They had arranged for Nathan to come a few days later. And Kurt was up early as usual practicing his swings like everyday. The concept and routine had changed often. The new illusion powers and getting it right, and switching were difficult to do seamlessly. Kurt figured as long as he knew the pattern he was going to do he could move and turn correctly. It was still disorienting to switch to an illusion. More so during illusion slashes, and switching hand positions.

It got even more complex once you added the crescent waves. During his morning routine Beatty would often give an update of the day before's business. The discussion today had a lot to do with Nathan.

"We can have a few people go," said Betsy.

"Good good," said Kurt.

"Are you sure you want to do this like this?" She asked.

Kurt took another swing, "yes it helps actually, having to focus on both. In battles you always have to split your concentration on what's around you, and in front of you."

Talia had walked up to Kurt's place on the top of the pillar during. And Talia had this shocked look.

"Who the hell is this little harlot?"

Betsy turned, her blond hair still in a pony tail, "I know you're not talking about me."

"Who else?"

"Talia, stop," said Kurt.

"You just woke up with another woman?"

"I don't appreciate what you are implying," said Betsy, "and who are you, I know who should be coming through the gate. No one this morning, in fact."

"Betsy stop," said Kurt, taking a swing then stopping.

"Countess Talia, this is Betsy, she's my new office manager."

"Office manager?"

"I run the business," said Betsy, displaying her notebook in hand.

"Well I don't know what nobles call it," said Kurt, "she is here giving me an update, I don't call your ministers out like this."

"That's not the same thing," said Talia, "you should have said something."

"Stop over reacting," said Kurt, " both of you. My bad, I forgot to mention, she's new. We were actually just discussing welcoming Nathan and you."

"He's not my type anyway," said Betsy.

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Talia.

"I like big, burly men, the type that gives you a bear hug and it feels like an actual bear, and you could just crawl right into it" Betsy looked at Kurt and crinkled her lips in a way that implied, you don't do that, shaking her head quickly. "…like you could just bounce on his arms, and he doesn't have to be 'strong man' just not the fat kind, takes care of himself, just has those wide shoulders, and don't get me wrong Kurt has a fine build, but he's too skinny for me."

"Umm," said Talia, "really? I sort of get that." Talia turned her head looking up in thought.

"Ohh yes," Betsy said, smiling looking into the air. "Don't get me wrong, I see the attraction, it just doesn't do it for me. No offense, my lord."

"None, taken. It's better if you feel that way," said Kurt. Talia gave him an eye like she didn't like that answer.

"Well, I hope you are done Kurt and I have to meet them," said Talia.

"No worries, I'm about done, you can find me in the office most of the time, my lady," said Betsy, curtseyed, then left as she left to do her job.

"It's really not like that babe," said Kurt.

"You could have said she wasn't your type either."

"I'm a guy, most women are my type. You're like this unattainable goal of hot, the type of girl I would be intimidated to even speak to before…."

"Go on…"

Kurt came closer, and pulled her waist, "my type is whatever you are. I don't fully understand it."

"Well whatever," she pushed herself away, apparently that was not the line, and then she grabbed his hand. "We should go."

They made their way down the stairs, through a hallway. Then Talia suddenly stopped.

"Kurt you have a problem," said Talia.

"Whats that?"

Four light swords appeared in a few seconds, two of them stabbed into the wall, the other two started to glow bright.

"What are you doing?"

"Look," Talia pointed to the center of the two stabbed swords and there was a silhouette of a man, a shadow, that wasn't going away from the light. "The shadow clan is already here. Come out, I see you." And nothing happened for a moment.

One of the swords in the air went quickly at the shadow and it moved ducking out of the way, but the other sword was delayed and struck the shadows neck. A man materialized out of the shadow. Beheaded.

"That's…one of Midas's troops," said Kurt.

"He should have come out then," said Talia, "that's spying, the use of the shadow ability like that, on me, a Countess of Valentine, no. They know that's a death sentence. I will tell them that, if I must."

"I don't want to carry him," Kurt whistled. And a few moments later Harvey came down the stairs into the hall. And he saw the dead man on the floor.

"Rodent, rodent, dead."

"Rodent?" said Kurt, "from my house?"

"Yes bad smell, worse smell now."

"That's not good," said Talia, "they probably know everything, he might not be the only one."

"How, what?"

"I thought you could tell?"

"Tell?"

"Well yeah, one of the reasons there are only three clans is the ability to even detect the shadow users."

"What?"

"Like we have the eyes so I saw him immediately," said Talia, "and the fire clan had a way, I don't know how. But it was clear they could be sure there were no shadow clans there."

Kurt had put the body of the man in Harvey's back, and told him to hold the head in his mouth. It was gruesome, but better than leaving it in the hallway. He told Harvey to set the body outside the pillar, and keep an eye on it. He had gotten one of the goblins to inform Layla as well.

They met with Nathan, and there was a goblin squad ready to guide them through the path. The few men weren't there to stay but to give a look with their own eyes. Kurt told them something had come up and they wouldn't be joining them. The men seemed to think his presence was necessary for their work.

Layla came down to the entrance of the Pillar to meet Kurt and Talia. After their meeting with Nathan. After waving them off to survey the land for the rails, Layla had time to speak.

" I can't believe we didn't see it.," said Layla, "I thought one of us."

Arthur then came down the steps, he was summoned as well.

"Arthur, what did the fire calm do against the shadow clan?"

"It was actually very simple for us."

"What?" Said Talia.

"Well the first time was an accident, Jessica's flames expose the shadows, like the light from her fires won't allow the shadow to pass as a shadow, it sort of flickers them, in and out of it, I saw it once. After that we lit most places with the flames, I assumed the lights here functioned the same way."

"So they likely have been here at least since the border, Harvey can smell them, I thought he was chasing off a rat the first time, so he calls the rodents."

"But killing one of their men like that," said Layla, "complicates our situation."

"It does," said Kurt.

"I am willing to walk it right up to them," said Talia. "And claim it was us, the Valentine Clan."

"We should bring down the body, and even see if it's any of them," said Arthur, "they could have been infiltrated as well."

"That's unlikely," said Kurt, "my bet is that they know this guy."

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