Inhuman Chapter 6

Erdem the Proud

Inside the Hajoon palace, Erdem the Proud stood by the window that looked over the gardens where slaves meticulously maintained the plants. However, the son of Emperor Nazalath paid no attention to the activity. Instead, his mind focused on the letter he received from Dennel Veil that morning.

So, Jupus’s widow is taking the bait? To think that I considered her more intelligent than Jupus.

Erdem’s carnivorous face lit up with a thin smile.

I see she wants to play a game. That’s good.

His spies warned the prince about Dennel Veil’s suspicious past, but he continued his pursuit. She came from a commoner family, but her marriage to Jupus Veil showed Erdem that she carried ambition. Even better, she carried the face and the figure of a goddess. The prince wondered how Jupus, a tall, lean man with no sense of humor, could find such an intriguing wife. Socially skilled and known for her intelligence, Dennel stunned Erdem the first time he saw her. She arrived in Dasmas nearly two years earlier when Jupus came at the request of the prince. Instantly, Erdem instantly decided that she would one day become one of his wives. In fact, Erdem planned to eliminate her husband once he finished work on blood magic. Fortunately, the murder of Jupus made his work easier.

Fate is strange sometimes.

Erdem stuffed the letter in his red silk robe, which he wore over black silk sleeping garments. Then, he walked across the hall where a servant dressed in a plaid red and tan uniform opened the doors for him.

“Close the doors. I wish to be alone,” the prince stated as he passed into the vaulted room.

He went to a huge dark walnut desk sitting in the middle of the blue tile floor. The royal crest, along with the emperor’s portrait, filled the area in front of the desk. Erdem scowled as he glanced down at the image of his father.

As the prince sat in the comfortable leather chair, his thoughts remained incoherent. Erdem leaned back in the chair, looking up at the mosaics on the ceiling. The gods of light with lighting and golden spears displayed their might in subjugating the forces of darkness who cowered in the shadows. He smiled, reminiscing at the first time he recalled looking up at the scene. The room soon became the prince’s quiet spot to organize and plan. He sighed as his thoughts went back to Dennel.

Her beauty was not the only reason he wanted her in his control. Reports received by Erdem indicated Dennel worked closely with Jupus. Her husband’s unexpected death created both opportunity and a dilemma for the prince. Erdem secretly funded the work of Jupus on dark magic projects involving condemned Rudia prisoners. His last communication with Jupus showed the mage was close to making a type of dark magic to override self-preservation. The use of forbidden magic clearly went beyond the empire’s laws governing the mages. If the work came to the knowledge of the Council of Eternal Knowledge, execution came to those involved. However, the ability to control such weapons became the prince’s passion. To create superior assassins and soldiers was a golden opportunity. However, Dennel held her husband’s work closely. Erdem also recognized her own capabilities, and he wanted to quiet any rumors about her remaining at the estate.

The emperor’s mage, Rulli Uula, knew Dennel well. Unlike many in the palace, Rulli held an independent streak and, worse for the prince, an advisor role with his father. Erdem knew that Rulli and Dennel despised each other. He intended to bring Dennel into the palace under the offer of protection by becoming his wife. However, it also created a risk. The prince suspected Rulli had her own spies within the court, leaving a chance that Nazalath could learn of the secret work. Mages seldom agreed with the direction of science and discoveries. Before Jupus died, Erdem continually pushed the man with his work. Jupus held a brilliant mind with magic and was additionally talented in the study of monster biology and their anatomy. However, the man complained about the need to move slower in using the scientific tools being discovered every day. Jupus warned about the danger of such technology. He thought it might plunge the world into another time of chaos like before the New Age.

Of course, Erdem dismissed the man’s concerns. He recognized that whoever held the power of both magic and science would rule the world.

The prince smiled to himself. As he pulled a sheet of paper emblazoned with his personal seal and began writing a reply to his new love.

Ah, the challenges to overcome the old man’s grip!

A few moments later, a knock at the door interrupted him. With an annoyed grimace, he looked up at the person entering the room. Filko Noos, his father’s hand-picked guard and head of the Inquisitor group, bowed after closing the door. Dressed in a red vestment with a simple black cape, the man stood at the pinnacle of handpicked killers and spies loyal to the emperor.

“Prince Erdem, I’m sorry to interrupt you, but Emperor Nazalath tasked me with escorting you on the trip to Makla tomorrow.”

“Since when does my father’s personal spy become my escort?” Erdem forced himself to remain passive. People were aware of Filko’s skills as a marksman, even though he lacked armor and carried a single Rudia revolver in his belt.

“It’s a necessary inconvenience, I assure you. The Inquisitor Agency discovered a plot against the royal family. I’m afraid that the Anarchist Conference dispatched several groups to infiltrate the empire. The emperor decided that you’ll take a separate train with me and a few of my friends,” the spy’s toothy grin further annoyed the prince.

Still, I have no choice!

“Your agency finds more excuses to annoy the family,” Erdem stated with a sigh. “Well, find a book. I’ll be here a while.”

Filko nodded as the prince went back to his letter. Erdem immediately wondered about the true purpose of the escort. Filko had spies throughout the palace, and his sudden presence might be a pretext to learn more about Dennel’s work.

After all, it’s known that I’ve invested in the Jupus household for years.

When Erdem looked up from his finished letter, he noticed the spy standing by the door with a book in his hand. The prince sealed the letter with wax and string, placing it inside of his robe. He stepped from behind the desk as Filko replaced the book on the shelf.

“Did the book suit you?” Erdem asked sarcastically.

“I’m not sure if I agree with the author, but it made an interesting argument. Still, the ancients were mostly drunks who sent thousands to their deaths on false premises.”

Erdem was not sure if he heard disdain in the man’s lighthearted tone, but he let it go. Filko always remained an enigma in his conversations with the nobles.

“Do you see an actual plot in this latest threat? I recall this happening several times this year.”

“Well, I cannot discount it,” the spy stated. “As they say, there’s no smoke without fire. Still, it should be a pleasant trip. I’ve arranged for the best provincial wines for your family. Plus, the accommodations with the train will be ready as well. Oh, that reminds me, how many wives are planning on taking with you?”

Erdem glanced over at the fair-haired man, then made a quick calculation. “Since it’s a five-day trip, better prepare for five, since I always have a spare one along. I like my wives occupied in bed with a different rival each night. It keeps them from becoming dangerous.”

“Of course,” Filko replied absently.

Just like your father!

The spy remained quiet as the two men walked along the wide corridor towards the main courtyard. The hallway had twisted, spiraling columns of blue marble supporting the vaulted ceilings. Along the walls were mosaics telling the story of the royal family history.

Filko had already expected the number from the man, so his mind focused on the letter in the prince’s robe. He knew about Erdem’s latest quest to fill another spot in his harem of wives. It was another reason for the spy’s natural distaste for the prince. However, he kept such thoughts deeply suppressed. He needed to provide vague answers to maintain harmony in the royal family’s various groups. Still, for a man who came to power through the sheer force of will, Filko considered many of the nobles nothing more than vain lumps of useless flesh.

“What is the latest on this conference? My father remains quiet about his goals. I assume this trip to Makla is to get financial support from the Dyst family.” Erdem asked, not expecting a straight answer. The response surprised him. “

“No doubt the bankers who infest that family are keeping a close watch on their assets in Iyrus. I can’t speak for your father, but my suspicion is the emperor is looking for a reason to take over Iyrus quietly and remove the republic as a thorn in the empire’s side.”

“That can’t be true,” the prince stopped suddenly. “I can’t imagine that such a thing is possible Wait, it could mean members of the family are betraying others.”

“With the right planning and a little luck, good fortune can come to anyone.” Filko grinned mysteriously for a moment, then grew serious while looking around the quiet hallway. “I’m not part of the War Council’s planning, but your guess seems to follow your father’s thinking.”

He turned to the prince.

“I always believed that the heirs to a throne must be heavily involved in the strategy of an empire over the whimsical endeavors of mating,” the spy said with a shrug. “But that’s just my poor ability to serve the royal family.”

Filko started walking again, then glanced back as Erdem’s face grew red at the slight. The prince caught up with the spy, then passed him.

“A servant of the royal family must always remember their place!” Erdem hissed.

Filko smiled and nodded his head.

“But of course, your majesty!”