Price of Power

She walked to the room, from its window she had a perfect view on the square. The crowd began to gather, she only had to wait.

Immediately after Caduka’s disappearance, Claudius summoned the rest of his Clerics. Together with Lariska, there were four of them, but not all of them had practice in taking lives. In the meantime Eol wanted to know why Lariska was supposedly so special, he in answer told him about her accurate eye and her musket. How it was draining the magic out of its victims and vastly increased accuracy. When everyone already was there he explained the situation, you could compare this to a little speech. Yet they were more motivated by the very information about the death of three which was in the warehouse during the attack. Two clerics from the other district were also contacted, they both agreed. After all, was done Claudius wanted to take Atilius body to bury it, he went for it with Lariska. She was ready to reveal the truth if she would had to, but once they found it he wasn’t asking any more questions. As they suspected, the other two bodies were burned in flames.

In the capital, Eol had few friends who would help him in both, during and after the successful operation. One of them, probably a Royal guard officer, mentioned that the scene will be covered by five invisible protective fields from five like he called it: 'sources'. They were spread between the groups of patrols, but in which exactly they were he didn’t know. To the six Clerics joined Eol’s partners, it ended up on that they divided into four groups. Both, Eol and either Claudius didn’t take a part in it, hey would only slow them down and they had to do it quietly to do not raise the alarm and fast to do it before climax. Then Sister was about to rise above the crowd together with the morning sun. At that moment she would be most vulnerable and Lariska had to shot her down.

She was trying to set aside all her emotions, especially guilt which was not letting her forget about itself. That’s why she had to do that. She looked out of the window, it was about to start. She set on a position and she finally managed to quiet down, yet one thing still remained.

"Once you were better at sneaking." She said without turning back, Caduka was in the door.

"I didn’t want to sneak, I ...wouldn’t leave you."

"I know, you have a good heart, but understand, someone has to do this."

"And then what? Eol will take the throne? Him?!"

"If he himself will be problematic it will be easier to get rid of him than Sister." She still didn’t want to look at her.

"No, Lari, I don’t know how to say this, but you’re making a mistake."

"Maybe trusting you was a mistake."

"What do you…"

"I know you did not mean bad, but who you were trying to protect? Us or her? And it is not us who have a problem with her, it is she who has a problem with us."

"You I was trying to protect!" Lariska turned, even Caduka herself was shocked by her outburst, but she continued. "I knew that if Sister would do this her way you would rather die than let it happen, don’t you understand? I…" She gulped. "Every damn day I regret that I dragged your mother into this."

Lariska froze for a moment.

"Do you regret the way I am?"

"No, I was never thinking like that."

"And why do you defend her? The Sister?"

"She… saved me," Her words were full of regret. "gave hope, I don’t know how to explain this to you."

"And she used you in her machinations." She returned to her harsh tone.

"Lari, it’s not like this," She began to slowly walk towards her. "she never forced me to do anything. Not that I wanted to take part in this, but I felt that I have to."

"So she was emotionally manipulating both of us? Enough! Too much have died because of her."

"Right Lari and no one have to anymore." She stood in the front of her and leaned on musket which she was holding. "We know what you planned, that’s why as a sign of goodwill she withdrew the sentries, so no one will die. Now it’s up to you to keep it this way."

Lariska ignored everything she said, except the one thing.

"That means she will be without any protection?"

"Lari…"

"Let go."

"No…" She mumbled.

"Let. It. Go!"

Lariska tried to snatch it out of her, but Caduka only grabbed it tighter. She began to yank just to make her get off, but in vain, like she was dragging her around the room. Fighting each other she has finally snapped. On impulse, not thinking much she took the dagger and stabbed Caduka. She screamed in pain and snatched musket from Lariska hitting her head with the butt. When Lariska stood up, she saw her pulling the bloody dagger out of her body and dropping it on the floor. Caduka crouching against the wall then looked at her. She still was holding tightly Lariska's musket, tears started to roll down her cheeks although her eyes were widely open. Lariska was never going to forget that view. She wanted to apologize, explain, but she didn’t managed to shake off, come closer, say a word. Caduka took mechanical horn and teleported away.

She was standing for a moment like someone has stopped time without a warning when what has happened was slowly coming to her. She was feeling nothing but shock. Then she heard a commotion coming from behind the window. She turned, it was the crowd cheering from afar, the sun has risen. At the beginning, she couldn’t believe it. She tried to control herself, but emotions started to be overwhelming as she began to walk back and forth around the room. She finally kneeled, bent down to the floor and screamed. Someone who would watch her could expect her to explode. That because of emotions at any moment her magic will destroy everything in the room. She has opened her tearful eyes, however, nothing has happened. Finally, she has thrown the chair against the wall destroying it into pieces, then a side table. She was demolishing everything what she has found in the room, knocking over wardrobes, hitting the wall, and when there was nothing more to grab she kneeled tired on the floor and took a breather. Enough.

The rooftops in the capital weren’t too great, angled, pointed and on top of that smooth, but you still could find places where you could sit down. The evening was approaching and the sun was about to hide behind the horizon. Lariska was sitting curled watching from above the landscape of the city. Her wrath has passed, grief stayed and even though she still was a little angry, she didn’t know at what. She was sitting like that for a few hours already, with emptiness in the head and storm in the heart. Before she would try to subjugate that storm, but not that time, may it do its job. She didn’t have the heart to return to her district, she didn’t know what happened to the other Clerics, she didn’t care about that. After a while, she saw from afar royal guards marching towards the district, but she didn’t even stand up. Although the duty was calling her, she didn’t want to do anything. With every kill, she believed that she was changing something for better, yet at that time she wasn’t sure of anything.

The warm wind was stroking her hair, voices below were falling silent, the sky turned navy blue and it seemed that nothing was disturbing her. However, in one moment she stood up and turned back. Behind her was standing a thief, the same one which was fighting with Caduka over the casket in the night during which she lost consciousness. His whole outfit was tight, together with the hood which was barely revealing his face, he also had many gadgets pinned to his torso. He wasn’t surprised by her reaction, yet he did a step back as a sign that he didn’t have bad intentions.

"What?" She asked angrily.

"Some woman ordered to give you this." He pulled out a letter.

"So now you are some kind of errand boy?"

"She paid well." He responded in his defense.

She casually took the letter and pulled out the folded paper. It had written on it: 'It is time for you to know.' She couldn’t recognize that penmanship, but she opened it. She saw a page from files of eliminations, her files, the details of the target and the date. She looked at the reason of execution but the place was empty and the whole page crossed out which meant that the target has been killed. She crumpled the paper and was about to throw it away, but she stopped at the last moment, hid it in her pocket, and sat again.

"I think it is stupid," Thief started, he knew what he just gave her, but Lariska didn’t react. "that the closest ones have to execute the sentence."

"I had no idea."

"And why it is so?"

"Long ago there was other, younger Sister, but she had to be banished. It makes you think twice before you do something stupid, or at least it should have."

"Does this work?"

She was silent. He wasn’t bothering her with questions anymore, he just sat next to her, yet far enough to do not irritate her, at least he hoped so. He was a little afraid to come, he wanted to eventually plant her the letter somehow. He thought that she would start to demand answers or even try to kill him, but she just lowered back her sight.

Another hour has passed, at that time there was quite calm in that part of the city, only in the center you could hear feasting citizens. They spent that time in silence, not even glancing at each other. The wind has become cold and thief finally stood up, but before he walked away he saw from far away an approaching orange shape. When it came closer he realized that it was a phoenix flying in their direction, even Lariska raised her head when she heard his squawk. The bird has flown to her and gave her a rolled letter which it held with his claws. She took it and bird sat next to her like it was expecting patting as a reward, to its disappointment in vain. Lariska stood up when she saw a royal seal, she broke it, untied a ribbon and started to read. Once she was done she rolled back the letter and looked at the castle, she knew what she had to do.

End of part three: Chemicals.