The Wrath of the Innocent

12. Alastor

I spent the entirety of last night going over how this will all work with Varian. He's waiting back in my bedroom to execute the second half of the plan. I slip on a black cloak and set out for the long walk across the maze. The front doors are on the other side of the palace, so I start my trek across the labyrinth early in the morning. The halls of the palace are all the same color, a dusky teal. The rooms are all different, but the hallways are identical to one another. If I didn't live here, it would likely take me a few days to get to the other side. As I turn a corner a few hallways down from my bedroom, I find Evan's door open. Evan sits on a wooden chair in front of a mannequin, embroidering a kimono. On the table beside him is a plate of eggs and a breakfast roll, which he eats while he works.

"What are you doing?" I ask, peeking in. Evan spins around, startled to see me.

"Prince Killian died recently, and it must be a really tough time for Queen Ambrose right now, so I'm making her a kimono with ducks on it to cheer her up, since she likes ducks so much."

"That's nice of you."

"Least I can do for her." Evan shrugs. When I step towards him, I find folded fabric in a box beside him.

"You made these for her, too?"

"Yes. She really likes soft fabric, so I thought some new kimonos would help." One of the kimonos has nine tailed foxes on them, another has a weird raccoon on it. "Plus, I'm really bored, so this is keeping my hands busy."

"What's this thing?"

"It's a tanuki. Szept folklore says that they can turn into anything. I have a book with Szept legends if you want to read it."

"I think I'm okay for now, thank you." I walk out of the room as I talk, closing the door behind me.

When I reach the front doors, the sun is reaching its highest point in the sky, the sunlight working with the breeze to make the world look like one of Evan's paintings. Once I leave palace grounds, I walk the same path I have for years, except it seems different this time. I pass by the same coffee shops, the same farms, the same market. It feels like I'm walking through a memory, I know where I am but I'm lost. The Compound isn't a long walk away, there's only about a mile or so left. Thorns prick my lungs, what happens if Reena is there? I'm not going to see my friend this time, I'm going to get rid of a traitor. This could be considered treason, I suppose. It's for the greater good. That can't be bad, can it? Sometimes bad things create more good than bad. Maybe Reena will be there, I hope not. If she saw what I'm doing, she would be furious, even though it's for the good of the country. She usually calms down after a while when she's mad, but this would make her livid. When she's mad like that, she holds onto the anger and takes it to the death. She's trying to forgive people easier, but her hospitality is that of a venomous snake. Mercy is not a word that she knows, once she's driven far enough. Some days she makes the world a little brighter, and some days she terrifies me. It all depends on whether she's had her coffee. I'm not necessarily doing anything bad, I'm just helping the kingdom. It's for the benefit of Venuaii, we'll be better off without Evan. The military Compound grows closer and closer as I walk. The gates are twice my height, and two soldiers stand beside it, one on each side of the archway. They start to object once they see I don't have a uniform, but are silenced when I pull down my hood. Evan and I have been here enough that we're just let through and told where Reena is, no questions asked. When I find the training yard, I pull my hood over my head and walk through the archway towards a mass of cadets. My legs are tired from running around the Compound, but I ignore it as I step towards the cadets.

"I come to you with a proposition."

"Who are you? Why are you talking all fancy? Talk normal." A redhead boy steps in front of the others. There are about fifty of them, and they look about fifteen. Just what I'm looking for. They'll be easier to bribe, less likely to ask questions or recognize me. They'll do, I suppose, so long as they fight well.