Chapter 15“She saw it with her own eyes, your August Highness!” Prime Minister Custos Messium bowed his head to hide his disquietude. “And surveillance cameras also verified he threw something into the caldera, an object very nearly what you described.” What other proof does he want that it was destroyed, its very cinders? he wondered.
The Emperor had grown increasingly paranoid of late.
“Your August Highness,” Custos said, “perhaps I may better assist if I knew your concern in more detail.” He gave a small bow, as the Emperor had been more fickle of late, more arbitrary.
“No, you may not ask. Spies and cameras are sometimes unreliable. I want proof! Bring be its very cinders if you can!”
Custos glanced at the scepter. He'd long known that it was the source of the Emperor's power—the p
