THE LAST KEEPER

Chapter 320. THE SUPREME CHIEF’S FORTRESS

"Did you have to overreact like that?" Kiuga asked. It had been a day since the incident with Azir. Sagiri was standing at the top of the fortress, looking at the supreme chief’s

Sagiri could have just let it go, but the soldiers needed to realize that Azir was a city lord, and they could not just turn a blind eye wherever.

"They needed to know he is not their girlfriend and they need to protect him harder," Sagiri said.

"If I didn’t know better, I could say you have grown attached to the boy," N’varu said.

"I merely think his dying and a city lord changing won’t be in my best interest." Sagiri defended.

"Whatever makes you sleep at night. Though you don’t look to me like you have been sleeping. Every morning, I come to your room and find that girl. I am not going to judge a man for committing a taboo, but..."

"Shut up!" Sagiri snapped his heartbeat, increasing slightly.

"Kiuga is right. She might not have a clan, just like you, as you said, but you will have to marry her if..." N’varu started saying.

"I will kill both if you keep thinking like animals. I would not dare taint a maiden’s honour if she is not mine. She is merely scared of sleeping in new places, and she did not take no for an answer." Sagiri sighed.

"Why you? Why did she come to sleep in my bed?" Kiuga whined. "What does the blind boy here have that I don’t have?"

"He has honour, and you don’t," Kaka’s voice suddenly joined.

"But seriously, you don’t look like you have been sleeping," Kiuga said.

"I can’t sleep. This inner city makes me restless." Sagiri said, looking at the supreme chief’s kind of fortresses.

"Why are you looking at that fortress like that?" Kiuga asked, looking between Sagiri and the supreme chiefs’ fortresses. "Don’t tell me you plan on going into that fortress. You know it is the most protected place in the south." Kiuga said, with his eyes wide.

"Why would you wanna go there? The council will sit for two days." N’varu said. "Then you can ask for whatever you wish, and you can officially be allowed to go into the supreme chief’s fortress without a hitch.

"If you go in there, you will surely be caught or get hurt, or even worse, the entire south could turn on you. Didn’t you say the city lord’s kidnapping was meant to frame you? If you go in there, you will become the enemy of this land. I have never been in there. I might have been able to scramble something together back at the war fortress, but this is stupid. Even then, things still did go wrong." Kiuga said.

"What of the war fortress are you yapping about?" Kaka asked.

"Yes, Sagiri. What is kiuga talking about?" Nvaru asked.

"It’s not important," Kiuga said, scratching his head.

"It is when I went to meet Zaira’s mother. She was imprisoned beneath the fourth wing for a decade or more." Sagiri said, lifting his wrist to show them a sleeping Zaira from under his cloak.

"Why didn’t you ask me to go with you? You know I could..."

"I know. You could also oppose me." Sagiri said.

"I do it because I care about your safety," N’varu said.

"I know. Unlike my mother’s shade, I won’t let you carry the guilt by watching me die. I won’t die so easily. You also don’t have to return north this time if you don’t wish to. I won’t force you to stay far from home. That goes for the others." Sagiri said.

Nvaru looked like he wanted to say something, but remained quiet

"Still...."

"It’s okay, I won’t get hurt. I have to go into the chief’s fortress whether they agree or not. Something in there is making me restless.’ Sagiri said, still looking at the chief’s fortress.

"Can you wait at least until they sit and talk, or until we gather intel and get a map of the inner place?" Kiuga asked.

"Where could we get a map?" Sagiri wondered.

"Can’t you ask the city lord?" Kiuga said.

"No."

"I could know someone who knows. But then I have to send a message or get out of the city. It will take me at least two days or a day and a half if I leave now." N’varu said.

"No. That’s not a good idea. You might fall into the same trap as Azir." Sagiri said.

"So much for asking N’varu not to be protective when you are worse." Kaka sighed.

"I won’t get caught. I know the South more than you. Even getting out of this city and back won’t be a problem. You only have to get me out." N’varu said.

"Fine. Don’t die." Sagiri said, turning to Nvaru.

"What do you think it is?" Kiuga asked.

"I don’t know. It is like whatever or whoever it sis doesnt want me in the inner city. He wants me out. His restlessness is getting to me." Sagiri said.

"Could it be your mother’s guardian?" Kaka asked.

"It can’t be! They won’t dare imprison him in the supreme chief’s fortress and residence." Nvaru gasped.

"Yet the more I look at it, the more it looks like a prison. I mean, why could a chef’s house be that big?" Kiuga added, and the four turned to look at the fortress even more.

"If he is in there, then it seems he does not want you to go to him," Nvaru said.

"Why then bother allowing his restlessness to be so intense. Won’t it just make me want to go get him?" Sagiri said.

"Perhaps he hopes you are wise," Kiuga said.

"Or perhaps he wants me to flatten that fortress."

"That could be." Kaka agreed.

"Definitely not!"

"Absolutely not!"

N’varu and Kiuga said at the same time.

"I will leave toning. Kiuga makes sure he and the Asakana don’t come to another agreement." N’varu said. "Sagiri, wait for me to. Wait for the map. Nothing in the south is simple."

Sagiri just nodded, but his eyes did not leave the supreme chief’s fortress.

Would he be able to wait for another day or two?"

That was the question.