Chapter 405
"Slayer of the Gods"
The Forsaken Continent
The Time of the Pharaohs
Enzo Amore watched as the final grain of sand dropped through the glass funnel and into the bottom of the hourglass and sighed.
"Already know what time it is." He yawned aloud, standing up and plucking up a fresh bottle of wine. "Ta hell with this," He cursed, kicking over the empty bottles on the cold stone floor. "Out everyone at this fiesta, I'm stuck being a fuckin' handmaiden to these oafs." He complained to the stone walls of the room. "These fuckin' oafs, coming here with their boats and their weapons and we're expected to just give them everything just because. All because 'Mella wants the throne that badly." Enzo lifted the bottle of wine and stared at it, "One bottle after each hourglass to this one's room. I'm tired of fetching wine for these oafs. Look at where Cass is, look at where Ray is, so why am I the one stuck here while everyone else is upstairs having a little something?" He asked the walls.
The walls said nothing.
"'Mella and everyone should already that I'm the brains of this operation, right?" Enzo mumbled as he tucked the bottle under his armpit and pulled open the door and galloped up the staircase. "I'm the man of this land, why have me fetching wine and not up here?" He thought aloud as he squeezed his way through the welcome party for the promised lands rulers. Even after a few hours, it seemed like no one was running out of energy quite yet. Despite the rain, the enhanced atmosphere and wine balanced eachother like a libra scale.
"Ey," Enzo waved as he ascended the steps, "Cass!" He shouted to the tall bodyguard in the distance, Cass hurried off. "The fuck, Cass!" Shaking his head. "Man, well, he's off to do what he has to do." Enzo hurried past a small group of gloom that were perfuming the air around a trio of blondes. "How y'all doin?" He smiled.
They rolled their eyes and walked away.
"Oh, it's like that?" Enzo shook his head, "Ta hell with them anyway." Hurrying up the stairs, "I gotta job to do," massaging his jawline and hurrying up the stone steps. "Low quality wenches, I'ma roll up in here and I'ma improve relations in a whole different way." He decided. "Mella thinks she can negotiate deals on her own to get closer to the throne, huh. What woman needs to rule? A woman? Ruling? Fuck out of here with that. I'm gon be next." He decided as he cleared his throat and slowly knocked on the door of the Southern Pharaoh's private chamber. "Eh hem," he coughed as he waited.
(Hmm…) Enzo finally took a moment to think. "Where'd the guard go?" He wondered, glancing around. Each private chamber was guarded, both by a Medjai and also a personal guard of their land's choosing but both had vanished. "This don't look right?" He deduced.
Maybe the pharaoh had waved off his security. Or had something happened?
Enzo exhaled and knocked again.
There wasn't a sound.
"What do I do?" Enzo glanced around. On the other side of the room the fiesta was building, to its apex? Possibly. Had the pharaoh rejoined the fiesta?
(Should I go in?) Enzo wondered. He paused. "Hmmm," massaging his jawline and thinking, "I mean, he's had quite a few honeys visiting his room tonight. Maybe he's a bit worn out and they're still feeling a bit ready," Enzo surmised, "Yeah. I'll have with the pharaoh and I'll negotiate the deal." Enzo nodded.
He knocked one more time, took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
Enzo stood in the doorway, transfixed at the sight of Corin, the pharaoh of the southern empire doubled-over, eyes rolled back into his head and a pool of blood pouring out of his lips.
There were no words, just shock as the bottle of wine dropped and exploded into a pool of crimson and pebbles of glass across the stone floor.
Immediately, Enzo slammed the door and found Carmella. She arrived to the scene alone as to not draw too much attention or suspicion.
"What happened?" She asked with an intensity and seriousness Enzo had never seen before.
"I dunno." Enzo honestly shrugged. "I did what you told me. Bring him wine after each hourglass. I came in and this is how he was and-"
Enzo shuddered as he felt a hard sting on his cheek. Carmella had just slapped him.
"You poisoned him?" Carmella snapped.
"I didn't do nothing." Enzo massaged his cheek. "I just did what you told me and-"
"Fuck!" Carmella shouted with the cushion of music shielding their conversation. "Do you know what you've done?"
"Hey, hey," Enzo shrugged, "Easy, I didn't do nothing. I just opened the door."
Carmella exhaled, "Let me think…"
It was clear they had few options. They could be honest and tell the other pharaohs that one of their own had been murdered, likely poisoned. Enzo would have to take the fall for it. He had been in charge of the pharaoh's wine. So whether he was innocent or not, he'd have to take the fall. Or, they could frame the situation to fracture any negotiations between The Promised Lands and a nearby enemy of their own territory. Either way, unless they were able to produce an assassin, there was no way any negotiation could be made. With the North? Possibly. With the East? It would be out of the question. More importantly, the Central Empire would walk away from all trade talks. Italy could not be even remotely connected Corin's death.
Carmella turned to Enzo, "Who was the last one in this room with him?"
Enzo shrugged, "I mean, how would I know? I was just bringing the wine."
Carmella stared at Enzo, "I want you take a deep breath and think. Think hard, Enzo," crossing her arms, "if you're the only person who last saw the pharaoh, what would that mean?"
"Well, that would mean that-" Then, Enzo understood, "Ohhhh, I got it. You know what, I think I can do some looking and find out who was with him last." He nodded.
Carmella nodded, "Do it."
Enzo hurried away. "Damnit." Searching his mind to try to remember the face of the guards that were posted outside of Corin's door. The only people who could identify the assassin would be those two, if they were still alive.
The immediate course-of-action was to seek out the two guards that flanked the door guarding Corin. That task was completed abruptly when both men were found in the back alley behind the architecture, with their throats cut.
(Fuck.) Enzo rolled his eyes.
No matter what case they pleaded, they were the guilty party. Now, not only had the heir to the southern empire been assassinated but now his most trusted Medjai, a royal guard, had been lured into an alley and brutally murdered.
(How are we going to explain our way out of this?) Enzo scratched his bearded chin.
Carmella glared at Enzo. And in that instant, they both knew how it would pan out.
All signs pointed to Enzo as the assassin. He was the only known person that had access to the room. As Enzo was tasked with refilling Corin's wine each hour. The way everything was set-up, The Promised Land would be able to read the situation with their eyes closed.
Somewhere out there, someone did not want The Promised Land making any trade deals with Italy. But who?
Italy had more than its fair share of enemies throughout the 'Forsaken Continent'. It could be any neighboring nation that had a bloody history with them.
Carmella stared at the deceased Medjai. If it weren't Portugal, France or even possibly the King Of King's sending his own personal assassins then there was only one person that had access to assassins this skilled to slip into a crowded ceremony, assassinate a Medjai and pharaoh and slip out undetected. (The East? But why?) She thought.
All the same, regardless of who the assassin actually was, all signs pointed to Enzo. They would demand his head. His head and his immediate family, possibly even more but there would be blood unless they found a way of clearing his name.
"Carmella," Enzo finally spoke, "I want you to know, I want everyone to know, I didn't do this, okay."
Carmella nodded, "Then who did?"
Enzo shrugged, "How would I know? I was downstairs with the wine and-"
Carmella crossed her arms, measuring her distant cousin's reactions. "Enzo, what happened may not be your fault but it is your problem."
Enzo exhaled. "How am I supposed to find who did this though?" Gesturing to the guards. "Whoever it is, they're crazy and strong enough to kill two royal guards."
Carmella exhaled, "You'll think of something. Otherwise," She stared at him, "Well, you already know what happens if you don't. No one's going to risk blowing this deal because of one man. One man, or everyone in our land? What's more important?"
Before Enzo could respond, Carmella stated flatly, "Figure it out, Enzo." Before turning on heel and striding back into The Fiesta.
The inside of the fiesta had become a frenzied madhouse. The gloom-perfumed atmosphere in synchronization with the alcohol and ganja had crafted and molded the environment to a devil may cry setting.
Enzo, sweating like a hooker in church, pushed and slipped his way through the guests, his eyes scanning for something, anything suspicious that may clear his name.
Carmella, on the other hand, had a more important form of business to attend to. Was the assassination of one of their own on either of their radars at the present moment?
Carmella's go-to move was to find the only pharaoh that would actually listen to reason.
Mohammed? He'd probably declare war on the Forsaken. Mohammed was such a hot head and warmonger that he could find and pick anything to fight over. The eastern empire and their armies laying siege to the Forsaken continent would be a fruitless campaign but for Mohammed it would not merely be about land and resources. For Mohammed, it would be personal and the opportunity to settle an old score with the King of King's.
Imhotep? The newly independent nation had too much to prove. If he was informed of Corin's assassination, he may seize the opportunity to prove himself by leading a campaign through Italy.
Larrell? The most reasonable of the pharaohs but perhaps even he would react in a hostile way to one of their own being murdered.
(The North is the best option.) Carmella decided as she hurried through the fiesta in search of Larrell. The Oddish and gloom stoically lined the walls, permeating the air as she strode by.
(Where is he?) She wondered as she slipped past an already tipsy guest. As soon as she passed the tipsy guest, she stood within arm's reach of Cass.
Almost immediately, the air around the two became heavy. They both stood for a moment and stared transfixed at one another.
"Hey," Cass grunted.
Carmella took a deep breath, collected herself and replied, "Hey," she then immediately shifted the conversation towards her objective, "Have you seen Larrell?"
"Earlier," Cass responded. He then surveyed the room, "Larrell? I'm not sure where he is. Honestly, I haven't seen any of the honored guests in a while."
(Did the assassin get them too?) Carmella wondered. "Cass, can you check each of the honored guest rooms? Let me know if you see anything weird."
Cass nodded before hurrying through the fiesta and up the stairs.
(If Sasha hired the assassin, there's no way she'd target Mohammed. She might target Larrell or even Imhotep for trying to break away from the East.) Carmella surmised. (There's a chance Sasha hired the assassin.) Carmella had heard the stories of how ruthless the Eastern Goddess could be when threatened and right now based on what she'd heard the biggest threat to her rule was the blooming infatuation that Mohammed had towards Eva.
(Why kill Corin though?) Carmella mused as her mind did calisthenics on the topic. Eliminating Corin made no sense in any way to Carmella. The Southern Empire had always been cordial and resourceful to all the others as it was the fuel and source for the Eastern War Machine and a steady supply of food and nourishment for the arid North. It made no sense for any of the kingdoms to target Corin.
(Then who did it?) Carmella wondered.