Keeper of Secrets: Fatal Empire Part One

Chapter 1

Chapter One

My mother left me with Admon Zamadi al-Tahlid when I was only three. I have little memory of her, other than the vague impression of blond-streaked hair that smelled of jasmine, and sparkling, hazel eyes. I grew up on Admon’s estate deep in the heart of Tahlid province, isolated from the company of other children and families. But at an early age, I sensed my home life was different. When I was seven, I finally got up the courage to ask Admon about it.

I had been wandering the estate grounds one spring afternoon after my lessons for the day were complete. Although I was only a child, Admon took the responsibility of my education very seriously. He began teaching me himself as soon as he deemed me old enough, beginning with reading, writing, and figures. I soaked up the information like a sponge, eager for knowledge and my master’s approval. But now I was walking near the shadow of the Elven Forest, which backed onto Admon’s estate, considering a dream that had been haunting me for the past three nights. One of Admon’s nondescript men was standing a respectful distance away, keeping watch as he had no doubt been instructed. I blocked out my unwanted guardian, trying to recapture the images.

Closing my eyes, I tilted my head back to let the sun shine on my face. The leaves of the nearby trees rustled in the light breeze, sounding like whispered words just beyond my hearing. The lush scent of the gardens wafted towards me, carrying a hint of jasmine. My mother’s face appeared in my mind’s eye. She was smiling, but her hazel eyes—so very like my own—were welling up with tears.

“Razi, my precious Raziel.” Her voice was soft and tender as she stroked my brow. “I must leave you now. You will be safe with Admon. He is a good man. He will take care of you. I want nothing more in this world than to stay with you, but it is not meant to be. There was something I had to do, and this is the price I must pay. Do you understand?”

I didn’t, but I nodded anyway. She pulled me into a tight embrace.

“I’m so sorry, Razi. You’re such a brave boy. Be good for Admon.” She cupped my face with both hands, pinning me with her anguished gaze. “Always remember that I love you.”

And then she was gone.

Was it only a dream, or was it a memory I had buried? I did not know. Whatever it was, I would wake from it each night with tears on my face and my mother’s name on my lips, only to find myself alone in my room.

I hesitated to tell Admon. He never spoke of my mother, and I sensed she was a subject best left alone with him. But the dreams were so vivid—more so than any memory I had. I had waited three nights now, hoping they would go away, but they persisted. It was time to start asking questions.

I marched back to the manor, filled with purpose. I ignored my silent guardian, passing him along the way. The manor rose before me, an airy, single-storey construction of varnished wood that sprawled across the well-manicured grounds. I passed water, stone, and flower gardens on the polished stone path. The gardeners were hard at work, tending their charges. Although I usually liked to spend time with them, pestering them with questions about plants and herb lore, I could not afford to be distracted. I reached the threshold of the side entrance, pushing the delicate painted screen aside to enter.

The house seemed dark after being out in the sun. I took a few moments to allow my eyes to adjust, using the time to remove my sandals and brush the dirt from my linen tunic and trews, making certain the wooden buttons of my collar were fastened. I ran my fingers through my tousled hair, smoothing my dark locks until they fell into a semblance of order around my shoulders. It wouldn’t do for me to simply barge in on Admon to demand information looking like a hoyden. The conversation was going to be difficult enough without having the housekeeper up in arms about dirt tracked into the house.

I knew Admon would be in his study, and set straight off to find him. He had left the screen entrance open, which was unusual. He was sitting at his desk, poring over some papers. I knocked on the wood of the door frame. He looked up at me with his unusual brown eyes. I only say they were unusual because they were the color of a commoner’s, and he was a lord. But his auburn hair, which he always wore in a single, long braid, marked him as having pureblood Tahlidi heritage. As isolated as I was, even I marked such things, although I did not know what they meant.

“Come in.” Admon smiled and gestured for me to enter. He pushed away from his desk and stood in a single, fluid motion. “I was just about to take a break for some refreshment. Would you like to join me?”

I nodded. Although I was only seven, Admon never spoke to me as if I were a child—a fact which I appreciated. There are few things worse than having to politely endure adults who insist on speaking to you in baby talk, wanting only for you to tell them what sound a cow makes, or to sing the alphabet for the umpteenth time while they shriek and clap their hands in delight, announcing to everyone nearby what a bright boy you are. Fortunately, I had only experienced this pleasure that most adults seem to never tire of the few times Admon took me into the Tahlidi trading village or the Imperial City on business.

I sat across from him on a plump, silk cushion at the low ebony table where a tray of sliced melon and juice was already laid out. Admon poured me a glass of the tangy beverage. I took a long swallow while he took a few bites of melon. As I set the glass on the table, I resisted the urge to play with the tassels on the cushion, and forced myself to meet his calm gaze.

I took a deep breath. “I want to ask you about my mother.”

I waited in silence for my words to take effect, swallowing a thrill of fear. Although Admon had always been nothing but kind to me, he was lean and well-muscled. He also had the reflexes of a cat. I could not help but sense he could be very dangerous if he chose.

Admon took a moment to sip his drink before answering, keeping me in suspense. “You’ve been having dreams.” It was a statement.

I tried not to let my surprise show and failed. “How did you...”

“You have been talking in your sleep.”

I felt a flush rise to my cheeks. I didn’t know what flustered me more—that Admon had been keeping watch over me even as I slept, or that he was privy to something I had considered private.

“I usually check on you before retiring,” he said in response to the unvoiced question. “The dreams are nothing to be ashamed of. I had assumed it would only be a matter of time before such things started happening and you came to me with questions.”

“So will you tell me?” I asked, eager to regain control of the situation.

Admon sighed. “I suppose the time has come. You must understand, Razi, I did not hold this information from you to be cruel. I only wished to wait until you were ready. It is not a happy subject for me, as you might have guessed.” He rose from his seat and closed the open screen leading to the hallway before sitting down once more.

“Razi, your mother was a special person. She was bright, kind, and beautiful, as well as fiercely independent. We met a long time ago in the Imperial City. We were both there on... business.” His brown eyes flickered. “Although she didn’t claim a noble heritage, she had the features of a noble by-blow, perhaps of Livani or Abrieli stock. She never told me of her past. We became very close, but our lives often kept us apart. We met as often as we could, and soon began working on a very important project together.”

I devoured his words, waiting on tenterhooks for the story to unfold.

Admon averted his gaze for a moment before continuing. “But while your mother was away in the Imperial City, she decided that she wanted to get with child. We loved each other very much, but we were forced to keep our relationship secret in order to continue the work we were doing. You may not know it yet Razi, but Dharakmeni society is very dangerous. Your mother wished for a child, but she was afraid if the child were mine, it would exist as a weakness to be exploited against us and our plans. But she wanted a child so badly that she got pregnant in secret, not coming to me until it was time for you to be born.”

“You’re not my father?” I didn’t know what to think. I had heard people muttering in the trading village, calling me Admon’s Bastard, and had assumed it was true. Admon had been kind to me, and he was the only family I knew. Although I had never called him Father, I had always secretly thought of him as such.

“No, Razi. I am not.”

“Then who is? Why have I never met him?”

Admon winced. “Since your mother did not want her child to be tied to anyone, she went to the courtesans’ quarter in the city, and chose one of the men there.”

“My father’s a w***e?” I spluttered. “Did she even know his name?”

“If she did, she never told me,” Admon said in a weary voice. “I was just as shocked as you when she showed up on my doorstep, ready to give birth. She told me it was none of my affair. She had investigated the man before choosing him, and that was all I needed to know. She just wanted a child.

“After you were born, she was off again, taking you with her. Although she was dedicated to our work, she adored you, and spent every moment she could at your side. The two of you were very close.”

“Then why did she leave me here if she cared about me so much?” A bitter swell of hurt rose in my throat, becoming a lump there that could not be swallowed. It was all happening so fast. I was starting to regret ever coming to Admon with my questions. The answers were unsettling.

Admon’s expression grew pained, and his words stilted. “We were both in the Imperial City, working on separate projects. Someone betrayed your mother. She was poisoned. She recognized the symptoms, and that it was a poison with no known antidote. She picked you up from the friend she had left you with to watch over you while she worked, and came to me. Before she died, she left you in my care and charged me with protecting you.”

“My mother is dead?” My eyes began to sting with unshed tears of sorrow, which surprised me. I had considered the possibility of course, but now I knew for certain. Even in my grief, my mind sifted through the facts. “Wait. What kind of work were doing? Why would anyone want to poison my mother?”

“Razi, I don’t know to tell you this.” Admon looked down at his laced fingers before meeting my gaze.

“Your mother was a spy.”