Chapter 9: The Viper’s Pit

Finnian Northguard

I wake up to an empty room, Luthera nowhere in sight. I slowly stretch and pull myself out of bed, feeling sore in multiple places. I groan, the pains from yesterday having not fully faded away. I notice a small note on the dinner table, neatly folded. Carefully unwrapping it, I read the elegant handwriting.

'Good morning Finn, I hope this message finds you having awoken in good health. I found myself waking quiet early and decided to take our feathered friend out for an early morning walk. If I have not returned by the time you have woken up; you may find me in the gardens.

Luthera.'

I hum softly as I finish reading the note, electing to get dressed and join Luthera in the castle gardens. Before long I am off, heading to the west end of the castle, occasionally greeting a handmaid or servant.

Luthera is easy to spot, her almost night dark hair contrasting with the surrounding greenery. What is surprising is the head of dark brown hair sitting next to her and apparently chatting away, my mother. They are sitting on a bench with two guards stations a respectable distance away.

I approach them, grabbing their attention.

"Finn, I hope you a well this morning." Luthera greets with a polite nod.

"As well as can be expected, and yourself?" I nod back.

"Quite alright." She offers a small smile.

"Good morning mother." I offer.

"Good morning." She offers a sly smile. "About time you decided to join us."

"It's barely 2 hours past sunrise, mother." I reply with mock exasperation. Only now do I notice the falcon Luthera brought with us nowhere in sight. "Where's the falcon?"

A brighter smile forms on Luthera's face as she gestures to the sky. Confused, I aim my gaze up and find the said falcon souring above, circling us gracefully before swooping down and landing just beside Luthera who begins gently stroking its feathers.

"I thought his wing was broken." I wonder aloud.

"Indeed it was." Luthera nods. "Your mother corrected that when I met her this morning. Which actually made me curious, can you not heal with your magic?"

I have to hold back a wince as mother begins snickering at the question. I feel a bubbling heat rise up to my face.

"Well… you see… I can but…" I try to get out.

"He technically has the capability, yes." Mother explains, a smirk growing on her face. "But in practice Finn's talent for healing is comparable to that of a dinner fork."

The heat in my face intensifies as Luthera tries and fails to hold back a laugh.

"Thank you, mother." I mutter, looking off to the side.

"Oh, don't feel bad." She dismisses casually. "Kai and Gertrude possess an equal talent for healing, or in this case, a lack thereof. I had hoped at least one of you would be decent at it. Perhaps my grandchild will inherit the gift."

The suggestive tone in my mom's voice seems to instantly put a halt to Luthera's snickering. Our eyes meet for a split second before both of us look away, at what, I don't know, anything except each other.

"Mother, please…" I groan.

"Oh, yes mother, please do go on." Gertrude's voice cuts in as she pops out of seemingly thin air. "I believe you were talking about Finn and Luthera's children."

"Gertrude…" Luthera warns but the embarrassment in her voice takes away from the warning in her voice by quite a bit.

Gertrude, seemingly even more motivated by Luthera's response, pushes on.

"If you are not familiar with how the act is done, dear sister, I would be happy to explain to you the basics. What goes where and that sort of thing."

I didn't think it was possible for Luthera to turn a darker shade of red than me at this moment but it appears I have been proven wrong. The tingly feeling on the mark on my forearm makes Luthera's embarrassment even more clear.

"Alright, you've had your fun." I cut in over mother and Gertrude's laughter.

"We only jest, Luthera." Mother assures Luthera between chuckles, resting a reassuring hand on her shoulder before turning to address Gertrude and I. "Please join us you two."

I exchange a glance with Gertrude who gives me an intense look. It doesn't take long for me to determine that she has something to tell me, her eyes have always revealed more than her words. I nod before we sit to join mother and Luthera.

We fall into idle chatter for a while, talking about nothing too pressing as the morning passes by. Eventually, time comes for mother to join father in the meeting of the King's council and she excuses herself.

Gertrude casts an appraising look around for a few moments before turning to address the two of us.

Gertrude Northguard

"We were able to ascertain quite a few things from what you brought us yesterday." I begin, deciding that it would be best to just go straight to the point.

They both lean in closer, obviously eager for the details. I go over everything Sister Morgan was able to determine from the letter and the dagger, the arcane energies of necromancy surrounding them and finally the 3 locations we were able to find. I reach into my robe and hand a small piece of parchment, containing the specific directions to the 3 locations to Finn. Luthera leans over to look over his shoulder, her eyes widening.

"The Blue Mist Lake?" She questions. "That's in Illis, just along the border as you cross into Kamrion."

"Indeed it is." I nod.

Luthera looks perplexed, her face scrunching into a confused frown. "Are you saying one of the sources of these mutants is in Illis? That can't be possible."

I'm not entirely shocked at her baffled reaction but the hard and slightly accusatory tone in her voice catches me off guard.

"I'm simply relaying to you what we were able to find." I try to keep my tone placating.

"But…"

"Luthera." Finn cuts her off, his voice gentle but assertive. "We don't know anything yet other than that these locations are important."

She still looks conflicted but she visibly backs off. "Yes, I just… It's hard to imagine such atrocities could be being conducted right under the nose of my father."

"A king's eyes can only cover so much of his kingdom." I tell her. "It doesn't matter how thorough he is in the affairs of his kingdom, some things will inevitably escape his notice… especially if people are willing to go to such great lengths to keep things hidden. Kamrion's forefathers understood this, that's why they established the veiled."

Luthera appears to think my words over before nodding and offering a short bow of her head. "Please accept my apologies Gertrude, I shouldn't have taken that tone with you. I was just… rattled."

"Think nothing of it, dear sister, I took no offense." I reassure her with the smallest of smiles. "And you have every right to be rattled."

My eyes wonder to Finn whose eyes have gone back to studying the locations on the paper.

"The Blue Mist Lake in Illis, The Black Fortress in Merridor and the Valley of Cracked Scales in Thaegon." He recites.

"I figured Kai could search the Valley in Thaegon and you could take the Lake in Illis." I explain. Finn's eyes raise to meet mine.

"I take it that means you would investigate the Black Fortress in Merridor." He concludes though he doesn't look happy about it.

"Along with some of my veiled sisters, yes." I nod as the frown deepens on his face. "A prospect which you are clearly not happy about."

"You mean about the fact that you'll be infiltrating a city of demented corpse-worshipers, yes I am not hopelessly in love with the idea." He drawls.

"I won't be alone; my sisters will be with me." I remind him. "Besides, this is what we have been trained for. Unless you can tell me either you or Kai have privately been practicing the art of silent infiltration, it has to be me."

He clearly wants to protest further but he visibly holds himself back.

"I suppose your right." He admits with a visibly painful amount of reluctance.

"Merridor… Necromancy" Luthera finally speaks up, deep in thought, having fallen silent a little while ago.

"What was that?" Finn asks, turning to face her.

Luthera remains in deep thought for another few seconds before speaking up again. "All of a sudden the presence of the Questing Beast makes a bit more sense. Remember I told you that my grandfather, King Charlus Revena, hunted them to extinction."

I nod but I feel my shoulders tense as I begin to pick up on her line of thinking.

"What if the people responsible for creating the mutants are mixing creatures that still live with creatures that have been wiped out?" She questions quietly. "Creatures ripped back to the living world through necromancy."

It's a chilling thought, and judging from the look on Finn's face, he knows it too.

"All the more reason to investigate these locations as quickly as possible." I reason.

"It would be far too suspicious if I just up and left for Illis." Finn points out. "Father would definitely sense that something isn't right. Logically speaking, I have no reason to go there."

"But I do." Luthera points out. "To visit my parents, it's the perfect excuse to go to Illis. We could just tell your father and mother that you are merely accompanying me."

"And I merely have to tell them I will be gone for a few days on a mission for the veiled." I add. "It wouldn't be the first time and Master Dahlia can vouch for me if mother or father attempt to inquire. And it would be even easier for Kai, we just need to get the message to him."

"And how do we do that?" Finn asks. "It will take too long to get a letter to him."

"On foot, yes." Luthera nods, looking down at her feathered friend who has decided to nestle under her arm. "Firion here can make the trip in less than a quarter of that time."

I raise an amused eyebrow at her. "Firion?"

The Eldian word that roughly translates to 'swiftness.'

"Well, he needed a name, did he not?" She counters, stroking the newly named Firion's feathers.

"I suppose we should get to writing the letter." Finn points out as he stands but I reach out and push him back into sitting down before reaching into my robe and pulling out a neatly folded letter wrapped in fine leather to keep it safe from the elements.

"I suppose I shouldn't be shocked that you planned that far ahead." He amusingly rolls his eyes at me.

"One of us has to, dear brother." I retort before turning to Luthera and handing her the letter along with a strong string. "Everything is explained in the letter in full detail, all he has to do is get it to him."

Luthera nods as she accepts both the letter and the string. She lets Firion perch on her armrest as she securely ties the letter to his leg and begins explaining to him.

"Alright, Firion, I need you to fly to Thaegon and find Prince Kaius." She begins to explain. It should be odd to see her speak to a bird but for some reason it's oddly endearing, even more so as the bird watches her attentively and nods affirmatively like a person. "Go straight to him and give him this letter, let nothing get in your way, it's very important, understand."

Firion squawks in what I can only assume is agreement before Luthera pulls back and allows him to fly off.

"How is he going to know what Kai looks like?" Finn asks.

"I know what he looks like and therefore Firion does too." She explains. "When I connect with a creature my knowledge becomes theirs and vice versa. It's the reason he knows exactly where to fly."

I hum in contemplation, a fascinating sort of magic.

"We should prepare to meet mother and father after their council meeting." Finn states. "We're taking another risk leaving Kamrion like this, only the knights will be here to protect it."

"They will have to do for now, we can't afford to lose any of these leads." I counter. With a long sigh, he nods in agreement. "And I should return to the veiled to prepare for Merridor."

We all nod in silent agreement before I stand to make my leave, my eyes wondering to the retreating form of Firion as he becomes nothing more than a speck on the horizon.

Kaius Northguard

I rub the lingering grogginess out of my eyes as I exit my chambers. Much like Queen Clementina said, we haven't found anything of value in Thaegon yet. We questioned the court magic users, alchemists and even spread around the outer towns to ask the common folk.

Nothing.

Searching the outer parts of the cities was the worst part. The people of Thaegon we came across either looked at us with hatred, fear or varying mixtures of both. I could feel their gazes burning into the back of my skull the entire time and I could tell the men were unsettled by the hostile reception as well. Even if it was expected.

It was a long afternoon and all the Vanguard went to bed exhausted.

I am so unfocused that I walk right into someone, barrelling them over. Instinctively, my hand shoots out and grabs the person's wrist, hauling them back to their feet. My mind races to catch up to my body, eyes taking in the person I almost flattened. I can't help the chuckle that escapes my throat as I take in her familiar form.

Even the girl behind her is chuckling in amusement.

"It's unfortunate we keep meeting like this." I steady her to her feet. "Mallory, if I am not mistaken."

She freezes, eyes meeting mine before darting down to the floor. "You are not mistaken, ser."

Before I respond I take a moment to observe her companion a few steps behind her. She looks a winter or two older but slightly shorter than Mallory, a darker shade of red hair compared to the queen along with sun-kissed skin. However, her eyes are the exact same enigmatic green.

"Princess Sherrill, I presume." I greet with a bow.

"You presume correctly, Prince Kaius." She curtseys back in response. "Though I am curious as to how you know Mallory."

"Ah, yes." A small smirk inches its way onto my face. "We met yesterday, in fact I almost got knocked off my horse. Quite the introduction."

To my surprise, Princess Sherrill immediately breaks her royal visage and lets out a boisterous laugh. A noticeable red flush fills Mallory's cheeks.

"My, my, getting into trouble again, Mallory?" The princess struggles to contain her mirth, covering her mouth to subdue the chortles. "Almost maiming a prince is quite the excursion, even for you."

"It was not intentional." Mallory says as she struggles through her embarrassment, Cheeks becoming redder by the second. "Besides, it was Daniel that almost knocked him off."

"You could have mentioned it yesterday." Merrill chides her playfully before turning back to me. "I do hope you weren't injured."

"No harm was done." I reassure her with a casual wave.

"Prince Kaius was most gracious." Mallory chimes in, seemingly recovered from her embarrassment, at least enough to pick her eyes off the floor.

"I will have to take your word for it." The princess clicks her tongue as she takes a step closer to me. "I never got to meet you yesterday, mother insisted on hording you all to herself when you arrived and from there you were quite busy from what I understand."

I pause, the calculating look in those green eyes feeling unsettlingly reminiscent of the Queen. She may not appear to share her mother's easy and controlled demeanour but that look is unmistakable.

"Official business I'm afraid." I try to brush off. "I can't reveal much."

The princess responds with a noncommittal hum before stepping back, seemingly satisfied before turning on her heel gesturing for Mallory to follow.

"It matters not; I already know why you are here." She says over her shoulder. "Come Mallory, it looks like a nice day for a walk around the gardens."

That was…

Confusing.

Princess Sherrill shouldn't be any older than 17. I doubt the queen would share such details with her. The possibility that she may know more than she should is more than a little disconcerting but I suppose I have more than enough to worry about already.

I make my way to the training yard where some of the Vanguard are training with the queen's palace guard. The Vanguard were initially hesitant to associate with Thaegon's knights but Knight Bale insisted, siting the importance of making clear to the queen and greater Thaegon that we are not here to threaten.

Torren is standing on the side-lines observing our men before his eyes meet mine, his raven perched on his shoulder as always. I offer a polite nod in greeting which he returns in kind before going back to observing. Gregory is putting on a rather impressive show against one of Torrens lieutenants, though he does appear to be struggling a bit. I purse my lips as I take note of Gregory's footwork, stable but too stiff, not leaving enough room for mobility.

"Stay light on your feet, Knight Gregory." I call out. "A strong stance is not worth sacrificing mobility."

"Aye, sir." Gregory nods before loosening his stance a bit, letting his legs come a bit closer together, better.

There is a notable difference, Gregory is now able to evade the lieutenant's heavy blows instead of taking them head on, allowing more room to counter attack and eventually disarm his sparring partner. When he turns to me I nod in approval.

"Good." I say.

"Quite good instruction." Torren's voice almost causes me to jump, I didn't even notice he had made his way over to me.

I hope I do a good enough job of covering up my shock before I reply. "It was just a minor pointer. He would have realised it on his own eventually."

Torren hums lightly. "Indeed. Perhaps you and I may spar some time, prince. Give our men something to learn from."

I pause, sparing Torren a glance out of the corner of my eye. I've never seen the man fight before but if he was deemed worthy enough to be granted the position of Commander, I can only assume his skills are formidable.

"Perhaps we should." I nod in return.

Before either of us can say another word, Torrens crow begins squawking incessantly, jumping up and fidgeting about.

Torren frowns, patting down its back feathers, calming it down. "What is it, Strega?"

The bird squawks once more, motioning its beak towards the sky. I turn to the direction it's pointing at and see what is that has Torren's crow, apparently named, Strega, so unsettled. It's a bird, that much I can gather, but from this distance I can't make out much detail.

As the bird swoops closer I can finally make out what it is.

"A falcon?" I wonder aloud. It circles above us. Beautiful silver wings that appear to glisten in the early morning sunlight. It descends slowly, looking straight at me. After hovering around my free side for a few seconds I hesitantly stretch out my arm, the falcon gently lands on it a moment later.

"What on earth…?" I wonder as the falcon angles its head towards its leg which appears to have a letter attached to it.

"Curious." I wonder aloud.

"Indeed, Prince Kaius." I hear Torren agree on my other side.

Slowly I take the letter from the falcon's leg before unravelling it. Immediately recognise the hand and the Veiled Sisters seal at the bottom right corner of the letter. It's from Gertrude, and if she used the Veiled Seal instead of our family seal then I know this is for my eyes only.

"It's from my sister." I point out to Torren as I wrap up the letter again.

"Your sister has a… messenger falcon?" Torren questions sceptically, Strega eyeing the falcon intensely from her perch atop his shoulder.

"Not that I can remember, but it is unmistakably from her." I reply. "Please excuse me."

I offer him a polite nod before leaving the training yard. I walk for a while, unfamiliar with the hallways of Thaegon palace. It takes me longer than I would like to reach the room Queen Clementina chose for me. I walk over to the edge of the bed, falcon still perched on my arm before going through the letter.

As I go through the letter I feel my face fall deeper and deeper into a frown. The Valley of Cracked Scales? I can't say I'm familiar with the place… Gertrude wouldn't be asking me to go there if she wasn't absolutely sure this was important, this thought rings louder as I read the last line.

'Memorize the name of the location and burn this letter after you read it, Kai, and do not send back a reply.'

 I turn to the falcon, it's eyes focused on me. Letting out a small sigh, I allow a familiar wave of energy to wash up my arm, stopping at my fingertips. A second later yellow flames lightly flicker out of my fingers. I slowly lower the letter until the corner touches the flames. The flames quickly spread up, devouring the paper, leaving nothing behind except ash.

"I suppose I should let you return now." I say, stroking the smooth feathers on the birds back. It squawks in what I can only assume is agreement before it nudges my neck. The falcon finally leaves its perch on my arm, flying up to give me one last look before souring out the window.

I sit in contemplation for a few more seconds before I make my way towards the door. I need to find out exactly where this Valley of Cracked Scales is… I can't ask the queen. If she is involved with the appearance of the mutants and there is indeed something at the Valley, it would be foolish to clue her in as to what I am doing. It also wouldn't be prudent to take the whole Vanguard; it would be too easy for her to keep track of our movements.

But I don't know anyone here. Who could I possibly ask…?

Perhaps…

I turn my heel and head down the hallways, occasionally asking the servants for directions to the gardens. The Thaegon palace gardens more resemble a forest than an actual garden, it sprouts trees whose branches form a canopy above with beams of sunlight piercing through to give the area a certain radiant glow. The grass is soft and a healthy shade of green stretching as far as the garden reaches.

For a while I just wonder around admiring the scenery, it's almost like the palace was built around a forest, seemingly untouched and undisturbed. I eventually find who I am looking for. At the far end sitting against a large tree is Mallory with Princess Sherrill lying with her head on her lap, eyes closed and basking on the few rays of sun breaching through the leaves above.

With gentle steps so as not to startle them, I approach. Mallory notices me first and I can immediately see she is conflicted, her first instinct probably to stand up and bow but I raise a hand to stop her, smiling gently to let her know it's alright. Eventually, Princess Sherrill becomes aware of my presence, opening her eyes and turning to face me, her head not leaving Mallory's lap.

"My, my, I didn't expect to see you again so soon." Princess Sherrill flashes a polite smile.

I am sure to return the smile, offering them both a small bow. "Perhaps I am inexplicably drawn to the princess' charm."

Princess Sherrill offers a hearty laugh in response and even Mallory can't help the chuckle that escapes her throat.

"A charmer, are we?" she leans up, meeting my eyes with a curious gaze. "But I wonder what you are really doing here, I doubt you came to take a tour of the palace gardens."

I stop just a few feet away from them, though there is a great deal I don't know about Princess Sherrill, the fact that she is the queen's daughter should be enough reason to be cautious around her.

"Indeed not." I concur with a nod. "I was actually in need of Mallory if I could lend her for a few moments, princess."

Princess Sherrill raises a curious eyebrow while Mallory appears shocked and more than a little bit nervous.

"Oh? And what, pray tell, would you need Mallory for?" Sherrill asks with Mallory mirroring her curiosity.

"I needed some clarifications on Thaegon's outer city." I explain easily. "Since Mallory is from there I figured she would be ideal, my men are still having trouble navigating the outer city and the mistrust being hurled our way isn't helping our investigations either."

Gertrude always said the best lie was one dropped into a sea of truth. It appears she was right as Sherrill offers a casual hum as she sits up.

"I suppose I shouldn't impede you then." She dusts herself off as she turns to address Mallory who is still seated. "It's about time I should be having breakfast with mother anyway, you can find us when you're finished."

"I will." She nods, Sherrill gives Mallory's shoulder a friendly pat before she takes her leave, offering me a polite 'another time' as she exits the gardens.

"You said you required insight on the outer cities, ser." Mallory states though it also sounds like a question.

I want to tell her that 'Ser' is unnecessary but I can tell that Mallory has had such etiquette drilled too deep into her head for her to simply accept that.

"Actually, no, I need to know about something else." I tell her.

Her eyes widen in shock as she sputters out a response. "But you told Sherrill that…"

"There is something I want to take a look at and I need to do it discreetly." I explain, knowing I am risking a lot. "Truth be told; my own men aren't aware of it either but I need to look into something important."

Mallory is physically uncomfortable with the entire conversation so far. I offer her an empathetic smile.

"Princess Sherrill is your friend. Am I correct?" I ask, catching her off guard.

"She's my princess." She replies uneasily.

"Yes, but she is also your friend." I prod further. She hesitates for another moment but nods lightly. "And if someone was trying to hurt your friend, you'd want to stop that from happening, yes?"

"Of course." For the first time during the interaction, Mallory responds with no hesitation. Her eyes have a strength behind them that wasn't there before, I find my smile growing just a bit wider.

"Well, someone is trying to hurt my friends and I need to find a way to stop them, that's why I need your help and I need you to keep it between us." I insist.

The strength in her gaze flickers but doesn't fade. Her eyes search mine, probing for a while before she visibly relaxes.

"What do you need to know?" She asks steadily.

I breathe out a small sigh of relief before speaking again. "I need you to tell me how to get to the Valley of Cracked Scales and anything else important about it."

Mallory almost physically recoils at the mention of the name, a deep frown forming on her face.

"Why would you want to go to such a place, Ser?" She questions apprehensively.

I hesitate, trying to find the right words without revealing too much. "There may be something there that can help my friends."

Mallory seems to think it over before leaning back against the tree, looking off to the side.

"The Valley of Cracked Scales is rumoured to be the old domain of the sky serpents before they died out, the same sky serpents that inspired Thaegon's insignia." Mallory explains, gesturing to the green snake design on her sleeve. "They lived underneath the valley in a network of winding tunnels where they laid their nests. They… say the valley is cursed, haunted with the spirits of the dead creatures who snatch up those who wonder to close to the valley and pull them into the underground tunnels."

I nod as she explains, my hand instinctively finding the comfortable weight of Langris at my side. This valley sounds like the perfect place to hide something important, superstitions and folktale warding off any curious souls who stray too close.

"Mallory, I still need to know where it is." I insist softly.

Mallory looks away for a moment, obviously conflicted before speaking up again. "It's south-east from here. It's hard to miss, the valley is surrounded by winding hills, it's less than half a day's ride away."

I nod, offering her a reassuring smile. "Thank you, Mallory, you've helped me quite a lot. Please keep this between us, I need to investigate this on my own."

I turn to leave but Mallory's voice stops me in my tracks.

"Wait!" She almost shrieks.

I turn to her, feeling my face scrunch up in concern.

"You shouldn't go alone." She pleads. "P-people disappear in that valley. I know you are capable, Ser, but it would put me at ease if you brought someone to assist you… please."

The imploring look in her eyes gives me pause. I don't know what it is about this place that has her so shook but perhaps…

Perhaps it wouldn't be unwise to bring along some help.

"I will, Mallory." I step forward and place a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Do me a favour and keep an eye on my knights for me, they have a tendency of getting themselves into trouble."

She manages to smile back as she nods. "I shall, Ser."

"Kai." I offer. "I vastly prefer Kai."

Without another word I turn on my heel and head back to the training grounds, without word from me I know the Vanguard wouldn't have wandered off.

When I arrive my eyes immediately spot Gregory. Bale is my second in command and the most experienced of the lot but that's exactly why he needs to stay with the Vanguard. I motion for him to come over. He appears startled for a moment before he jogs over to me.

"Yes, my prince." He salutes me as he approaches.

"I have an important task that I need to do outside the city." I explain, keeping my voice hushed. "I can't draw too much attention so I am only taking one knight with me, that knight being you."

Gregory's face goes through am entire torrent of emotions as he processes my words, finally settling on nervous as he also lowers his voice.

"And what is the nature of this task?" He asks, the nervousness in his voice matching the look on his face.

"That is something I will only feel comfortable explaining when we are outside of these walls." I tell him, keeping my voice neutral. "Now, can I count on your aid?"

Gregory's expression tightens, still nervous but with a new flair of determination. "You can, my prince."

"Good." I nod. "Then let us be on our way, the sooner we leave the better."

We prepare our equipment and as we are passing by the other knights I call Knight Bale over and explain to him that we will be gone likely for the rest of today. As expected he is strongly against the idea.

"My prince, I don't know if this is wise." Knight Bale insists, aged eyes strained with concern.

"You know me, Bale." I counter, placing a hand on his shoulder. "If this wasn't important I wouldn't be going."

He is obviously still hesitant but he does back down a little bit. "Are you sure you shouldn't take more men with you?"

I shake my head and lower my voice. "I need to be discreet, a dozen Vanguard Knights riding around Thaegon will draw too much attention. If Queen Clementina or Commander Torren inquire as to my whereabouts, tell them I am investigating the outer lands."

I hope the look in my eyes communicates how important it is to keep everything under wraps. Knight Bale offers a stiff nod before turning to Gregory with an intense look.

"You keep him safe, lad." He says, standing straight.

"With my life." Gregory replies strongly with a salute.

I offer Bale one last nod before Gregory and I mount our horses and begin making our way out of the city. Gregory suggested that we shed the Vanguard cloaks and pack them away which appears to have been a good idea. Without the characteristic black and gold cloth we draw far less attention to ourselves, the common folk barely giving us a second glance.

When we exit the city I glance at the early morning sun. I motion south-east to which Gregory nods before we ride out at full gallop.

We ride for less than an hour or so before I peak something in the corner of my eye. I come to a halt, causing Gregory to do the same.

"What is it, my prince?" He inquires.

The black visage in the sky swoops closer from the direction of the city of Thaegon. I let the magic from my core rush up my neck straight into my eyes, my vision magnifying the little black shadow until I can see it for what it is.

"A crow." I point out darkly.

Gregory follows my gaze and his expression darkens. "Torren's crow."

"No doubt." I release a sigh. Unsurprising Torren caught wind that I had left the city so quickly, but we are not far out enough from the city for him to determine exactly where I am going.

"Stay close, my prince." Gregory calls out.

Curiously, I turn to him to see he has closed his eyes. He brings his hands up, one in the other, palms facing skywards. I am about the question what he is doing but then I feel it; the air growing heavy and cold. After a few moments I can see my breath freezing in front of me before a fog settles in.

The fog thickens with every passing second until I can barely see a few meters in front of me. Gregory lets out a long breath as he lowers his hands.

"We should be well hidden long enough to lose Torren's little friend." He states.

I take a look around, taken back. I've never been good with magic, it resonated with Finn and Gertrude far more than it did with me, manifesting it to cover such a large area is something I likely wouldn't have been able to do.

"Very impressive." I marvel at the display. "We should keep moving."

"Indeed." He agrees before we set of in the same direction.