Ladet impatiently drummed his fingers over the side of the palace outer defence wall. Rodlet was standing beside him having been informed of what had occurred as soon as Lady Annalei had been returned to her living quarters.

They were waiting for the twenty guards Ladet has sent out over the palace, to come back from their search to determine if Teal was still in the palace grounds or not. They had covered many locations from the Purple Jade Palace again, to the Empress' quarters, and to the Blue Garden and the pathways underneath. The training grounds and even the Emperor's and Jale's living quarters had also been searched.

Ten men had returned so far. No one had seen Teal leave the palace grounds and from all accounts, the last time Teal had been seen, had been on his rounds earlier that afternoon.

Six more guards came back, all shaking their heads, and Ladet swore. The men were watching waiting patiently for his next commands. Ladet turned and looked towards the Emperor's tower and where the Empress quarters sat. He was not going to bother her with this news just yet. It was as if Rodlet was reading his mind.

"We can't jump to conclusions," Rodlet told him. "We have no proof that Prince Yernal has done anything apart from a young girl's words."

"She has no reason to lie," Ladet responded.

"Still, we need more proof," Rodlet continued. "Let's send some scouts out. Prince Yernal's party left about three hours ago now. I have some men who will easily be able to catch up with them. We'll observe first and see what they come back with."

Ladet turned to face Rodlet, a man who was seven years his senior and much more experienced than himself in running the palace. "I'll go with them," Ladet said. "I need to see with my own eyes, and I've had contact with Prince Yernal if he spies us following him. We'll leave in half an hour."

Rodlet nodded in agreement.

>>

Princess Estina fought strong and hard. Everything Menelt and his men had taught her over the past two years, flowed through her body with confidence and strength. She wasn't foolish. The comparison of her size to the other soldiers was quite stark so she picked her battles, targeting men who were comparable in height and stature.

She had an upper hand. While the Keglan soldiers fought with a sword and a shield, Princess Estina fought with a sword in one hand and an axe in the other. When a Keglan soldier blocked her with a shield, she would swing down and hack into the soldier's leg with her axe. If a man approached who was formidable in size and strength, she used her own size to her advantage by rolling or diving away. Twice two of Menelt's men came to her defence but other than that, she held her own.

Out of the corner of her eye, Princess Estina could see the blur of energy that was tearing through Prince Yernal's men, ripping them to shreds, limbs flying through the air of those who came within its path. Whoever this prisoner was, they were formidable, and Princess Estina did not want to come across their path.

Amongst the fighting, she paused to search out Menelt. She didn't want the same fate to occur to the mountain men. Spying him a short distance away, she started to move in his direction, blocking and dodging past Prince Yernal's soldiers.

Before she could reach him however, her world came to an abrupt stop.

All of a sudden, the strangest creature stood before her. Blood covered his face, arms and heaving chest, but nothing could hide his vibrant black and silver hair and vibrant blue eyes. This was a person who she had read about in her studies of the land's ancient history chronicles. He was meant to be a legend, a myth and yet, there he was standing in front of her. Before he could attack, she held out her hands and dropped her weapons. Her head lowered to show submission, and Princess Estina sank to her knees.

"Your Highness," she stammered. "I am Princess Estina. Menelt of the Dratlin Mountain Clansman and I are not with Prince Yernal. We stand with you in peace."

"Menelt?" She heard the man question.

From the side, she heard several of Menelt's men approach, and she raised her head and waved to ward them off. They would be dead in seconds, if they didn't. She caught sight of Weldlan.

"Stop!" she cried. "The Lombock has been kidnapped. We do not fight him. Kneel to a member of the Lombock Royal Family." She begged Weldlan with eyes, something she had never done before. He must have seen the plain cold fear in Princess Estina's eyes for he slowly lowered to his knees and with relief, the men behind him also obeyed her order.

Silence hovered over Princess Estina's shoulders, fear pummeling through her body as she turned her head back to the Lombock. They were completely at the Lombock's mercy. She heard a hiss above her, coming from the Lombock's mouth, and she grimaced bracing herself for imminent death.

"Tell Ladet," the Lombock suddenly spoke, "that they have used Ashkin darts."

Princess Estina's head shot up, and she dared to look the Lombock in the eyes. She was surprised by the calmness she saw.

Without another word, the Lombock turned and raced towards a line of Prince Yernal's soldiers ready to attack. Princess Estina caught sight of one man, holding a pipe towards the Lombock.

Princess Estina rose to her feet. "Retreat!" she screamed.

The men followed her away from the road and the long grass, running through the blood of those who had fallen. Before they reached the tree line, Princess Estina turned back to Prince Yernal's entourage.

There was the Lombock, no longer running with speed and strength. He staggered, trying to make the final steps to reach the soldiers that were standing protectively in front of Prince Yernal. She saw the Lombock falter and trip, landing face first into the long grass. He didn't move again.

A hand landed on her arm, and she turned to see Menelt standing over her, his gaze also on the carnage in the field.

"Come on," he said. "We need to regroup."

>>

Ladet took a deep breath and turned in the long grass. Whatever had taken place here had been brutal and fast. Blood covered the grass and nearby shrubs and trees. Bodies and body parts littered the stained dirt. It was clear in his head who had caused this slaughter.

Teal.

He searched the tree line, ever so hopeful Teal would come forward having defeated these cowardly men. Ladet didn't see any sign of him.

One of the scouts who had joined him, approached.

"Come look at this," he said.

Ladet turned and followed. He was guided to a caravan, its side bore a large hole of splintered wood. Inside, the caravan was empty, but Ladet could see it had been reinforced and the windows had been bordered up.

"Looks like Prince Yernal had been planning this for some time," Ladet said grimly. He turned to the scout. "Any sign of Prince Yernal in the dead?" he asked hopefully.

"No and there's no sign of Teal, either."

Ladet turned and looked at the remaining two caravans and dead bodies. "How long ago do you think this took place?"

The soldier gazed at the mess as well. "Maybe an hour ago. The bodies have cooled already, and the scavenger birds have started feeding."

"They would have gone across the barge by now," Ladet said, shaking his head. "Cardon is only half an hour away from here. I'm surprised no one else has come across this."

"Most likely they have," the soldier replied. "But what would you do, if you came across this and you weren't a soldier?"

Ladet chuckled. "Run the other way."

A shout came from another scout and both the soldier and Ladet turned. The scout was pointing to the tree line.

"Get yourself ready," the scout beside Ladet said.

Ladet let out a low whistle and shook his head. A surprised smile came across his features.

"There's no need," Ladet told the scout. He waved to the small group of scouts to stand down and started in the direction the scout had pointed to.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing. It had been ten years, but he would never forget the sight of the mountain clansmen. He saw several emerge from the trees, weapons in their hands. Ladet stopped a short distance away and held his hands up.

"Friends," he called across the space that separated them. "I knew your leader, Menelt. Does he travel with you?"

The mountain men stood in a fierce menacing group, covered in blood. A man stepped out from the group, and Ladet recognized him straight away. He smiled although he was aware from the defensive stance that Menelt bore, he did not recognise him.

"Clan Leader Menelt," Ladet said with a warm smile of his face. "We met a long time ago when we were protecting the Arina Pass from the plague. I was a boy then. One of your men saved me from soldiers who attacked the camps."

Ladet saw Menelt's gaze change, recognition slowly filling his features. "You are a man now, Ladet," Menelt finally said.

Ladet nodded. "And yet, you have not changed at all. You are still as formidable as I remember."

Menelt shortened the distance between them. "Are you still with the Emperor, Ladet?" he asked.

"I certainly am," Ladet responded. "It's good to see you well, Menelt."

"Likewise," Menelt responded. "It would seem Prince Yernal has taken something that belongs to the Emperor."

Ladet went to answer but stopped at the sight of a young woman stepping out from behind Menelt's men. She was as dishevelled and as dirty as the mountain men, covered in blood, but there was an elegance about her that caused Ladet to know she was not a clan woman.

"You are Ladet?" the young woman asked, staring him squarely in the eye.

Ladet didn't answer confused by who this young woman was.

"I have a message for you, if you are Ladet," she continued authoritatively.

Ladet looked at Menelt, and Menelt nodded.

"I'm Ladet," he said.

"The Lombock told me they used Ashkin darts on him," she said.

Ladet swore. "So, it is true. They have taken him." He looked at the scout who had joined him. "What is Prince Yernal playing at? He knows that such an act will make the Emperor furious, and I hate to think how Jale will react."

Menelt smiled, despite the bad news. "Names I have not heard in a long time."

"My brother, unfortunately never seems to act rationally," the young woman spoke again.

Ladet stopped as her words sunk in. "You're Princess Estina."

"Yes," she nodded. "Join us for a meal. We can discuss what has occurred, and maybe we can come up with a plan to get your friend back. Our camp is about an hour away from here."