***
“Ye could not ask for a better fate for those men,” Rhenyon muttered, when Steve had finished.
Suddenly remembering what it was that was bothering him, Steve grabbed the king’s wrist. “Sir, I need to talk to you. Now.” Kri’Entu, startled to be addressed in such a manner, agreed.
“Walk with me.”
“I think we’ll need Rhenyon, too.”
Without breaking stride, the king looked over at his captain. “Join us.”
Instantly complying, Rhenyon joined the group. The three men moved out of earshot of everyone else. The king turned to Steve.
“What is it? If ye are worried about Sarah, she is safe and secure in the castle.”
“That’s not what’s bothering me, sir.” Taking a deep breath, he thought about how to phrase what he was about to say. Better to just spit it out. “The leader of these guys actually said to his men that they had to grab me quickly. I think he said something about holding me closely because I can’t burn anything next to me.”
The king inhaled sharply. “Are ye sure?” Steve nodded. “But that means…” the king trailed off as the implication set in.
Rhenyon looked at his king. “That means what, yer majesty?”
Lowering his voice, he looked at the captain. “We conducted an experiment in the Antechamber last night. Just the queen, myself, Mikal, Steve, and his wife, Sarah. No one else.” He took a breath. “At first, it appeared that anything Steve was holding would be unaffected by his jhorun and therefore would not burn, but was later proved false. Someone else was in that chamber, witnessed that part of the experiment, and then clearly left before the experiment was concluded. Whoever that was relayed what they had heard to a third party, and somehow that information ended up with those three men. My question is who? Who could it have been?”
Rhenyon stiffened. “There were three guards on duty that night in the Antechamber. I can vouch for all.”
Steve held up a hand. Catching the king’s eye, who nodded, he said, “Ummm, I believe there was another person in the Antechamber beside us and the soldiers.”
Both king and captain stared at him, and in unison, asked, “Who?”
“The servant girl. Remember her? She came in to offer us drinks. You and I took a cup, the ladies didn’t. Anyone have any idea how long she might have stuck around?”
Rhenyon started scowling again, pacing around Kri’Entu and Steve. “We need to contact the kitchen staff immediately and find out who was on duty last night. I will have the truth out of that harlot or she will hang.”
Kri’Entu looked at his trusted friend. “Ye really think that girl is knowingly and willingly supplying confidential information to a Ylani spy?”
“I’ll bet you she’s sleeping with someone,” Steve suggested, “and that person is using her for information, willingly or not.”
“Regardless of who she’s sharing her bed with,” Rhenyon spat, “she should not be divulging any information she overhears to anyone else. Especially in royal matters.”
The king nodded sagely. “I agree. I will leave this problem in yer hands then.”
“Aye, I will resolve this, fear not. As for these three,” Rhenyon gave a not-so-gentle kick to one of the bound men, “I will find out who they are working for and what their intentions are. Leave it to me.”
Turning, the king took Steve’s arm and guided him back into the castle, going straight to the Great Hall where Sarah was pacing. She had just sat down when they emerged into the cavernous room.
“Steve!” She ran over to him and flung her arms around him, hugging him hard. “Are you okay? I was so worried about you!”
“I’m okay. Really.”
“What happened? How did you escape?”
Steve scoffed. “Escape? Didn’t have to.”
Comprehension flooded into her as she realized just what her husband had meant by that. “Did you have to, er, I mean, did you-”
“If you’re asking whether or not I killed them,” Steve interrupted, “then no. Umm, not directly.”
“Not directly? What does that mean?”
“Let’s just say I gave them some motivation to jump into the moat.”
Mikal jumped up, letting out a joyous whoop. “Bredo got ‘em, did he not? Alright Bredo!”
“What about you?” Steve asked. “You actually teleported yourself didn’t you? Mikal, too!”
Sarah smiled. “I’ve been thinking about that. I don’t know how I did it. I’ve been trying to recreate the circumstances, but I apparently am not doing something right.”
“How did you know you could do it then?”
“I really didn’t,” Sarah confessed. “I wasn’t even trying. Everything happened so quickly. I knew I had to get Mikal to safety, and I knew you could take care of yourself. So I grabbed him and thought of getting some help. Suddenly we were here. The king was here, too, and even that soldier from the inn. Did you see him?”
Steve nodded.
“After I told them we were attacked by the dragon cavern that Rhenyon fellow bolted outside, with every soldier I could see chasing after him. Then we heard the explosion. Honestly, I’m surprised no one was killed. It was loud. The floor was shaking, and things fell off the walls.”
Steve grinned. He knew his first blast was strong, but they felt it all the way in the castle? Cool!
“The purpose of the first blast was to eliminate the arrow.” He explained that, as before at the small lake, he saw an arrow being released. This time at him. He told her how he believed the purpose of the blast was to incapacitate his opponents, but not to harm.
“Did you do that specifically?” Sarah wanted to know.
“I wish I could say that I did. I’d rather have done the job with one blast and not two. What if I would have missed someone?”
Ny’Callé entered the Great Hall and rushed over to her son and her husband. “Is everyone alright? Mikal, are ye unharmed?”
“He is fine,” Kri’Entu assured his wife. “It would seem that our Nohrin have arrived in the nick of time. It pains me to say this, but we have to get Mikal out of here. Tristan.”
Tristan appeared. “Sir.”
“Locate Maelnar. I hereby authorize you to use whatever means necessary. Use whatever personnel you require. Now.”
The soldier gave a curt bow. “Consider it done, sir.”
True to his word, Rhenyon identified the hapless maid who had been relaying information to the Ylani spy. While the servant’s employment was terminated, the spy slipped away unseen, much to the captain’s frustrations.
The days passed with still no word as to the present whereabouts of the dwarf craftsman, Maelnar. The king, having received a response of ‘location unknown’ from the dwarves, expanded the search to include all of Lentari. Messengers were sent to the coastal village of Capily, the mountainous village of Avin, and it wasn’t until they sent messengers to the extreme northern village of Verdayn that they received their first glimmer of news.