Chapter 28 - Assassination

John was eager to share his story with his friends, but his gaze shifted warily to a pair of passing Inquisition agents. "We have much catching up to do," he muttered, eyes narrowing. But not here."

John led them to the secret room where the Princess used to teach the boys. Far from Inquisition agents who could eavesdrop on them, the boys traded a month's worth of information.

First, William filled in what transpired since he last saw John, from meeting Julie to their encounter with the assassins and their way back here.

Though intrigued, John was more concerned about the exiled royal families still serving Pentalium. After they defeated Margaret, the boys assumed the exiled families had just given up after their failed plans.

William expressed how tired he was fighting those people.

John then reminded William that desperate people will do anything: opportunity for money, a life out of exile, or revenge against the Kingdom. In that case, Pentalium can easily control their motivations as they share the same goal: vengeance.

Julie then asked John why there was an increase in the number of Inquisition agents in Tarwood.

John looked stressed upon hearing that. "Ingrid's," his words heavily weigh on his breath.

"Prejudice against them?" William asked. John nods in silence.

"Because of the stigma of being an outsider, most citizens will always see them as barbarians." Julie shakes her head and admits that she sometimes sees them like that. It changed when she realized that the true barbarians are the ones who mindlessly follow their orders to a fanatic degree, such as the Inquisition.

"But it changed somewhat. The Princess visited us two weeks ago and welcomed the newly arrived tribesmen to Tarwood. Her words have a charm that moves the hearts of the many who hear her. It helped reduce the Inquisition's action of Tarwood but not enough." John said and gave William a sigh of relief.

The two boys sat in silence and worried that despite the Inquisition bringing the Pentalium to light, the Pentalium's hold on the Kingdom remained strong. The exiled royal families remained in the Pentalium's servitude as their assassins.

Their conversation halted when Julie noticed the sprawling, unique drawings around the room. They were John and William's.

Most of John's designs were different bows with springs attached that could launch arrows with greater power than pulling them by hand. John said he just hasn't figured out how to make it work and will continue to do so from time to time, a notion that made Julie excited for his design to take form someday.

Julie turned her attention to William's drawing. It is a map of the tunnel underneath the Kingdom. William drew it almost three years ago after they returned from living with Ingrid's folks.

The boys wanted to explore the tunnels but didn't have the means to do so, for most of the tunnels had collapsed, and it would take years to unearth them again.

Julie feels that she is onto something. She grabs a huge map of the Kingdom. Julie encircles the different tunnel entrances and known mural locations that her research team has discovered before. Then, she draws triangles where William and John have encountered the Chief, Margaret, and Silverhand's mine. Using William's sketch, Julie began tracing the tunnel paths across the larger map, connecting the mural sites and past encounters.

They discovered the circles showed entrances to the underground tunnels, but only to long loops connecting to the other parts of the tunnel.

But when Julie traced the triangles, her hand trembled slightly as more lines began to converge. When the last line connected, a chill filled the room. The tunnels weren't just pathways. They were conduits, all pointing to the Palace and Royal Court.

The boys felt stupid but didn't realize its importance before.

"There was no entrance to the tunnels in the sewer or the mountain. Only Abigail made attempts to unearth them from her mine." William said, but Julie interjected and reasoned that Abigail managed to do this due to the volume of loyalists working for her.

The boys felt relief from their past actions. If they didn't prevent the Chief from taking over the mountain, the sheer number of the people under his command would be strong enough to attack the Kingdom. And if he wanted to, he could make them unearth the tunnel beneath the mountain.

Julie also pointed out that Margaret had contacted Harold before. It would only take a little persuasion, the research team's expertise, and Keep's people to begin the excavation. It was a good thing the boys halted Margaret's plan.

"Unlike Abigail, the Chief and the Doctor were not willing to play the long game," William said, thinking over what they had just uncovered.

John added marks to the map where Ingrid and her men spotted the assassins. Some spots, such as Frosthold's domain, were miles away from the tunnels. Still, the assassins are commonly sighted along the tunnels leading to the Capital.

John deduced that the assassins were hindering the Inquisition agents and scouting for another entrance. William agreed and found himself admiring Pentalium's tenacity.

"If we can present the Princess with our discovery, we will use my research team to investigate the entrances and ensure it remains buried," Julie said, twinkling with confidence.

"And how do we do that?" William asked.

"Any entrance found, the research team will assign it as a heritage site. Only researchers and academics can enter it. No army can easily take those places without being noticed," Julie said with a smile.

"William, how did you get this beautiful and intelligent woman?" John asked, complimenting Julie on her sharp thinking.

William hugged her tightly and jokingly said he could marry Julie right here. Julie answered with a whimpering yes, as she secretly wanted it, too.

They all agreed that they should inform the Princess, but John then asked the two to calm down, for they could not send messenger pigeons to carry their letters.

John revealed that his spies warned him about the stricter security imposed by the Inquisitor in the Capital. Every letter, parcel, box, and chest across the Kingdom must be opened and inspected to ensure their safety. Only the invited knights, squires, and staff can enter the Royal Court and the Palace. Even the Princess' messages haven't come to Tarwood since she left.

The Inquisition is now monitoring the news between different towns and cities, trying to prevent communication between Pentalium members as much as possible.

The three agreed to physically deliver their discovery to the Princess as soon as possible.

The following day, William left the Tarwood to be capable hands, and the three hurriedly rode to the Capital.

William and John wore their formal squire uniforms, showcasing the Frosthold's insignia on their armor. They have granted Julie a special pass as a 'personal researcher and aide' for their investigation against Pentalium.

Their journey to the Capital is troublesome. Many checkpoints, inspections, random guards, and Inquisition agents have littered the roads and towns to ensure the Kingdom's safety from Pentalium.

But William and Julie cannot help thinking about their last encounter with the assassins. It's not that they fear them; instead, they can't help knowing who to trust among the citizens of the Kingdom. Doubt begins to twist their perception of the people they meet.

After three days and many delays, they finally arrived at the Capital nearing dusk, and things looked grim. Inquisition banners hung on windows, street corners, and pennants while the citizens sang for the Inquisition. Their songs describe them as peacekeepers who cleaned the Kingdom from its corruption. Mostly, the youth saw it this way. Still, the older generation, who already suffered their brutality forty years ago, just kept their silence and prayed that justice would prevail.

When the sun sets, William and his friends enter the Court, but they find it packed with people. The citizens are not allowed to enter, yet they gravitate and peer over the windows and openings to witness the latest trial. The crowd is murmuring outside, all consolidating that the suspects deserve the guilty verdict.

John didn't know there was a hearing today and thought next month was the Court's next session.

A spectator overheard him and informed John that the Inquisitor had arrested five assassins who killed twenty Inquisitor agents across the Kingdom last week. The Inquisitor presented numerous evidence linking the assassins to different royal families.

The three squeezed their way in and saw the Princess sitting alongside the King from the sides. In the center Court, the Inquisitor questions Baron Osbert and his possible involvement in assisting one of the assassins.

Candles lit the gloomy drape of the Court. Darkness haunts the faces of the accused, but the light from the candles burns bright as the Inquisitor's passion of bringing the guilty to their knees.

"Baron Osbert, I ask again, is this man your employee?" the Inquisitor asked. Osbert confirmed that he hired one of the accused to work for him as a candlemaker. But Osbert never expected him to be an assassin and denied that he was a conspirator for the Pentalium order.

The Inquisitor showed papers to the Court of Baron Osbert's secret letter to Abigail, courting her back when she performed at a theatre. The Baron protested that this did not prove him guilty and explained that he loved Abigail's voice. Then he pulled another set of letters showing that Baron gave Abigail money during the Civil War and promised to open the Capital's gate once the loyalist army arrived.

The Baron, too stunned to speak, staggered back to his seat. The jury demands his answer, only for him to answer with a face of guilt, shame, and mercy.

Rolfe stood up from the crowd and demanded proof of the authenticity of these papers. The Inquisitor had used this tactic before during the Sand People's invasion, which led to many innocent die by their blade.

Rolfe's words gave hope to the Baron, who was about to protest. Still, when the Inquisitor looked at him with a cold, stern look, he changed his mind and didn't deny the evidence presented against him.

"If looks could kill," William muttered to himself.

The Baron surrendered and immediately handed to the knights. The Court and the people outside clapped for the well-executed investigation.

Rolfe returned to his seat, frustrated. William and John could understand his feelings, too. Their hunches tell them the Inquisitor controlled Baron Osbert, and they felt the Baron needed to accept the guilty verdict; otherwise, someone close to them would get badly hurt. Maybe they are guilty. Perhaps the Baron is working for the Inquisition, but making one admit by threat or fake evidence doesn't sit well with them.

But as much as William and John don't like this process, they have to believe it is. They must trust the Princess' decision to put the Inquisition in charge.

The Inquisitor asked the five suspects how the exiled royal families could return to the Kingdom. But all of their questions were met with silence, with Abigail's occasional muffled laughter.

Abigail, tied and gagged to a chair in the middle of the Court, was approached by the Inquisitor, and undone her gag.

"The Pentalium gave them a chance. We gave them money, a home, and a future if they worked for us. They will do anything to the ones that made their lives a living hell!" Abigail looked at the King and smiled menacingly.

"The exiled, banished for their crimes. But should the rest of their family also need to go? Imagine an innocent babe who never grew up in the Kingdom suffering the sins of the father." Abigail said, and her words rang in the hearts of many.

The Inquisitor strolled to the center, each step punctuated by silence. "I daresay we didn't make the best decision. If it were upon me to decide their fates, the exiled would meet an axe to their necks when found guilty. Their sons absorb a father's hatred for the Kingdom. The apple does not fall far from the tree." The Inquisitor applauded for standing his ground against the hateful Abigail.

Abigail, frustrated at her defeat, tried to bite the Inquisitor. The knights quickly subdued Abigail and gagged her. Abigail spat with rage at the knights, and they decided to get clothes to cover her entire face and prevent her spit from scattering.

William suddenly felt something stir in the air. It was not the candle's heat but something heavier.

An eerie silence swept the hall, broken only by the flutter of candle flames, and then William felt it. He smelled rusted iron as crimson liquid dripped onto his arm.

Julie tugged William's hand and pointed out the glass ceiling above them. The guards protecting the roof now tainted the glass with their blood. William immediately looked and saw the black-cloaked figures brandishing their swords and bows, pointed at the crowd below. William grabbed John and Julie and leaped backward from the open and into the pillar.

The Court's glass-stained roof crashed with great force. The assassins threw smoke bombs and lept from the roof and into the Court as they slaughtered many in the crowd. Panic spread across the room.

Most of the knights were caught off guard by the sudden attack. The assassin's smoke disadvantaged them, forcing the knights to fight their foes blindly. Flaming arrows rained from the roof, burning many from the assault.

The bulk of the assassins tried to kill the King and the Princess, but their guards prevented the assassins' blades from reaching their targets.

In the chaos, John defends many of the innocent people around them. At the same time, William tries to safeguard Julie from any danger that approaches her.

The Inquisitor was wounded and corned by the assassins, but Rolfe came in and killed the assassins. He rallied nearby knights to push the enemies out.

In the thick smoke, several assassins made their way to Abigail. They manage to kill the four knights guarding her and lit Abigail on fire from assassins raining blazing arrows from the roof. Unable to escape the chair, she began to yell for help, but no one could reach her in time.

When the smoke dissipated, the assassins escaped by running from rooftop to rooftop until they exited the Capital.

Once the chaos is over, they are all too horrified by the massacre before then and the burnt bodies of many people, including Abigail. The smell of her burnt flesh lingered in the air for a month until the winter wind blew it off the following months.

The attack scarred the Inquisition, frightened the royal families, and destroyed the Royal Court destroyed. No one is safe from Pentalium's retaliation.

As the cold winds of winter came, Pentalium cast a darkness that even winter nights couldn't match. The coldness William and his friends will have weather to survive.