Chapter 5

* * *

Negotiations, despite the friendliness of the host, were not easy. The pressure of the magical signs carved on the castle walls was draining; she had to watch her every word so as not to ruin the first favorable impression. The fatigue of yesterday's fight and the interrogation that had followed was an additional backdrop, not so much physical as mental.

On top of all that, there may be more to explain to the regional captain about the prisoner given away. And to treat Sattar.

An underground passage led her to a house not far from the walls of the Upper Town. Furnished like a medium-sized merchant's house, it served the duke as a sort of antechamber for invited but secret guests. No one wanted to draw attention to this place, so the mistress was accompanied here by only Latham. He met her at the exit.

"I think you'll have to stay in town for a while," Celesta spoke when they were far enough away from the Duke's men. "We will hand the prisoner over to Lash for a show execution. We will be interacting frequently with the Duke's entourage shortly, and Sattar, for all his positive qualities, is not an expert in the nuances of etiquette."

"The Secret Service will not be pleased."

"Of course. They can express their dissatisfaction to the sovereign if they dare, and I will give them the opportunity to do so. Let them fight, and I'll see whose forehead is stronger."

"Does Messena intend to return to Bardi?"

"No," Celesta shook her head negatively after a little thought. "Lascaris is more promising. Relations with the Duke must be developed, he must see our usefulness... Surely he would be interested in the latest information from Taleya."

From there they walked in silence. Not wishing to draw attention to her nocturnal wanderings, Celesta moved out of the inn, choosing as her new residence the mansion that belonged to the deceased Zar. The official owner was a merchant among the living servants of the risen. It was also a problem to ensure that the transfer of power went smoothly and without incident. Only four remain in the Lascaris community after recent events, but there may well be young risen from Taleya to be transferred here soon. The fugitives must be provided with shelter and resources beforehand.

There wasn't much time before dawn; midnight was long gone. Witchcraft would not be appropriate now, but Sattar looked disgusting, and Celesta made her way to the basement. Here, the hidden deep underground was the small temple of Morvan, used by the risen for the few magical rituals they knew. Ordinary cultists also came here to worship the deity, but only the undead knew how to curse their enemies or turn their blood into powerful medicine. It was rumored that a vampire who had fallen asleep in the temple was sometimes visited by visions, but whether that was true or not, Celesta did not know.

Personally, she used the room for purely utilitarian purposes.

The eternally young girl froze in front of the altar, concentrating. She should have cleared her mind of all extraneous things before she began her work. And what was there to worry about? Now she would prepare a potion for Sattar and send it to the sick vampire. The day and the next night would be spent resting unless the "spiders" had a desire to reassert their importance and scheduled a meeting. In any case, the day after tomorrow she would leave for Taleya, leaving Lascaris to her assistants. She's been gone too long as it is.

It is in the Capital where the threads of the twisting intrigue come together.

It is in Taleya that she will be at home.

* * *

Chapter 6

* * *

Historically, all risen found in the kingdom's territory tended to be transported to the capital in the first year of their non-life. Not immediately, of course. A vampire couldn't travel too far from his birthplace for two or three months after the transition; at first, the undead's energy depended heavily on the land that resurrected him. No, under special circumstances the young were taken to other cities, away from the population that was disturbed by the succession of exsanguinated corpses, but such travelers had to be fed with fresh blood almost constantly. And they had to be watched closely to see if they went mad.

It is only natural, therefore, that the Taleyan community was the largest and strongest in the country. It was home to both the oldest and the youngest of the risen. Newcomers were welcomed, trained, attached to mentors, taught to survive and the basics of existence in the realm of the Night for about fifty years, and then sent to other cities. To a new place of residence, a new place of service. This allowed, on the one hand, to evaluate the new members of the community, to understand what to expect from them and how much can be depended on them, and, on the other hand, to instill in the newcomers a more or less similar worldview. To prevent them from going to extremes, to give them a moral basis for their continued existence, to explain the dangers of uncontrolled thirst.

Celesta was not always happy with the results, but in general, the chicks that left her nest were firmly on their wings.

Not everyone went to the provinces, though. The most talented stayed in Taleya, joining the established management structures, developing their sections, and forming a kind of "personnel reserve". Everyone benefited the community. By intrigue, by finding money, by controlling particularly frisky fanatics or tribute-paying human gangs, by destroying particularly dangerous creatures throughout the country... The oldest, most experienced, and capable were among what Celesta called Advisors. They were the close associates who led the various activities.

The vampiress had arrived in town a week ago. She was in no hurry, and she decided, given the opportunity, to take a tour of the grounds. To inspect her subjects, who, far from her mistress's watchful eye, were not always properly managing their newfound autonomy. Some of the heads of the communities were beginning to feel that their leader's policy of subordination to the human authorities was not in keeping with current realities and was expressing dissatisfaction in various ways. Celesta, in principle, was also tired of being the tame monsters of the Secret Guard, so there was little reprisal. No one tried to rebel against her authority or her established laws, there were no fools among the elders, and minor transgressions could be forgiven or limited to a reprimand in private. Most of the risen were well aware of their position on the fringes of human society and did not want to attract attention with silly flashy brutal antics. So she was happy with the outcome of the trip. This time there was no bloodshed.

Despite the training, education, careful selection, and control, vampires sometimes lashed out. They killed indiscriminately, ignored their mistresses' orders, and openly fought with local lords or temples. It wasn't a good thing for them, as the zealous elders were quickly cut off. Sometimes on the head. Celesta tried to punish justly but mercilessly. In her position, mercy was synonymous with weakness. She could not afford weakness.

Her subjects lived in a cruel world, and she ruled them as best she could. That is, in full accordance with the covenant of Machiavelli, unknown here: "A ruler does good wherever possible, and evil where necessary. The proportion remained unknown. But, judging from the fact that the vampire clan was doing well compared to neighboring countries, Celesta was doing well. Both undead and humans regarded her as ruler of all the undead of Taleya - humans, incidentally, were the first to use the term "subjects" in reference to the risen who served her, which sometimes made her think of coronation with grim humor. Until now, the title of Night Mistress, invented by an unknown cultist, had sufficed, but circumstances might soon change...

In fact, it was about these very circumstances that she was going to talk to the Council.

Her inner circle had for many years consisted of the same individuals. The old, strong, loyal, and talented risen who had firmly held the reins of the communities and successfully fought off the attacks of the outside world. All of them were now seated at the table, preparing to hear Celesta and, in turn, to report on their assigned areas of work.

A rather squinting Medea settled gracefully in the nearest chair on her right arm. She was always there. Regardless of the vicissitudes of fate, the beauty and schemer served as faithful support for her cold friend, providing her with support in all circumstances and helping her to deal with various crises. It is fair to say that some of these crises arose thanks to Medea.

Circling in court circles, she never denied herself the pleasure of tickling her own and others' nerves with an affair with a disgraced courtier or a resident of Lanakian intelligence. In the unconscious urge to walk on the edge of a precipice, enjoying the thrill of danger and the sense of life about to be cut short, she sometimes drove Celesta to a state of uncontrollable rage. A couple of times Medea was even forced to flee the capital - not so much from angry aristocrats as from an angry friend. People, mostly men, she could turn as she wished, but Celesta's anger was better to wait it out. At the same time in serious situations, the beauty acted quickly and decisively, without delay, fulfilling the most strange of orders. In general, the main thing was not to let her get bored.

In truth, there had been very little foolishness on her part lately. Medea was the link between the vampires and the high nobility of the state, the channel that allowed her to directly influence the decisions of the authorities, bypassing the superiors of the Secret Guard. Her looks, manners, and artistry allowed her to easily find keys to the hearts of influential nobles, who had fallen in love with the beautiful servant of the Night for generations. Her true nature was known at court. However, they did not perceive her as a predatory undead, but as a kind of a dumb and a bit careless lover of dance, poetry, and other arts, just a bit immortal and with ambiguous acquaintances. That's what the right image means.

Next to Medea sat one of the few vampires who had risen in old age. Normally, mortals killed in their younger years returned to non-life, which gave rise to thoughts of a second chance given to the Dark Ones. Though the statistics gathered, known only to their own, corrected this opinion. Old men don't rise up less often - they retain their sanity less often. The psyche does not withstand, the habit of thinking in patterns, common to any adult, which prevents them from accepting the changed reality.

Celeste considered the Gardoman one of her most valuable possessions, if I may say so about a free individual. The old man was a shrewd salesman and a born entrepreneur, able to make money out of thin air. He was a difficult man to deal with at first. The former headman of a village did not lose his commanding antics after his death and was severely rebuked several times, but then he got used to it, acknowledged the authority of the Little Mistress, and slowly began to take control of the financial operations. Seven dinirs out of every ten the community now received, Gardoman rightly took credit for it. The remaining twenty percent of the undead community's income came either from the machinations of Medea, who occasionally followed a lover into a lucrative venture-not so much out of greed as out of a desire to be at the center of things - or from the other vampires.

Celesta also had her sources, known to her alone. A dozen coins there, a hundred here, buried jewelry or gems... Not necessarily in Taleyф. She left a modest rainy-day investment in every city she happened to be "on duty". Sometimes an extra penny helped her stay afloat. Let the last two hundred years the situation of the undead in the principality is stable and the authorities do not intend to destroy the useful, though scary subjects, life - it is that, unpredictable.

Last on the right side was Latham, who had returned to Taleya just today. Business in Lascaris was better than could be expected, so he considered his mission complete and left the city to Sattar. The youngest of the assembled, in his lifetime Latham had been heir to the Counts of Kos and was considered one of the best swordsmen in the guard. His virtuoso mastery of the weapon, coupled with his good education, strong leadership skills, and knowledge of clan magic now earned him a seat at this table. Despite his relatively young age compared to the other elders, he was the one Celesta had recently sent to hunt down the most dangerous creatures. Not alone, of course.

She had a sort of quick response team of four experienced vampires, aka bodyguards and fighters, and she put Latham in charge of them. The former aristocrat had never once failed. He was also used occasionally when, for whatever reason, Medea could not interfere, and circumstances forced him to communicate with the higher nobility - but not too often.

First on the left sat Hustin opposite the insidiously smiling temptress Medea. The relationship between the former teacher and the former student was not easy and, according to the observations of experienced persons, developed cyclically. That is, about ten years of affectionate friendship, during which the magician, like a living person, gave the flowers for beauty, wrote love notes, and was wildly jealous of the objects of work. Gifts graciously accepted, bad quality poems neatly stacked in a box, the feelings were mutual. Then came a cooling-off period, which lasted about the same amount of time. The box was burned, the sides exchanged sarcastic remarks, Medea messed with the men for a show, and Hustin became angry and refused to appear in the dungeons. When the active fighting phase came to an end and the old, experienced risen stopped acting like quarreling teenagers, for about five years, the surrounding people enjoyed some peace and quiet. Then it would start all over again.

Celesta did not interfere in these games. Let them have their fun. She trusted Medea, and Hustin stood apart. Despite the age-old agreement between Celesta and the humans, the vampiress could not call the mage fully her subject. He lived on the Academy grounds, was well acquainted with many aristocrats, and could gain an audience with the highest dignitaries all the way up to the king if necessary. He was favored by Tairan, head of all mages in Taleya. From the outside, it might have seemed that Celesta had no leverage over Hustin.

Fortunately, the memory remained. The memory of the days when they had wandered the dungeon together, of the first lessons in night hunting, taught to an inexperienced risen, of the dirt, the blood, and the pressing sense of danger. Hustin remembered what Celesta was capable of, knew the true value of her abilities, and wanted no enmity. Having once recognized her as the leader of his new clan, the head of his new family, he had never since seen a reason to consider that old decision a mistake.

There was another thread, more like a rope, that the Mistress of the Undead could use on occasion, but it applied more to the Academy as a whole. From time to time wizards conducted experiments that were ethically questionable. That notorious black magic. "Spiders" knew about the wizards' research, some projects were developed with their help, but the true frequency and details of the rituals remained an internal secret of the Academy. If the information leaked out, the researchers would be in big trouble, as Tairan rightly believed. So the head of the mages preferred - on a mutually beneficial basis, of course - to obtain the necessary ingredients and human material from the city's undead, with whom he maintained contact through his apprentice. Thus, Hustin regularly appeared in the sewers, was more or less aware of the community's affairs and, as they say, did not break away from the collective.

The last of the gathering, Zervan, was the fourth risen to join the small Taleyan community. He remembered the time before the Plague, a fact of which he was very proud, but he did not like to talk about his former life. A poacher, a smuggler, a vagabond, a regular in prison - not a career to be proud of. In fact, in his new incarnation, he was doing more or less the same, only at a higher level. Zervan looked after all the interests of the community as they related to the underworld. He handled the city's gangs and contacts with pirate fleet captains, provided channels for smuggling from other countries, and carried out orders for assassinations.

Strangely enough, he was doing quite well. Mainly because he knew his limits and preferred to ask Celesta on controversial issues. Mistress Zervan was feared and respected from the first meeting, which ended extremely painful for him and permanently prioritized their relationship. Nevertheless, any fear requires renewal, so the bandit periodically had to be reminded who was in charge. He also feared and distrusted Hustin, condescended to Gardoman, drooled over Medea, and hated Latham. The latter despised Zervan and did not think it necessary to hide it.

"... So in both Bardi and Lascaris our position has been strengthened," Celesta finished her report. "We have our difficulties there and there, but I think we have enough leverage to influence the situation. The Highlanders need money, and Lash would be grateful for an update from the palace. What about our income?"

"I'd say things are good, but not too good," Gardoman replied. "A large part of our activity has to be diverted into the shadows. The merchants and trading houses under our control complain of a sharp deterioration in the general situation. Government fees are rising, gangs are on the rise, viceroys and feudal lords are refusing to take orders from the capital, and travel is becoming dangerous. Trade has become more difficult. No, of course, the increase in the price of weapons and escort services offset the cost to some extent, but on the whole, the outlook is not pleasant. It's a bit unsettling."

Zervan smirked: "Well, I dunno. There are enough guys to sneak goods around customs."

The "finance minister" of the community, who worked closely with Zervan and his men, shook his head negatively. He was well versed in the situation not only in his field and now immediately objected: "Gangs are getting bigger, the leaders of some are getting out of control. The size of the handouts has to increase. Sooner or later, your "meat" will want to play the game of independence, and I'm not sure we'll be able to hold them back."

"I'll kill them all myself!" Zervan was indignant. "Or we'll get the lunatics to do it!"

Medea smiled faintly, amused by the bandit's last sentence. It was about the Morvanite sects, especially those where they were specially trained to kill people, and which Celesta considered her personal property and did not allow anyone to command them. Not to Zervan, anyway.

The rebuke came immediately: "I do not intend to use my, as you put it, lunatics, to correct your mistakes, Zervan. The cultists have a different task. Moreover, I doubt that even with their help we will be able to keep all this unruly mob in check." Mistress turned her gaze to the financier. "We were distracted. Am I correct in assuming that our revenues will decrease?"

"Yes," the old man affirmed, "though I don't care much about money. Failed decades have happened before. The scary thing is that there's been a lot of new players lately, and everyone wants a bigger piece. I'm talking about the feudal lords and some of the temple associations. Their spies are extremely active, and the quality of their training is somewhere on the level of the current "spiders". There are many of them, they are well-financed and ready to climb into all the cracks. I am afraid they may find out who really owns a number of well-known merchants' unions. We risk losing the whole trade network."

There was an anxious silence in the hall. Without the main source of funds, it would be hard to live.

Initially, the little colony of risen, or rather their leader, had no resources at all. That is, not at all. They couldn't count the one and only tavern where they were fed by drunken revelers as their own. "Spiders" did not pay them a salary, legal opportunities to make money could not appear in principle, and all the illegal were closely monitored by the Secret Service. But little by little the situation changed. Under the pretext of tutelage for cultists, they managed to get funding, some money was withheld, and they tried to scam it. The scheme was partially successful.

Gradually, as truly loyal servants emerged from the cultists, the number of enterprises controlled by vampires grew in one way or another. A couple of taverns owned by Morvanites; small gangs that paid tribute in exchange for intercession with guards and information about impending raids; and contacts with pirates who sold loot in the region's largest city. But it didn't take long for Celesta to really unfold. It was a long time before her mortal servants began to establish their own merchant houses and trade throughout the kingdom and even beyond. The risen now owned trading companies and mines, shipyards, horse farms, fields, and forests. Unofficially, of course.

Some parts of the web that brought the undead gold and financial independence, the beloved leadership knew for sure, guessed about some things, and had suspicions about some people and companies. But the Secret Service did not own the entire structure of the network, the top risen were sure of that. No one but those gathered in this room could tell exactly what assets belonged to the vampires. And if Gardomann was saying that dozens of rats would succeed were one big wolf had failed, then you should at least listen to what he was saying. The old man has an instinct for such things.

"What can be done?"

"Not so much," replied the financier. He was probably figuring out what measures to take and was now stating his conclusions. "To pull back new projects within the kingdom and try to move operations to other countries. I recommend Lanaka. The Princely Council recently adopted a program to build a new fleet - a surge of business activity is inevitable there. What to do with the existing companies, which are known to be owned by us, I honestly do not know. Unless we sell all the assets and try to start business anew, elsewhere, our servants won't like this option. In the business reputation is built up over the years, it is very difficult to start from scratch. Especially since there are no obvious reasons to move yet."

Mortal servant dynasties were more valuable to the risen than gold. The newbies who had recently entered the Darkness had little understanding of how dependent they were on humans, but the older vampires were soberly aware of their place in the world. The layer between the society of the living and the communities of the undead was necessary, or else the latter would be forced to turn into mere undead, waiting for victims in dark alleys. Humans provide their dark masters with a day's shelter and an opportunity to earn a relatively honest living, cover from hunters, and an extra gulp of blood in a time of need. They didn't want to lose all that.

"Give the heads of the affected families the prognosis," Celesta ordered. "Tell them to be mentally prepared for the possibility that they might have to leave Taleya. If they have their way of deceiving the searchers, fine, we'll be glad to help them. If they decide to stay... I think we should involve our "friends" from the palace."

"With great pleasure," Medea replied. "But what about Laar? The worm gets hysterical whenever we meet at parties. He thinks I am not to get involved in politics! How silly! I don't interfere in men's affairs at all. I just advise my good friends sometimes, and it's up to them whether they follow it or not."

The belle, contrary to custom, was not the least bit deceitful. She attended feasts and parties, sang ancient hymns to guests, flirted, patronized poets and actors, seduced and allowed to seduce herself, expertly helped young girls to get out of juicy situations, and was happy to get involved in them herself. But she did not try to join any of the groups, and rarely acted in the interests of the risen. However, even this "very rarely" made the "spiders" furious and caused serious problems for Celesta's subjects.

So her actions were limited to surveillance, collecting rumors, and participating in the adventures of noble lovers who brought information and popularity. The vampires, however, were not the losers. Medea managed to collect tons of dirt even in such constrained conditions, providing her eldest friend the possibility of blackmailing almost the entire elite of the kingdom. Except, unfortunately, it was almost impossible to use the material. Until today.

Celesta froze, once again mentally calculating her options. Was she too hurry? How would her comrades-in-arms feel about her proposal? They, too, had lived steadily for a long time, accustomed to their position.

"Speaking of the Secret Guard... It has always had a tight grip on us, but lately, its grip has loosened. Many of the masters of the communities think it's time to get rid of it altogether. On the other hand, we have become accustomed to the status quo; it gives us many legal opportunities. Arguments are being made both for and against gaining independence." Well, the word is spoken. "I would like to hear what you think."

This topic had already been discussed with the elders separately, in private, and Celeste knew the opinion of each associate. But the time to make a decision was now. Let them make their position out loud, make their final choice.

"It's about time! They absolutely do not let us live - I walk as if in a slave collar, counting every word!"

Medea. She spoke out impulsively and with great pleasure. She was the first of Celesta's inner circle to speak of parting with her "spider" patrons, and her motives were purely selfish. They made her do something she didn't like. Then, as soon as she heard the fervent speech about freedom, independence, and the right to self-determination, Celesta ordered her friend to keep her mouth shut. But she made a notation in her mind. Medea intuitively sensed the desires of mortals, and now that she was talking about something she'd been afraid to think about, times had changed.

"I don't like some humans deciding for me how and what I should do. We'll get by without a bunch of spiders!"

Zervan's joy is also understandable. The bandit gang, which he called his assistants, suffered from the scrutiny of the clandestine most severely. No surprise in the constant inspections - given the proclivities of Zerwan and his henchmen, control is vital. Mistress Taleya herself gave them a great deal of her attention. She valued these, so to speak, fighters not too high, but she knew exactly who could and should be used for dirty work. Violent, poorly controlled, disobeying orders at every turn, they were well suited to hunting the not-so-dangerous undead or fighting with the temple hunters. More often than anywhere else, there were degenerates among them who had lost all desire except immoderate bloodlust. The inability to control himself, the lack of self-control, quickly turned a vampire into a ghoul, dangerous even to his kind.

If someone had to be sacrificed, Celesta would look for a suitable candidate in the pack. There was always a reason for punishment.

"I see no common future for the risen with the Taleyan dynasty. They don't need us, moreover, we are beginning to obstruct them."

By saying "I don't see," Hustin should have specified what exactly he meant. Ever since his experiments in foresight began to yield the first results, his words could be interpreted in two ways. But the magician's statement made it very clear where he stood. Despite his privileged position over the rest of the risen, he too wanted autonomy. The right to choose what to do, where to live, what to teach, to take care of mortal kin. He was now shackled by many prohibitions, and even his excellent relations with the Academy leadership were of little help, especially lately.

"I doubt that there is a good reason to make a drastic change in the way of life. Crises have happened before. We will get through this one, just as we got through the previous ones. My answer is no."

It would have been strange if the chief financier had wanted to take part in the revolution. He was quite happy with the current state of affairs. Gardoman and his team gradually increased their influence by bribing officers of the guard or officials and even sponsoring some temples. They preferred creeping into new areas, strengthening their position step by step and acquiring new companies, recruiting supporters, investing in joint operations with feudal lords. The fact that officially they had no right to conduct trade did not embarrass them. Having their backers among the nobility and merchants allowed them to ignore the law. Unless, of course, your people held key positions.

So far Gardoman had few truly influential agents, but he was in no hurry. All in good time. So the old man preferred to wait a little longer and gain actual freedom through intrigue and corruption, while outwardly remaining subordinate to the Secret Guard. A long way, but a safe way. Proven.

And, finally, the last vote: "Taleya is the only country in which the risen have the support of the authorities. Though this support is small and often symbolic, it is there nonetheless. By revolting, we will become, from unusual servants, the enemy. I doubt that the possible benefits of a life of freedom outweigh the inevitable losses of confrontation."

"But that's not all, is it?" Celesta suddenly smiled.

"Not all," Latham agreed. "I swore an oath to the dynasty. I don't think death has freed me from my oath."

As one would expect.

The mistress nodded lightly, showing that she had heard and accepted everyone's words. Be that as it may, the decision belonged to her. She ruled over all the communities of the risen country, ruthlessly eradicating any manifestation of independence and wielding the full extent of absolute power. Insofar as absolute power is possible at all. But in return, she had to pay the price of responsibility for the actions of any undead among those for whom she was responsible.

Medea, Hastin, and Zervan are pro, Gardoman and Latham are con. Or, if we consider the fields of activity, political intelligence, mages, and the army - in its worst form - propose to take a risk and break with the current authorities. Break the centuries-old pattern. The financial sector and the guards are satisfied with the existing order. And they make quite good arguments to support their position. It is unacceptable to underestimate their influence on communities and ability to analyze the situation.

"You're right, Gardoman, there have been crises before," Celesta finally spoke. "But never before have they threatened the very existence of the state. The elite is divided and unable to find common ground on any issue, the army is actually divided into factions led by several warlords who hate each other, money is rapidly depreciating. The peasants revolt. There is no unity within the ruling dynasty either, the Son of the Sea has no authority with his relatives. In fact, Taleya is on the brink of civil war. It's just that, for now, the sides are hoping for compromise and don't want to use arms."

"Regardless of whether the higher princes decide to revolt or not, the status quo regarding the vampires will be disrupted. The temples have gained too much power, and our existence runs counter to their ideology. Not all, but most. The hierarchs might accept the existence of the risen if they could put us on a short leash, but that option no longer suits me."

"It is not possible to sit on the sidelines and wait out the hard times. But you can't choose one side over the other - there's nothing to choose from. The king's supporters hate us, princes and feudal lords remember well who killed their fathers. So what if we're ordered to? We have enough blood feuds among the nobility."

"Change is inevitable."

Gardoman tilted his head slowly. His speech did not convince him, but he recognized that her point of view was valid and not an empty whim.

Encouraged by his reaction, Celesta began to give orders: "We won't be in a hurry to break up a generally beneficial collaboration, but I don't intend to wait until humans decide to get rid of us, either. Therefore. Medea! Keep Laar occupied at all costs. Let this idiot who's ruined the Guard concentrate on his problems and stay out of our way. I know his patrons will be angry, but we can live with their dissatisfaction. They'll soon have bigger problems than petty risen."

"Hastin, get ready to move. You should be able to leave the Academy at any time and run to the lower floors of the catacombs. So start dragging books, materials, documents - everything you need. I'll assign helpers."

"Gardoman, Zervan, you are in charge of people. Our interests in trade will suffer, but the damage must be minimized. We are talking about mortal servants first and foremost. Negotiate with pirates, with smugglers, with the Archipelago fleet, eventually bribe the Deep Harbor Senate - we must always have an escape route at hand. Prepare hideouts overseas for the people and provide possible travel routes to them for the risen. Do not spare the money: even if the precautions are unnecessary now, they will come in handy in the future. Try to get rid of any bad assets that you can't sell, and transfer them to Lascaris, Zonne, or overseas. All merchant houses are leaving Taleya, and ideally only the risen and our closest servants should remain in the Capital. No families. I understand that this is a difficult and long process, capital is difficult to withdraw, but I rely on your experience. And your discretion, Zervan. Keep an eye on your pack. Take good care of it."

"Try not to involve the Morvanites, make do with your reserves. Latham, your four are at my disposal. If you stay late after the meeting, you'll get new instructions."

"I want to remind you again: everything is about people. If the situation stabilizes and the court manages to regain its former level of influence, we will have to be very quiet. Yes, I am counting on a long civil war, on the feudal fragmentation of the country, remember that term. But both Chancellor Rakawa and Prince Kono have shown themselves to be very shrewd diplomats. They could agree among themselves, and then our assumptions would end up in the trash. In the worst-case scenario, we would have no patrons, and even our current allies would be among our enemies."

If that happens, the risen will have to flee the country.

* * *