"Something is not adding up," Lorian thought to himself, "We are definitely missing something. It is right in front of our faces, but we are just ignoring it."
Later that evening, Lorian and Selena decided to take a walk through the city streets to clear their heads. Anya, Jax, Maeve, and Cillian joined them, though they hung back a few paces to give the two leaders some privacy. Four guards from the Arcane Watch were assigned to the role of their security personnel and Guide in the city. They walked a short distance ahead to secure the way. Even though Lorian was the one who had asked to go out, he stayed completely silent the entire walk, not looking at anyone or speaking a word.
Selena finally reached out and gently grabbed his hand, "Hey, you know you can share anything with me if you want to, right?"
Lorian turned his gaze toward her and forced a weak smile, "Yes, silly, I know. But how can I explain it when I don't even know what it is myself? That's why I wanted to get out of the palace. It was feeling way too suffocating in there."
"Hey, it's okay," Selena said, tightening her grip on his arm, "We're out now, and we're right here with you. Your friends, me, my men- we've all got your back. Let's find a good place to grab some food and a drink."
She called over the lead Arcane Watch guard and asked him to direct them to a high-end tavern that fit their rank. The guard nodded and led them to a posh, sophisticated lounge called The Velvet Astrolabe.
At a signal from Lorian, Anya walked over to the tavern owner and handed him a heavy pouch filled with gold, buying out the entire place for the night. The experienced owner did not even bother to open it. The sheer weight of the pouch told him it was far more than he could ever make in a single night. Besides, the tavern was mostly empty since it was still early evening. He gladly locked the doors behind them.
Lorian and Selena took a table near the back. Their four companions sat at the table right next to them, while the four Arcane Watch guards took a post near the front door, agreeing to eat but refusing any alcohol since they were strictly on duty.
Once the waiters had dropped off their food and drinks and hurried away, Selena leaned across the table and took both of his hands.
"Look into my eyes," she whispered, "You are going to tell me everything right now. You know I never push you to talk when you're holding back. But not today. You have to tell me, please. Even if your own mind is telling you it sounds crazy, or like some stupid fever dream- just tell me." She tilted her head, searching his troubled face, "You know I'll never judge you. So please, I'm begging you."
Lorian placed his hand over hers and forced a smile, "Please don't talk like that. You don't need to prove anything about what you think about me, or what we mean to each other. It's not that I'm trying to hide things from you. It's just... I don't even know how to describe it. I feel like we are trapped in a web. Not just one web, but a whole bunch of them overlapping. Everyone is tangled in someone else's trap. And worse, we're all caught in a much bigger web, and some giant, ugly spider is just sitting in the dark, waiting for us to eat each other and get fat. And once we're fat enough, it's going to swoop down and swallow us all in one bite."
"I know what you mean," Selena said softly, "I've felt it too. Ever since we crossed into Solara, it felt like walking straight into a trap. But this massacre- and happening on multiple fronts at once- that's on a massive scale. Only a few powers on this entire continent could pull something like that off. The Empire, Port Azure, and..." She paused, staring straight into his eyes, "Veridia!"
"Why not Aethelgard?" Lorian countered, "Just because people think Marcus is a big musclehead? What if he puts on that rough act just to fool everyone while he is actually a cold-hearted strategist?"
"Honestly," Selena sighed, "at this point, I suspect every single one of them. Even Sylvana. Was the old High Druid really too sick to travel, or was it just an excuse to get rid of those two,- because of internal politics? What if the other attacks were just staged to throw off our suspicion?"
"That too," Lorian said, raising his glass in agreement.
"But," Selena murmured, tracing a finger along the rim of her cup, "it all comes back to the weird nature of those assassins. Remember the Vahuka monsters that attacked you back at Auric Spire? Those were artificial creatures, too." She leaned in close, "The Vahuka were secretly made by a rogue professor at the Academy of Solara. Our mothers were his students and helped him out for a bit. But the research failed, the professor got kicked out, and our mothers got away with it only because there was no proof."
"Wait, but the descriptions of these new assassins don't match the Vahuka at all," Lorian said, a note of confusion creeping into his voice.
"I know they don't. I've read my mother's old research notes, so I'm sure of that," Selena replied, "These things are different. But what if they are something similar? And who else has the power to create monsters like that?"
Lorian's jaw tightened, "Solara."
"Think about it," Selena pressed on, "We all get secret letters from Solara telling us to meet up right away. The rumors about the Empire aren't even confirmed. I'm not saying the rumor isn't real….I'm saying this whole situation gives Solara a golden chance to wipe out the leadership of every single neighboring city-state in one clean sweep."
Before Lorian could answer, a loud, heavy tolling bell echoed through the city streets. Both Veridians and Valorians jumped at the harsh sound of the gong ringing out so late in the evening.
Instantly, the four Arcane Watch guards bolted up from their table by the door and rushed over to them.
"My Lord, my Lady, I am so sorry to ruin your meal," the lead guard panted, he was looking pale as if he had seen a ghost, "We have to get back to the Palace of Spire right now!"
Lorian and Selena stood up, completely caught off guard. "What is it?" Lorian demanded, "What is happening?"
"That bell," the guard said, his voice was shaking slightly, eyes were full of panic; "It means the Grand Scholar is dead."