They descended to an underground corridor. The minute they spent inside an elevator seemed endless to Andvari. Pale white light and the smell of wet rock welcomed them as they left the elevator. A few armed guards leisurely strolled around, pretending to pay no attention to the visitors. They only nodded to greet the king and Vardir.

Ivendir approached two guards. He whispered something to them, pointing towards the gates on a platform. They followed the king and Vardir. Andvari felt a gut-churning discomfort, but he didn't show it. He just glanced stealthily at the king or the guards. Their dark uniforms and blank face shields made them look inanimate. Andvari couldn't look in their eyes or decipher the emotions on their faces and he hated that feeling. Even though he strained his ears, he couldn't understand their previous talk with Ivendir. Now, the only sounds were the hum of underground machinery, fast steps and heavy breaths of the masked guards.

After crossing several hundred meters, they stopped next to the heavy gates. One of the guards trotted upstairs, the metal steps clanging under his boots. He touched the screen with his LiqWatch and the gates lifted up, hissing and scrunching. All four of them entered a carriage in a tunnel. The pod had no windows, and the air was soaked with a smell which resembled a mixture of rubber, grease and tarnished metal. The Celestians sat down and buckled up. The guard was showing his LiqWatch to Ivendir. The king pointed at something on the screen and they exchanged a discreet gesture. Andvari slightly narrowed his eyebrows. He despised this situation more and more.

The carriage grumbled and rocketed along the tunnel.

For the whole ten minutes Andvari tired to do anything to keep himself busy and avoid looking at the empty face shields of the two guards. He played with a button on his sleeve, picked hair sticking out of his deadlocks or bit a protruding nail.

The pod stopped smoothly with a gentle whizz. The hatch opened, uncovering a claustrophobically narrow tunnel. A group of guards that stood near the entrance lifted their machine guns.

"Rest," Ivendir said softly, and the guards lowered their weapons.

The four Celestians left the carriage. A round, massive hatch opened, and the group passed through the tunnel.

As Andvari entered the next corridor behind the even heavier gate, a little thrill pinched his skin.

The prison zone? he thought, recognising this part of the tunnels. He saw it so far only on the screen of his LiqBoard. Pretty suspicious.

He narrowed his eyes. Maybe... At that moment he felt chillness on his skin. He couldn't say if it's just from ventilation or his own brain tricks him. He raised a corner of his mouth for a split-second and laughed in his mind. No, that makes no sense.

The corridor became a bit wider, but it didn't cheer him up. Guards noiselessly paced back and forth. There was a hatch every dozen or so meters and each of them was protected by two guards.

Only then Andvari noticed tiny holes in the walls. They had to be full of sensors and cameras. He saw security like this only in one place. The Eastern Wing? If you're leaving this place you're either a guard or a dead body...

Ivendir led the group near one of the hatches. The two guards stopped at the entrance.

"I will show you something," said Ivendir, tapping the device on the wall. "Just don't touch the glass."

The hatch opened, and Ivendir waved his hand in an inviting gesture. As Andvari walked inside, he understood where he was. This is the execution room, he thought. The damned execution room!

Ivendir approached a wide window that covered almost an entire wall. Bright, pale light beamed from behind the one-way mirror.

"Come here," he said.

Andvari took a few steps forward, still wondering, Why would I need to watch somebody's execution? What nonsense...

He looked through the window.

A guard stood calmly in the corner of an empty, grey room. The centre of the room was occupied by a large metal chair and a simple table. A bald Celestian with a scar on his face sat on the chair, his body strapped to it with tight belts.

Still puzzled, Andvari tried to recall who the individual is. He saw this face once or twice before.

A muffled, panicked voice from the speaker interrupted his pondering, "Why is this taking so long?"

The prisoner struggled, trying to swing his tied limbs. "Why can't you just shoot me right now!?" he yelled again, his voice trembling as if he was freezing to death. "Why do I have to wait so long!?"

Ivendir gazed at the window. Andvari strained his eyes to decipher the king's emotions but Ivendir's face remained impassive like an ice sculpture.

"Do you know who that is?" the king asked, his vacant sight remained fixed on the prisoner's face.

Andvari glanced and Ivendir raising his eyebrow. "No, not really. Should I?"

"He appeared in some news for... maybe two or three days," said Ivendir and turned his head towards Vardir, "but we wanted this case to go away quickly. You know. For Erilaz's good." He sighed and explained, "That's the owner of this factory I bought."

Andvari couldn't resist from twisting his mouth in disgust. He quickly returned to his neutral face, but Ivendir noticed his aversion.

"Why is he going to be killed?" asked Andvari, keeping his voice as emotionless as he could. "He committed a crime but..."

"Not just some crime." Ivendir raised his eyebrows pityingly and looked right in Andvari's eyes. "He tried to kill me."

Andvari gulped. This information didn't bring him any closer to understanding the king's actions. The execution was almost finished. The guard just had to push one button. A syringe would insert poison into the prisoner's neck, and the problem would be solved. No Vardir was needed to do this job.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Seeing Andvari's expression, Ivendir snorted almost silently and raised a corner of his mouth. He whispered, "Come on, I'm not a tyrant who burns alive everyone who stands in his way."

Vardir sighed with a dubious smiley to defuse the uncomfortable atmosphere. "I thought so." He glanced at Ivendir curiously. "But why do you need me here?"

Ivendir took a deep breath. He tensed his muscles and lowered his eyes. After a few seconds in this motionless position, he slowly exhaled with an inappropriate peace.

"He told me something." His pupils dilated. He glared at Andvari, pure ferocity burning in his eyes. "And I don't know if it’s true."

Andvari giggled, even though he had no laughing matter. "Some random guy knows a big secret, huh?"

Ivendir's face returned to the impersonal expression and his voice became cold again. "Maybe."

He crossed his arms, crumpling a sleeve with his tensed fingers. His lips remained pursed as if he weighed the potential consequences of his words. He gazed at the struggling and fighting prisoner but his eyes showed no emotion. He breathed almost noiselessly, feeling the urgency of breaking the silence.

Suddenly he recited, "He told me that someone important is involved in this conspiracy."

Andvari tilted his head. Before he managed to respond, Ivendir added:

"Vardir himself."

Andvari stepped back as if some invisible force nudged him under his ribs. The king's words made his stomach feel completely empty. He exhaled slowly, gathering his thoughts and emotions before reacting further. His eyes ran from the prisoner, through the king's face, to the floor. The rapid speedup of his heart ignited a burning sensation in his chest.

He sighed and said, "That's a... very serious accusation."

Ivendir narrowed his eyes. "I'm sure it is." He stared at the floor, and his eyes expressed something for the first time in quite a while: an average sadness. "See, now I can't trust you as easily as I did before." Looking at Andvari apologetically like a tame hound, he added, "What's more, I can't prove or disprove his accusation..."

Andvari tried to speak up once again, but Ivendir interrupted, "...unless you do something for me."

Vardir took a step back. He still stood firmly, but his pointy ears were warily raised and his clenched fists trembled.

"I am Vardir," he declared in a confident voice, "do you remember how I promised to fight and die for the king?"

"That was years ago. Opinions and worldviews change."

Hearing the king's words, Andvari frowned and shook his head. "You're the king now, but I won't let you disrespect me like that," he said, barely holding his anger back.

Ivendir raised his hand. "Calm down." He leant his head towards Andvari and lowered his voice. "Maybe I'm very cautious but we know the reality. The enemy can hide anywhere."

Andvari looked at him sceptically, only his mouth shivered. With every second this situation seemed more and more abstract to him but he decided to play his role.

Ivendir approached the glass. "Even if I can't trust a random guy and his testimony, I need just a little proof that your worldview has remained the same," he explained, looking meekly at Vardir. He reached into his pocket and took a device out.

Pursing his lips, Andvari sized the king up with his eyes.

Holding the device, Ivendir reached out his hand. "You already killed one traitor." He smiled gloomily. "One or two... just a slight difference."

Andvari lowered his sight. Sighing heavily, he drooped his arms and tilted his head. He looked at Ivendir again. "Is that the only way?"

Ivendir scratched his chin, mistrust emanating from his eyes. "Why are you asking?"

Andvari shook his head and gasped again. "Nevermind," he muttered and raised his head. "What am I supposed to do?"

Ivendir took a step forward, bringing the device closer to Vardir. "Just push that button. Nothing more."

Andvari crossed his arms. "I'm Vardir, this is far beyond the scope of my duties."

"Fulfilling my orders is your main duty," explained Ivendir in stride, taking another step towards Andvari. "This is the order." He tilted his head pleadingly. "Tap the button."

Andvari clenched his teeth. His heart hammered against his ribs, and he felt how his back was covered with sweat. The chilly air became freezing cold in his imagination. A violent surge of most varied thoughts swarmed in his head, bringing a pulsing pain to his temples. All he dreamed about at this moment was to run away and take a deep breath of fresh air.

Come on... That guy doesn't even know it's me, he tried to encourage himself.

Andvari grabbed the device from Ivendir's hand. His finger quivered, and the veins on his hand recalled thick, bulging roots. The air in the tunnels was just chilly, but Andvari was sure his skin was going to overgrow with frost. Despite this sensation, the sweaty spots on his back and under his armpits spread wider and wider.

He sensed that something was weird about this situation, but he couldn't decipher the king's intention, and this filled him with irritation. If he had to kill someone, he wanted to know the reason. He wasn't the king's executioner, and reducing him to that role tainted his good name.

Seeing the impatience on the king's face, he said to himself, I pulled the trigger once. And that was not a random guy.

Andvari took a deep breath. Investing his whole mental energy into one little move, he lowered his finger. His fingertip touched the icon on the screen, leaving a wet smear.

They both watched how the prisoner yelled and struggled. A thin needle slid out of the backrest next to his neck. His muscles were so tensed that dark veins appeared on his skin. With every scream his voice became more and more hoarse. When the needle stung his neck, he froze for a moment. After that he tried to move but his body didn't listened to him. A few seconds later his limbs relaxed and he became completely motionless. Only his dead eyes seemed to still stare in panic.

Andvari exhaled. He held his breath for so long that his head and chest began to hurt. Gazing vacantly at the prisoner, he didn't think about anything. He had nothing more than a dark void in his head. He wanted to say something but his throat was too dry.

He gulped and asked, "Is that... all?"

"Yes," declared Ivendir in a voice barely louder than a whisper. Turning towards Vardir, he shook his head and said, "Sorry for the accusation." He raised his apologetic eyes, but he couldn't look at Andvari for too long. Resting his forehead on his hand, he added, "Others think I'm obsessed with my safety..." He gripped a strand of his hair. "...but I have good reason to be so cautious."

Andvari raised his eyebrow. "Are there any other orders?"

"No." Ivendir took the device from Andvari's hand. "Once again, sorry for my lack of trust." He warily looked around. Fiddling with the item, he narrowed his eyes and explained quietly, "I heard so much about assassins and things like that..."

Andvari nodded, even though he still questioned the king's intent.

Ivendir hid the device in his pocket and smiled. "You're free to go back." He clutched his arm and added in a remorseful voice, "I guess I scared you, but I hope you understand..."

Turning towards the door, Andvari raised the corners of his lips. He was so close to realising his dream of leaving this room but he couldn't just run for the hills.

"Sure. Safety first," he said with fake confidence.

He waited until Ivendir nods and slowly walked out of the room. When he got out of the king's sight, he speeded up to a brisk march, taking steps so wide that his still tensed tendons began to sting.

Insane shit. Why did he even think about this? This alleged treason? he thought, glancing behind furiously.

He halted face to face with a guard. He stood still only for two seconds but his muscles were still tight as a string, trying to force him to run away.

"Take me to the castle," he ordered and continued his escape.

The guard trotted behind Vardir, barely keeping pace with him.

What the hell is he thinking about? Andvari asked himself, crossing the corridors.

The previous puzzlement and insecurity have given way to anger and resentment. Andvari was sure that the king and him had a quite peaceful relationship all along. That unexpected excess shook Andvari's trust for a moment.

Then he recalled Ivendir's past. The king's life wasn't that easy after surviving the assassination attempts. That had to be a horrifying experience for a fifteen-year-old boy. His obsession grew on solid roots like a poison ivy but the majority of officials decided that Ivendir will deal with it and become a good king.

Andvari began to slightly disagree with them.

Peeking out of the room, Ivendir observed how Andvari walks away. He sighed with relief. Once again his paranoia turned out to be baseless.

See? he told himself. He's on your side...

He left the room and motioned to the guards. As he crossed the tunnels, his confidence was disturbed by one thought.

...For now.