The Skytower Fire
“Clear!” called Kithri. A moment later she heard a response, “All clear!”f
A massive conflagration had engulfed the Skytower, which hovered in the center of Satyrine with penthouses of the wealthy and influential sandwiched between the thrones of the Deathless Triumvirate at the apex and the headquarters of the Pristine Guard at the base. The defenders had split forces between evacuating the occupants and suppressing the fire.
Her partner hurried over to her, his uniform identically overlaid with a heat-reflective magical ephemera.
Kithri and Brutus took the stairwell up to the next floor and rushed in, only to be met by a pair of private security personnel, suited and standing by.
“We need you to evacuate, by order of the Pristine Guard; there is a fire and you are in danger,” Brutus declared.‡
“We have things covered here,” one of the men said. “You can skip this floor.”
Kithri was immediately suspicious. “I’m sorry, but we must verify that all persons are evacuated, including yourselves.”
“He said shove off,” the other man said, drawing himself to his full height.
“On whose authority?” Kithri challenged back.
“Get stuffed.” The two men stood shoulder to shoulder, daring her.
Kithri was indignant. “We were summoned. I need an explanation.”
“Like you said, it’s an emergency; I’m sure there are people on other floors that need your help.”
Kithri turned to Brutus, who shrugged and raised his eyebrows, suggesting a retreat, but something felt rotten to her. She sized up the guards who, while well-built, were unarmed, and figured she could take one but not both. Kithri relaxed and turned as though to leave, only to swing around and abruptly shouldered through past the pair. Brutus followed a moment later but was accosted.
The rest of the floor was suspiciously empty. On previous floors, multiple hallways had jutted off from the main, leading to offices and suites. Here, a single hallway cut through north to south, with a single door partway down on the right and a single guard standing nearby. This guard was armed and observed her rapid approach without engaging.
Kithri opened her hands as she got close, making it clear she was not armed, and tried to engage without threatening. “What is this place?”
The guard sounded bored. “You seem lost. You can reach the other stairs by following the hall. We have this covered.”
“Who are you, and why are you here?” Kithri insisted.
“If you’re looking for an audience, you can make a request at the offices of Tiago & Asdrubal between the first and seventh hours, but you need to leave here immediately.”
“Don’t you realize this is a dire situation? It affects your personal safety if you stay.”
“My responsibility is here. Do not worry about us; please, go about your business.”
Kithri had started to walk back to the other doorway, defeated, when inspiration struck. She released Zamrah’s Familiar Speech from her mind and turned around, confident in her ability to persuade.††
"Actually, I’m a friend and really need to protect everyone; I’ll need you to help me in so I can fulfill my duties.”
“Did Maxwell call for you?”
"He did; that’s why I’m here. I just need five minutes.”
The guard gave Kithri a funny look, then yielded. “Five minutes.” He reached forward, and said, “Don’t mind me, I have to do this for everyone,” as he checked her for concealed weapons. Satisfied, he gestured for her to enter and then closed the door behind her.
It was clear why there was only one suite on this floor—and on the floor above, or even the one above that in places. The ceiling’s height beggared belief. Large windows looked out upon the entire city. Most of the space was open concept, and Kithri could see a lap pool, dining area, and kitchen where thoughtforms were working. A low voice resonated from a nearby office, and she walked over and listened quietly by the partly open door.‡
The voice was soft and squeaky, relaxed and utterly unconcerned about the crisis at hand as it carried on one side of a conversation about rental properties and evictions. Kithri gave a knock as she entered.
“Pardon the interruption. I’ve been sent to ensure everyone is safe.”
Behind the desk, a man who filled to overflowing both his suit and his chair was speaking into a softly glowing aethyric device on his desk. He wore an immaculately cut suit tailored to perfection, his left hand wore a jeweled ring on a sausage-thick finger, his head was bald, his eyes were cold, and his expression seemed completely nonplussed. “And?”
"Are you not aware of the dangerous situation the Skytower is in?”
“You mean the fire?”
Kithri deflated a little. “Oh, you’re aware?”
“We have it covered. Who are you?”
“My name is Kithri, I’m here to protect…”
The man leaned forward. “Pristine Guard, correct? Who’s your supervisor?”
“…Virgil.” Kithri couldn’t see the relevance.
“Well, you can go back to HQ and tell Virgil to stay the fuck off of my property.” His even tone unnerved Kithri more than the words themselves.
“I’ll communicate that to him. However, we are in a dangerous…”
“Did I stutter?”
“You didn’t, but…”
“Get the fuck out of my house!” The man pressed a button on the side of his desk and then reclined and resumed dictation.
Kithri stood frozen and confused until the guard from the hallway took her by the elbow.
“Your five minutes are up.”
Kithri followed him without a word. Brutus was waiting over by the other two and straightened as Kithri returned. They parted to let her pass.
“What happened in there?” Brutus asked, but Kithri pursed her lips and shook her head.
Once they had made it up a couple more floors, Kithri allowed herself to speak. “I think there’s something horribly amiss. There was a guy in that suite who seemed to know what was happening but was utterly unconcerned.”
Brutus looked at her. “There are investigators for that, and there’s still a fire going on. If they aren’t concerned about their safety, that’s on them at this point; let’s help who we can. Also, they kind of scare the shit out of me.”
Kithri paused for a moment as they reached the next residential level. “I got a name and an office address. Once we’re done here, I have a mind to investigate who this Maxwell is, exactly.”
f Kallisdies, Saffron 13th
‡ Silver Sun, Blind Guardian: safety, challenges, impartiality, blindness.
†† Zamrah’s Familiar Speech – Vance Spell
‡ Green Sun, Endless Maze