Free Imperial Traitor by Mark Robson Page B

Fourteen were occupied. Fourteen out of twenty – a third of the Guild dead, unaccounted for, or
incapacitated. It was not a pretty state of affairs.
    As they recited the creed, he fingered his own silver icon under his robe, feeling the sleek lines of the panther. In his youth he had felt he resembled his emblem: powerful, silent and deadly.
Now he felt none of those things. More than anything he felt his age pressing down on him, an ever-present weight of years that was slowly curving his spine and sapping his strength. It was
interesting how some of the Brothers served to increase that weight, whilst the presence of others served to help him feel young again. His eyes came to rest on the dragon emblem. Shalidar fell
squarely in the former of the two categories.
    Ferdand had never liked Shalidar. Since he had risen to the post of Guildmaster, Ferdand had come to know all the assassins. There was a streak of arrogance in most of them, but every meeting
with Shalidar had left a bitter taste in his mouth. If the Guild were not in a state of weakness, he would be all too glad to find Shalidar guilty today. In his heart he still secretly wished for
that outcome. There was very little that would give him more pleasure than to plunge his dagger into Shalidar’s heart and watch the light fade from his eyes. Somehow, he doubted that would
happen.
    The bearer of the dragon icon had volunteered for this truth test. He would never have done so if he had not been confident he would pass. With his ability to wriggle his way out of the most
impossible situations, if there had been an eel icon, then Shalidar would have been ideally suited to it. The Guildmaster could only assume on this occasion that Shalidar really was free from
guilt, as the line of questions he had agreed to answer under the influence of truth serum would be damning if answered with responses other than those expected of him.
    The final echoes of the creed faded. The dim hall fell silent. The Guildmaster raised his right hand towards the dragon emblem.
    ‘Brother Dragon, come forward,’ he intoned with solemn formality.
    None of the other assassins knew what was about to happen. The silence thickened with an air of mystery and expectation. Hooded and cloaked as always in the presence of the other assassins,
Shalidar limped forwards until he was standing in front of the podium.
    ‘Brothers, you’re all aware of the death of the Emperor last night. What most of you do not know is that Brother Dragon was at the scene when the Emperor was killed. He claims
innocence in the matter. I am going to test that claim. It’s good that you’re all here to witness this, as it concerns the very core of the creed that we have just recited.’
    Two servants emerged from the stairwell that led down into the Guildmaster’s private quarters. They walked forwards and positioned themselves either side of Shalidar, one taking each arm.
The Guildmaster descended from his podium and walked around to stand in front of Shalidar. From under his cloak, the Guildmaster drew a small glass vial containing a dark purple fluid. He held it
up high above his head.
    ‘For those of you who have never seen this before, it is truth serum. Any person under the influence of this substance cannot tell a lie. It is very powerful. No one has ever been known to
withhold a truthful response to questions posed whilst in its power. Truth serum is also dangerous. Some suffer violent reactions to ingesting it, the most extreme of which can result in death. I
should state for the record that Brother Dragon volunteered to take this truth test as he felt it necessary to prove his innocence in the death of the Emperor. There will no doubt be speculation
amongst the population of Shandrim as to our involvement. It is therefore important for all of us to know what really happened.’
    The Guildmaster’s mellow tones had an unusually hard edge to them.
    ‘Brother Dragon, are you still willing to