Enalus folded his hands on the table, quietly listening to the other nobles argue. The room was the largest meeting room in the castle and just about every noble that Enalus could name—and several that he couldn't—were gathered around the large wooden table, screaming about current events as if the Chosen were the worst thing to happen this past century.

Enalus had only come to the meeting to put his plan in motion. He was still waiting for an opening. He took a sip of his tea, wondering absently if Lord Henna knew that he was spitting as he spoke.

"They're building their own towns!" Lord Henna snapped. "Laying bricks, digging holes, they've made a total mess of my farmland!"

"It's my understanding, Lord Henna," Lady Undra said. "That they are setting up settlements on unusable land, areas too rocky to even grow picklefruit."

"It is still my land," Lord Henna snapped. "They're setting up on it like they own it without even a whisper of taxes."

"And what would you have them do?" Lady Undra asked. "You refuse them entry to your cities. You refuse them trade. Are they supposed to starve? What would that do besides lure monsters into safe zones and poison the water. It's better that they've taken it upon themselves to establish a safe location on uninhabited land."

"I would have them leave Helia!" Lord Henna said. "Move to one of the larger countries where there's more space for them. Some already have. Just last month the group outside of the capital moved to the mountains."

"That's hardly a good argument," Lady Breean said. "They haven't been seen since. Not here, not in any of the neighboring countries. They likely died up there."

"Exactly," Lord Henna said. "A perfect solution."

Lady Undra's hair rose, and the air crackled with energy. "Lord Henna, you—!"

"Enough!" The command came from the man sitting in Lord Myre's seat.

Kalen Jenka… Enalus wasn't sure what to make of the Hij. It wasn't a race that Enalus was familiar with, though he had heard the name in passing. The man was average height, with long black hair that continued down past his neck, merging into the thick black fur that grew on his back. His slit pupil eyes were a dark green that glowed slightly against his pale grey skin.

Enalus had seen Jenka a few times before, but the man had never taken an active role in politics. He was a vassal of Lord Myre's—neither nobility nor servant, but some sort of adviser, it seemed. He spent the majority of his time outside of Helia.

Enalus wasn't sure of his age either. He treated Lord Myre like a wayward apprentice, but he seemed too young to have even seen a Dark Age.

The mysterious man only showed his face in times of crisis and confusion.

Times like now.

"The Chosen have shown no hostility towards yourself or your people, correct?" Jenka asked, not waiting for confirmation. "They are not a concern at the moment. We gathered here today to discuss safety measures to combat the growing instability of System spells."

Enalus straightened in his chair. So, he hadn't been the only one to notice something was off? If the problem was common enough to call a council of nobles, then it was more widespread than he thought.

That wasn't a good sign.

"It's just another System glitch. They're common enough with what's coming," Lord Henna said dismissively. "The Chosen are a more immediate threat."

"More of a threat than the end of the world?" a Sisseni woman asked. She had gained her noble title in the last decade or so and Enalus hadn't yet learned her name or history. She shook her head. "The greater lordsss and ladiess are ssso ssecure in their positionsss that they don't care how many perish in the dissassster. Ssssome of us actually care about our citizensss."

"Bite your tongue Lapika!" Lady Undra snapped. "We are not all as callous as Lord Henna."

Lord Henna didn't deny the allegation. He lifted his chin proudly. "The fittest among us will survive. It has always been so. I see no reason to change a system that has worked for the last two thousand years."

"Worked?" someone asked incredulously. "We're sent into chaos every few centuries! Less than ten percent of the population has even seen a Dark Age let alone lived through one in its entirety."

"All the more reason for us to shelve this matter and wait for the one who's lived through multiple Dark Ages to bring a more informed perspective," Lord Henna said. "I move to dismiss this matter until Lord Myre returns."

Enalus seized his chance. He raised his hand, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "Before we adjourn, I have a question for you, Kalin Jenka."

The man raised an eyebrow, looking mildly curious. "Yes, Lord Emery?"

Enalus stood, placing his hands on the table and leaning forward slightly. "You are one of Lord Myre's people, are you not? This is, of course, why you currently sit there in his stead."

Jenka nodded, a hint of suspicion creeping into his expression.

"Then it stands to reason that you would know where he went in the middle of an emergency?"

Jenka didn't get a chance to answer.

"Lord Myre and Queen Naomi went back home to hold a memorial for their late mother," Lady Undra said. "This is common knowledge."

"Ah, yes," Enalus said. "The memorial that they hold every winter."

You could hear a pin drop. Enalus could see several of the nobles working through his statement in their heads.

It was the peak of summer. The memorial was usually held in the latter half of the eleventh month.

"The queen decided to hold the memorial early," Jenka said confidently. "Owing to the urgency of the encroaching Dark Age."

Enalus knit his brows together, feigning confusion. "So, they left in the middle of an emergency, to complete a memorial that they were afraid they would miss, because of an encroaching emergency?"

Lord Henna narrowed his eyes at Jenka. "For perhaps the first time in history, I am in agreement with Enalus. Explain this, Jenka."

"No, no, of course it makes perfect sense," Enalus said with a heavy dose of sarcasm. "With strangers flooding our lands and magic growing ever unstable, it's the perfect time to take an unscheduled trip across the country. Better that than to abandon the court in a real emergency, is it not?"

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"We have heard your point, Lord Emery," Lady Undra said. "You're usually more subtle than this."

Enalus didn't take his attention off of Jenka.

"Perhaps I just find it odd," Enalus said, a hint of challenge in his words. "That Lord Myre left behind a stranger to handle his unofficial duties while he was away… with the queen…"

"Kalin Jenka," Lady Undra said, catching the not-so-subtle implications in Enalus' words. "What proof do you have that Lord Myre and Queen Naomi are where you say they are? Why did Lord Myre not tell us of his trip in advance?"

Jenka met Enalus' gaze without flinching. "The trip was unplanned. I was informed via scry glass of Lord Myre's intentions and his destination."

"How convenient," Lady Kesh drawled. "Perhaps you could call him for us? Confirm for the room that Lord Myre did in fact appoint you as his proxy?"

A slight twitch to Jenka's cheeks was the only indication that his calm was slipping.

"He is out of range," he said through gritted teeth. "I couldn't call him if I wanted to."

Enalus' nails bit into his palm as he tried to contain his excitement. That statement was all he needed to drive his point home.

"The Myre estate is within Helia's borders," Enalus said, dropping all pretense. "Your cover story is flawed. Where is Lord Myre?"

Jenka narrowed his eyes. "I don't need to answer that."

Enalus watched Jenka for a long moment, before he sat down, feigning resigned acceptance. "I suppose you're right. We can't force you to answer."

"Like hell we can't!" Lord Henna snapped.

Lady Undra put a hand on his shoulder to silence him. He shrugged her off, but he didn't continue.

"I just have one more question for you, Kalin Jenka," Enalus said, casually taking a sip of his tea.

"And what question would that be?" Jenka asked suspiciously.

Enalus took his sweet time. He finished his tea and placed it back on the saucer. He steepled his hands on the table, watching Jenka for almost a full minute, daring the man to lie to his next question.

"Tell me, Kalin Jenka," Enalus said, his voice cold. "Do you know what happened to my wife?"

Kalin Jenka froze, staring across the table at Enalus. He didn't confirm nor deny the implied accusation, but he didn't have to. The seed was sown.

"You still haven't found Nali?" Lady Undra asked, concern in her voice. "I thought she would have sent you a message by now."

"If she is able to," someone muttered.

Enalus gritted his teeth, not looking at the man who had spoken.

"I heard news from an unlikely, but reliable source," he said when he had more control over his voice.

"And who might this source be?" Jenka asked, the confidence in his voice a mere shell of his previous calm.

The man didn't even ask what news Enalus had heard. He was painfully bad at this. What had possessed Lord Myre to leave someone so incompetent in charge?

"I will not divulge their identity," Enalus said. "For their own safety, of course."

"Are you accusing me of something?" Jenka asked, the tightness in his voice betraying his anger.

"Yes," Enalus said simply. "I'm accusing you of kidnapping my wife."

Gasps echoed around the room. The stronger nobles looked between Enalus and Jenka, their faces a mask of disbelief. The weaker ones watched them in horror.

"Nali was no weakling," Lady Kesh said. "It would take an army to drag her away."

Enalus shook his head. "Unless she went willingly."

"Well, which is it?" Lord Henna snapped. "Did she go willingly or was she kidnapped?"

Enalus shook his head. "She allowed herself to be kidnapped to bring me news of a snake within the kingdom." He held up a piece of paper. "This is the last letter my wife wrote me. I found it just three days ago, tucked inside a drawer in my office."

No one spoke as Enalus slowly unfolded the letter.

He read aloud, his voice growing more pained as he spoke.

My Dearest Husband,

I pray that you find this letter soon after my disappearance. I don't wish you to suffer but this has gone on too long. I can't allow his crimes to continue unchecked.

I don't believe he'll go after me directly. He'll send another, no doubt; one who is unlikely to best me in combat so as to avoid suspicion.

Please be careful. A man this powerful is not to be trifled with. I'll try my best to return to you, my love. But if I don't, I have left the evidence that I have gathered underneath our bed.

I will see you again someday. Be it in this world, or the next.

All my love,

Nali

The note had the desired effect. Several of the nobles looked outraged, some were crying. Lady Undra gripped the table so hard it cracked.

A few even laughed as if they found the whole situation amusing. A glare from Lady Undra was enough to silence them.

Enalus had almost left the forged note out of the plan, worried that it would be too much, but he was getting exactly the reaction he had hoped for.

The nobility in Helia took it hard when one of their own was killed—especially one as strong as Nali. Not only did it increase the workload for the remaining nobles, who would have to pick up the slack until a replacement could be found, but it reminded them of their own mortality; of how easily they could be killed in a moment of weakness.

Jenka's discomfort was starting to show. He gripped the arms of his chair, openly glaring at Enalus.

"Who did this?" Lady Undra growled. "I won't believe you if you try to tell me this worm did it on his own."

Jenka opened his mouth to respond but someone else cut him off.

"We haven't even heard his side of the story yet."

"Does it matter?" someone else asked. "We're not talking about some weakling new lady here. He killed Nali. How many times has that woman helped us out of a bind? Organized relief efforts and refugee trails?"

"No one said she was killed," someone else argued. "If he returns her, the punishment should be less severe."

"Oh? And what if he kidnaps you next?"

The room dissolved into chaos. Enalus watched Jenka fume from the other end of the table. He didn't look as panicked as Enalus had been expecting, but he radiated pure hatred.

Enalus sent him a challenge with his gaze. Your move.

"What proof do you have of my guilt?" Jenka shouted, cutting over the conversation in the room with an amplification skill. "Show me proof that ties me to this alleged crime, not some flimsy note that anyone could have scrawled!"

Lady Undra frowned, looking almost confused. "Then you deny it?"

"Of course I deny it!" Jenka snapped, rising from his chair. "I would never be so foolhardy as to kidnap one of Helia's own, nor so foolish as to target the most beloved at court. This is as insulting as it is preposterous. I am no match for Lady Emery."

Enalus shook his head. "I never said you did it alone." He folded the note and stowed it in his Inventory. "Someone bound my wife, magically and physically, and dragged her out of reach. That isn't something that you could do by yourself. I challenge anyone here to beat my wife at a test of speed."

Several people nodded, acknowledging his words.

"Then why—" Jenka began, but Enalus cut him off again.

"If Nali were dead, I would know," Enalus said, raising his arm to show a bracelet on his wrist. "This tie would break if her heart stopped beating. That means that Nali is not only alive, but wherever she is, she can't contact me. She's somewhere… out of range…"

Jenka sat down hard, looking like he might be sick. It looked like Enalus had struck a nerve. The man picked up his teacup with a shaky hand and downed the remaining liquid.

"I think… this might be a conversation for another time…" he said, his voice sounding off.

Alarm bells rang in Enalus' head. He looked around, noticing for the first time that many of the nobles at the table were staring off into space. Lady Undra's grip on the table had loosened and her head nodded as if agreeing with Jenka's statement, but she didn't seem to be hearing him.

Lord Henna was openly snoring.

It's a trap.

Enalus stood and his vision swam. He stumbled toward the door of the meeting room, running into the wall that should have been several feet away.

He followed the wall all the way to the exit and pulled on the doors.

They were locked.

"What did you do?!" he yelled in what he thought was Kalin Jenka's direction.

The man chuckled. "I didn't do anything. I didn't kidnap Lady Emery. She kidnapped herself. The cuffs didn't even fit." His chuckle turned into a full-blown belly laugh. "She had them off in moments! I thought I was going to wet myself!"

Enalus frowned, trying to figure out what the man was talking about. Nali was here? No, that didn't make sense. Enalus was supposed to be finding Nali. This was his way of finding her.

Hadn't he already found her?

"Take them to their rooms," someone said. Enalus thought it was a voice he recognized, but it was bubbly, popping in his ears in a way that was unbecoming of a voice.

"Should we knock them out?" someone else suggested, coming into Enalus' view. The man's outline was wiggly, and the look on his face was hilariously concerned.

Enalus giggled. "You look like a river…"

The man's frown deepened. "What in System's name did you give them?"

"Foxtail," the first man said. "It's harmless. They'll recover in a week or two. By then, it will all be over."

Enalus couldn't seem to make any sense of the conversation. He wondered if they were speaking another language, or if he was just too stupid to comprehend the words.

It didn't really matter. It was the funniest thing he had ever heard. He laughed until his stomach hurt, not even fighting as the men led him away.

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