"Rank one, Prince Leba is not in his chambers, in his place was a servant dressed as him who accepted his delivered meals through the back window in his stead." Rank Twenty one said.

Masutap nodded at the Black Guard's words. She'd expected as much from the chaotic prince. Leba was up to something, he was definitely conniving with someone and the purpose of his escapades eluded her. Still, her position enabled her to be close to Dahli, closer than anyone possibly could and that offered its own consolation from Leba's constant evasion. "Have the servant charged with kidnapping. Cut off a piece of him after every hour until he tells of the Prince's whereabouts." Masutap ordered and the Black Guard marched off to carry out her command.

Masutap stood outside Dahli's chambers watching the Rank Twenty One cut a corner and disappear from sight. Behind her were two Ranks she'd specifically chosen to guard the door of whichever room Dahli was situated in at all times. The one on the left was Rank Seventeen, adept at hand to hand combat and capable of caving in a man's chest with a single punch. His black leather armor stretched to the point of tear upon his cannon like arms, his body was a mixture of bulging muscle and thick skin. His face was wide and as menacing as his posture. The man was intoxicated by the confidence imbued in his strength. His weakness was his pride. The bastard never drew his blade, choosing to always depend on his fists. A blade through the back of his thick neck was enough to render his strength meaningless and Masutap always approached him from behind.

Rank Twenty five stood to the right. A remarkably skilled young man in the handling of knives, especially when it came to throwing them. The Rank could hit a dove blindfolded and the speed with which he drew the knives from his belt was faster than one could notch an arrow to a bow. His weakness lay with his dependence on the knives. All Masutap had to do was get the young man free of his clothing that definitely held hidden knives and free of the belt that had over a dozen of his chosen instruments strapped to it. She'd done it before, how difficult would it be to do it again?

The two Black Guards parted and Masutap pushed her way past Dahli's chamber door but not before sending an alluring smile in Rank Twenty Five's direction. A smile that was returned almost as eagerly as it had been given. Dahli stood with scissors before a large mirror, she wore only dark pants that were a sharp contrast to her magenta themed room. Her mirror image revealed bare pale breasts that were beaded with sweat as they rose and fell with every hard breath, drawing Masutap's appreciation of her feminine allure.

"Do you like what you see?" Dahli asked. Her image in the mirror glaring in Masutap's direction.

"I like that you're alive, which is my job to keep you so." Masutap answered.

Dahli raised the scissors to her hair, it had grown a few inches long enough to touch at her brows and ears. The Princess grabbed a strand and cut it, allowing the severed hair to flutter down to the ground. "I have been left in charge of this Kingdom, yet I cannot command privacy." "My orders are to keep you safe." Masutap replied.

"You accompany me to the baths, stand by my bed as I sleep and tail me wherever I go. I can't even train in the Forms without your presence here." Dahli's voice was venomous.

Masutap fought the urge to role her eyes. Train in the Forms? You call jumping about while dressed in pants alone training? "Forgive me Princess-"

"I am acting Queen."

"Forgive me acting Queen Dahli, but your safety is paramount, even more than your privacy." Masutap said. The Princess didn't reply, instead she cut another strand of hair. "The renegade Royal Black Guard has escaped us at every turn, we cannot be sure of when he'll strike again hence the heightened security."

Dahli lowered her scissors, eyes focused on Masutap's mirror image. "Orgeeg was his name?"

"Yes, the former Rank one."

"Why did neither of you tell my father of this betrayal in your midst?" Dahli inquired.

"We handle our own." Masutap said and was amazed to see Dahli give a nod of understanding, as if she knew of what entailed the punishments dished out by the Royal Black Guard. Dahli often gave off an incompetent and spoiled air, but brief moments availed themselves where deep seated wisdom reared its head. One could spot the competent working of her mind during minute flashes of insight where ones assumption of her mental prowess ended up getting challenged.

I will have to kill her soon. Masutap decided.

XXXXXXXXX

"Halt! Who goes there?" A plump Palace gate guard whose armor struggled to shape his fat in what could pass as a modest guard's appearance stopped the approaching rolling cart pulled by a large ox. Behind the guard stood six men, five of a similar appearance whose rusty gold plated breastplates looked as if they would collapse at any second. And one who wore black leather armor.

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"I am Ganthal, here to deliver as always what you see behind me." The man seating at the cart's front with a long stick in hand which he used to steer the ox, said with a gesture towards the tower of coal packed behind him. The Black mass of coal had black dust rising from it as two figures sprawled upon it struggled to ensure no coal tumbled free as the cart jerked about with the ox's pull.

"The holder of the coal tender, huh? My cousin should have gotten that tender, his coal is pure and burns hotter! You definitely bribed som-" The plump gate guard was launching into a fit of rage as he addressed the dirt smeared Ganthal who observed him with indifference. The Royal Black Guard stepped fourth and placed his hand on the plump man's shoulder. Silencing him.

The Royal Black Guard observed Ganthal then the two dirty men upon the mound of coal. His eyes turned back to Ganthal. "How many times have you delivered coal, Ganthal?"

"Thirty eight times before, sir." Ganthal replied, all too eager to address the Royal Black Guard than the plump fool.

The Black Guard smiled. "What a coincidence, I am Rank Thirty nine. And the two you're with, have you come with them on your previous trips?"

Rank Thirty nine's eyes turned back to the two men upon the mound of coal. They were too caked in coal dust that he had difficulty telling them apart, one however glanced at him with blue eyes before looking away. A pure Binorian? It was difficult to say if he had blond hair for the worker wore dirt like a hat so the Rank Thirty nine couldn't tell if he was indeed a pure Binorian. The man's eyes were oddly familiar though but then again blue eyes among the Binorians was as common as white hair among the

Talisi.

"These two work for half the price I should be paying them, of course I would bring them on all my trips." Ganthal replied with a forced laugh. If he hadn't been given gate duty, something that he loathed even more than rooftop duty, Rank Thirty nine would have probbed further into the visitors at the Palace gate. He would have separated them and inquired of their recent work within the Palace, he would have sought something that didn't fit with their whole narrative and would have apprehended them. The forced laugh, the worker's blue eyes, something tugged at his gut. But he'd been given gate duty and he'd be damned if he was to treat it as a privilege befitting his Rank. He would not waste a business man's time under the guile of baseless suspicions. Rank Thirty nine waved the coal cart into the Palace and Orgeeg let out a sigh of relief before mouthing a silent prayer of thanks to Meena.

XXXXXXXXXX

They occupied the better part of the Ganidan plain and could be seen from where Mairek stood. They'd trickled in at dusk and had spread like a plague upon the land with their red armor visible under the sun dipping within the horizon. Their campfires set the night aglow and a deep silence engulfed the Talisi camp as everyone's courage got shaken. Confidence while an enemy is distant is a separate thing from confidence while the enemy is present. The Talisi Green Army was only just learning that.

"They are so many." Dhiliaf said from beside Mairek and Nohj nodded from where he stood before them. All around Talisi Green Army troops gawked at the distant Binorian camp, leagues away yet still visible because of their sheer mass.

"Mairek." Nohj said while turning to face him. "The blue eye thing that you did... Uhmm... your eyes glowed blue at that tent that day."

"Yes, Mairek. We all saw it, so did others" Dhiliaf said. Mairek's eyes remained fixed on the Binorian camp. He did not say a word.

"Mairek, is there another God in the fray? Can you and Ishar do something?" Nohj pressed on, his face was the opposite of Mairek's nonchalant expression.

"I've never seen anything like it, now, now I understand." Mairek said, his eyes still fixed straight ahead.

"What?" Dhiliaf asked while turning to Nohj who shared the same confused look as him.

"Vayin Vigon," Mairek continued, "the very order of the realm bends to his presence, catering to him and ensuring his every will comes to pass. Where time evades Ishar and flows around him, it pours into Vayin, channeling into him like a river into a sea. I can feel it flow in his direction," Mairek said and raised his hand in the direction of the Binorian camp. "I can hear the symphony of their movement that he strings with his motion." His eyes flashed blue. "I can see the order synonymous with time." A tear trickled down Mairek's cheek. "We have no chance." He concluded.

Dhiliaf and Nohj exchanged worried glances. They nodded in unison and each took Mairek by the arm, leading him away from the sight of Binoria's Hundred Legions. Away from their soon to be killers.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Ishar sat with his back pressed to Carrot's side whose legs were folded beneath its bulk. The beast seemed to be asleep but Ishar knew it was pretending after having grown tired of hearing him lament about his departed lover, Niada. Ishar held out a necklace made of blue beads that conjoined at a point where a Yendw wolf's tooth had been attached. The only thing he had of hers.

A distant bellow sounded and Carrot's head jerked up, immediately the beast knew the bellow was that of a female Telinete Rhino. Sniffing at the air with its tail rising the beast took in a deep breath, preparing to give an answering call.

"Don't." Ishar said and placed his hand on the Rhino's flank. Carrot exhaled and turned one amber eye in

Ishar's direction. "Don't be too eager to reply, you'll look desperate." Ishar said and rubbed at the Telinete's carapace. "Give it three hours or four then you can answer. I'm a master at this love thing, trust me." He wiggled the necklace at Carrot's face. The Telinete snorted and drove a horn in Ishar's direction. Ishar laughed and rolled away before getting impaled. He stood up and observed the distant lights that marked the Binorian camp. From his position west of the Talisi tents Ishar could see how large an army had come to wage war with the Talisi, to destroy Niada's home and end her life. He clutched the necklace harder, the wolf tooth digging into his palm. A manic smile played across his face.