The servants were put on lines for the count about an hour after midnight. None of those, who were sleeping in timber-framed houses half an hour ago, had any guesses on why they were being treated like this. Nobody was allowed to talk and those who did were only guards. Even they were restricted to go further from whispers.

Gisella in her gown came with some guards around her. She had been requested to stay in her room but those walls couldn’t hold the anxious woman. Servants got sure this was not about squire's theft when they saw her eyes filling with tears.

Jelaule walked out of the timber house with a small pouch which Saer had brought with him. He stopped infront of a servant and said, "Where do you think Saer went?"

"I don’t know ser." Guard muttered.

"You." He asked another one.

The answer he received was no different.

"I always had doubts on him." Jehaule crunched his pouch.

He noticed Gisella by her light sobs.

"Everyone go in." Jehaule said to the servants. He waited till everyone was in.

Gisella wept loud as soon as only guards were left out. Jehaule walked towards the woman covering her cries by her cloth.

"Lady." Jehaule said, "We will find them."

"Why don’t you tell King Lacroix about this?" she said.

"Many guests are here. They will get scared and our king's reputation will tumble. We can't bring him in this right now." Jehaule said, "I have sent guards for patrol."

She dug her face on her gown again.

A guard came running towards them, acting like the rule of silence was not made for him. He gestured at Jehaule to come. Jehaule left the crying lady and stood face to face with him. Guard spoke on his ear despite of already being close enough.

"We have tied him in the gallows." Guard's thin sound reached in Gisella's ears.

"Who did you find?" she asked, "And why on such disgusting place?"

They did not wait to answer her. Gisella didn’t desire to stay with a question biting her constantly so she followed them. The archway they took looked like it never had been part of the castle. Even the decorations of wedding had abandoned the foul smelling path. Mountain sheep bleated from their cages with moth stuffed with grass.

The guards went inside the gallows first. They did not want her to get in but she pushed herself inside and saw a man cuffed on wall.

The same white man. He was bleeding from his face and the shirtless man had purple bruises all over his body. Near his foot was a broken stick which a guard picked. The broken stick was not end of pain as the place where he was in meant he had more torment to endure. And the biggest torturer of the lot had plenty of things to ask.

"He said he was sleeping here." The guard threw pieces of stick near the rack.

"This was the man whom I had seen fighting Nortze." Another guard said.

"He was fighting him?" Gisella was shaken.

Jehaule walked towards the walled man and lifted his head by his chin.

"Where are Lord Bloudkast and Rikilda?" Jehaule touched Saer's cut ear.

Gisella made her way to Saer, "What did you do to them?"

"Nothing." Saer said.

Jehaule punched in Saer's abdomen. He preferred a blow from hammer instead of his knuckles. The worst thing about the way he hit him was that he recovered quickly. Then the pain intensified. Saer thought of pleading for death when another punch fell on same place. Again he recovered after ten seconds of agony but he feared his intestines would bleed if Jehaule had another punch left in him.

How much longer will it take the doppelganger to be ready? Saer killed the pain by tightening his fist.

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"Where is he?" Jehaule's fingers sank on Saer's cheek.

"They are coming here."

Jehaule put his middle and index finger on Saer's jaw joints then began pressing them. He could have dislocated his jaw had he used more strength. Jehaule loosened his clasp only because he wanted the answer.

"You must be a sorcerer sent by enemies of Lord Bloudkast from Shiver Fault." Jehaule said, "How else you would you have vanish by the time we arrived?"

"He is a sorcerer." A guard said, "Uzmaen is dead too."

"Saer, I give you last opportunity. Tell us what you did to them otherwise you will be flayed and impaled right now."

"Would you believe if I tell you everything?" Saer trembled.

"If is true."

Saer squinted at Gisella and opened his mouth, "He is –"

"WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE?" Lord Bloudkast roared from entrance. Alongside her was Rikilda.

"Where were you?" Rikilda bellowed.

Nortze was not surprised she was talking to Rikilda. She ran towards her and wrapped her arms around the doppelganger. Although he did not get the same question from Gisella, he got it from Jehaule. Respect was missing from his tone.

"It will not sound believable if you ask me that question first." Said Nortze.

A guard went outside, getting past them and locked the door. Nortze did not know how Jehaule had communicated with the guard. Maybe it was the basic thing they did in such situations which did not require any verbal or gesture signs. Nevertheless, it made Nortze feel the questioning was going to be more of an interrogation rather than a normal one.

Jehaule said, "Two of you were fighting near privy. Rikilda also disappeared from her chambers-"

"I had taken her with me. And him too." Nortze stretched his neck at Saer.

"Mother. Let me go." Rikilda freed herself from her mother's arms.

Jehaule found someone else to question.

"Girl." He said, "What happened? I want to hear it from you."

"What your guard saw there was meant to happen." She said, "My father had invited him for dueling and I was at the passage of privy."

"Doesn’t explain how you three went outside the inspite of castle being sealed."

Nortze put his hand on Rikilda's shoulder and waved his cloak, covering themselves.

What are you doing? Gisella got worried as both of them disappeared.

Jehaule heard scream of the guard on watch beyond the door. When the scared guard opened the door to get in, he saw the father-daughter standing outside.

Jehaule was the first man to draw his sword. Several swords left their sheaths behind him.

"I told you it wouldn’t have sounded believable." Nortze grinned.

"Stay away where you are or I will cleave you-"

"A low blood and his threats. Even this thick armor can't hide smell of your kind."

Nortze walked towards the sword pointed at him. He was ready for Jehaule to place his sword tip on his chin but Jehaule seemed to be backing away.

"I did not survive in Shiver Fault without learning some sorcery." Nortze said pushing the sword until it was lowered.

"What do you want to prove?"

"His innocence." Nortze pointed to Saer, "He walked us to impoverished regions of Avena by our wishes. Must say he is a better companion than narcissist royals."

Guards lowered their swords.

"Alas." Nortze said.

Saer couldn’t hold his happiness as guards started unlocking cuffs on his ankles and wrists. He fell on his four limbs when the last cuff clamped open.

"He will be my personal squire from now on." Nortze said.

"Thank you master." said Saer.

Like a true master Nortze left the gallows along his family, not acknowledging the gratitude he had been showered by.