Zotikas: Episode 1: Clash of Heirs Read Online Free

the empty gallery, acting out a courage he did
not feel. He felt exposed despite the keep's vast dimness. At least he was
moving. Poor Bags, sitting back there minding their ride, was probably pacing
the cargo hold.
    Kieler reached the far wall and found the
columned entryway to their main library. He checked it clear, and dashed up to
the library doors at the base of the tower. He slipped the bolt with a tool
from inside his fake uniform jacket and passed inside.
    Again the only proper descriptor was “awe.”
The library went both up and down, every wall of the hexagonal room filled with
shelves and books. Kieler had always heard people talk of House Cortatti as
mindless brutes—a stereotype Movus had warned Kieler not to believe. Most
people would be surprised that they could read. But that they maintained such a well appointed library—that surprised even Kieler.
    In the center, hanging down from the
ceiling, was a globe lantern, mostly shuttered. But enough could be seen
through the shutters for Kieler to realize it held a cut stone of high-quality
luzhril the size of his head—a fortune in itself. The shutters were undoubtedly
magal, regulating the energy of the globe for safe use. An unbridled globe that
size would be so intense it would cause a sunburn in a very short time.
     The light escaping from the suspended
lantern allowed Kieler to make out the various artworks displayed around the
center of the athenaeum. While he was not a student of art, he was certain each
piece was phenomenally expensive. As he passed through the center to the stairs
on the far left wall, he could tell another thing too: the art was coordinated.
Each piece was carefully placed and set to match in style, size, form and
genre. They were on display not only as a show of power, but appreciation. He
wondered who had arranged the place.
    None of these pieces were what he sought.
The cases of jewelry and ornate weapons, paintings and carvings—none were as
valuable to the Cortattis as the single item he was after.
    He climbed a wrought-iron stair to the top
level and a recessed alcove. Another locked door barred his way, and this one
Movus had assured him he could not pick, its lock being both shaped and
magnetically coded within. But the door was simple dark glass.
    Listening for a patrol and hearing nothing,
Kieler smashed a hole through the expensive glass and reached his hand in to
open the fancy and useless lock mechanism from the inside. The security design
was manifest arrogance.
    Inside a small sitting room were three fine
chairs and a table on which to place their coveted treasures for admiring.
Kieler exposed the chip of luzhril on his sheathed rod. He quickly found a
small but heavy case on a shelf. The metalized glass was designed to sustain
and display four house sigils. Each piece was crafted of the finest luzhril
jewels; each unique in the colors of an ancient house. He opened the heavy,
magal-lined lid and the gems of each piece flashed to life—a dramatic and
inspiring effect. The symbols were designed to be worn on the formal attire of
a house prime as a statement of authority and authenticity. But none of these
was the Cortatti’s own signet. That they possessed these heirlooms was evidence
of treachery.
    With a burst of anger, Kieler wanted to
scoop out every one of the signets, each representing an extinct house,
exterminated by Cortatti in the past. But Movus gave the orders. And he claimed
the signets were much more useful in the possession of the Cortattis as a means
to damn them; to convict them when the time was right.
    But one of these symbols of house
legitimacy was needed by Kieler.
    He picked up a jeweled signet in the shape
of a six-pointed star, alternating between three long and three short points.
The long points of the star were decorated with glittering green luzhril and
the short with a lovely golden amber, the stone of time. This iconic shape
symbolized history and was the preeminent mark on books and