"So much for the love of a father," Nyella said coldly. "Yes, you must know something. He wanted to erase you, and what you know. So tell us, what is it?"

Irha lowered her head. "He has something to do with the enemy you fight," she said sadly. "He knows something about the hydra."

"What?" Nyella said. She immediately turned toward the guard who stood behind him. "Get King Rollo here."

"I am here already," the king said as he stepped into the interrogation room with General Amber walking beside him.

"Continue," Nyella urged Irha.

Irha took a deep breath. "I don't have the full details. My father kept all such secrets to himself. But after we fled from Ivarion and camped in one of the northern villages, I saw him meeting with two men. One wore a red cloak. The other wore black and half of his face was burnt. After a while, those meetings became more frequent. The one in red seemed to be a wizard."

She paused as her voice dropped lower. "Sometimes I peeped, hoping to hear them. Most times, I could not catch a word. But the few times I did, I heard them speak of attacking and taking over the kingdoms using the Bone Hydra. I did not understand it then… not until the Battle of Bones happened. The same night he took over Ivarion."

A heavy silence fell over the room. Everyone was stunned by what they heard.

Nyella staggered back, and her hand slipped against the wall. She almost fell, but Aeron caught her quickly. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Her eyes were full of disbelief. "Who would have thought that Voryn Vanyr would bring the world to its doom? What can he not do? He was greatly underestimated."

King Rollo's face was grim. "How did a man become so evil? How did King Tharyn withstand such a man all these years?"

Aeron looked at Irha, who was still tied to the chair. "These men who met your father, do you know anything else about them? Somewhere we could find them?"

Irha's voice was weak but she continued. "I don't. They are extremely careful men… but my father was more careful. One thing I know about him is that he never trusted anyone. Because of that, he always kept evidence. Whoever he worked with, he held something over them."

She lifted her eyes slowly toward Aeron. "I don't have anything on those men. But he must. And if he does, it would be in his personal chambers. A red painted box. If there is anything you need on the men, it will be inside that box."

"This is it," Aeron said firmly. "This is what we need the most. The red box. We have to get ahold of it by any means."

Rollo shook his head. "That is not an option. We cannot get it. She said Vanyr keeps it in his personal chamber. That is currently the most guarded place in Ivarion."

"Then we go there," Aeron replied at once. "Risky, yes, but worth it."

"Not risky," Rollo said. "Deadly. If you are seen, you are killed instantly. I will not send anyone to certain death. We must find another way."

Aeron raised his voice a bit. "Another way? I do not think we will have a better chance to defeat the hydra than this. With the red box, we can learn who controls those creatures. We can know where they are and end them forever, without fighting another war. And you still say it is not worth risking someone?"

Silence filled the room. Rollo said nothing, but deep inside he knew the boy was right.

"I agree with him. It is worth the risk. We must get into his chamber one way or another and take the box." Nyella said.

Rollo narrowed his eyes. "Then tell me, who among us is brave enough to risk such a thing? Who would give themselves for this? Do we have a soldier who knows the palace of Ivarion well enough?"

Nyella looked at Aeron. Aeron looked back at her, already knowing what she planned.

"No," Aeron said immediately.

"I will go," Nyella said. "No one knows the palace better than I do. I grew up there. I know things about it, paths and tunnels that no one is aware of. Therefore I must be the one to go. And more than that, I will try to get my mother out. By any means."

Rollo frowned. "And you think you will succeed? You think it will be so simple? Do you not see that Vanyr will expect you? That he will trap you the moment you step inside?"

Nyella lifted her chin. "He will have me, yes. But he will not capture me. I had always wanted to go. Now I have even more reason. If I succeed, the war will be as good as over, and I can easily get Ivarion back. Do not ask me to stay here and coward away."

Aeron stepped closer and spoke in a low voice. "So nothing can change your mind?" he said

"Nothing," she answered.

"Then I will go with you," Aeron said.

Nyella opened her mouth to protest, but Aeron cut her off. "You cannot change my mind either. Who else has fire that can burn through armies? If something happens, you will need me more than anyone, and you know that."

She stopped, then nodded slowly. "Thank you."

At that moment, Amber, who had stepped out some moments ago, returned. He turned to Rollo. "The army of Zeirath, whom we left standing outside the gates, has brought heavy machinery to their front lines."

Rollo frowned. "They want to fight us now?"

Amber shook his head. "I do not think so. But it seems they want us to see that they are agitated."

Rollo breathed out slowly. "They deserve what they got. But then, we have had enough. It is time to welcome them… Let them in."

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