Torcan had ridden without much pause, only halting enough for his horse to catch its breath and drink water. He was weary and cautious when encountering travelers. Even though he travelled in disguise, clothed in simple garb, he was still wearing the symbol of Tirèze. He was still a representative of his king and it would do him no good if a patrol would mistake him for a spy.

Not long ago he had crossed over into Valais' territory, the home of Iolaus' family. How fortunate, Torcan thought, that he didn't have to travel through hostile territory. At least in the Vale he was fairly safe. And it was the shortest route to Auros. The lord of Valais was about the only lord that could be trusted. Still, he didn't stop to greet Iolaus' family. He was on urgent business and the sooner he reached the capitol the better.

Many towns he passed were abandoned. Were these the homes of the men that had lost their lives at the fortification? Though a lot of the people that formerly lived near Boncini had moved here, it was a far cry from how things used to be.

Torcan hated the thought that his father had responsibility in causing all this suffering.

The closer he came to Auros, the more populated the area became. People felt more secure here, close to the Capitol, and were busy with their daily lives.

Torcan had always wondered how it was possible for people living in the same country to experience war so differently.

He shivered in his cloak. He had almost forgotten how much colder it was here in Zeir. He longed for a fire and rest.

About an hour from the city, a patrol rode up to him. Torcan halted his horse and waited patiently for them to reach him. The leader of the squadron rode his horse close to Torcan's. "State your business, Tirèze rider."

"I am representing king Darius Tirzé," Torcan said calmly, "I have a message for king Marcos."

"What message?" the man demanded.

Torcan's expression remained neutral. "One I need to deliver in person."

"Captain," one of the soldiers spoke, "I know this man. He is king Darius' righthand man. If he claims to have a message, we should escort him to Auros."

The captain of the squad frowned in thought, but then nodded. "Very well. Claudius, Quillen, you two escort him to Auros. Then report back."

"Yes sir," the two soldiers chimed and they flanked Torcan.

Torcan inclined his head. This patrol was part of the royal guard. They would make sure he reached his destination. "Thank you," he said, "I must make haste." Every minute he was away from home was one more minute their enemies could conspire against them.

The two soldiers nodded at him and they set off.

...

Elora looked at her husband with worry. Since Torcan had left for Auros, Darius had taken up residence in her quarters while waiting for news and continuing his investigation. She could tell he was restless.

Elora walked up to him and stood next to him at the window. "He will not have arrived yet," she told him gently, "there will not be news for days."

Darius sighed. "I know," he nodded, "it's the sitting idle that makes me restless. I have half a mind of riding up to Salvire and drag Izem through the streets to get answers."

Elora smiled kindly. She understood his frustration. Her father had to make difficult decisions too sometimes when there was a dispute between the villagers or farmers. It was hard to take any action without having proof for the accusation. "Do you want me to reach out to my father?" she asked, "Lavos has a stronghold near the border as well. Perhaps they can provide more information."

Darius slowly shook his head. "I don't wish to involve king Elon just yet."

Elora bit her lip. "Darius," she said carefully, "my father is also your ally. This affects Lavos too. Salvire is close to the border. Should my family not be warned?" She understood his reasoning. The more people knew about the treason, the less people could be trusted. But this was her family. Lavos suffered from Balor's attacks just the same. The people that lived near the border often faced pillagers. They were not trained soldiers, just people defending their homes.

Darius ran a hand across his face. He felt tired and old. "I know," he said, "I know. Let's first wait what news Torcan brings home. From there I will think of our next step. I'll have more intel to share with your father too by then."

Elora nodded in understanding. "Of course. So what can we do in the meantime?"

"I already sent extra men to the border at Salvire," Darius stated, "I told Mikos not to inform his father where they are stationed. Those men are loyal to me. It will at least buy us sometime. He won't find out until the next shift in patrol." It would have to do for now. He looked at his wife. "What about you? How are you faring? Is the girl adjusting well?" He hadn't seen much of the nomad girl. She had stayed in the women's wing, which was the safest place for an unmarried girl in Tirèze. Perhaps he should get to know her, since she would be marrying into the Salvire household. She would be family in a way. And if he could tie the nomads to him again after his disastrous marriage to Zara, then all the better. At the moment there was no ill-will between Darius and the nomad tribes, but one could never be too careful. Recent events had proven as much.

"Malati is a talented pupil," Elora smiled, "she already knows the basics of making oils and ointments. I like her. I hope things at Salvire can be resolved soon so she and Mikos can get married."

An mused smile passed over Darius' lips. "Is that so? After hearing you praise her, I'd think you'd hate to lose her. You have your first student now, after all."

Elora stuck out her tongue. "I do love her, but I wouldn't keep her away from her husband."

Darius smiled. "Perhaps I should meet her then, since you love her so. Why don't we have our lunch together? Invite her to join us. I want to hear for myself what she thinks of this arrangement."

Elora cast him a skeptical look. "As long as you don't intimidate her. You can be quite uncultivated and barbaric around women you just met after all." She grinned amused at the memory of their first encounter. How barbaric and presumptuous he had been. It seemed so long ago.

Darius snorted. "You were the one that showed no manners." He chuckled. "I'll promise to be on my best behavior."

Elora grinned. "That's what has me worried."

She ran out of the room before Darius could catch her.

....

Cicero hadn't much to add to what Cyrus already knew, aside from the rumor that lord Vertus' niece was to be wedded.

Giulia Atoli was seemingly engaged, yet no one seemed to know to whom. Cyrus remembered the woman. Giulia was the one that had shamelessly flirted with him before he'd been engaged to Ariane. Vara had spilled a drink on her while pretending to be a servant. It had caused quite the scene. He hadn't seen the woman since, but understood she was quite obnoxious. He pitied whoever was supposed to marry her.

"I am thinking about visiting court again soon," Cicero mused, "though I suppose there is not much entertainment nowadays."

"I do apologize," Cyrus said sarcastically, "we did not have time to organize an event as of late."

"Then I do hope you will catch your traitor soon," Cicero smiled as if he hadn't taken note of Cyrus' tone. "It's been too long since we've had a fête. My skills with the dice will go rusty."

Iolaus smirked. "I'm sure it will ease your father's mind and wallet if that were the case."

Cicero grinned unaffectedly. "I'm sure it will. Safe travels to both of you. My prince." He bowed to Cyrus.

Cyrus inclined his head and steered his horse towards the gate. He wasn't looking forward to his next stop. Even though lord Matís had renounced his traitorous son, it didn't mean he was loyal. It might well have been a ruse to steer attention away from his own scheming. If that were the case, they'd have a hard time finding proof. The man would have his suspicions about this visit and would cover his tracks well. Perhaps it was time for a different approach.

He waved over two of his men and instructed one of them to ride out to the border where Matís men held fort. The other he sent to a nearby village to make careful inquiries there and keep eyes and ears open. That way, if lord Matís really was involved in treason, he hoped to outsmart the man.

Iolaus glanced at him. "Do you really think Matís is the one?"

Cyrus shook his head. "At this point, we can't be too careful. We've visited two lords already. Who is to say they are not in league with each other and have send word about our mission? I'm not taking any chances. At least this way we might still learn something." It wasn't much, but it was something.

Iolaus gave a serious nod. "Let us not waste time then."

They urged their horses forward. Hopefully they would finally find solid proof.

...

King Marcos looked up when Torcan was announced. The young man was led into the king's study and made a formal bow. "Greetings, king Marcos of Zeir. King Darius Tirzé sends his regards and his wish to exchange information."

King Marcos waved for his servant to leave the two alone and inclined his head at Torcan. "Well received, Torcan di Salve," he said, "what information might we share?"

Torcan rose from his bow and handed a folded note to the king. "My brother sent this," he informed the king, "it confirms that lord Izem is conspiring against us, but also that a Zeir lord is involved. It does not state a name. We were hoping your own investigation has led to something, Your Majesty."

King Marcos took the note and frowned in concern. "We do have a lead," he stated solemnly, "though not much of a lead. My son is currently up North to find out more." He stood up and motioned for Torcan to follow him to the large table where a map was pinned down. "A messenger bird was taken down in this region, carrying a message from Balor to an unknown destination. The bird was sighted flying in this direction. Do you think it might have been headed for Salvire?"

Torcan frowned in thought. "It is possible of course, though it would have made more sense if Balor had sent it from their South East border. It is closest to Salvire and the bird would not need to fly over Zeir. What lords are in between this border and that?"

King Marcos gritted his teeth. "Matís, Vertalis, Genvi and Santos. Though Genvi and Santos would gain nothing from treason. They are too far away from any border to receive aid from Balor."

"Vertalis and Matís," Torcan said in thought, "I heard the son of lord Matís was the one to try and have lord Iason assassinated when he was still the lady Vara's guard. Is he involved now as well?"

"We don't have proof," king Marcos answered. He offered Torcan the intercepted note. "It speaks of horses. Delivering horses surely must be noticed. They can't appear from thin air."

"No," Torcan frowned, "but they might still go by without any the wiser if they followed the mountain trails." He peered at the map again and studied the line king Marcos had drawn. It did touch Salvire. "Here," he pointed and he followed the mountains that bordered their nations upwards. "The mountain range at halfway point where the province of Auros ends, close to the fortification that was attacked along with Boncini. Vertalis is not much further from there. We know from our spies Balor also has a camp near that area. If it is Vertalis that is involved, it would be the perfect rendezvous spot." Perhaps that was also the reason the fortification had been attacked. Perhaps the plan had been for Balor to take hold of it and liaise with Vertalis.

"When Cyrus visited lord Vertalis, they saw a rider make for the border," king Marcos spoke, "my son left one of his men behind to further investigate. We are still awaiting news." He sighed. "I fear we cannot wait for that." But the next step still had to be taken with caution. If Torcan's thoughts proved to be true, it wasn't said others weren't involved. "Give me a few days to come up with a strategy," he told Torcan, "I'm sure we'll need the aid of king Darius since this involves one of his own lords as well."

Torcan bowed. "King Marcos."

"I'll have rooms readied for you," king Marcos continued, "perhaps you wish to visit lady Ariane. For the most part, I'd advise you not to leave your wing. We do not want our enemies to catch wind of our plans."

Torcan bowed again. "As you command." Darius would be pleased by this swift action and hopefully Torcan would be able to return home soon and leave all this behind him.

A/N The net is closing, but will they catch what they are looking for?

Please also check my new story Cracks. You can find it on my profile. I'd love to hear your thoughts.