The Crimson Script by SJ Hull

Author:SJ Hull [Hull, SJ]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Independent
Published: 2021-02-08T22:00:00+00:00

A few hours had passed since Rillo and Aequo had stepped into the grounds of the old library. The room in which they now found themselves could not have been more different.

Lavish tapestries lined every wall, and a large balcony hung over the back of the room, adorned with gold leaf carving and flanked by towering statues. Nonetheless, the main thing that grabbed Rillo’s attention was the many guards that stood on either side of the red carpet down which he and Aequo were now walking. They were heading towards a large seat that sat atop a raised dais.

“His Excellency, The Master of Blades, and Governor General of Luthil, Lord Salaris Bremmer,” exclaimed the servant with a wave of his hand.

Rillo and Aequo bowed their heads in acknowledgement, as was quickly becoming customary under Nihilo’s new regime.

Even from the corner of his vision, Rillo could see the outline of a heavily-armed figure standing beside the man who sat seated upon his throne. Yalda, the captain of the Bremmer family guard, was dressed in the faded yellow garments of her lord’s heraldry, wearing half-plate armour, with a sword and pistol at her belt. Her gaze bit like a hungry dog as she glared down at the two of them. Rillo did not meet her gaze, keeping his eyes fixed upon Lord Salaris.

The Master of Blades was in deep discussion with a woman who leaned casually against his throne, dressed in the finest array of silk robes that Rillo had ever seen. The noblewoman wore a half-mask across her face that was decorated with interweaving patterns of purple and silver, and the end of each glittering spiral was encrusted with diamonds. She was flanked by her own guards, each of them wearing the purple livery of her family heraldry. On hearing the servant’s proclamation, the noblewoman spun gracefully upon her heel, but Rillo did not need to see her face to know exactly who she was.

Lady Aayla Farris, Master of Coin, was not a woman who was easily forgotten. Her dark, brooding eyes looked down at him, examining him, measuring his worth. The Farris family were famed for their great wealth, having amassed a large fortune from their sugar plantations founded many miles away from the borders of Abys-Luthil. Lady Aayla had continued in the aggressive mercantile tactics of her predecessors, and only two years after taking over her family’s vast business empire she had bought up one whole quarter of the city’s docks. She was notorious for hosting lavish balls and dances, and rumour had it that she refused to wear the same dress twice, and employed a whole host of dressmakers and tailors who worked around the clock, replenishing her ever-expanding wardrobe.

Aayla tapped her fingers across the varnished wood of her fellow council member’s throne and smiled.

“My dear Salaris, it appears that you have some guests.” She spoke softly, her words gentle and yet laced with purpose.

The servant that had escorted Rillo and Aequo through the house took another step forward.

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