Broken: Shard's Tales

Chapter Eight: The Archive.

Sophia went back to her family’s manor to see her father. If anyone knew any info on Voyne or any of his shady dealings, it would be him.

“How are the rehabilitation efforts proceeding?” She said as she poured him tea.

“Which one? The mall or the hospital?” her father said, a dry edge to his joke.

“They are going fine. We are nearly through with rebuilding, though we’ve yet to catch the perpertrator.” Her father said and sipped his tea.

The perpetrator. Luthen.

She poured hers.

“I am sorry for hiding the truth from you. However, I needed you to focus on the Circle session. If I had told you, you would be distracted.”

“It is okay, Dad.” She sipped.

“I think it is shady though. That Voyne knew about the explosion” The clink sound of the ceramic hitting itself could be heard as she put her cup on the small plate.

“Oh that. He has his followers here too. It is not hard for some of them to specialize in sending him information. Spies.”

“I still do not like him though. What do you know of him?”

“I do not know anything about him. I have tried finding out but it is all dead ends. He is hiding his tracks well.”

“Why do the Great Nobles believe him?”

“I doubt they do. They, however, believe the evidence. There was no denying the explosions at the mall. There have also been others in Archduke Soran’s and Juggen’s territories, that is Pilys and Gralan. There was even one in Hruun.”

“No matter, I believe in our ability to sort this out. We just need to stand together. Do you know the Legend of the formation of the United Nobles?”

“You’ve told me about it before. How the Great Nobles conquered this continent and–”

“Do you know how they did it?”

“Superior knowledge?”

“You’ve forgotten it.” her father smiled

True. When he told her when she was little, she would have assumed that it was a child’s bedtime story.

“Fine, I will tell you again” He finished his tea and put the cup down.

“Long ago, this continent was ravaged by war, disease and famine till the gods themselves decided to stop mankind from destroying themselves and sent seven holy warriors, one from each god, and empowered them with the first Abilities to rule the continent. They travelled round the continent, stopping wars, healing disease and illness. They started ruling certain lands, the territories of the current Seven Great Nobles, dividing the rest between other good men to rule. They started the United Nobles. By birth, the current Great Nobles are their descendants.” He explained.

“So the moral of the story is that they could conquer anything as long as they stood united?” Sophie asked

“Exactly.”

“But what is the real story?” She asked.

“Who knows? All I can say for sure is that the Great Nobles are rulers of the seven biggest territories on the continent and that they have been since the beginning of this age. If you need to know about the beginning of this age, the only place to get that information is in the Archive of the Great Nobles–.”

Of course! The Archive! Why did she not think of that?

The Archive was a collection of records dating from the first generation of the Seven Great Nobles.

”–not that you can even get in. It is a classified place.” He finished.

The Archive was considered the property of the Great Nobles only. There were tours of the Archive but they did not actually get to see any books or records. Just a few curious items.

Unless we sneak in.

“Why do you even want to learn about the origins of the Nobles?”

“I am just curious, as always. Has he communicated his third request?”

“Voyne? He directed it to the Great Nobles so I doubt it is public knowledge. But I’ll find out eventually. There aren’t many things that can remain secret from a High Noble.” Her father smiled.

She wondered how her father would react if he knew she was a Shard. This was the one thing she had to keep her father from ever knowing.

She sighed. So much on her plate.

*******

In Archduke’s Manning’s region, Garth, at a market.

At a hidden corner, cloaked figures were conversing quietly. Two figures were actually the loudest, with the rest of the figures having their heads bowed towards them. However, they were still conversing quietly. These two certainly were different from the rest as they evoked a feeling of fear in the others. It was only as one of the two stepped out from the hidden corner, into the middle of the market, could the difference in apparel be seen.

His cloaks were red. Red as blood.

“Your sacrifices here won’t be in vain. Die, so we may all be one again.” the red cloak said.

Nobody paid him much attention since the market had its fill of lunatics. Except some petty muggers who were interested in how much a beautiful red cloak like that could fetch.

“Oi, don’t make us come get it. Take off the cloak and all other valuables you have on you now and we will let you live.” One said as they all surrounded him.

A strange material emanated from the cloak’s body, flowing like liquid out into the open. The cloak raised his hand and they formed numerous sharp objects around him.

“Tch.” One of the muggers said. “I’ll go get it myself.”

Except, he could not go anywhere since a spear was embedded in his face. There was no time to shout as the cloak released his arsenal on the market. No one was left. The once lively market was as silent as a graveyard.

“Juren! Do it quicker. Don’t make them suffer!” a female voice came from another red cloak as it came out of the hidden corner. The red cloak revealed her face. She was the one on the building observing Luthen at the mall explosion.

“Can you stop interfering, Ari? Go bother Johann like before–”

“And look how well that turned out! I found another high quality subordinate for our dearest master! Seriously, you all should listen to me more!”

Juren preferred the eerie silence of the bloodstained market to her conversation.