The gate started to rise just as the announcer finished speaking.

It was show time.

The King's Brigade made it's entrance in the arena. On the other side were Thurgan and his two friends.

In the section of the stands usually reserved to VIPs, separated from the rest and with more comfortable seats, was a man in his thirties dressed in elegant and expensive clothes. He looked down, and upon seeing Delilah his jaw dropped.

She simply made a delicate nod in return.

“Is that lord Orzhio?” Nez asked.

“In the flesh”. Delilah seemed more fervent than usual. “It must have been a shock for him, seeing me in this place” she said with a pleased smile.

In the meantime, their opponents prepared for the battle. Thurgan twirled his axe; the tallest of them loaded his rifle; the last one licked a steel dart.

That's the one who hurt Phisena.

Nez had to look away. He couldn't let his emotions get the best of him.

“Let the final match begin!” the announcer yelled.

In unison, all of the member of the King's Brigade dropped their weapons to the ground.

“We surrender!” declared Delilah, showing her empty hands.

A confused murmur made it's way in the crowd. Even Thurgan didn't know how to react.

Nez couldn't believe he agreed to this...

“What are you doing?”. The announcer went into a panic. “You can't do that!”.

Delilah went closer to his stand. “I understand that our choice will make the spectators dissatisfied. They paid to be entertained, after all. But I can't, in all consciousness, allow my team to take part in this fight”.

The announcer was baffled. “Why is that?”.

“There has been some friction between us and our opponents” Delilah patiently explained. “And if we were to fight against them, I'm afraid one of my teammates couldn't help but go too far”.

Nez nodded. She was right on the money.

“Surely you're joking...”.

“Not at all!” Nez replied. “I really want to slit those bastards' throats” he said in a concerningly casual manner.

Once it was clear they were serious, the crowd started booing.

“But... but...”. The announcer was at a loss for words.

Out of the blue, lord Orzhio stood up and started clapping. He silenced the entire arena. “A very responsible choice! I commend you, young lady!”.

He and Delilah exchanged a complicit look.

“There's nothing left but to announce the winners” lord Orzhio said, turning to the announcer.

“Are you sure you want to surrender?” the announcer asked Delilah again. “Are you fine with getting the money for second place? You'll give up on the grand prize”.

“We will live without it”.

Nez chuckled. They weren't in it for the money anyway.

Just by getting to the final match, they already had what they were looking for. The meeting with lord Orzhio was at arm's reach.

Reluctantly, the announcer made his final declaration: “This tournament's winner are the Horn Crew”.

Nez burst out laughing at the name. He picked his weapons back up and glanced at Thurgan.

You were lucky.

----------------------------------------

The group arrived at lord Orzhio's mansion a few minutes early, and was waiting in front of the door to be let in.

Delilah was wearing a fancy dress for the occasion, her usually braided red hair styled in a more complex way.

Phisena rearranged her clothes to look a little more appropriate for a social event of that caliber.

Even Bortheus ditched the armor in favor of a suit.

“Do I stand out?” Nez asked, shuffling from one feet to another on the spot. He simply left his coat in his room, and was wearing his regular plain shirt.

“Once they look at your face, nobody will care about what you're wearing” Bortheus said harshly.

“Eh... you have a point”. It was stupid of Nez to worry about that.

Phisena pressed her side against his. “I think you look fine” she said in an encouraging tone. Then she lowered her eyes to Nez's hip. “Wait... did you bring your weapons?”.

“Only my dagger” Nez replied with a shrug. “Ain't no way I'll be caught defenseless”.

Delilah crossed her arms. “Who knows how many dangers we'll encounter during a high class private event” she said sarcastically.

“Exactly”. Nez smiled. “And besides, nobody will notice my dagger unless they rub against me. It's hidden under my shirt”.

“That's not the point...”.

Bortheus pinched his nose, as if he was having a headache. “You're impossible”.

Phisena giggled a little bit. “I suppose I'll have to make sure nobody touches you”. She leaned against him.

Delilah raised an eyebrow with a grin, but didn't make any comment.

“What?” Nez asked.

“Nothing”.

The door finally opened, and a butler stood in the entrance. “Welcome. You must be...”. He went wide eyed once he saw Nez. “Oh, goodness gracious!”.

“Is there a problem?” Delilah asked.

“Th-that's a...”.

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

“He's a member of the King's Brigade” the princes said firmly. “As a finalist, he's entitled to be here”.

The butler took a moment to compose himself. “You're absolutely right. Forgive my rude behavior”. He still seemed a little uneasy, but he tried to be professional. “Right this way”.

They were escorted through the beautiful mansion, full of antiques, paintings, and valuable of all sorts. Eventually they reached a very big hall, where many people were engaging in conversations or dancing to the music coming from a string quartet. A huge crystal chandelier illuminated the room.

“It pales in comparison to our own ball room at the castle, doesn't it?” Delilah asked, nostalgia creeping up on her face.

“It sure does” Bortheus replied. Phisena seem to think the same.

They must really miss their home.

Delilah looked carefully all around her. “I don't see lord Orzhio. Let's split up, we'll meet at the buffet table once one of us find him”.

Bortheus went with Delilah.

“Shall we mingle with the other guests?” Nez asked. He had no clue on what to do.

Phisena locked her arm with his. “We can do whatever you want, but don't ask me to dance. I'm terrible”.

An affectionate smile escaped Nez. “You don't have to worry about that. I've never even tried to dance in my entire life”.

The steps didn't seem difficult at all, but having to move together with another person was another story. He couldn't even find a person who would accept to dance with him in the first place.

As they made their way into the hall, many pair of eyes turned their ways and a few gasps were heard over the music.

“What do you usually do in these kind of events?”. Nez started to feel too much attention drawn to himself.

“I didn't take part in many of them... Other than dancing and eating the luxurious food, you usually talk with people” Phisena replied, although with a degree of uncertainty.

“And what do these people talk about?”.

“Nobles' and rich people's stuff, I suppose”. Phisena shrugged.

That sounded incredibly boring.

They headed in a random direction, until Phisena suddenly stopped. “Look at that!”.

There was a clockwork clock that covered half of the back wall. Phisena was in awe.

“It's magnificent. I wonder how many engineers were needed to create it” she said, beginning to walk towards the mechanical device.

Nez didn't oppose. “Could you make something like this?”.

“With a little time, yes”. Phisena rested her head on his shoulder. “Magitech's only limit is the user's creativity. And the available resources as well, actually, but there are ways around that”.

Someone behind them cleared their throat. “Excuse me”.

A young, short woman was standing there with a tripod in her hand.

Phisena's face lit up. “Is that a camera?”.

“It is” the woman replied with a smug look. It was evident she felt discomfort in Nez's present, but was fighting against it. “I'm a photographer for the local newspaper. I was wondering if I could take a picture for an article”.

Nez instinctively covered his face with a hand. “No” he immediately replied.

The woman looked discouraged.

“We're sorry. Maybe you can ask the winners” Phisena said, trying to cheer her up. “I'm sure they'll allow you to make a whole photo shoot”.

I almost forgot she's not supposed to be in the Temenin Alliance.

It was a different reason than Nez's to not wanting her face on the news, but he could still understand.

As the photographer left, Phisena took a sigh of relief. She adjusted her hair and glasses.

In that moment Nez forgot about their search for lord Orzhio. How could she be so cute? She also smelled really nice.

Phisena stood still for a moment, her eyes fixed on the dance floor. Nez followed her gaze.

Delilah and Bortheus were dancing magnificently. They looked the happiest Nez had ever seen them.

“It's a shame they can't acknowledge each other's feelings” Phisena said in a said voice.

“Why?” Nez asked, enraptured by that scene.

“She's a princess, and he's not a noble. It's as simple as that”.

Nez took a moment to imagine what it would be being prohibited from being with Phisena... and it must have been even worse for Delilah and Bortheus, because they'd known each other for years.

It must have been pure torture for them.

He almost asked if they couldn't simply run away from everything, in a place where they could live as they wanted. But then he realized: Delilah would never turn her back on her kingdom. She was too devoted to her role. With all she was doing to try and save her land, it was impossible to think she'd throw everything away for personal feelings.

Delilah's duties were both a burden and a source of pride for her. And maybe the worst part is that Bortheus would have been by her side no matter what. They'd be within reach of each other, and yet so far away for all their life.

“It's tragic” Nez whispered. “Nobody deserves that”.

Phisena slowly turned towards him. “Do you... do you feel like we can't...”.

He immediately stopped her by placing his finger on her lips, the same way she did with him the other day. “Don't even ask. If somebody or something tries to keep you away from me, I'll just have to steal you away”.

She laughed. “Really? Even if the Kingdom of Enerya's archmage himself stands in your way?”.

“Absolutely”.

“Even if I'm kinda awkward and get too focused on my work?”.

“It just makes you more adorable”.

“Even if...”.

Nez stole a kiss from her. “Whatever you were about to say, yes”.

Their little moment didn't last for long. Lord Orzhio made his entrance in the ball room, commanding everybody's attention. “My dear guests, I'm so delighted to see you all gathered here”. He pointed to his left, where Thirgan and his friends were standing. “We have the winner of the tournament I organized. Please, feel free to bother them with a thousand questions”.

The guests seemed to like the light joke.

Lord Orzhio gave an subtle look in Delilah's direction, then went to the buffet table. By the time Nez and Phisena reached him, Delilah and Bortheus were already talking with him.

“Oh my, it's really true you are working with a Devil Touched”. Lord Orzhio welcomed Nez with a wary nod.

“Nez has proven himself as an invaluable ally” Delilah replied in a dry way. “Now, please, can we go to a more private location?”.

Lord Orzhio smacked his lips. “But of course. We have a lot to talk about”.

He guided them in the depth of his mansion, until they got to what looked like his private study. “Nobody will bother us here”. When he turned around after locking the door, he had a much more jovial expression. “Princess Delilah, it's such a pleasure to see you!”. He bowed. “You have grown in a beautiful young woman, and quite tenacious too”.

She smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. “No need for formalities, my friend”.

“Sir Bortheus, it's good to see you're standing by her highness' side. There are no more capable hands than yours to keep her safe”.

“You flatter me, lord Orzhio”. Bortheus bent his knee.

“And you are...”.

“PH153NA, apprentice to the court archmage”.

“A pleasure to meet you” lord Orzhio said to Phisena. Then he looked over to Nez.

“I'm just a fixer they found in Yronburg” Nez anticipated him, with a casual gesture.

Lord Orzhio didn't look satisfied with that introduction.

“We came here after receiving your message at the castle” Delilah said, cutting to the chase. “You said you had knowledge that could help the Kingdom”.

“Right”. Lord Orzhio went behind his desk and sat on his armchair. “I received word of a traveling merchant, currently east from here, who's in possession of a device capable of taming an elder elemental”.

A heavy silence fell on the room.

“That sounds too good to be true” Nez said. He never trusted such promising rumors.

“The device's capabilities might have been exaggerated, but maybe it's exactly what you need. All I can say is that my sources are very reliable”.

“It's worth a shot”. Delilah took a deep breath. “If there's a chance, we'll take it”.

“That's the spirit” lord Orzhio congratulated her with a smile. He passed her an envelope. “A few details on this merchant”.

“We are in your debt”.

“Actually, there is something you could help me with”.

Nez leered at him. He hoped there was no catch.

Lord Orzhio went serious. “Two individuals approached me earlier, looking for you” he pointed at Delilah. “They are part of a group called the Silver Claws”.

The blood froze in Nez's veins.

“They knew you'd be here, so I pretended I'd help lure you to them. Instead, I trapped them in my dungeon”.

This dude has a dungeon?

“Seeing your group in action, I thought you could deal with them after getting some information out of them”.

The group exchanged silent looks.

“It is a rare opportunity” Nez had to admit. “Risky, but very useful”.

Delilah thought about it for a moment. “Bring us to them”.

Lord Orzhio quickly showed them to the dungeon, locked behind a heavy metal door next to a flight of stairs to the first floor. After a long, stone corridor, he stopped in front of a barred door. “In here”. He opened the passage to let the group in.

There they found two people. One was a snake beastfolk, with green scaly skin and big orange eyes.

The other one, unfortunately, Nez knew. A bald man with a goatee, named Roland.

Once he realized one of his old acquaintances was in there, it was too late. Lord Orzhio already locked the door behind them from the outside.

Roland stood up from the pile of hay on the floor. “Well, well, well... If it isn't princess Delilah herself”. He seemed very happy, until he looked behind her. “Nezefaril? You're alive?”. His voice cracked, and his face went pale.

Delilah, Bortheus, and Phisena looked at the Devil Touched with a silent question in their eyes.

Nez sighed. He felt really nervous. Of all the people, it had to be someone who knew him. “You don't know how annoyed seeing your ugly mug made me, Roland”.

He felt like he was walking on thin ice.