Chapter 15

Prince Mamadu's Dark Army under the command of Ethan had captured major towns that surrounded the capital city, restricting all the movements into or out of the city. They had been instructed to make sure that the Emperor lost enough ground and that he couldn't call for any reinforcements from anywhere including the neighboring kingdoms. They erected roadblocks at an interval of every four kilometres, questioning everybody that came by on horse, carriage, or on foot.

While others guarded the gates of the city to prevent any reinforcements from entering, others attacked it, catching the Royal Army off guard and by surprise, killing and wounding most of them while forcing others to fight alongside the Dark Army and holding others captives in different centers they had established within and without the city. Ethan had been instructed to make sure that the capital was well prepared for the swearing in of Prince Mamadu that had to happen by dawn. They had to awaken everybody and force them to the Royal Park, a short distance from the palace, where the swearing in ceremonies take place. Those who resisted were to be either captured and imprisoned or killed depending on the level of their resistance.

The Prime Minister was to bring on board the Oracle who would officiate the ceremony. The swearing in was null and void if the Oracle did not attend and in tradition, it was the Prime Minister who was to bring the Oracle to such a ceremony. The Prime Minister's presence in such a ceremony was also mandatory for he was the direct representative of the non royals in the empire. However, since the Royal Oracle had been captured by Prince Mamadu and the Great Wizard, the Prime Minister was to present the Great Wizard who had been impersonating the Oracle for quite some time now, to officiate the ceremony in the place of the Royal Oracle.

Unfortunately for the Prime Minister, the Great Wizard had strongly differed with Prince Mamadu after Mamadu confronted him over the death of Mamarife, the Prince's son. As a result of that confrontation, the Great Wizard had shown great reluctance to owner his end of the bargain, suspecting that Prince Mamadu might completely drive him out of Dalawa empire as revenge for his son's death ones he became the Emperor and all the powers bestowed upon him. The Wizard told the Prime Minister that unless Prince Mamadu swore an oath to honour his word of making him, The Great Wizard, have access of the palace whenever he wished and that Prince Mamadu would not try to banish him from the empire, he would not participate any further in the advancement of Prince Mamadu's plans.

"The Great Wizard asks that you swear an oath that you'll honour your end of the deal Prince," the Prime Minister told the prince who was preparing to attack the Emperor having gained entry into the palace. "Without the oath he will have to withdraw from helping you any further."

"Oh really?" Mamadu asked scornfully. "Tell me something Makiaus, of what help has that Wizard been to me so far?" he asked as he moved closer to the Prime Minister who was standing by the door of the empress' chambers where they had anticipated to find the empress and kidnap her to use her as leverage against the Emperor and force him to hand over the crown. To their dismay, the empress had been evacuated once the war broke out by the Royal guards and put under tight security in a secret room in the palace while the Emperor himself led his Royal Army in fighting against Prince Mamadu's Dark Army.

"I find your question quite difficult to answer not because I can't enumerate to you how helpful that Wizard has been and still is to us but because I don't understand the origin of your arrogance," Makiaus answered. He had himself put the idea of taking power from Micaleaon into Prince Mamadu's head, helped him amass an army strong enough to challenge any kingdom while weakening the Royal Army where he was the commander, all to give the Prince an advantage over the Emperor yet Mamadu was addressing him like a commoner, a worthless commoner. He wasn't going to take that from him.

"Arrogance?" Mamadu asked. "Was it arrogance when your dear friend the Wizard killed my son? Was it..."

"Stop Prince Mamadu. You cannot dare blame or accuse the Great Wizard of killing your son because he did not and you know it. The plan... Your plan didn't work out and you need to take responsibility for your failure and stop blaming everybody else. It was you who agreed to that preposterous idea of a fight when you could have easily killed the boy. But you didn't kill him because as always, your ego got in the way." Makiaus said. He moved closer to the Prince and looked him in the eye. "Take the oath or forget taking power from your brother, ever."

Mamadu looked down and then lifted his eyes to the Prime Minister's, a wry smile on his face. "If the Wizard couldn't defeat a mere boy, what makes you think he can stop me from taking power? What?" He turned his back to the Prime Minister and walked a few steps from him. "You have been of great help to me Makiaus and of that I'm grateful, very grateful. But now I'm not sure where your loyalty lies. Is it with me or with that useless Wizard?"

"If I didn't know who you are Prince, I could easily conclude you are out of your senses. You know where my loyalty lies and you dare ask me such a question? Remember, this was my idea, my plan. If there is someone who needs to declare his loyalty then that person is you Prince because I'm no longer certain, just like the Great Wizard, that you'll keep your end of the deal and stick to the plan once you capture power. Tell me Mamadu, can I still trust you?"

"Trust me? Let me tell you something about trust my dear Prime Minister. In this palace and the entire empire, you are the most trusted member of my brother's court, the second highest authority in Dalawa. But with all the trust my brother has in you, you are here with me, the man who intends to eat breakfast served in the Emperor"s skull in the morning. So tell me something, do you think you are worth a trust?"

"What are you insinuating Mamadu?"

"Let me explain. You are alive only because you are still useful to me. A man who can betray his number one allie and best friend can easily betray his allie's brother. But I actually thought you were going to be loyal to me and had you not proven me wrong by showing how much you are loyal to that bastard Wizard, maybe I could still be blinded and believed in your loyalty. But now I don't think you are of any value to me."

"So what are you going to do, kill me?" Makiaus asked, swallowing hot saliva as reality began to sink. He was only a tool the Prince was using to capture power. They were never allies, never friends, never confidants. He was just a spy, a weapon the Prince could command to do whatever he wanted and whenever he wanted. He had believed they shared the same course, the same vision. But at the end of it, just like any tool, he was going to be thrown away or replaced. To think that he betrayed the Emperor because he believed in Prince Mamadu made his heart burn with rage and regret. Lord Parafon was right. Mamadu was just a power-hungry maniac who would stop at nothing to capture that power. And he had succeeded so far, with his help. With the help of the Emperor's most trusted.

Makiaus knew that Mamadu couldn't kill him, at least not until he was sworn in as the Emperor because he would need him up to then. But without the Oracle or the Great Wizard impersonating the Oracle, Mamadu couldn't become the Emperor. At least he still had a chance to do the right thing, to right his wrongs by preventing the swearing in of Prince Mamadu. He had to convince the Great Wizard to leave the city and together they'll leave Mamadu alone, unable to swear himself in, prolonging Micaleon's reign.

Meanwhile, Mamadu walked slowly in the empress' chambers, lost in thoughts. If that Wizard couldn't stop Malin then there was nothing he could do to stop him from becoming the Emperor. He didn't need him anymore. None of his plans ever worked anyway otherwise he could have been the Emperor already. The Wizard was a big joke. Someone worth no trust and his first decree as the Emperor would be to banish the Wizard from the entire empire.

But to fully assume power, he needed to be sworn in and to be sworn in, he needed the Oracle. Unfortunately, the Oracle was still being held in the Hill of Doom, in the Wizard's cave. Instead of wasting time with the useless Wizard who could not take away the dark magic he had already given him, he would bring the Royal Oracle to the ceremony and force her to administer the swearing in. Lord Parafon would have no option but to ratify him as the Emperor within seven days in accordance with the laws of Dalawa for he would have followed the due process.

As for Makiaus, he had to keep him alive until the end of the ceremony after which he would decide whether to kill him or replace him. His help had been massive so far but he couldn't be trusted anymore. He never really trusted him, not even once. He always considered Makiaus as more power hungry than him and the only thing that had stopped Makiaus from overthrowing Micaleaon himself was the fact that he was not a royalty. Micaleaon trusted Makiaus with his life, gave him more responsibilities and turned Makiaus into a god. In some places, he was referred to as the Great Makiaus, in other places he was Lord Makiaus and to some people he was his Majesty the Prime Minister. Yet, despite all these, Makiaus still chose to betray the Emperor. He could never be trusted.

"No Makiaus, I'm not going to kill you," he told him as he finally spoke, breaking the heated silence that existed between them. "But you have to prove to me your loyalty otherwise I'm going to change my mind and have you hanged alongside the Emperor."

"How do you want me to do that? I've always been loyal to you my prince, I've never betrayed you in any way. As for your brother, I thought we both agreed he was a weakling who was already losing touch with the populace and something needed to be done about it. He became rigid to advise and rejected any proposals that seemed to challenge his beliefs. I never thought you would use our common ground to label me a traitor and unworthy of your trust."

"That may be so Makiaus but I still need prove of your loyalty. I want you to send your soldiers to the Hill of Doom and rescue the Oracle. Let them bring her to me. She will swear me in instead of that Wizard who I never want to see in my life ever again.'

"So you really are turning your back on the Great Wizard after all. Have you forgotten that without his magic you stand zero chance against the Emperor?"

"Makiaus, to be honest with you, even with his magic I still stand no chance against the Emperor."

"What are you talking about? How then are you going to be the Emperor if you cannot defeat Micaleaon?"

"I'm not worried about the Emperor. I'm worried about the Wizard's negative, Malin. He possesses more powers than any magic I have come across and even your useless Wizard is scared of him. I hope he won't show up here till morning."

"You think he can try to stop you? But why would he do that?"

"Because he is a prince, the rightful heir to the throne. But by morning I shall have stolen that right from him and there will be nothing he can do to change that."

"He is a prince? How? And how do you know that?"

"Just do what I ask you to do. I want the Oracle here by the time of swearing in. Just send your soldiers but don't leave the palace. You are going to fight with me, ok Makiaus?"

"Ok," Makiaus replied reluctantly as he turned and left the chamber. Things were not going according to plans. If the Royal Oracle presided over the ceremony then anyone could be picked to stand in as the Prime Minister in his absence. Worse still, if Mamadu became the Emperor and really took power, then there would be nowhere to hide or run to for Mamadu intended to bring all the surrounding kingdoms that were once part of the Great Dalawa back under the rule of Dalawa with him as the Emperor. "Why did I do this horrible thing against Micaleaon," he mourned as he walked away.

Outside the palace, the city was in fire, the sky turned red and the air smelt of smoke. The Emperor led his army as they tried to create a bulwark on the entrances of the palace but in most cases, his soldiers were overwhelmed and some of the Dark Army soldiers gained entry into the palace. As the fight raged on, the Emperor and his men retreated back into the palace with the Emperor torn between surrendering to prevent a massacre of his men and hanging on to prevent his death which would lead to a catastrophic consequence for all the royal families.