Page 51 of The Malevolent Eight

Want to know the difference between a thug taught to intimidate people and a Glorian Justiciar who turns such things into a fine art? Take a look at this Ardentor, who’s literally concocting the entire plan all by himself using nothing but the look on my face as his guide.

‘There is a hidden danger coming to the citadel,’ he said, and with every word and approving look from me, he became more certain. ‘The Lords Celestine sent you, the last living Glorian Justiciar– now the Paladin Justiciar himself– to eliminate the threat without these frail Mortals, whose faith is as fragile as a snowflake in summer, finding out and doubting the unyielding might of our cause.’

‘And why have I come to you?’ I asked, returning to the Gaze of Humility, almost as if I were mocking him, but adding flaws into my expression and tone. This had the effect of reversing the implication from one of doubt in his abilities to the exact opposite.

It should be impossible for anyone as straight-backed as a Glorian Ardentor to straighten even more, but this guy managed it. ‘I am. . . humbly honoured, Paladin Gallantry. I had not even known my efforts had been noticed by those above.’

I placed a finger to my lips. ‘Nor have they been.’

‘By the Auroral Song,’ he whispered. His chin rose just above the regulation ninety-degree angle– that’s a real thing, by the way. ‘I will not fail you.’

‘Then begin,’ I said, and let the Ardentor muscle us past the other Glorians to the front, shying them away with his own Gazes as we left his comrades behind.

Corrigan sidled up next to me as we advanced to the front of the parade, the Auroral Citadel now only a few blocks ahead of us on the hill. ‘So, instead of concocting our own plan for stealing the banner, we’re letting this guy basically do it for us by trying to ensure it makes its way safely into our hands?’

I’ve never been arrogant by nature. The universe has been pretty good at reminding me of my flaws. But every once in a while. . .

‘Yep,’ I replied.

‘Wow,’ Corrigan said, sounding genuinely impressed with me for once. ‘You know, Cade, you’re actually a much bigger arsehole than I ever suspected.’

Chapter 28

Step 4: Conspiracies

The Glorian Ardentor, whose name was Propriety– almost, though not quite, a stupid enough name to make me feel better about my own– turned out to be a very capable conspiracy theorist.

‘For some time now, I’ve suspected there lurks a traitorous movement within our ranks,’ he informed Corrigan and me as we walked beneath the gated arch of the massive walls surrounding the citadel and into a lush orchard whose assorted trees, heavy with fruit, defied the sandy soil and arid climate of the region. I thought of the marvels the Aurorals could bring to the lives of Mortals, if only they stuck to architecture and gardening rather than mass conversion, army recruitment and occasional torture.

‘What have you gleaned about this conspiracy?’ I asked in the way of one who clearly already knows the answer but is testing you to see if you’re holding back.

‘I. . .’ Propriety’s hesitation wasn’t that he was unsure how much to tell me, but because he didn’t actually know anything and was afraid to be caught out.

‘Go on,’ I told him, going so far as to give him an encouraging pat on the elbow.

He straightened his back even more, which really should’ve been impossible. ‘I believe there is a small cadre within the ranks of the Glorians who seek the means to elevate themselves beyond their Mortal stature. These traitors believe that should the Lords Celestine be killed in our war against the Infernals, they could ascend to the top of the Auroral Hierarchy!’

Now there’s a troubling prospect,I thought. It had never occurred to me that anyone would dare betray the Celestines– mostly because no sane Glorian or even angelic would make the attempt. Nonetheless, I let Propriety think he was onto something by giving absolutely no sign of confirming his suspicions other than to ask, ‘And what do you call the leader of this shadowy group of faithless Glorians?’

The trick with conspiracy theorists is never to ask them the obvious questions like ‘What actual evidence do you have of a fifth column within the ranks?’ or ‘What are the names of these alleged traitors?’ but instead jump ahead to the fun parts, which, for conspiracy theorists, is naming stuff.

‘I call them. . . the Six Sinners,’ Propriety replied with a kind of gleeful ominousness.

‘Shit name,’ Corrigan muttered.

‘What?’ asked Propriety.

‘He said Shaitnahmai,’ I said quickly.

‘Shaitnahmai,’ Propriety repeated in a whisper. His natural confusion– a suitable response when someone has just given you a completely made-up name– quickly shifted to accepting this as confirmation of his own hunches. ‘Yes, that makes sense.’

‘The secret name of a Lord Devilish,’ I confirmed.

‘Of course! Who else but one of them cou—?’

‘Posing as a Lord Celestine as he paves the way for the conspirators, thus setting in motion the toppling of the entire Auroral Hierarchy without the Infernals having to lift a finger.’

The Ardentor froze, staring at me wide-eyed. Other Glorians, both ordained and new recruits, filed passed us into the massive citadel. For a moment, I’d thought perhaps I’d gone too far, but once we were alone in the great hall, the hapless Ardentor said, ‘It is. . . it is as I have suspected all along.’

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