Chapter XII - Part II

Definition:

Silt - a name used to describe those of criminal blood, also meaning mud

Chapter XII - Part II

"Send for my carriage!" the Emperor commanded.

"Yes, of course, Your Grace," Fowler bowed before scrabbling off.

News of Sencor had been troubling him for some time. It was about time he went there himself. The guards had all left, talk about loyal servants. And the prisoners were all scattered. Some of them had died in the explosion, some of them due to hunger. Without anyone giving them food every day, they must have been quite helpless yet aggressive. It had been seventeen days already without sedatives. It was only a matter of time before they became a problem again.

"Contemplating about life, Hugo?" he heard a soft voice behind his back.

"You could say so," he answered wit a smile on his face.

Adelaide Rowley was one of his oldest friends and most trusted advisors. She was still unmarried, as was he. So naturally, everyone had expected them to marry. Even the Emperor, or Hugo, as Adelaide called him, had wished so but it just wasn't bound to happen.

She pushed her white hair behind her ear and leaned lazily against the throne that was reserved for the nonexistent empress. Her hazel eyes pierced through him. She was the only one that could make Hugo feel that way.

"I'm driving to Sencor. I've been pushing it forward for too long," he said and Adelaide nodded.

"You have," she agreed. "Just don't rush into any decisions while there."

"I was hoping you might come along and keep me from that."

Adelaide tilted her head a bit. "I'll come... on one condition."

Anything, he thought but his words stayed reserved. "You and your conditions. What is it?"

"We leave the hideous carriage here and take mine instead," she answered with a smirk.

"The Emperor's carriage is his trademark."

"The Emperor's carriage smells like death. You need to bring hope to these people, Hugo. They lost their homes, their family members. And you want to go to them in the carriage that brings them the fear of executions," her eyes lit up almost looking like they once had.

"They're just Silt. I doubt they have that kind of..."

"They're just Silt?" The fire in her eyes was still there but it was now flooded with tears.

"I'm so sorry, Adelaide. I didn't mean it like that." In fact, he had meant it exactly like that. He had just forgotten that his darling Adelaide had criminal blood, too.

"Who am I to say what you should or shouldn't believe," she said holding back tears.

Hugo tried to reach for her hand but she pulled it away wrapping her arms around herself.

"You are my wisest advisor, my truest friend," he said trying to make it better.

"As your advisor, I suggest you think more before you say something." She turned around and walked away.

"Khm," he heard a cough. Fowler was back and he looked even more full of himself than usual.

"Your carriage is ready, Your Grace," he announced.

The Emperor tried to take Adelaide's advice whenever possible but he also had a reputation to keep.

The road to Sencor wasn't long but it took a few hours to reach there. He could already see the remnants from a distance. At least the walls were still standing. As the carriage rolled in from the main gate, he could sense the smell of ash and burned flesh. To his surprise, a lot of the prisoners were still in town. They were sweeping the streets, cleaning fish, making fires. Only stopping to take a look at his carriage, their eyes filled with hate and fear.

They came to a halt in the central square. The Emperor stepped out of his carriage and was immediately surrounded by his personal bodyguards, the Night Ravens. A young guard approached him and bowed.

"Your Grace," he said, "I'm here to report the state."

The Emperor nodded. "Report then!"

"Approximately 300 prisoners are still in Sencor, about as many are in camps around the city. We have discovered six camps, the furthest of them is right by Carran, the closest only a day from here."

He wished he had been able to ask Adelaide for advice. Should I bring the prisoners back to Sencor? What should I do about the guards that escaped? he thought to himself.

"What about the guards?" he asked and saw the messenger blushing.

"Most of them escaped during the explosion, Your Grace. Some even left their families behind." He hesitated before continuing. "We discovered ten guards dead by one of the camps."

That was it then. The Silt was already attacking others. They were a threat that needed handling.

"Thank you for your report! You are excused!" he said and watched the boy bow twice before taking off.

"Send for Captain Bonestair," he ordered one of his guards. The man in the black armor was fast. In less than a minute the head of his armies was in front of him.

"Your Grace," Captain Bonestair lowered his head not bowing like the idiots the Emperor was used to. It was one of the reasons the Captain had gained his favor.

"Captain," he responded with a nod. "I want this city manned again."

"I'll deal with it personally, Your Grace."

"Good. Has all of the sencurium been taken to safety?"

"The last carriage will leave tonight."

"There's one more thing, Captain," the Emperor hesitated a bit but knew it would be for the best.

"I want the camps taken care of. Leave no survivors," he ordered.

Captain's face revealed nothing. "Yes, Your Grace!" he nodded and got off to work. Another good trait.

Hugo knew that Adelaide wouldn't have approved the decision. There wasn't really a need to kill them all, but it was the simplest way to get rid of the problem. They were becoming a threat to the honest citizens of his empire.