The Emperor Causes a Scene
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Philothea and Zoe entered the temple by one of the side doors and crept through the dark corridors toward the courtyard. They encountered no one at first, then Zoe suddenly slammed her hand over Philothea’s mouth and pulled her into an alcove.
They both heard heavy footsteps approaching along with a subtle rattling that suggested chainmail. Philothea was grateful for Zoe’s action since she was doing her utmost to suppress a terrified squeal. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two warriors pass. It wasn’t until they were long out of sight that she let out her breath. It was even longer before Zoe released her.
“It occurs to me that we shouldn’t be here,” Zoe stated.
She was probably right. When they saw the hostile force approaching the temple, their first instinct was to return to see if the others were alright. Now that they were back, the obvious occurred to Philothea—even if the Keepers were in danger, it wasn’t like they could actually do anything about it.
“We should go to the village,” Philothea whispered. “See if we can get help.”
“Yeah, let’s do that,” Zoe agreed. She grabbed Philothea’s shoulder and started pulling her down the hall toward one of the towers.
“Wait, where are you going?” Philothea asked. “We should slip out the back!”
“We will,” Zoe answered. “After we take a peek at the courtyard.”
“What?” Philothea choked.
“Aren’t you a little curious about what’s going on?”
Philothea twisted her lips. “A little.”
“No one will see us up there,” Zoe promised. “And besides, it will be easier to get help if we can say exactly what these men are doing.”
Philothea was screaming on the inside and whimpering on the outside. Zoe was being completely idiotic, but…Well, Philothea couldn’t leave without knowing what was happening to the only family she’d ever known.
They slipped up the narrow, winding stairs into the tower and carefully peeked out the window. From that height, they got a decent view of the courtyard. All of the Keepers, along with the girls in their care, had been gathered in the very center.
“Are those…” Philothea whispered. “Emperor Zeno’s colors?”
Zoe narrowed her eyes.
In hindsight, Philothea had no idea why she asked. They both knew what the Emperor’s banner looked like, and it was definitely the one the army was flying. But what would Emperor Zeno want with a group of humble Keepers?
A nobleman in a silver helm and purple cloak was questioning Keeper Ruth.
“He’s cute,” Zoe observed.
Philothea looked at her in disbelief. Now was hardly the time to be admiring men. Also, she had no idea how Zoe could see his face well enough from their position to make such a judgment.
“I just always thought Emperor Zeno was an old man,” Zoe defended. “And look at him, he’s, like, way younger than my dad.”
“He’d be a lot cuter if he weren’t threatening our family!” Philothea hissed.
“Calm down, it’s only an aesthetic observation,” Zoe stated in a detached, almost scientific tone. “He’s clearly a scumbag.”
Philothea opened her mouth to reply, but Zoe pressed her finger to her lips and leaned toward the window to listen. The emperor’s voice floated upward so they could just barely make out what he was saying.
“She would be fifteen,” he stated.
Zoe and Philothea looked at each other. Philothea was the only fifteen-year-old living at the temple.
“I think the emperor is your secret dad,” Zoe commented.
Philothea hoped she was wrong. There was something about the man that made her deeply dislike him. It might have been the cruelty behind his eyes or the arrogance of his stature, but mostly it was the fact that he showed up uninvited with a company of hostile brutes to take a group of innocent holy women hostage.
“Whomever you’re seeking isn’t here,” Keeper Ruth was saying.
The emperor walked over to Philothea’s four other schoolmates, who stood beside the Keeper. He studied each of their faces carefully.
“You,” he said, pointing to one of the girls. Her name was Emily. She was a year younger than Philothea. She shrank backward when he called her.
“Now there’s no need to be afraid,” he said.
The circumstances gave Philothea the distinct impression that he was lying.
Her whole body tensed as she watched Emily approach the stranger. Even Zoe’s expression contained a tiny hint of concern, indicating to Philothea that she was in a panic.
The nobleman held something up. Philothea couldn’t make it out at first. It wasn’t until the man lifted Emily’s hand and placed it on her finger that Philothea realized it was a ring. He held her hand for a moment, carefully observing the ring. It was like he was waiting for it to do something.
Nothing happened. He removed it and dismissed Emily with a wave of his hand.
He then motioned for another girl to come forward and repeated the exercise.
“What’s he doing?” Philothea whispered.
Zoe’s eyes narrowed curiously, but she made no answer.
“Are these the only girls in your care?” the emperor asked, as he let the second girl go and motioned for a third to come forward.
Keeper Ruth was silent.
The nobleman turned to one of his comrades. “Do another search,” he ordered. “Leave no corner unchecked.”
“We should go,” Zoe decided.
Philothea thought this was an excellent suggestion. The very moment they turned from the window, the door of the tower opened. Philothea let out a massive squeal of alarm.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the intruder was only Keeper Eva. Eva was the antithesis of Keeper Ruth in almost every way. She was young, gentle, rosy-cheeked, and usually wore a smile. Although she was not smiling when she saw them. At Philothea’s cry, she froze in horror.
“I think they heard that,” Zoe mentioned, glancing back out the window as Philothea and Keeper Eva recovered themselves.
“Oh no,” Keeper Eva breathed. “Oh, I’d hoped I wouldn’t find you here…”
The holy woman took Philothea’s hand and started pulling her down the tower stairs. “Oh, I’d hoped you hadn’t come back…he is looking for you, Philothea.”
“Why?” Philothea gasped as she stumbled along behind her.
“Zoe, be prepared to cover her mouth,” Keeper Eva commanded. “We can’t risk any outbursts.”
“Understood,” Zoe agreed.
“We’ve got to get you out of here,” Keeper Eva whispered.
“What does he want with me?” Philothea demanded.
“Is he her secret dad?” Zoe asked hopefully.
“I don’t know,” Keeper Eva answered. “Keeper Ruth sent me to find you. All she said was–”
Keeper Eva suddenly halted. Philothea and Zoe both slammed into her from behind. She stumbled forward but kept her footing. Philothea almost squealed, but luckily Zoe was prepared and clapped her hand over her mouth just as the collision occurred.
The three women pressed themselves against the wall, not daring to breathe. They heard booming metal footsteps coming down the corridor beyond the tower entrance that grew louder as their makers approached. After an eternal wait, the footsteps moved past the door and continued on their way.
Zoe released Philothea’s mouth at last, and the three companions breathed. They cautiously moved into the corridor and made their way toward the scullery. There was a door there through which they could make their escape.
When they had reached it, Keeper Eva pulled a folded piece of parchment from her apron pocket and gave it to Philothea.
“You and Zoe make for the forest,” Keeper Eva whispered.
“Aren’t you coming?” Philothea asked, a horror rising in her chest.
Keeper Eva shook her head. “They heard someone scream and so they have to find someone.”
“But–” Philothea started to object.
“They won’t hurt me,” Keeper Eva answered hopefully. “They are only interested in you.”
“Why?” Philothea asked for what felt like the hundredth time.
“I don’t know. Keeper Ruth said that you must find a man named Pouli. He can help you. Hopefully, he can explain things.”
“How?” Philothea begged.
Keeper Eva motioned to the parchment in Philothea’s hands. “It’s there. Read it once you are safely hidden in the forest.”
Zoe raised an eyebrow slightly, indicating to Philothea that she was probably confused and distraught.
“But–” Philothea squeaked.
“I’m so sorry, I’ve told you everything I know,” Keeper Eva answered. “Keeper Ruth knows more…once these men have gone, we will send someone after you. In the meantime, go and find Pouli.”
Philothea suddenly realized she was shaking. She nodded, swallowing a strange giggling whimper in the process. Her world had just come completely and totally undone, and she had no idea why.
The Fables of Para Sympan 