The following day, Alarant went to the Cathedral of the Second Dawn and asked for his daughter's orb to be given into his custody. The bishops advised him against it, saying that her recovery would be slowed if not halted entirely, but he had been prepared for such warnings, though he gladly allowed one of the bishops to check in on their estate and to check Anna's progress periodically. He rode home with the orb in his arms, swaddled in his cloak, hoping for the day when he would see his daughter again.
Once Anna was safely placed on a plinth in her old bedroom and the door locked, Alarant opened the letter that had been put through the estate's letterbox. Letters were rare in the New Empire, so it amused Alarant to find it was from his own wife. Lisabelle had written invitations to a new gathering of the Second Assembly, as Lady de Kelsira had coined it. When he finished the letter, Alarant kept it on his person and left the estate, heading for the Beloch Palisade for the first time in nearly a week. Gardt's disappearance and trial had taken his focus completely, and so the people of the Palisade had not featured in his thoughts for all that time.
The guards admitted him readily on his arrival but the district within had undergone a marked change in the 5 days or so since his last visit. While the sounds of livestock were still there, he saw few people in the streets. Every once in a while, kids would burst out of a door or alleyway, only to be caught and pushed or pulled back inside by adults that gave Alarant anxious looks. The townsfolk of Ariana's Bend nodded to him when they saw him and instead directed their anxiety at the alleyways and roofs of the district.
Having asked for directions, Alarant found Chief Latega sitting on the same stone bench he had seen her last. She smiled as she always did, but Alarant could not help but feel that it was forced, a mask to help her people.
"Chief Latega, daughter of Innes." Alarant said and bowed.
"Lord de Lereyne," Latega replied with a chuckle, "Sit, sit. You are a lord of this city, no need to bow to this old woman."
Alarant complied, though even sitting down he towered over the old woman.
"Though let it not be said that I do not appreciate the gesture." Latega added. Even as she spoke, her eyes glanced around the park, at bushes and alleyways and roofs of adjacent buildings.
"How are things in the district?" Alarant asked out of politeness.
Latega looked sideways at him for a long moment before replying. "My people are scared, Lord de Lereyne, scared and angry. There have been disappearances, and not a few of them. To my knowledge, they only occur at night, though it is surely only a question of time before they are brazen enough to simply do it when and where they wish. Fathers, mothers, the elders and even children. Kelbrook and Eldvelle had experienced much the same."
A figure approached the bench. "There is no pattern that we have been able to discern."
Alarant turned to regard Lyriana, the militia captain of Ariana's Bend. Today she was dressed practically and with a selection of carpentry tools in her belt.
"Ah, Lyriana. How goes it?" Latega asked and moved on the bench to create a space between her and Alarant.
Lyriana nodded at her chief then turned to Alarant. "I heard that we had a distinquished visitor so I hurried over." She made no move towards the vacated space.
"What were you working on?" Alarant asked and motioned towards the tools on her belt.
"That's not important right now. Alarant, these disappearances are getting worse. We've lost as many people staying here as we would have had to necrophage attacks back home."
"I am deeply sorry. If only I had never brought your people here." Alarant said and bowed in his seat.
"It is as you said at the time; if you had refused, then this Marquis of yours would simply have sent someone else, someone much less polite." Lyriana said.
"But Alarant," Lyriana lowered her voice, "We cannot stay here. Even if Chief Latega and I wished to stay, several families have threatened to leave on their own."
Alarant nodded. "That is why I came here today. We need to get your people out of here, and not just to disrupt the Marquis' plans. Innocents are being used to further his ambitions, and I refuse to stand idly by any longer."
Lyriana stared at him for a moment. "Maybe one day I will learn to read you, Alarant, but till then I will have to choose to trust in your honesty."
"I hope to Auriga that we'll have that time." Alarant said.
"We will accept any help we can get, but we are leaving regardless." Latega said. The old woman rested her hands on her cane.
Lyriana scanned the park for a moment then sat down on the bench. "Do you think your Marquis will allow us to leave?"
Alarant thought on it for a moment. "Either Martin de Suluzzo will fabricate some reason to force your stay, or he will allow you to leave then apprehend your people shortly after you leave. No, you will not be allowed to leave."
Lyriana nodded as Alarant talked. "I had hoped differently, but in truth I am not surprised. The man is willing to send Ashers after the same people he ostensibly gave shelter."
"Ashers?" Alarant asked. He had not heard the term before.
"A criminal syndicate specialised in theft, kidnapping, killing and other sordid deeds," Chief Latega explained, "They are called Ashers because their skin is the colour of dark ash. Whether they always look like that or they use some mixture to conceal themselves, who can say."
"The madfolk even use Dust in their tattoos." The chief added with a chuckle.
Dark skin, Dust-gold tattoos. That must be the same tribe as Jarno, the man the Marquis used to demonstrate Gardt's supposed treason.
"The Ashers are here in the district, or they enter it at night. Enough of our people have seen them by now that there can be no doubt." Lyriana said.
"They have been seen outside of the district as well, though I would imagine the populace believes they reside in the citadel or have left the city entirely." Alarant said, keeping his tone under control.
"I understand there have been disappearances in the city as well." Lyriana said.
"There have, as you heard at the last gathering, but in truth I have been focused on more personal matters lately. I realise that sounds selfish given the circumstances."
Alarant composed himself for a moment before continuing. "The Marquis must have gotten wind of our gatherings, or simply decided I needed to be taken down a peg, for he had my lieutenant, Gardt Sireyl, publicly tried and executed just two days ago."
Chief Latega's expression hardened. Lyriana turned to Alarant. "How did it happen?"
"The Marquis levelled accusations at him using fabricated evidence, some of which we believe were a perverted form of punishment for the gatherings some of us have been doing. They were supposed to be secret, but the Marquis must have learned of them somehow." Alarant said.
Alarant looked to Latega and Lyriana. "There was an Asher present at the trial as well. The Marquis accused Gardt of hiring a band of them to assassinate the Marquis, and that they were discovered in his chambers."
"It is their line of work," Lyriana said, but then added, "But if they were truly hired to kill your Marquis, I doubt they would have been discovered. It isn't considered their stock and trade as a joke."
"Gardt would never stoop to such methods, nor would he attempt to have someone killed in the night. He was a true knight." Alarant said. The grief from the night before threatened to overwhelm him, but he kept his composure.
"Indeed, I find it difficult to believe that Sir Sireyl would do such a thing." Chief Latega said.
A few children had gathered in the park to play. they must have been given permission because of Lyriana, Latega and Alarant's presence, for they played close by the bench and never ventured far.
"Is Gardt dead, then? I don't know how death works for your people." Lyriana said.
"When our bodies are too damaged, our essence leaves our forms and becomes adrift. From that state, our Dust Bishops can return it to stasis, just as you saw in the cathedral." Alarant explained.
"So he is in stasis then? Like your daughter?" Lyriana asked.
Alarant lowered his voice, not wanting the children to overhear him. "I wish I could say so, for then I would at least see him again. No, the following morning I found a shattered orb left on my doorstep. Gardt's name was written on the glass. We had a Bishop examine it, and he confirmed that Gardt's essence had been in the orb, but now there was no trace of him. Whatever the Marquis did, it would seem that Gardt is truly dead."
"I am sorry to hear that, Lord de Lereyne. Sir Sireyl was a good man, he did not deserve such treatment." Chief Latega said.
"What about Anna?" Lyriana said, always thinking ahead to the next potential issue.
"I went to the Cathedral of the Second Dawn this very morning and brought her home. Stasis and the work of the Bishops is incredibly important to us, for it is the only way we can regain our people. Someone who is truly dead cannot be returned, and we cannot make truly new people now. Stasis is sacrosanct, and the fact that the Marquis would interfere with it so blatantly makes him more dangerous than I feared." Alarant said.
"That makes our need to leave more urgent." Lyriana said and leaned back on the bench.
"Could you not go public with this information about Sir Sireyl's true death? If Stasis is as sacrosanct as you say, would the Marquis not lose popular support?" Latega said.
Alarant thought back to the entire plaza cheering at Gardt's trial. "The Marquis has the support of the populace already, which he demonstrated at the trial. His evidence and the theories he presented only worked because the crowd accepted every word he spoke. If I went public with Gardt's death, I imagine the Marquis would spin it back at me in no time."
Alarant caught a pig-bladder-ball as it sailed towards him and threw it back to the playing children, then turned back to Lyriana and Latega. "No, I believe the time for talking and debate has passed. Whatever the Marquis' plan is, it is proceeding apace, and before long we won't be able to stop it, even with the Emperor's help."
"What do you propose we do?" Lyriana said and looked up at him.
"Do as you said you would. Leave the city. Return to your town." Alarant said.
Lyriana's expression grew doubtful. "That would be the first place your Marquis's men would come looking, we would be found in no time. Besides, how are we to escape the city? I doubt that the guards would allow the entire district to leave at the same time."
Alarant collected his thoughts before speaking. Once this plan was in motion, it would be too late to regret or turn back. He leaned towards Latega and Lyriana and lowered his voice. "They won't think to stop me or my knights, or who they think to be my knights."
Lyriana glanced at him through narrowed eyes. "What are you proposing, Alarant?"
Alarant looked around the park at the alleyways and roofs, hoping that the Marquis's spies were listening but not looking as intently. "I will send my men into the district through the north gate, under the pretense of clearing more houses in the district. They will bring armour and cloaks. There'll be so many 'knights' passing through the district gates that the guards will be confused and bewildered, and through that we smuggle your people out in twos and threes, then we stash them in empty dwellings close to my regiment's barracks. Once everyone is out, we leave through the eastern city gates, with your people still in disguise. Then we make haste for Ariana's Bend."
Lyriana might have spoken up then, for truly this plan was awful and would put them all in great danger, but Alarant had passed her a folded piece of paper as he was talking. The hope was that the Ashers, who must surely be spying on him, had focused on Alarant's words rather than his motions. The militia chief laid a hand on Chief Latega's as the older woman made to speak.
"Very well, Lord de Lereyne. We will have our people ready. It will take us four days." Lyriana said and bowed her head. The note vanished into her toolbelt.
Alarant rose from the bench and paid his respects before leaving. He passed by the regimental barracks after leaving the district and handed a similar note to Bomenn. He did not trust in the walls of the barracks to shield them from the Ashers, and so he put on as much secrecy as he had in the district. His acting lieutenant seemed confused, but he knew his lord well enough to trust him.
The following evening, Alarant and Lisabelle de Lereyne set out together for the third, and perhaps final, gathering of the Second Assembly. Alarant duly followed his wife as she turned her mount towards the city's northern districts.
"Where is the gathering taking place?" Alarant asked, for the note he had been given had detailed no meeting place, simply a time.
"On neutral ground." Lisabelle replied mysteriously, and when he tried to press her on it, she simply replied "You'll see."
They rode first to the House Kelsira estate. There they met Ristel de Kelsira, who awaited them in the entrance hall of her family estate.
"Good evening and good tidings, Lord and Lady de Lereyne." Ristel said as her servants admitted them into the entrance hall.
"You two are the first to arrive, we are still awaiting the others." Ristel said and turned about, presumably to head towards the study they had used at the last gathering.
"I would imagine the others will say much the same." Lisabelle whispered to Alarant who was growing more confused, then Lisabelle turned towards Ristel de Kelsira.
"Lady de Kelsira," Lisabelle said aloud, then waited for the lady of the house to turn about, "I must inform you that I have intentionally deceived you."
Ristel de Kelsira looked between Lisabelle and Alarant. Alarant could give her no explanation, for he was in the dark on this matter, just as she was.
"If you could elaborate." Lady de Kelsira said, her tone somewhere between worry and confusion.
"The gathering is not meant to take place here, and never was. I have another location in mind, and if it will ease your worries, every other Assembly member has likewise been deceived as to our actual location. We will have to go to every location and fetch them before we can truly begin." Lisabelle replied.
"If you say so, Lady de Lereyne." Ristel said after a moment, trust winning out over her mixed emotions. The lady of the house called one of her servants and asked for her mount to be readied.
"Lisabelle, my dear," Alarant said, "Why so much deception?"
Lisabelle waited a moment for Ristel's servant to vanish down one of the servant corridors before replying. "I know you suspect as well as I do that Gardt was punished because he was a member of our Assembly and was the easiest member to punish, being the lowest rank and without holdings of his own. So they must have learned of our gatherings somehow, and learned who was present."
Alarant nodded and motioned for her to continue. "So either they are spying on us, or they have a spy in our group. Hopefully, by night's end, that will all be clear."
As the trio of Lisabelle, Alarant and Ristel de Kelsira left the Kelsira family estate, Lisabelle pointed out a stalwart patrolling the street close by the estate. "He reports to me, as do three other sentries posted close by your estate, Lady de Kelsira. I apologise for the intrusion, for I do not truly suspect you, but I had to keep a watch on everyone equally."
Ristel de Kelsira pointedly ignored the patrolling stalwart and looked at the path ahead of them. "I understand, Lady de Lereyne."
"In the future, I shall have to instruct my guards so that I am not so easily spied upon." Ristel added.
That made Lisabelle chuckle.
Evidently Lisabelle had arranged that the fake gathering locations were close to the Kelsira family estate, for they picked up the other members of the Assembly in short order. The first they picked up after Ristel de Kelsira was Alarant's father, Ducerain. Before they left the study-hall he had been led to, they donned black cloaks that covered them from head to toe, obscuring their identity. Following Ducerain, they picked up Gladin Palisar, Sarell Kelkstein and then Raleigh de Brumlen, completing their merry band. Of the members, Ducerain and de Brumlen required the most persuasion and explanation of Lisabelle's ruse, though Ducerain took it the best.
"So, Lisabelle, where is the actual gathering place?" Gladin asked, or at least Alarant thought it was Gladin. The main difference between two beings like them was the design of their armour and their mask. The cloaks disguised both of these factors from casual observation, and so he only had voices to go on.
"I would say 'you will see' but that is becoming a tired phrase." Lisabelle said and turned in her saddle. The sun had set and the sky was darkening. The city's skyline was dominated by the citadel, as well as various keeps and spires. The nodes of light on the structures left the dusk-time city with a blue glow that made the stone look cold. Dark clouds on the horizon promised snow, and Alarant knew from his visit to the Beloch Palisade that it was growing colder. The winter heralded by the snows on the plains was close.
Lisabelle indicated one of the spires. It stood apart from the others, both by distance and by design. It was not as tall, and built sturdier. A casual gance could not tell whether it was meant for scholars or for soldiers. It also carried none of the cold, blue lights. "Usine's Spire. It has yet to be reclaimed following the city's resurgence, but I have started the process under the pretense of research into the winters. Work is currently halted to consult with scholars."
Two stalwarts stood at the entrance to the spire and they let the gathering in once Lisabelle had handed them a certain note, then retreated inside and locked the doors behind the group. Two flights up from the ground they found a room with black curtains over the windows and oil-lanterns in the centre of a round table.
"Here we are," Lisabelle said and took off her cloak, "No more surprising turns or underground passages. You can take your cloaks off."
While everyone found seating, Lisabelle remained standing. "I feel I should apologise again for my deception. Both Alarant and I have suspicions that the Marquis is acquiring information on our gatherings somehow, and I wished to counteract that."
"I have to say, Lisabelle, it took me completely by surprise." Gladin Palisar said. "I even had servants sent ahead to secure the location you told me."
Raleigh de Brumlen glanced at the guards and the blackout-curtains. "If the Marquis really has been spying on our meetings, why has he not simply attacked all of us? What makes this spire more secure than, say, Lady de Kelsira's estate?"
"I have stationed guards both throughout the spire as well as in nearby streets and alleyways, Lord de Brumlen. The Marquis would be hard pressed to bring any scouts close enough to even touch the spire, let alone listen in on our conversation, even his new friends." Lisabelle said, then indicated to Alarant.
"The Marquis does not only employ our own people in his spying efforts." Alarant said.
"What do you mean?" Raleigh said.
Alarant glanced at Lisabelle, then continued when his wife nodded. "I believe that the grey-skinned man that the Marquis produced for the trial, this Jarno, is in the Marquis's employ, along with a band of like fellows."
"The people of the Beloch Palisade call them Ashers. Ash-grey skin, Dust-gold tattoos. They are mercenaries of the shadows, working for anyone who can afford their services and the moral quandary, neither of which presents a problem for the Marquis. It also appears that the Ashers are responsible for the kidnappings from the Palisade and have been seen by the people that live there." Alarant said and leaned back.
Lisabelle put her hand on Alarant's. "As for Gardt, he had the misfortune of being the member of our gathering with the least standing and influence. He was the easiest to target for he had no land, no holdings of his own. Even his exploits under Alarant's banner has not given him the social standing to even begin to stand up to the Marquis's ruthlessness, whereas any of us would have been harder to persecute publicly like Gardt was. The Marquis only succeeded through public support."
"As for Gardt, there is one thing that you should all know." Alarant said and steeled himself. "Gardt Sireyl was not put in stasis, he was killed."
Raleigh de Brumlen, Ristel de Kelsira and Gladin Palisar all gasped. Ducerain de Lereyne leaned forward in silence, clasped hands covering his mask. Lisabelle, knowing the news ahead of time, cast her eyes downwards. Sarell Kelkstein sat in silence.
"What do you mean? What is the meaning of this?" Raleigh de Brumlen demanded.
Alarant had considered bringing the shattered glass orb, but it was a cumbersome object to transport. "Two days ago, we discovered a shattered glass orb at the front door of our estate. Gardt's name was written on its surface, and we had a Bishop examine it. It had contained Gardt's essence before it was shattered and now there is nothing left but the faintest trail. Whatever the Marquis did or allowed to be done, Gardt's essence was ripped from its stasis and destroyed."
"He is dead." Alarant repeated.
"My condolences, Alarant. He was a good man, and I know you valued his company." His father said after a moment of silence. The other Assembly members gave their assurances of sympathy and support as well.
"That the Marquis would interfere with stasis. Does his ambition know no restraint?" Both revulsion and fear was evident in Ristel de Kelsira's voice.
"We have considered going public with the news, but the Marquis must have considered the possibility and planned ahead. So until this situation is resolved, we can only grieve and keep it between those assembled here." Lisabelle said.
"So how do we resolve it?" Ducerain said.
Gladin Palisar sighed. "If we had an answer to that, would we be sitting here?"
After a moment, Ristel de Kelsira took out an envelope and put it on the table. It bore the seal of her house, and everyone assembled knew what the letter said, for they had all had a hand in writing it.
"Emperor Jessari can resolve it, if we can bring the Marquis's deeds to light. Surely if three noble houses swear on the truth of this letter, he must believe it. It is true that we do not yet know the full extent of the Marquis's plans and actions, but something is clearly wrong and Emperor Jessari would not wish for the situation to continue." Ristel de Kelsira cracked the wax seal and opened the envelope.
Ristel looked to Lisabelle. "Do you have paper and ink? We should pen a second letter concerning the situation with Gardt and include it."
Lisabelle nodded and rose to speak with one of the guards.
"We should also write about the disappearances. They have been increasing in severity, especially in the Palisade. Some of their leaders have told me they expect disappearances to happen in the daytime any day now." Alarant said. He hoped dearly that Lady de Kelsira was correct in her belief that the Emperor would listen to them; without assistance from the capital, Calimdar and the surrounding region would fall completely under the Marquis's control, if it was not already too late.
Ristel nodded at Alarant and began writing the second letter, occasionally conferring with other assembly-members as to wording or facts.
"Writing the letter is only half the battle," Gladin Palisar said, "You have to get it to its intended recipient as well, otherwise it's just wishful thinking put to paper."
"You'd know all about that, Gladin." Lisabelle said, and both had a laugh.
"We could send it with a trusted servant or retainer." Ducerain suggested, then turned to respond to one of Ristel's inquiries.
"After what happened with Gardt, I am loath to send any of my people on errands like this. If the Marquis caught even the slightest wind of what was happening, he would not hesitate to carry out another of his 'trials'." Alarant replied.
"I do not believe it would be safe for neither Alarant nor me to carry this message. We must be under watch after Gardt's trial, and we have Anna's safety to consider as well." Lisabelle said.
Alarant took his wife's hand and turned to speak to the assembly. "Understand that I am not saying that I would refuse to carry it if it is the best course, just that I hope to keep any more of our people from dying due to the Marquis' schemes, and our families would undoubtedly be targetted if we were to leave Calimdar."
The Assembly was quiet for a moment as everyone considered the risks involved. A guard entered the room and crossed to Lisabelle's side where he whispered something, to which Lisabelle nodded and then dismissed him. Whatever the message had been, she was keeping her own counsel for the moment.
Raleigh de Brumlen stood up from his chair and regarded the Assembly. "I could do it. I have business in Vallaris that I have been putting off, business that the Marquis is well aware of. One more document to bring along would make no difference."
"As for the risks," de Brumlen continued, "I need not remind everyone here of the state of my house. As for friends, the vast majority are assembled here in this room, or remain back in the capital. They are not within easy reach of the Marquis's paws."
"Your proposition has merit." Ducerain said after a moment, "There are still risks involved but they would be significantly lessened compared to anyone else, and I should imagine you still have some sway in Vallaris's court. I would approve of this, if you are willing to go through with it." The other Assembly members echoed their approval, though Allarant noticed that Lisabelle alone kept silent. Her posture carried some tension, but she was masking it well. He chuckled; Lisabelle and himself, playing spymasters, passing out secret notes and laying plans within plans.
"It would be no problem. I can ride in three day's time." Raleigh de Brumlen said and sat back down, taking some notes on the paper provided. To Alarant, it looked like a list of tasks to finalise before leaving for Vallaris, and should seem innocuous enough if found.
"Perhaps I can help distract the Marquis from thinking on the matter." Alarant said and leaned forward in his seat. He waited a moment to get the attention of the Assembly members, then continued.
"The townsfolk living in the Beloch Palisade have been suffering under the kidnappings, and have reached their limit. They wish to leave the city, come what may, and I intend to help them."
"The Marquis would force them to stay with military force if they tried. I do not wish to be unsympathetic, but they are stuck in the city until we can depose the Marquis." Gladin Palisar said.
Alarant shook his head. "They were forced into this situation, and I helped the Marquis to do it. It is true that some crony would have done it if I had refused, but my involvement stands, and I refuse to stand idly by while they suffer. Our oaths might remain in the old world with the Old Empire, but I intend to uphold it all the same."
"If you take action on the part of the people of the Palisade, Lisabelle and Ducerain would be targeted without a doubt, not to mention Anna." Raleigh de Brumlen said.
"I am well aware of the risks, more so than anyone else," Alarant said and squeezed Lisabelle's hand, "But I cannot ignore my oath. The townsfolk are innocents dragged into our brewing civil war, and I cannot leave them to suffer for the Marquis's goals."
"You think it will come to war?" Gladin Palisar asked.
Alarant glanced at her. "If the influx of new soldiers truly is by the Marquis's design, he must have a use in mind. He would not sit idly by if Emperor Jessari comes to relieve him of the throne to the city. Yes, I think there will be war." There were several murmurs of agreement around the table.
Ducerain looked up from reviewing Lady de Kelsira's latest draft and looked to Alarant. "So do you intend to simply walk the townsfolk out the front gates? Spit in the Marquis's face and just walk out?"
Alarant looked to his father, reading more worry than anger in his tone. "As much as I would love to, it would end in tragedy. I have a plan, though it would only buy the townsfolk a few hours. Once they are out of the city, they will have to split up and hide in the countryside until the danger has passed."
"And what is this plan?" Ducerain asked, then looked to Lady de Kelsira and nodded. Ristel put the new letter in with the previous and closed the envelope again, sealing it with a stick of wax from the supplies on the table.
Alarant started to reply, but he was interrupted.
Lisabelle held up a hand for silence, then stood up from her chair. Alarant noticed two more guards had entered the room from some upper part of the spire. An uncomfortable feeling crept up Alarant's back. "If you will recall, when I called for this meeting, I was not forthright with the meeting's location. Once more I apologise for that deception, but the deception had a purpose."
"To see if there was a spy in our group." Gladin Palisar said as Lisabelle paused.
"Quite right," Lisabelle continued after the interruption, "And I believe it is time to reveal the findings of my men."
Lisabelle looked around the Assembly for a moment, Alarant noticing that she lingered on Raleigh de Brumlen. "I had the other locations mentioned in your letters observed, in the event that the citadel had been informed of the meeting taking place there."
"Earlier, one of these observers sent a message here, informing me that one of the locations had a visit." Lisabelle's gaze fell on Lord de Brumlen again. "A group of spies settled in around an old workshop on Hook Street, the very place I mentioned in my letter of invitation to Lord de Brumlen."
"I must have been followed from my residence." Raleigh de Brumlen said. His voice was tense.
"Why would they only follow you, Lord de Brumlen, and not anyone else from the Assembly? And if they were following you, why would they stay at the workshop and not follow you here to the Spire?" Lisabelle retorted.
"Unless," Lisabelle continued, leaning on the table in front of her, "They were told to observe a location they were given, since they were told that the meeting would take place there?"
"The Marquis must suspect me. That must be why he sent the Ashers to follow me." Raleigh de Brumlen said, standing out of his chair. Alarant noticed that he glanced at the guards now standing by the exits.
Lisabelle stood up straight, with all of her noble air. "Lord de Brumlen, I never mentioned the Ashers. I simply said 'spies'."
Raleigh de Brumlen began to stammer. "I didn't know, I mean, I just assumed."
Lisabelle looked to the guards. "Take him away. Treat him as befits his station as a Lord unless he resists." Two of the guards saluted and stepped to either side of Lord de Brumlen's chair.
"Please come with us, Lord de Brumlen." One of the guards said. They had battle-hammers strapped in their belts behind them so the weapons would not be visible while they stood by the wall.
Raleigh looked around the room for a moment, half in stupor and half in search of support, but the room was either in stunned silence or in detest of his actions and so he found none. With a clatter of metal he collapsed into his chair, covering his face with his hands.
"The Marquis controls this city. You will never get away with any of this. Your venture was doomed from the start."
"Even so, we intend to try. Take him away." Lisabelle replied stoically. Lord de Brumlen complied in silence as the two guards lifted him from his chair and escorted him out of the room, though to Alarant's surprise he was led up the spire, rather than down.
"Despite his allegiance, he is a Lord and an old friend of ours. He will be kept in this spire for a week or so, under guard." Lisabelle said.
"Won't that make the Marquis suspicious, if his court clerk is missing?" Gladin Palisar said. There was a tension around the table that Alarant had not sensed at any other of their gatherings, though he supposed that none of those gatherings had had such an event as Raleigh de Brumlen's reveal.
"It will, but he won't know the details of what happened, nor of what plans we may make," Lisabelle replied, then added, "Though we will have to move more quickly than we might like."
She sighed. "I apologise for the theatrics. At risk of sounding like I am just dismissing what just happened, we can return to our discussion now."
"Well," Ducerain started with a chuckle, "Now we need someone else to carry our letter to the capital."
"I might be able to." Alarant said after a moment. "If the plan goes well, I'll be outside the city with the townsfolk. Once they're safely away from the city, I can break away and go for Vallaris."
"It could take some of the pressure off the escaping townsfolk, if the Marquis thinks the Emperor's forces present a greater problem." He added.
"What about your family, Lord de Lereyne?" Ristel de Kelsira asked, surprise clear in her tone.
Alarant looked at Lisabelle and squeezed his wife's hand. He knew the risk, but could not find it in himself to ask his wife to abandon the city.
Lisabelle spoke before he could. "We will go together, Alarant. We'll bring Anna, take her to safety in Vallaris. Once Emperor Jessaris liberates Calimdar, we can come home again." Their metal masks could not make expressions, but Alarant heard the smile in her voice. It brought an upwelling of emotions and things he had said before and wanted to say again, but that could wait till the end of the gathering.
"Perhaps I should join you then. I am sure the Marquis would be overjoyed to have the father of a traitor in his city." Ducerain de Lereyne said.
Alarant broke away from his wife's gaze to look at his father. "My apologies, father, but I must follow my oath."
Ducerain shook his head. "Do not misunderstand me, Alarant, I am glad to see it. Sometimes I wonder how many remember the oaths they swore. They might have said the words, but now they are as empty platitudes."
The old scholar chuckled. "For all the Marquis's faults, we cannot blame him for that. Ultimately the man is a magistrate, not a knight. He has sworn no oath but an oath of loyalty to the crown."
"And those of a generous mind might agree that he has yet to break that oath, even if all seems that he intends to." Gladin Palisar said, leaning back in her chair.
"Jace de Kirgaan took the oath of knighthood." Alarant said. He was still turned towards Ducerain, but his gaze was looking inwards.
"Yet his sworn lord is the Marquis Martin de Suluzzo, a man that seems to regard the old oaths as that much dust on the wind." Ducerain said. He had picked up the sealed letter and was slowly turning it about in his hands as if examining it.
"Someone like Jace de Kirgaan is allowed to flourish while Gardt was publically daemonised." Alarant muttered to himself.
"Alarant de Lereyne," Ristel de Kelsira started, "I understand you had a plan with the aim of getting the inhabitants of Beloch Palisade out of the city?"
The question shook Alarant out of his reverie and he turned towards Ristel. "Indeed, Lady de Kelsira. I have shared the plan with the leaders of the townships within the Palisade and, if possible, I intend to move as soon as the townships are ready, which should be within half a week."
"What is the plan, if I might ask?" Ristel de Kelsira asked. The lady tapped the surface of the table with a gloved finger.
"I will have to explain without a map," Alarant said, skimming through the plan in his mind, "How well do you know the Beloch Palisade, Lady de Kelsira?"
Ristel de Kelsira shook her head. "Not very well, I must admit. While it does lie adjacent to a stretch of wall, my lessons from Lord Weybridge have primarily concerned the actual walls and garrisons, as well as strategy. My family house contains records about the districts of the city, but I have yet to delve into the libary in earnest. Is there some secret to the district then, something vital to your plan?"
Alarant nodded. "Indeed so. I cannot say why, but the Beloch Palisade has a tunnel built into the wall that ends outside the city. Perhaps it was built as a sally port, perhaps some wealthy noble of the Old Empire needed a hidden way to leave the city. Whatever the reason, the tunnel exists. It goes from the Palisade to a spot outside Calimdar's outer walls, but I don't know the specifics of the tunnel's interior, like its condition or size."
Ristel listened intently, absorbing every word. "But you know how to find this tunnel?" She asked when he had finished.
"I do not know the specific location, no, but I have information on where to look. In the northeastern part of the district, you're supposed to look for a wolf among the sheep. The tunnel is there."
Ducerain dropped the letter, then sat up straighter in his chair. "Are you speaking about the Kreuz Tunnel?"
Alarant looked at his father, surprise clear in his voice. "You know of it?"
Ducerain nodded. "I have used it a fair few times. It is wide enough for people, even our new forms, but I doubt that bringing livestock in there would be wise."
"I'll have to talk to Lord Weybridge about this tunnel. If it was discovered by outside forces it would pose a significant risk in the future." Ristel de Kelsira said, looking back and forth between Alarant and Ducerain.
"Conversely," Gladin Palisar started, "if Lord Weybridge and the citadel were unaware of the tunnel, the Emperor's forces can use the tunnel if it comes to a battle."
Gladin turned towards Lady de Kelsira. "So perhaps it would be best to wait with informing Lord Weybridge, at least until we have some idea of what the Emperor's response will be."
Ristel de Kelsira nodded. "A good point, Mrs. Palisar."
The gathering continued for a little while longer so that they could finalise some details. As the Assembly members leave one by one, covered in their dark cloaks, Alarant embraces his father before the scholar leaves, one of Lisabelle's men following closeby to ensure his safety. Alarant and Lisabelle then return home together, riding hand in hand through the streets of Calimdar. Their eyes are trained on the alley-ways and rooftops.
"I have not felt such tension in a city since the first 'summer' of the Calamity." Lisabelle said as they turned onto a road adjacent to the plaza of Gardt's trial a few days before. Aside from two stalwarts patrolling, the plaza was devoid of people.
"People are worried about the disappearances." Alarant replied, wondering if he should have brought a weapon for the return trip.
"I have heard many stories of the disappearances, but so many bear such similarities that I doubt there have been more than a dozen in the entire city." Lisabelle said and nodded to one of the patrolling stalwarts, and the guards saluted back.
"I cannot blame them for being worried. If not for the gatherings, I doubt I would leave the estate unless ordered on expeditions." Alarant said. Lisabelle made no reply, and they rode on in silence for a while.
As they cleared the inner city and passed into the district that surrounded their estate, Lisabelle stopped her mount and turned back towards the city.
"Anything the matter, dear?" Alarant asked.
Lisabelle turned back to him and took his hand. "Nothing. I was just wondering."
Alarant looked at his wife, knowing that she was aware of his unspoken question.
"What is going to happen?" She said. Her eyes were on the road but her gaze was a thousand leagues away.
"If the public should learn the full extent of Martin de Suluzzo's misdeeds, or if Emperor Jessari decides to march on the city to depose the Marquis, what will happen? How will the populace react, and how many will side with the Marquis because they agree with him and how many will do the same, simply because they have come under attack and see no other options?" Lisabelle continued.
Alarant squeezed her hand. "I cannot know. The Marquis's grip on the city is tight and, as you said, many are afraid of the kidnappings. If nothing is changed till the Emperor's arrival, I imagine the city would take Martin de Suluzzo's side, if mostly out of fear."
"I wish we could change that, erode his control somehow," Lisabelle said, then glanced at Alarant, her gaze not so distant now, "Yes yes, I'm aware, it would be too dangerous. Even without those mysterious Ashers, speaking out against the Marquis with the city like this would be asking for another public trial."
They rounded a cluster of houses and, in the distance, the Lereyne family estate stood alone. They had avoided using any of the blue-light lanterns that suffused the city, instead opting for the traditional oil lanterns of the Old Empire. A few had been left burning in one of the upstairs rooms, but beyond that, the estate was dark. Night had fallen during the gathering and the grounds beyond the estate were only faintly visible in the chilling blue light.
"It was so nice being back here," Lisabelle said and sighed, "When we returned to Calimdar, I could not have imagined we would ever leave again, much less in such a manner."
Alarant thought back to when he had been asked by Emperor Jessari to follow the Marquis's expedition. Jessari de Mezante had considered that the Marquis, being an ambitious man, might well attempt to make too much of himself if given a city, but Alarant doubted that anyone, even the Emperor, could have foreseen the events that had transpired in Calimdar over the last month.
"Once the townsfolk are far away from Calimdar, we will head for Vallaris and deliver the Assembly's letter. Auriga willing, the Emperor will come to Calimdar and stop this madness. Then we can come home again, and Anna can join us." Alarant said.
"We can be a family again." He added, his voice betraying the tears that could not come.
Lisabelle squeezed his hand, and they rode the rest of the way in silence.