A Light in the Darkness Book: The Moonlight Murderer

Chapter Fifty-Two: The Diverging Paths

Nick

The jester turned spymaster, turned false Inquisitor was still adjusting the events of the day. No sooner had he gotten married than he'd confirmed his new cousin-in-law was the person he'd been attempting to catch for weeks. He had his suspicions but still to have them confirmed was overwhelming. Then there was the city. Factions of populists had plunged the city into chaos. Though their efforts had been largely unplanned, they'd managed to spread far. Thankfully, their presence had also split up Quintus's forces who Nick was now certain to be behind a plot to overthrow the Emperor.

With a little help from some friends and a lot of luck he'd managed to convince some people of the plot and make his way to imperial palace. Inside his group had meet up with the sly Fen, Jan and the enigmatic old man, William. Those were to be his companions on a quest to find the Emperor Sigmund and Empress Silvia.

The three of them entered the lift in the Sentinel's Tower which was activated through pyromancy. He pressed his hand into a small plat on the side wall and after a few tries they descended.

"So, you two must've had a wild time getting here," he remarked as they lowered.

"You're putting it mildly," Jan replied in a cryptic tone. "The old guy here isn't exactly easy to work with and the place must be crawling Inquisitors. Then here you come, marching in the front door."

"Oh, I demand perfection is all," Bill snorted. "He wasn't up to snuff. I imagine this won't be a problem with you, Nicolaus."

"No," answered Nick bluntly. "It won't. Let's just do what we came here for and get out. Those two guards Festus dealt with earlier will probably have gotten help."

"Bah, he should've killed them," the old man spat. "Dead men can't snitch."

"I hate to agree with him," Jan said. "But letting those guys go tell their buddies about people infiltrating the building may not have been the wisest move. Though if we need more help, I think I know a way to signal. It may involve a bit of fire work."

He explained how it was possible to use the cauldron up in the tower send an old Syndicate signal out to any allies who might be watching. He'd done it in the past with Blair when they'd been down south in the desert. It was risky but Nick figured it was also a goody way to let Talia know where to meet them when they made it out of the palace.

Once the lift reached the bottom, Nick went out first. He lowered his hood. In conjunction with his pyromancy he could use the disguise to fool any other guards and Flame Weavers assuming these Inquisitors weren't too close with each other. Peering back into the entry hall, there was a squad of the Phoenix Guard waiting. None of them looked familiar. The Emperor's elite force was large enough to where he hadn't met all or even most but there were some he'd rather avoid.

"What's going on here?" he said authoritatively. "I don't remember ordering a change in the deployment. What if we're leaving sectors unsecure? There's a whole security apparatus to consider."

"You don't give us orders," one of them said haughtily. "We're here because one of your flamers nearly killed our man to get inside. We can't have anything interfering with tonight."

Nick sneered, giving his best impression of Festus. "You should all be more respectful. He was with me. Your man was slacking when we came to probe security. My associate merely chastised him for not practicing due diligence. Would you like some of the same?" Flames sparked across his left hand and the guards trembling hands went toward their weapons.