When Lorian arrived with Rena and the guards, a crowd had gathered to form a tight circle around the main gate. Rylan Farthom was standing right in the middle of it, covered in blood and gore. At his feet laid the lifeless bodies of two Veridian guards, warm red blood was still pooling from their necks like a fresh spring. Rylan was holding a rapier coated in dark crimson, a thick drop of gore was trembling at the tip. The local guards had formed a solid perimeter to keep the gaping citizens from getting too close to the grim sight. As the word spread that the Lord of the Hold had arrived, the crowd parted instantly, clearing a straight path from the ornate gold gates of Auric Spire right up to the circle in front of the wall.
Lucien Lehance stepped out of the group to meet Lorian, giving a proper military salute. There was a clear mix of relief and pride in his voice.
"My Lord", Lucien said, his chest was puffing out slightly, "With the great fortune and blessings of the heavens, we have just avoided a total disaster. If Master Rylan hadn't happened to be right here when it happened, those doors would have been thrown wide open. Veridia wouldn't have lived to see the morning sun."
Lorian gave a slow shake of his head, but he didn't say a word. He didn't seem to share the Grand Commander's burst of excitement at all.
"Please, Grand Commander, don't exaggerate," Rylan interjected, trying to brush off the praise with an uneasy wave of his blood-stained hand, "Even if I hadn't been standing here, they wouldn't have gotten those doors open. The Veridian Guards were already moving in to stop them."
Lucien blinked, caught off guard by this comment, "If that's true, why did you take such a massive risk to fight them by yourself? They were trained soldiers, and you are..."
"Oh, that's exactly why I jumped in," Rylan interrupted smoothly, his tone shifting to a matter-of-fact explanation, "I was just taking a walk near the gate when I noticed the two guards on duty acting very suspicious. I hid myself to see what they were up to. When I realized they were about to turn the locks and open the gate, I was ready to step out and shout a warning. But then I caught movement far ahead! I saw other Veridian guards were approaching from the side. In that split second, I couldn't be sure if those approaching guards were running to stop the traitors, or if they were coming to stop me because they spotted me hiding. I didn't want to take any chances, so I moved fast and took care of the two traitors before anyone could misread the situation."
Lorian stepped closer, reaching out to rest a heavy, steady hand on Rylan's shoulder.
"Thank you, Rylan," Lorian said quietly, his voice was carrying clearly over the tense silence, "Veridia will never forget what you did tonight. When we survive this dark night- and we will survive it- you will be rewarded properly. Though I know you aren't the kind of person who does this for prizes or titles. Still, it is the least we can do to show our gratitude."
Rylan bowed low, pressing a fist to his chest, "My life belongs to Veridia, My Lord. My life belongs to you."
"Get some rest," Lorian said, turning his gaze to the surrounding guards and onlookers, "That goes for all of you. Disperse!"
At his sharp command, the crowd began to drift away, comforted by the fact that the immediate threat had been crushed. Lucien leaned in closer, dropping his voice to a low murmur, "My Lord, should I launch a thorough investigation? To find out who else among our people might be tied to these traitors? If something like this happens again..."
"We will be ready for it, just like we were today," Lorian cut him off, his voice was now firm and unyielding, "And besides, if you start a witch hunt right now under the name of an internal security probe, it will only tear our people apart and destroy our morale. Leave it be for now. Just tighten the watch at every post."
"As you command, My Lord," Lucien said stiffly, offering a brief bow before turning on his heel to bark orders at his men.
"Forgive me for overstepping, My Lord, but something is clearly weighing on you," Rena chimed in quietly, stepping into Lorian's field of vision.
"Huh?" Rena's sudden words snapped Lorian out of a deep train of thought. He rubbed his temples, a sharp mix of fatigue and frustration was now leaking into his tone, "What would happen if those doors had been breached? Do we have a backup plan for that? I doubt it. I am giving you a direct order to completely overhaul our internal security by tomorrow daybreak. If there is another breach attempt, we need to be able to crush it instantly. Now, leave me."
Rena nodded once, her expression had turned stone-cold. She bowed before rushing off to carry out her new assignment.
The next day turned into an absolute nightmare for Lorian. Both the military generals and the high-ranking nobility swarmed him, intensifying the pressure from every direction to drop the defensive stance and launch an immediate attack on the pirate camp. They used last night's close call as their main excuse- if another inside job succeeded, it would spell the total end of Veridia. Instead of sitting around waiting to be betrayed from within, they argued, it was time to take the fight to the enemy.
Lorian realized he couldn't stall them much longer. The political pressure was reaching a boiling point. Reluctantly, he gave the order for Lucien to prepare the main army for a full-scale assault at first light.
By nightfall, a heavy, suffocating discomfort settled over him. He dragged himself to bed, hoping to find some peace in sleep, but the air in his chambers appeared thick and foul, as if oxygen itself was running out. A wave of nausea rolled through his stomach, making him feel like he might throw up. Desperate to steady his racing nerves, he called out for Elara to bring him a calming tonic from the apothecary.
When she didn't answer right away, he pushed himself up and walked out onto his balcony.
From this high vantage point, he used to look out over a sprawling, beautiful garden filled with stone fountains, green hedge mazes, and bright flowers. Tonight, though, the grounds below were swallowed by deep shadows, dotted only by the flickering orange glow of guard torches.
As he stared down into the dark, a strange, unnatural quiet struck him. It was too quiet. Even with the high stone walls blocking out the worst of the camp noise, the courtyard felt dead. The moon was completely choked out by heavy, black storm clouds, but Lorian could feel that something was deeply wrong- the entire keep was sleeping far too soundly. Not even a stray dog barked, and the infants in the lower quarters weren't crying either. Were they all just exhausted from the stress of tomorrow's do-or-die battle? Maybe.
Deciding he was just letting his imagination run wild, Lorian turned away from the railing and headed back toward his bed.
To his annoyance, Elara still hadn't arrived, nor had the Throne Guard he sent to fetch her. A few moments later, heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway, and the guard he had dispatched stepped back into the room.
The guard offered a slight, apologetic bow, "Forgive the delay, My Lord. Lady Elara was fast asleep- so deeply asleep that I couldn't wake her up no matter how hard I tried."
The guard offered a small, reassuring smile, "She must have worked herself to the bone today, milord, running all over the keep to look after the refugees, check on food rations, and manage the supplies. She was completely burnt out. But I didn't want to leave you waiting, so I went to the physician myself and brought your medicine."
Before Lorian could speak, the guard reached into his tunic, pulled out a small glass vial, and carefully measured four drops directly onto his tongue. He swallowed the first dose himself to prove it was safe- standard protocol for a royal bodyguard tasting medicine- and then handed the remaining small vial over to Lorian.
As the guard turned to step back toward the door, a sudden, cold spark of suspicion flashed in Lorian's mind.
"Wait," Lorian said sharply, holding up a hand, "Check the outer corridor. Make sure the guards posted outside the door are actually awake and doing their jobs."
The guard paused, looking slightly confused by the sudden order, but he gave a quick nod, "As you command, My Lord."
The guard stepped out into the hallway and closed the heavy oak door behind him.
And then, just like Elara, he didn't come back either.