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  As the humble woman rose, the man Tiberius had been speaking with, threw his arm gently around the woman and introduced her with a smile, “Lord Tiberius meet my wife Arianna, she and I have been happily married for over a year now.”

  Tiberius nodded, replying politely, “The honor is mine.”

  Tiberius quickly noticed the mark upon Arianna's right wrist. The branding mark was that of sickle and spear, a house which he was familiar with by name alone.

  House Valdiss had a reputation for cruelty to its slaves, a fact which explained the woman's crooked nose, two long scars which traveled the length of her neck in a vertical fashion, and her limp which was made apparent every time she walked. Tiberius knew full well that the fact that this poor woman smiled at all was merely a testament to her husband's kindness.

  After the man finished with his brief introduction, he sent his wife to fetch something from their home, and as Arianna removed herself from their presence making a timely exit, the shop owner continued, “Forgive the interruption my Lord; in answer to your question, yes. In fact I take part in the offerings about once a month. The various foodstuffs are delivered to my shop, then the soldiers who deliver them stay to assist me in parting out the food and supplies to any in need; which in Southside, is everyone. If you are asking me if it's enough, well, all you have to do is look around.”

  Tiberius took a second before replying, “Indeed, and assuming you know the answer, who finances this charity operation?”

  “Why, the Ministry of Finance of course,” the man paused before continuing, “My Lord if I may, last month there weren't....”

  Suddenly one of Tiberius' soldiers burst through the door following the sound of a woman's shrill screams. The soldier spoke quickly as Tiberius, knowing instantly that something was very wrong, made quick movement toward the door, followed closely behind by the shop owner, “Praetor, it's Malcus, he's threatening to rape the peasant woman who was just with you, shall we do something?”

  As he rushed out of the general store, Tiberius was met with the unpleasant site of Legatus Malcus, and froze as Malcus stood outside of what he could only assume was the lowly couple's home, holding his drawn sword up to Arianna's throat as he stood behind clenching her hair.

  “No, please, no my Lord, don't hurt her, please let her go, I'll do anything, anything,” begged the woman's husband after he too exited the shop, coming to full realization of the current situation.

  Malcus responded with a sinister smile, “That is up to her, should she make it easy for me I assure you the woman will come to no harm; at least, not physically. However, if the girl is difficult I make no promises.”

  Tiberius grew furious, “Let her go Malcus, if you wish to finish what I started at the battle of Ruins then put your sword to action against mine. Come, take your revenge, if you can, but leave the woman out of it.”

  As Tiberius slowly drew his sword, Malcus replied with a laugh, “This is not about my eye, I will have my revenge for its untimely removal in the battle of Ruins at a later time. Besides, Malcus the Scarred has a ring to it that I must admit certain partiality to.”

  At that Tiberius made forward movement before again stopping as both his and his rival's escorts squared off, surrounding the two powerful commanders, each side readying themselves to fight and die for their legatus' personal war.

  Any bystanders who had previously occupied the street were now hidden inside the many, storied, poverty-stricken shelters which surrounded the two opposing sides.

  Malcus continued, his smile growing wider, “Need I remind you of the laws Tiberius? Someone with our important status, as a lord, as a citizen of Northside, for the most part, may do whatever he wishes with the likes of these peasants; and seeing as how I am not under your command, us being equals for all practical purposes, you must yield or face execution as a traitor, for I have already claimed this one.”

  Tiberius' rage quickly became despair as he knew Malcus' claim to be true. There was nothing he could do. Tiberius could attack, risking the lives of the woman, his men, and himself, only to earn the execution block for all of them should any succeed or survive; or he could order his men to stand down, saving the lives of everyone. The man inside of himself wished to wage this small war, but the leader of men would not allow him.

  Just like the strange man he had executed all those years ago as a child, Tiberius grew cold, making the only true decision he had available. So making not the decision he wanted to make but the decision he had to make, Tiberius sheathed is sword, giving orders to his men before turning his attention back toward the vile man who delighted in his own wickedness, “Stand down, stand down! ...Do what you wish Malcus, but I warn you, remembrance of this action will return to draw blood.”

  “Of course Tiberius, I will await the attempted completion of your threat with definitive expectation,” said Malcus in reply as Arianna, restrained by her long hair which was currently held cruelly in Malcus' rough grasp, quietly wept in sorrowful acceptance of her fate.

  As Malcus continued, one of his escorts opened the door to the couple's poverty-stricken home, a home which looked much the same as the many other poor dwellings that occupied the street, “How am I the villain and you the hero? What makes you more necessary than me? I know you well Tiberius; as soon as I drag this woman into that disgusting shack, you will empty your coin purse of coinage, offering it to ease the grieving husband's suffering. This is the way of things, noble Praetor. How long will it be before you come to realization that you and I serve two sides of the same purpose? I take and you return a lesser portion; I begin conflict, and you end it. We are both necessary to the preservation of the great Tiburon Empire. But perhaps you are no longer fit to perform your role as my unwilling accomplice.”

  “I am no accomplice to this,” Tiberius quickly replied in disgust.

  “Really Tiberius, then where is your sword? It is not raised to bring truthfulness to your claim. If you think yourself more necessary than I, then why do the laws of the land protect my actions while defending me from your intentions.”

  After Legatus Malcus finished speaking, he moved the shop owner's weeping wife into their home and shut the door closed behind him. As two guards took position outside the entrance to prevent entry, the shop owner, on his knees, came before Tiberius. Tears began to cloud the frantic man's eyes as he pleaded, “Please do something, you can't do nothing, please my Lord, help me, help me; I love her, so much.”

  The man then began to act according to his anguish, losing all hope. And upon reaching forward toward him, in a last ditch effort to beg desperately for help, the man was pushed away by Tiberius before the great leader of men could do nothing but reach for his coin purse. And in this moment, just as the vile man had predicted, Tiberius tossed the shop owner all he had, before, grimacing at the poor man's desperate pleas for help, he turned and began walking back toward the Andromeda.

  As Tiberius made way back toward the ship, trudging through the slowly melting snow with his soldiers following closely behind, he heard cries of justifiable anger coming from the man whom Tiberius had wronged, “Damn you Tiberius; may the gods curse you to an early grave!”

  I fear they already have friend.

  Tiberius didn't turn at the man's hate filled response, no, he just kept moving forward until the shameful deed which he had done no longer echoed through the voices of those he had harmed.

  Upon reaching the Andromeda, Kanii, who had been addressing a soldier on the dock, turned to face Tiberius saying, “Well, you came back in one piece... wait, where is Legatus Malcus?”

  Tiberius simply responded, “Let's go, I'm done here.”

  Chapter 5

  Day 1

  “I present Lord Galdrig of Keil my Lord Emperor,” said Zephir as he bowed low before Emperor Maximillian.

  Lord Galdrig followed closely behind Zephir as the guard presented him formally before Maximillian.

  “You may return to your post,” replied the emperor as he m
otioned his orders to the guard.

  Zephir, as ordered, rose and turned. Walking to the other end of the throne room he then took his position as one of the two guards who stood on the inside of the large door, which he would open upon Lord Galdrig's exit.

  The emperor began as he asked, “How goes the rebellion?”

  “Well my Lord, I have supplied them with food and weapons just as we had discussed upon our last meeting. Also I have fully convinced the rebels that I am a full believer in their noble cause, and a traitor to your Lordship.”

  Maximillian laughed loudly, clapping his hands together before replying, “Wonderful, and I take it by your lack of complaint that you have received payment?”

  “Indeed I have my Lord.”

  “Good, I am so enthralled by your success that I will give you double what we originally agreed to.”

  “Thank you my Lord; it is good to know that you are so pleased,” responded Lord Galdrig in veiled excitement.

  “Indeed, I am not ready for their rebellion to end just yet. We must raise them up, then destroy them, raise them and destroy them; again and again they must be within the reach of hope before we snatch it away. Eventually after reaching the true depths of hopelessness and despair they will find obedience more pleasurable than rebellion, slavery more fulfilling than freedom. This is how you help to serve the Empire Lord Galdrig, this is the art of slavery.”

  “Of course, and I will continue to serve your glorious Empire in whatever way you deem fit.”

  “Good you may go now, I will call upon you in two years time.”

  “Yes my Lord, we shall make slaves out of the Gahnen yet,” said Lord Galdrig as he stood to leave.

  Listening in intently on the conversation from the opposite side of the room, Zephir identified the pieces of information which he felt must be delivered to Jaimus immediately upon first opportunity. This was potentially the most worthwhile gathering of information he'd gotten since Jaimus had worked his magic to get him into this post over a month ago.

  Zephir considered it very possible that he was one of the most important infiltrations under Jaimus and ultimately Tiberius' command, even though Tiberius of course had no knowledge of it by his own choosing. He'd served under Jaimus long enough to know that Tiberius wanted the information, not the details as to how it was obtained, a fact that Jaimus greatly appreciated. Unfortunately this post, as pivotal and dangerous as it was, often found itself exceedingly boring, as, even though the room's odd harmonics allowed him to listen in on most of the barely audible conversations which took place on the other side, they, strangely enough, were often of surprisingly low importance. Today fortunately was different.

  Zephir had to admit that Tiberius' early-morning meeting with the emperor was quite entertaining.

  Zephir, like many, found himself quite fond of the praetor, and considered him perhaps one of the only truly noble lords worthy of his title. Although, he did feel odd about watching the great leader converse with the emperor when he considered the fact that Tiberius, the man he technically served, not only had no knowledge of his existence, but also considered the guard he did not know as Zephir, to be a servant of the emperor upon passing glance.

  The emperor's court was lit by lantern light as the sun had fallen beyond the horizon not long ago. The day grew long and Zephir awaited the end of today's exceptionally long shift with great anticipation. Then as he opened the door for Lord Galdrig's exit, Zephir saw what would be the last visitor of the day approaching, and he recognizing the man immediately as Legatus Malcus the Scarred.

  As Malcus arrived, he merely walked right through the entrance, not even bothering to glance at Lord Galdrig as he left, and continued to demonstrate his importance by moving on toward the emperor without even waiting for Zephir to close the door and herald the legatus' arrival. Zephir decided it would therefore be best just to remain at his post as he watched Malcus, who was already kneeling before the emperor. He knew then, as he began to eavesdrop, that this was no doubt going to be, as far as information gathering is concerned, the highlight of the evening.

  Legatus Malcus began without pause, “My Lord Emperor, I must admit your summons intrigued me as I failed to decipher its purpose. Would you perhaps see fit to unburden me of the reason behind such a puzzling action, as I was not under the impression that my recent presence here was insufficient or incomplete?”

  “Perhaps you presumed too much upon completion of your last visit.”

  “Perhaps, but even I am familiar with the changing of the tide, or rather the actions which a man makes as unexpected developments cause a man to change course.”

  “Be careful, for your clever words do not fall on unlearned ears,” replied the emperor.

  “Forgive me my Lord, I merely spoke to suggest that perhaps an opportunity which had not fallen into view previously has now kindly revealed itself before your Majesty.”

  “In this you ponder correctly.”

  Malcus then continued to ask, “Will my Lord then grace me with knowledge, as I presume you have called me here for no other purpose than to execute your glorious will.”

  The emperor responded in reply, “Indeed I have, tell me, what are your feelings regarding Tiberius?”

  “Is the eye which has been made absent from the other not reply enough my Lord,” seethed Malcus in a controlled manner.

  “Good, it pleases me that your feelings on the subject have not yet changed. Tell me Malcus are there not many thieves, kidnappers, and even murderers in Kingsgate?”

  With a smile Malcus replied, “Of course my Lord there are many victims in Kingsgate, it is... quite regrettable.”

  “Indeed, one would presume the possibility, unthinkable though it may be, that even an esteemed Lord such as say... Tiberius could potentially fall victim to such a heinous crime as kidnapping, or even murder on one of Kingsgate's many potentially treacherous streets.”

  As Malcus' smile widened he spoke, “Of course my Lord, one would presume that it would be possible, yes; but what terrible punishment would be in store for someone who performed such a terrible and inconceivable deed?”

  “Well I suppose, were it to actually happen, the punishment would be truly severe, but how can you enforce such a penalty when the identity of the aggressor remains a mystery. I have heard that the majority of such crimes remain unsolved amongst the peasants, and I would think that such a crime committed against a Lord would be perpetrated by an individual much craftier than those who prey on peasant's, don't you think?"

  “Yes, I believe your assertion to be correct as usual. The demise of someone so esteemed as Tiberius in such a manner would be truly, unfortunate... Is there another matter you wish to discuss my Lord or may I have your leave?”

  “You may leave, but before you go you may be interested to hear that I have commissioned a new legion. It is quite unique and I wanted you to be the first to battle test it,” finished the emperor.

  “With pleasure,” said Malcus giving a nod of acknowledgment. Legatus Malcus then rose and began making movement toward the exit which stood at the other end of Maximillian's now nearly empty court. As Malcus reached the two large doors, one of which Zephir had just opened, he looked at Zephir and chuckled before officially making a prompt exit. This odd action simply added to Zephir's already overwhelming anxiety.

  Does he know? No, that's impossible, not even Tiberius knows.

  I need to reach Jaimus immediately.

  Hours had passed since Zephir had been relieved from his post. As a spy he had learned that there were times when one uncovered such pivotal and time sensitive information that it became prudent or even absolutely necessary to drop your cover and make a tactical retreat. This was one of those times; Zephir needed to deliver his intelligence directly to Jaimus and he didn't have time to go through the normal channels. This was an emergency which required all swiftness and tact, so as soon as he had been dismissed from duty, instead of going to the guard quarters, Zephir made way down to the
fortress at the bottom of Castle Mountain. His actions would no doubt bring unwanted attention, but Zephir no longer cared as Tiberius' very life depended on his current mission's success. Zephir's plan was simple, deliver the information to Jaimus then disappear, and as he hurried quickly across Northside's currently quiet, snow-covered streets, he quickened his already speedy pace.

  Zephir was finally nearing the library, now only a few blocks away, when he heard the distinctive crunch of a snow trudging footstep somewhere behind him. Zephir suddenly stopped, and as he turned to look behind he saw nothing but his own moon illuminated footsteps leading down toward the large, finely carved statue of the great First Emperor, Tiburon, which he had just walked beside only a moment ago. Zephir spoke with a loud voice in hopes that a simple bystander would respond, indirectly giving him assurance that he wasn't leading someone back to the library, back to Jaimus; or that an assassin wasn't awaiting in the shadows for the perfect moment to strike, “Hello, is anyone there?”

  No one responded to Zephir's inquest, so he turned, seeking to again make forward movement, pondering whether or not he should set a new course in hopes of losing any spy who was potentially stalking him. But as he turned, making a forward step, Zephir was immediately struck. Then again he was struck, and as he slowly fell onto his knees, Zephir looked down to see two long arrows sticking out of his chest. As he was struck a third and final time by an unseen archer who fired from an unknown forward location, cloaked in the darkness of the half moonlit night, he was caught by a stranger as he began the fall backward, choking to death as the arrows which punctured Zephir's lungs denied him of the breath needed to sustain life.

  After a few moments passed, one of Zephir's last conscious thoughts was pertaining to the sudden realization that the man who now held him was not his killer, but the man whom he had heard before, following him in the shadows. As his last act of loyalty to the honorable commander he served, the man who did not and likely never would know of his existence, loyalty, or courage, Zephir managed three last words before his eyes at last faded to lifelessness, “Must stop Malcus.”