Lilac Child Chapter 20

The quickest route to the palace was through the gaol and along the tunnel that snaked through the rock, but if she entered that way, she wasn’t getting out. Instead, she headed out the gate and onto the road. All tiredness forgotten about as she stretched her legs and sprinted up the road. It was only a short journey to the palace, but the road cut back and forth, climbing sharply until it reached the ornate gates of the palace.

Ordinary folk gathered on the pavements and filled the road, drawn to the palace to beg the Emperor to intervene and protect them from the red-handed mobs tearing apart the city. They bore banners adorned with the symbols of their gods, some singed after being rescued from the fires, others torn and dirty after being fought over. The people themselves were haggard and bore signs of the fighting, but they continued their vigil even as the emperor ignored their plight. Zini slipped among them, adopting their mannerisms, hoping to blend in. She joined in the shouts, pleading for help, and mirrored the greetings of those she passed until she reached the steps and the recessed doorway where she normally held her watch. The slight elevation gave her a clear view over the crowd, to the clerics knelt before the gate and the ranks of guards beyond, arrayed in full armour, ready if the unarmed mob force their way in. Where were they, Zini wondered, when the temple came under attack? If they’d stood like that before the bronze doors, none of this would be happening, at least not to the extent it was. The Roggonites would have failed and withdrawn, leaving the city in peace.

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