97 A Fractured Empire I

A black mist swirled around his wooden desk for a moment. Surprise took him at first, but he calmed down once it dispersed. A paper emerged once the black mist was gone.

There were many questions appearing in his head, but before he got lost in his own questions, he picked up the paper.

'Take your troops to the western gate, secure it before anymore forces can enter the city. Those who cannot fight due to not having any equipment should be divided into squads to meet up with the guards. Help the citizens on the western side, priests will be arriving at the academy to help heal those who are wounded.

- Vulcan Del Lezhalt'

Once he read the note, it started to burn as it turned into ash.

There were two thoughts that he wanted answered. The first was to know if Lord Lezhalt was a mage. The second was to know who was he to give him orders?

As much as he wanted answers to his second question, he could not hesitate. From what he observed and was told, the situation was not looking good. Luckily he already ordered his aide to gather all the students and instructors.

That was a task that would take the most time, dividing them up was simple. As for the priest, he was glad that they would come. With Lord Lezhalt's connections to the temple, it was not odd that he would urge them to help out.

No. The strange part was that they were acting at his behest. The more he wondered, the more confusing it became. Just how influential was the young lord becoming?

Julian rushed inside Lord Kurtwell's office with his hair clinging to his forehead. Next to him was a man who had aged quite well. His gray hair had a charm to it and matched his facial features nicely. His sparkling blue eyes looked remarkably calm as he gazed at Lord Kurtwell.

"Everyone is accounted for and awaiting your orders. They are waiting in the field, what are we going to do?"

The man was well-spoken, showing that he was someone educated. From his armor that resembled Lord Kurtwell's, it was easy to tell he was a knight.

"We need to take care of Linley and Andrew. I tried to keep this contained but there have been four more that have appeared in my infirmary. Four!"

Julian interrupted with a yell.

Lord Kurtwell looked at both men before he sighed.

"Julian, we do not have the time to worry about them right now. We must act swiftly before none of us will be left."

"Excuse me for being rude, but if you act now there will be even more casualties. This is not the strand of Devil's Dust that I am familiar with. I thought it was, which is why I assumed I could contain this. However, we are dealing with something new, something different."

Julian went on as his voice got louder.

"Whatever this is acts the same, it follows the same principles. But, what makes it more scary is that it can go unnoticed."

Julian paused there letting his words digest in Lord Kurtwell's ears. He needed to understand how severe this truly was and the impact it would have.

Lord Kurtwell's eyes narrowed.

"What are you saying."

"I'm saying, the new patients that arrived in my infirmary have progressed faster than Linley and Andrew. Meaning that they've had this disease longer, but no signs appeared until now. This is just four, but who knows how many others are out there infected?"

"And if we let them out there to fight and they die..."

Lord Kurtwell did not even want to finish that sentence as he could already see what would occur. An endless cycle of death and infection. The capital would be destroyed not by outside threats, but by a disease they currently had no ingredients for to cure.

This was just in the academy, he did not even want to think of all the others who might have contracted this disease. Those too afraid to say a word, or scared of what might happen.

"What are our options?"

The older man in the knight suit asked.

"There are none, we just have to try to mitigate what we can. But, if we let our knights out and they do have it... we all know what will happen. It only takes one to infect tens."

Julian replied.

"Damnit all!"

Lord Kurtwell swiped his hand across his table tossing all the papers and glasses. His hands were tied and not in a good way. If he were to act he risked the threat of this disease causing a huge outbreak, and when everything was done he would be to blame for it. If he did nothing, others who might have it would spread it and he would be blamed for sitting around on his hands as he watched the city burn. Either way, he was not getting out of this unscathed.

"Harald, go to the western gate with the instructors. Inform me when it has been secured."

Harald nodded and turned to leave.

"Julian, I don't care what it takes, find a way to identify those with the disease. If I have to kill them all, I will."

Julian opened his mouth but closed it.

"That will make you..."

Julian did not even finish his sentence.

"I don't care what it makes me. We all have a sacred duty to uphold, the nobles will understand. If not, so be it."

No one will truly comprehend the heavy decision Lord Kurtwell has just made. In a situation as dire as this, there was no law stated what he should not do. There was no information on how he should act. But there were laws and rules telling him how he should behave, and what he should not do. Yet, he was breaking all the rules.

Even if he died at the end, that would be fine by him. The death of a few to save thousands was something no one would compliment him on, nor praise him for. They would only focus on the death of those who held the title of nobility.

None would see that he saved them all from a painful death. Even though no one would acknowledge it, he knew what he had done and would do. That was all that mattered to him.