That evening, Lorian decided to head out again. He told people he just wanted to walk around and clear his head, but his real plan was to hold a private meeting with his inner circle. Selena and her people were invited too. It was a risky move, but Lorian needed to share his secret plots to earn the trust of the Valorians. Winning them over was the foundation of his whole plan. They didn't bring any Arcane Watch members along- those guards were anyway already busy sweeping the palace, hunting for bugs, and cleaning every room.
They went back to their previous joint- The Velvet Astrolabe. The clever tavern manager cleared out the whole place for them without asking questions, and set up one big table so they could all sit together.
Lorian told them about the two strange figures he had seen earlier. It proved his theory regarding ash pile was right, but it still didn't explain why the enemy went to such lengths to steal the ash piles back. Selena guessed the assassins were made using a secret process, and the enemy didn't want anyone getting close to discovering the truth.
"Well, one thing is for sure," Cillian Vance, the Fourth Sword of Valoria, said in a quiet voice, "The enemy is not one of the five city-states, and they are not working with them."
"What makes you say that?" Lorian asked.
"Because they stole every leader's pouch, not just ours," Cillian answered firmly, "And casting an eighth-tier spell right in front of fifty high mages, plus pulling off that fire ant trick…."
"How do you know every leader's pouch was actually stolen?" Rena Tharford interrupted, giving Cillian a sharp look, "One of those leaders could be working with the enemy and just lying about losing theirs!"
Cillian didn't have an answer for that. He just gave a quiet nod.
"Also, how did the ants get inside the palace in the first place?" Lorian asked the table.
"From the ground, obviously," Cillian said, looking confused.
"Yeah, that is what anyone would think," Lorian smirked, "But I checked the ant trail closely. They weren't heading toward the body. They were crawling out of it!"
Everyone's eyes went wide. They stared at him in disbelief.
"And listen to this," Lorian continued, "I went down to the pool. You know what I saw? The ants had linked their bodies together to make a floating raft so they wouldn't drown!"
"And...?" Selena found it interesting, but didn't see what it proved.
"Normal fire ants don't make floating rafts," Lorian replied, "Only ants from flood-prone regions learn how to do that to survive high water! When was the last time Solara had a flood?"
"Never," Anya answered right away.
"Those ants didn't come up from the ground. They were smuggled inside, hidden right inside the corpse, and then turned loose right before the show started," Lorian explained softly.
"How?" Jax asked, "Didn't the mages put up a protective barrier?"
"That is the part I still cannot figure out, which is why I called this meeting," Lorian said thoughtfully, "But I know one thing for sure- someone on the inside helped them."
"So, you brought us here just to brainstorm how they pulled it off?" Selena asked.
"No," Lorian shook his head and glanced toward the door, "What is taking them so long?"
Right then, the tavern manager rushed over, looking nervous, "My Lord, three scary-looking people and an Arcane Watch guard are at the door. They said you know them…"
"Bring them in, and get them some food and drinks too!" Lorian smiled. The others looked around, wondering who could be arriving.
The manager swallowed hard, hurried to the door, and opened it. Three large, hooded figures stepped inside, shocking everyone at the table except Lorian and Jax. The manager quickly closed the door behind them and hurried away.
The three figures walked up to Lorian, bowed low, and pulled back their hoods to reveal their true faces- three fearsome half-orcs.
"What took you so long, Zot'r?" Lorian asked.
"Forgive me, Warchief. The humans here were scared of us," Zot'r grinned, showing his tusks, "The guards kept stopping us, and we had to keep showing your symbol just to get them to listen. Finally, an Arcane Watch guard showed us the way after we gave him a good bribe."
Anya smiled, "Now you are acting like a true Veridian."
Zot'r blushed a little and pulled up a chair to sit down. The other two half-orcs stood quietly behind him.
Lorian introduced them to the group, "These are my personal guards, the Blackriders. And this is their leader, Zot'r."
Selena looked impressed, "So, they were the ones secretly watching our convoy and keeping us safe on the road here?"
Lorian nodded, then turned back to the table, "Rena, Jax, I have a secret mission for you two. It is very dangerous. You might lose your lives, or a fate even worse than death may be waiting for you. You might never even come back home. Are you ready? You see, there is no pressure to say yes, and no shame in saying no."
Before Jax could even speak, Rena grinned from ear to ear, "Oh, my lord, don't tease me with talk like that. I've been waiting for some real excitement! Count me in."
"Aren't you a real psycho?" Lorian smirked, "We just survived a life-and-death battle!"
"Well, I missed out on the fighting," Rena pouted, "And what you're talking about sounds like way more fun. I can feel it in my bones- this is the kind of thrill I've been looking for."
"Good. Then get ready, because I'm sending you straight to the Lawless Lands," Lorian said casually.
"YESSS!" Rena laughed maniacally, slamming her fists on the table, then looked at Jax, "What about you, Nightclaw?"
Jax smirked and licked his paw, "Master must be asking your opinion. He knows if he told me to jump into a fire pit, I'd do it without asking questions."
Selena smirked, "Your people are just like you- a bunch of idiots and crazies."
"Well, my lady," Cillian hesitated, looking over at Selena, "If you allow it, I want to go with Miss Rena… erm…. I mean,…. Miss Rena and Sir Jax on this trip."
"Me too," Maeve Sterling, the Third Sword of Valoria, piped up, "If my lady permits it."
"Hold on, this is a Veridian mission!" Lorian raised an eyebrow.
"If this only concerned Veridia, you wouldn't have invited us to this meeting in the first place, would you?" Selena shot back.
"Well, no," Lorian muttered, rubbing the back of his neck, "It was my idea, and I don't want to risk your people…. "
"If this affects Valoria just as much as Veridia, then my soldiers belong out there too," Selena cut him off.
Lorian shrugged, "If you say so." He turned to Zot'r, "You three will go with them. A group of seven is big enough to handle trouble in the Lawless Lands, but small enough to stay under the radar."
He looked back at Cillian and Maeve, "Do you know how to ride giant wolves? If not, you better learn by tomorrow."
The three Valorians stared at him in shock.
"You aren't going there as officers of Veridia or Valoria. You're going as a rogue band," Lorian smirked, "No one will expect the elite fighters of both cities riding wolves instead of horses. You won't carry any official marks that tie you back to us. So I'll ask again,- are you all ready?"
The seven of them spoke together in a low, confident voice, "We are."
"And I want Rena Tharford to lead the team," Lorian added, "She has a knack for finding clues and making people talk. You'll see soon enough."
"I have no problem working under Miss Rena… erm…. I mean…. " Cillian started to stammer.
"….Miss Rena and Sir Jax!" Jax finished for him.
"Yes, exactly!" Cillian agreed, while the rest of the table- except for Rena and Cillian- burst out laughing.
"Your job is to find out who this new enemy is, look for any research tied to controlling insects, or see what else you can dig up," Lorian said, "Honestly, I can't point you to the exact spot, but I know you'll find answers once you get into the Lawless Lands. I'm trusting your wits, your courage, and your teamwork."
"Yes, my lord!" they said in unison.
"The city starts official mourning tomorrow, and the gates lock at sunrise. You need to leave tonight."
At Lorian's nod, Anya pulled out two heavy leather pouches. "Inside, there are two hundred Solars and seven hundred Shines- one hundred Shines minted in each of the seven city-states. That way, nobody can guess where you're from based on the money you spend."
"That should be enough to keep you living comfortably for a few years out there," Lorian smiled, "So leave tonight. Zot'r will get the wolves ready, you can practice riding them all day tomorrow, and then head straight for the Lawless Lands."
They all cheered, finished their meal, and slipped out of the tavern together.
After the seven of them left, Selena turned to Lorian, "Let me guess. You wanted to go with them, didn't you?"
Lorian nodded like a kid caught in a lie.
Selena smirked, "Well, you have your own job to do- rebuilding your city, your economy, and your army. And so do I. Once the seven days of mourning are over, we'll attend the final meeting, IF it even happens, and then go home."
"Did I send them into too much danger?" Lorian asked quietly.
"If they don't figure this out, we're all in danger," Selena replied, "If we sat back and did nothing, we wouldn't be safe anyway. Think about it. Just two people paralyzed the strongest unit on the continent- an elite unit even the Empire itself is afraid of. Do you really think we'd be safe if there are more of them out there?"
"You're right," Lorian nodded, "Come on, let's head back. We shouldn't be out this late, especially without our best guards around."
"Yeah," Selena agreed, standing up from her chair, "We only have seven days of quiet left. The real fight starts after that."