"Alright," Nery brushed the rest of her messy face against Carl's sleeve. He flashed her a surprised face, but then shrugged and decided to let it go. "But we need to go smarter at this then we did here. We were just lucky that the tunnel was here."

"How did you know about the tunnel anyway?" Cormac asked. He wondered about it the moment they had entered the passage, but there was no time to ask about it up until now.

"I just saw it. I don't know how that works exactly, but I can pick up things. Like when somebody keeps a secret. I don't know the secret exactly, but I know that something is there. A good judge of character maybe."

"That stone wall must have had a lot of character then. You saw right through it."

"That's similar. Something was trying to hide. That is all I needed."

"Alright." Cormac stood and started pacing around. It never did help him think, but his emotions left him overenergized and he needed to let out some steam. "We need to find out where they plan to execute them."

"The capital." Carl replied. "nobles are…always…killed off…there."

"Yes, probably." Cormac stopped pacing around, his brows deepened in thought. "I wonder if the message was just for us, or if more people heard it."

"She did say 'good people of our land'. I think she would have worded that differently if it was just us." Nery said.

"That makes sense. We could use that then. There are bound to be crowds of people for such a spectacle right? There cannot be enough enforcers to check through that many people. We could slide in and out. Hide in the midst of them."

"We…still need…to get them…first…escape…is second…"

"True enough. There are bound to be enforcers there. A lot of them probably."

"Do not…forget…about the…queen."

"Yes," Cormac shivered at the mention of her. "She is bound to be there too. And if she is strong enough to send such a message to all of the people…I will have no chance to overpower her. She could just order us to surrender ourselves. We need something, maybe if Erwin was-"

"This feels fishy Cormac." Nery interrupted. "I don't want to get into your plans. But I do not think that your family will be killed off. They are in danger, but I doubt they'll be killed off."

"I understand, but I well cannot rely on that right? What if she is not bluffing? What if she does plan to kill them? I need to save them then."

"Why?" Carl croaked with his raspy voice. "They are…not…your family…Cormac…Leon…wanted…to capture…you…"

"They were once. I…it'd be wrong, for me not to do anything."

"But have you…thought…that this…might…just be…another…ploy?...To bait…you in…"

Cormac wanted to say that they would never do that. Wanted to swear that his family would have his back, would honor the bond. But he could not. He believed Melissa would have sold him eons ago, had she the chance. From what he saw of Leon now, that might very well be true for him as well. Eamon was the only one who he believed to still be family to him, but he was ultimately powerless. His sister was way too young to matter in this, she was not even mentioned in the message, she was probably spared such a fate for her age.

"Even if it is Carl. I can't just forget about them. I am a fugitive already aren't I? I might as well start acting like one."

"Good…" replied Carl with an affirming nod. Cormac did not know if he imagined it, but he thought he felt Carl's approval. A hint of satisfaction. Their bond had somehow changed a bit, as if it deepened. But It was all still very new to Cormac.

"Was that a test?" Cormac asked.

"Of sorts…" Carl replied. "You…passed…"

"I will send Obscurno to survey the people they would bring in. He will tell us beforehand if they are my family or not. But we have to be prepared." Cormac returned to their previous conversation, deciding not to dwell on the 'test'.

"Could you order the enforcers?" Nery asked.

"Maybe. I have not tried to use my power too much. But one or two? I feel like I could."

"But not the queen."

"Definitely not the queen." Cormac replied with confidence.

"So all we have to distract is just the queen right?"

"Easier said…than done…"

"Actually," Cormac smiled. "I do know someone that might help us and I know for a fact that she will be close to the queen."

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"Hello Darius."

"Good morning, princess. What has you rushing so? If I may so brazen to inquire?" he asked, very obviously looking around the room.

"I wanted to take a walk across town. Just prepared a sack If I wanted to buy a few knick-knack's." She tried to step to the side of Darius, but he moved so he got in the way. She could spot a few more guards behind him, but they were all looking away.

"I apologize, princess, but I have been tasked to keep you here and be on high alert. I fear your trip would have to wait."

"I am sorry Darius, but I do not think that you have any authority to keep me here at all. Now move." She said, but he again blocked the way.

"But I do, princess. I have the order of the highest authority there is. Now, I order you to go inside and await your next meal."

She quickly dashed to the ground, with a kick up, but Darius had already expected it.

He grabbed her leg and twisted around, turning her momentum into a slam against the door.

Aviana's lungs emptied and she struggled to breathe for a few short moments. Darius spared no power in the blow.

"It pains me to do this, princess. I came to understand you are an intelligent and goal-oriented woman during our lectures. Please, stop resisting and stay inside." Darius said. But his face told a whole different story. He was smiling from ear to ear, his eyes amused. The normal reserved and composed Darius looked akin to a great lord now, abusing his power on the weak. It was as if something in his eyes changed, as if he was a different man than before. And something told her that arguing here would bear no fruit.

Aviana scrambled onto her feet and took a few steps back, still having little difficulty breathing.

"Yes, I am sorry to make your station difficult." Aviana said between ragged breaths, holding her stomach where she made contact with the door.

"You are forgiven, princess. I could not stay mad at you for long." He said as he blatantly stared at her. Moving his eyes around her body.

The phrasing of the sentence sent a chill down her spine. It used to be her goal, to make Darius fall in love with her. She wanted to use him in a similar way her mother tend to use people. But Darius was always too smart to get trapped like that. He was a calculative man, analyzing his surroundings and making the best of the situation. It was the only reason he managed to climb into the ranks of upper enforcers in his words.

But before her stood a much more primal man. He could barely keep himself from jumping at her, or at least it was the feeling she got from him. She never feared such people, she was trained and she trusted her abilities, but there was something strange about him now. He felt stronger somehow, even more than he had been before.

Aviana knew she had no chance defeating him in battle prowess now, at least without a weapon of her own, but she had different means, even if using them made her feel physically sick. Means that she decided to forgo, but she still could use. The kind her mother preferred.

She turned around and slowly and gracefully let her hair down from the bun she had prepared before. She moved her hips melodically on purpose, so she would not lose the man's focus. She reached for a top shelf, exposing more of her curves on purpose. But there was a reason, other than letting Darius ogle her, for reaching that shelf, there was a…special kind of tea she had need of right then. She managed to get only a little from the time she talked with her mother and found out about it, but she hoped that it would still prove enough.

Aviana turned around, baring a meticulously crafted face. One meant to disarm such a man.

"Would you care to have tea with me Darius? You could lock the door on your way in."

Darius licked his bottom lip as he entered the room and as he was told, he locked the doors behind him.

"Sit, please." Aviana gestured to a chair, while she lit a small fire and prepared her kettle over it.

She grabbed the small jar of spores and mixed about half of them together with mundane dried leaves of a scent plant. She did not know if the tea was prepared this way, but she had no chance but to try it her way now. She definitely could not fail. Aviana slid the jar with the rest into her sleeve

The room was uncomfortably quiet, except the slight hissing of the kettle with boiling water. She quickly grabbed two cups. She put the mixture she prepared before into the right one and used the leaves of the same plant for her own. A sweet fragrance flowed through the room as hot water came into contact with the leaves.

Aviana's mind raced. She was in danger and she knew it. All the possible negative outcomes flooded her brain and she dreaded it. She was afraid. Afraid of the man sitting before her. Afraid of what he would do had he found out about her trick.

She sat his tea before him and she took a seat across the table and sipped from her own cup.

"You seem different Darius. Had you grown stronger somehow?" Aviana asked, nervously switching her gaze from Darius to the cup before him.

"You've great eyes. Yes, I do believe I had grown stronger." he replied, his eyes travelling to the edges of the neckline of her dress.

"Do you not like tea?" She asked.

"Oh no, I don't." Darius said, looking at the cup suspiciously. "Nor will I pretend I came here for tea." He stood up and crossed the distance between them with a few steps.

She stood up abruptly, covering her mouth with her hand in surprise, which was only half-pretend.

He grabbed her by her hips. He was breathing quickly and his eyes were that of a predator, looking at its prey.

He moved her mouth closer and connected it with his.

Aviana wanted to resist, but she let the strong Darius have his way a little, she did not have a chance to escape she knew, but she did manage to spit the hornek spore dust with her saliva into his mouth, after which she bit his lower lip.

She quickly pushed him off after that, surprisingly getting him a few feet away from her. He brushed off the little blood off his mouth while flashing her an angry expression.

It did absolutely nothing.

Her fears came into fruition and she started panicking.

She was prepared to kick him, punch him, scream, to just do something to get out of the situation she was in, but then she noticed the change in his face. His angry features disappeared.

Darius's pupils extended, the black in them giant. His mouth agape and his face relaxed.

It still took her a few seconds to calm herself enough to realize what was happening.

The hornek spores seemed to do their thing and she miraculously guessed the right dose.

And that also meant that Aviana had a trick to pull. One that her mother would not expect.