Arie woke not to the rising sun, but the sound of voices outside her tent. One was Lerant the other was Jorrey.

"Sneaking around Eldorne. Hoping the witch can wipe the curse of your family away?"

Two other men laughed. Arie grit her teeth and moved silently out of her tent. Circling around to find the problem. Two men from the Rider's s Company and Jorrey had made semi circle around the younger man. He had to know he was danger, but he didn't show it. Instead he stuck his chin out stubbornly.

"I'm surprised Goldenlake hasn't grown tired of having a traitorous whelp like you smearing his name."

Lerant's fist were clenched and Arie could see the exact moment he was resolved to punch the knight.

"You see, Sir Jorrey, this is the kind of thing the poison feeds off."

Everyone whipped around to look at her.

"Such a brave knight, you need two other men to attack another man who doesn't even have half the training you do." Her gaze went to the two men beside him. They were nothing special in any way. "I suppose I need to do my job and check to see if you have been infected. Unless you always behave thusly. Then maybe it is a magistrate I need to speak with." With each word her anger spiked and her Gifted colored the air. The two men stepped back fearfully. One muttered,

"Crown's offense to ma-"

Arie laughed.

"Would you like to see the letter allowing me to use my Gift to check anyone I suspect has been poisoned? And if I find something I am honor bound to remove it from you. Regardless of how painful it is." It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. But she could see the two men beside Jorrey were having second thoughts. Jorrey on the other hand just sneered at her.

"Chit."

Arie smiled, this time showing her teeth.

"Thank you for volunteering to be checked first, Sir Jorrey."

"You have no right." he snarled. "I'm a-."

A voice interrupted him. "Actually she does. By the king's order no less, not even a nobleman can refuse to be checked. And if he poisoned he has two choice, prison or have it removed."

Arie was startled to see Raoul walking out from the gloom. And if she was angry then he was furious. The big man looked down his nose at Jorrey in absolute disgust.

"You will all submit to being checked by Arie or I will have you sent back to the stocks."

Jorrey's lips peeled up in a growl and he glared at Arie.

"Don't worry, it doesn't hurt." She pulled her Gift toward her eyes. She focused on Jorrey and grunted when she found none of the black poison moving through him. Too bad, she thought to herself, he could do with a painful dose of humility. When she turned her gaze on the other two men they both flinched. They too were clean. She sighed, "They are clean of poison." She looked to the boy to the right of Jorrey. He was a pale red headed boy who's height had originally made her think he had been a man. "You should come see me and Sir Nealan after you eat breakfast."

He was wide eyed, staring at her and sputtered, "But you said we were clean."

Arie nodded and rubbed her tired eyes.

"Yes, but there is something funny looking with your lungs. I assume you have trouble sleeping and breathing? Probably get sick easily?"

The boy bobbed his head and looked surprised that she knew that about him.

"We will see about getting that fixed."

He blinked completely taken aback. The other man, Arie noted, had already slipped away, but Jorrey stood there plainly upset. Not that she cared even the slightest about how he felt.

"Sir Jorrey, would you come with me?" Raoul's tone brokered no arguments. "I think you and I need to have a nice little chat."

Arie very much doubted there would be anything nice about the chat. Jorrey suddenly realized he could actually be in trouble and went without any further nasty looks or comments. Once they were gone Arie looked to Lerant who had seemed to have gone unnoticed once Raoul arrived.

"Happen to you often?"

He blushed and ducked his head.

"You didn't have to help."

Arie shrugged. She could tell something was eating at him and she wondered if it was because she had helped him or because she had heard what Jorrey had said.

"Actually, I think I did. That would have been a beating." She glared at the way Jorrey had gone. "Honestly, what kind of knight needs a group to beat on someone less trained than him. So much for the realms great protectors."

"Some aren't so bad. Raoul. Kel."

Arie turned back to him thoughtfully. It would take a little tweaking, but she could fashion a charm like what she had given to Isabella for Lerant. Only this one would rebound physical attacks. Could she afford the drain on her Gift? Looking into Lerant's eyes she knew it would be worth it.

"Come on, I think I have something that may help even the playing field with your tormentors."

He looked at her curiously, but followed her as she moved back into her tent. He hesitated at the entrance.

"I'll wait here." he said at the flap. Arie snorted, then realized he was serious. She shrugged. At least he was respectful, she mused to herself. Arie dug around in her bag looking for the charms.

"So what was that about anyway? I mean, I understand Jorrey doesn't like me, I'm a nobody who has the king's favor, but you're a noble. What's his beef with you?"

Silence greeted her question. She stopped what she was doing and turned to look at him. He was looking down at the ground in shame. Her heart ached for him.

"You don't have to tell me. It's not any of my business anyhow." She went back to searching around in her bag.

"You know there was a group that tried to overthrow King Jonathan?"

Arie nodded. She started checking the side pockets in her bag.

"My aunt was one of them. Crazy bat."

Arie's hand froze on the tangle of charms. Pulling them out she turned back to Lerant. Maybe they had just gotten very lucky.

"Your aunt, she was Lady Delia?" Arie dropped the charms when he nodded. Gods, he could hold the key to finding Apostate, she realized. Lerant miss interrupting her reaction started backing up and was about to turn and walk away.

"Wait!"

He stopped and looked at her with hurt in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I should explain. Come in. Shut the flap."

He looked at her surprised and cautiously moved into the small space shutting the flap behind him.

"Aren't you worried about your reputation?"

Arie snorted. What reputation did she have that wasn't bad? She voiced this question out loud to him. He blushed and she realized he did actually think well of her. Maybe even respected her as a woman. She scrubbed her eyes. She was too used to men looking down their noses at her.

Arie explained what it was exactly they were doing. She told him about the mage and his aim. She told him about the mage's poison and what it did. Even went so far as to show him what she had seen.

"Did you ever see a man, a mage following your aunt and Lady Josiane? He probably wouldn't have been with them. Just watching from a far."

Lerant thought about it and shrugged, "I only saw them together once or twice."

"Anything would be helpful."

Lerant sat down on the floor thinking. The silence stretched to breaking point before Lerant nodded.

"There was one time, Josiane came to call. She brought a small group of servants. One was a mage. A retainer or something. Real creep that one. He was always following them and muttering to himself. My aunt hated him, but Josiane liked having him around."

"Can you describe him?"

Lerant nodded giving Arie a description and a name. Ark. Arie was so excited she was practically dancing when she dragged Lerant out of her tent to Raoul's. The man was just coming out of his tent when he saw them approaching. He smiled at Lerant.

"Made a friend?"

The young man blushed a deep crimson, before he could say anything Arie burst out.

"We might have a lead on Apostate."

Raoul waved them into his tent and had them explain. Lerant told him what he had told Arie. Raoul considered everything he said carefully before asking,

"You're sure?"

Lerant nodded. He grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled everything Lerant had told him on the paper. He rolled it up and looked to Arie.

"Do we trust a messenger to take this?"

Arie was about to open her mouth to say yes, then she realized that there could very well be spies for Apostate watching the for such an occurrence. She didn't want to risk a messenger's life.

"I think I might be able to find someone we can trust to get it to the palace unseen."

Raoul handed the roll of paper to her. Without a second look at either of them she ran out of the tent. The sun was just now starting to rise as she wove her way through the tents to Neal's tent. She was about to knock when Neal stuck his head out of the tent.

"What are you in such a hurry for?"

Arie held up the letter and said,

"I need your help with something."

The young man sighed, "Alright, what is it?"