Chapter 19: To dance with demons….

Maglor did run through the hidden passages like a man possessed, the images he had seen in the boy's mind were haunting him and he felt that this was something extremely serious. The emperor had a personal servant, a sort of butler and Maglor did know him very well now. Hanan did stare at the elf as he came racing through a bend in the corridor, he was a very distinguished elderly man with a very peculiar view on life, he seemed to be obsessed with seemliness and in his presence there was little laugher nor merriment. Maglor did bow his head. "Honoured master, I must speak to our merciful father right away, I have discovered a most horrible plot."

Hanan stared at him, wide eyed and then he pulled a string, they heard a bell from afar and before long Ayjun came running, he was wearing a very ordinary looking dressing robe and without the make up and the hairdo he did look like an average old man. Maglor did bow very deeply. "My liege, I have terrible news. Somebody is planning on blowing up the palace with blasting powder"

Ayjun gasped and sat down. "Speak, who told you?"

Maglor felt a bit nervous but he kept his voice steady. "We elves have gifts you humans normally don't, we can speak to each other through the mind and this very evening I found a terrified mute young lad in my quarters, he had come through one of the servants entrances and hid underneath some couches. He was malformed and starved but I saw something in his mind, something he had seen. Men stacking ceramic jars into a basement, jars with fuses tied to them"

The emperor was pale, his eyes wide. "Oh by the ancestors, this is terrible news. Oh gods, it cannot be true?"

Maglor swallowed hard. "But I fear that it is, I am so very sorry"

Ayjun did grasp a hold of himself with amazing speed, he was after all the emperor and he had to be able to control himself and act fast. "Alright, the boy was a mute, do you think he can read and write?"

Maglor shook his head. "No, I think he is some sort of slave, he looks that way. Someone nobody cares about in any manner."

Ayjun stared Maglor straight in the eye. "Take me to him, right now!"

Maglor gaped. "Ah, I am not so sure that…."

Ayjun smiled, a very sad smile. "Don't worry, I am not gonna hurt him in any way, quite the opposite. I am an old man Maglor, and I have had children by the dozen and I have grandchildren too, I know how to deal with them"

Maglor took a deep breath. "Then we better go now, I have no idea of when they are gonna use that powder!"

They hurried back to the chambers and Maglor hoped that the emperor had some trick up his sleeve, he sure as hell didn't. Aodh had fed the lad and he had even managed to give him a swift bath, the boy sat there and without the ashes and dust he didn't look quite as grotesque but there was no doubt that he was seriously malformed. The boy whimpered when he saw Ayjun, it was doubtful that he recognized the man as the emperor but he saw someone he didn't know and that was enough. Ayjun made a soft clicking sound like he was trying to calm down a skittish animal, he had a hand in his robe and fished out a sort of candy which was very popular these days, a lump of sugar attached to a stick. It was pink and sweet smelling and the boy saw it and his eyes got wide. Ayjun smiled and handed it over and the lad grasped it with obvious reverence.

"He saw men filling a room with jars, when?"

Maglor caught the boy's gaze, he tried to smile again, to ease the boy's fear. "How long ago? Do you understand me?"

The boy nodded, then he waved his arm in circles, four huge ones. Ayjun's eyes were narrow. "Four days, oh no, that is bad."

Maglor bit his lower lip. "Did you see something special, something which may identify them?"

The boy blushed, then he grasped his own crotch and shook his head. Maglor was confused and Ayjun chuckled. "Nothing there, eunuchs."

Maglor took a deep breath. "Were the men that way?"

The boy nodded and now he did something strange, he took the piece of sugar and dragged it along the surface of a plate, as if he was trying to write something. "Can you write boy?"

The lad made a sort of grimace and a strange sound and Ayjun stared at the light pink track the candy had left in the plate. "It is a sign, from the very old alphabet we used before. Juh, it means dog, is that your name lad?"

Juh nodded and grinned, his teeth were misaligned too and did look as if someone had decided to just toss teeth into his mouth and hope they did stick there. Maglor scoffed. "Who names their child "Dog" it is terrible"

Ajyn shrugged. "It is superstition, if you have a malformed child you must give it a bad name, one which brings shame and disgrace upon the person carrying it. If you don't evil may spread to the rest of the family"

Maglor hissed. "Goddamn superstition"

Ayjun sighed. "Yes, but my people is that way unfortunately, we cannot change our ways unless someone forces us to do it."

Juh was scraping the candy against the plate again and Maglor god an idea, he ran over and got a piece of rice paper and a pen and some ink and placed them on the table. "Can you draw?"

Juh grinned, very widely this time and grasped the pen with obvious reverence. He took a deep breath, then he dipped it carefully in the ink and started drawing and Maglor just stood there, shell shocked. Ayjun was gaping and Aodh who stood in the background was blinking, his eyebrows did almost touch his hairline. "Oh my…"

Juh was drawing in a manner none of them had seen before, the lines did look random and utterly strange to begin with but then they saw. Juh was drawing a face and it was eerie, so lifelike it was as if that person was staring at them from the paper. Maglor had heard of people like this, seemingly retarded and helpless but able to do things none other could copy. Ayjun stared at the face, it was a man with a very long nose and a thin mouth which looked like a scar across the face. He had plucked eyebrows and narrow eyes, the expression on the face was a sour one for sure. Ayjun did suddenly look younger, his eyes were shooting sparks and he hissed. "Mhoy Ahmar, son of a snake!"

Maglor swallowed hard. "You know him?"

Ayjun smiled, a very sour grin. "Indeed I do, unfortunately. That piece of scum should have been freed of his wretched head years ago but he is too influential"

Maglor sat down, Juh was smiling, he realized that he had done well and Maglor's heart wept for the lad. Such a talent, such a wonderful talent and so wasted until now. Ayjun got up. "He is the chief servant under Adhlar Jenjen, the chief of the royal stables. He has got even more power than his boss for Adhlar is the sort of man who would forget to wear clothes if nobody makes him remember it. "

Maglor stared at the picture, he felt a chill running down his spine, the expression within this man's face told him that he was without scruples and compassion. "He is an eunuch?"

Ayjun nodded. "Most of the leading servants are, their minds aren't taken astray by their desires, but it does create new problems I fear, ones I had hoped to put an end to"

Maglor frowned. "Such as?"

Ayjun sighed. "Death, that is the most important one. Many make a living turning boys into eunuchs and some of these men are charlatans and murderers. They kill most of the boys which come to them, and doesn't even feel bad about it. The few who do survive are so valuable they don't bother with the dead at all."

Maglor cringed and Aodh was pale. "How many are there in the palace?"

Ayjun shrugged. "Eunuchs? A few thousand, the number is shrinking now for I have forbidden the practice but some still do it and also, the procedure create some health problems for the poor men later in life. They tend to be obese and some grow too tall and become brittle"

Maglor had heard of the problem and he remembered the fat obnoxious master of the harem back at the Sha'al's city. He winced and Ayjun did look surprisingly calm now, Maglor was a bit confused by this fact. "So, what are you to do?"

Ayjun smiled, a smile which told the elf that the old man hadn't lost any of his bite yet, he had the ability to grasp a problem by the tail even when he was planning for his abdication. "I am gonna play a game Maglor, and I bet you know it well. It is called "find the truth" and I am rather good at it, although nobody would guess that"

Maglor saw that Juh had continued to draw, now it was another face and Ayjun looked at it and nodded, the expression on his face one of sour acceptance. "Ah, yet another high ranking servant. Jubnan, a servant of the one in charge of the royal wardrobe. So, there are many involved in this plot but we will flush them out, one by one. Accidents do happen Maglor, and some men here are about to have nasty ones, soon"

Maglor felt a bit shocked and Ayjun had to have noticed this for he chuckled and patted the elf on the shoulder. "Oh Maglor, don't look so wide eyes, it doesn't suit you. The realm is like a vast wonderful garden and I am the gardener and sometimes one has to remove weeds. These men are weeds, some of them the nasty kind too. I have to get rid of this once and for all before it had time to spread"

Maglor cleared his voice. "So, how are you about to do it?"

Ayjun grinned and he did in fact look as if he was looking forwards to this. "They are underestimating me, but I have dealt with such before. I will need to get the names and I bet that our friend Ahmar will be more than willing to share them with us, after some gentle persuasion."

Maglor did frown. "Will you torture him?"

Ayjun sort of shrugged. "If I have to, I have people here who are very good at just that, and believe me, in their hands everybody talks, no matter how stubborn they are. But I prefer to trick the truth out of them, it is more of a challenge and so much more clean don't you think?"

Maglor nodded and Ayjun sighed "I will have to make sure that Ahmar has a mishap, one which will make it believable that he is missing for a while. Hmm, I think I have just the right remedy"

Maglor realized that this old man indeed had dealt with such problems before, being an emperor meant being ruthless at times and it was indeed needed now. "We don't know how long we have so I have to go and tell the right people of this, right away. I have good people I trust who can find Ahmar and make him disappear in a seemingly natural manner"

Maglor smiled and was in a way glad that Ayjun was able to deal with this so fast. The emperor grasped the other drawing Juh had made and his smile was vicious. "If he refuses to talk then we have Jubnan, he is a coward at heart, I am rather sure that he will spill everything rather fast"

Maglor tilted his head, "Then why don't you start with him?"

Ayjun made a grimace. "Because he is a person well known for having a problem with his tongue, it runs amok at times and he is incapable of keeping a secret. If he truly is a part of this he isn't a person who knows much, they won't confide in a man like that, if they do they are stupid"

Maglor sighed. "I doubt that they are stupid, it would be too unbelievable."

Ayjun rolled his eyes. "Yes, and yet they are stupid beyond any doubt, trying something like this? It is madness"

Maglor took a deep breath. "But the room with the jars, it can be found for sure? They have to have placed the explosives somewhere in the basements, somewhere within range of you and your sons, a place where the effect will be as large as possible."

Ayjun nodded. "I know, I will have loyal men go through the basements this very evening but know this Maglor, the palace is huge, gigantic and the basements are a maze. There are rooms down there not even the ones who built this place knows of and there has been changes done several times, nobody knows what's down there anymore. If there are that many jars in the room it could be a room which is rather far from my chambers and even far from the great hall, the explosion will be lethal none the less, this structure is complex and in some ways like a house of cards. Blow out one wall and everything crumbles."

Maglor looked down. "That doesn't make me any more at ease"

Ayjun nodded. "Yes, but if we get Ahmar to speak the problem will solve itself. Trust me Maglor, I will eradicate this threat completely"

He got up and smiled at the elf. "I better get going, I will send a message to you when things start to happen"

Maglor managed to smile back and he saw that Juh now was drawing something else on the edge of the paper, it was a tiny horse and it did look very lifelike, the boy had a truly rare and unique talent. Maglor turned to Aodh, he took a deep breath. "Get some clothes for him, and I want one of the palace guards to stay near by all the time. I think that Juh here could become a target if somebody does escape Ayjun's wrath"

Aodh nodded and Juh looked up and smiled, the child was charming in spite of being a bit odd and Maglor petted his head. "Juh, this is important. From now on you can only leave these chambers when one of us is with you, do you understand?"

Juh nodded and put the pen down, he did look serious and Maglor suspected that the boy was far more mature than he ought to be for someone his age. His life had probably been a terrible one, that tends to make people grow up fast. Aodh sighed, "He is as skinny as an old cat, he will need a lot of food"

Maglor nodded. "Yes, fatty food, the best. I just hope that Ayjun manage to find that Ahmar and loosen his tongue."

Aodh nodded. "Yes, I prefer not to be blown up thank you very much"

The two remained with the boy as Ayjun went to set things in motion, they both hoped that the threat would be eliminated soon.

Ayjun had skilled people in his service and some of which only he knew, he sat down by a desk and wrote a short note and then he sent one of his most loyal servants out. The man did change his clothes and his entire appearance before he did sneak out of the palace dressed like a more humble man's servant. He ran along the streets until he reached the more shady parts of the city, it was a long run so he was covered with mud and filth before he reached his destination. It was a shop, a baker's shop of all things and he took a deep breath and knocked on the wall close to the entrance. A hatch opened in the wall and he dropped the note into it, feeling relieved, it was out of his hands and he had done exactly what his liege wanted off him.

The servant didn't see the person who retrieved the note, it was a very small bent man and he returned to the inside of the house and passed by several men working hard with baking the bread the city needed the next day, it was hot and dusty but he was used to it and he found a hidden door and descended down some steep steps. Before he long he stood in a very dark room and he clapped his hands once. "Brothers, our great father does require our help, here is the name"

He held the note up and three figures emerged from the darkness, all wearing black tight fitting suits and they all had their faces covered with tattoos and paint. These were the nameless, the ones nobody ever mentioned. To most people they were a mere myth but they were real and loyal to the emperor. All three bowed their heads and put a hand over their heart, they had heard and they did understand. The old man smiled and the three disappeared into the darkness again, as if they had been born out of it and returned to their natural state as shadows.

Ahmar was a very important person, or at least he saw himself as important and he had a very specific type of personality which made him very hard to work with. He was both a narcissist and a person suffering from a feeling of being inferior to others and this created a very nasty behaviour. Nobody liked him and even his own master only tolerated him because he was good at what he did. He did write the stud books and he did it with a finesse nobody else could master. So the stable master was glad he had such a good servant but at the same time Ahmar could make even a monk go ballistic with rage, it was as if the man tried to piss others off on purpose, just so he could gloat and see himself as superior and in better control of himself than everybody else.

The truth was that Ahmar was one of those who never had managed to get over the humiliation and shock of having been transformed into an eunuch, much because he was the son of a noble man and originally destined for a much more glamorous fate. But he had been kidnapped because of his very clear and lovely voice, castrated and forced to sing and he could perhaps have become a great singer if he hadn't caught a nasty case of pneumonia at the age of fourteen and it ruined his voice forever. So, he was sold and he did in fact manage to notify his family of his presence but his father did disown him hearing that the boy had become a eunuch, the family didn't need a son who couldn't continue the bloodline. So Ahmar was bitter and angry and he didn't trust anybody, except those who were in the same predicament as himself. He did trust his fellow conspirators, and he was a fanatic who truly believed that the emperor did way too little to stop the deadly trade in eunuchs. He did believe that the emperor in fact did earn fortunes from this illegal practice and his hatred was steaming.

Ahmar did have a good house and he was wealthy in his own right. He did have servants and he did live the life of a noble man but the bitterness couldn't be removed so easily. He was angry because his family had turned their backs on him, he was angry because he couldn't sire any sons and he was angry because people made fun of his voice and rather feminine appearance. Vengeance was his ultimate life goal and no price was too high, he would achieve it one way or the other, no matter what. He had enemies within the court so his house was a very secure one, there were booby traps everywhere and only he knew them all. And he did also keep geese, they were well known for warning people of strangers and they couldn't be bribed the way a dog can. He was about to change into his sleep wear as one of the geese could be heard, making an odd sound, as if it was choking?

Ahmar knew it, instantly. The emperor was onto them, nobody knew how that was possible but he was well aware of how good the ruler's intelligence was. And he did know his own fate if they got their hands on him, he didn't doubt that they would make him reveal everything he knew. He was a very proud man, and his honour was important to him, perhaps even more so than others. They had known that something like this could happen, and to avoid putting their friends in danger they had agreed upon a pact. Ahmar didn't hesitate, he carried an amulet around his neck, and he did never leave home without it. It was an image of one of the gods and almost everybody owned something like it. But it was hollow and he did break it in half with swift fingers, he did sense that somebody was there and he pretended to be blowing his nose into his sleeve but in reality he did put the pill which had been hidden in the amulet into his mouth and he did bite into it before swallowing.

The poison in that pill was extremely rare and also very expensive, but all of the conspirators had one. If only one was left alive he would carry it out, that was a sacred oath they had taken and one they never would break.

Ahmar heard someone running towards him but he was already down, there was little pain for the poison was so strong it literally killed in seconds and the nervous system didn't have time to register any pain. The light faded from his eyes as a man dressed in black with a blackened face bent over him, trying to haul him to his feet. Ahmar manged to grin before his last breath, he hadn't betrayed them, he could die knowing that the secrets were safe with him. The assassins did stare at the body, it was a disappointment, the geese had been fed bread with a sleeping drought in but one of them had been too greedy and got some stuck in its throat and that had alerted the man. Too bad but there was yet another man on the list, and the three just nodded at each other and disappeared again. They could move along the roofs and clotheslines and they never left any evidence of their presence. To them this was just another job, and they disappeared like ghosts. The next man wouldn't have time to kill himself, that was for darn sure.

The house which belonged to the master of the wardrobe was a huge one, and it was a palace all on its own. The title was a very important one and one which brought with it a lot of responsibility. The emperor owned a vast number of robes and outfits and everything had to match and also, it had to be chosen according to the stars and the emperor's horoscope so the master was a man who was as much an astronomer as a clothes expert. His servants were also well trained and Jubnan was among the very best. He was diligent and trustworthy and a very meek person who did exactly what one wanted of him without asking any questions and everybody agreed that this man was unable to harm even a fly!

Jubnan was among those who had lost his family jewels after puberty and he had in fact still some urges, although that was a very well kept secret. Apparently he still had one ball but it was in his abdomen and the men who had done the job had simply not told anybody of this. But Jubnan wasn't really as pathetic as most believed, he was a very sly person and his anger was no less than that of the other conspirators. He had no scruples and he had managed to get to this important job through careful manipulation and lies. Now he was busy as always, writing down a long list of cloth which the master was going to order from the weavers, the list had to be perfect and he was biting into the end of the pen every now and then, it was a nervous habit of his and one he wasn't proud of but it was unfortunately a part of his personality. It often lead to him having a black stain on his upper lip since the pens were lacquered and many made fun of him because of this. The master was a man in his best age and he was very demanding and strict but he never complained about Jubnan, the man always did his best. The list got longer and longer, the master of course knew of the upcoming abdication and the new emperor had to have a whole new set of clothes made since he of course was born in a different year and at a different date than his father. This was very important, the wrong colours or combinations could spell bad luck and the wrong jewellery would be a disaster.

Some would perhaps think that the emperor was a very lucky person indeed but in fact he was the least free person of the entire realm. Others decided his every move and deed and the master of the wardrobe was among them. Jubnan had never wished to be in the master's place for if the master did a mistake he would never be allowed to forget that, his servant could be excused. Jubnan was fuming on the inside as he wrote down line by line of expensive silk and velvet, these so called rulers didn't deserve this devotion nor this luxury, no, not at all. And he and his brethren would see their fall, and be instruments of the gods.

The house was rather dark for the master was a bit on the frugal side and didn't want to spend money on candles and he wasn't afraid of intruders for nobody would dare to touch him. And a thief had nothing to gain from stealing some rolls of cloth, it was all marked and of a particular quality only the royals were allowed to wear. The house was rather sinister and Jubnan had never gotten quite used to it, he knew that the master had gotten it when the previous master did retire and he was convinced that it was haunted. There had been priests there many times and countless advice had been given but the house still acted as if it had a soul of its own at times. There were sounds being heard, things vanished and appeared again in strange places and some said they had seen a ghostly female figure slowly gliding through the walls. The stories told of the former master's first wife who had died in childbirth and many claimed that it was her ghost, looking for her baby. Jubnan had never really believed in such tales but he did jerk as his eyes did catch a sort of movement in the darkness. He was sure he had seen something dark but then there was nothing and he was about to relax when arms suddenly grasped him with brutal force and a sack was pulled over his head. He didn't have time to even react before he was knocked out cold by a hit to his head and hauled

off.

The master did stand there, flabbergasted and shocked, a thin man wearing black sent him a cold gaze. "Your servant is no longer to be spoken off, he is a traitor to the throne. He never was"

The master did bow deeply, he knew what this meant, Jubnan was a dead man, he was just still breathing but that wouldn't last long and a traitor? The master couldn't quite wrap his head around that concept for Jubnan was the most docile person he knew off but then again, he never doubted his liege and his knowledge and intentions. If they said that Jubnan was a traitor then a traitor he was, no matter how unlikely it seemed. The master was already thinking about a replacement, he had many skilled workers and there would be no problem finding someone worthy of this job.

The royal dungeon wasn't a place where anybody would want to stay, even for a short visit. It wasn't that it was a typical dungeon, for it wasn't. The place was filled with light and it was very clean and did look more like a bathhouse than a dungeon but the reputation these rooms had managed to scare off almost everybody. It hadn't been used that much but like all rooms of its nature people did assume a lot and if those assumptions were wrong, well, nobody dared to ask any questions. The marble tiles and the abundance of light and elegant architecture did perhaps lure some people into a false sense of security but that was a blunder for this room had only one master and that was a man who could manage to make even the emperor himself feel uneasy.

Chenlar wasn't some pox marked hunched monstrosity, nor was he an evil person who took delight in the misery of others. No, he was a very quiet and almost gentle man who never raised his voice and he didn't truly enjoy his work. But nobody did it better, that was the tragic truth. Chenlar was the oldest son of a man who had worked with animals, or rather, he had been the one they called for when a colt was to become a gelding or a cow had problems giving birth. He had been a sort of a vet and the boy had taken a keen interest in the anatomy of living creatures, not in some morbid serial killer in practice manner but as a person who truly wanted to understand in order to help and heal.

Chenlar had been a doctor, and he had been a very good one too, in fact he had been the best one there was in this realm and he had been the emperor's own physician for many years. Then tragedy struck, he did lose a patient and it wasn't just any patient but his own beloved daughter. She had been attacked after a visit to the local theatre and raped and beaten, and nothing he did was enough to save her. Afterwards he had gone to the emperor and demanded that the guilty were handed over to him, his grief had driven him almost mad and he had tortured the two men for days, He knew exactly how to keep someone alive but in so much pain they were close to being mad with it and nobody had ever managed to keep their mouth shut when he did his macabre work. He had been unable to return to his job as a healer, now he was a giver of pain and justice his goal.

They called him the white face for he never showed any emotions and the cold grey eyes of this man was the last thing so many had seen. He didn't deal only with the really terrible deeds, like treachery and such, no also more mundane criminals could be subjected to his skills if they did something of which the truth was hidden. He didn't show any compassion nor any hatred, he just did his job as mechanically as a clock and only rapists were said to be given any sort of special treatment. They said that he did enjoy torturing those, even if he never showed it.

Now Jubnan was placed on a table which was tilted over so the man stood upright, he was chained to it and it was very obvious that he already knew where he was and what he was about to encounter. Ayjun was there too, without his royal garbs he could perhaps have been mistaken for some official but the wrath within his gaze and the dignity of his every move did betray who he was and he was walking back and forth over the floor as Chenlar slowly prepared his tools. He had seen that this often broke the suspects, even before anything was done to them. Ayjun stared at the man on the rack, his eyes were blazing. "You dare to threaten me, and my family? I am old, my life matters little but that of my son? Oh you better pray to the Gods for mercy for I will give none!"

Jubnan had a pill too but he hadn't had time to use it and now he was stripped down and his amulet taken too. He was terrified and he just knew it, without divine intervention he would tell them everything and that was a fate worse than death. He could hope that he managed to stay sane so long he died before he gave inn. Chenlar was done with the preparations and Ayjun nodded, he stepped back and Chenlar didn't hesitate. He never started off with the really nasty methods, no, he knew that intense pain in fact can work against its purpose, a pain which was slow and grew in intensity without any release was the best. It did break them down faster than really strong agony and thus he had grasped a file from his table of tools, it was the sort of file goldsmiths use to file down unevenness from rings and it wasn't that rough but when placed between two toes and used there it would dig through the skin after a while and then go to work on bone and sinews. The pain would become infernal very soon.

Ayjun didn't like using torture, as a matter of fact it was only by his orders that such actions were legal within the realm, and only in extreme cases. He stared at the condemned man, feeling something akin to disappointment and hurt, he tried to do his very best for his people and yet someone was conspiring against him? It was not acceptable at all and he would make sure that this was something nobody would be allowed to forget. Jubnan was swearing with a thin and shivering voice and he tried to break free from the chains but it was hopeless. He wasn't a strong person and the chains could hold a horse. Before long Jubnan was yelling and squirming and Chenlar didn't stop but continued his infernal work. Ayjun felt an urge to spit at the man. "Speak and we will give you a quick and merciful death, remain silent and I assure you, you will suffer for days"

Jubnan just spat and his eyes were rolling and Ayjun sighed. He turned to the torturer and sent him a stiff grin. "Continue, I have things to take care off but do let me know when he starts to soften."

The former doctor nodded and Ayjun left the room. It was very well hidden and few knew where it was, he preferred it that way and the emperor went to his office to think. They had to find out who were inn on this and who weren't. They couldn't arrest every eunuch within the palace, they were simply too many. But he did trust Chenlar and he didn't doubt that this pathetic piece of crap would speak soon. They always did. Even the most fanatical stood no chance against the skills of Chenlar. He had to go and warn his sons though, they were all in danger now.

Chenlar did move forth with the steady force of a river, he didn't use any haste, and he didn't ever hesitate and he was convinced that this man too would succumb to his considerable skills. He knew how to keep somebody alive even after great injury had been inflicted onto them and he did also know a lot about how the human mind works. Things which may shatter one man's determination could be something which didn't even make others blink and he knew how to read people and find their weakness. This traitor was afraid of seeing his own blood, pain didn't bother him as much as the sight of blood, and the fear of losing body parts. Chenlar grinned and picked up a very mean looking knife, amputating some toes should make a nice start, then he would move forth to fingers and then perhaps even more important parts but by then this man would speak for sure. He did take a look at the table and swore to himself, he had forgotten something very important, a tourniquet. Without it the man would bleed out and he wasn't interested in that at all. He put the knife down and walked over to a door at the end of the room. Behind it was the room where he kept his tools and he did enter and found what he was after and returned to the large chamber with it. Only to find that the prisoner now hung from the chains in a peculiar manner, had he passed out?

Chenlar felt an odd chill run down his spine, this wasn't normal, no, not at all. What was going on? He felt the man's pulse and realized that he was dead, how had that happened? Did this eunuch suffer from a weak heart? Could he have taken ill? Then he did notice a faint trickle of blood coming from the man's left ear and he realized what this was about. The small window high on the wall was slightly ajar and big enough for someone to assassinate the man. A very small thin arrow like object was lodged in the earcanal and it was probably poisoned. Chenlar bit his teeth together, somebody knew of the dungeon and they knew of the capture of this man, which meant that somebody very close to the emperor was in on it. He took a deep breath and then he left the room, he walked towards the emperor's office with no apparent haste and the servants he met knew him and backed off. Nobody wanted to be in his way.

He entered the office without even knocking, he didn't have to, such was his privileges and Ayjun stared at him with confusion and then dawning realization, Chenlar bowed deeply. "My liege, someone murdered the prisoner, with a blow dart"

Ayjun gasped and got to his feet. "How?"

Chenlar sighed. "I was going to get a tourniquet and I was away for perhaps a minute, when I got back the prisoner had been shot in the ear, the culprit had used the window."

Ayjun swore, this meant that the conspirators were more dangerous than he had first guessed, and way too close for comfort. He stared at Chenlar, his mind racing and he bit his lower lip. "This means that someone within my staff knows, and I fear its implications"

Chenlar nodded. "It could be anyone"

Ayjun shook his head. "No, it can't. It takes skill to do what has been done today, skills worthy of one of the brotherhood"

Chenlar nodded. "A former member of that group perhaps?"

Ayjun nodded. "Yes, most likely, one paid by the conspirators. There are such, I know this for sure. "

Chenlar looked down, his face was worth a study for he managed to express both worry and disgust without really using any facial muscles. "An outcast, a man without honour."

Ayjun nodded. "A demon, we have a real problem if one of those are among my enemies"

Chenlar swallowed. "That person can be anywhere, and in any disguise possible"

The emperor sighed and sat down, now you could see his age and his fatigue. "I don't fear for my life my friend, not anymore. I am old, I have lived well. But my sons, they are targets now. We have to protect them"

Chenlar just shrugged and Ayjun closed his eyes. "Goddamn it, how? They cannot just disappear from the court, then they will know that we know and the game will become so much more tense. We have to lure them out into the open somehow"

Chenlar made a gesture. "My liege, have you informed everybody of your choice? Does everybody know which son you have chosen?"

Ayjun frowned. "Ah, well, my staff does know of course but the public? No."

Chenlar tilted his head. "I know how people think my liege, after all, finding their weakness without too much violence is my profession. We have to use their goals and belief's against them"

Ayjun was a bit confused. " I am afraid I don't quite follow?"

Chenlar sighed and sat down, his smooth features did somehow manage to express a certain deviousness. " They are eunuchs, and I bet that is at the core of this. They are probably angry, feeling betrayed, feeling robbed of things they envy others. They blame you my liege and your laws and I bet they imagine themselves being capable of creating a way better world. "

Ayjun shook his head and scoffed. "All the fools and ignorant morons, they do believe that they can do this better than me, that they would create a paradise if they held the reins but the truth is that none of them has what it takes to rule a realm."

Chenlar grinned, a very swift grin which was barely a hint of a smile really. "Indeed, everybody ought to read the history of this place"

Ayjun got up. "You mean my forefather Adhai'han? Oh he was a man too full of himself to do anything except spend money and cause mayhem."

Chenlar shook his head. "Oh yes, I remember reading about the incident with the temple maidens and the goats. It was a wonder he lasted as long as he did"

Ayjun chuckled. " He did last for two whole years yes, these days he would have been assassinated within the first 48 hours I think. People are more enlightened now"

Chenlar tilted his head. "What do I do with the body?"

Ayjun headed towards the door. "Where we always dispose of such, the beggar monks will burn it, no questions asked. I have to warn the others, the boy may be in danger too if things go really wrong."

Chenlar bowed his head. "Do hurry, I will pray for you and your loved ones"

Ayjun was already heading out the door, full of worry and also a healthy dose of anger. He ran towards the chambers Maglor and Aodh shared and he found them sitting by one of the beds, the boy was sleeping and Maglor got up as the emperor entered the room. He knew something was wrong right away and Ayjun made a grimace. "My friend, we have had a setback, a huge one. I fear that somebody may know more about our knowledge than what I first anticipated, and their plans may be more devious than just blowing up the palace."

Maglor frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Ayjun sat down, he did look very old there and then. "They have outcasts among them, outcasts from the brotherhood of assassins, they are loyal to me but outcasts are loyal to none. They are very well trained and if they know about the boy we can all be in danger now"

Maglor felt the hairs stand up all over his skin. "So these assassins are good at what they are doing?"

Ayjun nodded. "Yes, and one gone rogue is a terrible enemy. We have to work fast now, but I must admit, I have no idea of what to do. We have to expose the conspirators somehow, but how? My chief of the dungeons suggested that we use what we do know against them but how?!"

Maglor did remember the dance of power back in Beleriand, the elves were not likely to murder each other but still, the hunger for control and power had been there and at times it had been ferocious He knew how to dance like this and his face got stern, the grey eyes got cold. "We have to trigger them, to force them to act, and do so on our terms, not their own. Please my liege, we cannot be considerate now, we have to think like someone ruthless like they are"

Ayjun nodded, his eyes were clouded. "I see what you mean my friend but I cannot come up with any idea, I am sorry!"

Aodh did clear his voice. "Your highness, they are eunuchs and if I am not mistaken that is the very core of this, their hatred for their own fate."

Ayjun nodded. "Yes, Chenlar said this much, he knows the human mind like none other"

Aodh did cross his arms over his wide chest and his eyes were dark. "Use that to force them forth, somebody who cannot think straight is someone who will make a mistake"

Ayjun tilted his head and smiled at the blond man. "You are right, there is something we can do yes, but it does require some stealth, and no small amount of determination"

Maglor smiled, he saw that the energy did return to Ayjun with this idea of his. "Do tell my liege"

Ayjun sighed. "Sometimes new servants are brought to the city, and some are taken here by slavers, even if it is illegal. What if some huge group of young lads do show up, brought here like that, ready for the knife?"

Maglor swallowed hard. "They would try to save them"

Ayjun nodded. "Most likely yes, but I have to present a very well prepared lie, and fast. We do not need any more eunuchs here, and I have tried to stop the practice before so why should I ask for a hundred new ones?"

Aodh tilted his head. "You have a new son in law remember? He will wish for servants, of a specific kind. "

Ayjun grinned, the grin grew. "Of course, that is believable. Well, a bit thin but if my son in law is original enough nobody should find anything odd about that at all. He will wish for servants loyal only to him"

Maglor made a grimace. "Right, so, how are we to do this? It does require some preparations don't you think?"

Ayjun nodded. "Yes, but I think I have a solution to also this problem. I have a very loyal friend who lives to the north of here, a tradesman. I bet I can convince him into getting a hundred young boys just for a few days. I can promise that I will pay them well"

Maglor bit his lower lip. "Right, but don't let anyone know of this, it is a deal made weeks ago. "

Ayjun blinked. "Oh yes, and I will make sure that he gets here fast, with a hundred very pretty boys. If my son in law has some odd preferences and like young lads then be it"

Maglor cringed but it as a good lie, one they all would believe. "Good, and make sure that rumours spread of their fate, that they are to be castrated as soon as possible"

Ayjun had a hard glimpse within his eyes. "I will, my servants will see to it. Everything will be ready. If these demons are willing to spill blood to achieve their goals then by the ancestors, so am I"

Maglor looked over at Juh, the boy was sleeping soundly and he felt an odd tenderness. The boy had been scared and confused and yet he had tried to do the right thing. They had to keep him safe, and they had to catch these conspirators before they managed to cause any more harm. Ayjun patted Maglor on the back. "I do trust you to keep the lad safe. They may not know who set us onto their track yet and we prefer to keep it that way. "

Maglor sighed. "You called them demons"

Ayjun nodded. "Outcasts from the brotherhood are called that yes, they are not regarded as human for they have no honour"

Maglor bit his teeth together. "Well, I have been accused of being a demon too, and if they try to hurt the boy I will not hold back"

Ayjun nodded slowly, there was a glimpse of dark joy in his eyes. "And you shouldn't try to. Stay here, I will send the message, this has to happen fast"

He got up and left the room without saying anything more and Maglor sat down again, feeling strangely trapped. Aodh sat down next to him, hugged him tightly. "So, these conspirators have professional assassins on their payroll"

Maglor sighed. "Looks like it, but they have never encountered an elf before. I can fight just about anything, but I don't want you to get involved in this Aodh"

The blond man shook his head. "Too late for that handsome, I am very involved. But don't worry, I will let you do the hard work if it should be needed"

Maglor kissed him gently "Good, now, let us rest and prepare. If I know our emperor right he is already making preparations."

Aodh did crawl closer and rested in Maglor's lap. "Right, I will rest a while"

Maglor nodded and stroked the long blond hair. "Do so, I will not rest before this is solved and out of the world."

He sat there, watching how the boy and Aodh slept and his eyes were like flint. He did recognize the urge to seek justice but these conspirators were doing it for the wrong reasons, and he did, somehow, sense that maybe they weren't the real problem. Somebody else was behind all of this, his instincts did never lie and he swore to himself to keep his eyes and ears even more open than usual. If these demons were willing to cross him they would learn what it truly meant to dance with a demon, he had been a warrior and his hands had shed rivers of blood, he wouldn't hesitate to do so again, to protect his loved ones and the security of this realm.