Later on that evening, Greg had managed to return to his quarters on the Destiny, eager to get out of his boots and relax. The last few hours since their impromptu meal at the palace had been spent in the frantic search for the remains of Daimanos' treasure. At this very moment, his marines had set up patrols at all entrances to the city as well as just beyond into the countryside. Most of the city was still being searched with the men looking for anyone who might have a clue where Daimanos' treasure might have been taken.

It was an exhausting affair. There were just too many places to look and always too few soldiers to do it. A more rigorous search would have to wait until the remains of Heron's army were able to arrive from further inland, however the wait for them only meant that more time would be given to the culprits to get away.

Greg closed the door with a heavy bang and immediately took his seat by his desk. Kicking off his boots, he noticed the time was close to ten o'clock and he was ready to get some sleep. He quickly changed out of his uniform and made a hasty rush to his bed, yet once he pulled the blanket down, there was a knock on his door.

Before waiting on an answer, his door opened slightly. Greg readied his scowl for whomever was unfortunate enough to enter his room without permission, but he softened considerably when he saw long, dark hair and stunning, green eyes.

"I thought you were one of my men," said Greg with a weary smile. "I was getting ready to tear you a new one."

"You don't have to do that," said Brittany with a grin as she shut the door firmly behind her. "I figured you wouldn't mind if it was me."

"Not one bit," said Greg before pointing to his bed. "But I'm so exhausted, I can barely stand any longer. I really need to get to bed."

Brittany bit her lip. "Don't you know? Getting into bed is exactly the reason I'm here!"

Greg chuckled. "I meant resting, not fucking."

She stuck out her lower lip in a pout. "Fine. But I can still rest while laying beside you right?"

He welcomed her with a quick hand wave. "Be my guest. Hop in!"

Brittany moved swiftly while ditching most of her uniform. Once down to just her bra and panties, she snuck under the covers with him.

"Have you had any luck finding that treasure?" she asked as soon as she snuggled her way into his arms.

Greg raised an eyebrow. "How did you hear about the treasure already?"

She stuck her tongue out at him. "When you're so close to Abigail, you hear a lot of things that other ears aren't privy to."

"I should've figured," he said while chuckling. "So how much did you hear exactly?"

"Just that it wasn't where it was supposed to be and that just about everyone is trying to find it. Did I miss anything?"

"Just about nailed it," said Greg. "It's part of the reason why I'm so damn tired. Coordinating the search of an entire city is mind-boggling."

"Maybe that's why I had to sneak in here tonight," said Brittany. "Just to give you a little TLC for your hard day."

Greg chuckled. "I'd never say no to a little TLC."

"Flip over for me then."

Greg did as she instructed and flopped onto his stomach. She laid beside him and her hands made quick work of his tank top, pulling it up over his back and letting it bunch around his shoulders. She trailed her fingertips over his bare skin lightly, the touch enough to leave goosebumps on his flesh. Once she had teased him to her satisfaction, she began to knead his muscles, rubbing his skin with expert fingers.

"That's what I needed," said Greg as his voice muffled against his pillow. "Your fingers are like magic, woman."

"Well, you came to the right place," said Brittany with a heavy breath.

"Rather, you came to the right please," said Greg with a smirk. "Always trying to sneak into my room."

She interrupted his rubdown to poke his side. "I've never heard you complain about it!"

"Nor will you," he said, jumping when he felt her digit jam into his skin. "Hey!"

"Now, no more complaining or the masseuse will move to another client," said Brittany as she got back to work.

"Yes, ma'am!"

She continued to rub him for several more minutes. Greg let out a long, contented sigh and felt his body relax against the bed. All the tension from the day seemed to melt away at her careful attention.

"Greg, do you think they'll find the treasure?" she asked, breaking the silence between them.

He shrugged gently. "Who knows. I don't think it could've just walked away on its own though. There was too much of it for someone not to notice."

Her fingers began to work at one particular knot just below his shoulder blade. "Do you know how much it was?"

"Not for sure, no. But a significant amount. Enough that you or I wouldn't have to worry about anything else for the rest of our lives," said Greg quietly.

She leaned her head against his back while one hand still massaged him. "What would you do with all that gold, Greg?"

He chuckled. "They wouldn't give it to me. Even if my guys found it."

"I know that," she said with a giggle. "But I mean, what if it was really ours? What would you want to do with it?"

Greg pursed his lips. "For one, I'd probably quit the Marines. I don't do it because I love commanding a bunch of rowdy, overgrown boys."

"Well, I kind of thought that was given! What else would you do?"

Greg thought the question over for a few moments before responding. "I'd probably go back and take care of my family. Make sure all their debts are tied up. Maybe get them a nice retirement home and send them on vacation."

"I like that the first serious thing you listed wasn't for you," said Brittany while really working the muscles in his back. "Despite quitting the Marines, I mean. Thinking of your parents first is really great of you."

"I kind of feel like I owe them," said Greg with a cheeky smile. "For putting up with all of my bullshit when I was younger. I wasn't an easy child to raise."

"I can't imagine why that would be the case."

"Too many times I came home with a black eye or got thrown out of school. It's lucky that I did make it to where I was in the Marines given my earlier choices. Anyway, if I had the money, it would be time that I started looking out for them instead of the other way around."

Brittany smiled. "I like that. What else would you do?"

"Probably buy a big house. No, a palace. Just like the one right over across the water," said Greg.

"That's a pretty impressive palace for one man," said Brittany. "Are you sure you wouldn't get lonely there?"

"Well, there's always the staff. The servants, butlers, and the like so I won't ever be too lonely."

She poked him again. "What about someone to share your bed with? Unless you plan on inviting one of those servants into your bed?"

"I just might. What does she look like?" asked Greg with a cheeky grin.

Brittany poked him hard, enough to make him yelp and shift on the bed. "Take it easy, you know I'm teasing."

"I don't like it still," she said with a pout.

"What? Do you want to be the one in my bed?"

She nodded while keeping the pouty look on her face. Greg had to admit it was quite an adorable look for her.

"I suppose I can make room for you in my harem," said Greg with an exaggerated sigh.

Brittany started to giggle. "So magnanimous of you! Will I at least be your number one whore?"

"That depends on how well you do in servicing me!"

"Oh, an audition I take it? I'll need to perform to secure my spot in the hierarchy?"

"Precisely," said Greg with a nod. He found their playful banter really amusing and kept poking the subject to see how far she would respond.

Brittany grinned. "Good thing I can be really persuasive when I want to be."

"I hope you're not talking about right now. I don't really find you that persuasive right now," said Greg.

"Is that right?" Her hand slipped between his body and the bed, sliding over his cock. "How about now?"

Greg shrugged playfully. "Getting closer but you'll have to do much better than that."

She raised an eyebrow. "I see I'll have to really work for this role. Good thing I came prepared." With that, she gestured for him to roll over onto his back. She grabbed a hair tie that had been wrapped around her wrist and bundled her dark hair into a single ponytail.

"Now I'm curious to see what you have in mind. You look like you're getting ready for some vigorous activity," teased Greg.

"Oh, it's going to be vigorous all right," said Brittany with a chuckle.

She reached over to pull down his briefs and quickly slipped them off his legs. In a flash, his cock was exposed to her gaze, and Brittany licked her lips at the sight of him half-hard and nearly ready for her attention.

"There's my old friend," she cooed as her hand slipped around his manhood and gave it several short jerks. "Looks like he was waiting for me."

Greg groaned as soon as her hand made contact with him. "I started getting hard once I pictured fucking you on a pile of gold coins."

Brittany giggled. "That sounds like it might be painful. Why don't you just fuck me in bed instead?"

"If you insist," he said with a grin.

She began to stroke him with force, concentrating on working his shaft in short, speedy bursts and delighting in the feel of his rapidly stiffening member. With her free hand, she gathered some saliva from her mouth and coated the tip, watching as her spit slipped down the head and slid between her fingers. The added slickness produced a new noise as the slick-slick-slick sound of her jerking started to fill the room.

Greg started to breathe heavier at watching her dedicated skills. "You have no idea how good it feels."

Brittany grinned wickedly. "Wait until you see what I intend to do next."

She slowed the pace of her fingers and leaned her head closer to his lap. Her eyes fixed on his as her tongue crept out from her mouth, snaking toward the tip of his manhood and sliding along the underside in one long, sensual lick.

She kept up the attention by bathing every inch of his cock with a long swipe of her tongue. Once she was satisfied that she had licked every part of him, including generous attention to his balls, Brittany sucked the tip of his cock into her mouth. Her mouth formed a tight suction ring around the tip, applying pressure against the crown while her tongue flicked at the slit. She capped the move off with generous eye contact, her smoldering green eyes staying locked on his.

"You've just been promoted up a spot," said Greg with a groan. "You're now in the top three of my harem."

His cock slipped out of her mouth with an audible pop. "Only the top three? What can I do to get to number one?" Her tongue slipped out and licked along the underside once more while she waited for his response.

Greg grinned at her. "I really need to see that enthusiasm for you to get to the top."

She responded by once again taking his entire cock in her mouth and then attempted to deepthroat him in one stroke. Her lips slid all the way to the base of his shaft as her face turned red in the attempt. Once she was all the way down, she pulled him from her mouth and looked up at him. "And now? What number am I now?"

"Top two," mumbled Greg, too amazed at watching the display.

Brittany rolled her eyes playfully. "The things I do for you." She then returned to his cock and began to deepthroat him again. This time, she didn't stop after the first suck. Instead, she kept returning to his base. Greg lost count of the number of times his entire manhood disappeared behind her lips. Every time her lips would press against his pubic bone, her eyes would flicker up to meet his as a reminder of just how much she could take.

When she finally pulled his cock out of her mouth the last time, long strands of slippery saliva connected his manhood to her lips. Brittany stuck out her tongue and flicked his cock several times against the surface before she suctioned off the tip once more.

"Okay, you win," panted Greg. "You're number one. You're number one."

Brittany grinned wickedly. "And don't you forget it."

The woman went back to work suctioning the tip while her hand wrapped around the rest of his shaft and began to jerk him into her own mouth. Greg groaned while he watched, Brittany looking incredibly sexy as she used every bit of her talents in an effort to make him cum. He was already turned on just from having her in his bed, and the second she started to play with his cock with renewed vigor, he knew he wouldn't last long.

"So close," he hissed as he watched her hand blur with activity as she masturbated him. Her response was to suck harder, and he watched her cheeks hollow out as her tongue once again flicked at the tip of his cock.

His hips began to roll as he felt himself drifting closer to the edge. It was on one particularly deep suck that he felt the beginning of his orgasm and soon a heavy load of cum started to rocket up his shaft. Brittany seemed to sense it instinctively as she buried his cock down her throat and held him in place as he exploded shortly after.

"Oh, fuck," he groaned as his hips pumped erratically into the brunette's mouth. Copious amounts of sperm soon filled her mouth and she repeatedly milked him in an attempt to steal every remaining drop. Greg watched as she swallowed several mouthfuls in quick succession before finally releasing his cock. For the last act of her show, she slowly jerked him and waited for small amounts of cum to emerge from the tip before leaning forward to lick it clean.

"Fuck, that was so good," he panted as he relaxed into bed.

"Yummy," said Brittany with a seductive grin. After her final lick, she kissed the tip of his cock and tucked it between his legs. She snaked her way back into his arms and pulled the blanket around them snugly.

"Have I ever told you that you're a hell of a good woman?"

Brittany shook her head coyly. "Nope. Not ever."

"Well, you are. That was incredible." Greg's hand drifted to her own back and gave much the same treatment to her as she already had to him.

"I just wanted to take care of you. Especially when you already had a hard day."

"I'm glad it was that and not the fact that you got turned on from talking about being rich," said Greg with a chuckle.

Brittany giggled. "That might've had a tiny, little bit to do with it."

"You know, you never told me what you would do. If you were the one to find and keep all that gold."

She sighed against his chest happily. "Quit the navy for one."

"Of course. Given, remember?"

"Oh, right." She laughed against him. "I think I might steal your idea to buy my parents a nice house as well. But I'm going to get one just for myself too."

"So far so good."

"Then, I'm going to hire my own team of seamstresses to make all of my clothing moving forward," she said with a giggle. "No more navy fatigues. Only the finest in fashion for me moving forward."

"You're such a girl," said Greg with a laugh.

"I don't see you complaining about it," she said, playfully nipping at his shoulder.

"What then? What would you do next?"

"That's easy. I tuck a large portion of it away for my niece. She's the only daughter of my sister, and I just love her to pieces. I'd want a good portion of it to go to her education. Just to make sure she has the best life possible."

"I like that," said Greg. "That's a great reason too. How old is she?"

"She's eleven and she's so smart already. When I'm back home, I always try to spend as much time with her as I can. I'm always amazed by how much she grows and matures every time I see her. I just want to be a good aunt to her."

He nodded gently. "It sounds like you are already. I'm sure she's grateful for you more than you know."

Using her finger, she trailed her nail around his chest. "I hope so. It's the best I can do until I have one of my own."

"Do you want that someday? To have your own kids?"

"Yes, definitely," she said with an enthusiastic nod. "I love them too much to not imagine them being part of my future. That is, as long as we actually get home."

"We will," answered Greg. "In a way, it gives us more to fight for. We have to get you home safe and sound so you can see her turn twelve."

Brittany turned her head to look at him, placing a sweet kiss against his lips. "I really like you. I hope you know that."

"I rather like you too," said Greg with a smile. "Who knew that talking about finding some gold would lead to something deeper?"

"And a blow job. Don't forget that." Brittany giggled.

"How could I ever?"

Once she finished laughing alongside him, she looked back to his eyes once more. "Do you want kids someday as well? Or do you have some already?"

Greg shook his head. "Not already although not for a lack of trying." He chuckled to himself. "There's been some close calls over the years but nothing stuck. But yeah, I think so. I wouldn't mind having a few boys or so. I imagine it wouldn't be too much different than commanding the men."

"It might be at first," she said with a giggle. "But I bet you'd be a good father."

"I'd probably be a terrible father. But thanks for the vote of confidence," he said dryly.

She shook her head. "Don't be hard on yourself. The men under your command respect you fully. It's not hard to see that they honor you as a leader. It wouldn't be much different with children."

Greg smiled. "If you say so."

"Either way, I'm glad you said that. About wanting some of your own," she said while avoiding his eyes. After a moment, she locked her gaze on him. "It makes me happy."

Greg nodded slowly and then grinned. "This is a new side of you that I'm seeing tonight. What happened to my little sex pistol that wanted to invite more women into our bed?"

Brittany giggled. "You can still do that if you wish! Especially if any of those girls from the harem caught your eye. But in all seriousness, I just feel like getting to know you better over the last couple weeks has been good for us. It just doesn't feel all about sex anymore, you know?"

Greg nodded. "My time with you feels a little more real now, and I'm enjoying the turn that it's taken. Don't get me wrong the sex is fantastic. But I really enjoy these little down moments with you where I can get to learn more about you."

She smiled. "Me too." In the next moment, a long yawn escaped from her lips.

"Getting sleepy too?" he asked.

"Mm-hmm," she said with a nod. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all. Laying here with you is so relaxing that it's reminding me how tired I am. Let's get some sleep. You don't have a watch tonight, do you?"

Brittany snuggled in tight against his side and wrapped her leg around his own. "Nope. I'm all yours until morning."

"Good. I hate when you have to sneak out of my bed," he growled.

"Me too," she answered before leaning up to kiss him. "Goodnight, handsome. Sweet dreams."

"You too, beautiful," he answered in return.

It wasn't much longer that they were both sleeping soundly.

*****

Jack didn't get much in the way of sleep that night. For one, it was the first night spent back in his own bed, having earned a pass from Dr. Kendall to leave the infirmary. Not that his own bed wasn't a welcome change of pace from the lumpy infirmary beds, it was just that he'd adapted to sleeping with the additional sounds of the infirmary in the background. In his own quarters the tranquil sounds of nothingness seemed a bit unnerving at least for the first night.

The other welcome development was that he was able to dispense with the painkillers for the first time since the fight with Daimanos. He had finally reached a point where the multiple slashes across his body ceased to throb with pain and for that he was very thankful. While the task force seemed to wait for him to heal, they could only delay so long before getting back to the mission.

While he readied himself, he applied a healing cream given to him by Kendall across his wound, pleased to see that they no longer looked as ugly as they had in the previous days. It was close to scabbed over, and as Jack ran his cream-dabbed fingers over the cut, not a speck of blood appeared on the other side.

Satisfied with the results, Jack chose to forgo the bandage and simply slipped on an undershirt and finally his jacket. He had to be at the palace soon, and he wanted to get moving quickly. Heron had chosen to reside in one of the rooms of the palace for the time being, and Jack wanted to see if any leads had shown up over the night about the location of the treasury.

Jack stepped out of his quarters and made his way above deck, his fingers tapping along the railing on the way to the bridge as he always did. He chose not to take his customary stop at the bow of the ship this morning and instead climbed into the bridge to meet with the current watch officer.

Thankfully, it wasn't Anna's watch, as he still hadn't had another conversation with the brunette officer since their last awkward encounter. Even though he intended to have an eventual heart-to-heart with the woman, he didn't want to have to start that conversation when he was already in a rush to get to the palace.

Instead, Jack found Kyle sitting at the command station with some coffee, already fighting to stifle a yawn.

"You're going to need some sleep soon," said Jack with a chuckle as he stepped into the bridge.

"I'm going to get some in a little bit as soon as my relief comes," answered Kyle while taking a large sip of coffee.

"How was everything overnight? Quiet? Any issues?"

"Quiet as can be," answered Kyle. "The ship is rather calm. Nothing unordinary from the Tiger or the Valiant either."

"That's great news," said Jack. "Let the others know I've gone up to the palace. I need to meet with Heron first thing."

"Will do, Jack. Do you need an escort? Want me to round up some of the Marines to go with you?"

Jack shook his head. "No, that's okay. The city is well under control, and there's enough Marines out on the streets as is already. I'll be fine."

"Aye, sir. See you soon," said Kyle, returning back to his coffee.

Jack slipped out of the bridge and made his way back down to the main deck and then to the stern of the ship. Slipping into his own launch boat, he made his way to the main dock and tied up the boat to one of the wooden posts.

It was still early enough in the morning that the sun hadn't quite crested over the horizon and the sky remained a brilliant display of dull orange and purple. For the time of day, not many were out yet and Jack ran into marine patrols more often than he did other Sorellans. What Sorellans he did see where outside their homes, trying to clean up their battered city from the ravages of war. The sight did make him smile at seeing the people trying to rebuild after such a harsh conflict.

Jack still struggled up the main staircase to the palace, finding himself winded after making his way to the top. While not quite as bad as the day before, he was looking forward to being fully healed and not feeling so useless by the simplest of tasks. Making his way past the giant fountain, he entered the west side of the palace and made his way into the great hall.

It wasn't hard to find the king, and Jack spotted Heron near the giant, deliberating table where they had eaten their meager dinner the night before. The man still carried a worried look, written deep into the contours of his faces.

"Ah, Jack. Good morning," said Heron, offering a friendly smile despite the situation.

"Good morning, Heron. I'm curious if we've received any good news over the night?"

Heron took a deep breath. "Nothing yet. Nothing has been found or reported by any of the marines guarding the city. Of course, it makes it a little harder when we can't ask the citizens directly."

Jack nodded. "You're worried about causing a panic with them? Or a riot?"

"Exactly, Jack," answered Heron. "I don't want the common people to know the treasury is missing. Half of them might just go looking for it if they had the knowledge and cause unnecessary bloodshed. The other half might just look unfavorably on us for not recovering it and that might hurt our chances of rebuilding with these people. Either way, I don't want to take that chance."

"Understandable," said Jack with a quick nod. "So what's the plan from here?"

"We keep sending patrols out deeper into the countryside," said Heron. "We're hoping that if someone did steal the gold and make a run for it, we can catch them before they get too far. That much gold is going to be extremely heavy, and they won't be able to move quickly."

"What's our contingency plan?" asked Jack. "What happens if we don't catch up to the gold or find it at all?"

Heron swallowed visibly and averted his gaze. "That's going to make rebuilding Sorella much more difficult. As you can imagine, my own treasury is just about empty. The war has been ruinous and soldiers aren't cheap. I'm almost afraid to think of what may happen if they get away," said Heron.

"We'll just have to make sure that they don't," said Jack firmly. "Luckily, we have the only forces on the island capable of securing it. As long as they stay on the island, we can find them."

"That's what worries me the most," said Heron. "With that much gold, they can easily find passage away from the island. If they leave Sorella, our chances of finding them approach zero. We must find them before that happens."

Before Jack could respond, the main doors to the palace slammed open as a group of soldiers made their way inside. At the head of the group was Nikias, wearing a triumphant smile on his face as the group held another man by the arms, carrying him along while his feet scraped against the floor. The man was either unconscious or dead judging by the way his head hung unresponsively against his chest.

"My king! We've found something!" said Nikias as the entire group came to a stop just before Jack and Heron.

Jack took one look at the man being carried and realized that he wasn't unconscious. He was just drunk. His head rolled from side to side until he was dropped on the floor unceremoniously by the Marine guards.

"Who is this, Nikias?" asked Heron while pointing to the man. "What's going on?"

Nikias pointed down to the drunken man himself. "I had the marines searching all the common areas of the city below. Public markets, taverns and the like. Of course, all of them were looking for clues on the gold but I figured no one would be stupid enough to steal Daimanos' gold and go spending it in the local tavern. So we started looking for people. Specifically, servants who had worked at the palace."

"Being that I know just about every servant who served in these halls, I would know what best to look for. That's when we noticed this man here."

The drunken man raised his head to look at the king upon being mentioned. His eyes were extremely bloodshot and his stare was blank. He wore a simple, white tunic, although it had long since been stained with mud or some other material and clearly needed a wash.

Nikias bent forward to grab a piece of the man's tunic. "This man himself was the personal servant to the minister Barak. This symbol in the corner means that he was part of the palace household. Of course, spending so much time around the minister meant I always saw this man not far behind."

Heron nodded quickly and then addressed the drunken man. "What is your name? Is this true? Were you servant to the minister Barak?"

The man opened his mouth but only a hiccup came out. He slurred something inaudibly before falling silent.

Jack turned to one of the marines. "Go grab a bucket of water. There's a bucket by the door and take the water from the fountain. Go quickly."

The marine arrived back a few minutes later with a full bucket and handed it off to Jack. Jack took hold of it and immediately dumped it on the drunken man, thoroughly drenching him in the cold fountain water.

"Hey! Why'd yah have to be such an ashhole for?" hollered the man while staring daggers at Jack.

Jack smiled grimly. "We had to get your attention somehow. Now, can you answer the king's question?"

"I did alfready," slurred the man. "Yesh, I was the servant to Barak."

"What were you responsible for? What was your role?" asked Heron.

The man hiccupped before responding. "Mostly to fetch his meals and the occasional whore from the city. Just female whores though. He didn't look at me that way."

"Do you know where he is now?" asked Heron. "We really need to locate the man and it's of critical importance that we find him soon."

"I haven't the slightest idea," said the man while shrugging his shoulders. "He wasn't in the habit of telling me his ev'ry whereabouts. That probably caused more harm than good. I was always trying to find him throughout the palace, and he'd get mad at me when he couldn't find me. That was really his problem though, not mine."

"Do you know where he could have gone? Does he have any family on the island? Any associates?" asked Jack.

The man shook his head. "Not that he'd tell us. We're just servants, man. We're not privy to their comings or—hic—goings."

"What were you doing down in the tavern? And what is your name?" asked Heron.

"You can call me Pot, sir," said the drunken man while giving a broken smile.

"Pot. Like what you cook your food in?" asked Jack curiously.

Pot gave him an acid look. "No, like what you smoke," he said sarcastically. "Us normal folk aren't so lucky to have long and fancy names like you lot."

He then turned to face the king. "Anyway, I was enjoying a late-night meal and a drink down at the tavern, but I seemed to get a little carried away with my drinking. It just happens sometimes!"

Heron gestured to Nikias. "Check his pockets."

"Hey, now there's no need to do—hey! Hey!" Pot yelled loudly as the marines grabbed him by the arms and pulled him up. Nikias walked in front of the man and reached inside his pockets, pulling out a few everyday items until finding the one thing he was looking for.

"Hey, that's mine! You can't steal that!" yelled Pot as he was let down by the Marines once again.

Nikias handed off a gold coin back to Heron. The king inspected it closely before nodding solemnly. "This was already stolen once. I'm sure you recognize your former king on the backside of the coin, don't you?" Heron flipped it over to show the profile of Daimanos.

"No, no, I earned that for being a good servant. Barak gave that to me just before he left!"

"Left for where? Tell us where he went?" pressed Nikias.

"I told you already. I have no idea!" said Pot. "The man never shared details with the help."

"How many of these coins did he give you? And when was it?"

Pot brought a finger to his lips and tapped against it gently. "Let's see—it was just about three days ago or roughly around there. It was well after Daimanos left the city and then of course we all heard about him getting killed and all that. After that, most of the palace staff went a little crazy, as you could probably have told from how you found it."

"Anyway, Barak came back to the city in a rush one night insisting that we find a grain wagon for him. He was quite animated about finding one immediately. Well, a few servants and I went down into the city and purchased one to be given to him. He had a few soldiers with him but all of them looked to be in rough shape and they needed to get moving quickly."

Pot then shrugged. "I figured he was in some kind of trouble. Everyone seemed to not know what was going to happen next, and I figured he just wanted to flee the city. He left that night but not before giving me three gold coins for all of my work."

"The coins were for getting him the grain wagon, I take it?" asked Heron.

"I suppose so. It's funny though because we've never been paid in actual currency before. To be a palace servant, you get to live in the palace and your meals and board are taken care of for you. So rather unusual to receive some gold but in times like this, I can understand why."

"So he gave you three coins three days ago and you haven't seen him since? That's about the gist of it, am I right?" asked Jack.

"More or less," answered Pot.

"Where's the other two coins?" asked Heron. "You only had one in your pocket."

"Well about that, sir, I've kind of already spent them," said Pot with an embarrassed look. He began to rub his hands together in a nervous way. "You see, when you're a palace servant, you don't get to leave this place much, and you certainly don't get to partake in life's more finite pleasures very often."

"Like getting drunk?" asked Nikias dryly.

"Like having a good drink," corrected Pot with an angry look. "So I went down to the tavern, and I drank my woes away. Even had the chance to purchase a nice lady for the night with some really fine knockers! It was great," said Pot with a dreamy smile on his face.

Heron's face darkened considerably. "Are you aware boy that you just stole money from your government's treasury and used it on drinks and whores?"

The smile dropped from Pot's face almost immediately. "B-but it wasn't stolen. Barak gave it to me—"

"That's because he stole it!" roared Heron. "He stole it from the treasury. Just because he gave it to you doesn't make it any less stolen!"

"W-well, I didn't know, sir!" squeaked Pot. "I'm just a servant. How am I supposed to know that? It's all Barak's fault, I tell you! He's the one you need to be going after. Not me!"

"You're in just as much trouble until we figure out where he's at," said Heron. "You need to search your brain. Think, man, think! Barak had to say something. Let something slip up that you could have overheard. We need to find where he went with the treasury!"

Pot looked too frightened to even think. The effects of the booze had just about worn off due to fear, and the poor man sat there almost shaking in the presence of the king. If anything, it didn't help his stutter.

"I-I don't know, s-sir! I just remember him telling me to f-fetch the wagon! And to be quick about it." Pot brought his hands to his face and started to pound the side of his head, as if that might make him think better.

"You know, it's just too bad," said Nikias with a shake of the head. "The real culprit here is Barak. He's the one who should be hung for the theft. Too bad we're going to have to hang you if we can't find him."

Pot paled visibly. "H-hang me?"

Nikias nodded his head. "What a shame. But then again, stealing is stealing. If only we had the real criminal, then we could just let you go."

Jack almost had to smile at the performance that Nikias was putting on for the man. The slight smile on the minister's face confirmed that they wouldn't actually do anything to the servant, but a little bit of fear might just jog his memory and help to figure out where Barak had gone.

"I don't know. I don't know!" said a more panicked Pot. "I just remember getting the wagon. And listening to Barak with those soldiers. He just kept telling them to move quickly. Like the rest of us. Always more quickly—we were always too slow for them. He needed to get moving. Something about getting more from the temple. Although I don't know what that means—"

"Stop just a second," said Heron with a raised hand. "Temple, what temple?"

"I'm not sure, sir. He just said they had to get moving to the temple soon and they were going to get more of it there. I don't know what they meant by more of it though, sir."

Heron looked back and forth from Jack to Nikias while mouthing the word it. Before long, he then turned back to Pot. "Did they say anything else?"

"No, sir. That's all of it, I promise!"

"What gate did they leave from?" asked Nikias. "Where did they go once they got the wagon?"

Pot's eyes rolled up in thought. "They went through the northern gate, sir! Just beyond the palace. That wagon was loaded down and completely covered with all kinds of tarps and blankets. Say, you don't think they had the treasury loaded on there, do you?"

Heron flipped the coin back at Pot. "That's all that we need of you, Pot. Take this coin and go now. I want you to tell no one of your encounter with us today. Not a word of what's been discussed in this room. Understand me?"

"A-and you won't h-hang me, right? No hanging?" asked Pot.

"No hangings. Unless I get word of someone down at the tavern running their mouth about a stolen treasury," said Heron firmly. "Then you and I will be having a second conversation, and I can promise you it won't be nearly as pleasant as this one."

Pot scampered to his feet. "I got it, sir! I won't tell a soul, not one! Thank you, sir! I'll be going now."

Heron allowed the man to leave and he quickly shuffled out of the palace, no doubt looking for the nearest place to relieve himself after that meeting. As soon as the doors to the palace were closed, Jack turned to face Heron.

"Do you have any idea what he was referring to? I'm still just as lost as before he came in," said the commander.

Heron nodded. "I'd be willing to bet the entire treasury that I know where Barak is going. There can only be one place." The king then turned to look at Nikias. "Is there a map of all of Sorella in here somewhere? Surely, Daimanos had a study of some sort, right?"

"Yes, let's go this way," said Nikias, pointing down another grand hallway. The three of them hurried down the hall as the Sorellans stepped with purpose and a spring in their step. Jack rushed along behind them, eager to find out what clue they had discerned from the interrogation of Pot.

Finally, they entered the study, which had a large map of the entire island set against one entire wall. Jack looked on in stunning detail as all of the triangular-shaped island was mapped out in full detail, including Daimanos' city on the far eastern point, Heron's city on the far western point, and the various other little towns all over. All dominated by the single, solitary mountain in the middle of the island.

"Will this work for you purposes, Sire?" asked Nikias.

"That's perfect. Thank you," said Heron as he studied the map. He placed his finger over their current location in the city and began to trace paths out of the city. Most of them led in a northerly direction, but most of the time, his finger drifted closer to the mountain in the center. Finally, Heron tapped excitedly at the mountain and turned to face the other two with a triumphant face.

"I got it. I know where he went," said the king with a beaming smile. "He's gone to the ancient temple of Malicoe near the crest of Mount Tarpeious."

"Temple? Temple of Malicoe?" asked Nikias. "That's the temple he was referring to?"

"It has to be," said Heron. "It's the only place worth going to."

"You've lost me," said Jack. "What's so special about the temple?"

Heron turned to face him. "That temple was the very first one built to our main god, Malicoe. It was built by the legendary first king of Sorella, Decon, as an offering for saving him and letting him survive on the island. Back in those days, pirates swarmed the coasts of the island, so the only safe place was Mount Tarpeious in the center of the island."

"Decon washed ashore from a fishing vessel and in order to not be taken by pirates, he crept deep into the interior of the island, making his temporary home on the mountain. He was near starvation after several days when a vision of Malicoe came to him in the night and imparted the wisdom of hunting and survival on the young fisherman. With that knowledge, Decon was able to kill his first real supper on the island, a wild boar. He built an altar to the god on the spot where he received that first message."

Nikias then picked up the story from Heron. "After Decon had taken a wife and had children, he later commissioned the building of a great temple in Malicoe's honor on the same spot as the altar. It was a grand temple for the time and the first official temple in the god's honor anywhere on Sorella."

"What's the significance of it though?" asked Jack. "Why would Barak be taking the treasury there of all places? What's the reasoning?"

"To get more of it," said Heron, quoting the drunken servant from earlier. "He's going to steal the sacred offering of Malicoe." Nikias visibly paled and choked as soon as he heard the words from his king.

"What is that offering? More gold?" asked Jack.

"Gold is the majority of it, yes," said Heron. "There are several artifacts in there of unquestionable value as well. Decon's original fighting sword for example as well as several of his queen Veratay's jewels. It's a literal goldmine for anyone so inclined to steal it."

Nikias interrupted the king. "But how could he steal it? That treasury is sacred! Any man who steals from the temple will be doomed forever by the gods themselves—every Sorellan knows that. How could Barak think to steal that treasure and not lose his soul?"

"I don't know," said Heron with a shake of the head. "We have to come to terms with the fact that there is some dark force over the man now, responsible for his actions."

"Surely, it wouldn't be so sacrosanct to a simple thief just looking for a payday, right?" asked Jack. "Maybe Barak isn't as religious as we all assume so the threats don't have any meaning to him."

Nikias and Heron both looked at each other before looking at Jack. "I don't think you understand, Jack. Every Sorellan child knows the story of the founders and the gods. Every Sorellan will make a pilgrimage to the temple at least once in their life. It is one of our only sacred places, central to our entire culture. It's inconceivable that he thinks to steal it."

Nikias intervened at that point. "Jack, to show you how important it is to our island, it has remained untouched even during the civil war. Even with half the island starving, no one has broken into the temple to steal the gold even just to remain alive. Even Daimanos knew better and left it alone. The threat of being damned forever by the gods is too powerful for Sorellans to overcome. If he hopes to steal the treasure, it can only mean there is some foreign force at work on Barak right now. To make him betray his own people and his homeland is unthinkable."

"It would be like if your emperor willingly destroyed his own cities and people just for material gain. His soul would be damned for all eternity," said Nikias while trying to put things into perspective.

Jack nodded as his brain processed the minister's words. Such an action wasn't imaginable even for someone as despicable as Charles IX. Yet, the equivalence let him know how important the treasure was to the Sorellans and what they had to do to stop Barak.

"How soon can we get there? If we have to stop him, we'll need to get moving quickly," said Jack.

Heron traced his finger along the path to Mount Tarpeious. "The journey will take several days. Unfortunately, most of it will have to be on foot. The path to the mountain is ancient and narrow, not good for horses. Not to mention, most of that countryside is still devastated from the war, so we'd have to travel lightly and quickly through the interior."

"We should get moving soon then. Especially if he has a head start of three days on us."

"He can't be moving that fast with that grain wagon though. It will be slow going for them, especially as they get closer to the mountain," said Nikias.

"We need to stop that man, and we need to do it soon," said Heron firmly while pointing to the mountain. "If he escapes this island with all that treasure, then the Sorellan people will have suffered through this civil war for no recompense. He must be stopped!"