Erilaz, Hefri and the guards descended into the depths of The Eastern Prison Wing. When the two Vardir came around a corner, they could barely contain their astonishment.

Ivendir stood next to a closed door with his arms crossed. His apathetic expression hid his conflicted emotions. His tensed fingers were the only sign of his nervousness.

When the guards and the Vardir Commanders stopped, he said, "I'm glad you followed my order."

"What's going on?" asked Erilaz, tensing his nostrils with anger. "Your Highness?" he added, emphasizing both words.

Ivendir tilted his head. "So you're already nervous?"

"Yes." Erilaz glared at the king. He sighed and drooped his arms. "I'm sorry," he continued in a more steady voice, "Vardir Andvari isn't responding, and we're wondering why."

Ivendir averted his gaze. "That’s exactly why I had to call you. I guess you're not gonna like it."

"Is he okay?" Hefri chimed in. Her face was completely neutral but her eyes disclosed worry and anxiety.

Ivendir shook his head. "No, he's not." He raised his eyes to meet hers. "Nothing is okay, Commander Hefri."

Her pupils widened, even though the pale light cast a cold glow on her face.

"He tried to kill me," informed Ivendir.

Erilaz narrowed his eyes. He felt a short pinch in his chest, but he quickly got rid of it. Even though he had psychological and fitness tests every half a year, he was sure he misheard the king's words.

"Excuse me?"

"Yes," said Ivendir, clenching his fingers on his arms, "Vardir Andvari, the Commander of the Royal Army, tried to kill me. Not even personally."

"Are you sure?" asked Hefri, and her voice revealed more and more uneasiness. She glanced around. "Is everyone sure?!"

"I was sure right after the attack," explained the king, his eyes nervously jumping from one Vardir to the second one. "I just needed two days to confirm it."

"Everyone knows the punishment for that," said Hefri, keeping her voice calm, "but we're gonna apply for the extraordinary mitigation of punishment." For a moment she lost her composure and blurted out, "After all, he's the Vardir's Commander!"

Ivendir bore his eyes into her. "That's exactly why he deserves the maximum punishment."

"We can prove that it wasn't him," declared Erilaz dismissively, shrugging his arms. "We'll consult with the best investigators on this planet." He stared at the king with his eyebrows lowered. "I know it wasn't him," he snapped.

Now he was sure the king wants to manipulate them for some unexpected reason. He lost all respect for Ivendir. The king went too far. Erilaz didn't care about his intent because using such a severe accusation was crossing the line. The alliance between Ivendir and him became disrupted and finished once and for all. Erilaz promised himself to never trust Ivendir again.

Wrath overcame him. He wanted to say everything right in Ivendir's face but the king spoke up first.

"I guess I forgot to tell you." Ivendir raised his finger. "He admitted to everything." Ignoring the equal shock in the eyes of both Vardir Commanders, he added, "And he was proud of it."

He strolled down the corridor, and the guards followed him. One of them gave Erilaz and Hefri a knowing look. The Vardir Commanders moved on but they didn't say a word.

With his eyebrows narrowed, Erilaz stared at the king's back. He tried to craft his words, but his throat became dry as if his body was mummified. The shock made him feel like an apparition. He experienced the surroundings with all his senses but the heavy steps, the chilly, stifling air and pale, glaring light seemed distant and surreal to him. His legs bent and straightened mechanically. He only blindly followed the guards and the king.

After a few meters he snapped out of stupefaction. The will to fight for Andvari returned to him. He clenched his fists and took a deep breath, but Ivendir spoke faster again.

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"See, I have to ensure my safety," explained the king and stopped next to a large, heavy door. He glared at the Vardir Commanders. His eyes expressed pure disdain but his voice remained toned down, "...and you, as Vardir, failed me."

His own words terrified him. That was the moment when he realised his weakness. Without Vardir, his world, and therefore his reign, were exposed to terrorists, conspirators, invaders or any other danger. Left to his own devices, he felt like nothing more than a mere insect which could be smashed with one finger. Despite this, he couldn't confide his life to Vardir again, at least not until he makes sure they remained loyal to him.

He lost his temper. He sighed and barked, "I can't trust you knowing that any of you may be plotting against me right now!"

Pursing his lips and clenching his teeth, he took a deep breath to tame his nerves. Exposing his vulnerability was the last thing he needed. He added placidly with a tinge of sadness in his voice, "Vardir were made to fight for the king, not against him."

Erilaz took a fierce step towards the king. Caught off guard, Ivendir flinched, opening his eyes wider. The Celestians around them clenched their fingers on their guns.

"Let me explain something, Your Highness," barked Erilaz. He bored his enraged eyes into Ivendir's. "I fought for this land when Moryans attacked," he hissed, raising his finger. "I executed your pointless order when you called me to that riot." He took a deep breath, wrinkling his nose. "I even killed a civilian because you convinced me to shoot."

Ivendir listened to his words, keeping his facial expression cold and unimpressed.

"And now, you accuse me of treason?!" asked Erilaz. His eyes blazed with wrath, and the veins on his clenched fists became purple.

"Of potential treason," Ivendir corrected him and crossed his arms. "Nothing is confirmed."

Playing the impassive interlocutor was slowly giving him a headache. He carefully weighted up his every word, and the fear of making one little mistake squeezed his heart like a hungry snake.

He tilted his head. "Andvari passed the loyalty test just like you... and somehow he was the traitor."

Hefri raised her eyebrows. She didn't want to burst out with fury like her friend. She warily analysed her words but every time she wanted to say something, Erilaz or Ivendir interrupted her. Finally she gave up and kept silent, listening to the discussion. Her instincts told her that she should brace for something rough.

"What test?" asked Erilaz and spread his arms. "You're trying to tell me that riot was my test?!"

"I survived two... three assassination attempts," said Ivendir, looking at the floor for a moment, "so I have a right to be suspicious."

Erilaz shook his head with a powerless smirk. "You're insane..."

At that moment a stabbing feeling ran from his chest, through his stomach, to his knees.

Shit, I said that, he thought. He worried about Ivendir's reaction but he was glad he finally spat it out.

"Was Brymir less insane? Or any other king or queen?" asked Ivendir and took a step aside. "Here, in our position, trust is in short supply."

Feeling his eyes directed at her, Hefri pursed her lips and lowered her eyebrows.

"Hefri," he said in a compassionate tone, looking at her like a worried father looks at his child. "Think about that."

What part of it was my test? wondered Hefri. Standing face to face with the king, she narrowed her eyes. She tried to think logically before but now the Ivendir's words took her aback. Nothing in his behaviour made sense and she had no idea how to react. What if I haven’t got my test yet?

"I will give you a chance, Hefri," said Ivendir. "Or even... both of you. Your last chance." He sighed with effort and drooped his shoulders."Please, don't waste it. You're both clever and strong." He shook his head, averting his gaze. He didn't know anyone else who could protect his world. Currently there was no good candidate for a new Vardir Commander, let alone for three of them. Ivendir lowered his head.

He added quietly, "I don't want to lose you."

Hefri glared at him, breathing loudly. "Really? What am I supposed to do?" she hissed, crossing her arms and clutching her fingers on her sleeves. "Jump from the tower? Put a gun to my head with hope that it's not loaded?"

"Don't worry, Hefri," Ivendir interrupted, digging his hands in his pockets. "It's a simple task." His sight warily headed towards Erilaz. "Erilaz can help you too."

Ivendir took a gun and a LiqWatch from his pocket. He held the gun out to Hefri. She still rumpled the sleeves of her dress, and her disdainful expression remained on her face like a stone mask.

"Teamwork," said Ivendir, hesitantly nudging Hefri's forearm with the tip of the gun.

"Is that a real gun?" she asked without any dose of respect towards her superior, "Or you're messing with us?"

Ivendir shuffled his boot against the floor. "Real like this stone we're standing on." Seeing no reaction, he tensed his lips and sighed. "Take. That," he ordered slowly and clearly.

Hefri grabbed the gun. Without touching the trigger, she directed it towards the ground as if it was a piece of burning coal.

Ivendir turned towards Erilaz. He held the LiqWatch in his trembling fingers, looking knowingly at Vardir. Erilaz only snorted with a smirk.

"The device unlocks the gun," explained Ivendir. "And the gun does what guns do."

With one lightning-fast move Erilaz pulled the device from Ivendir's hand. The guards impulsively grabbed their weapons.

Ivendir stood motionlessly for a few seconds, examining the Vardirs’ reactions. They only watched him like two wild beasts locked in a cage. Even though he was surrounded by guards, he still felt respect for them. The aura of two massive Celestians sent a shiver down his spine again. He thought he is nothing against them and nothing without them.

Ivendir reached his hand towards the door, mimicking a welcoming gesture. "Come on," he said, raising the corner of his mouth at a push.