Brenna rolled over in bed, awakened by the patters of a gentle rain upon the balcony. The light of early dawn dimly lit up her room. She had been unable to sleep for most of the night. This was due to a problem which had revealed itself to her last night, at the Grand Assembly.
Two of their new friends were in truth, spies who had managed to infiltrate the capitol. Somehow, Brenna needed to discover who they were. The enemy, instead of chasing them, had evidently chosen to gain information of what they were currently up to.
This morning, a vague sense of unease caused Brenna to reflect on last night's events. She had sensed the fading signs of dark power from two individuals, just before they flickered out entirely in the Great Hall. Both had been faint, and she had first chalked it up to her imagination.
Even worse, Brenna did not know who to approach with her discovery. Last night had been a complete success, in terms of gaining much needed aid to assist in their cause. Who would believe there was a traitor in their midst?
Even the slightest wrong move could serve as a trigger, to cause the spies to sink out of sight. Only to reappear later, at a more critical time. Brenna decided to trust her instincts, without a doubt she needed help. Quickly dressing, she prayed she was making the wise choice.
Stepping into the hallway, Brenna felt as if a thousand sets of eyes were watching her every move. Silently, she reminded herself, it was not a thousand set of eyes she needed to worry about. The question was how to find the enemy before they caused any damage.
She was not the only one who had awakened early, Brenna noted. Already, the castle was filled with a buzz of activity, as couriers came and went, on various errands. It was difficult to act as if nothing was wrong. Brenna caught herself not smiling, while over analyzing everyone she passed. Upon reaching the Royal Dining Hall, Brenna seated herself, while thinking about how to tell Girard what she had discovered. He had shown many times he could keep secrets, plus he had experience in dealing with matters of this sort.
Whether by providence or good fortune, Brenna spotted Girard entering the room, yawning. Quickly, flashing him a smile, she indicated with a motion of her head, for him to join her. Smiling in return, Girard sat down next to her.
"Good morning, Brenna. I trust you slept better than I did last night."
"Well, it depends on whether you call tossing and turning all night long, sleep. I did little else for the remainder of the night."
A serving girl placed a burnt orange fired clay pitcher of juice onto the table. Girard proceeded to fill a cup with juice, while gesturing to her to take it and then promptly poured one for himself.
"What is your opinion on how well we did at the Grand Assembly?" Brenna asked casually. She then took a sip of apple juice, allowing it for a moment to fill her mouth with sweet tartness.
"Well, I thought everything went well. Our new friends appear genuine and very supportive. Why, what are you getting at?"
"How much do you trust me?"
"Trust you? Why I trust you implicitly, without reservation, of course. I am not sure where this conversation is leading, though. What are you trying to tell me?" Girard asked, while looking at her quizzically.
Brenna paused for a moment, while thinking of how best to break the news to Girard, while studying his face. "Last night, at the Grand Assembly, for just a moment, I felt the presence of dark power from two individuals. Then, just as quickly, it vanished. If there is one thing I have learned to do, it's to be able to tell the difference between light and dark power."
Girard's face instantly became serious. His eyes sought instant confirmation of what she had just told him.
"Right now, vitally important plans are being made on how much assistance the Chand will provide. This is information I am sure the dark one desperately desires, for him to counter the threat. Any information their spies can glean, will only serve to make the enemy's job easier," Brenna said in a lowered voice.
"What do you suggest we do?" Girard asked with lowered voice. He took another drink of juice.
"We need to find the spies and eliminate their threat as soon as possible. I know this all sounds crazy, I do not blame you for thinking it. Yet, I tell you, two at the party were not who they said they were," Brenna stated. She forced herself to calm down. It would do not good to draw undue attention to themselves, she reminded herself.
"Then Donovan, Morgan and Changa must be informed as soon as possible. All five of us have stood side by side, ever since we set out on this quest."
"I agree," Brenna said quietly, as she gave another cursory look around the Royal Dining Hall. Thus far, she had not noted anyone who looked suspicious at all.
"We are going to need additional help in this matter. Trust me Brenna. Uncovering spies is far more difficult than you know. We are going to need help from our new allies, or risk insulting them to the point, they will no longer wish to fight beside us."
Brenna hesitated and then nodded in agreement.
Finally, just before evening, the strategy session broke up for the day, between King Osenth, Prince Everin, Prince Donovan, Morgan and various Chand Generals. Donovan, Morgan and Changa stepped outside the Assembly Hall, looking tired. Yawning, Donovan sauntered up to them, with a trace of a smile on his face.
"Girard and I were wondering if we could perhaps ride to the Upper Meadows and get some sunshine and fresh air. We need to discuss something important in private, which has come up," Brenna asked them. Despite the fact all of them were tired from a long day, she was sure they would want to know.
"Sure, I would like to do some sightseeing anyways," Donovan replied while stretching. He and Morgan led the way to the stables, where they waited while their mounts were readied. A short time later, all five of them left, honestly enjoying the reprieve from the days concerns.
The broad stone avenues of Cairnstone ran between massive towering buildings of white stone. The structures were roofed with glazed dark red kiln dried tiles. The sun reflected blindingly bright from their gleaming surfaces and lent an air of beauty to the city about them. Along the various streets, great trees towered, which provided cool refreshing shade.
Upon a raised veranda, many patrons were enjoying the last of a fine day, while eating their dinner. Below them, was the massive beautiful bay, upon the eastern side of which was a huge port. The entire scene looked peaceful and serene, it was hard to believe the enemy was hard at work here, also. They turned to ride past the harbor below, where several strangely beautiful ships sat anchored upon sun drenched waters. Many people were busy loading and unloading crates of various sizes. All in all, it was a remarkable sight.
Before them, stretched a great broad boulevard of stone, upon which scores of vendors hawked their goods beneath shade trees. The smells of spices, flowers, and various foods filled the air around the Outdoor Market.
"Perhaps, you would like to buy each of the ladies some Sasta, kind Sir. It is the only thing here which even comes close to their great beauty," said a grinning young man, with shining black hair.
Morgan smelled the bundle of snow-white blooms the young man held. She smiled, reached for them and motioned for Brenna to come over. Clearly, from both their actions, two of the bundles would be required.
"How much would two bundles of Sasta cost?" Donovan asked with a smile. Both Brenna and Morgan sat upon their mounts quietly, while he prepared to pay for a bundle, for each of them. Each of them had wide smiles and he knew they were both relishing this moment.
"Only ten copper, Sir," the young man replied. He turned to the small wooden cart beside him and retrieved two bunches of the white flowered blooms. He held them in his hands, waiting for payment.
"Here is one silver for the Sasta. Here is a second for your excellent salesmanship. May the day continue to favor you, and may your fortunes be many," Donovan said, while grinning widely.
"Thank you, most kind Sir," The young man said with a wide smile and wide eyes to match.
The young vendor walked up and handed both Morgan and Brenna a fragrant bundle and bowed to each of them. Brenna had no doubt this young man would one day become a wealthy merchant, if the enemy was defeated.
Onward they rode past various stalls where nearly everything which could be grown, was being sold. After another stop for some ripe apples, they left the marketplace behind them.
Shortly afterward, all five of them stood in the center of an expansive meadow, where no one could approach unobserved. Each of them took the news better than she thought they might.
"I was wondering how long it would be before the threat of Bemenah, or his lackeys would show up again. It has been much too quiet, as of late," Changa said while staring about them.
"We have little choice. Honesty has always prevailed amongst us and we have remained true to each other. This is something we need to reveal to Prince Everin," Girard commented, while looking at Donovan.
"What do you say, Morgan?" Brenna asked, seeking her input.
"Our hosts here in Cairnstone have been most gracious, charitable, and honest with us. To treat them any differently would be wrong. Prince Everin needs to be informed, quietly. Any threat to one of our allies, is a threat to all," Morgan responded, then took a bite from her apple.
"We are finally about to complete our quest, and set sail for home, with more help than any of us ever expected. Only, there is a new wrinkle. Bemenah has spies here who will reveal our presence, our plans, and our route of travel unless we get them first. We must speak to Prince Everin, as quickly as possible," Donovan stated.
Upon their request to see Prince Everin, they were respectfully guided to a balcony, which overlooked a pond below. The glistening waters reflected the last of the day's sunshine, upon which beautiful white birds floated gracefully. Around the pond was a stone walkway, which was illuminated by regularly spaced brass oil lanterns, which were now being lit by a young man.
"Please be seated. The day has been long, and I know you are as tired as I am. Let us sit like the friends we are and discuss what is on your minds," Prince Everin said pleasantly. He sat at a delicate white table, while a serving girl poured golden wine into goblets. Donovan and the others seated themselves and waited until Prince Everin dismissed the girl. When they were alone upon the balcony, Brenna explained what she had discovered.
After hearing what Brenna had detected, Prince Everin had risen and walked to the balcony, where he stood for a moment silently. He then nodded his head and walked back to the table to sit back down, facing them.
"We here in Chandria, like every other country I suppose, have our fair share of internal problems. When it comes to governing our affairs, there are frequent disagreements. There are certain wealthy families, whose Lords' believe the country's needs would be best served by their own leadership."
Brenna noted Prince Everin had not seemed in the slightest, to be surprised by the news. He already knew or suspected there was spies who were hard at work.
"For years, we have managed to effectively govern, by continuing a careful balancing act. I had hoped this problem of ours would not rear its ugly head. Yet, it appears we can afford to ignore it any longer."
Brenna had been watching and listening carefully for any sign Prince Everin was being untruthful. To her immense relief, she could not detect any.
"For some time now, we have suspected there is at least one spy, in a position of power, who is passing information to the enemy. I now suspect it is a Lord which is planning the overthrow of Chandria, via a plot with Bemenah. Your detection at the Grand Assembly, confirms my suspicions and fears have been justified."
"How shall we proceed? Any wrong move may send the enemy's spies into hiding," Brenna asked with concern.
"I will confer with a handful of adepts, whom I trust with my life. We shall find our spies. I just pray it is in time, to prevent any compromising of our plans. May our good health and the fortunes of the alliance continue when we set out in the morning, to find the sanctuary," Prince Everin said, raising his wine goblet in a toast to all.
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