Half an hour later, Erok, Chris, and Swedo strolled into the throne room. With slow, deliberate steps, they approached the seated Queen Dara of Defloria. They bowed low before the woman before they rose again and offered pleasant grins. 

Queen Dara stood to her feet and smiled amiably at the three travelers. "Welcome, men. It is an honor to meet you." 

Erok shook his head. "The honor's all mine, your highness. It's a pleasure to see you again." 

"I am pleased to lay eyes on you again as well, Sir Fyervor. Your valiant deeds have not been forgotten in our country, and I pray they never shall be. Now, please tell me, who are the men who accompany you?" 

Chris coughed and took a step forward. "I'm Chris Corvin, your highness. Best horse rider east of the Great Ogawan River." 

Erok smirked. "Well, that's debatable, but he is really good." 

Chris glared at Erok. "Hey, I'm trying to make a first impression here!" 

Queen Dara giggled at the heated interaction and blushed as Chris locked eyes with her. In one quick breath, she straightened her posture and regained her composure. "Your journey here must have been quite a pleasant one." 

"Not really." Dr. Swedo interjected. "Oh, yes, I haven't introduced myself. I am Doctor Swedo Ulrigo." 

Dara nodded. "It is pleasant to meet you." 

Erok smirked. "Anyhow, I suppose we should discuss the reason we're here." 

"Yeah," Chris interjected, "Erok refused to tell us, as often as we asked him." 

"Well," Dara began, "that is because he was hardly given any details himself." 

"Exactly!" Erok exclaimed over his shoulder. "All I was told is that an impending Yugdab attack is on its way to the Deflorian royal palace." Then the Kaborian knight turned to Queen Dara. "Now, your highness, I really wanted to ask, how did you know about this attack ahead of time anyway?" 

Queen Dara took a deep breath. "It is a long story." 

"Well, we are here to hear it." Chris protested. 

"I shall surely inform you of all the details at lunchtime. Until the meal is ready, please wait in your rooms." 

Erok and the others bowed. "Of course, your highness." 

Erok and Swedo spun on their heels to exit the throne room. Chris lingered for a second longer to exchange a grin with the queen. He turned to follow his companions upon feeling Erok's judgmental stare a moment later. With a click, the throne room doors shut behind them upon exit. 

Erok glared at Chris as they marched down the corridors of the Deflorian palace. "If I correctly perceived you to be flirting with the queen back there, you'd better quit it now!" 

Chris frowned. "Why?" 

"She's way out of your league. She's a queen, for goodness' sake!" 

"I am seventeen, remember, and if appearances mean anything, she can't be much older. Besides, why should rank bar people from having normal interactions with each other? That makes no sense." 

"Believe me, Chris, as a knight, I know exactly what it's like, and it makes total sense. Let's say a knight and a bounty hunter get together. Now, a knight's rank is a very honorable position to hold—" 

Chris raised an eyebrow. "And bounty hunters are—" 

"Scumbags!" Erok interrupted. "I've only known one who was halfway decent, and she was—" 

"Meg." 

Erok stuttered for a second. "How'd you know that's what I was gonna say?" 

Chris sighed. "Erok—" 

"Hey, that's 'Sir Fyervor' to you." 

Chris narrowed his eyes at the knight. "Erok, it's clear as day that you two had a thing going that you never completely lost. True love never dies, and the fact you two still can't get over each other takes me to a conclusion that you ought to be able to see for yourself if you have even half a brain." 

Erok growled. "What do you mean 'you two still can't get over each other'? You obviously have no idea what you're talking about!" 

"You're literally the worst liar I've ever met, Erok." Chris remarked. "You made that lie so transparent, I don't even need to refute it." 

"Fine," Erok conceded, "maybe I'm not completely over Meg, but duty calls. As a knight, I'm obligated to live on a higher plane, and being with her would certainly hamper that." 

"Well, of course, if you refuse to drop the sanctimonious attitude. I'll just say this: Meg's put up with your stupidity and foolishness all this time, and she still cares for you nonetheless. That's a sign of a high-quality woman, Erok. If I were you, I'd cling to such a girl as if my life depended on it." 

Erok grunted and held his head high. "Your words hold no weight, Chris. You're too young to know anything about these matters." 

Chris muttered something under his breath before he fell silent. 

******************** 

Meg brushed several strands of hair out of her face and peered into a small cave with an exasperated expression on her face. "Qwarten," she called, "you've already searched that cave three times! I don't think Kahiri's in there!" 

A loud grunt echoed across the walls of the cave before Qwarten emerged. "Damn it! Where could she be?" 

Meg inhaled deeply before she sighed. "Qwarten, it's nearly lunchtime. You've been searching since you woke up last night!" 

"We need to find her, Meg, don't you understand that?" 

"I do, Major, I do. I'm as worried for her as you are. But we need to look at our priorities here. Is it more important to find Kahiri, or to take advantage of our chance to burn the Yugdab movement to the ground, and for me to finally get paid?" 

Qwarten closed his eyes and exhaled. "You're right. Let's get moving now." 

"And skip lunch?" 

"Yes! We've wasted too much time already. If you want, you can eat on the go, but we've gotta get moving." 

"Or," Jeng began as he approached the pair with two steaming bowls in his hands. "ya can slurp down some stew while I feed and water the horses. They've gotta eat too." 

Qwarten locked eyes with Jeng as he grabbed a bowl. "You've got a point. Thanks." 

"Yeah, thank you, Jeng. Your cooking has certainly saved my life more than once." Meg remarked with a pleasant grin. 

Jeng grinned as he handed the second bowl to Meg. "Glad to hear it. Enjoy." 

With that, Jeng strolled back to the camp while Qwarten and Meg inhaled their soup as fast as possible. 

******************** 

Kahiri snapped to attention as the door to her cell slowly creaked open. Her eyes widened as a tall figure in scarlet robes stepped into the room, followed by Govlo and two other Yugdabs. The man stepped up to Kahiri and stared down on her, his towering figure casting a shadow over her face as he did. 

Kahiri finally broke the silence by clearing her throat. "Can I help you?" 

Hadigama's deep chuckle preceded his words. "Why, yes, you can. If you'll listen carefully to what I'm about to say, perhaps your last days will acquire some slight meaning." 

Kahiri rolled her eyes. "Oh, great. Are you about to give me one of those long, complicated monologues? I always hated reading those." 

"If looking at it that way gives you some solace, I encourage you to embrace it. You see, you and I have had quite a long history, Kahiri." 

Kahiri raised an eyebrow. "If a month and a half is a long time to you, I suppose so." 

"There's an old Logolian proverb that says, 'A man's worst enemies emerge from the most unexpected places'. And sure enough, I could never expect that the greatest enemy to Anjaflic's designs would arise from a humble farm girl in Rebten." 

Kahiri's brow furrowed and her mouth dropped open. "But ... how? He's supposedly a god, and yet a twenty-year-old girl of no significance is his greatest threat? That makes no sense!" 

"Hence the proverb's validity. You see, I have devoted much time to meditation, and Anjaflic has spoken to me. He has informed me that a spiritual flame exists within your soul that could threaten his very existence. If his name is to spread throughout the world, that flame must be extinguished first." 

Kahiri's eyes widened with realization as Bernard's words echoed through her head: "Don't let 'em extinguish the flame. Continue burnin' strong." She tilted her head and stared into Hadigama's eyes. "And how do you plan to extinguish this flame? Kill me?" 

Hadigama shook his head. "Only as a last resort, dear. I have my ways of ensuring compliance while preserving life." 

Hadigama waved his hand at his men and they nodded in response. They grabbed a long board with several irregularly-sized knobs screwed into its length, and they laid it down on the ground before Kahiri. The archer glanced down at the board apprehensively before locking eyes with Hadigama once more. 

Hadigama took a step closer to Kahiri. "Now, I will remind you that you can avoid a great deal of suffering if you will submit yourself to the authority of Anjaflic, tossing aside your loyalty to any other god and devoting yourself entirely to him." 

Kahiri shook her head. "I've already sworn my royalty to the one true God. You'd better tread lightly, because He won't take kindly to any mistreatment of His daughter." 

Hadigama chuckled. "Unfortunately, your faith is terribly misplaced, little lady. Now, I'll give you one last chance to yield to Anjaflic's sovereignty before your suffering commences. Will you submit?" 

Kahiri tightened her lips bravely. "I dare not." 

After receiving a nod from Hadigama, the two Yugdabs tied Kahiri's arms tightly against her body and her legs against each other. Then they lowered her slowly onto the knobby board. Kahiri groaned in pain as the hard knobs met her spine and twisted it into an unnatural position. The Yugdabs then exited the room, leaving Kahiri to suffer in solitude. 

******************** 

A few minutes later, a quartet of Deflorian guards escorted Erok, Chris, and Dr. Swedo into Queen Dara's royal banquet hall. All three of the travelers gasped as the men flung the golden doors open and their eyes landed on the gorgeous wooden table inside, along with the lavish dishes presented atop its surface. Dozens and dozens of steaming plates sat on the table and sent their pleasant aromas into the men's nostrils as they stepped closer. 

Three attendants pulled out chairs for the newcomers and scooped out heaping portions onto their plates. Once Chris' plate was filled, he reached out to stab his fork into a juicy chicken breast, but the attendant stopped him mid-motion. 

The attendant stared sternly into Chris' baffled eyes. "Nobody eats a bite until her highness does, young man." 

With embarrassment on his face, Chris shifted his gaze over to Queen Dara, who sat at the head of the table. With closed eyes and a bowed head, she moved her lips in inaudible speech. Finally, she finished and gave a welcoming smile to her guests before she dug in to her own food. Once Chris spotted her moving jaws, he crammed a mouthful into his face. 

After everybody had enjoyed their food in silence for a few minutes, Erok cleared his throat and grinned at Queen Dara. "The food is very pleasant, your highness. I'd nearly forgotten how much I enjoy the Deflorian cuisine." 

Dara beamed back at the knight. "I am pleased to hear it." 

"Now," Chris began around a mouthful of food, "how about we get straight to the point, your highness? How is it you knew about this impending Yugdab attack so long in advance?" 

Queen Dara sighed deeply and placed her fork down on her plate. "Thirty days ago, a team of my guards discovered the disembodied heads of thirty men outside the palace. The next day, twenty-nine were found in the same spot, and the pattern continued day after day until this morning, only one was found." 

Erok scratched his beard. "So, there's a pattern to this, but what does it mean?" 

"Well, I consulted with my advisors, and we discovered that it is written in the religious texts of the Logolian religion that such is the procedure to be followed prior to the massacre of a royal house in Anjaflic's name." 

Erok nodded slowly with widened eyes. "So, tomorrow is the day, then?" 

"Yes, if we follow the assumption that we have come to the correct conclusion." 

Chris frowned. "So, if my mental math is correct, 465 of your citizens lost their lives merely so they could follow this devilish ritual?" 

Dara nodded grimly. "It is a tragedy." 

"That it is. We're gonna make those bastards pay, no matter what, your highness." 

Erok glared at the young man. "No, Chris, we're not here for revenge. We're here so that justice can be dealt out and innocent lives can be saved." 

Chris grunted. "That sounds like the same thing to me, just clothed in different words. One's practical, while the other sounds better on paper." 

"No, they're not the same thing. There's a world of difference." 

Dr. Swedo cleared his throat. "I'm so sorry to interrupt your conversation, but could someone pass the snail mucus?" 

Everybody at the table turned to Swedo with wrinkled noses. "I beg your pardon?" Queen Dara asked, "Snail mucus?" 

"Yes, your majesty. I've discovered that it makes a good topping for mashed potatoes." 

Dara opened her mouth to reply, but Erok spoke first. "Swedo, these people aren't as crazy as you are. You're gonna have to enjoy your mashed potatoes as they are." 

"Or," Chris added, "you can put gravy on top, like normal people do." 

Swedo glared at the young man. "I resent your constant disrespect toward me! I should be glad to be rid of you when we have finished our expedition!" 

Erok held up a hand before Chris could make a comeback. "Sorry about all this, your highness. Now, I suppose we should discuss our plans for fortifying this palace against attack." 

Queen Dara nodded in agreement before she began to discuss her plan. Her three guests added their feedback as she went along. 

******************** 

A/N: Oh my, the contrast is real, folks. On the one hand, we have Erok's party being exalted and honored by a queen, and on the other, we have Kahiri suffering physical pain and Qwarten suffering mentally. Life's unfair, isn't it?

(To be fair, Erok, Chris, and Swedo have plenty of problems of their own, mostly the fact they're arguing every five minutes.)

Anyway, so if you liked this chapter, please remember to vote and comment. :D

And now, I'd like to ask, what's your favorite thing about this story? Is it the characters, the plot, world-building, dialogue, or something else? (And on the flip side of that coin, is there one or more of these I could be doing better on?)

Last question, and I think it'll be a hard one: Would you rather go a week without power, or a week without eating?

Have a great day! I hope to see you in the comments and next update.