The heroes met in the garden again, the moonlight casting a soft glow on their anxious faces. The garden, once a place of tranquillity, now served as the backdrop for their desperate plans. Raithlin listened intently to Aloria’s account, his mind already formulating their next move. “All right, we’ve found a crack in their defense. There’s a poisonous herb we could plant in Caldur’s tea. It won’t kill him, but it will make him sick and angry, maybe angry enough to retaliate against Dendron. He’ll think the attempt was made out of jealousy.”

Thoradin’s brow furrowed with concern. “Won’t he blame Aloria? We don’t want him to take it out on her.”

Aloria, her face resolute, replied, “I’m willing to face the danger to save the princess and the realm.”

Raithlin placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “All right, we’ve got to give it a shot. I’ve thought of a way you can achieve our goal without endangering yourself.”

Later, Aloria was serving Caldur dinner, her hands steady despite the turmoil inside her. As he was about to eat, she cried out, “My lord, don’t eat that food, it’s poisoned!”

Caldur surged to his feet in a rage, his hands glowing with malevolent power. “Treacherous hag, I’ll kill you for this.”

Aloria’s heart pounded in her chest, but she kept her voice steady. “I’m sorry, mage Dendron forced me to do it. He wants you dead. He thinks you and I are having an affair.”

With a flick of his wrist, Caldur cast a spell, and Aloria was lifted into the air, choking. “You sneaky slut, you’ll die for betraying me.”

Desperation filled her eyes as she gasped, “Please, my lord, I saved your life.”

Caldur looked at her for a long, tense moment. “Why did you do that?”

“Dendron is just using me. I didn’t want to be his pawn. Please, my lord, I can help you get revenge.”

Caldur considered her words before lowering her to the ground and releasing her. She collapsed, clutching her throat and gasping for air. “If I accuse him of treachery, he’ll just deny it. Sorry, girl, you’ve got to die.” He began to chant a spell, his hands glowing ominously.

Thinking quickly, she said, “Wait, my lord, I know why Dendron wants you dead. He’s searching for the Tome of Wizardry, and he thinks you have a lead on it.”

His hands stopped glowing, curiosity piqued. “The Tome of Wizardry! With that, Dendron would have the power to control the other mages, of course. He doesn’t care about some slutty whore; he wants the book. Very good, perhaps you remain useful. If you can find out what Dendron knows, I’ll let you live.”

Aloria’s mind raced. “I’m sorry, sire, I cannot. If he finds out I let you live, he’ll kill me.”

Caldur’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “You’d better find a way, or I’ll kill you myself.”

Fear gripped her, but she forced herself to nod. “I’ll do my best, my lord.”

As she left Caldur’s chambers, her heart still pounding, she knew the stakes had never been higher. She had to find a way to manipulate the mages against each other while keeping herself and the princess safe. The fate of the realm depended on her next moves.

The heroes gathered once more in their secret hideout, the flickering torchlight casting dancing shadows on the stone walls. Thoradin turned to Aloria, his expression filled with concern. "You’re a very resourceful girl, Aloria. I’m sorry for endangering you like that."

Aloria met his gaze with a brave smile. "I understand, Thoradin. We all have our parts to play."

Raithlin interjected, his tone firm. "She’s doing what she needs to. All right, Aloria, you need to go back to Caldur and feed him misinformation."

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Thoradin shook his head vehemently. "No, it’s too dangerous. We need to try something else."

Leianara stepped forward, her eyes filled with empathy. "I agree, we’ve got to put Aloria’s safety first. I don’t want her to die on my account." She clasped hands with Aloria, offering a reassuring squeeze.

Raithlin’s frustration was palpable. "Dammit, we can’t succeed without considerable risk."

Leianara’s resolve hardened. "Then we don’t succeed. Aloria, I want you to leave the castle. Caldur will be coming after you. We’ve just got to hope the seeds of conflict we’ve planted bear fruit on their own."

Thoradin added grimly, "Yeah, poisonous fruit."

Later, Thoradin attended the mage coven meeting, a tense atmosphere hanging in the air. Suddenly, the doors burst open, and Caldur stormed in, his face a mask of fury. The assembled mages turned their attention to him, whispers rippling through the room.

Caldur’s voice echoed with accusation. "Dendron wants the Tome of Wizardry. He thinks I know where it is, so he tried to have me killed."

A murmur of shock spread among the wizards. Dendron, trying to maintain his composure, retorted, "What on earth? Caldur, have you lost your mind?"

Caldur’s eyes blazed with anger. "You mean have I come to my senses. I see you for what you are, you slithering viper."

Dalamon, the Highmagus, stepped forward, his gaze piercing. "Dendron, what do you know of the tome?"

Dendron shook his head, his voice steady but strained. "Nothing, Highmagus, it's all lies."

Caldur’s voice cut through the tension. "No, it’s not. He tried to have me poisoned."

Dendron’s eyes narrowed. "If I wanted you dead, you’d be dead."

Caldur's voice rose in a challenge. "Then where is Aloria?"

Dendron sneered. "Who? You’ve lost it, you cretin."

Caldur’s eyes never wavered. "You think you’ve covered your tracks, but I’m onto you." He turned on his heel and left, his footsteps echoing in the silent hall. Dalamon stared coldly at Dendron, suspicion etched on his face. The other mages erupted into a frenzy of excited conversation.

One mage whispered urgently, "The Tome of Wizardry. Whoever possesses that could gain control of the other mages."

Another mage responded with a note of fear, "It mustn’t fall into the wrong hands, or it will be the end of us."

Dalamon, his face dark with anger, swept out of the room, leaving the coven in turmoil.

That night, chaos reigned as Caldur was found dead, and Dendron was nowhere to be found. The mages erupted in a furor of suspicion during their gathering. Dalamon’s voice cut through the clamor. "It’s clear that Dendron has killed Caldur, and he now knows where the tome is."

One of the mages, his face pale with fear, declared, "We’ve got to track him down. He can’t be allowed to possess its secrets."

With grim determination, the mages gathered their men and left the castle, spreading out in a frantic search for Dendron. Only Dalamon remained, a shadow of suspicion crossing his stern features.

The two knights approached the zaroc guards stationed at Leianara’s door. The zarocs, hulking figures with leathery gray skin and eyes that glowed with an eerie yellow light, snarled and drew their weapons. "What do you scum want? The princess is not supposed to see anyone."

Without hesitation, the knights drew daggers from their disguises and attacked. After a brief but fierce battle, they dispatched the guards and opened the door, revealing Leianara standing before them. "Now’s our chance. The mages are chasing Dendron."

Raithlin, ever the strategist, shook his head. "They’ll never find him."

Thoradin frowned. "Why not?"

Raithlin’s eyes gleamed with insight. "Because Dendron never killed Caldur. Think about it—why would he announce his intentions first? This is the work of Dalamon. He’s the one searching for the tome. He killed them both."

Thoradin’s eyes widened in realization. "Of course, you're right. All right, we’ve got to go."

"We need to reach the secret tunnel in the throne room."

Leianara nodded. "Yes, I used to think exploring the secret tunnels was just a game, but now the game has turned deadly serious. Let’s go."

They hurried through the dimly lit halls, their footsteps echoing ominously. Suddenly, they encountered a group of zaroc guards. Leianara had a scarf covering her face.

One zaroc, its fangs bared in a sinister grin, stepped forward. "Just where do you think you’re going?"

Thoradin, thinking quickly, replied, "We’re on our way to the kitchens, to help with serving dinner."

The zaroc scowled, its claws flexing. "Like hell you are. Why is she hiding her face? Remove that scarf, immediately!"

Without warning, Thoradin hurled his dagger, embedding it in the zaroc’s left eye. The other zarocs snarled and attacked. Thoradin drew his spare dagger and fought back fiercely. They managed to kill the zarocs, but more appeared behind them, charging with weapons drawn.

The heroes fled through the winding halls, their breaths coming in ragged gasps. More zarocs emerged ahead of them, blocking their path. With no other choice, they sprinted to the throne room doors, which lay open. They rushed inside and slammed the heavy doors shut.

The zarocs banged on the doors, their shouts echoing through the chamber. Raithlin quickly located the secret door, and they slipped into the hidden tunnel. Just as the zarocs burst into the throne room, Thoradin jammed his dagger into the doorway to keep it shut. The zarocs pounded on the other side, but by the time they managed to force it open, the heroes were long gone.