Nik was in the outskirts of the city, waiting outside a small, ramshackle house. Knocking and shouting hadn't succeeded in getting it open, so now Nik's strigulos were busy kicking in the door to the small house, which had been barred from the inside. He never came to this part of the city, but he'd received word from a church friend about a soldier looking for sanctuary who lived here. The soldier had been unwilling to tell the priests anything in detail, but he said several of his friends had turned up dead. He’d said they'd all been on a mission together on which "something terrible" had happened and now “somebody powerful” wanted to silence them. The church had turned him away due to his unsavory nature and unwillingness to confide in them.

Nik was so far from the palace he was almost in the slums outside the city walls. The houses here were wattle and daub, sturdier than the wood and mud slum huts outside the walls, but they still looked like a heavy rain would wash them away. The streets were narrow, little more than alleyways, and covered in filth. There was no sewage system out here. The people were either poor, honest folk, or poor, dishonest scum, but in either case people who only survived due to the charity of the church and the grain allowance. Most of them scurried away when Nik and his entourage had appeared, hiding the shadows, peaking out from behind narrow windows and crude doors. No honest soldier would live here, but Nik already knew the man he was looking for was a former associate of Euphastolon's. Euphastolon had paid well, but Nik guessed his sort wasted the money on wine, gambling, and prostitutes.

As soon as he had heard about the man, Nik had tried to find him. Pelagius had used his powers as Milem to locate the man in just a couple of days. A mercenary in Euphastolon's pay involved in something he wouldn't admit even to the church, and now targeted by someone who wanted to silence them. You didn't need to be a genius to put it together. With luck, Nik would soon have a witness who could connect Cordelian to either Vicca's or Meronion's murder. He rocked impatiently on his heels as he waited for his guards to break the door down. Once they did he almost leapt inside, even before some of the strigulos made it in.

The house was dark, with only small openings for windows, and a foul stench filled it. As soon as he got wind of the smell, Nik almost swore to himself. He gestured for one of his strigulos to go look in the other rooms while he waited by the door, knowing what they would find.

"He's in the back storeroom, dead." His guard returned and told him what he dreaded to hear. "He barricaded himself in there, but somebody cut through the outer wall instead. He's been stabbed many times."

Nik growled loudly. "How long has he been dead?" He didn't feel the need to sully his own eyes with such a disgusting sight.

"Not long, Your Highness. Perhaps a day."

Nik grabbed the rude table nearby and hurled it across the room, were it smashed into the wall, leaving a sizeable dent. His servants flinched, aware of his recent poor temper. He stormed out of the house kicking the broken door as he went. "Why did we waste our time breaking this down when we could have just cut through the damn wall?" He shouted at the nearest strigulos, before jumping back on his horse without waiting for a response. He knew they were only following his orders, but he couldn't help but feel angry.

Ever since his trip to Hagiatrocos it had been one piece of rotten luck after another. No, not luck, Cordelian's scheming. Euphastolon's murder, and the disaster it had been for him in the court. Even worse, Ophelion had become distant. When he had gone to see her on his return, to comfort her, she had been cold to him. Nik worried she thought he had killed Euphastolon. Helastus had assured him that Ophelion would never suspect him and had promised to talk to her about it. Nik knew it wouldn't necessary to talk to her if she truly didn't suspect him. Still, the last time he'd seen his love, yesterday at a lunch with the four of them, Ophelion had seemed more cheerful, so Nik hoped Helastus was indeed working her magic.

She wouldn't have needed to if he had gotten to this hovel a couple of days earlier. He had moved as soon as word from the church had gotten to him, but of course Cordelian had been faster. He’d already known where to find the man. All he needed was one piece of solid evidence to take to the church and he could end Cordelian, but it was like grabbing hold of a river eel. Every lead slithered out of his hands, and worse, Cordelian was clearly close to eliminating any evidence remaining. Nik doubted there were many people left who could connect Cordelian to the murders at this point.

He lashed out with his goad at a tree he was passing to let out some of his frustrations. He wasn't looking forward to disappointing Pelagius again either. His little brother had been a faithful ally to him, but Nik was starting to feel he was the junior brother now. He'd gotten no hard proof linking Cordelian to Vicca's murder despite nearly two years of searching. The two of them had been looking into Meronion's death as best they could, but it had taken place so far north they could barely find anything out about it other than the official story of a Lorgorin raiding party. Euphastolon's death wasn't working out any better, since Nik wasn't welcome back at Hagiatrocos, and Pel, as the Milem, couldn't just up and leave to look for evidence.

Who else might know something he could take to the church? The only person he could think of was Theodorian. It seemed unlikely Cordelian would trust her with anything damaging, but he didn't have much choice at this point. The two of them had gotten closer lately, probably due to the diminishing number of siblings for her to talk to. She was Cordelian's full-blooded sibling though, and would probably side with Cordelian if it came down to it. However, he'd found she was more intelligent than he'd previously thought, and they'd had some interesting debates about some of the finer points of the faith. It was worth a try.

To Nik's surprise, Theodorian was holding court in the main audience hall, listening to some petitions in Fornulus' place. He couldn't imagine Cordelian would be happy about this, since he wanted everything to go through him, but as she was the Mekos, the heir to the crowns, if she insisted Cordelian wouldn't have been able to stop her. If she was standing up to Cordelian, perhaps she would be willing to help. He waited by a broad fresco behind the Stone of Doukar where Theodorian was sitting to receive the petitioners. He had no interest in revealing himself to the court, as some tempers were still running hot after his apple debacle. He'd heard some noumens in the city were already singing bawdy songs about "The Prince and the Apple" – carefully edited to allow them to deny the songs were about him, of course. Let them have their fun for now, soon they would know the truth and then they'd be calling for Cordelian's blood.

The last petitioner of the day was a wealthy merchant called Kaikos. Kaikos's concern was a trivial one: an exclusive license to import a new spice, called nutmeg, from far to the east. He'd even brought some pastries laced with it for Theodorian and some of the court to try, which they did with gusto. Nik had heard of this stuff before. Nobody knew exactly where it came from. The Scerrens, who were to the east of the Monars and as far east as the empire ever went, imported it from somewhere even further east. Strange to think there were peoples and lands out there totally unknown to them. Nik wondered if those people heard strange, half-believed stories about an empire to the west. Oma only knew if Kaikos would succeed in getting anybody to buy his spice, especially given the fantastic price it would command. There were those patros who were mad for anything expensive and rare, like that spiky-leaved yellow fruit brought back from south-western islands beyond the desert, so Kaikos was probably hoping to appeal to that set.

Once Theodorian gave Kaikos his permission, the leaving ceremony was soon complete, and she came around to the fresco to see Nik. They quickly ran through the required greetings.

Theodorian seemed reasonably cheerful for her. She did tend to melancholy even at the best of times. These were certainly not the best of times, with their family dropping in number every year.

"So how was the new spice?" He asked.

"Delicious. I'm sure it will be a hit. Here, I saved you one." She handed him a small bundle of cloth, and he thanked her, a little touched.

"It will only be for the rich, no doubt."

Theodorian smiled. "Everything worth having is expensive." She'd never been one to worry about money. "Perhaps Helastus can grow it.”

"That's not a bad idea. I might ask her about it – I'm going to see Pelagius next, and I'm sure she'll be around."

For some reason Theodorian's face took on a more cautious expression. "Oh, Pelagius. You two are still friendly?"

Nik didn't feel like sneaking around. "Pelagius is helping me work out what happened with Meronion. Specifically, who might be responsible."

"Who's responsible? Everybody agrees it was Lorgorin raiders."

"I won’t deny that I think Cordelian had something to do with it."

She sighed. "All the court knows how you feel about him now."

"Do you know anything?" He might as well be blunt. Being blunt might shake her into revealing something.

"I don't know anything more than what everyone has heard. Even if Cordelian was involved, he wouldn't tell me. He views me in much the same way as our father did. And you should know me better than to think I would ever harm one of us."

He smiled to try to defuse the situation. "I know. I never meant to imply you did anything wrong." He truly didn't. Theodorian was self-absorbed and superficial, but not malicious.

Theodorian sighed again. "I hate this. All this suspicion. I just want to be a normal family, who trust each other. Is that too much to ask for?"

"Honestly, given our position, I think it is," he said. "We have too much power and money to be normal."

She turned gloomy again. Theodorian was naïve, almost childish. After a moment he pushed again. "Theodorian, do you think Cordelian would be capable of having Meronion, or Euphastolon, killed? You know him better than anyone, so you should know if he'd kill his own siblings."

Theodorian held his gaze for a moment before looking away. "I don't think so. I don't see why he would."

"Meronion would be a powerful obstacle in his way for the throne."

"Would she?" There was some heat in her voice. "Meronion believed in hierarchy. Cordelian is ahead of her in the line of succession. She would have accepted his ascension over her, and Cordelian knew that. I think it was exactly what it looked like: some barbarians got lucky and took down their most hated enemy. Or...it's something else entirely."

"Something else, like what?"

Theodorian wouldn't meet his eyes. "You think my closeness to my brother blinds me to his nature. But I think the same is true of you."

Well, he expected her to protect her full-blooded little brother. Irritating woman. "What about Euphastolon's death?"

"Cordelian was his best friend, and he was younger than Cordelian. There's no reason to have him killed."

"Unless he wanted to make sure Euphastolon didn't tell anyone the truth about the Empress's death."

"Vicca was my best friend," she said. "I won't believe Cordelian had anything to do with her death. I can't."

"Stop being so naïve!" He shouted at her, frustrated by her willful blindness. "Cordelian would do anything to take power!"

"Watch your tone. I am the Mekos, and thus your superior." She was getting angry too.

"Stop closing your eyes to the truth. Why am I the only one who's willing to protect the empire?" He kicked a nearby tripod, making it wobble.

There were several moments of uncomfortable silence. He'd gone too far. Lately, with all the stress and Cordelian constantly seeming to be one step ahead, he'd found himself more prone to outbursts of anger.

"I suppose I had better go see Pelagius." He said and bowed to leave. He obviously wasn’t getting anything out of her today.

She spoke again, stopping him from leaving.

"I know Cordelian better than you think. I'm not blind. He's ruthless, manipulative, and power-hungry. He's not cruel though, and despite what you think, he isn't completely self-serving. He does what he does because he thinks it will help the empire in the long-run."

How gullible was this eldest sister of his? "People aren't always what we think they are."

"No, they're not," she agreed. "You should bear that in mind with all our siblings. Cordelian isn't the only dangerous one." She bowed to him slightly and started to leave, but after they had formally parted, she called down the corridor to him.

"Nikolonium, remember what we both said. Some people seem bad but are good, and others seem good but are bad. I know I can't change your mind, and I don’t have any proof of anything, so it wouldn't be right for me to say too much. Still, be careful who you choose to trust. There have always been those who will do whatever it takes to get their hands on the crowns. Bear that in mind."

Nik just nodded, surprised at her candor. "I will. Thank you Theo." He used the affectionate nickname he rarely used. So, judging by that warning, even Theodorian understood how dangerous Cordelian was.

After a frustrating conversation with Pel, where neither of them had anything new to talk about, Nik took a walk around the palace to clear his head. After a while a slave caught up to him and told him the Doukar required his presence. Fornulus had never summoned him before, so he obeyed immediately, curious as to what Fornulus could possibly want with him. Eventually Nik arrived at the antechamber directly outside Fornulus' personal bedroom, which was quiet and nearly empty. When his father had occupied these rooms there had always been many people bustling around these rooms.

"How is His Exaltedness today?" Nik asked a physician who was on her way out.

The old woman sighed. "The Doukar is as well as can be expected. We warn him not to drink too much, but he doesn’t listen."

Nik frowned. Reading between the lines, she was clearly saying Fornulus was doing badly. It had been some time since he'd visited his elder brother, but the whole capital was alight with rumors about his declining state. He asked the physician if anything could be done, but she said it was up to Fornulus if he wanted to stop or not. Nik could tell she had to stop herself from saying he was beyond saving.

Inside the imperial bedroom it stank of alcohol and sweat and vomit. Nik's mouth twisted as he pulled out his cotton handkerchief and held it to his nose. The chamber was dim, the shutters closed on the windows despite the pleasant weather, and it took his eyes a moment to adjust sufficiently to see Fornulus lying on the massive bed, buried under the sheets. His mistress was lying next him, thankfully clothed and on top of the sheets. Nik didn't care to remember her name. She was an insult to the memory of the Empress.

He walked over to see his elder brother, the most powerful man in the world, who was wheezing like a dying animal. The mistress was stroking his thinning hair, and only glanced at Nik briefly.

Fornulus focused dimmed eyes on him. "Oh, it's..."

"It's your brother, Prince Nikolonium. You called for him." The mistress said. Nik didn't recall ever speaking to her, but naturally she would know who he was.

Nik bowed and carried out the required greetings to the Doukar.

"Nikkunum, nice to see you." Fornulus said, friendlier than Nik expected. He noticed Fornulus slurred his name but didn't seem to be conscious of it.

"I'm honored, Your Exaltedness."

"Terrible about Euphasphon. Ignore those vultures at the court. Couldn't see the funny side of it."

Nik bowed his head. "I'm grateful to you for not listening to them."

"Bah, they want to tear us down. We'd never hurt each other." Fornulus loudly cleared phlegm from his throat and spat it into a handkerchief his mistress held up. Pleasant job. Nik felt more sympathetic towards her, thinking about what she must have to deal with.

Nik knew Fornulus wouldn't believe his suspicions about Cordelian, not without proof, and besides, everybody knew the mistress was in Cordelian's pocket. Best not to say anything in front of her. Nik wasn't sure Fornulus would even be able to understand him. His language was choppy, and he was slurring many of the words. He was struggling even with these short sentences.

He asked Fornulus why he'd been summoned. He barely saw Fornulus outside of formal events – they'd only spoken privately twice after their father's death. And during the second conversation Fornulus had called him "Pel" the entire time.

"Help me up." The mistress helped moved Fornulus's now sizeable bulk to a seated position, stuffing various cushions behind him to prop him up. Nik had to admit she was gentle enough with his brother, kind even.

Once sitting, Fornulus continued. "Lately I'm not feeling like myself."

"It's been a trying time, anybody would feel out of sorts" Nik said.

"I'm drinking myself right into the tomb," Fornulus retorted with a snort.

The mistress told him not to say such things. Fornulus waved her away.

"I don't care. I've had enough of this life. It's been nothing but trouble."

The mistress started crying and Fornulus lost his temper, like in the old days. He ordered the attendants to remove her from the room, while she struggled and shouted at him. Her audacity shocked Nik. He couldn't tell if she had actually come to care about Fornulus or if she was acting. It could be dismay at the thought of losing her position in the court once Fornulus was dead. Once she was gone, Fornulus turned back to Nik.

"You shouldn't say these things, Your Exaltedness. Life is a gift from Oma," Nik said.

"Oma can have it back." Fornulus started to cough, and Nik didn't have the heart to argue with him again. This time Fornulus grabbed part of the sheet to wipe off the phlegm from his lips.

He continued, slowly. "I'm worried Nik. How the rest of you will get along without me. You and Cordelian don't get along anymore." It had only taken him several years to notice it.

"I will always serve the people," Nik said.

"You're oldest after Cord now. The others are dead. Him and Pel get along great, but you two..." He trailed off, apparently unable to find the words. "Family's had enough, no more killing."

Nik reached out to put his hand on Fornulus' arm, to reassure him. "Nobody is going to kill anybody."

"Work together. Theo needs both of you. Help her."

There was no way Theodorian would ever become Doukar, Cordelian would make sure of it.

"We will Fornulus, but don't talk like this. You've got time left." Nik slipped into a more casual form of address. Fornulus was past caring.

Fornulus shook his head. "I'm going soon, I can feel it."

"Then stop drinking!"

Fornulus laughed hoarsely. "Can't do that."

Nik didn't say anything for a time. What could he say? Fornulus kept wheezing, the silence drawing out between the two of them. Nik regretted not being closer to his elder brother, not having spent more time with him, before it was too late.

"Your Exaltedness, have you ever...thought about the Empress' death?" Nik thought he should at least try.

"Every day. Don't say it."

"Your Exaltedness?" Nik said in surprise. Had Fornulus known all this time what the court whispered?

"I know what you think, but let me die in peace, little brother." Fornulus sank back into his pillows. So he preferred to wallow in willful blindness. Nik felt both pity and contempt for the man. "Help Theo when I'm gone. Promise me. No more fighting with Cord."

Nik nodded. "Of course, brother, I promise I'll do whatever I can to help Theodorian." Nik wouldn't promise to stop fighting with Cordelian. If Fornulus noticed the omission, he didn't give any indication.

The next morning Nik went to the gardens to sit at one of the pavilions and take in the sun. He didn't feel like staying in the gloom inside after his visit with Fornulus. He turned when he heard his name called.

"Nik." Nik turned at the sound of Ophelion's voice, already smiling. Lately, Ophelion had recovered some of her cheer and affection for him. Must be thanks to Helastus.

"Ophie, I'm glad to see you." He didn't bother with the formal greetings this time, since she hadn't either.

"I'm sorry I've been distant lately. I've just been having a difficult time." She stood in front of him looking down and fiddling with her fingers.

"Of course!" So much death around here, thanks to Cordelian. "I'll put a stop to those hard times, Ophie. You don't need to worry."

"Is that so?" Ophelion smiled. "Good. No matter what I'm not going down there to be married to some savage."

"Right," he said, embarassed. He'd been so fixated on Cordelian he'd almost forgotten about her arranged marriage. One mourning period after another had pushed it back so far it didn't seem like a real threat anymore. But it was, and he still had no idea how to deal with it.

"I have plans to help you," he said, evasively. He didn't have the heart to tell her the truth.

Ophelion sat opposite him and helped herself to some of his tea, which delighted him. They rarely spent time together like this in recent weeks.

"I bet you haven’t even thought about it," she said, but she didn’t seem angry. "You don't care anymore. No one does, not Pel either."

"That's not true. You know I care, and Pel does too."

"Does he? It doesn't seem like it. It would suit him just fine if I went south, then I'd no longer be in the way." He hated hearing her sound bitter, even if it wasn’t aimed at him.

"Nobody think you're in the way." He put a hand on her shoulder to reassure her. Shockingly, she suddenly turned around and hugged him.

When she pulled away from him he felt speechless and just gaped at her. She grinned impishly and said "motivation to give it some thought."

"I'll think about nothing else." How could he, after that? He felt intoxicated by her scent and the feel of her.

"Good. Pel could use some motivation too if you ask me. All the two of you think about is yourselves. Both of you should spend more time figuring out how to give me what I want." For a few moments she looked up at the clear blue sky in thought.

"You know Nik, I know something you might find interesting."

He frowned, lost by this sudden change in topic. "What's that?"

She laughed. "You'd love to know all my secrets, wouldn't you?"

Nik laughed a little too, unsure how to react. She was in a strange mood today. Flirtatious, and yet, at the same time, he thought she was angry under that surface. It reminded him of Fornulus's mistress.

"I know something Cordelian is trying to hide. Something you could use to bring him down," she said.

He sat up straight. "You do?" Nik found it hard to believe Ophie would know something so important. Maybe Meronion found out something and told her. Yes, that was definitely possible. She was the closest to Meronion out of all of them.

Ophelion tapped her lips with a finger. "I wonder who should be the next Doukar. What do you think Nik, should it be you?"

What was she up to today? He couldn’t keep up with these sudden lurches in the conversation.

Not who would be the next Doukar, but who should be. Was she testing him? "I'm not sure. Obviously Fornulus is a bad Doukar, and Cordelian should not be the Doukar. I don't have any desire for power myself, but I could do a good job if I had to."

He had never seriously considered trying for the crowns himself. He was too far down the line of succession, although, come to think of it, he wasn't nearly as far down today as he had been a couple of years ago. Ophelion gave him a mysterious look, and he couldn't tell if she liked his answer. This whole conversation was odd. He asked her what she meant.

"I've been thinking about it myself," she said. "I know who I want to be the next Doukar."

Was she saying she wanted it to be him? He felt embarrassed and flattered that she had such a high opinion of him.

"I'd choose you," he said, smiling. He reached out and took her hand. "Not just for Doukar, either. Who have you chosen? And what did you mean about Cordelian?"

"Now now, you haven’t given me what I want yet. Maybe you should ask Pel about this, he might be able to help you figure it out." Ophelion teased him.

Ophelion stood up just as suddenly as she'd sat, pulling her hand away. "Let's talk more later Nik. Give my situation some thought, and we can talk more."

"Wait, don’t go yet." He stood up too, reaching out to try to get her to stay with him.

"I told you: it’s motivation. I'll tell you all about her if you give me what I want. Better get to thinking!" She left before he could stop her.

Tell him all about 'her'? Nik watched as the person who held his heart walked off without a glance back. What a mysterious girl. Had she been merely teasing him, or did she know something important?