Work of spies

Vera and Toni were finally able to stop Thena and Thia from tearing each other apart—at least for now. The rivalry between the two girls was not something they could hope to end anytime soon. Once everyone had calmed down, they finally got down to business.

"Lady Eryndril," Toni began to speak, but Vera interrupted, "Please, call me Vera."

"Oh, I'm sorry—Vera," Toni corrected himself. "Lady Thia and Thena are here on a mission at the behest of the Queen. They've been tasked with seeking out the Prince of Wize to propose an alliance," he explained.

"A proposal of alliance?" Vera asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, my La— I mean, Vera," Toni replied.

"Why would the Queen send two girls instead of one of the pillars to search for the prince? I would think Lord Mystos would be best suited for such a mission," Vera said.

Toni opened his mouth to reply, but Thia spoke first. "Lord Mystos is busy with something else. After the trouble we caused in Omi, he's keeping an eye on things there to ensure we aren't caught by surprise," she explained.

"That was you guys in Omi?" Vera asked in shock.

"Yes," Thena replied simply.

Vera looked at the two girls in surprise. If they were the ones that caused that shit show in Omi, it was no surprise that the Queen would throw them here, right into the Lion's den.

"Well, if anyone can keep an eye on Omi, it would be Lord Mystos. Besides, Lady Meliesse is here in Wize, though we haven't heard from her since what happened in Bintan," Vera said not wanting to dwell too much on things.

"Things are already looking grim for us in Wize," Vera continued. "It's only a matter of time before Lord Jai starts making attempts to flush out every Eru spy here."

"That's why we need to find the prince. He's a potential ally, and if we can extend our help to him, the Queen feels we can win," Thia said.

Vera wasn't so sure. She had been in Wize for years, and most of the news about the prince had been negative. This means he didn't have the trust of the Sultens or many powerful nobles in Wize. Vera doubted many people would show loyalty toward him.

"I'm not going to question the Queen and her decision," Vera said, "but I do believe there's a reason she has asked you to ally with the prince."

"Yes, there is," Thia confirmed. "Although I can't go into all the details, we have confidence that allying with him is best for us."

"Well, we haven't heard anything about the prince here in Jubai," Vera said. "The last we heard, he was in Dura, but that was about a week ago. I don't think there's been any news about him here in Jubai."

"You don't think?" Thena asked, raising her brow.

"With the war going on, Jubai and every other province in Wize have had their guards up," Vera explained. "Doing our job has been made difficult with the increased caution. We need to be careful about the kind of information we seek. Trying to find the prince will raise all the kinds of flags we don't want to be raised."

"You're right," Thia admitted. "But there has to be something we can do."

Vera was about to reply when her butler, Grul, entered the room.

"I apologize for the interruption, but there's urgent news," Grul said.

"You can speak freely, Grul. Our guests are allies," Vera assured him.

"Are you sure, my lady?" Grul asked cautiously.

"Yes," Vera confirmed.

"Hadia has fallen," Grul announced. "Jai has triumphed, and according to the reports, it seems he's on his way here."

Vera frowned. "It seems likely the King has somehow learned the prince is also here," she said.

"How long will it take him to arrive here from Hadia?" Thia asked.

"Five days," Grul replied. "Three if he travels without stopping."

"That's enough time to find the prince," Thena said.

"But we don't even know where to begin looking," Thia countered.

"Well, I don't believe Grul is finished," Vera said, turning to the butler.

"You're correct, my lady," Grul said. "Apparently, Lord Jo is here in Jubai. He was spotted sneaking out of Lady Sida's room by Ankit this morning. According to her, she's meeting him in secret again this evening."

"Oh…" Thia said, confused. "How is this relevant?"

"It very much is," Vera explained. "Sida is the Sultan's daughter, and Jo is Bale Kindel's son. Both of them are seeing each other in secret."

"Lady Sida is one of the candidates to marry King Jai once the war ends," Vera continued. "She's not supposed to be meeting boys in secret.

"Also, she's not one to be careless at a time like this. Meeting Jo secretly last night I can understand, but meeting him again outside is unusual."

"Maybe she just wants to spend more time with her lover," Toni suggested.

"Maybe," Vera said. "But Lady Sida has been up to no good for a while now. We've been keeping an eye on her, and reports indicate she's been meeting some men secretly as well."

"Isn't that inappropriate?" Toni asked.

"Oh, it's not what you think," Vera said. "Unlike her meetings with Jo, her meetings with these men seem to be for something else entirely."

"What do you suspect she's doing?" Thia asked.

"I guess that's what we have to find out," Vera replied. She turned to Grul.

"Spread the word," Vera ordered. "Tell everyone to prepare to leave at a moment's notice. I fear King Jai's arrival will be anything but pleasant for us if we're still here."

"What about Lady Sida? Should we ask Ankit to trail her?"

"There's no need. I'm sure you'll be more interested in knowing what she's up to than we are," Vera said to Thia and Thena. "The working theory is that the men she's been meeting secretly work with General Farouk, the man who is said to know where the prince is. If you can get to them, maybe you'll get more information."

"That's more than I was expecting," Thia admitted, "but I'm not surprised."

"I'm glad we could help," Vera said. "But let me warn you, these two are not ordinary people. They can sense when they're being watched. The only reason Ankit got close is because she works at the Yaya mansion. We'll have to be very careful."

"We'll be careful," Thena assured her. "And even if we're caught spying, we can always escape."

"Jo Kindel, as I explained earlier, is the first son of the god Sword Bale Kindel," Vera reminded them. "He's very strong, and I can't begin to explain how dangerous it will be if he catches you spying. Keep a reasonable distance, and if we even suspect we've been made, we run."

We? Thena asked.

"Yes, I'm coming with you two," Vera said

"We don't need a babysitter, we can take care of ourselves," Thena replied confidently.

"I'm not going to babysit you, you'll need my power if you want to stay unnoticed," Vera said

Both girls looked at Vera.

"My powers allows me to suppress or absorb people's energy, bringing them to a state of sloth. My energy itself is always in a state of sloth so it would help us remain hidden." She explained.

"That will be useful," Thia said.

Then it is settled. Vera said. She turned to Toni and asked

Are you coming? Toni asked

"Yes. I'm their guide. I'm to follow them everywhere," Toni said.

"True," Thia replied. "But this time, Vera will be there, she'll guide us just alright. Thena and I will handle everything from here. We can't carry out our mission with you slowing us down."

Toni would have felt insulted, but in truth, he didn't want to follow the girls anyway. He'd rather stay where it was safe, so he felt more relieved than offended.

"You can wait here until we get more information from Ankit. Until then, relax," Vera said.