81 - All Together Now

Matthas peered around the door.  “Minis, your new Guardsman is the only one in the booth.  Traforan.”

“Good, be quick, Matthas... I don’t have much time.  Are the Srians intending to declare war on Fehinna?”

“Not officially, no. Minis, the colonies on the dust coast aren’t ‘officially’ recognized by the God King and are a hodge-podge of national scum. What authorities there are -- who sweep through and hang the worst rapists and killers every so often -- are the captains of the Fehinnan ships that come  through monthly.”

“And the Srians can’t easily reach the Dust coast, so they’re hoping to get us on their side to raze those pest holes, by sailing from our West coast or around that desert.”

Matthas almost had a click behind his eyes as he put together various pieces.  “Did that Fehinnan slaver try to get access to any Arkan ports?”

“Ye—“

“Imperator! Imperator!”

One of the new Mahid came tearing in, trailing Atzana, leaving the door to her office wide open. “There’s an emergency that needs You and the Fenjitzas in the Mahid quarters! Please!”

He was soaked through and had bits of powered glass stuck to his uniform and Minis was up and around the desk before he'd finished speaking.

Minis had slippers on, rather than his faib skates, so everyone was able to keep up. Atzana called that she’d be at her desk, just as General Pasen, who was supposed to be in Central Arko, came running up the Glass Bridge toward them. 

“Imperator! I have an emergency!”

“General, wait. I’m dealing with something right now,” Minis said as he blew past the travel stained General. “It’s Matthas, correct? Fourth Matthas... what is going on that needs both the Fenjitzas and me?”

“I don’t know what it is, Imperator, it’s calling itself Mahid and its flinging burning lamps and glass and there’s ice and...”

“I’ll see.”  He was so glad he was still training regularly with Idiesas and he flung a glance at all the people tearing after him. I’d laugh if I didn’t need my breath. The laefetas  would be much slower as he hopped up on the grand spiral staircase railing and slid down five floors, hearing the cries of dismay from above.

He darted across to the two storey Aquila stairs and repeated his trick and that brought him down to the Mahid Quarter access. He could hear someone shouting, a screaming wind howled around him and the sound of breaking glass up ahead. He tore down the hall and skidded the corner, plunged down to the first landing under Ilesias the Great’s gaze and into the crowd of his new bodyguards all backed up away from what had been the White Corridor. A lot of yelling and shouting turned into a muted mumble as they moved back.

Minis didn’t have to push through, they melted away from in front of him and he found himself standing at Ilesias’s back as he shouted at this thing writhing up from a hole in the floor, hurling what seemed to be dismembered limbs at him that struck a barrier of some kind and dissipated like smoke.

“I am Mahid here!” Ilesias shouted. “You are no longer!”

“I was FIRST OF THE MAHID, SECOND AMITZAS MAHID. You are nothing boy. I will cut you to shreds.” A cloud of glass shards on this side of the barrier stirred and everyone ducked flinging their arms over their faces as they blew down the hall to topple vases and statues.