"Can we speak freely here, Tarras?"

Tarras chewed thoughtfully on a piece of fruit as he lifted his head and looked around. Nearly every table in the outdoor cafe was full despite the distinct chill to the early morning air. All the ones he could see were occupied by other Lords, all chatting, or debating, or negotiating.

He turned to Janna. "It is unlikely that any of the others will hear us, my dear," he said mildly.

"I wasn't worried about them."

"I don't believe you need to worry about the other. If the Emperor had been intent on using eavesdroppers, he would have used them in private chambers as well. He would already know everything."

"And you're betting on the fact that we would have been arrested by now if that were the case," said Janna. She took a sip of her juice before putting the goblet back on the table and chafing her hands along her arms.

"No, I am betting on the supposition that we would be dead if that were the case."

Janna felt a shiver go through her that was only partially due to the cold. "I heard that the Colosian Ambassador will be arriving today," she said flatly.

Tarras nodded once. "This is true. We hurried him along to Lord K'rinnus' palace, and he arrived there late last night. He's being hustled straight into the Portal not long after first light."

"Tarras, I don't think anything will come of this. Not with the way the Emperor has been acting towards the Noble Lords these past four days."

"I knew from the start it would accomplish nothing. It was merely a chance for a delay."

"Yes, but now things are coming to where I need to do something," Janna said urgently. "Have you come up with anything?"

Tarras plucked another piece of fruit from his platter and considered it for a moment. "Our movements are indeed being tracked."

Janna sighed. "That doesn't help. We knew that days ago. What we need to know is if there is anything we can do about it."

Tarras popped the fruit into his mouth and chewed slowly. As he did, he let out a long sigh. "It is rather frustrating. I believe I know the methodology of Q'yros' spells, but that alone is not sufficient."

Janna hugged her arms tightly to her chest. "So what's the secret? I have to admit, you've been rather mum on these matters the last few days. And scarce."

Tarras considered and smiled slightly. "I am always there at night."

Janna managed to return the smile. "I'm grateful for that. And not just for the sexual pleasure." She paused a moment and added in a softer, huskier tone, "Even as good as it is."

"I always try my best at anything I do, my dear. Though they do say that a craftsman is only as good as the tools he has to work with."

"Then I am so glad you possess such a well-crafted set of tools."

Tarras would have loved nothing more than to spend the rest of the meal trading increasingly bawdy comebacks, but he knew that there were more important matters at hand. "There is no secret," said Tarras. "Simply a bit of cleverness. He did not enchant our bodies. He enchanted our possessions."

Janna stared. "Come again?"

"Think on that a moment," Tarras said as he leaned back in his chair. "We would detect magic on our bodies. But magic on other items is harder, especially if it is faint. What perfect way to track everyone but to place the spell on all that they own?"

Janna's eyes widened. "All? You're not serious."

"Very serious. He likely imbued the endpoint of the Portal with his spell. We would think it no more than a perturbation of the Portal energies if we felt anything at all."

"Even our clothing?"

"It is likely a rather weak magical charge to avoid detection, since it lays upon the body. But it is there."

Janna shook her head. "That can't be right, Tarras. Not to that extreme."

"Why not?"

"I know a little bit about what can and can't be accomplished in magic. What you're talking about would take a great deal of energy. Q'yros is a powerful Mage, but does he have the power to do that and all the other things he has done for the Emperor?"

Tarras paused a moment. Janna had begun chafing her hands along her arms again. He glanced at one of the cafe walls. There were indentations at regular intervals just about head height, each niche containing a wick encased in crystal. "Tell me, Janna, are you a bit chilly this morning?"

"No, I'm gods-damned cold." She turned her head in the direction Tarras was looking. "Well, no wonder, the heat lamps are not lit."

"Exactly."

Janna paused and looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"The heat lamps work on magic, in order to project and circulate the heat properly. Most unusual, don't you think, that they should neglect to light them now that we are in autumn?"

"Would that not fall to the Emperor's normal palace Mage?"

"Unless his energies were needed elsewhere."

After another moment, Janna stopped chafing her arms, and a look of realization came over her face. "Because Q'yros is reaching his limits?"

"Precisely."

Janna looked hopeful for a moment, but it was quickly dashed. She sighed heavily and leaned back in her seat. "And in the end, it means nothing, because it doesn't help us now."

"It does mean, at least, that we likely can speak freely," Tarras explained. "He does not have eavesdropping spells in place simply because he does not have the power for it. But yes, unfortunately, it is not a solution to the issue at hand. Which is doubly frustrating as I believe I know where Q'yros would be keeping the information you seek."

"But there's no way for me to get it!" Janna said in exasperation. "Not with every item I own spelled to track me. Not with my clothing affected as well."

Tarras nodded and reached for another slice of fruit.

Janna paused a long moment before saying, "Unless I go naked."

Tarras raised an eyebrow. "Naked?"

Janna slowly nodded. "Yes. Naked. He can't track me if I'm not wearing anything, can he?"

Tarras put down the piece of fruit. "My dear, if I did not know you any better, I would say that you are seriously considering this."

Janna looked at him and smirked. "Is that amusement I detect in your voice, Tarras?"

"Amusement. Astonishment. Amazement."

"Anything else beginning with the letter 'A' you want to mention?"

Now Tarras was truly shocked. The look in Janna's eyes left no doubt. She was serious.

Tarras turned himself more fully towards her and leaned forward. "Janna, forgive me for this, but you are insane."

"Any more insane than anything else that has happened? Come on, Tarras, you're the one that's a student of military history. You think Duric has any chance for the element of surprise if the patrols spot him too early?"

Tarras sighed, but otherwise did not respond.

"I have to do this." She paused and smiled. "Anyway, I thought you might like the idea of me parading about the Imperial Palace nude."

"Come now, Janna, all kidding aside, you are not thinking this through. The guards ..."

" ... are all clustered around the Lords because the Emperor is afraid they're going to lead a palace revolt. You told me so yourself just the other day."

"That does not mean that other areas are bereft of them," Tarras pointed out. "I believe the details of the patrols are in the situation room in the southeast tower. It is where the Emperor would traditionally hold any war-related planning activities. There is likely a guard on duty there, not to mention the occasional guard in the halls."

Janna thought about this for a moment. "The southeast tower? Doesn't the south side of the Palace face the river and a forest beyond that?"

"Yes, true."

"There's got to be a portico or overlook there, some place where I can get in. The west side of the Imperial palace is hardly guarded at all, once you get past the gardens. I can disrobe there in the cover of the foliage and circle around. I doubt there are any guards outside."

"This is insane," Tarras repeated, though in a softer voice.

"Why?"

"Because I am starting to believe it might actually work."

Janna smiled.

Tarras remained humorless, however. All he could see was someone that he had grown to care about putting herself in extreme danger. But he had made a pledge to assist her and not to attempt to dissuade her from a task that she ultimately had to do herself. And the fate of Oceanus was more important than either of their personal considerations. "And what of the guard at the tower itself?"

"I guess I will just have to worry about that when the time comes." Janna grinned. "I suppose I could just seduce him and show him the time of his life in exchange for him looking the other way for a little while."

Tarras smirked. "As entertaining a thought as that might be, it is unlikely to work."

She gave him a pointed look. "Then you could come up with a way to get me past that last guard."

Tarras was silent for a long moment, his gaze not focused anywhere in particular. "And you are not frightened by this idea?"

"Frightened? I'm scared out of my wits about it. Being nude in the hallways of the Imperial Palace gives me just enough amusement factor that I can handle it."

Tarras tried desperately not to smile and failed.

"So it's settled," said Janna. "This is what we will do unless you come up with something else."

"Actually, Janna, I may have one more card to play if things do not go well with the Ambassador."

Janna had pulled her breakfast platter to her. Now that she had a course of action to pursue, she felt like she had an appetite again. "Oh?"

"I have been observing the Imperial legions training near the Palace, at least until they were apparently moved elsewhere two days ago," Tarras explained.

"Yes, you said there was something odd about them but you never explained what it was."

"It is hard to convey to someone who has not done the same research as I have," Tarras said gently. "But suffice it to say, the only conclusion I can come to is that some of the soldiers in the Emperor's legions have been previously trained."

Janna looked confused at this. "What, you mean veterans?"

Tarras shook his head.

"No, that's right, how could they be when there has not been any warfare in over a generation, save for some bandit raids. So who were they trained by? A Noble Lord?"

"I considered that possibility, but it would mean a Lord is colluding with the Emperor, which is unlikely. But it is almost preferable to the alternative, that these are soldiers from outside Oceanus."

Janna's fork clattered loudly to her platter. When several Lords from neighboring tables glanced over to her, she hastily picked up her fork and smiled at them. When they had turned away, she leaned over to Tarras and whispered urgently, " You had better be wrong on that!"

"I hope that I am. But if suspicions were raised sufficiently among the other Lords, it might cast more of a pall on the Emperor's plans. Because if it is true, it is clear that the Emperor is seeking to keep it a secret."

"Hellfire, of course he would want to keep that a secret. That's tantamount to the Emperor colluding with a foreign power. That's treason."

"Yes, but try telling Z'haas that," said Tarras. "He does not seem to understand or care that in the case of a treasonous Emperor, a coup is actually considered legal."

Janna put down her fork and rubbed her temples. "This just keeps getting worse."

"Again, perhaps not, if the Emperor has a shred of sanity left to him."

Janna looked up. "And how much are you betting that this is the case? Or more to the point, how much should I bet?"

Tarras paused to finish off the last piece of fruit on his platter. "I believe you should bet on being rather chilly sometime in the next day or so," he said resignedly.

"Well?"

Vanlo had only just stepped across the threshold, the door still open behind him, when an impatient Lanno posed the question to him. Vanlo smiled good-naturedly and let the door close behind him as he strolled in. "I believe it is customary to start with a greeting," he said. "Good morning to you, Master Lanno."

"Good morning to you as well, Master Vanlo," Lanno said with an exasperated sigh. "Now, will you tell me?"

"Do you not wish to hear our agenda for today?" Vanlo asked as he headed into the treatment room. Lanno followed in somewhat peeved pursuit. "We have a good number of regular examinations to perform today, and there will be several Kaylaxxa treatments."

"Blast all that," Lanno declared as he stepped in front of the older Healer.

Vanlo looked at him. "Oh? I thought you were rather enamored of giving those treatments. I can take over that duty for you if you wish ..."

"Argh! You're doing this on purpose!"

Vanlo did not reply, but the secretive smile on his face as he stroked his beard gave Lanno his answer.

"Tell me or I will go look myself."

Lanno started to turn towards the back room. Vanlo caught his arm.

"Well, at least that got some reaction from you," Lanno said acidly.

Vanlo let go. "My apologies. It was just a little bit of fun to break the tension."

"Yes, but at my expense."

"You really ought to be less sensitive about that."

"Look, never mind my character flaws, okay? You said last night you might have some news for me this morning. Now tell me or I really will go look myself."

Vanlo raised a reproachful finger. "Please, do not even joke about that. We must not draw attention to my quarters in any way. We are fortunate that he has not attempted to search it."

"And how do you know he has not done so already?" Lanno countered.

"I moved the apparatus into a cabinet before I began," he explained. "Just inside the door, a delicate glass orb is balanced on a wedge. If one opens the door without placing one's hand at the right place under it to catch the orb, it will fall to the floor and shatter. So far, the orb has been present and intact every time."

Lanno raised an eyebrow. "I have to admit, that's rather clever."

"It is a crude method. And it is a gamble. It assumes Jollis will not be thinking that a Healer would conceive of anti-tampering methods. In any case, the experiment is nearing completion. I should have a definite result before dusk."

"But how is it looking now?"

Vanlo looked thoughtful for a moment and lowered his voice before responding. "It appears that the hypothesis will be confirmed, that the hair found in the Jonalla does indeed belong to Jollis."

Lanno's eyes widened. While it made sense to him, he had secretly hoped that it would not be the case. But now that it was, he felt a righteous anger come over him. "So Jollis was the one that forced that potion on you. That bastard."

Vanlo raised a hand and gave Lanno a serious look. "Please restrain your anger, Lanno."

"And why should I? What he did was reprehensible. He could have done a lot more damage to you if he had messed it up."

Vanlo sighed. In a way, Jollis had already done a great deal of damage. He had made the Healer doubt himself at a critical moment, when Amanda's lifeblood had been draining away from that crossbow bolt. Fortunately for her, he had managed to push aside those doubts and do the right thing.

Yet it was a continuing struggle to keep that doubt at bay. Any time he forgot something, or made a small mistake, he had to reassure himself all over again. Jollis had stilled something far worse than his Portal sense. He had managed to shake the Healer's confidence.

This was something he would mention to no one, not even Roquan. And it was why he was still hesitant about bringing that other matter to Roquan's attention, the one concerning his revelation about a side-effect of the Draught.

"If my theory is proven at the end of the experiment, we will bring the matter before the Overlord," Vanlo said firmly. "This is his Manor, and his jurisdiction. It will be up to him how the matter will be handled."

"If he believes you."

Vanlo turned to Lanno. There was a hardness to his eyes, but he kept himself calm. He knew that if he could force himself to look at the comment objectively, it made sense. Despite his relationship with the Overlord, and the trust that had been placed in him, it was not going to go over well that the Overlord's trusted Tradesman was a spy working for his own ends.

"Yes, there is that," Vanlo said in a flat voice.

Lanno did not comment. He knew as well as Vanlo what the implications were. As soon as Vanlo came out with his accusations, he was marking himself as a target again. Without knowing what Jollis' motivations were, there was no telling what his reaction would be.

And that made the man very dangerous.

Q'yros was already feeling weary as he trudged down one of the passages inside the Emperor's private inner sanctum. The crisis was definitely taking a toll on him. He was already directing the Emperor's court Mage to lend his energies to Q'yros, much to the younger man's consternation. He was already complaining about falling behind in routine magical tasks around the palace.

Q'yros did not like the situation, either. He was frustrated at both Tarras and Janna. Tarras was annoying him with his constant excursions near restricted areas. If he did not know any better, Q'yros would have said the Noble Lord was testing him. Whereas Janna was annoying him by not doing anything at all. He had been sure that Janna would be under orders from Duric to do something disruptive, but so far it had been the opposite.

It had bothered him so much that he had re-cast the more power-intensive spell he had originally used just to replay Janna's passage through the palace. This turned up nothing. She moved about the palace normally, and stayed out of areas she should not be. It was possible she was making Tarras do her dirty work, but he was not doing anything overtly wrong, either.

Now his frustrations were compounded by the fact that the Ambassador had arrived and had already been waylaid by Lord Uras, and now Z'haas was nowhere to be found. Or more accurately, he was nowhere to be found in the places Q'yros had hoped he would be.

Instead, the Mage found the Emperor in the last place he had wished to find the sovereign.

The Emperor was kneeling before the self-styled shrine to his deceased brother, the images in the burnt pearl playing out once more. Q'yros saw that the quality of the images had deteriorated even further from when Z'haas had first shown it to him.

Q'yros did not like the implications of that. It meant that the Emperor had been watching the images over and over again. It explained why Z'haas had been spending increasing amounts of time holed up in his inner chambers.

"My Emperor," Q'yros said softly.

Z'haas gave a start as if he had not heard that someone had stepped into the tiny room. He quickly straightened up and waved his hand over the orb. "Yes, what is it?" he snapped.

"The Colosian Ambassador awaits your presence."

Z'haas paused, then lifted his head and turned around, setting his eyes hard. "Very well. Let's get this over with."

Q'yros had no time to inquire what that meant before the Emperor had pushed past him and started walking briskly towards the audience chamber.

"It is a tragedy that the Noble Lords require a crisis of this magnitude to make their presence known to our good neighbors to the west," said Lord Uras as he stood with the empty Imperial throne behind him. "We should have taken a far more active interest in affairs of state before this. You have my sincerest apologies, Lord K'rassan."

The man standing before Uras, a somewhat lean, nervous-looking fellow with dark hair and spectacles, gave Uras a look of mild surprise. "Then you are not in favor of conflict between Oceanus and Colos?" Lord Garra K'rassan asked the Oceanus Lord.

"We have yet to hear a solid reason for it. Oceanus will never hesitate to defend itself, mind you, but only when such defense is necessary."

"The Colosian Monarch, His Majesty Flarros Z'kinna, is quite concerned about this," said Lord Garra, a quaver to his voice. "He does not understand how this has escalated so badly. It is his belief that the only grief your Emperor had with us was strictly limited to trade policy."

Uras nodded gravely. "The Noble Lords have heard only vague suppositions. We are hoping that this meeting between us and Emperor Z'haas will clear things up."

"His Majesty is prepared to be generous with terms. A war is unthinkable. We have little means to stop an attack from the east. All our forces are committed to the western frontier."

Uras' eyebrows rose. "Oh? Are you having some difficulties?"

"Some of the island nations off the west coast of the continent are making warlike noises. Colos is allied with some of them and is being forced to choose sides."

"Terrible situation to be in, you have my sympathies."

"Lord Uras, have you any insight to offer me before Emperor Z'haas arrives?" asked Garra. "Really, I am at a loss. I was pressed into ambassadorial service at the last minute, when it appeared that your Emperor was not bluffing."

"You believed this was a bluff?"

"Of course we did! We simply thought Emperor Z'haas was attempting to put pressure on us to change our trading policies, considering that his first action was to terminate trade with us. It was only when he repudiated all relations with us that we grew wary."

Garras was purposely downplaying it. He had been in attendance at the Colosian Council of Lords when the message had arrived. It had generated a state of pandemonium and a call for immediate concessions to Oceanus.

"Lord Uras, do you have any idea what the Emperor thought of our previous offers?"

Uras furrowed his brow. "Now I am the one forced to confess that I am at a loss. What offers are you referring to?"

Garra looked a bit taken aback by this. "You do not know?"

"As I stated before, the Nobility has been inexcusably out of touch lately," Uras explained, though the real reason was simply that Z'haas had failed to inform them. While he wanted to make his displeasure over the Emperor's actions known to the Ambassador, he didn't want to reveal how far the breakdown of protocol had gone. "Please, enlighten me if you would."

"On three occasions we sent a messenger to your border with a parchment containing a proposal for a new trade treaty, one that was rather generous to Oceanus. In fact, each one was more generous than the last. We received only silence in response."

Uras nearly bristled at this. Now he was not so keen on trying to keep Z'haas' name unsullied. "I assure you, Lord Garra, the Noble Lords will get to the bottom of this abhorrent breakdown in communications between the Imperium and the Nobility! Had we known that you had offered terms, we would have insisted on a fair hearing of ..."

He broke off as soon as he heard footsteps entering from the far side of the room.

Z'haas swept into the room, followed by Mage Q'yros. Lords Uras and Garra took position before the throne, remembering protocol as they stood straight with arms to their sides. As Z'haas took to the throne in a quick sprint that seemed out of character for him, Q'yros stood to the Emperor's right, resting his hands on the end of his staff. He regarded Lord Uras through narrowed eyes. Uras gave him a glare in return.

As Z'haas sat down, Uras and Garra bowed formally as one. Garra remained bowed as Uras straightened and took a step forward. "I present to you, My Emperor, the honorable Lord Garra K'rassan, Ambassador from the Nation of Colos."

"Yes, yes, I am aware of who he is," Emperor Z'haas said testily, waving a hand in dismissal. "Let us get on with this."

The Emperor had started to speak just as Garra was straightening up. He paused before rising to a standing position in a somewhat wary motion, glancing over at Uras anxiously. Uras gave him a single nod as he stepped back.

Lord Garra turned to face Z'haas. "Your Imperial Majesty, I realize you are quite busy, and therefore I will get to the point," began Garra, trying to quell his nervousness. "His Majesty Flarros Z'kinna wishes to avoid a conflict between our two nations. I have come bearing two offers that we hope will show our desire for nothing but continued good will between us.

"First, we wish to offer a one year moratorium on all tariffs imposed by us on all Oceanus goods. All Oceanus goods that are traded to us or that travel through our territory will be tariff-free. This will give ample time to foster a return to good relations and negotiate a long-term treaty under friendlier circumstances."

Uras was rather impressed. Colos did indeed want to avoid war with Oceanus at any cost. That was sure to be a platinum drain on the Colosian treasury for awhile.

"Second, we wish to offer to maintain part of our territory facing Oceanus as a demilitarized zone. We will keep no forces within less than a half-moon's march to our shared border. We do not see Oceanus as our enemy, and we do not wish Oceanus to see us as an enemy either."

And that was even more generous, Uras realized. It would essentially empty almost all the land up to the foot of the Great Continental Mountains of Colosian forces. Surely if Z'haas believed Colos to be a military threat, this would be ample solution to the problem of Oceanus security. It was not as if Z'haas' forces could occupy even half of that land. They were giving more than the Emperor would ever get by force of arms.

Garra paused, and the Emperor rushed into the silence. "Is that it?" he demanded.

Garra was momentarily confused. He was not sure what Z'haas was referring to, whether the Emperor was already declaring the offer inadequate or was simply asking if Garra were finished speaking.

Uras was unsure as well, but guessed the former. He folded his arms and glowered at the Emperor.

"I-I have one more thing, your Imperial Majesty," Garra said. His voice cracked and wavered. He cleared his throat awkwardly before continuing. "In the interests of wishing to reach a speedy conclusion to this crisis, we are willing to implement the second part of the offer now. The first part, that of resumption of trade between our two nations, can be delayed. It will resume only at your convenience."

Uras was flabbergasted. That was a tantamount to a complete capitulation to Oceanus. While he did not like the idea of Colos prostrating themselves for the likes of Z'haas, it essentially gave Z'haas no reason to pursue a war.

Q'yros was coming to this same realization. Colos was begging for its security. It was truly unprepared for a conflict with Oceanus. But they wanted to maintain their sovereignty at all costs, even if it meant leaving themselves defenseless to the east.

"It is a very generous offer, my Emperor," the Mage stated cautiously, keeping any emotion out of his voice.

The Emperor said nothing. Q'yros grew increasingly anxious in the silence. Surely this was the answer. This was a way out of the sticky situation between the Imperium and the Nobility. The Caucus would have met their aim of stopping a war. Z'haas would have met his aim of neutralizing Colos as a threat. It satisfied everyone. Both could then push back against the Overlords for precipitating the crisis in the first place.

Finally, Z'haas rose from the throne. "I shall take this under advisement. This audience is concluded."

He turned away from the throne and moved to step off the dais, only to be stopped by a livid Lord Uras.

"What in hellfire is that supposed to mean?!" he shouted. "What advisement? What is there to ..."

The Emperor fixed an icy stare on the Noble Lord. He gestured to the side. The two guards at the door stepped forward and withdrew their swords.

Uras glanced over to them, but rather than intimidate him, it made him all the more furious. "Fine! Have them cut me down! Shed my blood on the throne! It will not silence the other Lords!"

"And just what is it you wish of me? What is it you wish me to proclaim? I have heard the Ambassador. Now I will retire to render a decision."

"Oh, yes, you'll render a decision all right!" Uras said in a mocking tone. "Deep in the bowels of your little sanctum, where no one can hold you accountable for your actions!"

The Emperor's eyes blazed. "Do not assume you know my tolerance for your histrionics, Lord Uras. I need not hold myself accountable to you. I have entertained this Caucus of yours in the interest of fairness ..."

Uras laughed humorlessly. "You want to show fairness? Then you make your decision before the full Caucus of the Lords of Oceanus! You let us put your decision to ..."

"I will hear no more of this," Z'haas said, turning away. Uras' eyes widened at the dismissal, but before he could take a single step, the Emperor looked over to the guards and said almost casually, "If he attempts to advance any further towards my private quarters, kill him."

Uras' jaw dropped. Lord Garra paled. They both looked towards Q'yros, who was looking a bit stunned himself.

Q'yros recovered swiftly. "Do not antagonize the Emperor further. This audience is ended." He hurried to catch up with the Emperor.

When he reached Z'haas, he found that the man had stopped in the hallway and turned towards the Mage with a look of resignation .

"And just what do you have to say about this, Q'yros?" asked the Emperor with a tired sigh. "Will you now tell me that you would not have advised what I just did? Will you tell me it was not a wise move?"

Q'yros paused a moment, then shook his head. "No. It would hardly seem worth it now, as you no longer care about my advice."

"I care about good advice, Q'yros. That is something that has been sorely lacking."

"Perhaps then, the lack of wisdom occurred when you first appointed me to this position," the Mage said coldly. "One that I never wanted in the first place."

"Then you are relieved of that duty. I will no longer need your advisement. Not when things are now in motion."

Q'yros nodded once. He had been expecting this. "So be it. I assume you wish me to continue my security duties until ..." He hesitated. "I beg your pardon, my Emperor. What did you mean when you said things are in motion?"

"I decided last night that I have had enough of this. I gave the order for the army to march on Colos. They were away and heading towards the border with the dawn."

The Mage's eyes widened, and he nearly dropped his staff.

"Now the Caucus and the presence of the Ambassador and his offer has been rendered superfluous," continued Z'haas. "The decision has been made. It is done, and there is nothing ..."

"ARE YOU MAD?!"

Z'haas fell silent.

Q'yros' hands gripped his staff like a vise. "You ... y-you have violated every possible precept of organized warfare! You did not even issue a formal declaration of war! You launched an invasion after you knew their emissary of peace was on his way! Do you realize how this will look to the other nations of Narlass? To the Urisi?!"

The Emperor continued to maintain a stony silence.

Q'yros' lips drew to a thin line. "Or do you even care?"

"I care about the security of Oceanus, and of the power of the Imperial throne," Z'haas stated in a voice of frightening confidence. "My actions will secure both."

The Mage had his worst suspicions confirmed. Z'haas had indeed been interested in power. This had not just been about keeping Oceanus safe. He had no doubts that the Emperor believed he was doing this as well. But it was security as he defined it .

What truly galled him was that the Emperor had likely planned this all along. It had not been even a full moon since Z'haas had first announced his intentions to Q'yros. He had stated it would take at least a moon for his legions to prepare, but that had been a lie. Here it was a full quarter-moon short of the supposed time needed, and already the army was on the march! Z'haas must have been preparing them in secret all this time.

"I will issue a statement as to my actions and the reasons I am taking them by the evening," Z'haas continued. "Then I expect the Lords to remove themselves from the palace in no more than three days time. Any left after that will be arrested and held on charges of conspiracy to usurp the throne, for that would be their only reason to linger. And do not attempt to 'advise' me any further on these actions, as those duties are no longer yours. You will confine your tasks to security. You will continue to insure that I remain safe and the throne remains mine. Is that clear?"

Q'yros remained silent for a long moment before finally intoning, "Yes, my Emperor."

"Then get about your task and do not disturb me further."

The Emperor turned and walked away.

The Mage considered him for a moment, his eyes narrowing, his hand gripping his staff so tightly the knuckles were white. He was not sure what to think. He had thought that subduing Colos had been the right thing to do, that he could accept Z'haas' quirks as a necessary evil. But with the revelation that the Portals may not be using focusing pearls after all, it was no longer clear that attacking Colos would accomplish anything. The risk no longer appeared to be worth the benefit.

And from the Guild Hall for the past quarter moon had been nothing but maddening silence on the matter.

And from Duric's camp, no reliable intelligence.

And more Portals continued to open and close about Oceanus, mostly concentrated around Gronnus' or Roquan's Manor.

And Janna continued, infuriatingly, to do nothing, further giving him no leads on Duric's intentions.

Q'yros took a deep breath and thumped his staff against the floor in frustration. As drained as he was of energy, it barely produced a few half-hearted sparks. His thoughts turned to his loathing of Roquan. It had been him that had started the whole thing with his collusion with the Far West. Now he and the other Overlords had attempted a gambit that would bring ruin to the nation no matter how it turned out.

Janna was a little surprised to have been summoned to Lord Uras' quarters, even more so when she found Tarras already in attendance. She stood at the threshold with the door still open, staring, her eyes flicking from Uras to Tarras and back again.

"Lord Tarras insisted on being here," Uras said, his arms folded tightly. "As soon as he had heard that I was looking for you."

Janna said nothing, but shifted her gaze to Tarras.

"I have a feeling I know what this is about, Janna," said Tarras in a rather grave voice that sent her stomach churning in anxiety. "At least if what I have heard from my own men is true."

Uras raised an eyebrow and turned to Tarras as Janna closed the door. "And just what have you heard?" asked Uras.

Tarras folded his hands behind his back and stepped forward. "There is a tall hilltop in the northeast corner of the Carolas province. You can see a fair distance on a clear day. I have had some men stationed there since the start of the Caucus."

Uras furrowed his brow. "For what purpose?"

"To keep surveillance over the main roads between the Imperium and points west. There has been much activity in last quarter moon. Imperial patrols have swept down through it and pushed merchant traffic on to side roads. They have set up road blocks to prevent new traffic from coming in."

Uras' lips parted and he paled slightly. "Good gods, you don't think he would actually give the order when we're still ...?"

"I would not be surprised if the order has not already been given, Lord Uras. All that is needed to confirm it is the sight of plumes of dust rising from the main roads as the soldiers march."

"What's this all about?" Janna demanded as she stepped forward. "What are you all talking about?"

Uras set his face hard again and turned to Janna. "The Emperor has turned a deaf ear to the Colosian Ambassador, my dear. I do not believe Z'haas is interested in peace."

Janna nodded. She should have expected it, but she had held out some hope that perhaps the Caucus had not all been for naught. "Colos' offer was not generous enough?"

"Generous? Generous?! Great gods, it was practically a surrender! But did it affect the Emperor? Not one iota!" Uras turned away and threw up his hands.

"Uras, by now it should be very clear to you that Z'haas is not interested in fairness, the Charter, or rational thinking," said Tarras. "He cares only about his own power and what he can do with it."

Uras turned to face him. "I am well aware of that, Tarras! That is why I have called Lady Janna here."

"Yes, what about me? Someone tell me what in the hells is going on," Janna demanded. Her boldness in speaking to Lord Uras in this manner was largely to cover up her own nervousness. Her heart was thumping in her chest, as she already had some idea what Uras was going to say.

Uras turned to her and took a deep breath. He stepped forward and lowered his voice. "Whatever Lord Duric is planning, Janna, tell him to do it."

Janna stared. Yes, it was what she had expected, but it was still a shock to hear it.

"I know he is up to something, Janna. Don't hide it from me. I have not been a Noble Lord for some forty years now to not know the signs. How the Emperor is managing not to see it himself is something of a miracle."

"Perhaps it is another sign of his failing powers of reason," Tarras commented.

Janna looked over to him in an almost accusing fashion.

Tarras shook his head. "I told him nothing. He figured this out for himself."

"Ah, so you knew yourself, did you, Lord Tarras?" Uras asked with a small smirk." I should have realized when you insisted on being here. A collaborative effort?"

"In terms of soldiers, no. That is Duric's doing. I am ... merely acting as counsel and moral support."

Janna made note of the fact that Tarras was downplaying his role. This was a sign to her that she should not mention her plan for obtaining the patrol route information. She felt her stomach try to churn again at the thought.

She turned to Uras. "All right. Yes, Duric is gathering an army."

Uras nodded, his expression somewhere between relief and worry. "Is it on its way?"

"The last time I spoke with him, he was planning on starting to send them through within a few days."

Uras frowned. "A few days? Send them through? I don't understand."

Janna hesitated, wondering if she should reveal that part of the plan. She had not even told Tarras.

It was Tarras that came to her rescue. "I do believe what Janna is referring to, and correct me if I am wrong, Janna, is that Lord Duric will be assembling his troops closer to the Imperial Palace via Portal."

Uras' eyebrows shot up. "Great gods, is that possible?"

"I am no expert in Portal mechanics, Lord Uras. But I would suspect a Mage with the right know-how could adapt a Portal to remain open long enough to transport a small army in a day's time."

"But how ...?"

"Yes, Duric is doing it that way," Janna cut in. "Let's leave it at that."

Uras frowned. He tended to be someone that insisted on knowing every detail of a plan. He had trouble trusting others to do their part. "Very well. Does Duric have any plans for a successor to the throne? I am assuming he is not forwarding himself."

Janna could tell from the older Lord's tone that the real meaning of the statement was more "he better not be considering himself." She shook her head at him. "No, he does not want the title, even as an interim measure. I believe he was hoping for some guidance from you on that when the time came. Perhaps he thought you would consider it yourself."

Uras blinked at this, though inwardly he swelled with pride at the idea of being considered for such a position. Yet like Duric, it would not be something he would want to keep in any permanent fashion.

Tarras stepped forward. "I believe you would make a good candidate for an interim Emperor, Lord Uras. Surely that would not be seriously contested by the other Lords given your years of experience."

"So long as I don't keep the position too long, eh?" Uras said with a small laugh. "Very well. If no other candidate appears viable, I will consider it. Anything to stabilize the realm when this is over."

"My main concern is how powerful an army Duric has conjured up."

Janna shook her head. "I'm not privy to that information. But Duric has not had a lot of time. You can only do so much in less than a moon's time."

"He will have to do very well indeed if he expects to clash with Imperial legions!" Uras declared.

Tarras considered. "That depends. If the Emperor is indeed blind to the danger, he will not hold much in the way of reserves at the palace when he marches on Colos."

"And you think that is a forgone conclusion by now, do you?"

"If he has not already done so."

"I still say that it would be sheer madness with the Ambassador on Oceanus' soil!"

"Yes, it would, wouldn't it? Isn't it time we stop assuming that the Emperor will act rationally? He has made it abundantly clear that he is either power-hungry or insane. What did I say at the Caucus, Lord Uras? That Oceanus was born in blood. It is now time for it to be renewed by blood. There is no recourse. There is no turning back. Everything is in motion. It is simply up to all of us to carry it out."

Uras took a deep breath and let it go as a windy sigh.

"In fact, the launch of the Imperial army would be a blessing to us," Tarras continued. "It means the palace and the city will be lightly defended."

"It was Duric's plan all along to wait until Z'haas launched the attack," explained Janna. "Though he might not have expected it to come this soon."

"I don't think Duric has the luxury of time anymore," said Tarras. "He needs to assemble his army now. Especially if Z'haas has indeed launched his forces. Even as close as they may assemble to the Imperial Palace, it will be at least several days march."

Janna nodded. "I will inform Duric at once."

Uras frowned at Tarras. "That is all fine and dandy that the legions are away from the palace now. What happens when they hear of Z'haas' fall?"

"Imperial armies are loyal to the throne and who sits upon it and not the man himself. Z'haas does not have the charisma to instill loyalty to himself as a person. So long as Duric's army can accomplish its goal before they can return, the legions will fall into line with whomever has laid claim to the throne."

Uras looked doubtful. "I do hope your assessment is a correct one, Lord Tarras. I do indeed."

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