Suddenly, Selena looked over Makran's shoulder. Piercing the solid darkness behind him were a pair of eyes, glowing like hot coals. Selena would never forget those eyes; a flicker of hope rekindled in her heart.
Two clawed hands appeared on the shoulders of Makran and the Valorian guard standing beside him. They were gently pushed apart, and between them appeared a solid mass of shadow. The figure bowed to Selena, and Makran and the two guards followed suit. Selena's eyes filled with joy. She tried to rush toward the shadow but tripped. With a quick reflex, the shadow lunged and caught the princess before she fell.
"Thanks, Jax," she whispered in gratitude.
"My pleasure, my lady," Jax whispered back as he helped her to her feet. She wrapped her arm around Jax's neck, and he walked her inside the room. Makran began to say something but fell silent when Jax glared at him.
Kaelen emerged from within as Jax carried Selena inside. Jax handed two pouches to the guards and a larger, heavier pouch to Makran. Makran bounced the pouch in his palm to estimate the weight. Satisfied, he gave a yellow-toothed grin and a courteous bow. Kaelen patted Makran's shoulder, "Keep this up, and by the time we leave Valoria, you will have more money than your superiors could earn in ten years."
Makran left, bowing repeatedly to Kaelen. Kaelen looked at the other guards; they nodded, offered a salute, and returned to their posts. Jax escorted Selena, still disguised as Ariana, to her bed, "Please, take your rest, my lady."
"B-but Lo..." she began, but Jax promptly interjected, "Do not worry. As long as we breathe, no harm will come to... you know who."
A beautiful smile of gratitude played on her lips. She didn't answer, simply nodding her head in agreement. Jax added in his bestial but soft voice, "You must rest now. You know you need it. For yourself... and for him."
She did not protest. She closed her eyes, and the exhaustion as well as the sleep she had been denied for so many days finally took hold. Her eyelids grew heavy, and she quickly fell into a deep sleep.
On the other side of the room, another drama was unfolding. Alsnow was quietly surprised and disturbed by how events were progressing. He approved of nothing he was seeing since the beginning of the mission. The team was engaged in a deadly mission to rescue a girl who might be a witch; then Count Leo's maid had surprisingly taken the initiative to lead the rescue; and now, she had returned alone while Jax and Kaelen acted strangely around her. To top it off, Zara had left with Ariana but had not yet returned.
Baron Torin had a hunch about what was happening, but like Count Leo, he decided to stay quiet. Alsnow, however, began to grumble. Leo and Torin were growing annoyed, but because Alsnow was close to the Lord himself, they tried to patiently calm the old man down. Soon the door opened, and Kaelen and Zara entered. Kaelen, using a surprisingly commanding tone, ordered everyone to calm down and go to sleep. There was such an air of authority in his voice that everyone, without protest, lay down and pretended to sleep.
Around half an hour passed. The door opened silently, just a narrow crack. A shadowy figure slipped inside. Among the group, only Selena, Alsnow, and the Baron's attendant were truly asleep; the others were merely pretending. The shadow searched every corner of the room- beneath the beds, inside the trunks, and within the wardrobes. It leaned over each of the eight beds, trying to recognize faces in the dimly lit room.
When the figure moved past Jax, whose bed was closest to the door, Jax stealthily crawled down and placed a glass on the floor in front of the exit before returning to his bed. As the shadow tried to leave, it tripped over the glass and fell hard with a loud thud. The intruder cried out in a familiar feminine voice. Immediately, the five who were awake jumped up, shouting "Thief!" and "Assassin!" Alsnow bolted upright, screaming about pirates.
The ruckus brought the guards from outside, and with them arrived an unexpected guest- Mordan Terance.
"What the hell is happening?" Alsnow shouted furiously, "An assassin entered our room while your people were supposed to be watching? Do you realize the implications if one of us had died?"
The old man's violent accusation made Mordan nervous. Whatever excuses he had prepared were lost in the face of Alsnow's verbal attack. Makran arrived a moment later and quickly grasped the situation. "What were you two imbeciles doing?" he shouted, slapping both guards hard.
Mordan found a breather as the focus shifted to the guards. He grabbed the intruder in black clothes- it was the maid. "She is in league with the witch and her mother!" Mordan shouted, grabbing her by the hair, "I am extremely sorry for this inconvenience. I am increasing your security immediately."
Mordan quickly scanned the room and the eight people present. Nothing looked out of place. Frustrated, he left, dragging the maid away by her hair. Before he departed, Kaelen informed him that he would be bringing his own soldier inside to guard the room from within. Mordan reluctantly agreed. Kaelen left with him and returned a moment later with a Throne Guard.
Alsnow sat on his bed, face buried in his hands, "The poor girl... she's caught. The Valorians will make her confess, and we will all be finished."
"Who is the poor girl here?" asked a familiar voice.
Everyone turned toward the Throne Guard. Leo immediately knelt, and Torin, reading the room, followed suit. Alsnow stood puzzled, wondering why the noblemen were kneeling to a common soldier.
The answer came as the soldier removed his helmet. It was Lorian Throne himself.
"My Lord, you..." Alsnow exclaimed. Lorian smiled and signaled for him to lower his voice.
"So, my hunch was right?" Leo asked proudly.
"So was mine," Lorian smiled, "And I think Baron Torin realized the truth as well?"
Torin scratched his head, "I wish I could claim that. I only realized what was happening after seeing Count Leofrick's reaction after you and Miss Zara left the room."
Alsnow rushed to Lorian, "But my Lord, were you not gravely injured? Why did you hide yourself from us in such a disguise? Please, tell us!"
"I will tell you everything," Lorian said, turning to the Baron's attendant, "But first, be a good lad. Soak these in alcohol and throw them into the fireplace."
Lorian handed over the Justicar uniform and Selena's torn rags. The attendant followed the orders, and the last evidence of their heist turned to cinder. Lorian walked toward Selena. She was sleeping peacefully, though her face contorted occasionally from the trauma of the past few days. He took a deep breath of relief and sat on the edge of the bed. The others gathered around him, waiting to hear his story.