War of the Words/Chapter 6

Jano moved through the alleyways of the capitol with quiet stealth, what he had learned from the upper echelons of Draynor's court ringing in his mind.

Jano murmured under his breath, "My God what a mess this will be... Darin's plot will lead to civil war if it succeeds in light of this new information. What am I going to do? I know what Darin will say: let them tear each other apart, all the easier to clean up the pieces."

What a bloody mess. Jano joined Darin because he believed in peace and self-government over oppression, goals of benevolence, but Darin had lost all sense of benevolence. His one-sided obsession with power was well hidden from the people, but those who had become close to him learned his true character and came to fear him completely.

Some dread power filled Darin, something malevolent and living. It was almost as if the power itself had a sentience born of malevolence.

"I have to stop this. Many innocent men, women, and children will die for his ambition. This is not what I signed up for not at all. Who can I tell? What can I do? If I reveal myself as a spy, I will be surely killed. If I go to Darin's superiors, I am as likely to be treated as a traitor as a hero."

Jano abruptly dived into shadows as a courier appeared at the entrance of the alleyway and headed in the direction of the castle. Jano panted heavily. He had been speaking aloud; he was not only nearly seen, he nearly gave an incriminating confession to a total stranger. Then it came to him, enlightening him like a bolt of lightning enlightening the heavens. "I need to go to someone who can protect me from Darin and Draynor. "

With that, Jano quickly turned back in the direction of the School of Thought. In the depths of the shadows a figure watched and let out a low dark chuckle that, had Jano heard it, would have turned his blood to ice, possibly quite literally.