In the study of the Archduke's Manor estate, Cathy looked at the disfigured portraits spread all over the big table at the centre.
"Ric, what is going on here?" she asked, confused at Eldric, whose hands were stained with different coloured ink, his long ash-brown hair looking uneven and unkempt. "What are you doing with Lady Elara's portraits?" she gasped. "Do you want to get banned from the Black Moor residence too?" he turned, asking her.
"I did not get banned!" she yelled. "The emperor is just momentarily angry at Lady Elara and taking it out on me. Anyway, the real question is, what are you doing?" she repeated.
"I have this nagging feeling that I know her from somewhere, but something in her features is different, so I was trying different types of eye colour on the portrait," he explained.
"And did you find what is wrong?" she asked.
"Not yet," he paced around the room. "I hate it when I have this nagging feeling; it does not let me relax. I will keep thinking about it," he added.
"Maybe you just saw her in the palace," Cathy said, taking a seat. "Anyway, did you get so many portraits of her?" she asked.
"I took them from the walls in the city. Captain Conner went wild, sticking the portraits on every wall," Eldric said, taking a seat in front of her. "Tell me more about Lady Elara; I would like to know everything."
"I haven't been with her long enough to know everything about her, but she tricked me into drinking warm milk with honey and chamomile tea, tucking me in bed, knowing perfectly well she was about to escape, and here I was thinking she was so nice and cared about me. How stupid of me," Cathy said, her eyes red with fury. "I will never forgive her."
A big laugh sounded, interrupting her rambling, as Eldric bent, clutching his stomach.
"She is so clever!" he said.
"What is so funny? You are so annoying! I will leave!" Cathy said, standing up and bolting out of the study room, leaving behind a roar of laughter.
"What am I missing?" he said, knocking on the portraits. He stood up, picked up his cloak from the chair. "Herald, what did the man who was to take us to the black-market say?" he asked his knight.
"We are meeting him at sunset in the city, sire," the knight replied.
"Are you sure the human trafficker will be there tonight?" Eldric asked while walking.
"That is what I heard sire," he answered following him.
"Okay, time to get to work," Eldric said. "I have never seen a puzzle I haven't been able to solve, and this one will be just like the rest," he said, stopping next to a horse, and he jumped effortlessly onto it. The knight mounted another horse. "Giddy up!" he said, pressing his heels softly on the sides of the horse as he held the reins with one hand.
Evie couldn't believe her eyes; the sight before her was mesmerising. A two-story building with people milling around stood before them. It was buzzing, but unlike the main market, there was a sinister feeling in the air. She looked to her right; a man was standing with over twenty colourful snakes coiled around different parts of his body, negotiating heatedly with another man who looked interested in buying a snake.
Max moved closer to Evie, afraid of the snakes, and she moved him to the opposite side away from the snake man.
"Which part do you need to go to?" Thorian said turning to Evie.
"I need fake identification paper, a carriage, and a male servant," she said easily, as if she were reading off a grocery list. "But I want you to be the one acquiring them for me, as I can't go with you," she said, looking at Max and Helga.
"Sure, I will go. Let me rent you a viewing room as I go buy your things. I need the three names and ages," he said, reaching into his sleeve and pulling out a scroll and pen.
"Let's go," he said, leading them to the building. "One viewing room," Thorian told the attendant at the door, handing him a coin.
"This way, sire," the man said leading them upstairs.
Evie felt chills on the back of her neck. "I need to get out of here fast," she said, shuddering. She had a very bad feeling in the depths of her guts.
In the palace, two maids were fiercely fighting, ripping each other's hair out.
"My mistress did not run away with a man! She is not like that!" a small voice sounded, almost on the verge of tears.
"I will tear your mouth! How dare you sully my mistress's name!" Lila said, sitting on top of another maid and tugging on her hair. "I will beat anyone who says that to death!" she added as the small crowd of maids gathered, trying to separate the two.
"What is going on?" the butler shouted stopping the two fighting girls. "What are you, a marketplace of shrews? How dare you fight in the palace!" he roared as the two girls stood fixing their shaggy hair and clothes.
"She said my mistress ran away with a man!" Lila said feeling so wronged in place of her mistress. "My mistress is the nicest person and will never do such a thing!" she said, now fully sobbing.
"Who taught you that?" the butler said, turning to the other maid, who had a bleeding face and chunks of her hair missing. "Matron, take her to the punishment ground," he added as two matrons swiftly took the crying maid.
"I didn't say that! Please!" the maid shouted, her cries growing fainter and fainter as she was taken away.
"And you," the butler said, turning to Lila, "you will not receive any salary this month. Now go to the royal boutique; the seamstress was asking about you," he said, flicking his robes and leaving afterwards.
"Mistress, why did you leave me?" Lila said, rubbing her tears as she looked at the empty Moonlight Pavilion, walking towards the royal boutique, her back slouched.