Dawn of a Thousand Suns, Book I: Arch De Angels

Chapter XXI

Youngsters were called to the commander's room, without giving a reason. Lucius had already been to this room twice today, once in a dream and a second time for real, though he never voluntarily went there.

"Why do they want?" - Whispered Angela.

"They probably want to interrogate us about Lord Marcus," Uriel replied in a whisper.

No one raised their voices until the officer in front of them entered the room and led them inside.

The room was still lit by candles as the morning twilight faded. Five people, including the officer, were in the room - the commander, two officers, and two strangers in red and gold robes, one of whom was a black wizard, whose combat abilities made a great impression on the spectators from the bell tower. A middle-aged red-haired woman with a slender appearance sat with her back to the door. The black man looked out the window, but when they entered, none turned around.

"Why did you call these kids?" - asked a deep and powerful voice.

"These children know a lot more than I do about the necromancer you are looking for, and I thought it would be useful to listen to them," - replied Lord Felix in a tired voice.

Slowly the black man turned around, apparently still suffering from the wound that the marked one's spear had inflicted on his thigh. Had he been an ordinary man, he would not even have been able to stand on his feet, but Lucius did not expect normalcy from him, and it doesn't surprise him at all.

The wizard stared at the children for a second, but that one was enough to make all four of them squirm.

Commander, why do you think these kids know something? Asked the man.

"My officers have seen Lord Marcus talking to them several times, and finally, even before his disappearance, they were seen with him by my soldiers.

The black man turned again.

"Your name?" - addressed to blondy.

"Uriel," he replied.

"Uriel ... is a good name, my name is Vittorio, Vittorio de la Arcane, and I want to hear the truth from you. Where is Marcus de la Crowley?"

"I do not know," Uriel replied. They really didn't know about Marcus's whereabouts. He didn't tell us if he was leaving either.

Lord Vittorio nodded slightly as if believing his answer.

"What were you talking about, with Marcus?" - This time the woman questioned them.

"On many things."

"About what things?"

"For example, that help would come in ten days and we have to survive before that, but he did not tell us that your goal would not be to help us but to capture necromancer, and you probably realize that he would not have told us if he was the one," Uriel replied.

"What about the red-eyed creatures? Who are they?" Asked Vittorio.

"As far as I can remember, he said little about them," Uriel replied. Silence followed his words, but the commander broke.

"You what? You do not know what you have been fighting all night?"

Silence again, and then:

"No, we have not met such creatures before," answered the black wizard.

"It is strange, but your necromancer knew what he was doing when he was helping to fortify this city," said the commander, then as if remembering something, he added: "Marcus once mentioned a name. It happened the night the Red-eyes attacked us. When we won that battle and burned their bodies, we heard a strange voice that almost drove us crazy, Marcus could stop it somehow, and when we asked whose voice it was, Marcus referred to the red regatta, or rather the vessel of the red regatta, and said that..."