Book of The Dead

The Lady Lofis was of the direct line of descent from the Goddess herself. Her blood was of the highest purity, and her blessings from her ancestor were second only to the Chosen of Lofis herself. A noble of the first rank, she was an untouchable presence to everyone inside the building. They shouldn’t even be able to look at her.

Someone of her status was almost never seen outside of the Palace of Ascension. If the Emperor himself walked in the door, it would be only slightly more shocking.

Merigold trembled, and took only a little comfort in the fact that her two aides were no less terrified than she was. Dolan looked like a poleaxed cow, blank and staring, so uncertain as to what was happening he had simply frozen up lest he make a mistake. Esmer just looked as if she would rather be anywhere in the realm than here, in this room, her narrow eyes darting from side to side, desperately seeking a way out.

“A-again, I must apologise,” Merigold stammered as she pushed a cup of tea across the table with a shaking hand. “We are not p-prepared to host… such an august personage as yourself.”

Lady Lofis made no move to take the tea. She barely moved at all. Concealed by her veils, she may as well have been a statue. Perhaps she was willing to come down here on the orders of the Emperor, but she wasn’t going to allow anyone to hear or see her.

Which could be a good thing, Marigold thought to herself. Lady Lofis’ speech was powerful enough to rattle her bones. If she wanted her representative to speak for her, that was more than fine.

“I am Lord Regillan,” the man introduced himself stiffly.

It appeared as if he was trying to maintain his temper and tamp down his ire in the face of the endless disrespect being directed to his Mistress. Merigold felt incredibly flustered and helpless.

What do you expect me to do about it? she wailed within the safety of her mind.

She turned and introduced her two staff members, who both managed to master themselves in time to offer a meticulous and flawless greeting, their long hours of training paying off under pressure. Courtesy dictated they engage in some light chatter about inconsequential matters, which was excruciating. After all, she was directing her remarks to Lady Lofis, because it would be insane to do anything else, but the Lady never moved or replied, allowing her Voice to speak for her.

Was she even under there?!

Merigold desperately wished to skip the pleasantries, but she wouldn’t dare initiate such a break of decorum on her own. Only the Lady could do such a thing in this situation, and it seemed she was never going to open her mouth. When Lord Regillan finally decided they had satisfied propriety, he moved on to the point of this unorthodox visit and Merigold almost sagged with relief.

“The Lady Lofis has been asked to come here,” he emphasised the word ‘asked’ ever so slightly, just in case anyone in the room didn’t know what that meant. “In order to ensure this new Special Administration is given the weight and authority which it was intended to receive.”

He reached down to his waist and withdrew a ceremonial scroll case from a loop in his belt. Grasping it firmly in both hands, he walked around the table and offered it to Merigold.

She stared at it as if it were a live viper. For someone of Lord Regillan to proffer it to her in this way… there weren’t many things it could be. There weren’t many people it could be from. Hands trembling, she reached up and took hold of it, offering a deep bow as she did so. The Lord bowed slightly back, then resumed his position behind the left shoulder of his Mistress, leaving Merigold holding the precious scroll in her hands with no idea what to do with it.

“Sh-should I open it?” she eventually half-whimpered.

“Please,” Regillan nodded, his face a mask.

With all the grace, dignity and respect she could manage with her shaking hands, Merigold broke the wax seals on one side of the case and slid out the paper within. She unfurled it, read the first line, then nearly dropped the whole thing.

Lord Regillan nodded, a slight frown creasing his forehead as he watched her recover.

“This is an Imperial Writ, establishing your Administration and clearly delineating your rights within the bureaucracy. Events in the Cloud Palace do not always unfold with the alacrity the Emperor desires. Under normal circumstances, he would not intervene, but these are not normal circumstances. If there is a chance that your work will help secure the Empire and satisfy the Will of The Divines, then it is worth exerting a little effort.”

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Merigold listened with wide-eyes, not even noticing Esmer and Dolan staring at her just as hard. When he finished speaking, she dropped her gaze back down to the page, racing through the words written there in such flawless hand.

As he said, the document did indeed clearly lay out all the rights and responsibilities of her new Special Administration, and they were generous, to say the least. She was to be fully integrated with the Military and Economic Administrations, which essentially meant she had full access to… everything, everything they had. She could walk into their meetings, sit in on their briefings, go through their record books… anything.

Ultimately, she didn’t even answer to them. She didn’t answer to anyone. Eyes scanning the last few words, she grasped just how much authority had been placed in her hands.

She was appointed by the Emperor.

Technically, everyone was appointed by the Emperor, as he was the head of the government that ruled the Empire and everyone else was acting as his representative in one way or another, but this was different. She would report directly to the Imperial Court. To the Emperor himself.

That meant… that meant… she could invoke the authority of… of the Emperor himself.

Merigold had never realised it was possible for a human to sweat this much before. She hastily put the paper down before she ruined it and started wiping her hands on her skirts, only to start blinking when the drops from her forehead ran into her eyes. If this went on any longer, she felt that she might pass out!

In front of the Lady Lofis, no less! The embarrassment and shame only worsened her condition. Her vision was blurring. Sweet oblivion, it would come for her soon, and then she wouldn’t need to worry about this anymore. At least for a little while!

A slight coughing sound dragged her attention, and Merigold looked to see Regillan looking to the side, out the window which had entertained Dolan not long ago. Her eyes flicked to the Lady Lofis, and she realised the Lady was also looking out the window, the shape of the veil indicating the turn of her head.

They were giving her a moment to collect herself!

Pathetically grateful, Merigold reached for her handkerchief only to find Esmer pressing a scented hand towel towards her.

“Quickly,” the sharp-featured woman hissed.

Dolan stepped around and placed a glass of cool water in front of her.

“Hold it together a little longer,” he murmured.

In the moment, Merigold was so desperate for help, she didn’t even care that these two had been ignoring her for weeks. Hastily, she wiped herself down and took a deep drink, the cool liquid refreshing her throat and helping bring her temperature down. A few deep breaths, and she felt a little steadier.

Coincidentally, though it was no coincidence, the Lady Lofis and her Voice turned back to face her again in that moment.

“It is a grave responsibility that has been placed on your shoulders,” Regillan stated, “and a great deal of authority. Use it wisely. If the Emperor feels his power is being abused…”

“I-I would never dream of it!” Merigold stammered, shaking her head frantically.

“I don’t believe you would,” the Lord replied, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Tell me what you have achieved so far,” the Lady Lofis stated, taking them all by surprise.

The words held such a forceful command that Merigold felt it wrench at her chest like a punch. She was speaking before she knew she’d even opened her mouth.

“I’ve placed nearly a thousand requests with various ministries for records and reports I believe would be relevant.”

“And they have remained unattended,” the Lady stated without inflection. She tapped the table with one fingernail, and only then did Merigold realise her nails had been painted with enchanted ink. On that finger, a tiger crouched in tall grass as a wind blew, ruffling the greenery and even the fur of the tiger.

“That will no longer be a problem,” The Lady said. “Copies of the Writ have been sent to every ministry and administration building. You will have your documents before the day is done. What else have you done? What have you learned?”

Again, it was impossible for Merigold not to answer her.

“I–I have found an interesting thread regarding Slayer activity in Cragwhistle.”

She fumbled for the pages in front of her, looking to use them to help make her case. The Lady waved her off.

“Just tell me,” she said.

“It looks as though someone was able to dominate the mind of the Magister sent to administer the newly found rift there. Although it is difficult to say with accuracy, I suspect it was Tyron Steelarm himself. Only, that wouldn’t make sense, since he is a Necromancer, which I do not believe provides access to such magick. Nor should he have been strong enough to perform such a feat at the time.”

“You’re confident this Magister was dominated?”

Talking about the documents and her findings was far more stable ground for Marigold, she nodded enthusiastically.

“It’s the only explanation for the discrepancy in documentation, my Lady.”

“And what do you think of the thousand-strong force sent over the mountains to deal with the threat?” Lady Lofis asked.

Merigold blanked.

“The… the what?”

When the Lady replied, irritation was clear in her tone.

“Were you not consulted by the Military Administration? A force a thousand strong was dispatched two weeks ago.”

Marigold’s mind went blank. A thousand? A thousand!?

She leapt up and slammed her hands down on the table.

“We have to bring them back!” she screeched.