The numerous parks and gardens of the Upper City were all on private property, but the archmages who owned them always let anyone who wished to walk in them. The beauty and richness of the parks were a sort of status thing that the lords of the kingdom boasted to each other and the rest of the people. The stash was located in a park belonging to Archmage Hector, a former councilor.
At the time of the civil war in Valeria, he was already old and had left the Magical Council of his own free will, long before the remaining councilors began to divide the lunar silver. It was the metal that had caused all the internal turmoil in Valeria in recent years. For over a century, three councilors had been controlling the smuggling for over a century, and as one could easily guess, they had more power than the others.
Master Rudolph had backed Counselor Bor and had done well, taking the position of head of the Surveillance Service as a result of the war. It was also then that he met former Counselor Hector, who had once been Counselor Bor's teacher and mentor. The acquaintance itself would have gone completely unnoticed, but Rudolph had fallen in love with Hector's park. Canals, graceful bridges, artificial grottos, miniature gazebos, cozy paths, flowering bushes.
When it came time to think of a safe hiding place, this park was the first thing that came to mind. Here, near one of the fountains, in a massive pedestal under a priceless statue of the Old Empire, and was organized a small hiding place, in which were placed a pair of battle amulets and a small bag with precious stones. It was the amulets that the ghoul had come for.
The park was long closed, but Rudolph easily climbed over the fence and found himself inside. Covered by bushes, the magister had almost reached the place he wanted to go when his inner senses shrieked with danger. The scout was used to trusting his gut and literally froze in place. But there was absolutely nothing to indicate danger. Everything was completely normal. Smells... And then the ghoul realized that he couldn't smell anything, nothing at all.
The spell from the arsenal of the Control Service, allowed to get such an effect, but why representatives of the secret police of Valeria to be at night in the park of the former advisor? The noise of sliding bushes did not allow the magician to continue thinking. A cloaked figure appeared in his field of vision and stared directly at the bushes behind which the ghoul was hiding.
- Come out Rudolph. Don't try to run. My men are around and until we talk, they will not let you out," the mysterious man threw back his cloak.
In front of the fugitive stood Master Theodore Viy himself, the head of Valeria's Control Service.
- Come out, come out," he hurried Rudolph, "I promise I only want to talk, I don't care about your capture.
The Magister took a deep breath and stepped out of the bushes onto the path, stopping ten meters away from Theodore.
- How did you find me?
- Simple, my young friend. Did you really think that in this town, you could do anything and not draw my attention to it? And your hunting of vampires and your victims did not escape my notice. Nor did organizing the stash houses.
- But if you've known I'm a vampire for so long, why now?
- I don't care who you are as long as it doesn't concern me," Master Viy interrupted Rudolf, "So when that brat, Kohan, decided he wanted to take my chair, and you backed him up, that's when I turned you over to the Council. Now Kohan is dead, and you-a sack, thrown from the bushes, fell at Rudolf's feet.
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