Chapter 491 — In the Darkness
Blade of Dawn · Page 4 of 6
"Obviously. When I get a moment to myself I use it to grab some sleep — why would I waste it chewing over something that dull?" Amber rolled her eyes. "A good deal of it was what Gao Yang... what the Duke says all the time. I just copied it over as the situation allowed. But you can't take it and apply it by rote. Some lines only work on the right audience. Like that priest today — he's of common birth, he has a conscience, he understands what the poor suffer, and he can see through the rot of the Daystar Church. He came looking for a way out that would actually work, so those words landed on him. Put another man in his place, and the very same words could ruin everything..."
"We understand, we understand," the subordinates nodded again and again, and then one of them asked, "So what now... time to contact the rear?"
Amber grunted assent and looked at the tall, gaunt man standing in the corner of the room. "Skinny, switch on the Mageweb communicator — internal channel eight. Grey Wolf, take the door."
The miniaturized, custom-built Mageweb communicator was set on the table, and with a faint hum the intricate, precision-made magical device came to life. Amber waited patiently a moment, then saw the crystal atop the communicator bloom with a soft light, and a holographic projection swiftly took shape above it.
It was Gao Yang's face.
"The oil in the pan's already boiling," Amber said, baring her teeth at the projection. "Time to flip the table."
Gao Yang nodded within the projection. "All going smoothly?"
"Everything by plan. But there are a few things I need to report..."
Gao Yang listened quietly to all of it, committing every word to memory, and when the report was done he let out a slow breath and regarded the communicator before him. "Understood. I'll make the arrangements on this end ahead of time. Watch yourself over there."
The projected Amber waved a hand in impatience. "Rest easy, rest easy. If it really comes to trouble, don't you think I'll run? A coward like me..."
...
Gao Yang looked helplessly at this impostor who was so brazen about her own cowardice, shook his head slightly, and cut the connection.
Then he lifted his head and looked at the other Mageweb device in the study.
Above that device floated a scene from out of doors —
Countless people had gathered on an open ground; the torches in their hands and the far-off glow of magic crystal lamps lit this assembly in the night, and from the image came angry slogans and a din of countless voices. Uniformed constables kept order on the scene, while several white knights stood at the center of the crowd, addressing the people in loud voices — armored in heavy white plate, radiant holy light coiling about them, thick iron-bound scriptures hanging from chains at their waists, of exceptional stature. They were the most conspicuous figures in the frame.
The voice of the witch Gipuli came from off-screen: "...This is New Tansan. The excavation work continues. Thirty minutes ago the engineering team found a new cellar..."
"...If Viscount Andrew had not been building the new district here, these things would likely have stayed sealed away..."
"...According to witness testimony, these cellars are one of the secret treasuries the Church of the Blazing Sun established in the southern frontier. We have already found in them large quantities of gold and silver vessels, all of it the property of the faithful — part of it voluntarily donated, but a far larger part amassed by the Church through indulgence fees, heresy trials, the confiscation of commoners' property, and the seizure of the assets of other churches. From the ledgers and records we previously recovered from nearby churches, the local Church had promised that these goods would go to repairing icons and churches, distributing disaster relief, and raising orphans; in fact, more than ninety percent of it became the private property of the church..."