Photeianos had spent the last few nights alone. He didn’t want to speak to anyone, no matter how much everyone wanted to speak to him. He’d made mistakes. Lots of them. He didn’t think he would be caught out by something so small.
Little threats were always his style. He’d never actually act out on them. His other Ksa new that. The new Ksa didn’t. That youngling had always caused him problems, and now he had potentially ruined not just Photeianos’s life, but also his own and probably the lives of the N-Class Ksa in general. They had no idea how to live on their own. They’d always been looked after Photeianos. Not as body guards, they were there to protect Photeianos, but he had always provided food and shelter for them. Now, they could risk scattering to the winds.
A knock on the door distracted the High General.
“Go away.”
“I called Kayelar. He will be here soon.”
“Fine. Now go.”
The Ksa on the other side of the door rushed off back to whatever it was he was doing. Photeianos sighed, then went back to sulking. He was never truly alone, locking himself away in a room was the closest he could get.
The problem was, Photeianos knew he had fucked up. Normally, with past mistakes, he could at least convince himself that maybe he wasn’t so bad. Imprisoning Ksa? They were a potential threat. Sending General Rethianos off to Portalia? He would have caused issues if he’d gone back to the Stratos. Spying on God-killers? He was a Deitic, he needed to know. Getting someone to attempt to assassinate Elkay? Elkay didn’t understand the deals Photeianos had made over the decades. Deals to keep everyone safe.
This time though? There was no way out. “Attempted sexual assault and threatening the lives of others” was how the media had put it. That was an exaggeration. Sort of. Yes, Photeianos had approached him wanting sex. Yes, maybe he pressured him. But he wasn’t going to kill anyone. This wasn’t like all those years ago.
Really, things had changed too fast. For most of his time as High General, he had been able to whatever he wanted. He may not have been a king, but he was treated as such. It was only in the last fifty… no, twenty five years, that Photeianos had to act… normal? Within the law? He wasn’t sure.
All Photeianos wanted to do was three things. Protect the Rethans; make everyone, particularly himself, happy; and hold on to his power as long as possible.
That was what was bothering him. The scandal? Photeianos didn’t need to convince himself about anything. It was the fear of losing all that power. Losing it to the little Rethan who had been slowly leeching away his power over the last… twenty five years.
Another knock.
“Ser, Kayelar is here.”
“Send him in.”
The door squeaked open, and Kayelar edged in. He seemed very nervous.
“Photeiano-”
“You went and spoke to Elkay, did you not?” Photeianos snapped. He knew Kayelar’s schedule. He didn’t have any meetings the other day outside of their campaign HQ. But Kayelar had sneaked out anyway.
“I did. Because things are going badly and I need a job if we don’t win. Unlike you, I can’t just retire to a holiday home on the beaches of Thre-Sia.”
“You will not get a chance. Elkay will put you somewhere quiet and throw away the key.”
“He said if he wins, I get my old job back…” Kayelar sighed, rubbing his eyes with weariness. “Listen. I know we’re screwed. Well, you’re screwed. Unless you’ve got evidence of some gigantic scandal that will utterly destroy either Elkay or Rethais that you can publish today or tomorrow before our campaigns officially end, we ain’t gonna win. Well, we could leak shit but that doesn’t always work. And Elkay will have your head because you tried to have him killed.”
Photeianos grunted. There was little he could do to argue against that. Kayelar was right and they both knew it. Still, his trying to get on Elkay’s good side bothered Photeianos. It all felt… traitorous.
“Is there anything we can put out? We have until midnight tomorrow…” Photeianos asked. “Does not need to be destructive, multiple small non-stories to degrade Elkay’s strengths will work.”
Kayelar shrugged. “I dunno. You’re the one who’s been working alongside him for the last twenty five years!”
“True… Well, there is one little tidbit…”
“Hm?”
Photeianos smiled. “Did you know that Elkay is still a virgin?”
Kayelar blinked. “Really? Isn’t he, like, nearly sixty?”
“Actually, he is 52.”
Kayelar’s confusion turned into a smile, matching Photeianos’s growing grin. “I’ll head down stairs, see what we can come up with…”