The Guardian Of Empires

10. The Breakdown

A few days passed since the unfortunate event on River Street.

Surfing local newspapers during breakfast, Theodore was afraid to see news about police detaining the Order's members. Luckily, he didn't see anything like that. Instead, newspaper articles told about petty unrests and hooliganism that had happened around the city which were aimed at members of the Holy Synod; someone's stable was burned, and someone's window broken. Cases of street fights were more frequent. Journalists called these events the Order's vendetta against Synod members for their retaliation against occult meetings at Widow Erdogan's house.

Maxim and his team did not express support for such aggression, but meanwhile, two of his comrades were detained during these fights. Firstly, Maxim didn't know how to react, and it seemed he was neutral, yet Theodore recognized the revolutionary wasn't fond of such outbursts.

Theodore kept thinking about the strange event at the abandoned house. Alone, in the silence of his room, he thought through suspicions and conjectures. It seemed someone spotted Theodore and the man in the coat and decided to follow them. Was Theodore the reason for the raid, and if so, why? Or were they watching that house for a while, planning the invasion, and Theo just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? Could someone have eavesdropped on their conversation on Mark Street a day before the meeting? Unlikely. The quiet conversation lasted less than a minute. You had to really want to eavesdrop; it had to be done willfully.

Most likely, and possibly from an informant, the police were already aware of this meeting, and Theodore had nothing to do with it. Someone from the Order, or maybe the guard, happened to be a traitor. If true, will the Order find the culprit, or is it easier to blame Theodore, an unfamiliar, odd guy? Theodore remembered how Ioannes stood between him and the revolver. Apparently, Ioannes had no doubts about Theodore's innocence.

And yet, why had Ioannes risked meeting him? Was Theo needed for something? This question haunted him.

Fortunately, the police haven't shown up at Maxim's house. Still no mentions of the raid in newspapers, so Theodore had no idea what happened to Ioannes.

***

Unexpectedly, the teacher himself came to see Theodore.

On one affectionately warm April day, about seven in the evening, when Theodore, carried away by translation, was working in his room, the servant knocked on the door and announced:

'My lord, you have a guest. He calls himself your former German language teacher. He requests a private conversation.'

Surprised and delighted, Theodore hurried after the servant downstairs to the parlor, which was empty today.

Ioannes stood at the guest room entrance, looking like he was afraid to go further than the hallway. His body was covered with a dark mantle, and his head, with a hood. When he saw Theo, he took the hood off and greeted the young man with a melancholic smile. Theodore hugged his teacher.

'Ioannes, how good that you're well!'

'Excuse me, Theodore. Again, I don't have much time; the carriage is waiting.'

'It's all right, I understand. Shall we sit?'

'No, I mean it. I'm only here for a few words.'

The servant bowed and walked away, leaving them alone.

Ioannes took one step toward Theodore and touched his forearm, looking into the young man's eyes.

'You really don't know why they found us that day? You had nothing to do with it?'