Borrowed Time

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Without further ado, Borrowed Time...

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The door knocker sounded and Daryis jumped up to answer it, but before he had reached the door, his visitor had already invited himself in.

"How'd you get access to this room?" Daryis asked.

"This is how you greet me after all these years?" Daryis dismissed the question. It was hardly a concern with the recent turning of events. "I'd like a drink, Daryis."

Daryis held the near-empty wine bottle up. "I'm afraid you're a little late."

Matisyn shook his head. "No matter. Sit. There is much we must discuss."
Daryis took a seat at the small table provided, offering Matisyn a seat as well, but he refused. "I'm sure you've heard word by now."

"I was one of the first to receive the news. I have several informants within the palace."

"Then you know it was one of our own."

Daryis couldn't help but swallow. "I've heard such."

Matisyn continued to pace the small room. "One thing is sure; Archadia will crown another. She must crown another or She shall be overtaken."

"It's quite soon to be thinking of such things."

"Did you not hear me? As soon as our neighbors hear word, they'll see every opportunity to take."

"Matisyn, there is a traitor among us. We cannot act without--" Daryis was lost for words and just hung his head in defeat.

"The Royal Counsel is letting little information slip through the seams. I smell conspiracy."

"I've never trusted the counsel. Obviously King Raminas didn't either, else there'd be no point to having us."

"They don't like us any more than we like them. They especially won't if they come to understand that one of our people was involved."

Daryis could not shake this. "Do you have proof that it was one of our own?"

Matisyn reached into the pocket on the inside of his coat and revealed a ring baring a phoenix signet. "Is this proof enough?"

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Matisyn had not even thought of where to begin. Whoever was responsible for this would pay for it in blood. But finding the culprit would be no easy task.

"For the time being, we should probably do our best to avoid the public eye. There'd be no sense in causing an uprising. Should we catch whoever is responsible, bringing him or her to public justice would do little for our reputation. Taking care of it ourselves would only make us murderers and suspects."

"Ruin all the fun, why don't you." Daryis said. "So that leaves us sitting ducks."

"No. It means we have to leave the city. Get your things together." Matisyn made for the door.

"Tonight?"

"Why not? The evening is young."

"You can't be serious. This room is paid for."

"As is, I'm sure we'll have the royal guard on our tails by morning. Or worse. We have to leave tonight."

"Where are we going to go?"

"To seek audience with an old friend."

"Oh dear, this sounds promising." Daryis took a long swig off of the bottle before grabbing his coat. "Let's go."

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Meanwhile, somewhere in the city of Galesburg

"Good evening, my lord. What do I owe this late night visit?"

"I apologize, Sister. I know the hour is late. I would have waited 'til morning, had I seen it possible."

"What is it then?"

"I have a favor to ask of you, Sister. You see, in turn of the recent events, I've been called back to my duties as captain of the Storm Brigade."

The woman made the symbol of protection across her chest. "It's such a tragedy, my lord. I'll do all I can to support your cause."

The man sighed. "My girls. They are motherless and I have nowhere else to take them to ensure their safety, especially now. I can barely trust my own shadow."

"I understand, my lord. And how old are they?"

"Nine and six. They're with their nursemaid now, waiting for our room at the inn. Unfortunatly, I must be out by the morning. I'm sorry about the short notice."

"None of us expected this, my lord, least of all you, I assume. Perhaps you can have it arranged that they are brought here in the morning. I can enroll them as students at our academy."

"Thank you, Sister. I appreciate this beyond words." The man reached in his coat and pulled out a slip of paper. "This is the key to my bank account. My girls are to suffer no expense."

"I'll see to it personally that they only recieve the finest."

"Thank you, again."

"It is an honor."


The man left the academy and returned to the inn, where Sarah, the nursemaid, waited with both girls asleep on her lap.

He approached the counter. "I assume our room is ready by now?" He was impatient to rest.

"You're lucky," the woman said. "We had no vacancies tonight, but one of our guests seems to have checked out early."

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Matisyn raised an eyebrow. "And suddenly you care?"

"Or course not," Sid said, half-amused, and half iritated. "I have no interest in the affairs of mortals, and much less in those who pretend to be mortals. But please, won't you humor me. It's been so long since I've had entertainment."

"As if the murder of the royal family didn't give you a kick," Matisyn commented.

Daryis rolled his eyes and paced. "Tell me that you had nothing to do with this, Sid. If you did, this will become increasingly awkward."

"Your king," he spat the word, "presses very little concern to me, alive or dead."

Daryis sighed in relief. "Oh good, because if you did, we'd have to kill you as part of the whole vengence scheme."

Sid laughed, a horrible sound. He need not state that though his powers were bound, that did not make him easy to exterminate by any means. Otherwise, he would have been done away with long before.

"I never thought that you had a direct part in this," Matisyn admitted, "But perhaps you know things that we don't."

"For what exchange?"

What did they have to offer him.

Daryis exxagerated his puzzlement. "Oh, I don't know..." He threw up his hands with a victorious smile. "Your daughter, perhaps? Now she seems a worthy bounty, if I do say so myself."

Matisyn frowned. He had not been prepared to go on a damsel hunt.

But Sid noticably changed his stature and was silent for a moment.

Matisyn smirked, realizing this wasn't such a faulty plan after all. Sid would accept, even without words.

"First, the information, if you'd please."

While Sid was not one for compromising, neither were the twins.

Sid shrugged, indifferent. "If you must know, the royal line is not yet diminished. Your precious Archadia does have a bastard king."

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