He paced endlessly, his thoughts in uproar. Not ten minutes ago the boy had burst into his private quarters and declared his intentions to overthrow the man he called "the evil emperor." The emperor had been unconcerned, having dealt with three other attempts on his life that month alone. Upon reflection, however, something the boy said now reached past his exasperation and amusement, and the emperor was beginning to worry.
Worry was not a sensation he dealt with on a regular basis, a fact that intensified his agitation.
The boy had said, "I have been sent to overthrow you! It is my destiny!"
The emperor had dismissed the words as delusion or instability, but now he paced, his mind racing.
"Sent," the boy had said. Sent by whom? The emperor had eyes and ears everywhere; no plot was set in motion without his knowing days, even weeks in advance. This mere child had invaded his private sanctum, a noteworthy feat in itself. The emperor lived at the summit of a mountain, atop a sheer and unclimbable cliff face, accessible only by air. The empire maintained strict control over flying machines; to steal or buy one was nearly impossible, to build one doubly so. Logically, then, the boy had benefactors. Someone influential, someone with resources, time, and motive.
The emperor considered.
The regents had influence and motive, but lacked resources and time. There were five altogether, each governing his own city-state elsewhere in the empire, but all subordinate to the emperor's will. They were comfortable, but not wealthy; the emperor had reformed the entire economy when he rose to power, and now the gap between the poor and the rich was unprecedentedly narrow.
Who, then? There were tribes who attempted to live autonomously in the wilderness, but what motive they possessed was outweighed by a lack of influence and resources. There were scientists here in the capitol with influence and time, but they remained loyal to the emperor, and devoted to their work. The empire had treated them well.
Worry was not a sensation he dealt with on a regular basis, a fact that intensified his agitation.
The boy had said, "I have been sent to overthrow you! It is my destiny!"
The emperor had dismissed the words as delusion or instability, but now he paced, his mind racing.
"Sent," the boy had said. Sent by whom? The emperor had eyes and ears everywhere; no plot was set in motion without his knowing days, even weeks in advance. This mere child had invaded his private sanctum, a noteworthy feat in itself. The emperor lived at the summit of a mountain, atop a sheer and unclimbable cliff face, accessible only by air. The empire maintained strict control over flying machines; to steal or buy one was nearly impossible, to build one doubly so. Logically, then, the boy had benefactors. Someone influential, someone with resources, time, and motive.
The emperor considered.
The regents had influence and motive, but lacked resources and time. There were five altogether, each governing his own city-state elsewhere in the empire, but all subordinate to the emperor's will. They were comfortable, but not wealthy; the emperor had reformed the entire economy when he rose to power, and now the gap between the poor and the rich was unprecedentedly narrow.
Who, then? There were tribes who attempted to live autonomously in the wilderness, but what motive they possessed was outweighed by a lack of influence and resources. There were scientists here in the capitol with influence and time, but they remained loyal to the emperor, and devoted to their work. The empire had treated them well.
