Philo walked angrily through the entrance hall of the palace. He pulled his cloak around him and fastened it. Things were not going well. He had been told several of his soldiers had been sick. He was going to go see for himself at the Belles Mansion. After that he would go see Helmer, who seemed to be staying at home lately.

As Philo walked out the door and through the palace gates, he wondered what else could go wrong. He had his son back with him, but Marcus was not cooperating. Even with Cassia keeping Marcus charmed, and potions being used to keep Marcus subdued, Marcus constantly wanted to leave the palace. He wanted to go back to Abscon, to Desmona, and to his queen.

Philo and Cecelia had both tried to talk with Marcus. They had tried to tell him, his place was here in Aurumist. They told him, he would need to learn to rule Regventus as he would one day be king. Marcus wanted nothing to do with it. Philo asked Cassia if having Desmona near would help with Marcus. She wasn’t sure how they could get Desmona to come, but Philo had some ideas.

Philo walked into the first ring of Aurumist. He knew where the Belles Mansion lay. He walked straight to the front door and knocked. As he waited, he looked above the door to see a Keene falcon carved into the stone. Philo sighed. Could he never be away from the influence of that family? There was only one Keene left in the world, and Philo would rid the kingdom of her soon. It comforted him to think of ending the Keene family.

The door of the Belles Mansion opened, and a servant stood in the doorway, looking tired.

“May I help you, sir?” asked the servant.

“I am here to see Camelia Belles.”

“The lady of the house is very busy and cannot be disturbed. If you would like to leave a message, I can get it to her.”

“She will be disturbed by me,” said Philo angrily. He held the door open and pushed past the servant, walking into the large entry hall.

“Sir,” said the servant loudly. “You must not come in. We have much sickness in the house.”

“I cannot be affected by the sickness found here. Show me where to find Camelia, now.”

The servant stared at Philo for a moment. “Your one of the leaders of the kingdom, aren’t you?”

“I am the leader of the kingdom,” said Philo angrily. “I will be your king soon.”

“So, you are to blame for all these sick folk?” asked the servant with a sneer.

Philo didn’t want to argue with a servant. He thought about cursing the servant right there and then, but he held back. “I am not to blame for this. Now, show me to the mistress of this house.”

“She is in the ballroom, taking care of the sick. Turn to your left and go down the hall. You won’t be able to miss it,” said the servant as she turned right and left the entry hall.

Philo turned left and walked quickly down the hall. As he came close to the end, he heard people moaning and smelled the strong scent of sick. He came to a set of double doors and opened them. He walked into a large room that had many sick people laying throughout. Philo stepped in and looked all around.

There were rows of people in small beds and on pallets. Some shook and moaned. Others lay still and breathed rapidly. There were several servants running around, fetching water and rags. Philo could see a few healers leaning over sick folk. At the back of the room, he spotted Camelia. She was folding towels wearing a simple green dress. He started walking towards her. As he got close to her, she noticed him and put a towel down. She stood straight, waiting for him to come to her.

“Camelia,” said Philo looking at the woman.

“Philo, you finally decided to come and see for yourself what has been done to the people of the city,” said Camelia looking at him.

“Indeed,” said Philo. “Is this everyone who is sick?”

“No,” said Camelia. “These are the ones whose servants and families have left them. They had no one else to take care of them.”

“What about soldiers?” asked Philo.

“What about them?” asked Camelia.

“Do you have any here? I have heard some soldiers have fallen ill.”

“That is why you have come?” asked Camelia. “You don’t care about the people of the city, you only care about your army.”

“The city will come under attack soon. I have to see to the safety of all the people here in Aurumist,” said Philo crossing his arms.

“You think those coming to attack will be a danger to the people?” asked Camelia. “I believe they will only be a danger to you and the other leaders of this kingdom.”

Philo looked at Camelia. He closed his eyes for a moment trying to block out the cries of the sick around him. The smell made his head dizzy.

“Is there somewhere else we could go talk?” asked Philo.

“I am needed here, and you have already detained me long enough. Whatever it is you want to say, you better say it now, before I move on.”

“I lead this kingdom, now,” said Philo. “I could have you killed at any time. I could kill you now.”

Camelia smiled. “Go on then, kill me, Philo. If you think it will benefit you, go ahead and get rid of me. You should remember that my husband holds much sway over half the Ancient Council. He knows what to do if something happens to me. I have charmed him to make sure he does it.”

Philo sighed. “What do you know about the false queen’s plans?”

“The false queen?” asked Camelia. “Who are you referring to?”

Philo rolled his eyes. “What have you heard from your son and his queen?”

“Nothing,” said Camelia. “I have not had time to write. I have heard nothing from Kedan in a while. What makes you think he knows the queen’s plans anyway?”

“He knows everything about the queen. I doubt he leaves her side now that he is her protector.”

Camelia’s eyes widen slightly.

“You have not heard? He has taken on the line of protectors it seems. He has sworn his family line to the line of Adalwen, and he serves Gryphon. His son would serve the next king or queen if there was one.”

“It sounds like a worthy cause. He owes the queen a tremendous debt.”

“Of course, after I kill Gryphon and take her right to rule, I wonder what will become of him. Will he die for his queen do you think?”

“If he does, he will do it because he considers her worth his life. I would not argue with him.”

“What becomes of his son then? He will have no one,” said Philo.

“What is your point, Philo?” asked Camelia.

“Perhaps you have backed the wrong side. You could spy for me. You could do as I asked, and I would make sure your grandson is safe. I could spare your son, and I could see what I could do for all these sick people.”

Camelia laughed slightly and shook her head.

“What’s so funny?” asked Philo.

“You want me to join you by manipulating me with my son’s life, my grandson’s life, and all the sick people of the city. You are evil and ridiculous.”

“You dare mock me? You dare refuse my offer? You think Gryphon would give you a better one.”

“The queen doesn’t make deals. She doesn’t play with people’s lives. She protects her people because it is the right thing to do. I could spy for you and she would still keep Kedan and his son safe. I could try to kill her, and she would still try to heal all the people in this room. She is worthy of ruling this kingdom, and you never will be.”

Philo breathed heavily, his hands itching to hit Camelia or curse her. “You are very mistaken, Camelia.”

“No, I am not. Now get out of my house. You have no right to be here,” said Camelia angrily. The vials on a nearby table shook. “You say you can curse me, but you don’t know my power. You don’t know the power of a mother whose son has been threatened. Now get out of my house, because we both know you will not lay one finger on me.”

“I won’t, because you aren’t worth it,” said Philo turning around. He called over his shoulder. “Keep tending to the sick, Camelia. Once I dispose of the false queen and take my place, I will deal with you permanently.”

Philo left the Belles Mansion quickly. He turned back towards the palace to go to the Viceroy’s Mansion that stood next to the palace gates. As he came close to the door of the mansion, he met Devland Clark walking towards him.

“Devland,” said Philo. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“No, I’ve kept mostly at home with my wife.”

“Have you been visiting Helmer?” asked Philo.

“Yes,” said Devland. “He is an old friend. I wish to welcome him and congratulate him on his new position.”

“You have not come to congratulate me as the new leader of the kingdom,” said Philo.

“I had guessed you were very busy. Besides, from what I hear from Helmer, you are expecting a much bigger and better title soon. I will congratulate you then.”

“You are not put off by the manner of how I will take the title of king?” asked Philo. “I thought you were close friends with Renweard.”

“So, I was, but I have cast my lot with you and this city. I gave up Gryphon to you and caused destruction to my village. Do you really think I could go back? You must not know Talon Wendell if you think I could have any chance of mercy or reconciliation with him.”

“I don’t know much about the man, but perhaps I should since he is shadowing Gryphon’s side now. You should come to dinner tomorrow night in the palace. This is a command not an invitation,” said Philo.

“I will come then. I will be honored,” said Devland. “Now, if you will excuse me, my wife is expecting me.”

Philo watched Devland walk hurriedly away. He turned his attention to the home before him. He walked up to the front door and knocked. He was let in by a servant and shown to Helmer who was in a large room with a grand fireplace. There were several tables by the far wall with many books, ingredients, and bottles strewn across them. Over the fireplace was a humongous kettle suspended by a large hook. Helmer sat on a stool by the fireplace. He rose as Philo entered.

“Sit back down, Helmer. It looks like you are working, and I don’t want to interrupt,” said Philo. He walked over and picked up a chair and brought it over to the fireplace, sitting down across from Helmer.

“I am almost done with your strengthening potion. It should be ready in a little more than a week,” said Helmer. “After that, I will work on finding something to help those who are sick.”

Philo nodded. “Good, I believe there are some soldiers who are sick. We do not need to lose too many of our forces. I don’t know when Gryphon will come for the city, but I want to be ready.”

“Hopefully soon, rather than later if your soldiers are falling ill. If she waits till spring and we can’t find a cure, your army could be much smaller than you like.”

“We could make more soldiers. We could offer to release young magical users in exchange for service. We can find folk in the fourth and third rings here and even out in the kingdom,” said Philo.

“Rumors of the sickness from the potion have spread in the city and the kingdom. You might have problems finding those who will take it,” said Helmer as he looked at the potion in the kettle.

“We could have trouble finding those who will willingly take it, but we should have no problem finding the unwilling and making them,” said Philo. He felt a plan forming in his mind. He looked at Helmer. “You said that it would be better for us if Gryphon attacked soon.”

“Yes,” said Helmer. “If she attacks soon, your army has a better chance of being healthy, and she has less time to prepare.”

“I believe we can gain some people for our armies and force Gryphon to attack soon. You know her, she won’t be able to stand by and watch us attack villages and take people forcefully. She will have to take action.”

“It could work,” said Helmer. “You could at least force her to intervene in the villages in the kingdom. It would leave her less time to form her forces for the city.”

“I will think on it. We will need to act soon if we decide this route. You say my potion will be ready soon. Once it is ready, I will make a final decision on what we will do next.”

Helmer nodded.

“Oh, you will come to dinner at the palace tomorrow night. I ran into Devland Clarke on the way here, and I invited him to come speak with me. I need to know more about the leader of the Valley since he seems to be close to Gryphon.”

“You should talk to Devland of your plan,” said Helmer. “He served many years on the Valley council. He is sharp and has proven he has no qualms working against Gryphon.”

Philo nodded. Maybe things weren’t as bad as they seemed. Maybe things would turn around quickly in Philo’s favor.