The Guardian Of Empires

15. Inspection

Four years later.

Theodore stood in a hallway of an abandoned house. An unpleasant sadness crawled into his consciousness. Grey dust was covering the surfaces around him. He stood and looked through the empty hallway at a large staircase leading to the second floor. Two servants, awaiting their masters, confusedly glanced at Theo as they were puzzled by his strange behavior. Behind him, a notary preparing a contract of sale awkwardly cleared his throat.

'Your Reverence, put your signature here as well.'

Theodore turned around and approached a big table where the notary and Alfonso Borges sat. He drew his signature with a pen on another page of the document.

'Senor Borges,' the notary passed the contract to Alfonso.

Clenching his jaw in anger, Borges sweepingly signed the contract stating Alfonso Borges was selling house number eight on Saint Palatine Street to Theodore Dreiser.

'I'm pleased by our deal, Holy Father,' Theodore raised his eyebrows and stretched his hand to Alfonso.

Alfonso ignored this gesture. Instead of handshake he spat out:

'Very interesting, indeed: I'm forced to sell the house to you at the price of a shabby village hut.'

'How funny you resent the loss of a house you've never used,' Theodore spread his hands, 'and which you took from its previous owner and didn't pay a coin.'

'It's a lie!' Alfonso jumped to his feet. 'Dare not slander me, whelp, if you can't prove anything. I bought this house when it belonged to the state!'

'The Synod is not a state. You had a hand in Elif Erdogan being expelled from the city and her house being confiscated.'

'And rightly so! There is no place for warlocks, heretics, and apostates in Marescall. I serve for the good of the Holy Church and the whole of Benefia. Your manipulations made me lose fair income!'

'No one forced you to sell me the house, it was your choice. And as for amendments to the laws, they served other purposes.'

'Ah, you surely care about the lower class's fate.'

'You'll be surprised, but I do.'

The notary put his stuff in a briefcase and fussed, feeling more awkward with every minute.

'Gentlemen... If I'm no longer of service...'

'Yes, Miguel, you're free to leave. I appreciate your help,' Alfonso dismissed him and stared at Theo again with an unkind look.

When the living room door closed behind the notary, Theodore sat in a chair by the table. Willing to calm his interlocutor, he said:

'Well, no need for such anger, Alfonso. You know my intentions. I want to balance the scales of justice. Tell me, please, where is Elif Erdogan now? Your people chased her south, outside Marescall. Where did they banish her to?'

Alfonso leaned forward, staring at Theodore with a look blazing with unkind fire.

'Only the devil himself knows where she is.'

'Does that mean she was killed?'

'Do not twist my words, boy, I don't know. And I don't have to answer your questions,' he turned around and walked to the exit.

'Following Napoleon's orders, police has been searching for Widow Erdogan,' Theodore reminded him, raising his voice.

Alfonso stopped at the door, turned, and raised his forefinger, trembling with anger.