Perry and Jury walked across the courtyard and stopped just before Varre. They did not wear the familiar aprons this time. This time, they put on slightly more elegant, but still practical clothing. Vests and long, dark skirts, resembling the outfit Steward Marna always wore, though not quite as ornate. With their long cloaks, they looked like some royal officials, even if they did not bear any emblems.

  The twins stopped just before Varre and got down to one knee. “Thank you for agreeing to meet us, your majesty.”

  “Come on, get up,” the king urged them, “you saved my life, you don’t have to be so formal with me.”

  The girls exchanged surprised looks, then stood up, smiling. Varre offered them seats at the nearby table, and the trio moved there.

  “This is a surprise. I know that Benjamin visited you just yesterday. Did something happen?” the king asked, glancing at his chamberlain.

  “Well, there are some things that we wanted to discuss with you,” Perry explained.

  “It’s about the poison that killed Mikkel III,” Jury added.

  “I see,” Varre took a sip of water, “don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to see you, but how come Zarkon didn’t come along?”

  “We are trying to keep this meeting hidden from your Court Mage,” Perry said quietly, “if he saw the old man coming, he’d know that something was up.”

  “He doesn’t know us,” Jury continued, “so he has no reason to suspect that anything is wrong.”

  The king raised his eyebrow. “Alright. This sounds pretty serious. What exactly are you trying to hide from Tobias?”

  “Well, as you’ve already heard,” Perry began, “Mikkel was killed with a poison made from Hydra venom.”

  Varre nodded. “That’s right. The Court Mage said the same thing.”

  Jury glanced at her sister. “So he admitted that at least. That’s good. But here’s the problem. When Benjamin came to visit us, with a sample of the poison, it was pretty easy to find out what it was.”

  “Zarkon did a few experiments and was able to figure it out within a couple hours,” Perry added, “don’t you think it’s suspicious that your Court Mage needed three entire days to find out?”

  The king scratched the back of his neck. “I don’t know much about this magic and alchemy stuff. I had my doubts about it, but is it really that strange? I mean, Tobias was investigating all of the food at the ceremony. Whereas Zarkon got a sample of the soup, once we were already sure that the poison was in it.”

  Jury shook her head. “Even then, it shouldn’t take so long. The alchemical experiments need some time to work sure, but it’s not that hard to separate hydra venom from a liquid. The Court Mage could have run many experiments simultaneously, on samples of each meal at the same time.”

  “If it had taken him a day, it’d be fine. The fact that he needed three whole days is what makes it so suspicious,” Perry finished.

  Varre recalled his earlier conversation with captain Hakon. He too found the wizard’s behavior strange. I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels like something was wrong, he thought, we need to investigate this Tobias guy further. Still, it’s best not just to agree with them immediately. For now, I’ll act as a devil’s advocate and see what arguments they can come up with to convince me.

  The king looked towards the doorway into the courtyard, as if making sure the Court Mage wasn’t already standing there. “Are you suggesting that Tobias had something to do with this? I just don’t know what he would have to gain from all this. He is already one of my trusted advisors. And I don’t think he has any claim to the throne. What would he be after? Money?” Varre said, recalling captain Hakon’s earlier arguments.

  Perry grimaced. “I’m not sure, sir. But it’s definitely suspicious.”

  “That’s why we came here. Zarkon wants to investigate your Court Mage further. So you can be certain who you can trust.” Jury tried to put on a reassuring smile.

  “I see. And what sort of plan do you suggest then?” the king leaned forward in his seat, “Tobias seems like a man with a fragile ego. I don’t want to insult one of my key advisors with some baseless accusations. At least not at this stage of our relationship. I just met him!”

  “I understand your concerns sir,” Perry said slowly, “but we do actually have an idea!”

  “If anything goes wrong, you can just blame us,” Jury winked, “or Zarkon. I know those two already have some history with each other.”

  “Yeah, it seemed that way,” Varre concurred, “Tobias almost blew a gasket when he heard that I wanted to send a sample of the poison to old Zarkon.”

  “Exactly,” Perry smiled, “we will use that animosity. We need to investigate your Court Mage’s study and check if he has a supply of hydra venom in stock.”

  “A wizard of his status definitely should,” Jury added, “or at least that’s what Zarkon told us. When Tobias gets here, tell him that we came to you with concerns. We want to investigate his study and check if he has any poison.”

  “I bet he’ll get furious,” the king tapped his cheek with his finger, thinking, “is Zarkon really willing to take such flak for me? I mean, we’ll be directly accusing Tobias of murdering the former king!”

  “Not necessarily,” Perry explained, “since they hate each other so much, the Court Mage might assume that Zarkon is just trying to insult him, or draw him into some humiliating situation.”

  “In fact, it’d be more suspicious if Zarkon just let this go without comment,” Jury winked.

  “Alright,” Varre smiled conspiratorially, “I guess I can play it up a little. I like this plan. So what’s going to happen? Tobias already told me that hydra venom is rare and only accessible to adventurers. In fact he said it’s very suspicious that Zarkon had some. Are we going to rummage through his storage until we find it?”

  Perry giggled. “The complete opposite, actually. It’ll be much worse if he doesn’t have it.”

  “If he doesn’t, he either disposed of it recently,” Jury leaned in, “or worse. Used it.”

  With the plan agreed upon, Benjamin left the group to call Tobias in. As far as the Court Mage was concerned, Varre was training with Kerryn the entire time and he was just finishing now.

  In the meantime, the trio sat around the court yard, discussing the minutiae of the plan. Though the king looked forward to catching up with his old friends and learning what they were up to, everyone felt too tense to relax. The situation was serious. Tobias was going to be furious, even if he was innocent in the end.

  And if he was guilty? Varre wondered. That was a bit more dangerous. Though the king doubted that the Court Mage was going to try and attack anyone then and there. Whatever they found, or rather didn’t find, at the wizard’s study wasn’t going to prove anything in and of itself. Even if Tobias was impulsive, he was smart too. He must have been to get to his position. Even if he was powerful enough to slaughter Varre and the twins with a single spell, he’d never leave the castle alive. The Royal Guard must have been equipped to deal with a hostile mage. There was a reason why the assassins resorted to poison after all.

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  That’s why it was better to be careful. There was no need to get rid of Tobias immediately. If he was found to be suspicious, Captain Hakon could then investigate him more thoroughly.

  With such troubling thoughts on his mind, the minutes passed quickly. Finally, the wizard emerged from the castle corridor and started walking towards the table. His face immediately darkened when he spotted the two girls sitting next to his monarch. He didn’t recognize them. And Tobias hated to be caught off guard.

  “Greetings your majesty,” the Court Mage said, electing to ignore the two strangers, “are you ready for your training?”

  “Before that Tobias, I’d like you to meet someone,” Varre stood up and pointed to the twins, “this is Perry. And Jury. They are Zarkon’s assistants.”

  The Court Mage’s face twisted in a grimace. He glared at the two girls. “And why are they here?”

  Perry cleared her throat. “Our master believes that it is suspicious how much time you needed to find out the cause of the previous king’s death. He sent us here to share his concerns with his majesty.”

  “Yes, exactly,” Jury frantically nodded her head, “we want to check your study. Make sure you’re not hiding anything!”

  “WHAT?!” Tobias turned as red as a tomato, “this is an outrage! Who in all the hells does that stuck up buffoon think he is? How dare he insult me with his insinuations?! That incompetent moron received a single sample, one that was already processed by me, and thinks he is so great that he managed to identify the poison inside of it? The nerve!”

  The wizard turned to his liege with a slightly calmer tone, “your majesty. I don’t know what foolishness these two idiots tried to put into your head, but I urge you to disregard them. They are only trying to embarrass me in front of you. I know we’ve just recently met, so you have no reason to trust me over the man who saved your life, but believe me. There is a reason why I am your Court Mage and not him. Mikkel trusted ME,” he pointed to his chest, “not Zarkon. Me! And your uncle was no fool. Please stop and think for a second before taking their disgusting allegations at face value.”

  Varre was surprised. He expected the wizard to blow up in anger, but he did not expect him to try and make a reasonable argument in the process. If he hadn’t already doubted Tobias and expressed those same doubts to captain Hakon, he might have even been convinced to let go of this investigation. But he did doubt him. And he wasn’t going to surrender this easily.

  “Listen Tobias,” the king began, trying to pacify his advisor, “I get why you’re mad. I’d be too. But look, let’s just get this out of the way. You’ve got nothing to hide right?”

  The Court Mage straightened up. “Of course not, your majesty! But I cannot accept such an insult!”

  “Then everything’s gonna be alright,” Varre reached forward and put a reassuring arm on the wizard’s shoulder, “let’s just go to your study and allow Zarkon’s assistants to investigate. They’re not gonna find anything. And then we’ll have solid proof that you are innocent. Then you can refute any further accusations.”

  Tobias squinted his eyes. He didn’t like this. At all. He was the Court Mage. A respected individual. The second most respected wizard in all of Logres, right after the guild’s archmage. And yet, he had to listen to the request of some faceless students of that stuck up bastard Zarkon. He didn’t even have the guts to come here himself. He sent two girls instead!

  Varre could hear the wizard grind his teeth in anger and frustration. The king was already thinking of the next argument he could use, when he felt Tobias’s shoulder slightly relax.

  “Very well,” the Court Mage spat out, “if that’s what it takes to shut down this pointless farce, then so be it. Follow me to my study. But I’m telling you right now this is a complete waste of time! And I will expect an apology afterwards! I’m not letting this go!”

  That’s a start, the king thought to himself, and he didn’t even say anything too damning. It would suck if he insulted me somehow and then I’d need to deal with that business too. This went about as well as it could have.

  Jury threw him another wink when Tobias turned around and started stomping towards the castle. The plan worked. Now the trio just had to follow him.

  Throughout the whole conversation, Benjamin stood in the doorway, carefully watching the exchange. Two guards flanked him, ready to jump in if anything was to happen. Fortunately, the Court Mage was too busy fuming in his anger to pay them much mind, or he’d have started a whole new shouting match.

  Still, Varre was glad that there were a couple of heavily armed warriors ready to assist him if things got a little too heated. He wasn’t sure if they’d be able to save him in time, but hopefully they’d at least chop Tobias’s head off afterwards. That was a very reassuring thought.

  The wizard led the group through the corridors all the way to his quarters. They were located in a remote wing of the castle, providing the mage with some peace and quiet, if he needed to concentrate on his studying or spellcasting.

  The lock was enhanced by magic. Tobias put his hand on it and cleared his throat, signaling for the others to take a step back. Varre saw no reason to antagonize him further so he did so. The wizard, after making sure everyone was out of earshot, whispered some quiet incantation. The lock glowed with a green light and clicked open. The road ahead was clear.

  The first room of the Court Mage’s quarters was surprisingly cozy. A decorated fireplace, a comfortable sofa, even a table with some chairs around it. It reminded Varre of his own quarters, though it was quite a bit smaller and less ornate. Tobias led the group straight through the living room and through one of the side doors.

  This chamber was more like what the king was expecting. Rows of tables lined the walls, each holding strange contraptions and alchemical equipment. Glass vials and tubes bubbled as colorful liquids passed through them. The room had no windows, so it had to be illuminated by a few candles. There were also a few oil lamps, that started glowing when Tobias put his hand against them.

  “Well,” the Court Mage said gruffly, “we’re here. Try not to make a mess,” he crossed his arms and stood still in the center of the room.

  Benjamin and the guards remained in the living room. The girls however immediately got to work. They started searching through the numerous cupboards in the room, pulling out the different drawers and inspecting the contents.

  Tobias watched them like a hawk. As if he was afraid they wanted to steal something. Or in order to stop them from searching where they weren’t supposed to.

  Still, the twins were undeterred. They searched through every shelf they could find. They even opened up some of the vials and smelled them, to make sure that the contents were really what the labels suggested. Much to Tobias’s exasperation. At this point, Varre wasn’t even sure if they were doing that on purpose just to mess with the wizard.

  A few of the drawers were locked, so the girls had to wait for the grumbling mage to open each one. Some required a physical key, that he carried on his person, while others were magical.

  The enchanted locks proved a bit of a hassle. Tobias insisted that the twins step back, to ensure that they couldn’t learn the incantation required to open them, but Jury refused. She said that the mage could use this opportunity to hide incriminating evidence. Varre wasn’t sure if she was being serious, or just wanted to mess with the wizard even more at this point, but he agreed on a compromise. He would watch the opening of the shelf. After all, the Court Mage couldn’t refuse his own king. And it’s not like Varre could memorize and repeat this incantation anyway.

  Finally, after a lengthy search, the girls concluded that Tobias really did not have anything incriminating. At least not in the study. If the king was being more thorough, he’d suggest that the living room, bedroom, and every other chamber in the wizard’s quarters would need to be searched too. However, this was never the goal.

  As they discussed earlier, not finding anything was far more incriminating than the alternative. Since Tobias did not have any hydra venom, that either meant he got rid of it, once he realized what poison was used to kill Mikkel, or worse, was directly involved in the assassination.

  That’s assuming Zarkon is telling the truth of course, Varre thought to himself, but right now, I trust the old healer over the shady wizard.

  Technically, the king still didn’t have any solid proof yet. After all, the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence. According to the plan, he was now supposed to chastise the twins for wasting everyone’s time. Tobias would be mollified. He’d gloat for a bit, sure, but believing that Varre was now on his side, the Court Mage would not act against him. At least not immediately.

  Tobias should be allowed to continue his work, while Captain Hakon performed a more clandestine investigation. Getting rid of the influential wizard now would be too dangerous. It would spark allegations of tyranny. And who knows what a desperate magician could do.

  The king stared at Tobias, with his wide grin, as the Court Mage yelled out obscenities and ‘I told you so’s’ at Zarkon’s assistants. He was mollified alright. Still, the longer he looked, the less he liked the idea of leaving a powerful, hostile wizard this close to himself. One that, in all likelihood, has already taken some part in Mikkel III’s assassination.

  “Guards?” Varre called out, with a serious tone.

  The two soldiers walked into the room, ready to fight. The king even noticed a familiar shimmer on their bodies. They must have activated their enhanced states. Good, Varre thought, this will make it a bit safer.

  Tobias’s grin widened even more when he saw the Royal Guards approach. “Excellent! Get these two buffoons out of here! How dare you disrespect my time! Let alone his majesty’s!”

  This is it, Varre thought, no backing away from this anymore. He took a deep breath, then yelled out. “Arrest Court Mage Tobias!”

  He broke with the plan. He won't take the risk of allowing Tobias to continue in his position.