Adelfried

  The entry gate of the Cuāuhtli Empire greeted Adelfried, Federico, and Jim with oversized white and black signs that read, “Keep Walking,” in several languages, including English. They kept the pace as people continued to come through behind them. After a few more paces they entered a great lobby two stories tall with white stone walls. A two-story mural of a warrior holding a wooden sword standing over fallen conquistadors greeted them. The stoic warrior gazed out through an elaborate eagle headdress adorned with black and red feathers. Above him he held a wooden sword encrusted with diamond edges. Turquoise beams lit the surrounding battlefield where smaller Eagle Warriors dispatched metal clad conquistadors.

  Federico pointed to the large Eagle Warrior. “That is Tonatiuh, the revered Eagle God of the Cuāuhtli Empire. He’s nice enough but can be a real dick. But he loooves to talk about himself.” Federico pointed to the series of booths in the middle of the lobby they had to pass through. “We go through there and then we should be able to start our search.”

  Once at the booth Federico presented their paperwork to the agent who looked through them extensively. “I see you have an emergency visa that was approved under a probationary guideline. Please state the nature of your business within the empire?”

  Federico folded his hands together and spoke politely. “We are here for pleasure.”

  The agent flipped a piece of paper. “Emergency visas are not approved for pleasure. I’m going to have to call my supervisor.”

  No reason to wait. Adelfried pulled the totem Harold had provided and put in on the agent’s stand. “Will this speed things along?”

  The agent said, “I see.” He waved over a guard wearing green fatigues. “Please follow him.”

  Adelfried asked, “What is the problem?”

  The guard said, “No problem, sir. Please follow me.”

  Jim whispered to Adelfried, “Maybe we’re getting the VIP treatment. Better we go along.”

  They followed the guard through a door and a series of hallways, all very similar to the last airport they had gone through. All very drab and businesslike, but that seemed to be the way of this time. Finally, they went through one last door where a set of four men dressed as the Eagle Warriors from the mural waited, only instead of an eagle headdress, their heads and shoulders were of actual eagles. All four bowed to Adelfried politely. The Eagle Warrior with gold tipped beak spoke with a voice endowed with an eagle like screech. “Welcome, Adelfried the Wizard. Tonatiuh, Eagle God and Wizard High Chieftain of the Cuāuhtli Empire, welcomes you. He asks that you join him at the Jaguar Temple so that he may assist you in your business with the Cuāuhtli Empire.

  Adelfried sighed. “This is not necessary. I appreciate his offer, but we do have important matters to attend to.”

  “But Adelfried the Wizard, I am afraid the Eagle God insists, if only to ensure your matters are taken care of as quickly as possible.”

  Federico leaned in and whispered in Adelfried’s ear. “Tonatiuh probably doesn’t want a wizard stomping around in his patch. So, he probably just wants you in and out as fast as possible. This could be a good thing. The alternate is you just start smacking people around, but it doesn’t feel like it’s time for that.”

  More delays. But maybe the right delays will help. Adelfried cleared his throat. “We would be delighted.”

  They followed their escort out of the facility and into Cuāuhtli City, the capital of the empire. Colorful buildings from cornflower blue to burnt orange to hot pink and more lined the busy roads. Steam powered cars sputtering small puffs of white clouds jostled about. Vines, trees, and shrubs grew out of every available nook between road and building. The high pitch hum of the city was accented by the occasional honking car and distant train whistle. This glorious world held as much wonder as the land of above, if not more. If only Adelfried had the time to dive deeper.

  An open-air carriage held by the claws of a black and red eagle shaped dirigible floated down to them. A pilot in a dark green uniform waved them aboard. After stowing their bags and fastening their seatbelts the craft lifted into the air with surprising speed. The craft slotted into an aerial lane filled with other vehicles of various shapes and colors. The airship screeched and the surrounding craft dropped down and slowed as they soared past them at an almost airplane like speed. The grid framework of the city spread out below them, intersected by canal and railroad tracks. Tall buildings fit for any major above ground city towered over smaller apartment blocks and private homes. Directly ahead, a colossal, stepped pyramid capped with a golden dome grew as they approached, the Jaguar Temple presumably.

  Jim said quietly, “They like their showiness down here.”

  Federico huffed. “You don’t know the half of it. Don’t forget, Tonatiuh is their god. The less influence from the outside world, the better in his eyes. It’s kind of like North Korea, but way more functional and with magic.”

  Jim leaned over the side to get a better view of the city below. “Great. I’ll make sure to say only nice things.”

  Federico motioned to the four Eagle Warriors sitting behind them. “See that you do. Only Adelfried here can really speak plainly. We are ants as far as Tonatiuh is concerned. Ants that can be squashed.”

  The craft landed on the second step from the top of the pyramid, a plaza wide enough to play Evan’s, and now Adelfried’s favorite sport, baseball. Another guard of four Eagle Warriors greeted them when they landed and escorted them into the pyramid. Inside they came to a grand hall with massive carvings like the mural that greeted them when they arrived. To the side, a large array of musicians with drums and horns started to play. They were seated on one side of a large L-shaped table carved from a single piece of stone inlaid with red and blue gemstones. At the corner a gilded chair covered in black and white feathers sat empty.

  Servers dressed in drab dark tan sacks that had the appearance of rough leather appeared from a side door to deliver an elaborate feast. Some dishes were unfamiliar, like sliced fruits of different colors and delicious smelling porridges garnished with nuts and other spices. Some selections, such as leg of boar and pheasant, Adelfried recognized. After steaming pots of soups and flatbread were delivered, a series of large carafes of juice were placed on the table.

  Another server informed them that the emperor would arrive shortly, and they were to start without him. As they started on their food, the music picked up the tempo. Acrobats rushed onto a stage in front of them. After performing feats of extreme dexterity, they were followed by fire jugglers and then by a scantily clad troupe of dancers. While impressive, the wait for their host grew tiresome.

  Adelfried leaned over to Federico. “Is it always like this with the emperor?”

  Federico clapped as the dancers finished their act. “Oh no. He loves this type of thing. I surprised he isn’t here. It is usually much more involved. This is his small throne room.”

  Adelfried started to tap the table. The Eagle Warriors stood at attention lining the room. If they were watching them or staring at the wall, it was unclear. Adelfried stood and immediately a server rushed to his side. “How can I be of service?”

  “Where is the emperor?”

  The servant bowed, putting his head to the ground. “I do not know, I am but a worthless slave. Allow me to find someone who knows.”

  He rushed off and a few moments later a man wearing ornate woven cloth studded with gemstones appeared. His eagle headdress flowed with white feathers halfway down his back.

  The official dipped his head in a slight bow. “Adelfried the Wizard. Tonatiuh, Eagle God and Wizard High Chieftain of the Cuāuhtli Empire is coming. I will find out as soon as I can. Please sit.”

  “Inform him that we appreciate his hospitality, but we must attend to our business.”

  The official bowed lower, almost to his waist but remained standing. “Please, Adelfried the Wizard, you must stay. Is the feast and show not to your liking? Would you prefer naked dancing women? Or an animal show? Or perhaps a—”

  “The show is more than acceptable. We simply must be going.” Adelfried waved for Federico and Jim to get up.

  As soon as they rose, the percussive clacking of wooden drums started. A tall man with an eagle headdress approached flanked by ten Eagle Warriors. His bare muscled chest sparkled unnaturally gold. His ornate loin cloth glittered with shiny red and blue stones. His eyes blazed turquoise from delicately cut faceted gemstones attached to his eyes. Federico, along with everyone in the room, except Jim and Adelfried, bowed as Tonatiuh approached. “Honored guests. It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Cuāuhtli Empire.”

  Adelfried swallowed his frustration as best he could. “Thank you for your hospitality. It has been a very lovely feast, and the entertainment is very…entertaining.” What else was he supposed to say?

  Tonatiuh sat in the gilded chair and slaves hurried to him with drinks and to put food on his plate. “I wish I could have been here sooner, but business of the empire took me away I’m afraid.”

  Adelfried sat back down. “Yes, I am sure running this place takes a lot of work. So, I hope to not trouble you too much. I am here because my friends and family were brought down here against their will, and I am going to find them.”

  At the word family Jim turned to Adelfried a little surprised but inclined his head in approval.

  Tonatiuh lifted a golden goblet encrusted with red gems and took a sip. “I assume you are referring to the house that was extracted in the topside town of Houston?”

  Adelfried held firm not showing any outward emotions. Tonatiuh knew all about the house. Was this an admission of guilt? Was he responsible for having it dropped? Better to wait to see what he knows before showing any emotions. “Yes.”

  “That,” Tonatiuh said twisting his goblet in his hand causally, “was an unfortunate action to take near the very edge of my empire. Which I can assure you was not done with my blessing. We have very strict policies when it comes to interacting with topsiders.”

  Was he being honest? The whole speech felt prepared. “And were there any survivors or items extracted?”

  He set his goblet down and reviewed the colorful bejeweled rings on his fingers, twisting one to make sure it was perfectly aligned. “The house was very damaged as you can expect. But the overall structure did survive the fall, somewhat. The basement was built surprisingly well and acted as a sort of battering ram and base that kept the home together. My jaguars that investigated the scene reported no survivors.”

  Jim snapped, “No survivors? How—”

  Tonatiuh’s hand flew up to silence Jim. “There were no bodies that we could extract. There were, however, extensive tracks leading to and from the house. There was also a barrier of some skill that prevented further examining the site. In fact, we did recover one body from the site, that of a known Zapatista Rebel from the north country.”

  “My question is.” Tonatiuh held an accusatory finger up in the air. “Did you plant a weapon in that home as a way of providing aid to the rebels?”

  Jim barked back, “No! I’m here to find my son and daughter. We’re not aiding anyone. I didn’t know your stu…kingdom existed until a few days ago.”

  Tonatiuh gave Jim a sidelong glance as if trying to ascertain his guilt or punish his insolence but then turned to Adelfried. “You mention items extracted. So naturally, I think, what items were sent down to the rebels?”

  Jim took a breath to yell, but Adelfried put hand on his arm to calm him. “I assure you we are not here to help anyone and what was in the house is of no use.”

  Tonatiuh leaned back in his chair but did not look convinced. “The reason I ask is that since the house fell, we have had a string of unlikely events which appear to have only one purpose, to destabilize the empire. We have had multiple assaults on my Jaguar Warriors. In this city, a city with no weather, a tornado appeared out of nowhere.” Tonatiuh stamped a finger down hard on the table. “There were two attacks, just today, in two separate towns in the north. So, you will understand if I ask a lot of questions, and…you should have no problem telling me what it is in the house that you seek?”

  This didn’t feel like an interrogation, but more like a distraction, but better to be straight and to the point. “It is a concrete sphere with a magical barrier around it. It is an heirloom of my family of great personal value. Now, what do you know of the survivors or whereabouts of the people who did this?

  Tonatiuh considered Adelfried’s words for a long pause. “Interesting. And the heirloom, as you call it, doesn’t happen to be the most powerful source of magical energy to have ever existed?”

  Adelfried tried not to look shocked. How could he know about the Root? Minna had said no one would know what it was from looking at it? Unless someone had told him. Told the empire. Harold? The mole?

  Tonatiuh narrowed his disturbing turquoise eyes. “You hide your feelings well. But I will dispense with the games. I know you did not mean for the Root to come here, so I do not blame you for all that has happened. Nor do I blame the people in the house. The question remains, who? Who is responsible for this? To that, I believe I have the answer. I tracked two mages who entered through an old passage into the empire that is not officially sanctioned. In fact, only a mage or wizard could use such an entrance. Those two mages, one I am familiar with, not only set off the tornado, but also visited a known rebel cell just an hour ago. The same rebel cell responsible for dropping the house, your family, and the Root. I think it is pretty clear that they are the ones responsible for all of this. They could very well have the Root in their possession as we speak.”

  Tonatiuh put a photo on the table. “This is who you are looking for.” In the picture, Red and another man dressed in purple spoke to a lady in wide hat and red scarf. Red had to be the mole. It all made sense. He was after the Root the moment he found out about it. To heal his wife? Gain power? Was he in league with Harold? No, he had fought them off. He had helped them get to Ying and saved the Harpers. All so he could get the Root no doubt. He knew where the house was and arranged for the theft. Little good it would do him though with the barrier in place. Of course, Red wouldn’t know about that because he had left before Minna had put the protection around it.

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  As Adelfried tried to piece the puzzle together Tonatiuh pointed at Jim. “I will tell you this, but do not get your hopes up until I have finished. A teenaged girl arrived in a hospital with a broken arm and internal bleeding at about the same time as the house extraction. This was in the northern most town of Arcilla. She told us her name was Kae Harper.”

  Jim inhaled sharply. “That’s my daughter!”

  Tonatiuh raised his hand dismissively. “We were seeing to her care in our hospital, and she was under constant protection until just less than an hour ago, when she was abducted. Only two powerful mages could have done such a thing. That is what I was unfortunately tending to just moments ago. Once we find them, they will be dealt with severely. You have my word on that.”

  Why would Red abduct Kae if he had the Root? What possible motive would he have? Would Red do this? He did not strike Adelfried as a dishonest man. He was quite the opposite, unafraid to tell the truth about Ying’s fate when he had all the reasons to lie. Too many things didn’t match up, not enough answers. It was time for action.

  Adelfried rose from his chair. “We should go. Now. I want to see where Kae was abducted from. They could still be in the area”

  Tonatiuh jerked forward for his chair. “Arcilla is still an active scene. There could additional assailants lurking in the shadows. The whole town is on lockdown. No, I am afraid I will not allow it. I cannot be held responsible if you or any in your party were to get injured.”

  Jim had already got to his feet, so Adelfried motioned for Federico to rise, which he did slowly probably not to offend Tonatiuh. Adelfried leaned forward starring directly at Tonatiuh, “Do not worry about my safety. Worry about the safety of the people who took Kae and those who will get in my way.” Adelfried gazed around the room, letting every warrior know that they were included in that threat if needed. He continued, “There were two more in the house. What do you know of their whereabouts?”

  Tonatiuh again was slow to respond. He was calculating a response as if trying to shape too fine of a point on the words he was about to say. “I do not know their location. I can only assume they survived because of all the foot traffic leading in and out of the house. But with the barrier I cannot be certain. I know that there was no smell of rotting corpses, so one can assume they left the house.”

  Adelfried started back the way they had come. “Thank you for all your help. We will visit the house after Arcilla. Now, will someone be showing me the way? Or shall I get there myself?”

  Tonatiuh got to his feet quickly. “Please. Allow me to escort you myself.” He clapped his hands. “Prepare the coach.”

  Slaves rushed about cleaning the table and to direct Adelfried and his group towards an elevator. After a quick ride down the pyramid, they ended up in a small foyer with a heavy spool of wires coming in from all directions. A spool room, just like they had used in Egypt, transportation across the empire no doubt. A small metal box with seats for seven waited in the corner.

  Tonatiuh motioned to the box. “Please take a seat and we will go.”

  As they filed in, including two gold beaked Eagle Warriors and a pilot in the front, a slave fastened a wire from the coach to one of the wires from the spool.

  The same feel as being pulled down a long extremely slim tunnel rushed at Adelfried, like being miniaturized for an instant and then normality rushed back at him. Once on the other side, they had gone nowhere. They were in the same room.

  Tonatiuh barked, “What is the meaning of this? Why haven’t we moved?”

  The pilot apologetically put both hands in the air. “Pardon, my lord. There seems to be a cut in the line, and we automatically bounced back.”

  The pilot pulled a map and some kind of radio out of a pocket in the coach. He started asking for the status of various lines and finally put the device away. “I just confirmed the line was cut near Arcilla. The best I can do is get you within walking distance.”

  The emperor smacked his hand against the coach. “Outrageous. The work of those two mages, no doubt. Get us as close as you can, right now!”

  “Yes, my lord.” The pilot jumped out of his seat and reset the wire attached to the coach to another wire on the spool. After jumping back in the coach, again the odd sensation and this time they appeared in a different spool room. A sign in the room read, “Chihuahua.”

  Federico leaned out of the coach and said, “If we’re in Chihuahua, we’re going the wrong way. We need to go west, not north.”

  The pilot pulled the map out again. “Yes, we are having to reroute quite a bit. Now if you will all just hold one second, we will be on our way.”

  After multiple times being sucked down the straw and the better part of an hour they finally arrived at “Galveztown.”

  The pilot let out a sigh. “This is as close as I can get you until the line is repaired. You can take a crawler from here to Arcilla.

  One of the Eagle Warriors went ahead as everyone filed out of the coach and made their way into town. Galveztown shared similarities with the capital, if only on a much smaller scale. Roughly a fourth of the size of the capital, the sheer scale still impressed Adelfried. Instead of a turquoise sky, the bare dirt and stone walls were visible, with a massive metal frame bracing the dome above as if it was built with older technology. This city dome, while impressive, did not reach nearly as high as the capital giving the city an almost claustrophobic feel. Scaffolding covered areas where dozens of slaves worked high up on the wall. Below a large building halfway through construction, several stories high, also swarmed with slaves. Adelfried was starting to get an understanding of how this wonderful world functioned, slave power.

  After several minutes of waiting for a vehicle to arrive to take them on the final leg, Jim came over to Adelfried, clearly distressed. “I just wanted to thank you for making that damn basement so strong. I…” His words caught in his throat. “I know you didn’t mean for any of this to happen and I can’t but still blame you a little for dragging us into this mess, but damn if you aren’t a man of your word. You said that basement was strong, and it was.” He grabbed Adelfried in a tight hug. “So…thank you for that. That might just be what saved Evan and Kae’s life.”

  “Of course.” Adelfried squeezed him back. “Anything I can ever do. I meant what I said, you are all my family as far as I am concerned. You know that, right?”

  Jim pulled away wiping his eyes and nodded. No need for words. Jim knew it, but it was a comfort for Adelfried to reaffirm that with him.

  Adelfried motioned Federico over trying not to tear up himself. “Do you think the emperor is intentionally stalling us? This whole situation feels, as Evan is fond of saying, sus.”

  Federico having noticed Jim and Adelfried’s moment was gracious enough not to mention it and focused on Adelfried’s words instead. “Something is off. I am not sure what. But I find it hard to believe that the emperor would ever allow it take this long to get somewhere in his empire, especially with as many wires as they have laid.”

  Adelfried titled his head in agreement. “What do you think is the best way to get to this town, Arcilla?”

  “Like the pilot said, find a tunnel crawler, which is just a fancy way of saying car, but apparently that is what they are trying to get.”

  “Finally!” Tonatiuh called out as if it was his time to speak in a rehearsed play designed to stretch out the delay as long as possible without raising concern. “Transportation has arrived.” He waved them over to a long bronze tube fitted out with azure tinted glass windows, chrome bumpers, and an impressive array of bright headlights. Small puffs of steam leaked out of the rear engine of the bus. The spikey metal wheels with five spokes each, felt more appropriate on an old steam train or stagecoach than a bus.

  After filing through the front door, another odd thing happened. The same pilot from the coach took the driver’s seat. Would you have the same driver be the expert of multiple modes of transportation? Could be a coincidence or something more devious.

  Once loaded with everyone from the coach plus an extra contingent of Eagle Warriors, they took off, slowly, as if Jim were driving to the grocery store. Adelfried, Jim and Federico sat near the front of the bus a row behind the emperor. They drove through a few streets and turned off into a wide hole in the side of the town dome. The headlamps lit the straight tunnel providing an impressive range of visibility.

  Jim whispered. “This is intentional.”

  He was right, and Adelfried was done with the games. He leaned over the driver’s shoulder. The speedometer read just over sixty-five kph or forty mph. “We must go faster.”

  The driver said, as if he was ready with a canned response, “This is as fast as this bus will go. See?” He motioned to his foot on the accelerator which was all the way to the ground.

  The urge to start smashing things started to grow in Adelfried, but that would do no good. He knew better. There had to be a way to speed things along though. “This vehicle is steam and ESH powered, yes?”

  Tonatiuh put a hand gently on Adelfried’s arm. “Yes. I am sorry this is taking so long. These are extenuating circumstances. But rest assured, I have jaguars on site. They will be tracking and finding Kae Harper soon enough.”

  Adelfried moved to the back of the bus where he could hear the engine chugging rhythmical underneath a panel. “I will simply help speed things along.”

  Adelfried put his hand on the engine, feeling it’s mechanical movement and interlocking clocklike motions. The system had a beautiful logic to it. He pushed a small current of magic into the wall of the engine and the bus surged forward.

  Jim looked down the tunnel and back to Adelfried and pointed upwards. “Give it some more juice.”

  Adelfried flooded the engine with a surge of magic. The bus sped down the tunnel. Someone yelped. The level of anxiety in the bus went up. Hands grabbed seats. Wind whirred at the cracks in the window. Federico looked back, open mouthed in amazement.

  Tonatiuh said quietly, “Very good.” But his tone was unconvincing.

  They kept the blinding pace for several minutes until the driver finally cried out, “Okay. Okay. We are here, please slow, or we will crash.”

  Adelfried released his hand, and they rolled into town, stopping the bus in front of a small two-story hospital. The engine knocked and smelled of burnt plastic, but they had made it.

  Jim immediately pointed at a park to the side of the hospital. Scattered throughout the park were burnt shrubs, small craters, and dried blood. A serious battle had happened there. Ignoring the emperor waving them into the hospital, Adelfried, Jim, and Federico went straight to the park. Instead of finding precision strikes and carefully focused blasts of two mages battling soldiers, there was chaos. So many missed shots and blood everywhere. Sure, deflections and collateral damage happen, but not this. What magic would cause that?

  Jim bent down to examine the torn remains of a jaguar warrior’s uniform, the upper portion that covered their head and shoulders. It had animal bite marks in it.

  Jim pointed to a small indention in the bloody mud near the edge of the pond. “That is a dog print. A large dog print.” He rose glancing around the park. “But spacing between prints is huge. Maybe running? It doesn’t make any…oh shit.” He rose quickly. “This was Zarg!” He grabbed the jaguar pelt. “I don’t think Kae was kidnapped. I think she was rescued.”

  A chill settled over Adelfried. They were being lied to. But what was really going on? “Keep looking. We need to find out what happened here. But Jim, stay close to me. Federico, be ready to protect yourself. I think it is going to get ugly very soon.”

  They kept their going through the scene. It was obvious someone had already come and doctored it. No bodies, and only one bit of evidence of a downed jaguar. What were they hiding?

  They continued to scour the area until Federico motioned them over and pointed to a small shred of grey fabric poked out at the edge of a pool of blood. Sov grey fabric.

  Harold. It was always Harold. Why had Adelfried even tried to believe his brother’s lies? He knew who Harold was, but yet, he wanted to believe him. There was no doubt Harold had a hand in this, but how? “Federico.” Adelfried kept his voice low as the Tonatiuh and his delegation of Eagle Warriors had followed the trio into the park to observe them. “The turquoise over the emperor’s eyes, are those purely decorative?”

  Federico shrugged. “They’re ceremonial, usually for important occasions.”

  Adelfried nodded. “So, if I take them off, it won’t cause him any harm?”

  Jim gasped quietly, “You don’t think…”

  Adelfried snatched up the bloody grey cloth and showed it to Jim.

  Jim shook his head. “How do we approach this? Do we try to tell his guards? They may not believe us.”

  Jim was right. This would get ugly very quickly. Adelfried counted over twenty warriors in total now in and around the park. He had to unmask him before the warriors attacked or Jim and Federico might not make it. And even if he did, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t attack anyway. Maybe they were all Sovs too. This could be a Sov empire for all he knew. Probably not, Minna would have known, probably. Hopefully.

  Federico spoke quietly. “Take him aside…maybe say you don’t trust one of his guards. Meanwhile Jim and I will try to get a word with the Eagle Warrior with a gold tipped beak. He will be the one in charge if the emperor turns out to be a Sov. They might believe us, if you can get those eyes exposed.”

  Risky, but better a risk than a full-on confrontation. Adelfried nodded in agreement.

  Adelfried folded the cloth in his hands concealing it from view and headed towards Tonatiuh who still stood with his Eagle Warriors flanking him on either side as if ready for a confrontation.

  Tonatiuh noticed Adelfried’s hand dipped in blood from picking up the cloth. “What did you find?”

  Adelfried didn’t say anything but motioned for Tonatiuh to join him with as much subtlety as he could.

  Tonatiuh gave him a knowing nod and approached. When he got near Adelfried started to walk away from the group and nodded for Tonatiuh to follow. He did. Everyone, even an emperor driven by the Sovereign Sect, loved a juicy secret. Adelfried continued to put distance between the Eagle Warriors with a slow pace, hopefully giving Federico and Jim as much time as possible. Satisfied they were out of ear shot and he had bought as much time as possible he pulled the cloth from his pocket and whispered, “I think one of your guards has been turned by the Sovereign Sect.”

  The emperor took the cloth to examine it closely. “You’re sure, from just this one piece of cloth?”

  “I know the Sovs very well. This is cloth is from one of their cloaks.”

  Tonatiuh hesitated, unsure what to say. “What do you think we should do?”

  An idea came to Adelfried. Kill two eagles with one stone. “First, make them show their eyes. That way you can be certain none of your personal guard are Sovs. Then we can expand the search outward.”

  “My elite Eagle Warriors would never be so foolish to be caught and turned by a Sov. We have very strict procedures in place. Besides, the Sovereign Sect is a friend of the Cuāuhtli Empire. Why would they do something so bold?”

  “Maybe to stir up trouble with topside? I don’t know, but I do know this cloth is from a Sov cloak. And we need to at least rule them out to be certain.

  The emperor looked back at his guards, but Adelfried knew he had him fooled. By putting the suspicion on them, Tonatiuh, the Sov puppet, wouldn’t feel like he was going to be revealed.

  “Fine. I will prove to you that not only is my guard untouchable, but that the Sovereign Sect is perfectly harmless and only means good to the empire. Not that the same can be said for the Wrecht Order.” Tonatiuh marched back to his guard who didn’t show any emotions through their artificial eagle masks. Hopefully, that had been enough time for Jim and Federico to work.

  “Everyone, remove your masks, immediately,” Tonatiuh ordered.

  The eagles looked from Reggie and Jim to each other a little confused but complied. This would ensure they only had one Sov in their midst. Jim and Federico inspected each closely and luckily, every eagle was in fact not a Sov.

  Tonatiuh waved his hand dramatically. “Satisfied?”

  Adelfried bowed. “Thank you.” He focused across the air between him and Tonatiuh and on the turquoise lenses in his eyes. Real mineral, cut very thin. Impressive. An enchantment fastened each to an eyeball. He couldn’t remove them without tearing his eyes out. He would have to destroy the lenses with a focused force where they were. Luckily, manipulating rock and stone was one thing Adelfried excelled at. He’d built and finished the castle by himself before there were magical teachers and classes. “That will make this much easier, Harold.”

  He crushed the lenses. The fine green grit that was once a whole stone lost their enchantment. With a final gentle magical tug, the grit floated away revealing sullen grey eyes.

  Half the Eagle Warriors drew their macuahuitls, the other half looked to each other, unsure what to do.

  Gold Beak screeched, “You are not fit to be emperor.”

  Tonatiuh let out a belly laugh, clapping his hands. “Very good. I must say, impressive how you had me check for you.”

  Tonatiuh pointed at the guards. “I am the emperor, take these men into custody at once.”

  Adelfried focused a shield around himself and Jim instantly. He wasn’t sure what would happen if he split his energy three ways. Besides Federico was a mage himself, or hopefully close to it by now. He could protect himself assuming Tonatiuh was still only a mage as well.

  Gold Beak pointed his macuahuitl at Tonatiuh. “Surrender, or I will cut you down where you stand.”

  Tonatiuh held his hands above his head. Obsidian black ESH arced up to a point of concentration before branching downward onto everyone around him. Adelfried, Jim, and Federico’s shields absorbed the attack without effort. Most of the Eagle Warriors deflected the strike with outstretched macuahuitls. The remaining third of succumbed to the charcoal death, screaming with horror. The smell of burnt flesh and hair filled the park. Tonatiuh struck again but with direct bolts at his warriors and three more fell, but Gold Beak spun his blade, sending the bolt back at Tonatiuh. He fell back. Black ash covered his arm where the bolt had landed.

  Tonatiuh winced. He formed his arms in preparation for another attack when blood sprayed from a hole in his arm. And another hole ripped open. Jim had fired rocks through the momentary break in Tonatiuh’s shield. Clever.

  Adelfried’s hesitance to kill the emperor held steady. Should he terminate him just because he had become a Sov? Was it his place? He needed to incapacitate him at least.

  “Enough!” Tonatiuh screamed. “Addy. We will speak very soon. No more killing in my soon to be kingdom.” Tonatiuh threw his hands down. A cloud of dust thick as fog shot up from the ground. Everywhere was now dark brown. Adelfried coughed as the fine particles of dust choked the air. He tried to sense the area around him. Figures moved all directions. ESH strikes and swinging of macuahuitls blurred. People screamed and thrashed. A moment later he saw Gold Beak, shown through the dust waving his hands, as dust started to fall to the ground. The entire park and surrounding buildings were now covered in a fine umber soot. Adelfried coughed, clearing his throat and could now breathe the freshly cleaned air.

  Federico lay on his side, a gash of black on his hip dripped crimson blood. He hacked a few times. His voice trembled. “I…I couldn’t hold off his attack.”

  Guilt struck Adelfried as he rushed to him. “Please, hurry! We need to get him to the hospital. Does someone have a stretcher?

  Gold Beak barked orders. Warriors moved about in haste. A door opened from the hospital and a stretcher appeared to carry Federico in.

  Once Federico had been carted off, Gold Beak kneeled in front of Adelfried. “Emperor Adelfried, what are your commands?”