“Tagerill was having too much fun,” Jerrol said as Birlerion strolled up to join them, busy slotting his retrieved arrows back into his quiver. “Nice shot,” Jerrol complimented him. Birlerion grinned. “But seriously, Kirshans.” Jerrol turned back to Jennery. “We had to lead them away from the Chapterhouse.”
Jennery paled. “How many?”
“Well, Birlerion here dispatched four of them, but there could be more. Let’s go and speak to the Chancellor and find out.” He led the way around the side of the palace to the elegant glass doors standing open to the terrace.
“Do you think he is still here?” Jennery asked, following him. “I expect he is long gone. He’s the type to save his neck and worry about the rest later,” he commented, gazing around him, his opinion of the Chancellor clear.
“Best to check though. I need to speak to him,” Jerrol said as he contemplated the mess. They had entered through the glass doors into a long antechamber; chairs were in disarray, papers scattered across the floor. He peered into what used to be the King’s study: a small carpeted room which faced the formal gardens. He found a similar trail of destruction. “The King is not going to be happy,” he murmured to himself as he returned to the ballroom.
“How did you convince Nikols to agree to all this?” Jerrol indicated the King’s Rangers setting up patrols around the grounds.
“I told him you were arresting the Chancellor on charges of treason, usurping the powers of the King, and consorting with enemies of the crown. He leapt at it. I think he was just waiting for the right opportunity, especially when I told him you were on the way to save the King.” Jennery paused and looked around. “Shouldn’t you be off saving the King? We’ve got this,” he said with a grin.
“I was hoping to have a chat with the Chancellor,” Jerrol said as a captain of the rangers entered the ballroom.
“Haven,” he called across the room. “He’s not here.”
Jerrol raised his hand in acknowledgement and the man left. “Well, I guess we’ll head up to New Vespers.” He scowled, thinking fast. “See if you can keep any more assassins off our tail. And don’t form up to storm the new palace until I give the signal. I need to make sure we’ve secured the King first.”
Jennery gripped his arm. “I’ll wait for Nikols to come up before we follow. Take your Sentinals; they are waiting by the front gate for you. This is a good day’s work, go finish it.”
“Very well, see you later,” he said. At his signal, the two Sentinals fell in behind him, and they made their way to the front entrance, where he collected the rest of his Sentinals.
Darllion grinned as he saw Jerrol. “Captain, the scholars are safe. The Chapterhouse is secure. Lieutenant Jennery brought the King’s Rangers, and they quelled those soldiers soon enough. They seemed quite eager to surrender,” he said with a frown.
“Doesn’t surprise me.” Jerrol mounted Zin’talia again. “The Chancellor does not seem to have instilled much in the way of loyalty.” He grunted as he shifted more comfortably into the saddle, flexing his shoulders to ease the aches. “Right, next the King,” he said as he led them down the road to New Vespers.
The brooding storm was approaching fast as they crested the last rise which hid the city of New Vespers. The wind began to strengthen, whipping the trees into a frenzy of rustling leaves. The air was heavy with expectation, and the evening light had a yellow cast, bathing everything in a peculiar shadow. The city seemed to float on top of the regimented streets, which led to the gleaming palace.
Jerrol pulled Zin’talia to a halt and turned to the Sentinals, mere shadows behind him. “These guards will be more difficult to overcome. They will be loyal to Prince Kharel, and the Prince suffers no fools. They will be nothing like what you saw at the palace. I don’t think the palace guards had their heart in defending the Chancellor. They were reluctantly following orders.”
“I think a bit of sneaking is in order,” Tagerill suggested. “But getting close enough unseen to sneak is going to be the challenge,” he finished thoughtfully, observing the open approach. The road was a light ribbon wending its way up the hill lined by flat grass verges. There were few trees to provide cover.
Serillion dismounted and stared at the palace. “How close can we get before they see us?”
“It depends on how fast that storm gets here. If we go straight up the road now, they’ll see us as soon as we go around the first bend, assuming the guards are alert. There is an alternative.” Jerrol paused, assessing the Sentinals. “We send two of you up to the front door as a diversion, and the rest of us go in the back door.”
“Objective?” Darllion asked.
“First, secure the King; that’s my job. Reinstate his control of the palace and impound the Prince and his supporters; that’s where you come in.”
“What about the Waystone?” Serillion suggested, slowly rotating.
“Waystone?” Jerrol watched him scan the horizon.
“Why don’t we enter through the Waystone? You could create one up at the new palace. I suggest up by where that tall tower is situated.” Serillion pointed at the tower towards the north of the palace.
Jerrol stared at him. “What is a Waystone?”
Serillion gaped back at him. “You don’t use Waystones anymore? Why, Waystones enable us to travel from one place to another almost instantly. Saves a lot of time. There’s one in each Watch. The Landgard was the Captain’s Bridge; it connected the Chapterhouse with the Lady’s Palace. Guerlaire built it as he did the Chapterhouse, and all the archives below.” Serillion grimaced. “He was always adding new rooms; he never had enough space.”
“The Landgard doesn’t exist
