After this, Akorsa then turned, heading quickly out of the kitchens. She walked back through the large, dark dining hall, and out into the main hall of the building, where she saw the Captain-General rushing down the stairs. He caught sight of her through the corner of his eye, and she ran towards him. She would now have to see how well her lies would hold.
�My lord,� she said, coming up to him. �I searched out the dining hall and the back rooms. There was no one there. Were you successful upstairs?�
�We found none but Josson, whom I believe was attacked by the others, as he was found unconscious in his study. What think you, Akorsa?� asked the Captain-General.
�I believe they used the secret passage. Have your men searched it yet?� she suggested.
�They have not,� said Verican, then turning to his men. �Go outside and search for the Proctors. They may yet be coming out the secret passage!�
�They are not in this building, Verican,� said Akorsa, adding a bit of concern and anger to her tone. The man placed an arm on her shoulder.
�Do not fret, for we shall find them. Come with me, we shall take out another search party and look for them. If they are out in the city, they will be wondering the streets aimlessly,� he said. The two turned and headed out the main door to the great Proctorial building.
- - - -
The secret passage that led into Ilyana had been searched, inside and out, and not a single Proctor had been discovered along the way. Eventually tiring of the Captain-General�s crusade, Akorsa said that she was going to head back to the building and dismiss the servants to their homes in the city. She told Verican that the building might be more thoroughly searched later on without them there. She then told him that she would go out with Fionn afterwards and search around for the still-missing Proctors. He thought all these things were wise and prudent ideas, and told her to be on her way.
She moved with haste back to the entrance to the Proctor�s building between the two cities. There she found Fionn, sitting on the steps outside, looking rather bored. Seeing her approaching, he rose from his spot and embraced her.
�Did you find them anywhere?� he asked her. �I was quite concerned with the Captain-General�s behavior, Akorsa. Did anything happen?�
�You and I need to speak, alone, concerning these things, Fionn,� she said, leading him inside the building and away from the attentive ears of the soldiers about the front entrance. Once they were safely inside, she closed the large wooden door behind her. �The Captain-General has gone mad!�
�I could have told you that,� he whispered back to her. �What have you done?�
�I had all the Proctors hide in the kitchens, and then sent them upstairs into the servant�s quarters to hide. I had bash Proctor Josson upside the head, but he would not leave and attacked me. Verican�s men found him unconscious upstairs.�
�He did not hurt you, did he?� he asked, and Akorsa shook her head. �Would they not think it suspicious to find him in such a state?�
�Verican thinks that the other Proctors did it. I do not know, but I am going to dismiss the servants for the night, and the Proctors will leave with them, unnoticed. I am having them go to the orphanage, a ways down into Ilyana. They can stay there, safely, for the night, and upon the morrow we shall bring them before the people, not the Captain-General. He has gone mad and will kill them,� she explained, and Fionn nodded.
�You do know that you are aiding and abetting the enemy, do you not?� he asked, tentatively running the fingers of his left hand through her hair.
�Of course I do, but you know that the Captain-General is out of his mind. Justice must be served, and by allowing him and his men to commit murder in some bout of anger accomplishes nothing,� she said, reaching up and taking hold of his hand in hers, then pressing it to her cheek gently.
�I am beginning to wish we were back at home,� he said softly. �At least there are no conspiracies there.�
�Let us go, then, and see the servants and our little friends out of here safely. Perhaps we can then go and get some rest,� she said. �Early tomorrow we shall arrange a public meeting of some sort, and mayhap this will all work out the way I hope it will.�
Fionn nodded and gave her a small smile, proving to her that he had confidence in her plan, which was exactly what she needed at that moment. She walked ahead of him and they went back to servant�s stairway. Soon enough the Proctors would be seen to actual safety, far away from the Captain-General and from his men.
