Ivendir crossed the narrow emergency corridor between his residence and Thelrim's chamber. He tried to take confident, brisk steps, but his knees were trembling slightly. His breaths sounded as if a giant brick were laying on his chest.

He stopped in front of the door. The absence of his personal guard stirred two feelings in him. Thelrim's lateness annoyed him, since his guard was always at his beck and call. This uncommon behaviour made Ivendir afraid too. He was aware of the danger that fell upon him when he became the king and no one in his presence could feel safe. The king was the main target, but his closest collaborators could get hurt too.

The thought of betrayal didn't even cross Ivendir's mind. He trusted Thelrim with his life.

He raised his quivering hand and raised his finger to the device on the wall. Tapping an icon on the screen, he called, "Thelrim? We have to go."

Thelrim sat in front of the mirror, aggressively rubbing a creamy powder into his forehead. The bump he had has shrunk, but the purple spot remained. He stole a case with powder from one of the female attendants and used it to hide the mark of his failure. He also didn't wear robes with loose sleeves because the scratch marks on his forearm were still wrapped in a bandage.

Come on... he thought with irritation, smearing the powder on the purple circle.

Since the fight with Hefri, he has struggled to avoid Ivendir's sight, and he never has left his chamber without covering the bump and the scars. The profound fury at Hefri, and primarily at himself, tore his nerves and clutched his guts. His own weakness became his ultimate fear.

His LiqWatch beeped. Thelrim sprung up on the chair, as the sudden noise snapped him out of his deep focus.

He lifted the device closer to his mouth. "I need some time," he said. He narrowed his eyes, trying to cover the last visible part of the purple spot.

"They don't like to be kept waiting," Ivendir cautioned him.

...they? Thelrim's pupils dilated. This thought sent a cold shiver down his spine. They're here... again.

"The meeting starts in a few minutes," continued Ivendir, "and I'm not going to meet with them by myself."

Thelrim exhaled loudly and leant even closer to the mirror. The darkest part of the spot didn't want to surrender under the new layer of powder.

"You have an order," stated Ivendir and a bit of annoyance sounded in his voice.

Thelrim ran a brush through his forehead for the last time and stared at the mirror. He ignored the king's words, focusing solely on his appearance.

"Is something wrong? Respond!"

Thelrim relaxed his muscles and sighed quietly. His forehead looked normal again. He checked his sleeve. It was pulled up. He tugged it to its correct position and stood up. Only then he tapped his LiqWatch to open the door.

Ivendir marched inside, his face even paler than usual.

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"Are you all right?" he barked as if he was giving an order.

"I'm on my way," said Thelrim with inappropriate composure. He lifted his hand to wipe a fleck of powder from his eyelashes but at that moment his sleeve slipped down. He forgot to do up the button.

Before Thelrim hid his bandaged forearm, Ivendir had tilted his head and asked, "What's that?"

Thelrim shrugged and buttoned his sleeve. "Nothing."

"Who did this?" continued Ivendir without showing his concern. Looking closely, he noticed a subtle, light pink circle on Thelrim's forehead.

"I had an accident," responded Thelrim and headed towards the door.

Ivendir twisted his mouth and glared at his guard.

"Wait," he ordered, raising his hand.

Thelrim stopped. Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, he glanced at the king. Ivendir took a step towards him. He lowered his eyebrows and hissed in a quiet but harsh voice, "You are one of the best warriors on this planet. There are only three individuals that may be stronger than you. Who was it?"

Glancing from left to right, Thelrim moved his mouth as if he was chewing his insincere words. "Hefri promised me some training. It was an accident."

"Oh..." Ivendir lowered his sight. "Things like this happen." He looked upwards at Thelrim again. "Sorry for this unnecessary interrogation." He turned towards the door and nodded at his guard in an urgent gesture.

They marched down the corridor. Ivendir walked first, listening intently to Thelrim's steps. He wanted to be sure that the only trustworthy person zealously follows him.

Bullshit, he thought. That's not how our trainings work. If you got hurt, no one tries to hurt you even more. No one who follows the rules.

Andvari spent the next week as usual. He trained with other Vardir, analysed some reports and perfected his machines.

This evening he sat at the table, leaning over a dismembered robot. A stain of blue-green paint covered his nail. The soldering pen in his fingers stroke sparks and their yellow afterglow reflected in his goggles. He reached out and grabbed combination pliers.

Immersing its tips into a tangle of thin wires and pistons, he muttered "Come on..." as if he was trying to lull a baby.

He caught the tip of a yellowy cord. Lifting it up with surgical precision, he avoided other wires and put it next to a tiny box. As the cord touched the box, the energy between them buzzed like a trapped fly.

"Shut up and work," hissed Andvari.

Holding the combination pliers in one hand, he reached for the soldering pen. Its red-hot tip touched the wire and slid down.

"Why aren't you working?" barked Andvari, straightening his spine with a dry crack. "You're important so please, do your job!"

He sighed. This job wasn't going well for him for quite some time. Whenever he sat down and took the large grey box with his gear, his fingers began to subtly tremble. While working on this robot, he frequently got distracted by every sound and movement. Everything, except this machine, seemed to be very interesting for him: a bird on the window sill, a spaceship in the sky, a single hair sticking out of his dreadlock.

As his LiqWatch beeped, an impulse of rage ran through his nerves.

"What... the..." he growled through his clenched teeth, his fingers tensing like an eagle's talons.

He exhaled rapidly and reached under the table. He took the LiqWatch out and tapped the screen without looking at it. Throwing the device on the couch, he stood up and marched into the corridor.

As the door drew aside, Andvari halted.

"Commander Andvari," said Ivendir, "good to see you."

Andvari blinked a few times and looked at the king. "Your Highness? What brings you here?"

Ivendir pursed his lips and shook his head. "I don't have good news," he said so quietly that the echo in the hallway didn't repeat his words.

"What happened?" asked Andvari, scratching his chest and smearing a bit of paint.

"You're not gonna like it," stated Ivendir in a worried voice, leaning even closer towards Andvari, "but I need you to come with me."

Andvari glanced at the king with bafflement on his face. Is that it? he asked himself.

He and Ivendir were never friends who gather together to gossip and chat. They were just like co-workers in a giant company. Their relationship was neutral and peaceful, so the king's sudden visit gave Andvari an odd feeling. Ivendir's uneasy behaviour didn't make things better.

"Naturally," he said willingly.

Ivendir swung his hand in a hurrying gesture. "Come on."

He walked away at a brisk pace, and Andvari followed him.