Akil

  --- That Morning ---

  “Enter.”

  Akil stepped into Fitmi’s personal office in the Voice’s Palace. Unlike the meeting room she was planning to use while briefing the Voice later that day, this space was hers and hers alone. The walls were lined with the stern looking portraits of past Voices and the bare minimum furniture. It was still decadent enough to suit a member of the royal family, but every plush chair and ornate table matched every other piece in the palace. For those accustomed to that taste, it was like looking at a blank slate.

  “Your grace,” he said, bowing to Fitmi, who sat at her enormous desk poring over paperwork like always. Unlike with most other guests who entered her office, she set aside what she was currently working on and gave him her undivided attention.

  “Sir Akil, I hope today finds you well.”

  “It did until I received your summons,” he said plainly. That morning, he was awoken by a messenger knocking on him and Lovu’s door. He had to carefully sneak out of bed to avoid waking his lover and was displeased to hear that Fitmi requested a meeting as soon as possible. “Short term requests are never good news. Is this about Lovu’s appointment?”

  Plans for the High Advocate to name Lovu his successor had been in the works since he was a child, but today it would be made official. High Advocate Winghu would make the announcement to the public during a feast being held in the Merchants’ Quarter.

  “As astute as ever,” she said, pulling a stack of bound papers from one of her desk drawers and sliding it to him, “…but not quite. The feast should go off without a hitch, but something else has caught our attention. It may be nothing, but we need to know the threat it poses as soon as possible.”

  The first page held a list of seven Lords and the Honors currently serving them: Lords Hakivwap, Kamla, Ferwuv, Komvok, Ngefwi, Longfi, and Foyrilmang. The others had similar lists of merchants, addresses in the Merchants’ Quarter, and manifests for ships that had arrived in the harbor over the past few weeks.

  Akil quickly scanned the information, looking for patterns. The Lords painted an obvious picture – all seven had been outwardly hostile toward the Voice’s family. Never to the point of explicit threat, but enough for both Akil and Fitmi to make note of them. The rest meant little to him, but that connection was enough for him to get the gist of her concern.

  “Do we have reason to believe these seven Lords have been in communication with each other?” he asked cautiously.

  “We do not know the extent of their contact, but they are in the process of brewing something. All seven have already arrived in the Residence for the upcoming Council session or are in transit and expected to arrive by nightfall.”

  “That is definitely troubling,” Akil said, finally understanding where the rest of the information fit in. “The rest of these are people and places involved in their communication?”

  “The addresses are properties discreetly purchased by the Lords and their vassals, while the merchants are those with strong ties to one or more of the Lords in question. After learning of the potential conspiracy, I collected a list of all their shipments in and out of Lavote over the past few months and have identified these as suspicious.”

  “What makes them suspect?”

  “After looking over the registered crew, nearly 80% of them were using recently renewed merchant licenses. Most of them had been lapsed for over a decade.”

  Akil felt his stomach turn over. License fraud was a common tactic used by smugglers and pirates to be able to slip in and out of the harbor without trouble. It was easier to renew an old merchant’s license than register for a new one, so they’d find people who had either retired or passed away and use their identity to get the necessary papers. Hundreds of unknown threats had managed to slip into Lavote but hadn’t made a move yet.

  “Should we cancel the ceremony?” Akil asked as he imagined them springing an attack on the feast.

  “No,” Fitmi said plainly. “We’ll double security, but I find it unlikely that they’ll make a move before then. We intercepted communications discussing a gathering this evening in the outer ring of the city. They were coded messages, so we don’t know the agenda, but we know it will be important.”

  “So, you want me to catch them in the act?”

  “Precisely,” Fitmi said, pointing to a name on the list. “I already have my Honors on alert and ready to sortie, but it would put my mind at ease if you were the one to lead the charge.”

  Akil had been working alongside Fitmi like this since before he had even finished his Honor training. Her direct guidance was a big part of how he earned the title at such a young age and let him take his position as Lovu’s personal bodyguard. He didn’t report to her in any formal capacity, but they worked well together, especially when Lovu was involved. After all, it was a priority for both of them to protect him, and it was best to nip potential problems in the bud.

  “What time?” he asked, tucking the paper into his pocket as he stood.

  “Be prepared to move out three hours after the ceremony wraps up. That’ll even give the two of you a bit of time to celebrate,” Fitmi said bluntly as she returned to her work, causing Akil’s face to go red. Knowing Lovu, she was right about how they’d spend that time, but her callous indifference never failed to hit a nerve.

  Akil quickly left to join Lovu for breakfast.

  *** *** ***

  As Fitmi predicted, the ceremony went off without a hitch. While Lovu was front and center on the central stage, Akil was standing off to the side, scanning all of the stairways up and the front few rows of the crowd, looking for anything out of the ordinary. He occasionally received reports from the Honors patrolling the crowd when something out of the ordinary happened. When he heard about a disturbance at the Merchants’ Guild, he was worried that would be the start of something big, but nothing came of it.

  In the end, nothing happened at all. As soon as Lovu finished receiving the High Advocate’s blessing, Akil ushered him off stage toward their carriage.

  During the ride back toward the Lords’ Residence, Akil paid particular attention to the streets around them. Even under normal circumstances, he remained on guard whenever they were out of the Residence no matter how much Lovu teased him, but he took it even further that day.

  He finally let out a breath of relief once they were safely inside its walls. Knowing that Lords were involved meant they also weren’t necessarily safe there, but he only needed to consider a fraction of the variables inside of its controlled environment. The only major threat at that point was the Foyrilmang villa. It was on the direct path between the southern gate and the Yelma villa, so it was impossible to avoid without taking a big detour. He hoped their convoy was still in transit, but as they disembarked the carriage, an Honors manning the gate – one of Fitmi’s contacts – caught his attention.

  “Lord Foyrilmang arrived about 20 minutes ago. She is currently overseeing their luggage being unloaded. We have Honors monitoring the situation,” she whispered in his ear. Akil gave a quiet nod and continued on his way.

  “Good afternoon Lord Foyrilmang!” Lovu called out as soon as she came into sight. “It’s good to see that your travels have once again delivered you safely into Fam’e’s embrace.”

  While Lovu was obliviously greeting her, Akil was assessing her forces. Standing around the carriages were about two dozen Honors, a bit more than typical for Council sessions, but not an immediate red flag.

  Instead, Akil focused on her attendants. Knowing that they were smuggling people into the capital under false pretenses made them particularly suspect and his trained eyes picked up on the signs immediately.

  Attendants were usually lower nobles, not commoners. While every single person unloading luggage wore typical noble clothing, they were far brusquer in face and manner than any attendant he had ever seen. Just as he was scanning them, they were all watching him. They moved lightly on their feet, as though they were ready to drop what they were carrying and strike at any moment.

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  Between the Honors and “attendants”, he counted nearly 50 able-bodied fighters. All they needed were weapons and she’d have a large platoon at her disposal.

  “Thank you so much for your concern, my prince,” Lord Foyrilmang said, bowing to Lovu. “There were some close calls, but none so great as to delay me.”

  “Oh goodness, I am sorry to hear you had trouble. May I ask what happened?”

  “Nothing for you to concern yourself with, my prince,” she said, probing Akil with her eyes. “As you may know, my lands are notorious for roaming vit. We were lucky enough to not suffer any major losses aside from time.”

  The Foyrilmang family had been complaining about the quality of their fiefdom since before Voice Engteng took the throne. Her father had even petitioned the former Voice multiple times to yield some of a neighboring fiefdom to them.

  Lord Fingtu – the neighbor – had a much smaller territory than Foyrilmang, but it held a handful of highly productive gem mines. Despite controlling a tenth of the territory, Fingtu was dozens of times wealthier. The most recent request for the land came when Lord Fingtu broke off an engagement between his son and Tama. The former Lord Foyrilmang raised hell to be compensated for the dishonor, but before his request reached the Lord’s Council, a plague swept through their swampy territory, taking many with it, including their Lord.

  At least try to hide your disdain, Akil thought as he caught the daggers in her eyes.

  “If only I had such an esteemed Honor in my service, the trip would be trivial,” she said, digging into him with her stare. “The Advocate’s… Guard is a name spoken in reverence all across Hangkiti.”

  Her pause was brief enough to easily be mistaken as a natural pause in her cadence, but Akil knew better. He had earned many nicknames in Lovu’s service, but one stood tall above all others – The Advocate’s Guillotine.

  In his work with Fitmi, he was nothing if not thorough and enemies to the Voice’s family were more common than he cared for. Still, as his Honor training demanded, he avoided conflict when necessary and showed grace even while dispensing death, so he had developed an affinity for ending fights in one strike to avoid prolonged suffering. The neck happened to be a common gap in armor, and he had spent thousands of hours training to find that opening no matter the situation.

  He didn’t like the name. It was gratuitous and indulgent, but his biggest concern had always been protecting Lovu.

  The Lords and their houses were cold, calculating, and cruel. They’d speak publicly about following Fam’e’s path and working together to ensure Hangkiti’s prosperity… then turn around and put a knife in your back, all to give a lovely eulogy at your funeral. Some were more malicious than others, but not a single one would come to your aid unless there was something in it for them.

  Lovu was the only exception.

  He was the only person who Akil had ever met that truly embodied Fam’e’s teaching. Even the current High Advocate skimmed the top off of the church’s charities to pad his own pockets. The Voice had even used bribery to earn Lovu the appointment. Akil had no doubt that Lovu was the only candidate who deserved the title, but without his family’s generous donations to the High Advocate, he never would have gotten the recognition he deserved.

  It was his lover’s most admirable trait and his greatest weakness. Exposed to the truths of the world they lived in, Akil knew that Lovu wouldn’t survive. Even if he managed to live, the part of him that set him apart from the rest of the Lords would be broken in the process.

  Akil fought to preserve the peace that protected Lovu, but even that truth would be enough to break his heart, so he couldn’t go around being called his Guillotine. He made sure it was known that anyone who used the name in Lovu’s vicinity would be treated as a threat to that peace and eliminated. Still, it was impossible to stop people from chattering, so he sowed “The Advocate’s Guard” as a substitute.

  “Careful with that name,” Lovu laughed. “The Guard himself doesn’t care for it.”

  Akil put on the rehearsed grin that he had developed for dealing with the Lords and their kin.

  “In that case, I’m sorry to have caused offense,” Lord Foyrilmang said, feigning shame, but Akil saw right through her.

  “Do not worry about it,” he said, grinning firmly. “Perhaps while you are here, I can assess your guards and offer advice. There is always room for improvement, after all.”

  In other words, I don’t care how many people you have surrounding you. They still won’t be enough to stop me if you push your luck.

  “I appreciate the offer and I may well take you up on it,” Tama said, matching his smile. “My schedule is quite open between now and the Council session, so we will be ready to welcome you whenever you have the time.”

  There was a threat in her words, accepting his challenge.

  “At the very least I am glad to see you safe,” Lovu said, cutting through the silence. “Before you depart Lavote, you must let me know. I would love to provide a blessing in Fam’e’s name to ensure a smooth return.”

  As always, he took everyone at face value, trusting their better nature.

  “You honor me,” Tama said, finally breaking her staring contest with Akil. “Now, I must see to our attendants. I would prefer to get everything unpacked while we still have the sun.”

  The rest of their walk home was uneventful. As soon as they arrived, Lovu went to speak with his attendants about dinner and Akil pulled aside Sir Itkilmo Lao, the current head of security for the villa.

  He was still green, but performed well during training and the Lao family were very close allies of Voice Engteng. The Lao fiefdom was known for their vineyards, so Lord Lao offered a substantial donation of their finest vintages in exchange for his children to be integrated into the Voice’s retinue. Itkilmo was Lord Lao’s youngest son, so it fit well for him to serve Lovu, but he also had older siblings attending to Ete and Fitmi.

  Akil was skeptical of whether he was fit for the role because of his inexperience but was used to compensating for the Voice’s political machinations. At the very least, Itkilmo was able to do the job and had the potential to grow into a fine Honor with time, so Akil didn’t mind investing in his future, even if he still had to take the reins when it mattered.

  “Dispatch scouts to monitor the new arrivals in the Residence,” Akil whispered to Itkilmo, briefly explaining the situation and which Lords to be aware of. “If any of them – especially Foyrilmang – so much as go for a walk, I want to be the first one to know. Got it?”

  “Aye, Sir,” Itklimo said, standing at attention.

  “And send a messenger to Lady Fitmi. Tell her to prepare to host Lovu in a few hours. Foyrilmang’s arrival means leaving him alone in the villa will be too risky.”

  “Aye, Sir.”

  “Good. May Yol guide you,” Akil said, dismissing the Honor and returning to Lovu’s side.

  As soon as the staff cleared the room, Lovu grabbed Akil by the collar of his breastplate. “Now… I was promised a prize,” he said, a sultry grin creeping across his face. Akil could feel him pulling, but there was no real force behind it. Still, he let his feet give way and followed his lead.

  “I am at your mercy.”

  *** *** ***

  A knock at their door pulled Akil away from Lovu. He expected it to come at any moment, but the sound still rang like a spike in his ear. Every fiber of his being wanted to stay cuddling with Lovu – and his lover climbing on top of him didn’t make it any easier – but when duty called he didn’t have the option of declining. After wrestling his way out of bed, he opened the door to find Itkilmo.

  “Lord Foyrilmang’s villa is empty,” he whispered to Akil. “They left behind two Honors to guard the front gate but otherwise took everybody – attendants included – and left for the Merchants’ Quarter. We have a scout tailing them and I have already informed Lady Fitmi.”

  “Good work,” Akil said, dismissing the Honor and returning to the room to dress and prepare to leave.

  “But I thought we were going to have dinner together,” Lovu said, the disappointment clear on his face.

  “I will hurry back, but something came up and I need to handle it as soon as possible. It shouldn’t take long,” he said, looking out the window at the sun. Ideally, he’d be able to quickly classify the meeting as benign for the time being. Worst case scenario, if their threat required immediate intervention, he’d strike quickly, play his part in the battle, then leave the rest of Fitmi’s Honors to handle cleanup. Either way, it would be resolved quickly. “I should be back a little bit after sunset, so it will be a late dinner, but a dinner nonetheless.”

  “Promise?”

  “I promise to do everything within my power to return as quickly as possible,” he said, bending down to kiss Lovu on the forehead. “Are you happy?”

  “No, but I will be in time,” Lovu said, slumping back into the bed. “Now I just have to figure out what to do to fill the time until you return.”

  Akil’s job often required him to lie, but it never got any easier. That’s why he always tried to ensure his deceptions at least left Lovu with a smile. Luckily, he had already set the groundwork. “How about you go and report what happened at the ceremony to your family? I already had Itkilmo check, and your sister is going to be meeting with your father shortly. You’re welcome to join if you want.”

  Lovu’s pout snapped to a smile and Akil knew he had made the right move. “Really! I was planning to send a letter tomorrow, but it’ll be even better to handle it in person. I’m sure there is a lot to do before my appointment, so I’d love to get a jump start on it.”

  “In that case, I’ll escort you to the Palace.”

  “Don’t worry about it. If something urgent enough to keep you away from me has come up, I’d rather you address it as soon as possible.”

  “The palace is on my way,” Akil lied. The palace was a short walk north, but the merchant’s quarter was outside the southern gate. “Or are you telling me you don’t want me to escort you?”

  “Oh, well if you must,” Lovu said, joy overflowing on his face.

  From there, they walked arm in arm to the Voice’s Palace. Only once Akil saw Lovu safely in his family’s care did he set his eyes south.

  At the southern gate, he was flagged down and escorted into a meeting room built into the wall. The Honors Fitmi set aside for the mission were all there. They had fifty in total, all armed and armored. He had worked with them all in the past, so no introductions were needed. The scouts tracking the errant Lords were sending updates to the gate, so they had the most current information possible. Just like Foyrilmang, all seven Lords brought along larger entourages than expected and left the Residence with them in tow around the same time.

  To Akil’s surprise, they weren’t all headed to the same place. Lords Foyrilmang and Ngefwi were last seen en route to the outer city. The rest were headed for the merchant’s quarter.

  That meant the Honors had to split their forces as well. In the end, they sent 15 Honors to track down the two Lords in the outer city, while the rest headed for the Merchants’ Quarter with Akil as their commanding officer. With their plan set and course settled, the two groups donned cloaks to hide their armor and marched into the city.

  That moment marked the beginning of the longest and bloodiest night in Lavote’s history.