"Be careful Nox," Ridzak said through the bars of his cell, "this one's more clever than he looks."

"That describes their entire kindred," Noxi said from the chamber next to Ridzak’s. His voice was low pitched and clear, and rang like a bell off the walls of his cell.

Halfur studied the spy, paying particular attention to his clink. He had pale green, almost yellow skin, but otherwise looked very much like Ridzak. He had a mild and composed demeanor. While Ridzak hung on the bars and stuck his nose between them, Noxi leaned against the back wall with his arms folded and eyed Halfur like a vulture eyed a carcass.

"Is he the one who freed you from the Bladedancer?" Noxi asked.

"Nah," said Ridzak, "'twas his brother. Halfur here just passed on the information."

"I suppose he thought the idea was his own."

"Fell right in step with our plan. His brother never told him how he freed me neither."

"He hasn't sorted it out? I thought you said he was clever, Captain."

"No, Ser Spy, I just said he's more clever than he looks. And how clever is that? Just look at him now, comin' to see us nefarious-do-wells who into-filtrated the heart of his kingdom without even pickin’ a lock. Who’s got who where they want ‘em, eh?"

Halfur had brought a pair of the pouches found in the army food stores and threw them each through the bars of the cells. "You've caused a lot of trouble for my brother, and he's dealing with enough as it is."

"Well, that's what he gets for pullin' a corpse out of the grave!" Ridzak sputtered and leapt as he spoke, holding onto the bars like a caged monkey. "I try to help that boy, I really do, but he keeps bangin' his head into wall after wall. The poor fool's brains are rattled from it, and he'll be as daft as you one day if he keeps it up."

Halfur held Ridzak's gaze for a moment before turning to leave. "If you want to help Ror, then figure out where those pouches came from, and what was in them."

"I think I found his brains in mine," Noxi was saying as Halfur left the dungeon.

"Look close, Nox," he heard Ridzak shout, "they're awful small.”

Halfur left the goblins behind in the holding cells and made his way toward his mother's library. We need more cells, he thought on the ride up to the citadel. The few cells they had were more than adequate for the amount of men and women awaiting judgement and departure to the Underguard, but if they had need to detain more than a dozen or so insurgents at once they would be pressed for space. Halfur disliked the idea of dangerous prisoners being held more than one to a cell. Two together are twice as likely to escape, and sure to conspire to do so. He did not even like having Noxi and Ridzak in the same jail, even though their cells were separate. Also, though no one was speaking openly of it, there was serious concern over the growing dissent towards the Undergaurd. People were gathering in droves to demand their sons, daughters and parents be given the same chance as Koll. Halfur wondered deep down how much longer his father would tolerate the outbursts. They only knew Grar as their staunch protector, but Halfur feared they would soon see the horror he was to behold when angered.

Halfur poked his head silently through the open door to his mother’s library. Audun was right where he left him, sitting at her large oaken desk in a pile of archives, searching desperately for any account at all of maladies that resembled the one killing their soldiers. Halfur hurried down the hall before Audun noticed him and made his way to his father’s solar. Urum was there, and his mother and the Janissaries.

Halfur bowed his head slightly toward Blastus. “My son Halfur,” his father said. The other Janissary dropped to one knee and bowed with his arm across his chest. “Dread Highness,” he said “I’m Valles Marines. Son of the island, shield of the ocean, and the spear thrust down from the sky.”

“I like his greeting better than yours,” Halfur said to Blastus. Blastus grinned, “He’s new here. Give him another visit or three and he’ll drop the titles.”

Halfur nodded. “Will there be aid from Nandi?”

“Three cohorts of Light Hammers are riding hard up the Andever road, and six of our fastest transports are ferrying footmen up the Nazrad. I don’t know what good we’ll do, but we’ll give the goblins another front to fight on at least.”

“I hope they make it in time,” said Urum. “The green army is pouring into the dim passes like ants into a hill. The Starwood elves have dwindled them, but their van is completely underground.”

“We’ll follow them as far into the dimlands as we can,” said Valles. “The Araadani Light Hammers carry crystal lanterns and are trained in deep combat. Every man our Queen sent is prepared to die defending Thrond.”

Halfur liked the tone in Valles’ voice. He sounded like a man of conviction, who only said words he meant. He was a doughty man as well, taller and heavier even than Blastus. He seemed older too, as far Halfur could tell. I wonder how Blastus came to outrank him.

“Did you learn anything from the prisoners?” his mother asked. She and his father were sitting on an ironwood settle near the hearth. She turned to lean over the back of the settle and look toward Urum and the Janissaries. His father faced forward and stared broodingly into the flames.

Halfur shook his head. "I don't expect anything from them, I just wanted to give Ridzak a chance to redeem himself. Audun is busy searching the heartsmiths' archives for anything similar to the soldier’s plague."

His mother and Urum both nodded their heads.

"Dread Sovereign," said Blastus, "may I ask your son’s thoughts on my concern?"

His father nodded, his eyes still fixed on the flame.

Blastus turned to Halfur. "Chief Yormun plans to bolster his front line with the Sunderers, while sending the Owl Guards to harry the goblins from the surrounding tunnels. I fear the Owl Guard's extinction. They'll rain down lightning and death on the goblins, but they're neither trained nor equipped for a pitched battle."

"We fought beside them on the Coldwood," Valles said. "We saw how they move, how they think. We both agreed the Owls are much like our own order, and Nandi would never waste our lives on the front lines."

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"Neri is obedient to a fault," Urum said, "but the one order he would not obey, would be to sit in his barracks while the rest of Thrond bled."

"So do with the Owls what our Queen would do with us," said Blastus.

"And that would be…" said Halfur.

"Punish your adversary," said Valles, "send the owls to strike at Goblin Town while the bulk of their force is away."

"I have to admit I like the notion," his mother said.

"As do I," said Urum, his deep and hollow voice cracking like the burning logs in his father's hearth, "but I'd rather not risk it. The Goblin King is maniacal, but not foolish. He doubtless has arranged for Goblin Town's defense."

All but his father looked to him, awaiting his thoughts. "Where's Gund?" Halfur asked.

"Drilling the conscripts," his mother answered. "They're doing well." Something in her voice bothered him. She sounded hopeful, but in the way a person without hope wishes for it. "What do you think we should do, son?" Her voice was almost desperate, a greater sign of woe than the count of the enemy's forces.

"I think we should defer to our Army Chief," Halfur said, "but survival is paramount. We need every man here."

A silence followed his remark that indicated the others saw the truth in his words. His father rose from his seat and turned. "I need to speak with the Queen and the Prince," he said. The Janissaries and Urum Bran bowed and left.

"It's time to enact your edict, son," said the King.

Halfur folded his arms. "Are you sure? Wouldn't it be best to wait until after we drive the goblins off?"

His father shook his head. "Salimod is leaving in three days. I want you to accompany him. If he's played a part in this we need to find what that part is quickly, before he has time to cover his tracks. The time is now. I don't want him to be suspicious, I want him to feel comfortable, so I'm sending Yemi as well. You'll go under pretense as a companion to Hale. I'd send Ror and spare you the doldrums of Salimod's court, but he's beard deep in riots over saving that poor Ladhu fellow."

Halfur nodded. "I'll be Thrond's eyes. How much of a guard will I have?"

"You'll have one squad of Owls and one squad of citadel regulars, choose them from any company you like. Neri will be with you as well, and I'll let you choose four of the Stone Guard, two each for each of you. I want you both safe, and Salimod deterred from doing anything brazen."

"Has he done anything suspicious?" Halfur asked.

His mother answered. "Nothing obvious, but there are too many questions unanswered. We need agents inside his walls. You and Neri are to learn everything there is to know of his dealings. Who has he played at conspiracy with, who has he brokered alliances with, what has he promised them, and who else knows we're forging mannarim?"

"Is he bringing Noxi back with him?"

His mother sighed and nodded, and his father rolled his eyes. "He was going to leave him with us, but his daughter insisted they take him back to High Alden. Could you imagine me letting Yemi sway me in such a matter?"

Halfi laughed. "I've seen Klar sway you, my love. More than a few times. Sally dotes upon his daughters, and Cara is a clever young woman, though I doubt the state of her wits at the moment. The poor child has been far too sheltered."

"You don't believe in her dreams?" Halfur was surprised. He often caught his mother looking into ancient mysteries and obscure legends. Her research into the old catacombs and Narvi's tomb were only the latest of such obsessions.

"I believe she had them," his mother said, "but I can't believe her dreams are any more than that. She's been locked away in her human castle on their green hill, surrounded by her own kin her entire life, and she's overwhelmed by the differences of our realm.”

"She's been among the drow," Halfur said.

"Of Protus," his mother replied. "They're not much different than her own small folk. Were she to sail across the moroby sea to the motherdark and dwell in Primus, or the houseless drow on the cliffs of Anubi, she'd likely lose her wits altogether. She's a sweet creature, but she's a reflection of everything we dislike about her father. If only Yselde were a true queen. She'd turn High Alden into an empire to rival the Araad."

"I doubt that," his father said. "Nandi knows no rival. If Yselde had her wits and force of will, then she'd have Salimod on a short leash and High Alden's borders would be much wider than they are."

His mother was about to speak when the bell outside the solar rang. Halfur went to open it. The Stone Guard outside was flanking one of the gaolers from the holding cells.

The gaoler bowed low. "Your pardon, Dread Highness, but one of the prisoners has taken ill. Since you were just questioning them I thought you'd want to know."

Halfur nodded. "You did right. Which of the goblins took ill? And what happened to him exactly?"

The gaoler took in a deep breath. He seemed disturbed. "The darker skinned one, with the blind eye. I heard him screaming and raving, and the pale one was calling for us to come and aid him. I went in and he was foaming at the mouth. He said something strange, then went limp. The bonesmiths are attending to him now."

"What did he say?" he asked.

"He was raving like a lunatic, Dread Highness. His exact words were 'Don't send me away, I need to know. Take me to the heart. I can hear the worm, it’s crawling though the grass. Alon, take me to the heart, I need to know.'. And then he said some woman's name. The other goblin might have heard more since he was closer than me."

Halfur sighed. You're supposed to help us Ridzak, not try our patience. He turned to his parents. Their impatience was plainly shown. "I'll take care of this."

When he returned to the cells Ridzak was laying perfectly still on the floor clutching at the pouch. His eyes gaped unblinking at the ceiling as two bonesmiths attended to him. One was checking his limbs for breaks while the other cooled his forehead with a damp cloth. Noxi was in the other cell close to the wall, his head press against the bars. The collected look he had before was gone.

“What happened to him?” Halfur asked.

Noxi shook his head. “I’m not quite sure,” the low and smooth tone was gone from his voice. He spoke now in what Halfur guessed to be his true voice, mid-pitched and soft, with a sinister hint. “We was lookin’ at those pouches and carryin’ on about you bein’ a lackwit, when boss starts weeping out o’ the blue. Said that the eels of Ceti ate his love and he couldn’t save her. Then I hear him runnin’ around and screamin’ about the Black Garden. He does that from time to time, but then he went quiet and just sobbed, and kept saying a name. Nima, over and over.”

“My brother never mentioned him having a wife.”

“He never has. At least not in the time I've known him.”

Halfur thought over Noxi’s words for a moment. “He mentioned a creature. What was it called?”

“Eels of Ceti. And don’t bother askin’, I never heard o’ them.”

Halfur nodded, then set out again for his mother’s library.