The Azimar Archives Book One- The Book of Death

Hasani

Hasani was once more in his rooms, Ajax and Silvana clustered around him by the fire. The mantle was still bare, though the mirror that had troubled them this morning was now blank. Silvana was uncomfortable with the idea of putting it back in its usual spot, and Hasani couldn't blame her for her unease. "Any sign of the Matriarch yet, Ajax?"

The worry lines in Ajax's face only deepened. "I still haven't found her, though a farmer not far from where she had been saying insisted that he saw her and her girls being led away by several men-at-arms. Which could mean one of two things; either she received the same warning you did, and found an entourage to lead her out of the city, or-"

"Or she has been taken captive." Hasani finished. "Something foul is afoot, and I don't like it. The timing couldn't be worse, with both Areanath and his brother absent." Hasani was silent for a moment, one hand ruffling his unruly hair. He turned to Ajax, whose eyes were swollen with weariness and worry. "As King's Regent, I have the power to call the King's Guard into action..."

"How many men can I send to search for her?" Ajax asked, sudden hope lighting his face.

"As many as you need." Hasani sighed, rubbing at his face with one hand. Great Ones take it, of course this had to happen while Areanath was away. "Etritia can do without the King's Guard for a short time."

"I'll start gathering my men," Ajax said, turning on his heel and heading for the door. "I'll devise a plan, and we'll set out within the next hour."

"Leave the planning to me, Ajax," Hasani called to his brother's back. "You collect the men, and meet me in the Great Hall in twenty minutes. We'll be out there searching for the Matriarch faster that way."

Ajax turned and gave him a curt nod before disappearing into the hallway beyond.

"You're not planning on going out to search with them, are you?" Silvana's voice had lost most of the timidity the morning's scare had given her, but her eyes were still wide, and her hands clung tightly to his when he took them.

"If Ajax asks me, I will go." Hasani pulled Silvana's hands to his lips and kissed her fingertips. "I want to make sure the Matriarch is well, and I have a duty as King's Regent to do what I can for all of Etritia."

The answer didn't seem to please her, but his wife nodded and gave him a gentle kiss on one cheek. "Be careful, Hasani."

Hasani made for the Great Hall, concern for the Matriarch making his footsteps hurried. Had anything like this happened before? Men leading the Matriarch through Etritia's farmland? Ajax and Areanath both had failed to convince Nevina to allow an escort of King's Guards to lead her through Etritia. Nevina was just as stubbornly inflexible on that subject as her predecessor had been.

Yet now she had half a dozen men surrounding her and her followers?

Hasani sucked in a sharp breath as his steps quickened further. He should have acted sooner. Areanath would have acted sooner.

Hasani made only a single stop on the way to the Great Hall. There was a small archive room, little more than a study, lined with shelves of books and rolled parchments, not far from his destination. The small room did little to rival the great Azimar Archives, with its huge halls filled with the whole history of Azimar herself, but there was still a great deal of important knowledge tucked away in that little room.

A few quick words exchanged with the old man inside, a servant by the name of Kas, and Hasani left with a long parchment rolled and tucked carefully under one arm.

Hasani didn't have to wait long for Ajax to reach the Great Hall.

Armed King's Guard were already there when Hasani opened the door and made his way to the front of the room, close to the staired dais that held the throne, and more men trickled in with each passing moment. Some wore heavy armor, having been pulled from their posts, but most wore their long black cloak of the King's Guard and a belted sword over lighter clothing. They looked serious, even the younger ones, their faces lines but unafraid. Hasani tried to count the faces he saw, but lost track as more men entered.