A Most Dangerous Weapon

Chapter 2: The Ruling Emotions

Another morning spent wandering around the solemn palace.

In the aftermath of Decimus' assassination, the palace was quiet in mourning. Despite the excess amount of security walking through the imperial halls, it often felt like the palace was almost empty. Guards weren't marching, but scurrying, trying to avoid as much notice as possible. The servants worked their hardest to avoid any of the royals for fear of setting our emotions off. The few that had no choice but to interact with me always looked at me with pity, seeing the solemn widow that I was meant to play. Others would begin to hum the lullaby I sang as the Prince's eulogy, giving me side glances as if trying to tell me they were on my side. There was no denying it; I was their new hope for a better world.

That morning the Emperor had sent me a summons. The messenger didn't say what Maximus wanted to talk to me about, but it wasn't hard to guess.

I was walking down the final corridor with Arlo on my left and Kilgorian to my right. We could hear the Emperor's screams long before we reached the closed doorway at the end of the hall.

"WHERE ARE THEY?!"

"Your Grace, we have sent troops to each of the locations given by you-"

"ARE YOU SAYING THIS IS MY FAULT?!"

"I wouldn't dare, your Grace! The locations were correct... or at least, they were..."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"

"It seems that they used to live in these locations, but they have since disappeared."

"Disappeared? DISAPPEARED?!"

I stopped just outside the door. Both Arlo and Kilgorian looked to me to make sure we were all on the same page. Without saying a word, we all leaned forward to continue eavesdropping.

"No one has seen them for quite some time, your Grace. Our troops have been searching the surrounding areas and interrogating those who were originally hired to protect them, but so far we've come up with nothing."

There was a loud crash as something shattered. Maximus must have thrown a vase or something against the wall in anger.

"HOW CAN FIFTEEN CHILDREN VANISH INTO THIN AIR?!"

Fifteen children...

"I'VE ALREADY LOST THE FIRST TWO! I CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE ANOTHER! FIND THEM ALL AND BRING THEM TO ME IMMEDIATELY!"

Two already lost...

Something starts to click. I turn away from the door and take a step.

"Candra, what is it?" Arlo whispers as he places a hand on my shoulder to turn me back around.

I brush him off and whisper over my shoulder, "Nothing. Just keep listening for me." I turn away again quickly in hopes that he didn't detect anything in my tone or manner. After another moment, I can tell that both Arlo and Kilgorian are too preoccupied with the argument taking place on the other side of the door to notice my actions.

I cautiously reach into my hidden dress pocket to pull out the small parchment I had been carrying around for the past few days. Careful not to tear it, I smooth out the creases as I open the fake Princess' hit list.

I wasn't really trying to hide this from the guys. In fact, Arlo already knew about its existence since he was the one who I first discovered it with. I just didn't want to pull it out and discuss its meaning in front of Kilgorian... not with Decimus' name so recently checked off on the bottom.

I count the names once more, always coming up with seventeen. Maximus was looking for fifteen children, and two were already gone. Decimus was gone. And if my suspicions were correct, than the Nero on this list was his first son that was assassinated as an infant. Two sons and fifteen other children... that's seventeen.