Negli Meets Berenji (3rd month of Autumn, 91st day)

  Late in the evening, Negli and Imke rode through the southern gate of Bizenki. The guard asked his name and nodded them through. They made their way to the Nightshade — a quality inn near the Tower grounds. The staff had received his message and prepared the usual room.

  He ordered hot water and took a bath. Instead of feeling relaxed, he was anxious. After drying off, he sat at the writing desk.

  Later, he lay in bed, unable to sleep. Imke had already begun snoring lightly. With a sigh, Negli lit the lamp and sat down to write another letter, hoping the act might lull him to sleep.

  Despite staying up late, he woke too early. Imke was still asleep. He had three hours before his meeting — nothing to do. He ordered tea. It was good tea, fragrant and not too bitter. He savored it while mentally revising his research plans, thinking of the future, the big picture.

  "Master, it's time."

  Imke's voice startled him. Negli frowned at his servant, then looked at the wall clock. It was time. Thirty minutes later, he was walking through the Directorate. He had already dropped off the blood samples at the Archives and carried only his notes in a small bag. A Tower blackguard stood by Berenji's door — a rare sight in these corridors. Had security been heightened recently? Or was this meant as a reminder to him? He knocked and entered.

  "Come in, come in," came Berenji's voice from the far end of his large study. "Ah, Negli, my boy. Sit — be at home. Tea, perhaps?"

  Negli took the visitor's chair. "Thank you, Master Berenji, but I've already had tea at the inn."

  "At an inn? Hah. Mine's at least twice as good," he said, returning to the table with a thick folder.

  Berenji opened it and flipped through several notes. Negli spotted one of his letters among the papers. After a moment, Berenji looked up and smiled.

  "So," he said, "how was your stay?"

  "Interesting so far. I've been studying the specimen."

  Berenji's smile turned faintly sad.

  "The specimen. Of course. You always had a knack for research. But you see, we're conducting the investigation here" — he gestured at the papers before him — "and there's been little progress on that front."

  He looked up, and their eyes met.

  "I mentioned the fodder," Negli said. "I suspect they're using Death infusion."

  Berenji shook his head.

  "That's barely a crime — unless they're making ghouls. You haven't seen any ghouls, have you?"

  "No, Master Berenji."

  Berenji paused, gazing out the window. Snow had begun to fall. The diviners had predicted a blizzard. After a moment, he turned back.

  "Perhaps," he said slowly, "they've hidden something from you. Perhaps the fairy is a distraction. Could it be? Have you noticed anything else suspicious? Think carefully. Anything at all?"

  For the first time, it occurred to Negli that Berenji might have a spy inside the mansion. Planting one would be difficult in such an isolated house. In truth, the only three people who had arrived recently were himself and his two servants. Could Imke be a spy? Either way, now was not the time to change his stance.

  "No, Master Berenji," Negli said. "Regretfully, nothing at all."

  "Regretfully indeed." Berenji sighed. "Well, keep looking. I'm sure the truth will come out — eventually. Keep me informed."

  Negli said his goodbyes and left the study. He had expected to be asked for more details, to show his notes, but Berenji seemed uninterested. All the better.

  The blackguard outside stood straight and expressionless. If he was meant to intimidate, he was doing a poor job. Negli left the building and headed toward the Nightshade. The receptionist bowed respectfully, as did a maid — though she paled slightly.

  He climbed the stairs to the second floor — and saw them: two blackguards stationed outside his room's open door. In hindsight, it was obvious from the talk with Berenji. But no matter. He needed to keep calm. He strode forward, as if nothing had happened.

  "What is the meaning of this?" he asked coldly.

  "Lord Negli?" came a woman's voice behind him.

  He turned. An inquisitor officer was walking toward him.

  "Yes?" he said, looking her over.

  Average height, dark hair, face a bit too angular to be pretty. She'd look unremarkable if not for a pair of striking red eyes. A perfect touch for an inquisitor, Negli thought.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  "You're under arrest on suspicion of practicing necromancy."

  "Is this right? Do you know who I am?"

  "Senior Arcanist Lord Negli Idewald," she replied. "My name is Arisa."

  Negli raised an eyebrow.

  "Lieutenant Arisa Karvin, of the Inquisition," she added.

  "Charmed."

  "Let's go inside. I'll read you the charges."

  They stepped into the room. It had been turned upside down by the search. Guards rummaged through drawers, even looked under the furniture. His belongings were laid out on the table. Another inquisitor was flipping through his notes. Imke wasn't in the room. That, at least, was good.

  News of Negli's Arrest (3rd month of Autumn, 91st day)

  Kedi recalled Kemi's patrol with a raven. Half an hour later, he sat in his study with Kemi and Xia.

  "Negli's been arrested by the Inquisition," he said without preamble.

  Xia already knew — he was saying it for Kemi.

  "Well, what a huge surprise," Kemi said dryly. "Have we been outlawed yet?"

  "No, not yet. I've sent a raven to his brother Igli in Bizenki. Waiting for the reply."

  "How'd you find out?"

  "His servant sent me a letter. It was prepared ahead of time, so there aren't any details."

  Kemi gave a crooked smile. "That's my rogue warlock. Always two steps ahead. If only he could avoid the arrest he so loftily predicted."

  "Please be serious," Xia said.

  Kemi shrugged. "You saw it coming, didn't you? I don't understand politics, so just tell me what to do."

  "Not much, for now," Kedi said. "Close the gates. If the Inquisition comes knocking, don't open. Say you need my direct order."

  "And if they try to force their way in?"

  "If they attack, eliminate them."

  A heavy silence settled over the room. Kemi finally became serious.

  "Eliminate? Are you sure?"

  "Yes. If they so much as draw a circle on the ground, take them out — no mercy. One group spell could ruin us. Make sure they understand we're not bluffing. They're not real fighters — if they sense we're serious, they won't risk it."

  "All right. Are you planning to just stall them, or send them packing?"

  "To stall. I need to make sure everything is clean before they enter."

  "Speaking of which, there's Aya," Xia said. "We need to keep her out of the mansion for now."

  "The checkpoint's guarded," Kemi said. "We could send her as a guard."

  "She goes with Ixi," Xia replied. "A guard with a fairy familiar is too suspicious."

  "A tent on the plain?" Kedi offered.

  "Too exposed," Kemi said. "And hard to survive — they'll freeze."

  "What about the ransacked village?" Xia asked.

  Kemi and Kedi exchanged a look.

  "Perfect," Kemi said.

  "Risky," Kedi countered.

  They discussed it further and eventually agreed on the village. It had charcoal reserves and intact houses. Two hours later, Aya, Ixi, and the children were on a cart heading toward the dead village. Agvi went with them — as a hand, and a person with a messenger raven. A guard drove the cart and was instructed to return alone.

  The Inquisition

  The Inquisition squad arrived in the evening. Thirty-six riders — more than they had anticipated. Kemi stood atop the watchtower, observing their approach. Their bannerman carried the gray and crimson banner of the Tower, as if their identity wasn't already obvious from the Inquisition uniforms.

  The rider in front called out, "Tower Inquisition. Open the gate!"

  A junior officer, by the looks of him — some nobody lieutenant. Kemi didn't bother responding. The lieutenant continued shouting nonsense. Eventually, three riders broke off from the main group and trotted closer. Their leader, a stocky man with a thin beard, raised his voice.

  "I am Captain Bargos of the Inquisition. Open the gate, now!"

  That was rude, so Kemi once again remained silent.

  "I demand to know who's in charge here!" he shouted again, his tone rising with indignation.

  Finally, a normal question.

  "I am Lord Kemi Vemer. I command the garrison."

  "Open the gate, Lord Kemi. I have a search mandate, issued by the Tower."

  "Then you'll have no objection to showing it," Kemi replied.

  One of Kemi's men approached to retrieve the document, but the captain held it back. A debate followed about who was permitted to handle the document. Kemi refused to come out himself but sent someone literate to examine it. After the poor piece of paper had been inspected and found valid, Kemi said he needed time to make a decision. Bargos began to lose patience. He threatened to execute a couple of the mansion's gate guards if entry was not granted immediately. Kemi threatened to kill them all if a single shot was fired.

  To back up his threat, he moved his riders forward to flank the Inquisition, and his battlemages stepped up onto the wall gallery. The captain decided he could threaten, too, and his mages began drawing a spell circle. Kemi ordered them to stop — or he would attack on the count of two. Mages and archers took aim. The captain had the sense to back down.

  At that point, it occurred to the captain that maybe he wasn't getting in. It made him change his tone.

  "We'll report this refusal of a Tower mandate!" he shouted.

  "Let me speak with the master of the house first," Kemi replied.

  That comment made the captain blink. He had clearly assumed Kemi was the master. His jaw clenched, but he stepped back, muttering something to his second. Kemi dispatched a runner to Kedi. The runner, who took twenty minutes to go upstairs and return, came back with the order: allow the Inquisition inside, but keep them under control.

  The Inquisition rode in — tired, cold, and annoyed. Kemi demanded the soldiers disarm before entering the mansion. Bargos refused, citing his mandate again. Kedi arrived, and another discussion on the scope and nature of the mandate followed. Eventually, five officers were let in, accompanied by a group of Kemi's warriors. The rest were left in the yard.

  The remainder of the visit was hell for both sides. The Inquisition attempted to interrogate household members, but Kedi insisted on being present for every conversation. Everyone said about the same: yes, there was nothing strange in the house except a single caged grave fairy. The captain asked for permission to cast a detection spell. It revealed two benign heirloom artifacts and several items in Negli's room. The search moved there. The instruments turned out to be standard arcane tools, but the inquisitors spent time testing every one of them. They also found the caged fairy, which sparked another debate — whether the creature constituted necromancy on its own. Eventually, Kedi let them take the fairy but refused to hand over Negli's notes.

  "Copy them, if you wish," he said.

  The inquisitors started reading the notes but couldn't make heads or tails of them. Throughout the proceedings, both sides meticulously recorded every word and filed complaints against each other. The search lasted all night and ended late the next morning. The procession departed with the only confiscated item: the cage containing the fairy.

  Refi, stationed again at the northern gate, watched them leave. The fairy inside the cage looked sickly, barely conscious — probably hadn't been fed. Refi remembered how Lord Negli had revived the creature, then spent days testing feeding methods. Now it was just another piece of "evidence," hauled away. He felt pity for the small feral thing being dragged around by crowds of angry men and women.

  Inside the mansion, the mood was grim. Some guards collapsed into sleep. Others reached for the ale. Refi had the morning shift and had to stay at his post.