Ghost in the Vault

By Jonathan Moeller

Caina has made many enemies, and chief among them is Lord Corbould Maraeus, the most powerful noble in the Empire of Nighmar.

But the Empire is facing dire peril, and Corbould needs all the allies he can find. If Caina can find a missing ambassador, Corbould is willing to forego his vengeance against Caina.

Except no mere political intrigue has snared the missing ambassador.

For the ancient evils in the forgotten Vault of the Moroaica are awakening...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jonathan Moeller
• Release date: Aug 31, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463040690

Jonathan Moeller

Standing over six feet tall, Jonathan Moeller has the piercing blue eyes of a Conan of Cimmeria, the bronze-colored hair of a Visigothic warrior-king, and the stern visage of a captain of men, none of which are useful in his career as a computer repairman, alas.He has written the "Demonsouled" trilogy of sword-and-sorcery novels, and continues to write the "Ghosts" sequence about assassin and spy Caina Amalas, the "$0.99 Beginner's Guide" series of computer books, and numerous other works.Visit his website at:http://www.jonathanmoeller.comVisit his technology blog at:http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/screed

Book preview

GHOST IN THE VAULT

Jonathan Moeller

***

Table of Contents

Description

Chapter 1: High Circlemaster

Chapter 2: Let’s Make A Deal

Chapter 3: House Arcion

Chapter 4: The House of Kularus

Chapter 5: The Bronze Witch

Chapter 6: Riddling Omens

Chapter 7: The Servants See Everything

Chapter 8: The Gilded Rose

Chapter 9: The Silent Door

Chapter 10: Warnings of the Witch

Chapter 11: The Caretaker

Chapter 12: Servants of Temnuzash

Chapter 13: Soul of Stone

Chapter 14: To Live Again

Chapter 15: The Vault of the Moroaica

Chapter 16: A Dashing Knight

Chapter 17: The Shadow of the Moroaica

Chapter 18: Instrument of Wrath

Chapter 19: Sword & Heart

Chapter 20: Rescue

Chapter 21: Secrets & Lies

Chapter 22: A Bargain Complete

Chapter 23: Now What?

Epilogue

Other books by the author

About the Author

Description

Caina has made many enemies, and chief among them is Lord Corbould Maraeus, the most powerful noble in the Empire of Nighmar.

But the Empire is facing dire peril, and Corbould needs all the allies he can find. If Caina can find a missing ambassador, Corbould is willing to forego his vengeance against Caina.

Except no mere political intrigue has snared the missing ambassador.

For the ancient evils in the forgotten Vault of the Moroaica are awakening...

***

Ghost in the Vault

Copyright 2019 by Jonathan Moeller.

Smashwords Edition.

Cover design by Clarissa Yeo.

Ebook edition published September 2019.

All Rights Reserved.

This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination, or, if real, used fictitiously. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of the author or publisher, except where permitted by law.

***

Chapter 1: High Circlemaster

If you cannot help us solve a mystery, said Lord Aeolus, the high circlemaster of the Ghosts, then I fear the Empire might collapse before the year is out.

Caina Kardamnos stared at him.

She stood in the doorway of the Temple of Cursus in the Imperial capital of Malarae. The temple was cool and dim and airy, light leaking through the narrow windows between the pillars. At the far end of the temple rose a dais holding an altar, and over the altar stood a statue of a stern-faced man in robes with a scroll of laws in his left hand and a set of scales in his right. Stone benches rested along the walls where petitioners could wait to place their requests and sacrifices before the god and his priests.

Lord Aeolus stood a few paces away, watching her with a calm expression. The leader of the Ghosts of the Empire of Nighmar was tall, with blond hair and pale blue eyes. He was handsome, but it was the remote, cold beauty of a marble statue. Those in the Empire who knew of Aeolus’s role had always both been impressed and a little repulsed by his emotionless, cold logic. Now that she was a valikarion, Caina could see its origins. Aeolus had an arcane aura, the marks of a sorcerous attack. At some point in his life, a magus had tried to invade his mind, botched the effort, and left Aeolus unable to feel emotions.

Caina supposed that made him an effective spymaster. While there had been times in her life when she would have envied such a state, she didn’t now.

Though I suppose, said Aeolus, you must first ask the obvious question.

Whether or not you are here to arrest us? said Kylon of House Kardamnos.

Caina looked at her husband, who stood next to her. He was watching Aeolus with a calm expression, no weapons in hand. Yet she knew him well enough to see the waiting violence in his stance, his muscles like coiled springs ready to release. If Aeolus tried to attack her, Kylon would cut down the high circlemaster before he could take two steps.

A good question, Lord Kylon, said Aeolus. But since I am asking for your help, attempting to arrest you would be an inefficient way to go about it. And, I imagine, quite fatal for me. But that’s not the most obvious question, is it?

No, murmured Sebastian Scorneus, it isn’t. Caina’s half-brother wore the black armor of a battle magus of the Magisterium, and he looked so much like Caina that it was almost like looking at her reflection, albeit with beard stubble. Though his jaw and neck were thicker and his brow heavier. We were in Artifel an hour ago. There are hundreds of miles of sea and mountain and hills between Malarae and Artifel. So how the hell did you know we were here?

That is the most obvious question, said Aeolus, which suggests another question. How did you travel from Risiviri to Artifel in a single hour? Fortunately, the answer is already known to me. You walked the Paths of the Valikarion, built by the sorcerer called as the Cataphract centuries ago.

Caina blinked in surprise. You know of the Cataphract?

I am the High Circlemaster of the Ghosts, Lady Kardamnos, said Aeolus. I happen to know a great many things. He looked at Morgant. I know this man is Markaine of Caer Marist, legendary painter. Morgant smirked at that, and Aeolus’s gaze shifted to Sophia. And I know this is Sophia Zomanek, a minor Ulkaari noblewoman, and you are taking her to be trained as a loremaster in Iramis.

He didn’t mention Ilona, the dark-haired woman standing next to Seb. Likely because he didn’t know who she was.

You know all that because the magi can send messages telepathically over long distances, and the high magi would have reported the election of a new First Magus, said Caina. She had a brief recollection of Decius Aberon’s swollen, purpling face, the rope cutting into the flesh of his thick neck. But that doesn’t explain how you know about the Cataphract.

In ancient days, said Aeolus, the Ghosts and the valikarion were allies. Both the Ghost circles and the valikarion knights assisted the Cataphract and the Warmaiden against the scourge of the Iron King of Ulkaar. Sophia stirred at that. Her reverence for the Temple of Ulkaar and the Warmaiden went deep. The Ghosts wish to keep the commoners of the Empire free from tyranny, and the valikarion defended the world from the creatures of the netherworld and the abuse of sorcery. We were natural allies. And when the Warmaiden of Ulkaar convinced the Cataphract to aid her, he built the Paths of the Valikarion to allow the bearers of the valikons to travel vast distances at great speed. The destruction of Iramis at the end of the Fourth Empire was a heavy blow to the Ghosts. He gazed at Caina. And if the stories are true, you brought Iramis back to this world, and became a valikarion in the process.

Oh, they’re true, said Morgant. I should know, I painted the stories. You should see my mural of the Balarigar’s exploits in the Tarshahzon Gardens in Istarinmul. It nicely summarizes eight or nine books’ worth of history into a single image. A triumph of painting, really.

Caina resisted the urge to roll her eyes. A fine history lesson, Lord Aeolus, but it still doesn’t explain how you knew we were here.

The high circlemaster of the Ghosts knows many secrets, said Aeolus. The existence of the Paths of the Valikarion is one of them, though no one has been able to walk those paths since Iramis was destroyed and the valikarion perished. He lifted his left hand and tapped one of the rings, and Caina saw the sorcerous aura around it. Ancient wards defend the door to the Paths, informing the high circlemaster whenever anyone passes through the doors.

And you just happened to be outside the Temple of Cursus? said Kylon.

As unlikely as it seems, yes, said Aeolus. I am on my way to the Imperial Citadel to attend a council with the Emperor. A crisis has arisen, and the Emperor requires the counsel of his chief advisors.

Then let us not delay you, said Caina. We shall be out of Malarae on the first ship that we can hire.

The Empire needs your help, Caina Kardamnos, said Aeolus.

Does it? said Kylon. There was a cold edge to his voice. Given that the Empire exiled her to Istarinmul, it seems the Empire was willing to do without her help.

It was, said Aeolus. Her banishment was necessary to appease Lord Corbould Maraeus, and without the support of Lord Corbould, the Emperor could not have kept his throne. Had the throne been empty or contested when the Umbarians declared themselves openly, the consequences would have been disastrous.

More disastrous than losing the eastern third of the Empire to the Umbarians? said Kylon.

Bluntly, yes, said Aeolus. Consider one of the dark truths of human nature, Lord Kylon. No disaster is so dire that it cannot be made worse. We lost the Saddaic provinces and the lands to the east, but we held Artifel, and if Artifel had fallen, Malarae would have fallen soon after, and the Empire would have been lost. And the Umbarians assailed Artifel multiple times. Victory at Artifel was decided by only the thinnest of margins. The outcome likely would have been quite different if Lord Corbould had not devoted the entirety of his influence and resources to supporting the war effort, or if the Emperor had died sometime in the last three years. Given the Umbarians’ involvement in your exile from New Kyre, Lord Kylon, I expect you would favor anything that would hinder them.

I killed Cassander Nilas, and I came close to killing Talmania Scorneus, said Kylon. A high circlemaster of the Ghosts ought to be able to deduce my opinion about the Umbarian Order from that.

Indeed, said Aeolus without rancor. Then you see how a potential catastrophe could become worse, do you not? Cassander Nilas nearly destroyed Istarinmul, and if the reports are accurate, he would have burned the city and its people if you had not stopped him. And you, Lady Kardamnos, you represent both a potential crisis and a potential advantage.

How? said Caina.

Lord Corbould will not forgive you for the death of his son Aiodan, said Aeolus.

Caina frowned. He was possessed by the spirit of Ranarius at the time, a renegade master magus who had turned to necromancy and elemental summoning. Though the spells to summon elementals were no longer forbidden by the Magisterium. The loyalist magi had begun summoning minor elementals to fight against the undead legions of the Umbarian Order. But Caina remembered killing Aiodan all too clearly, and she did not like to think about that day. Her mentor Halfdan had died that night, and the events of that day had led to her exile to Istarinmul. He came for me at Zorgi’s Inn and tried to kill me. I had to stab him to death in self-defense. Ranarius made sure to do it in front of witnesses, so many people would see me kill Aiodan Maraeus.

There are numerous clear precedents in Imperial law, said Seb, for lawful self-defense against an attacker controlled by sorcery. During the Third and Fourth Empires, the magi often disposed of political opponents by mind-controlling a victim and sending him to attack their foes.

Or during the modern era, said Caina.

Seb sighed with agreement. And now it is a favorite trick of the Umbarians, as well.

Lord Corbould is well aware of those precedents, said Aeolus. He does not much care, however. Aiodan was his blood, and he will avenge his blood. Admittedly, Corbould never had much affection for Aiodan, who was something of a wastrel. But it is a matter of honor.

And has Corbould considered the consequences? said Kylon, his frown sharpening. What happens to the Empire if he kills the Padishah’s sister and the Liberator of Iramis?

It is well known both the Padishah and the Istarish have a lasting enmity for the Umbarian Order thanks to the treachery of Cassander Nilas, said Aeolus. Kutal Sulaman Tarshahzon will not ally with the Order for any reason.

No, said Caina, but he could easily close the Starfall Straits to the Empire’s ships and Kyracian privateers. The privateers have ravaged the Umbarian fleet, and I know Lord Conn Maraeus and Lord Valerius Hadrazon planned an invasion of the Umbarian-held provinces now that Arzaxia has returned to the Empire. She caught a brief flicker of surprise on Aeolus’s face before he controlled himself. He hadn’t known that she knew that. A Padishah hostile to both the Empire and the Umbarian Order would be almost as harmful to the Empire as an Istarinmul allied with the Umbarians.

Then you see the nature of the difficulty, said Aeolus. For the first time since the civil war began three years ago, we have the Umbarians on the defensive. Arzaxia has returned to Imperial control. The Umbarian assaults on Artifel have been repulsed, and the Order is in no position to launch another offensive, not even to dislodge the Imperial Legions from Nova Nighmaria. If Lord Valerius’s plan works, if we launch an invasion of the Saddaic provinces from the sea at the same time the Legions break out of Nova Nighmaria, the tide of the war will turn.

In war, there are always complications, said Kylon.

Yes, said Aeolus. Such as your wife, Lord Kylon. If Lord Corbould learns that she is here, he will attempt to kill her. The demands of honor and duty drive Corbould Maraeus, and he will not let Aiodan’s blood pass unavenged. If he kills her, both the Padishah and the Prince of Iramis will turn against the Empire, and the Umbarians will have a chance to recover their strength.

Seb frowned. Lord Corbould isn’t a fool. He must know all this.

He does, said Aeolus. But that will not stop him.

Then the problem is easily solved, said Caina. You’ll forget you ever saw us, we’ll get on the first ship heading to Istarinmul, and that will be that. Corbould will never even know we were here.

And Caina could take the dangerous relic she bore and secure it in the Towers of Lore of Iramis. She had lost the Ring of Rasarion Yagar in Risiviri but had taken the Sword of the Iron King from Antonin Crailov’s corpse. The encounter had been a draw between her and Talmania Scorneus. Talmania had taken the Ring, adding it to the powers of the Amulet of the Iron King, which let her summon and control the Iron King’s stronghold of Sigilsoara. But Caina had taken the Sword, and the Umbarians had lost their chance to claim total control of Ulkaar.

Talmania needed all five of Rasarion Yagar’s relics to resurrect the ancient necromancer-king. If Caina took the Sword out of Talmania’s reach, that would be that. Talmania would have to abandon her plan to summon the Iron King and use his dark power to conquer the Empire.

But there is another way, said Aeolus. A way that will quiet Lord Corbould’s vengeance, lift your banishment, and strengthen the ties between Istarinmul and the Empire.

And what way is that? said Caina.

It is simple, said Aeolus. You save the Empire.

Morgant scoffed. Do all Ghosts enjoy a dramatic gesture so much? You make an unexpected entrance and suggest that she save the Empire? You know, you Ghosts are supposed to be spies, and you enjoy grand entrances entirely too much. Makes me wonder how you’ve all survived so long.

He has a point, said Caina.

Of course I do, said Morgant. Kylon snorted.

But not the one that Markaine thinks that he’s making, said Caina. I did save the Empire. I had help, a lot of help, but I saved the Empire on the day of the golden dead. I also saved Lord Corbould’s life at the time, and both you and he recommended that I be banished to Istarinmul. What’s changed?

In point of fact, said Aeolus, I advised the Emperor to put you to death.

She saw Kylon go motionless, the way he did right before erupting into violent motion.

Why? said Caina.

Because you were an unacceptable risk, said Aeolus. There was no way to know if you had been permanently compromised by the Moroaica or the Magisterium. A woman wearing your face killed several Ghosts in Malarae…

That was Sicarion, said Kylon, his voice the calm of the last instant before the storm.

I know that, said Aeolus. Just as I know that killing you would have been a serious mistake. Halfdan always had great confidence in you. Too much, I thought, and colored unduly by emotion. But we sent you to Istarinmul, and you proved Halfdan’s trust was not misplaced. A new, wiser Padishah, the Slavers’ Brotherhood destroyed, and Istarinmul allied with the Empire against the Order. Had the Emperor heeded my counsel and executed you, disaster would have befallen us. Yes, I was wrong.

They stood in silence for a while.

All right, said Caina. She supposed that was the closest she would ever get to an apology from a man like Aeolus. But what’s different now? Why would Corbould accept my help?

Because unlike the day of the golden dead, Lord Corbould’s personal honor and reputation are at stake, said Aeolus. And Lord Corbould has larger problems than you just now.

How so? said Caina.

A question of honor threatens his position, said Aeolus.

Caina sighed. If you want my help, you’re going to have to be a lot more specific.

He has lost the ambassador from Anshan, said Aeolus.

Caina blinked. Lost? The ambassador died?

We most fervently hope not, said Aeolus. Rather, Lord Corbould has misplaced the ambassador. I am sure you can see the dangers the situation presents to the Empire.

That was something of an understatement.

The Empire was the most powerful state in the civilized world, but that had been before the start of the civil war. Chief among the Empire’s rivals was the realm of Anshan, which ruled an extensive empire of its own to the south of Istarinmul. The Shahenshah of Anshan commanded an army equal in size to that of the Empire, though his peasant levies and noble horsemen were no match for the disciplined Imperial Legions.

But with the Empire ripped in half in the war against the Umbarians, the Anshani would find the southern provinces of the Empire an easy target. And the surest way to provoke a war was to assault an ambassador.

You misplaced the ambassador? said Morgant. Did you check the last place you left him? That’s usually where lost things turn up. Sophia blinked, and Ilona rolled her eyes.

Aeolus ignored them. Will you help us? If we cannot locate the ambassador, and soon, the consequences are potentially dire.

Caina said nothing, thinking hard. Her first impulse was to refuse and leave Malarae at once. Maybe even retreat to the sealed door in the Temple’s cellar and return to the Tower of the Cataphract, to the Paths of the Valikarion as Aeolus had called them. She had the Sword of Rasarion Yagar, and she needed to get it to the Towers of Lore as soon as possible. For that matter, while Aeolus was the high circlemaster of the Ghosts and Caina was a Ghost, she didn’t trust him.

But the high circlemaster’s logic was sound. If the Anshani ambassador disappeared in Malarae, the Shahenshah would have all the excuse he needed to invade the Empire. That could give the Umbarians a reprieve, time to rebuild their strength. Caina was a Ghost, but she was also an adopted amirja of Istarinmul and the Liberator of Iramis. Both Istarinmul and Iramis lay between Anshan and the Empire, and they would almost certainly be pulled into a war between the Emperor and the Shahenshah.

We need to talk, said Caina to Kylon.

Kylon looked at the others. Wait outside. All of you.

Morgant snorted. Overcome with ardor, Kyracian? This really isn’t…

Out, said Kylon.

Perhaps we should give them a moment, said Seb. The winters of Malarae are so much milder compared to Risiviri, and it would be a pity to spend all our time here indoors.

How very diplomatic, said Morgant. Perhaps you ought to forsake the Magisterium and go into trade negotiations.

At least Lord Sebastian knows how to keep a civil tongue, said Ilona.

Morgant smiled. A discreet one, too, I would hope.

For just an instant, Ilona went very still. Caina wondered what that was about. No doubt Morgant had found a way to get under Ilona’s skin. He was good at that.

I shall give you a moment, said Aeolus, and he walked from the Temple and into the square accompanied by the others, leaving Caina alone with Kylon.

I don’t trust him, said Kylon at once. He was willing to throw you to the wolves after the day of the golden dead, and he’s more than willing to do it now if it serves his purposes.

Probably, said Caina. What do you sense in his emotional aura? She could tell he had been using his water sorcery to gauge Aeolus’s mood during the conversation. Caina saw the silvery-blue aura of his power around Kylon, and she felt the crawling tingle that she always did in the presence of sorcery.

Kylon blinked. It’s damaged. It was damaged when I met him Malarae for the first time three years ago, and it’s hasn’t changed. I think a magus injured his mind at some point, and he doesn’t have the emotions of a normal man. He shrugged. I’m not sure he has much in the way of emotions at all. A good quality in a spymaster, I suppose.

Aye, said Caina. Another man of his power wouldn’t ask for help. He would have killed me on the spot to cover up a mistake.

You’re thinking of helping him, said Kylon.

Maybe. Caina paused. Probably.

His story seems implausible, said Kylon. He just happened to be strolling next to the Temple of Cursus on his way to meet with the Emperor when we walk through the Tower of the Cataphract? That is a hell of a coincidence.

It is, said Caina, but do you think he’s lying?

Kylon sighed. No. That ring he showed us is enspelled.

Caina nodded. I think it’s linked to a ward over the door to the Paths of the Valikarion. He was telling the truth about that.

Is he telling the truth about everything else? said Kylon.

Caina hesitated. I think so. Or as much of it as he knows. If the Anshani ambassador to the Empire has disappeared, that would be dire. The war with the Umbarians has been bad enough. The Order has a remarkable gift for offending potential foreign allies, so at least they haven’t convinced any other nations to invade the Empire.

Kylon snorted. There’s an understatement. But she saw the hard light in his eyes. The Umbarians’ interference in New Kyre had cost him a great deal.

Aye, said Caina. But if Anshan gets involved, the war will spiral out of control. From what Ariadne and Lord Conn told us, it seems like the Umbarians are off-balance after the loss of Arzaxia. If the Empire has to fight the Anshani, the Order will have a chance to recover its strength.

What about the Sword? said Kylon.

Caina shifted, adjusting the baldric that held the sheathed Sword of the Iron King strapped to her back. It should be safe enough for now. Only the six of us know what it is. And Talmania doesn’t know we’re in Malarae.

Talmania might be able to use Sigilsoara to travel to Malarae, said Kylon. She used it to enter the Tower of the Cataphract. And she’s been in Malarae before. You remember what Theodosia told us.

I do, said Caina, a mixture of anger and sorrow going through her. Though it wasn’t aimed at Kylon. Talmania had come to Malarae to assassinate the Emperor soon after the civil war started, and in the process, she had murdered Theodosia’s younger son Niklos.

You don’t think we have any choice, said Kylon.

No, said Caina. If Aeolus is willing to ask our help…then the situation is more serious than he let on. Her breath hissed through her teeth in a mixture of anger and unease. We keep trying to get back to Iramis, and we keep getting sidetracked. But you’re right. I don’t think we have any choice. If we can help Aeolus, maybe we can deal the Umbarians a blow and prevent worse things from happening.

You’re sure? said Kylon.

Caina nodded. I am.

All right, said Kylon. I’m not sure this is a good idea, but I’ll help you. I have two conditions, though.

What conditions? said Caina, surprised. He usually didn’t demand things of her, though when he did, she tended not to protest.

First, said Kylon, if you do this, you insist that your banishment is lifted, and your title recognized.

What good will that do? said Caina. I’m a Ghost…

Not anymore, said Kylon. Not entirely. You’re also the sister of the Padishah and the Liberator of Iramis. You’re not anonymous anymore. For the gods’ sake, Caina, even before you went to Istarinmul, half the nobility of the Empire saw you on the day of the golden dead. You used to be a Ghost nightfighter who could hide in the shadows, but that’s a lot harder now. If you keep acting like a Ghost nightfighter, you’re putting yourself at a serious disadvantage. And given the kind of enemies we have, that could be a fatal disadvantage.

Caina folded her arms and let out a long breath. Like Risiviri? A wave of guilt went through her. Kylon had nearly gotten killed when Talmania had sent Antonin Crailov to claim the Ring of Rasarion Yagar.

That was just bad luck, said Kylon. Talmania wouldn’t have been so bold if we hadn’t turned up in Risiviri on the day she planned to kill Boyar Mircea. I was thinking of Artifel, when Decius Aberon tried to have you arrested. He wouldn’t have dared that if you hadn’t been banished.

Considering that Riona killed him, he’s not going to dare much of anything, said Caina.

Nevertheless, said Kylon.

All right, said Caina. I’ll negotiate. What’s the second condition?

His eyes met hers. If Aeolus betrays you, I will kill him.

Caina hesitated. She wanted to point out that Aeolus hadn’t betrayed her. From his perspective, his suspicions of her had been justified. Then again, he had thrown her to the wolves, as Kylon had said. Banishing her to Istarinmul had been a compromise, a way to get rid of a potential problem. Aeolus hadn’t known that the civil war would start, or that Caina would find out about wraithblood and the schemes of Grand Master Callatas.

As Caina looked at Kylon, she realized that his mind was made up. Usually, she could persuade him to her point of view. But when he decided her safety was threatened, no force under the sun would change his mind.

And it wasn’t as if he was wrong about her banishment.

Then let us hope for Aeolus’s sake that he doesn’t betray us, said Caina.

Very well, said Kylon.

He probably realized you intended to discuss just that, said Caina.

Then for his sake, let us hope he can take the hint, said Kylon.

They turned towards the Temple doors and walked outside. Aeolus waited a few paces from the Temple’s doors, an expression of unconcern on his face. Seb, Morgant, Ilona, and Sophia stood around him. Sophia was giving Aeolus a wary scowl, and Seb and Morgant had positioned themselves so they would be able to intercept Aeolus if he tried to run.

You have reached a decision? said Aeolus.

We have, said Caina. We will help you.

Very good, said Aeolus. We should proceed at once. I was on my way to the Imperial Citadel to meet with the Emperor and Lord Corbould when the ward over the door to the Paths of the Valikarion went off.

You’re taking us to the Emperor and Lord Corbould right now? said Caina.

Aye, said Aeolus.

Well, said Morgant. Won’t they be surprised?

There will be hundreds of Imperial Guards inside the Citadel, said Kylon. Are you leading us to our deaths? If Lord Corbould decides to kill Caina, the Citadel will be the perfect place to do it.

A blunt question, said Aeolus.

Pray that I don’t ask you a sharp one, said Kylon.

And you haven’t answered his question yet, said Ilona.

The Imperial Guard is loyal to the Emperor, not to Lord Corbould, said Aeolus. The Emperor, as Lady Kardamnos will recall, was inclined to show mercy.

Yes, said Caina, her mind flashing back to one of the worst days of her life. The Moroaica had been defeated, and her plan to destroy the gods stopped, but Corvalis had been killed in the process. When she had spoken with the Emperor, Caina hadn’t cared if she had lived or died. The Emperor had offered her a choice, one that he likely hadn’t told Corbould Maraeus about. If Caina had asked it of him, the Emperor would have given her money and let her start over anonymously outside the Empire. Caina could have walked away from the Ghosts and started a new life.

But if she had, there would have been no one to stop Callatas in Istarinmul, no one to stop him from unleashing the nagataaru upon the world.

And, worse, she wouldn’t have met Kylon again.

The Emperor will hear us out, said Aeolus. He, not Lord Corbould, rules the Empire. Now a blunt question for you, Lady Kardamnos. Are you truly a valikarion?

Caina blinked. We traveled through the Paths of the Valikarion in the Tower of the Cataphract and didn’t go insane. What do you think?

The rumors about you say that Lord Kylon fights with a silver sword as well, said Aeolus. Perhaps he is the valikarion.

Caina shook her head. "He has a valikon, aye, but he’s not a valikarion. No one with sorcerous ability can become a true valikarion. To save time and avoid much tedious discussion, I’m just going