Chapter 20
***
A dusky sky greeted Listan as he stepped out the front door.
Aiden was waiting for him to see him off. As he made his way to the carriage, a faint beam of light caught the edge of Listan's vision.
It was the woman's room.
It was on the third floor, where the terrace opened onto an oak grove. It was on the same floor as Listan's master bedroom.
His gaze was drawn like a magnet to the bright light. He imagined what might be going on in the woman's space.
‘Is she finally coming to her senses?’
The lack of activity inside the mansion suggested otherwise.
The light was bright enough to see that the woman was at least slightly awake. He caught a glimpse of a shadow moving about.
Was it her?
The small size of the figure came to mind, and he quickly decided it wasn't her.
The silhouette was too large and frantic to be Audrey Eckbon. Audrey Eckbon moved like her body. Careful and light. Her movements were soft and slow, like the fluttering of a butterfly's wings, yet neat and swift.
For three days now, Mrs. Zendle and Meti had been at her side, and doctor Rico had not left the mansion. It was Listan's orders.
The woman was vital to this country. The most powerful hand for success must be handled well.
But she was an unfinished weapon, so it was only natural that she needed to be tended to. If she was sick, it was best to feed her and nurse her back to health.
As Listan continued to think, a scene flashes through his mind.
Meti's voice trembled as he asked what was wrong, and she fidgeted anxiously as she searched for her brother. Before she could finish explaining, he ran to where the woman was leaning on her side.
A bloodless face. Her eyelids slammed shut with no sign of life, and her tiny body eventually collapsed, the sparkle in her eyes gone.
As the images of that day flashed through his mind, Listan felt a sudden unease. It was an unexplained discomfort, but as always, he quickly found a reason for it.
In the end, Listan's thoughts and feelings boil down to changing the Empire.
Revolution, revolution, revolution.
His head was full of it, and his life and routine consisted of nothing but it.
The Amber Kaida was the most important tool for the reform of the Reuben Empire, and it was natural to feel uneasy when she got sick.
"Aiden."
Listan called to him as he stood quietly.
"Keep Rico in the mansion until she's better, and tell them to keep her well fed."
"Yes, sir."
"Tell Mrs. Zendle to suspend all training until she's strong enough."
"Yes, sir."
Glancing at the third floor one last time, Listan climbed into the waiting carriage. His eyes narrowed briefly before he schooled his expression.
"Let's go."
He opened the window and a blast of cold air rushed in, but he left it open and glanced outside. The passing landscape was the same as always.
The gray winter was just like him.
It was the same color as Listan's heart and the same temperature as his life. There was no excitement about it. It was a heavy life, but he was used to it, so he didn't mind.
The color of early morning was not so different from winter. The cold, damp air reminded him of the scene where the woman had collapsed. Even the faint scent of fresh air wafting from the bathroom touched the tip of his nose.
His eyebrows knitted together in displeasure, he opened the cigar case that was always at the ready in the carriage. He snapped off the cap and lit a cigar. He took a deep drag.
"Ha."
He exhaled long and hard, the rich cedar flavor spreading quickly through the carriage, clearing his mind of unnecessary thoughts.
The carriage drove through the gardens, up the long driveway, and out of the manor's gates.
Behind Listan's back, dawn was breaking over the oak grove.
***
Arriving at the army headquarters, Listan rode through the barracks.
He usually started his day by rising at dawn and running through the oak grove and around the manor, but not today.
He spent his precious morning in his bedroom, thinking useless thoughts about the woman. He'd spent more time in the carriage than he'd intended.
The unrealized passage of time was longer and faster than he felt it.
After a run and a workout in the headquarters gym, he showered and headed straight for the commander's office. Major Hern was waiting for him in the hallway.
The polite major greeted him with a sword-like drop. After a brief moment of silence, Listan led the way into the office, followed by the major.
Peter Hern was Listan's associate, and he too harbored revolutionary intentions. Though not a nobleman, he was the son and heir of considerable wealth.
Listan had once saved his life in the Baltic War, one of the many conquests of the impetuous Emperor Dvor.
The final battle was a ferocious brawl. In a hail of bullets, Listan had struck first, just before the enemy's sword slashed at Peter's throat.
"Sit down."
He stepped into the office and sat down, offering Major Hern the seat to his right.
"My father has returned."
Listan gave him a look, and Major Hern cut to the chase.
"He found it?"
Major Hern’s father, Emil, ran a large trading post. He also owned a diamond mine. He was not a nobleman, but he had more wealth than any nobleman in the Empire.
It was Listan who saved the life of Peter Hern, the only child of the Hern family.
Generation after generation of warlike play had diminished Cliffrid's fortune unstoppably, and the nation's debt had grown.
To make up for it, the emperor increased taxes by every name imaginable. The burden fell on the merchants and the common people who had to make ends meet.
With all of these new and expanding taxes, the Hern family's annual taxes grew enormously. When Emil Hern learned through secret sources that the taxes were being used to fund the emperor's bizarre marsh walls and war games, he was furious.
His anger at the Grand Duke and the current imperial family for saving his son's life led him to join the revolution.
The first meeting between Emil Hern and Listan was the last, as the Emperor's eyes were everywhere. Instead, the message between them came through Peter.
"He says he hasn't found it yet, but."
Major Hern hastened to add, in case Listan was disappointed.
"He says he's going to the North Sea again soon, where we'll surely find what we're looking for."
"I understand the North Sea is quite a distance away."
He meant it would take too long. There was less than a year to go until the day Arcana decided to proceed with the plan.
The North Sea was a country on the other side of the world from Reuben. Emil Hern had gotten word through his son that they had information that what they were looking for was somewhere on an island surrounded by the sea.
"He said they would be leaving on a speedboat sometime next week. He also told me not to worry, that whatever happened, they wouldn't be gone for more than half a year."
"What about the personnel?"
"He's going with his henchmen from his organization."
Hern organization had a long history.
The men who have been there for generations had a great deal of trust in each other, and because they handled so many valuable items, they were quite capable of guarding and securing them.
The combat capabilities of the men in the Hern organization were comparable to mercenaries.
"I see. Please tell them to return safely."
"Yes, Commander."
With a final reminder to let him know if he needed anything, their conversation ended.
Alone, Listan pushed himself to his feet. He stood by the window and looked out over the sprawling grounds of the army headquarters. The grand palace-like buildings and the spacious barracks where soldiers trained daily.
Beyond, the Bos Strait, which led to the sea, flowed by. The water glistened in the rising sun. Soon, the sun, in its full glory, illuminated every inch of the capital.
The sun. A golden sun.
The blinding light pierced the glass of the window where he stood. It was scattered and sharp.
The light was warm, but destructive. Just as the brilliant sun could blind the eyes.
Listan closed his eyes, unable to face the beam of light.
***
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