‘Do you expect me to do something about it, Lieutenant?’
‘No, not at all.’ The officer smiled slightly. ‘It’s enough that you know who you’re going to have to deal with.’ Al-Satar looked Darius in the eye. ‘Remember that in the governor’s palace, loneliness is the most dangerous thing of all.’
Bleist had lost all enthusiasm for anything, but waiting was not an option either. As soon as the irritated Rex appeared in the tower assigned to them, the earl issued his orders regarding the plan for the coming days. The Ruby Guards, or rather four of them, were to guard their temporary residence to ensure that no documents or evidence fell into the wrong hands. The remaining two, along with Rex, were to accompany Darius, just in case. No one wanted any more trouble than they had already encountered. Meanwhile, the members of the Azure Guard were tasked with gauging the mood in the city and verifying the information available in the archives. That very afternoon, everyone set to work.
The colonel was just entering the vast temple of all the gods, wondering once again why it had to fall to him of all people. He could have had far simpler problems. He could have kept a low profile in some cushy post, yet he had decided to throw himself into the world of intelligence, so alluring as it was in those days. Sometimes a mistake, sometimes an advantage. This gloomy thought was just one of many that had crossed his mind before.
Darius looked around, searching for someone who might direct him to a medic. The interior of the sanctuary looked rather interesting. Given the temple’s external structure and appearance, he had expected it to be full of pomp and splendour, yet the reality was quite the opposite. The interior was sparsely furnished, almost ascetic. The walls and floor were made of smooth sandstone devoid of any additional ornamentation. Opposite the entrance, at the end of the main nave, stood a marble altar covered with a golden cloth, and behind it rose a gilded statue of Solas with
