Chapter 692: Fiery Reminders

Chapter 692: Fiery Reminders

Fiery Reminders

The merchants’ quarter lay just south of the Imperial palace district, making for a journey short enough to be made on foot. Although Martel had grown comfortable with riding, horses would have drawn a lot of attention, which the two hooded figures leaving the palace preferred to avoid.

As they reached where expensive residences became warehouses and smaller estates suitable for merchants, Martel thought about his few visits to this district. Of all the nine areas of Morcaster, he had probably been here the least. One sojourn remained particularly noteworthy, though; it was in an alley between two warehouses that Martel and the others had freed Atreus of his curse. Martel wondered where the Archean wizard might be in this moment.

“Hey, what will you do once all this is over? Assuming we can end the civil war,” Martel asked. “Remain as legate?”

“No.” While he could not see her shaking her head under the hood, he heard the rustle of fabric. “I thought that was my ambition, but it was really my father’s. Now I have obtained it, though not in any manner he expected. And I have found that it is either administrate tasks, which are cumbersome and dreary, or leading men into battle, which has lost its lustre of glory for me. No, the moment peace is assured, my prefect’s pin is gone.”

“So what will you do instead?”Discover new chapters at novelhall.com

“The treasury owes me a hefty sum at this point. I shall take all my pay and travel. I have been few places besides Morcaster and the eastern front. Neither hold much interest for me, so I should like to see somewhere else. Sindhu, the Western Isles, probably Aquila, where my family hails from.”

They continued in silence. Her words made Martel think about another district he had visited far more frequently, namely, the harbour. Sitting on the docks, either alone or in Shadi’s company, as they watched the ships enter and leave, trying to guess their origin or port of call. All the times he had dreamt of taking such a journey.

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They all saluted in response. “Sir!”

The pair continued, crossing the palace grounds. The faint moonlight gave an eerie mood, reflected in the white columns that flanked their approach. Martel recalled coming up this road, surrounded by soldiers to do battle with the Praetorian Guard. For some reason, the memory made him feel sick to his heart; if he had lacked motivation to end the civil war before, he found it now in abundance. Thinking back on that night, the assault on the palace had been a necessity, and Martel had never questioned it or been troubled by it in the slightest. Now, the thought of engaging in such slaughter with other Asterians, or anybody at all for that matter, wearied him beyond words. Especially if it could be avoided.

Their entrance to the palace itself caused a stir; legionaries began to run deeper into the complex. “What’s happening?” Martel asked brusquely.

“The legion prefect, sir, she’s here! She’s been looking for you, though I don’t know why,” the nearest soldier replied.

With a confused look exchanged between the two, they hurried onward until they saw Lara approach them with the same haste. “Captain, captain!”

“What is it?”

She reached them and lowered her voice. “Sorry, captain, they could not find you, so they sent for me at the fortress.”

“Yes, yes, now what’s going on?”

She took a deep breath before replying. “It is the emperor’s nephew, Prince Flavius. He has disappeared from his quarters.”