<~> Chapter 213It was a few bells before midday when Talus came to visit us at the embassy.

  "Lilith, may I have a moment please?" he asked after having just e through the door to the guest residence we were staying at.

  I walked dowairs to meet him he door. "Of course, should this versation be private?"

  He gnced around at all of my friends nearby, everyone was gathered here except for Lorriehe other support members of the Order, and the pantharians she was helping. "I suppose that's unnecessary. Though maybe a [Zone of Silenbsp;would be appropriate," he suggested.

  I flicked a wrist and the spell came alive around the table once more. I started to sit down but he shook his head. "No reason to sit down, this won't take long. I just think it's prudent to be cautious when speaking about this, even in a private setting like this one. As far as I tell no one knows of your involvement in the king's death. It didn't take long for the castle guard to realize that the king was dead when the colrs around their victs and the few pantharians that were at the castle fell off. As we heard that night, a particurly dangerous mage blew a hole in the castle wall and escaped."

  I cut in, "Is that mage someone we should be worried about?" I asked.

  Talis made a bit of a sour face before answering. "I'm not sure. She's supposed to be a human woman named Nakahi Yoriko. She's served the Torlimal family for two geions, much lohan a human woman should be able to serve, which makes the information I have suspicious. There are rumors of mages extending their lives using magic but even as someone who works at the Great Library, I've only heard of it as rumors."

  That name sounds Japanese. With the strange mixture of names I've heard, this one really stands out as different from most of the others. It makes me wonder which is the surname, Yoriko sounds like more of a given han Nakahi does. Is it another world traveler or just the influence of one in the past?

  Talis shook his head, "Regardless, that's not what I wao talk about. It seems that there was a rift f betweeamin Churd the former King before his death. After the murder of t Kornd, he brought iamin church to fortify the city against demon attacks and root out the cult of Amphores after he received a letter from Nathahe ag lord of Goldeh, telling him that the ledgers you provided suggested they had a strong presen the city. Something we now know for sure is true."

  "He seemed not to know about me when they brought me in to talk with him," I remarked.

  "I'm not sure why the young King didn't reize your name, but he was not known for his intellect," Talis said with a shrug. "In any case, the ges the King impleme the Tamin church's request turned out to be very unpopur with the citizenry. It's obvious to us but I believe the young King wasn't aware of how angry it would make his people to force all of the non-nd-ownikin to move into the southern quarter. He either didn't know hoeople would be affected or he uimated how unpopur the act would be even among the nokin people. The guards discovered that the riot artially instigated by the cult of Amphores using the colr suppression magic we discussed the other day but at the time you were meeting with the former King, he and h were still operating uhe impression that it was a natural riot caused by the ges the Tamin church asked the King to put i the time, they weren't looking for the cult of Amphores because they believed they had instigated the riot, they were looking for them so they could give the Tamin church a sacrificial head a the ges the Tamin church had asked him to put into pce as quickly as possible. He was attempting to save face by giving the people a scapegoat when he undid the ges while maintaining a good retionship with the church at the same time. I believe that's why they were trying to operate without the Tamin church's notice whe with them, but they severely uimated the dahey put themselves in." He g Silva who was quietly listening in without saying a word. "Which to be fair, her of us were aware how dangerous Silva was at the time either." Silva rolled her eyes but didn't say anything.

  "All of that is to say," Talis tinued, "no one knows that any of us were there that day. That meeting was pletely off the record and even in h's schedule, the time slot was just listed as 'meeting,' I believe that the three of us are pletely in the clear, which means you're free to leave the embassy without any issue. The only downside of all of this is the city guard and Tamin church are even more united in looking for the cult of Amphores."

  "Isn't that a good thing?" I asked.

  "No, it isn't. Not politically anyway. This positions the Tamin church to take over the city with most of the city guard supp them. All of the hat would have a cim ohro this stage aren't here right now and the city is quickly sliding into martial w. They're trying to be quiet about it but if the general popuce finds out the king is dead and the Tamin church is de facto in charge, there will be a real riot in the southern quarter. Thankfully what Lorriene was inally worried about hasn't e to pass there yet but I agree that it's a barrel of kerosene. If the Tamin churd the city guard put up a united front when a riot does happen, it will look more like the suppression of a rebellion than anything else."

  I ran a hand ay face. "And en to know that a riot is about to happen within a matter of days, instigated by the cult of Amphores."

  Talis nodded. "We do. I've been talking with Feyria Wihorn and she told me about the 'job' she offered to you when the uping riot iably happens. I'm not sure if adding a sve uprising to the mix in the middle of a political rebellion is the greatest idea."

  I sighed and sat down heavily on a nearby chair. "What am I supposed to do? It sounds like the cult of Amphores is already pnning on something simir with or without us. If I'm involved at least I could potentially help some of the freed sves and stop them from being swept right into the hands of a demon cult. After talking with everyone and sleeping on it, I feel like I have to get involved now."

  Talis shook his head. "All I do is give you information, what you do with it is up to you. I no longer have a quest from my goddess to protect you and I would rather stay out of whatever you choose to do from here. My true purpose is to protect the Great Library of Sorsette and all the information I've gathered over the st week is making the situation more and more difficult to navigate."

  Standing up, I held out my hand. "Thank you, Talis. I'm grateful for everything you've done for me and my friends the st few days, you've been a great help."

  He took my hand and shook it. "I appreciate the gratitude, you and your friends are of course still wele within the Great Library. The head librarian told me that now that things have ged for Man and Torien, they are of course wele to receive their membership to the Library as well. I uand if you don't make the trip soon uhe circumstances. From what I'm told, it will be arrahat you and your friends who have yet tister will be wele tister at any of Sorsette's libraries."

  I took a good look at Maed face from the news.

  Talis took a step bad bowed slightly to me. "It was o meet you, Miss Lilith Baphomet. I hope we have the pleasure to meet again in more peaceful times."

  "Take care of yourself Talis, aheo goodbye for me. It doesn't seem likely I'll be able to see him again before we leave."

  Talis smiled. "I'll tell him." He turned around ahe building. I left the [Zone of Silenbsp;up for the moment, anticipating a follow-up versation with my family members.

  Silva was the first to speak. "So, what's the pn?" she asked.

  I sat down and looked over at her. "I don't think this ges anything since we st talked about it. I think more than ever we o get involved here and try to mitigate any damage the cult of Amphores produces."

  Silva cleared her throat. "If we're all free to leave the embassy, Lorriene and I should make tact with Sophin. She told me that he's iy now."

  "Is that your ta The Order of Lilith?" I asked.

  "More like handler. He gives us missions and tasks for the Order. The two of us aren't very high up, but Sophin is. He'll be the first step in ving the Order that you're the real deal," Silva replied.

  "Will he be as skeptie as you two were?" I said scratg the base of my horn.

  Silva sighed. "I'm not sure to be ho. He believes that the Lilith in the prophecies is real though. They do it on purpose, they put the pragmatists uhe true believers to keep things banced. I never cared because I felt they always gave me targets I agreed with but I don't actually know much about how the Order is run at the top. The fact that you vinced both me and Lorriene should help vince him though."

  "Who all is going on this sve freeing mission anyway?" Sibyl asked. "As sympathetic to your cause as I am, Raya and I would likely just be dead weight... No offense," she said to Raya.

  Raya's ears went back. "I'm not afraid to admit that I would be scared to help with something like this. I've only barely started to learn magid I'm not sure how useful my prostitute skills would be."

  Torien tapped the table. "There's also the problem with the two of us," she said motioning toward her sister. "Wihoriohat she would have some sort of disguises for us but pantharians stand out. Unless we get something like Aunt Lori was wearing the ht we're going to be reized."

  I nodded. "I'm curious about that as well, my horns arely subtle."

  "If it's possible, I want to go," Man said with steel in her voice. "My magic is flexible and I don't like the idea of Lilith going without us. Like you said, we're your partners, we should all go as a team."

  Bel nodded as well. "I'm our healer. I'm sure my healing has saved our lives before. Even if we don't face as much resistance as we fear, the sves we're going to free may require my healing too. I'm going," Bel said with finality.

  "Me too!" Mimi added lightly. Mimi was one of the people I was the least worried about. She's durable, I'd be more ed about her being reized than her getting hurt, and even that won't be a if she decides to go disguised as jewelry.

  Silva knocked oable. "I'm definitely going, and I know Lorriene will want to e too, especially if the twins are going."

  Cecilia shook her head. "I think I should prepare an escape route instead of joining you. I don't think it's wise to return to the embassy after our tribution to this attad if we end up taking any of the sves with us, we'll he room that on provide. Sibyl and Raya stay with me and help me in the meahe uunas will scare most rioters and hostile guards away from us, but some people might still be dumb enough to try and fight me for the wagon. I could use their help."

  "So we'll have to find a way out of town after the attad we'll escape on the carriage to aown," I firmed while looking around the room.

  "We should make it look like we're leaving or have already left before the attack," Cecilia added. "We should finish up our business in the capital as quickly as possible and take a job from the adventurer's guild delivering something back to Goldeh or Traehall. Raksha'va wanted you to return after your cartography training anyway, we'll make it look like we're heading back for that before the attack starts and you guys sneak bato the city."

  "What about the Duke of Torquin?" I asked. "Wihorn suggested that she would pay Silva to take her out and position Marquis Saffadder to take the king's pce. Do we even know where he is?"

  Torien shook her head. "That's if the Tamin church doesn't take trol of the kingdom before that happens."

  I leaned ba my chair. "So... does that mean we o try and do something about the Tamin chur this city as well?"

  Silva grinned a dangerous looking grin. "We should definitely introduce you to Sophin."

  Saine

  Hello! Lots of background and initial pnning surrounding the uping riot in the capital. The Tamin church are unsurprisingly taking the opportunity to take trol of the gover but they don't know the cult's pns. Things are really starting to heat up, I hope you enjoyed reading!

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