Duty

Chapter 70 Whispers in the wind

A faint smile tugged at Torcan's lips. "I'm not insinuating you can't protect yourself."

"I know," Darius allowed a smile of his own to reach his face, "but you won't let it go otherwise." He sighed. "Ride out to Auros, Torcan, and come back with news. Let's finish this once and for all."

Torcan bowed. "It will be done. I won't let you down."

Darius shook his head. "You never have. Once all this is over, ask me anything you want and it's yours. Land, restoring your title, horses?"

Torcan smiled and shook his head. "I have no need for titles. Let my brother be lord of Salvire. I'll never have a family of my own. I have accepted that long ago. No, if there is anything I'd ask of you, it is to remain serving you. Until my final breath."

Darius smiled too. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

...

King Marcos was seated in his private chambers and read the two separate messages his son had sent.

One mentioned a suspicious rider leaving the Vertalis estate and making his way in the direction of the border.

The other told him a lot of the reports lord Horas had sent to Auros had been intercepted. By whom they did not know, but it was clear now that those reports had never reached their destination.

King Marcos sighed in frustration. It was not the news he wanted to hear. It did however tell him in what direction to look. He turned to the map that he had pinned on his work table and placed a few playing stones in different locations. Vertalis and the area around Horas. He looked at it in thought. If riders carrying a message had gone missing, lord Horas or his commanders would have noticed. A soldier not returning to his post was cause for alarm. So, the missing messages must have been sent by means of a bird. What would be the most likely route to Auros? Bordering Horas, that was located on the North West border, were Matís, Moraye and Santos. The only estates that were also connected to a border were Matís and Moraye. Matís connected to Balor, in the North of Zeir. Moraye was located at the West coast. It was affiliated with Stregare by marriage. King Marcos did not want to think they would be involved in treason. He liked Gaspar Strega, but Gaspar was a second son. It wouldn't be the first time second sons became greedy.

Santos was the family estate of Ophelia's father. Ophelia was married to Iolaus, his son's most trusted friend. Santos was wedged between Horas and Auros, but was already a prosperous province. There was no gain for them to commit treason.

King Marcos dismissed that possibility. No, Santos was not the traitor he was looking for.

There was a knock on his door and king Marcos called for the visitor to enter.

A servant bowed to him. "Your Majesty, a rider came for Genvi, carrying a message from his lord, lord Riccardo Prias, as well as from the lady Vara."

King Marcos frowned. From Riccardo Prias and Vara? Had they learned something? He knew Vara and Riccardo were friends as well as neighbors. "Let him in."

The servant bowed again and stepped aside. A man in warrior's clothes entered the room and dropped to one knee. "Your Majesty," he spoke, "my name is Astos. I serve lord Riccardo Prias. My lord has asked me to relay a message to you. And I carry a message also from the lady Vara vi Aurelios who resides at Boncini."

The king nodded and motioned for the man to stand up. "What message? And why Boncini?"

Astos nodded. "The lady Vara has asked my lord to investigate in the matter of treason, Your Majesty. We have been scouting the area ever since the attack, but found nothing. Until three days ago. I accompanied my lord on a hunt when we saw a messenger bird fly overhead. The bird was innate to Balor, so we shot it down. It carried a message, Your Majesty, a message implying treason. As we did not know who the intended recipient was, my lord thought it best to pass it on to the lady Vara."