‘Please sit gentlemen; I am Losha the Guild spokesperson’
They sat at seats at the end looking across the table of faces that peered at them. Losha wore modest clothing, of a long brown gown covering her fully. Her hands covered in rings were clasped together, and she rubbed them together as she talked. Her long greying gold hair partially covered a welcoming face that smiled whenever it could.
‘Flogger here had alerted us to the news of the execution. We had heard rumours, but Flogger has brought proof. First I must apologise for the entrance down our ‘alley’. If you ever led people here, it would have its strategic advantages, which of course I cannot divulge to you. It would also give us some clue as to who has betrayed our whereabouts, if you catch my meaning’ Lorgan understood, he also silently agreed that trying to find this room would be difficult, there certainly would be more well armed men prowling those corridors.
‘Flogger has told me of the execution, and before you arrived we discussed a plan of action. Again we must keep it from you; we do not know both of you. But the reason you are here is to give us an account of the murder. As you know we have interests in the Imperial City, and knowledge is crucial. The old premier Alec may have cost us some business by allowing banned substances such as Ales back into the slum, but he didn’t peruse us with his Imperial Guard as previous rulers did. We must find out what this Machiavel intends to do with the Smuggler’s guild.’ She paused and another man who sat to the side spoke.
‘I am in charge of security matters for the guild gentlemen. Flogger tells us you may have some information for us concerning something you witnessed, please share this knowledge. The guild must get a full picture of this new general, as we cannot allow our interests to be compromised in the slums’
Lorgan shifted in his seat preparing to speak ‘It may be nothing, I can’t be sure.’ He explained what he saw and heard. He told them off the conversation between the than general and the chained man. That Machiavel wanted to know what the man had seen in Atriop. He told them that the man appeared to have witnessed destruction ‘boom, boom, boom’ Than Lorgan explained with some reluctance the moment Machiavel suddenly killed him, followed by a phrase that reverberated around Lorgan’s mind for days ‘you wont tell a soul’. The room all fixed their attention onto Lorgan’s tale, nodding along with interest. Once he had finished silence ensued as the people in the room pondered the news. Losha was the first to break the silence. ‘Very disturbing news. Thank you for sharing young man, any thoughts guild members?’ A woman sitting to Lorgan’s left spoke. She leaned forward so all could see her. ‘Assuming this is true, it suggests the Premier knows more about the attacks than his Newspaper tells us’ Directly across from her a man in slum clothing continued ‘Yes, also it gives us an insight into his character. But why would he kill a man with information when everyone knows about the attacks anyway?’ Hoyt who had sat silently until now suddenly stood, and faced everyone. Lorgan looked at him worryingly. ‘I think the general has somehow devised these attacks himself, maybe even made them up so he could enact Article 12 and take power from Alec for himself. He has done it all just to rule!’ The guild members looked silently at Lorgan’s accomplice, Lorgan ushered him to sit down but instead he began to pace around the table continuing ‘Think about it people, he take power from the elders. He kills a witness at Atriop. It’s bloody obvious if you ask me, he’s obviously a bastard. Why else would he kill an innocent man? We need to stop dallying around in underground caverns talking and do something about this idiot.’ Lorgan put his head in his hands groaning. Disrespecting the smuggler’s guild was not recommended in the slums. But Losha surprised him.
‘Young man, I totally agree with you. We cannot be certain, but the evidence so far is convincing me that this Premier of ours is not to be trusted.’ Flogger cut in ‘And he thinks he can come on our turf killing off Slum people, Imperial captain or no imperial Captain’ everyone murmured in agreement. Hoyt sat back down, Lorgan patted him on the back ‘you swine’. Hoyt laughed ‘For the first time it was me almost getting us killed.’ Once the murmuring died down Losha stood from the chair leaning forward. A commanding quality was heard in her voice. ‘I officially give my trust to these young men, I see nothing but honestly in them. I have decided that we will attempt to monitor Machiavel with our bribed soldiers and spies. We will all assume here today he is not to be trusted, and if more evidence comes our way, we will make him our enemy. Time is getting on; the sun is getting low in the sky.’ She looked to Flogger ‘You know what to do, take who and what you need from the guild. I want Captain Bryant freed tonight. He is a man of the slum, so we have a duty to protect him’
The woman to Lorgan’s left spoke again ‘What if he’s guilty? How could we possibly know?’ People all round nodded in agreement ‘He could have been corrupted in all these years serving the government’ Losha sat again and a crafty smile came over her lips ‘Remember Rufio?’ Everyone on the table sat confused, some exchanging glances. Again the woman to the left spoke ‘Yes of course, he is a legend amongst us. How is this relevant?’ Losha’s smile turned to a chuckle ‘Where do you think he has gone all these years. Trust me, he is innocent’
Liberty sat alone by the fire place looking into the flames. She looked out of the glass windows, still amazed by the substance. There was no glass in Atriop, and she had first seen it yesterday when Bryant brought them to the upper houses of the Imperial City. It was so big, so many people. Liberty was astounded by it all, but her awe was saved for the sight of the Imperial palace with its tower that looked like it touched the sky. Outside the grey clouds still hung ominously, and she still couldn’t shake that uneasy feeling about Bryant, maybe it was just the thought of him losing his family, maybe not. As she began dozing by the fire her head was filled with the memories of the last few days: The murdered scout, her home town, the screams of the people, the vision. They swirled around her conscious incoherently like jigsaw pieces that wouldn’t fit. She tried to piece them together, but as she did a force within blocked it muddying the waters. Every time she tried to see the significance something sent her awareness careering into an dark abyss of misunderstanding. But she knew one thing; the last few days had changed her. As her world was rocked by events prior, her awareness expanded outwards. It felt the dark force. It had been there her whole life blocking understanding. For the first time she felt it there and now she knew she was fighting something within her, and that every small victory meant that piece by piece the jigsaw could be assembled displaying a picture of understanding. The darkness intentionally wanted her to miss the picture, to forget it, but she wouldn’t. She couldn’t. The vision in her sleep had given her a glimpse into what she faced. And somehow she knew that no matter how painful it was, she must know what it all meant. Something told her it was life or death for a lot of people.
