“Master Malafar,” whispered the sweet voice, “can you walk? We must move quickly.”
Malafar cocked his head and listened. The angel had come too soon for him. He had not said goodbye properly yet.
“Hurry, Master Malafar,” the angel insisted. “I must get you to Lyra, but you must come now or it will be too late. More Monitors will be on their way.”
Angels should not fear the Monitors, thought the confused mage. He felt someone tugging on his arm. He smelled her sweet scent. He could still hear others screaming. He was not dead yet. Swiftly he struggled to his feet and the angel dragged him across the floor. He could hear people running now and she shoved him against the wall until the footsteps had passed.
“Who are you?” he asked. “Is Lyra really alive?”
“She is Master Malafar,” the angel whispered, “but you will not get to see her if we do not get out of here quickly.”
“Lead the way, my angel,” he whispered back, a thrill of hope filling his soul for the first time since the massacre. “Lead the way.”
Chapter 26
Dangerous Houseguest
“What do you mean you can’t find him?” demanded the First Minister. “He is here somewhere. He can’t just walk out of the palace. Have the city gates been closed?”
“Yes, First Minister,” the Monitor responded. “There is no way out of the city. I have men searching the entire palace again, but it appears that he left the palace somehow. Perhaps when the guests were leaving.”
“Very well,” growled Alazar. “Make sure he is found. Have all of the Ministers been assembled?”
“Yes, First Minister,” assured the Monitor. “They are in the Council Chamber.”
Alazar turned and strode off towards the Council Chamber. He silently cursed Malafar. He had not counted on the old mage surviving the attack especially when he was prepared to kill Malafar himself as soon as the Katana was dead. Unfortunately, Alazar was blinded like everyone else. It wouldn’t matter, Alazar assured himself. Soon he would be Katana and Malafar wouldn’t matter anymore. The Monitors continued their routines even with the Katana dead and they opened the door as Alazar reached the Council Chamber. He entered and took his usual chair, leaving the Katana’s chair empty.
“Sorry, I am late,” the First Minister said. “I was directing the Monitors to assure that the assassin does not escape. Ministers, while we all grieve the death of the Katana, it is up to us to keep the government running smoothly. Our first order of business is to choose the new Katana. Under the circumstances, it is imperative that we fill that position immediately, preferably before the news of the Katana’s death travels far.”
“Why rush?” asked Minister Asgarte. “The Council has never had to rush in the past. The search for a new Katana is always an exhaustive search. Every city in the country is normally polled and just the nomination process can take months.”
“We have never had a Katana assassinated before,” the First Minister lectured. “The assassination of the Katana indicates a weak government and we all know what happens to weak governments. We are especially vulnerable right now with the Sakovan attacks and the reports of troop movements along the Khadoran border.”
“Khadora has troops on our border?” asked the Minister of Finance. “Why have we not heard of this before?”
“The report came in this afternoon,” Alazar explained. “I reviewed it with the Katana and he had planned on calling a meeting tomorrow. He did not wish to spoil the party for Minister Kapla.”
The Minister of Finance merely nodded.
“Very well,” Alazar resumed. “We need to select a person who will hold this country together during this perilous time. We need to show some continuity as well so the change does not appear to be a dramatic shift in policy. Does anyone have any nominations?”
“General Didyk would make an excellent nominee,” offered Minister of Agriculture, Asgarte. “He would have continuity and it would send a message to the Khadorans.”
“I am sure that General Didyk would make an excellent choice,” responded Alazar, “but the Katana cannot come from the army. We must have another nomination.”
“I think I would make an excellent Katana,” declared the Minister of Trade. “Coming from the Katana’s Council will certainly provide the continuity you seek.”
“Someone from this Council certainly assures continuity,” the First Minister conceded. “We have a nominee in Larst, Minister of Trade. Are there any others?”
Alazar met the eyes of each of the Ministers as he looked around the table. He gave a slight nod when his eyes met Minister Kapla and the former General nodded back.
“I cannot think of a better person to become the next Katana then yourself, First Minister,” Kapla declared. “You are the second most powerful figure in Omunga now and you have dealt personally with the Katana for years. Already you have organized the search for the assassin and taken control of the Monitors so that the palace continues to run smoothly. Even if we had an exhaustive search for the new Katana, you would probably still be chosen.”
“I appreciate the kind words of the Minister of Defense,” smiled Alazar. “Without objection, I will place my own name in nomination.”
Alazar saw a frown come over several faces including Minister Larst and continued, “If I am chosen, I would of course expect Minister Larst to assume my position as First Minister.”
Larst raised his eyes with surprise. He had quite often been an adversary of the First Minister and had not expected such generosity. He also knew that if it came down to a contest between him and Alazar, he would lose. Grabbing the opportunity presented to him, Larst spoke, “I am grateful for the confidence shown in me by the First Minister. I think we could set aside our past differences and work well together to secure the continuity necessary right now.”
There was a general consensus of nods around the table and Alazar knew it was time to strike. “Very well,” the First Minster said, “It would appear that we can get this agenda item out of the way and start talking about what must be done. Let us vote. Everyone supporting me for Katana raise your hand.”
The vote was of course unanimous and Alazar kept on moving. “Thank you for your show of support,” he smiled. “Our next item is assuring that the assassin does not escape justice. I am having the palace searched for the third time, but it appears that he managed to slip out with the party guests. I have ordered the city sealed, but there is a small chance that he might have been quick enough to already be outside the gates. Minister Kapla, I would like to order the army to block the entrances to the Sakova to ensure that he never gets home. The Imperial Guard has let others slip through their fingers and we do not want to take a chance this time. I would suggest sending our best units to handle the job. General Didyk could handle the Gatong to Fortaka area. General Romero will cover Alamar and Tanzaba. That leaves Okata to Campanil for General Valdey. Does this sound reasonable?”
“It sounds like an excellent deployment, Katana,” Minister Kapla smiled. “You would have made a fine general.”
“Good,” Alazar said. “We will need to select a new Minister of Trade, but until that time, Larst, I want you to keep up with those duties. Your first task will be to manage caravans into and out of the city. We are effectively cut off from the outside world and could remain so for some time. You must work out an efficient means of getting goods through the gates while maintaining a security so tight that Master Malafar cannot get out. It will not be easy.”