39 Chapter 31 (1/2)
Captain Jun greeted them coldly and ordered the report to be presented to the king as soon as possible. Zarkin went to the office, where he took the promised money and went to the market. Kalena went to look for Galaspiael.
She did not find him in the studio or the bedroom chamber but on the highest terrace. He was resting for the first time from the coronation. Seeing Kalena, he greeted her with a smile and she knelt. Two guards had accompanied him, so she had to keep the manners.
”Stand up,” he said, ”nice to see you again. I missed you. Show me what you brought!”
She handed him the book without saying a word. He flipped through it quickly and the smile disappeared slowly from his face.
”Whose comments are these?”
”Mine. There were many mistakes in the chapter about the history of Kagolania. I had to do something about it. It's not too much, I didn't have time on the way.”
”I know very well the history of Kagolania.”
”You once told me that mistakes should be corrected for future generations. I'm sorry,” she added, seeing his scolding look. ”I could not resist.”
Galaspiael sent two guards away and asked her to sit next to him. He grew serious at one moment, it was obvious that he had something extremely urgent to tell her.
”Since you know what this book is about, I'm not going to hide anything from you,” he said, pouring her a cup of tea. ”What do you think?”
”I didn't read much and understood even less. Did Zarkin almost killed a man for some fairy tale?”
Kalena took up reading on the way. All she read was the introduction and the first few chapters. The author showed complete ignorance of history, he even had trouble writing down the names of some countries, but he quite accurately described the flow of energy through the human body and the various ways of using it, which he called the enchanting techniques. The whole book seemed like complete fiction. The girl felt a huge disappointment that she was sent after - in her opinion - something worthless.
”Don't you believe that once there were people with such powers?”
”And do you believe in it?”
”I have reasons for that,” he admitted. ”When you were sick, I managed to unleash such power, although I still don't understand how. However, thanks to this I could beat Gyeul. I don't know yet how it works, but enchanting is the only way he can treat us seriously. Perhaps, thanks to this, it will be possible to incorporate at least part of the Forbidden Zone back into Kagolania.”
”Do Righteous Conspiracy know how to use this technique?”
”No,” he replied, delving back into his reading. ”Someone once said that this knowledge was only made available to the emperor and his children, but only a few were able to learn it. We're gonna try together, okay?”
”If you want to.” Kalena shrugged. She was still quite skeptical of the whole idea. ”Have you done something interesting when I was away?”
”I have a new law ready to present to Okiani, but it is still not a total ban on slavery. I just allowed slaves to have their own money. They will be able to buy themselves out of slavery, so I must have a place where they can settle down. That's why I want to limit Gyeul's territory. What?” He asked seeing her face. ”Is it a bad idea?”
”No need to rush. If someone is a slave since birth, even if they're rich, they will not come up with the idea of buying themselves out of slavery.” Kalena drank her tea with a few large sips and continued speaking. ”I can tell you how it is from my personal experience. You've been dreaming of freedom all your life, and when you get it, it scares you and you don't know what to do with yourself. Most of them later work as a servant because they can't decide for themselves without you. It is their children who are born free, who manage to fight for their life.”
”Sooner or later you'll need the area,” Galaspiael replied. ”I've got a bit worried because of what you wrote about Madegald. I doubt that the Empire is indeed preparing for war, but we must check it. I will send someone there when the situation in the palace will be calmed down.”
”What situation?”
”I thought I told you? Okiani is coming. We have a small religious holiday that is an opportunity to discuss various matters. Tomorrow all the festivities will take place. The Silver Guard is to appear too.”
”Tomorrow…” she repeated ”so now we have a break. Wonderful, I'll finally bathe and sleep!”
They said goodbye. She came back home through the secret passage she saw during the coronation, happy to finally be able to rest.
Zarkin spent almost all the money he earned on the food and ingredients for the poison he intended to make. They were mainly venom of scorpions and snakes, but also greenish syrups with pieces of plants floating inside. All this could be obtained at the Kagolanian market if you knew where to look.
Kalena told him to take the most disgusting things out of the kitchen and not bring them there anymore. He promised that he stuffed everything in the old workroom, which he intended to transform into his own and quickly took everything away.
*
”I don't have good manners.” Blonde boy looked uncertainly around the large corridor and glanced suspiciously at the elegantly dressed man. ”How should I behave towards them?”
”You don't have to pay attention to them at all,” Kalena replied calmly, ”unless one of them would attack Galaspiael. We are to ensure safety and not bow or entertain them.”
Luko nodded a greeting.
”Go to the throne room, there has been a small change in plans, we are to accompany His Majesty on the way to the feast.”
”I'm getting nervous. I can still quit, right?” Zarkin whispered softly.
Jun approached them unnoticed.
”Why are you still standing there?! On your positions, there is no time!”
Galaspiael came out with four Okiani accompanying him. The guards quickly formed two ranks around them on opposite sides. Kalena and Zarkin were to close the procession.
”Hey!” Suddenly Kalena nudged him and pointed at the tall man with an olive complexion. ”I just remembered something. Can you see him? His name is Han Thiro!”
”What about it?” Zarkin tried to stay calm, but she noticed that he clenched his teeth at the name.
”They're a family! Maybe he knows something about Mei? Ask him!”
”I told you I wouldn't look for her! I'm fed up already with her family! A bunch of twisted fanatics, with her at the forefront!”
The girl didn't answer. Galaspiael didn't say a word on the way, listening to one of the advisers and nodding from time to time. She wondered if he was so absorbed or whether he had turned his attention off for a moment.
It was hard to watch over the safety of such a large chamber with dozens of people inside, but Jun found away. Earlier he ordered the guards to divide the room in their minds to small parts so that everyone would take care only of their area. Zarkin had the one at the door, which as if by the twist of fate was also guarded by Han.
”You must be new here, am I right? How do you like it in the Silver Guard?” He tried to talk to him when he noticed that the boy persistently stared at him.
”You have a nice life here,” Zarkin admitted, ”you can travel the whole world. I have recently returned from a mission.”
”Do you like traveling? I have heard that the king plans to send someone to Madegald for a very long time. I can recommend you.”
”Me? Where in the Madegald exactly?”
”Far. To Enila. Have you heard about this city?”
”Never. What is the king looking for there?”
”Information. The letter from your friend was quite disturbing, you have to see if there is anything to be afraid of. It would also be nice to sow some fools from the Righteous Association.”
”You mean the Righteous Conspiracy,” Zarkin corrected him. ”There are two organizations, the Righteous Conspiracy and the Scribes' Association.
”For me, they're all the same,” Han replied.
”Can I ask you something?” Zarkin interrupted abruptly.
”I've waited for it. You looked like you were going to ask me a question, my friend,” he admitted, ”what is worrying you?”
”Your surname is Thiro, just like my... friend's Mei. We've had a lot of arguments lately, and she's fled somewhere. I wonder if you don't know where it is. If she is your relative, she could have asked for help or...”
Han smiled in a way that Zarkin didn't like at all. He instinctively sensed that Mei had already told him her version of the story.
”Indeed, my distant cousin visited me a few days ago, which was quite surprising. I don't keep in touch with that part of the family. She was determined to travel far, so I advised her to go to Sekania because from there it is easiest to get away somewhere.”
The boy groaned.