The Heavenly Lord’s Ambassador. A Kingdom Like No Other. Book 1. Андрей Кочетков

peon,” Vordius laughed. Holding Uni by the shoulders, he led the friends out of the tavern.

      Chapter 3. Career Down the Drain

      A large, blue fly dove down and scurried along the luxurious tile mosaic under Uni’s feet. The young archivist was so afraid to stir that even the insect – sensitive to the most minute vibrations in the air – took him for an inanimate object.

      “I do see what you are saying, young man, but I would still like to have a clearer explanation of what happened last night.” Archive master Margio looked up at his employee with such a sullen face that Uni’s last hopes of a positive outcome were completely dashed. “Do you have any idea what you have done?”

      “I…I am very ashamed, Enel Margio. Honestly, it never entered my mind that things might end up this way. I don’t even know…”

      “No, I see that you don’t.” The older man sighed. “Uni, you have had the honor of working in our august institution for four years. For four years, you have served the government and had a unique opportunity to make a modest contribution to our work of accumulating and multiplying the contents of this great storehouse of our Empire’s knowledge. It was Saptius Astoldo, if you recall, who said that the essence of knowledge is wisdom, power and wealth, but it is also a heavy burden. You, Enel Virando, it pains me to realize, were not ready for the burden that we bear as the most educated people in Dashtornis. And to think you made such an excellent start. Assistant to a department master at twenty. And not just any department, but the Foreign Manuscripts department! That is one of the most difficult and respected areas of our work. And you had such a promising future. Just last month I was speaking with Enel Barko, and he quite seriously told me that you could rise to the post of senior assistant master in just a few years. After that, in another ten years, when Enel Gerzio departs for his much-deserved retirement, you could have been a bibliographer. But no, you destroyed all of that. Leveled it to the ground. Would you be kind enough to tell me what on earth brought you to the archive last night?

      “That’s what I am trying to explain. I asked Master Barko if I could work at night for a while.”

      “You had his permission?”

      “Well, I was going to ask him.”

      “I see.”

      “This isn’t the first time I’ve done it, honestly…”

      “Are you saying this isn’t the first time you have broken into a closed government office inside the palace grounds while in a state of intoxication? I say nothing of your friends, who behaved like wild barbarians and used their official positions to try and cover up this awful misbehavior.”

      “I apologize. I did not realize how it would look…”

      “Of course, you could not see. You couldn’t even walk on your own. Your two friends carried you in. One of them displayed his imperial guard officer’s badge and physically threatened the sentries. Your other friend had no pass at all, but he threw handfuls of coins around in the most disgusting manner, which caused incredible inconvenience for the cleaners this morning. Because of this unpardonable behavior, I was forced to close down the building and crawl around on my own hands and knees to seize all of the unlawfully distributed currency. I’m sure you understand that I will be providing a most detailed report to the Emperor’s chancery today. The chancery will identify the guilty parties and send letters to their superiors. As for you, young man, I’m afraid we must part ways with you forever!”

      Enel Margio leaned back on the carved back of his wide, wooden Torgendam chair and stared off into space, as if the red and white vase in the corner (which featured a pictorial description of the stages of preparing parchment) interested him much more than the pitiful young man in front of him who had violated the tranquility of his institution.

      “I sincerely regret the time that we spent on your training. We have been too naïve in our belief in man’s essential goodness,” he said, his voice full of feigned sorrow.

      Uni’s insides contracted into a tiny lump. Just the day before, his job at the archive had seemed eternal and unchanging. He had hated the work, and had begged fate to release him from a swamp where he felt he was going nowhere. Now, however, his rock-solid world was about to fall apart in the most shameful and dramatic manner, burying under its ruins his wonderful dreams of a shining future and a splendid career. Suddenly, he wanted to hide somewhere that life and its tribulations would not be able to find him. At the same time, he wanted to throw back his head and cry out to the Sun: why are you punishing me so harshly?

      “Forgive me, Enel Margio. I don’t know what to say. I didn’t plan it this way. It was a coincidence. I had a request from one of the Emperor’s advisors, and it needed to be handled quickly. I had to do it. I just had to come in late, you see! They wanted it back today!” Uni felt a hard lump in his throat. If this interview went on much longer, he would break down and weep, further obliterating his already pathetic reputation.

      “What? What are you talking about? What advisor?” Enel Margo suddenly lost his dignified bearing and jumped out of his seat. Arms out and mouth agape, he looked like a large cat that had been playing with a mouse when it was suddenly bitten by a snake.

      “Manelius Ronko asked me to prepare a very important document,” Uni whispered, vaguely aware that he, perhaps, should not have shared that information. However, there was no other way out. He was in a corner, hemmed in by his own stupidity.

      “Manelius Ronko,” Margio repeated. He stroked his chin and took a few steps away from his desk, Now, he looked like a buzzard or a vulture with its feathers ruffled. The vision was both frightening and disgusting. “What kind of document were you supposed to prepare?” the vulture asked, turning sharply toward its prey.

      “A report on Virilan. I did write it. Nothing could stop me,” Uni squeaked. He had one last, thin hope of outplaying fate. “What I mean to say is, I did it all because I had to.”

      “I’m the one who decides what you have to do, is that clear?” Margio cut him off. “Do you have any proof?”

      Uni walked back to his desk on wooden legs. He barely knew what his body was doing. He felt like his mind was in a dark cloud and his body was moved by the commands of others.”

      This is the end, flashed through his head when his text – written during a night of drinking – landed in his superior’s hands.

      His presentiment did not deceive him. During the minutes he was gone, Margio had been in no less of a heightened emotional state than Uni. He grabbed the scroll and opened it with a gesture that reminded Uni of how an ancient warrior, surrounded by enemies, would have slit his own throat. His eyes ran over the contents. Then he slowly rolled it up and sat back down in his chair. There was cold laughter in his eyes.

      Margio leaned back in his chair. “My boy, were you not aware that all such tasks must be approved by the director of the archive? You weren’t?” He paused for effect. “Of course not. You spend more time reading ancient books than you do studying the rules of the institution where you work. Or, more precisely, where you worked,” Margio’s smile took on a snakelike quality. He leaned forward and raised his voice. “You had absolutely no right at all to take this job on over my head!” He was yelling by the time he finished. “I do not care who he is or what his title is. All reports and all materials leave this archive only by my consent!” Margio tossed the scroll on his desk and sharply elbowed the bronze gong hanging next to it. A secretary appeared. “As of today, he no longer works here,” Margio told the man, pointing at Uni in disgust. “Walk him all the way to the exit. Do not let him back in the building. Ever.” He let his eyes drift back to Uni, who was paralyzed. “Get out of here!”

* * *

      Despite its sprawling size, Enteveria was blessed with a uniquely harmonious architecture. After Norius the Founder declared the establishment of the great Herandian Empire, the old capital was torn down and rebuilt according to a precise, geometric plan. The project was grandiose and required decades of hard work by hundreds of thousands of people, but the effort