

“It’s almost like they’re looking for an excuse to destroy the city,” Arlian said. “I swear I almost wish they would try so I could give the order to have every last one of them run through.”

“I understand, Commander.”

“Come on,” Arlian said, picking up the pace.