by David Oliver
“But she also pointed out that you saved Cassius in an impressive show of gallantry. I personally commend you for that and in doing so I will choose to ignore the rest of Anatha’s message where she highlights that Imperators are not knights and win no accolades for heroic feats.”
I snorted and shook my head. Anatha was incorrigible.
Kane finished his drink and nodded his head in the direction of the door. “You’ve both done well. Cassius, Adronicus is eager to hear how Asp performed. Please indulge him when you’ve had a chance to clean up. Both of you should take the day to yourselves, you’re excused from training and classes today and tomorrow. Clean up, eat and see your friends. Oh, and make sure to be at the citadel in good time tomorrow. I believe the Emperor breaks his fast at eight o’clock. Enjoy.”
With thanks to Kane we both walked out and headed to the dorms. The others were in class and so we dumped our gear before heading to the baths. Two hours and three separate baths later we finally felt clean. The bath attendant had taken one look at the black muck streaking off us and immediately called for more water. It might have been embarrassing, but the Academy baths were designed to receive Imps who were coated in mud, sweat and no short amount of tears and the attendants had presumably long since lost their sense of smell.
Wearing freshly laundered clothes for the first time in a month was a singularly splendid feeling. Travelling with limited clothing is an interesting process. You start off changing regularly but after you have cycled through all your available clothes and not found anywhere suitable to wash and dry them whilst on the journey you begin the cycle of re-use. At first this feels wrong and disgusting but within a day you’ve forgotten all about it - humans are nothing if not adaptable. It becomes so commonplace to be wearing dirt-encrusted leather, mud-caked boots and having a sheen of grime across every aspect of your skin that it is only when presented with an opportunity to bathe that your brain resets and the disgust begins anew. All I can say is that stepping into that water was pure, unadulterated bliss.
After the baths, Cassius split off to find Adronicus whilst I went to check in on Seya and made sure to give her a well-deserved grooming. The others found me sleeping soundly in Seya’s paws later that afternoon and the celebrations, hugs and story sharing began in earnest. The biggest concern to me was that seraph training had continued unabated whilst we were away and I had an intense fear that we would not catch up. Rikol put on a dazzling light show, highlighting just how far he had come and how far I had yet to go in that particular area. Scythe, Ella and Sophia regaled us with the latest news, incidents and goings on of the Academy and in return Cassius and I told tales of mosquito infested swamps and how an eel tried its best to eat me...all in all I think that they had the more pleasant month.
A night of eating and drinking later and Cassius and I stood in front of the citadel’s imposing gates, having our identities checked by four equally imposing guards. After a few minutes we were guided into the grounds and led through the circular walkways until we reached an arching entranceway, full of grand, intricately detailed stone. The Emperor stood inside the vast hallway that lay within, idly fingering the frilled edge of a tapestry.
Our guide stopped at the entrance and waved us in. “Your guests, your majesty,” he said with a bow.
“Thank you Sirin,” rumbled the Emperor as he turned towards us with a beaming smile. “You are excused. Cassius and Calidan, welcome, come in and join me.”
We walked into the grand hall, gasping at the many paintings, sculptures and statues that adorned the walls. The Emperor met us with a wide smile and an extended hand. After clasping each of our hands in one that dwarfed our own he led us on a brief tour of the hall, proudly describing each piece that caught his eye.
We followed, listening, nodding and gasping when we felt that it was expected. Cassius and I knew absolutely nothing about art. For two orphaned mountain folk we had exceedingly good educations - brother Gelman and the Academy had done us a great service there - but art wasn’t a topic that was often covered and we just hadn’t had much opportunity to be exposed to it.
The Emperor must have seen that we were getting glassy-eyed for he chuckled to himself and led the way to a small side door.
“I can see that the art of my hall does little for you and I can understand that for it does little for me too,” he said as quietly as a fading avalanche. “But art is a useful thing to have as talking points for breaking the ice with foreign dignitaries. For some reason one man’s collection of art is seen as a more avid sign of wealth and power than the success of his cities and country. Strange really. But anyway,” he led the way into a small side corridor and into a small and imposing study made of the same obsidian stone that formed the citadel that he unlocked with a wave of his hand, “here we are. I took the liberty of ordering breakfast here. It should be along in just a moment. Once it arrives we can talk freely.”
Barely seconds later a knock sounded at the door and a number of black clad staff walked in bearing heavily laden plates that they set up on portable tables. They were gone almost as quickly as they arrived, shutting the door behind them and leaving behind a mouth-watering array of food that looked quite literally fit for a king - or in this case, Emperor.
Once the door shut behind them the Emperor flicked his hand in its direction and there was the click of a lock sliding shut.
“There,” he reverberated. “Now we can talk in perfect confidence. This room is completely soundproof and the only people in here are you, me and…” the obsidian wall slid back and a crinkled old bat stepped in, “Anatha.” He turned to her and raised a questioning eyebrow to which she nodded.
“It works,” she said in answer to his unspoken question. “It detected everyone’s seraph levels who stepped through the door to the Great Hall. Type, quantity; everything looked to be in order.”
“Excellent,” he rumbled, “though I expected nothing less. Well done.” He turned back and fixed us both with piercing eyes. “Come, eat,” he rumbled, gesturing at the food. “Eat and we shall discuss what must be done. The Academy must be cleansed; the traitors rooted out. I will not allow the Enemy to have a foothold any longer than he already has.” His voice grew thick with anger as he spoke and his eyes clouded like a storm. Tension grew more and more thick until it was like a physical pressure that rooted Cassius and myself to our seats. Just when I thought he was going to erupt; a pancake enveloped his face then slowly flopped to the floor.
“Sorry,” cackled Anatha, “looks like I missed my plate!”
I braced myself for the explosion of anger but gone was the intensity of the moment before, now the Emperor had a look of pure bemusement as he touched his face.
“Ah!” he complained. “You coated it in syrup too? That’s harsh Anatha.”
“Well you were looking all murdery over there so I had to add a little extra to make sure to get your mind off it,” the old woman replied with a mouth full of muffin. “What’s done is done, you’ll have your chance at revenge I’m sure. So stop moping about.”
“Boys, take this to heart, no matter how old you are - and I am old - at some unknown point in life certain people somehow obtain the ability to preach, boss and push you around and they manage to do it without a care in the world. If you go and speak to any of my soldiers or probably the majority of citizens within my empire they would likely pale and wet themselves at the thought of a pancake being thrown at my face and yet here she sits, happily munching away and totally uncaring. I do not understand it but I do applaud it. It makes for a welcome change...at times,” he finished with a slight narrowing of his eyes at the ancient woman.
“Bah!” Anatha replied vehemently, “you just love it when people do something unexpected. You’re not even annoyed at the fact that the Enemy has infiltrated the Academy. You’re frustrated at yourself for not seeing it coming. You probably respect Him even more now because He has managed to surprise you once again.”
Silence and then a wry sm
ile spread across the Emperor’s face. “For such a child you sometimes do see to the heart of things. My thanks Anatha. I shall attempt to not allow my emotions to get the better of me.”
Anatha gave him a wink and went back to slurping a coffee.
I realised that Cassius had his hand in the air at the same time that the Emperor did. He looked momentarily taken aback before giving him a beatific grin. “Whilst I appreciate the courtesy Cassius, in this location please feel free to talk as normal. What can I do for you?”
Cassius blushed slightly and fidgeted uncomfortably before blurting out, “How old are you?”
The Emperor burst out laughing, heaving great thunderous peals of laughter than echoed around the room. Wiping an eye he finally stopped and gathered himself. “How old am I?” he murmured more to himself than anyone else. “A very good question. I can honestly say that I have no idea how old I am, just know that I am old.” He heavily emphasised the last word. “As to the how and why of that I will let you guess.” He gave Cassius a wink and clapped him on the shoulder before going to sit behind the beautifully carved mahogany desk that took centre stage in the room. Taking a bite out of a croissant and a slurp of coffee he put his feet up on the edge of the table with a thoughtful look on his face.
“So…” he began, “we’re throwing a party.”
“Calidan’s idea,” Anatha coughed around more muffin.
“And not a bad one,” he replied. “The biggest question is what reason can we give to get the entirety of the Academy and every Imperator into the citadel. Such a thing has not happened since the Academy’s founding. There are always too many missions to ensure that everyone is in the same place.”
“With respect Sir,” Cassius broke in, “why not just get everyone you can and then invite those left over to the citadel when back from missions?”
The Emperor rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “It could work, but if something goes sour at the event then any shadow-tainted individuals who were on missions would undoubtedly be made aware that I was on the hunt.”
“And so would likely make a number of convenient excuses not to come to the citadel,” Anatha replied quietly. “You could make it a regular event. Purging the tainted now does not necessitate that more won’t become controlled later. Make a recurring event, once every six months or so, that requires Imperators to come to the citadel and pass through the seraph scanners. The Imperators get some kind of celebration and excuse to meet with you, any that have high levels of black seraph within them are quietly removed, and those who can’t make the party are more carefully watched. If those individuals can’t attend a couple of other invitations or events then they are treated as suspect.”
“I like it,” rumbled the Emperor. “Efficient and gives both the Imperators a chance to unwind as well as an opportunity to discern any of those controlled. Two birds with one stone.” He looked carefully at each of us with an intense gaze. “You’ve all been through the seraph detectors and Cassius, whilst you have an abundance of black seraph within you, I myself purged you of that corruption so I have no concerns regarding your loyalty. I ask that you give nothing less than your all to support me in the coming weeks. I hope that the corrupted can be rooted out swiftly, easily and without loss. However the Enemy is a cunning and pernicious foe and He could well have planned for this eventuality. Only time, as always, will reveal the truth.
“I will organise events here with Anatha. We will move quickly so expect invitations to the constituents of the entire Academy to be sent shortly. I would like you both to arrive on the early side of proper. Cassius, make sure to bring Asp. Calidan I want you to keep Seya hidden and siphon as much strength and speed as possible from her. Anatha has taught you how to do this, no?”
I nodded in affirmation and he continued, “If anything happens I will need you to respond as you see fit. My guards will be in attendance, as will I, and all will be equipped to deal with...difficult enemies. Support my people where needed and take down anyone who is revealed to be acting against the empire. Understood?”
Cassius raised a pale hand and the Emperor nodded. “What if I know the person Sir? I’m not sure that I can…”
The Emperor held his gaze for a long moment before giving a soft sigh. “Sometimes I forget just how young and inexperienced you all are. That will change, and rapidly I’m afraid. Everything that you have experienced in the Academy up to now is to build you up to a certain standard, to improve you physically and mentally to the point where the next phase of training will not crush you completely. Believe me when I say that the fifth year of your training will make the rest look like a fun holiday.”
Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a faint trembling of Anatha’s hand, quickly stilled. It looked like the Emperor’s words were bringing up bad memories.
“Imperators like Kane, Simone and Merowyn are all experienced and more importantly they are prepared. They know just how insidious the Enemy is. Indeed, you have both experienced the nature of that Enemy first hand. What separates them is that they are prepared to do what is necessary in order to win. Whilst you may not understand that at this point, you will. For now do what you can and what you think is right. However,” he turned the full intensity of his gaze on the two of us, “do not interfere with the actions of the guards, Anatha or myself. Whilst I usually have restraint, my guards will not, and even with your skill sets you would find yourselves very hard pressed if you chose to stand in their way. Clear?”
Cassius and I both swallowed heavily and nodded. For all his charm and wonder the Emperor could be downright frightening when he wanted.
At that point in my life I had no idea just how terrifying he could be.
Chapter 33
Celebrations
Less than five days after our attendance at the citadel the Academy received notice that a ball was to be held at the Emperor’s citadel in recognition of their services to the empire. The event was to be held twice a year and was intended to be a moment that the Imps and Imperators could look forward to and thus revitalise them for the remainder of the year. Or at least that is what the notice said, obviously Cassius and I knew better. This ball had every possibility of turning bloody.
Ten days following our return from the citadel and we were attending the ball. Ten days of relative normality, to immerse ourselves in the difficult training, exercise and learning provided by the Academy and centre ourselves again. It was strange how the bone-crushingly hard exercise that Imps did day in and day out could become something reassuring, but regardless of who you were and what you had just been through it offered a sense of normality, a place of focus in which to momentarily forget the pressures of the outside world, and considering the number of Imperators who woke at the same time and exercised and practiced just as hard as us even without Adronicus or Kane bellowing down their ears I imagined that it only became more and more compounded as a method of meditation.
Ten days of training, of talking with teachers, of catching up with the dorm and friends and attempting to learn as much missed seraph content as possible. The growing buzz of anticipation surrounding the ball became a strange mixture of excitement and lead weight for Cassius and myself. We longed to be lost in the excitement of being invited to the Emperor’s citadel, as we once were when younger, and to fully embrace the wonder and magic of attending a ball in such a place. Unfortunately the closer we got to the date of the event the more dread built in my chest. Cassius too had the same anguished look on his face when no others were looking. After all, it was quite possible that people we knew - friends even - might be removed by the Emperor during the event. Consequently, when I stepped out of the carriage dressed in my Imp finery - black clad formal wear with silver buckles and on loan to the Academy - the look on my face was one close to despair. Guards intercepted us as we stepped from the carriage, briefly checked our invitations and our bodies for ranged weapons but allowed us to keep our blades. Whether that was an order from the Emperor or a normal case I did not kn
ow but it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that the Emperor had little fear of swords.
Striding forwards we stepped into the hallway and were greeted by a swarm of servants who brought champagne and hors d'oeuvres before directing us along the seemingly firefly lit corridor towards the Great Hall. Even though we had been there before, on seeing what the Emperor’s staff had done to the magnificent room drew involuntary gasps from Cassius and myself. The room was festooned with the Academy colours of black and silver punctuated by blooms of colourful flowers that adorned each table. The centre of the hall had been cleared to make space for dancing, exposing a pristine and presumably ancient wooden floor that I imagined many of the nobility would kill to own. As per the Emperor’s request we were here early, having arrived as one of the first carriages. The ball itself was set to start at the seventh bell, and we had arrived some 15 minutes prior to that time, making us unfashionably early but from the look on the Emperor’s face as he strode to meet us we were anything but an inconvenience.
He was clad in plate armour. It might seem like an odd choice of attire for a ball however the armour he was wearing looked surprisingly in keeping with the surrounding environment. The armour itself was seemingly comprised of obsidian or some other devilishly dark metal and highlighted with silver inlays. It made for an imposing and inspiring spectacle. I had absolutely no doubt in my mind that the armour would be completely functional and yet I doubted that the Emperor even needed armour - or at least anything visible anyway. His metal clad strides shook the room and aides hurried to protect vases of flowers from falling over in the wake of his passing. The Emperor was always larger-than-life and we knew that he was no ordinary man, but in this setting it really hit home just how different and extraordinary he was.
Here was a man to be admired, respected, and feared.
“Cassius, Calidan and friends,” he boomed, “you are most welcome! Please take advantage of the hospitality of my hall. My servants will attend to your every need, you need but ask. Drinks and refreshments are available and the finest dinner you will ever enjoy will be served at the eighth bell. I ask that you celebrate and be merry for this party is in the Academy’s honour.”