Chapter Eleven

Adan looks over his shoulder and sees Ludwig enter the clearing, who looks at the cage with an expression of concern.

"Nice cage and all, but uh... Where's Scary Black Spear Guy?"

Adan looks over at the prison. And, his expression soon matches that of Eagal and Code, who both turn to look at the now empty contraption.

"He was just there a second ago. Prince Veles, did you...?"

Adan looks around for the Crown Prince. He is nowhere in the clearing.

"Eagal, Code, scout the perimeter of this clearing for the prince. We can not afford to lose him with news of Aegiaian scouts, spearmen, and bounty hunters from various kingdoms arriving in this forest soon, or are already here. If you run into any threats and need help, call for me and I will be there as fast as I can to assist you."

Eagal and Code nod, before drawing their swords and disappearing in different directions to follow their superior's order. Meanwhile, Ludwig is calling out and running about clearly distressed.

"Theo? Little Theo! Edgar? H-Hey, Edgar, remember what you're getting when you get to Luimesha: new armor made of dragon scales! Don't make me revoke that privilege from yoooouuuu! Oh, god, what have I done!? Mykel's never gonna let me hear the end of it if I told him I left Theo alone for just a teeny moment!"

Adan walks over to Ludwig as he pauses to catch his breath, and gently puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Do not worry, Ludwig. We will find Prince Veles and Mister Konstantinos soon, and save them if they are in any trouble. Can you go back to camp and tell Miss Yor that Prince Veles has gone missing, and for her to send messengers to each camp of the other bloodlines to check if they have seen Prince Veles or will offer their assistance in the rescue effort?"

"Yes!"

Ludwig sets off, sprinting, back to camp, only slowing down to make it through the small crack in the brambles and vines to avoid being scratched and cut (totally not from experience).

He is easily able to identify Yor from the black freckles on her face, and though Adan told Ludwig that people with different colored freckles than the usual white are humiliated for their entire lives if not exiled or killed, Yor is hailed as a savior from the heavens above. She is known to be compassionate to everyone and enjoys playing with the younger Moreen so the warriors and the older ones can focus on their tasks and have some time to themselves.

But he finds her sitting under the shade of a large tree whose branches arch over into the clearing, providing a large spot of shade for the Moreen Keiju to relax in the heat of the sun in the hotter months. A red flower of some sort decorates her hair, and she changes it to a different color from a set order every day, so all the Keiju can know what day it is.

Yellow is Sunday, red is Monday, black is Tuesday, orange is Wednesday, purple is Thursday, white is Friday, and blue is Saturday.

So, according to her flower, the current day is Monday.

Yor greets Ludwig with a bright smile, but stands up and furrows her eyebrows when she notices the clear expression of fear and urgency displayed on his face.

"Ludwig, what's troubling you all of a sudden? You were so cheerful when you said hello to me earlier today," Yor patiently waits for an answer from the young man, who takes a moment to calm his rapid heartbeat.

"Th-Theo! Theo's gone! And-and I can't find him!"

"Prince Veles? Are you sure? Where did you last see him?" Yor's expression turns serious, and Ludwig responds immediately to her routine questions.

"He was following Adan out of the camp to see Edgar. I wasn't behind him fast enough to see if he veered off track, but that's so unlike him, so maybe he got lost by accident. Oh, he's so sick, I hope he's not suffering or in any danger right now!"

"Did you already check along the path and around the clearing Edgar is being held in?"

"Oh, is? No, Edgar was being held in there. He just up and disappeared, like... I would say maybe two minutes ago?"

"What!? Edgar got out? How? That cage is imbued with special ancient magic that saps just enough Surgai from the surrounding environment and in a Dracecean's blood so they can't use an ability or harness any type of magic. He shouldn't have been able to leave that cage. Unless, of course..." Yor's panic turns to uncertainly, drawing Ludwig's attention back to her.

"Unless what?"

"A stronger Dracecean would need to have disrupted the magic around the cage and released Edgar. The only people whom I know to have enough Surgai to do so are the leaders of each of the five bloodlines: Mylah, Aviva, Frederick, Targel, and Rye.

"I will send a messenger to each of the other bloodlines' camps to see if any of the leaders know of where Prince Veles and Edgar may be, or if any of their groups may have a part of play in their disappearances, but I doubt it. Though..."

"Oh, though what now?"

"Edgar is the son of Aviva Sylfiel, leader of the Rosenrough bloodline. Though she asked her husband, Braylon, to take Edgar to Aegia's castle and teach him the art of spear-wielding in order to protect him from the former leader of the Kuu bloodline of Keiju, it was thirteen years ago, so it is no question if she has heard the news of him traveling with you and Prince Veles, and would want to see him again. Though taking him by force is quite the aggressive move, and may cause even more discord between Mylah and Aviva than there already is.

"Could I ask you to visit Targel, Fredrick, and Rye, the leaders of the Wynrett, Fielnon, and Kuu bloodlines of Keiju, respectively, while I send a larger group over to the Rosenrough camp? I have a feeling that Edgar will be there, and I feel Prince Veles may also be in the camp, in which a fight may ensue to get them both back, or at least Prince Veles. You would prefer him back over Edgar, yes?"

"My Little Theo over Scary Black Spear Guy? Yes, please. Though he was our protection, he didn't seem too interested in protecting the prince and based on what I've seen watching concerning Eagal and Code with their sword fighting abilities, I would much rather have one of them travel with us if they are willing to" Ludwig laughs after his last statement, hoping it will come off as more of a joke, but Yor appears to take it as a literal consideration, nodding.

"I will ask them once they return with the party I will send out to the Rosenrough camp if they wish to accompany you and Prince Veles if it is not possible to rescue Edgar. If, on the off chance, we do rescue both of them, do you wish to still travel with him?"

"Well, I did promise him armor made of dragon scales once we arrived inLuimesha, and I think that's the only thing keeping him with us and complying with some of my demands, so Eagal and Code won't have to make such a choice should Edgar be recused. But thank you for double checking," Ludwig takes a deep breath, praying Theo will remain safe wherever he may end up, even if that is with the Rosenrough bloodline.

Yor smiles, and offers comfort to the spy.

"It is alright. Prince Veles, though physically sick, has a strong will, stronger than that of anyone I have met. He will eventually find a way through all of this, and return to Luimesha. The dragons are keeping watch over him as well, I guarantee it."

"Thanks. Oh, and you mentioned that Mylah and Aviva have some kind of feud? What's that all about?" Ludwig asks, and Yor motions with her hand for Ludwig to follow her as she returns to sitting under the shade of the tree, on one of the roots that are delicately carved into a bench for the two to sit on, while also not hindering the root's ability to provide nutrients to the tree to allow it to continue to live and grow.

"As you know, there are five bloodlines of Keiju. As of now, Aviva rules the Rosenrough, Mylah the Moreen, Targel the Wynrett, Fredrick the Fielnon, and Rye the Kuu. Each bloodline, though living in different camps with different appearances and talented with different weapons, all work together to protect the forest we live in, the Cineian Forest.

"Usually, all the bloodlines are either on neutral terms with one another or varying degrees of friendliness, which is dictated by the actions of both the Keuji of that bloodline or the leader's ambitions or overall demeanor. It also depends on the actions and words of Keiju from multiple bloodlines when they meet, usually by chance.

"Anyway, as it stands, the Rosenrough bloodline has been declining in favorability, at least to us, the Moreen, for a while now. Aviva has been claiming what has clearly been our territory for ages as her own, and there have even been speculations that she sends archers to ensure that any Moreen who cross over into what they still believe to be Moreen territory are killed, and their bodies are left to act as a gruesome reminder that there has been an unsolicited change.

"As for the other bloodlines, our friendship is strongest with the Fielnon. Their leader, Fredrick, is very energetic and cheerful, reminding me of you, and it is virtually impossible to dislike him, or even hold a grudge for very long if he does do something that confuses another bloodline's Keiju, but those are mostly accidents, and Fredrick rights them quickly. He knows where his bloodline's borders are, what the limits of his actions are, and the impact his words have. Quite the respectful leader, and probably looked favorably upon by the other bloodlines, not just us.

"I would say the Wynrett are next. Though they do enjoy a good spar every now and then with our swordfighters, lately they have seemed to have their minds on something else, most likely Aviva's unwelcome advances in their own territory, and, though still a rumor, sending one of her latest grown children, Fidel, into the Wynrett camp to constantly speak with Targel in what most of us to be an attempt to become friendlier with them so any request Aviva has in terms of warfare can be answered with the overwhelming strength of the Wynrett's fighters.

"Lastly, we have the Kuu. Before Rye, there was Rowan, who was known to many to be extremely violent, but I know him to be a kind man who was only violent should his bloodline be threatened and find his life or that of his children to be in danger. Overall, it was a shock to find Aviva killed him for what appears to be nothing more than a small grudge over sightings of her outside of the camp on multiple nights, so that may also be contributing to her declining likeability.

"Ever since his death, his youngest son, Rye, took to the throne, since his eldest son mysteriously disappeared some time ago. Rye is very quiet and reserved; Mylah often complains that she is barely able to get more than a few words out of him when talking to him one-on-one, and he barely speaks at the monthly meetings all the leaders attend every full moon in the heart of the forest.

"But, I will say, the spear-wielders that make up the Kuu bloodline's army, are even more talented than they were under Rowan's rule. They not only boast overwhelming strength but also the intelligence to know when to use their spears and when to work out a situation without resorting to violence. The other Keiju there who aren't warriors seem content with Rye as their leader, and have nothing but praise for him, though they seem to also dislike how quiet and closed-off he is.

"I think I covered just about everything to the extent of my knowledge. Do you have any more questions, or do you need time to process what I've told you?" Yor examines Ludwig's eyes for any sign of confusion or other emotion that suggest he may need further clarification.

"Nope, I think I got it. Aviva sucks, Fredrick will get along great with me, Targel has troubles with Fidel, and Rye is a closed-off child of a violent but also decently nice father. Is that right?"

Yor pauses, then slowly nods.

"Yeah... You understand at least the main points of what I was trying to say. Are you leaving now?" Yor stands up and Ludwig bounds into a standing position, dusting off his molted gray clothes underneath his black cloak.

"Yep! The sooner I find my little Theo, the better!"

"Before you go, take this. It's a map of the forest. The red dot marks the entrance to the Rosenrough camp, the blue for Wynrett, green for us, purple for Fielnon, and black for Kuu. Just so you know where you're going and don't get lost," Yor takes out a map from a pocket of his outfit, unfolds it, and shows Ludwig each camp's locations, before transferring it to him.

"Oh, sweet; thank you!"

He folds it back up and puts it underneath his cloak, where it seems to just disappears into the black fabric. He smiles and raises his hand in a wave, before turning to exit the camp.

"Ludwig, wait," Yor calls out after him.

The spy pauses and turns to face Yor, his smile fading for just a moment.

"Yeah?"

"Promise me you'll return alive."

Ludwig flashes her a shining smile, either to ward away her doubts, reassure her, or make her smile, before replying.

"Oh, this is child's play to a spy; I'll come back before you even notice I'm gone. After I return, I'm going to make Mylah call a meeting one night, so we can all sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star! I can't believe even the children don't know the song! Be right back, Yor!"

And with those words, Ludwig leaves the camp and disappears through the vegetation, Yor watching him go until he is no longer visible.

After a few minutes of silence, she looks at the children playing in a large group in a corner of the camp, seemingly in a tournament of tic-tac-toe, and frowns to herself, suddenly deep in thought.

"What's Twinkle Twinkle Little Star...?"