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"I promised that I would not contact you," replied Prince Umal. "How can I honor one bond without destroying the other?"

"So it was Antion who decided to shut me out of what is going on?" inquired Prince Derri.

"Do not hold this against him," replied Prince Umal. "He is trying to protect you. You do not understand what is going on."

"No, I don't," admitted the Salacian prince, "but neither do you. Do you think that growing a beard and cutting off your tail can really hide you? If you do, ask yourself how you found your way into this cell."

"I have been asking myself that," confessed the Odessian. "How did you recognize me?"

"Not many men can walk through the streets of Kyland in command of five Odessian beauties," grinned the Salacian. "That was a sight that I could not miss even high up on the ramparts of the castle. What possessed you to do such a thing?"

"A foul beast who thinks he is a stableman," scowled the Odessian prince. "I would love to confine him to one of his filthy stalls. I would not leave the horses in his care."

"I am shocked to hear that a Salacian is so low as to mistreat a horse," frowned Prince Derri. "I will make sure to have the man suitably punished. What stables does this fool preside over?"

"The ones behind the Golden Shield," answered Prince Umal.

The Salacian prince grinned broadly as he discovered the whereabouts of Prince Antion.

"Wipe the grin off your face, Derri," the Odessian said. "You did not trick me into revealing anything. I would rather that you find him without the use of your soldiers, but I implore you to ignore that he is in the city. It would be best for everyone."

"I strongly disagree," Prince Derri shook his head. "There is much that I have to tell him. King Caedmon has sent runners all over the Land of the Nine Kingdoms in search of him. Borunda now knows his identity."

"Is that why we saw the relay soldiers on the road?" gasped Prince Umal.

"No," Prince Derri shook his head. "That relay is to solve yet another problem for King Caedmon. A prince from Caroom has been romancing Princess Glynis. We believe he was spying for Borunda. The relay is to speed a report back to Anatar."

"You are right," declared Prince Umal. "You do need to speak to Antion, but it must be done properly. We have others traveling with us who do not know our identities."

"Then we shall be discrete," agreed Prince Derri. "Can you arrange the meeting?"

"I will try," nodded the Odessian, "but there is one other surprise in store for you. I must warn you before you make the same mistake that Antion and I almost made. We have with us a man who appears identical to Prince Zinan of Borunda. Do not attack him."

"Prince Zinan?" the Salacian's eyes narrowed. "He is the one who is closest to Prince Garrick, the one who Antion feels has been sent to kill him. How could this be?"

"I do not know," sighed Prince Umal, "but both Antion and I almost killed him. We have also discovered that Prince Zinan is traveling the Land of the Nine Kingdoms. He is sowing spies in each and every city he passes through."

"We will be ready for him when he gets here," promised Prince Derri.

"I think he has already been here," retorted Prince Umal. "He left men at the bridge over the Salacian River to kill us, but he did not stay himself. There is another man traveling with him, a Caroomite named Asgar. I thought I saw his face earlier today in this very city, but I am not sure. It was but a brief glimpse, and I could find no trace of him when I looked."

"We each know one of two different sides to this affair," stated the Salacian prince. "That is all the more reason for us to talk to one another. How will you arrange the meeting?"

A mischievous grin came over the Odessian's face. "How about I chain you to the wall in the cell and return later with Antion? It wouldn't take more than a few hours to get him and come back."

"I am truly sorry for your treatment," chuckled the Salacian prince, "but I am not willing to undergo such treatment myself. I have stayed with you in the yurts of Odessia. Surely, that is just as bad?"

"Hardly, you Salacian fiend," laughed Prince Umal. "The royal yurts are a far cry from an old prison, however, I will plan carefully for your next visit to Natura."

"I can hardly wait," cringed the Salacian prince. "Let's try a different idea for the meeting, though."

"Now that I know that his identity has been discovered," frowned Prince Umal, "I am hesitant to make him leave the inn, and I suspect we will be making a hasty exit from the city in the morning. Is there any chance that you can come up with a disguise suitable to move around your own city unseen?"

"I am sure of it," smiled the Salacian. "Shall we meet in the stables behind the Golden Shield in two hours?"

"Not there," Prince Umal shook his head. "Not only is the place foul, but I might end up killing the stableman."

"The stableman will not be there," grinned Prince Derri. "I will see to that. It is the least I can do to make up for my treatment of you."

"Deal," smiled Prince Umal. "You should know the names we are using in case something goes wrong. I am called Horst, and Antion is Gunnar."

"You do prepare for unseen troubles," noted the Salacian prince. "Refer to me as Kenra if anyone is around. That way the title prince will be on none of our lips."

"How do we leave this place?" asked Horst. "We should not be seen together."

"You leave first," suggested the Salacian. "I have to lock it up anyway."

Horst rose and made for the outer door of the old prison. He saw his weapons in a pile and picked them up and slid them into their proper sheaths. When he was ready to leave, he turned and looked back at his Salacian friend.

"Thanks for stopping by to visit," grinned the Salacian prince.

Horst shook his head and chuckled to himself as he opened the door. The night was already upon the city, and distant torches illuminated some of the streets. It took a few moments for Horst to orient himself, but he saw the distant marketplace and moved towards it. Once the marketplace was near, the Odessian knew the way back to the Golden Shield. He moved briskly along the streets, but not so fast that others would find interest in him. When he arrived at the Golden Shield, he found most of his party sitting at a table in the common room. They looked expectantly as he approached the table and sat down.

"Did you get lost?" asked Monte.

"I moved the horses to different stables," answered Horst. "The ones out back were unacceptable to me. What are they serving for the evening meal?"

Kerzi was missing from the group, and Horst assumed he was already asleep. Talot and Monte returned to a conversation they were having before the Odessian arrived, and Jared appeared to be lost in thought. He had two bowls of stew before him and was hungrily attacking one of them. Gunnar, however, was staring at his Odessian friend.

"There are three choices," Gunnar replied softly. "I would recommend the stew. Did you meet any interesting friends today?"

"I met a most unagreeable stableman," Horst answered slyly. "Fortunately, I also met a rather agreeable one and his assistant. The horses are stabled several blocks away."

Gunnar was not buying Horst's answers. He knew his friend was being evasive, and he was pretty sure of the reason for it. He sighed heavily and wondered what was coming next.

"We need to talk," Gunnar stated softly.

"I could not agree more," nodded Horst as he looked into his friend's eyes. "Let me eat my meal first. There is time left before we need to talk."

"How much time do you need to eat?" asked Gunnar as he realized that Horst was trying to tell him something without using the horse language. In such a crowded environment, the use of finger talking would cause people to notice you.

"Less than two hours," Horst replied.

"Is everything alright?" asked Gunnar as he nodded in agreement to the timeframe.

"I believe everything will be fine," smiled Horst. "If I thought otherwise, I would not have the appetite to eat."

"Then we shall talk when you are done eating," agreed Gunnar. "I will wait in my room for you."

"Keep your boots on," advised the Odessian as the serving woman arrived to take his order.

Gunnar was sharing a room with Monte, but the Caroomite was still in the common room talking with Talot. The Arin prince sat anxiously on the bed as he waited for Horst to arrive. When the knock finally sounded on the door, he swiftly moved to answer. The Odessian prince slid into the room and closed the door.

"I thought you had promised not to contact Derri?" Gunnar asked accusingly.

"I kept my promise," replied Horst. "The prince had me arrested in the marketplace. He knew that you were with me, and nothing I said could make him believe otherwise."

"How did he even know that you were in the city?" asked Gunnar.

"He claimed that he saw me leading the horses to the other stables," replied Horst, "but that was too convenient. I cannot imagine that he just happened to be gazing down upon the city at the very moment I moved the horses. I do not believe in coincidences."

"I agree," nodded Gunnar. "Have you any ideas?"

"I think he knew we were coming to Kyland," offered the Odessian prince, "and he has been standing on the castle walls watching for us."

"That is not good," mused Gunnar. "If he is able to figure out our movements in advance, so may others. Where are we meeting him?"

"In the stables out back," answered Horst. "He has made plans to have the stableman removed before we meet."

"Then let's not keep him waiting," stated the Arin prince. "I do look forward to talking with him."

"Are you rethinking about having him join us?" questioned Horst as they made for the door of the room.

"Absolutely not," answered Gunnar. "He would be too quick to offer up his life to protect me."

The princes exited the room and made their way down the stairs, past the common room, and out the back door of the inn. The walk to the stables was short, and both men scanned the area well before stepping into the dark stables. A foul stench assaulted Gunnar's nose, and he was acutely aware of Horst's hands moving to the hilts of his twin scimitars. He nodded in silent agreement as a knife slid into his hand.

"Your weapons will not cut through this odor," came a soft voice from the rear of the stables. "You were wise to alert me to the stableman. Anyone who treats animals this poorly deserves to be in prison."

Gunnar slid his knife back into its sheath and moved into the darkness. He saw a dim outline of his friend as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He moved towards it and embraced the Salacian prince.

"It is good to see you," smiled Gunnar, "even if for just a moment."

"You cannot believe how happy I am to see you," replied Prince Derri. "I have spent sleepless nights worrying about you, and I am not alone with those feelings."

"You mean my father?" asked Prince Antion.

"And your sister," nodded Prince Derri. "You really do need to go see them."

"It is not possible," Prince Antion shook his head. "Prince Zinan's people are searching for us."

"More than you know," nodded Prince Derri. "Your father sent a private message to my father. The Borundans employed a Caroom prince to spy on the palace in Anatar. He struck up a friendship with your sister and was invited into the palace. He also determined that the bodyguard from the trip to Tarent was Prince Antion."

"So the Borundans know everything," sighed Prince Antion. "How did you know that we would be arriving in Kyland? You were obviously waiting for Umal to arrive."

"We arrested a spy last week," explained the Salacian prince. "He was showing a drawing around the city. That drawing was your likeness. You can imagine that such news distressed me without end, but when the message arrived from your father, I knew that you were in trouble. I sent patrols out, and one of them reported that a battle had occurred at the bridge to Caroom. The battle site was indicative of a typical ambush, but it was the ambusher's bodies that were found, not the victims. That must have been a close one for you."

"It was," nodded Prince Antion. "I lost my horse to the river."

"After I received the report," continued Prince Derri, "I spent each day watching the city for some sign of you. I expected you many days ago. What happened?"

"Umal went to Odessia to get fresh mounts," explained Prince Antion. "We spent some time in a small town to wait for him."

"That still leaves days unaccounted for," frowned Prince Derri. "Were you wounded?"

"No," replied the Arin prince. "We are traveling in the company of a merchant. His wagon moves slowly."

"Ah," the Salacian prince nodded in understanding. "That explains a great deal. You may want to leave the merchant behind on your return to Anatar."

"I will not abandon the merchant," Prince Antion shook his head. "I made a bargain with the man to be his warrior, and I will not renege on it."

"I will provide the merchant with a full company of soldiers to protect him," offered the Salacian prince.

"That will not be necessary," declined Prince Antion. "I cannot go to the palace in Anatar. I will not bring such havoc to my people."

"You must," pleaded Prince Derri. "Your father has sent runners around the world to locate you and order your return. Borunda knows your identity. You will not be safe outside the confines of Anatar."

"Borunda is already showing my picture around the world," retorted Prince Antion, "and that has not helped them to find me. If I can move around in Kyland, and I am sure in Anatar as well, without being discovered, then I am safer not showing up at the royal palace."

"Then how do you explain the ambush?" questioned Prince Derri. "Surely, you do not think that was an ambush for a merchant?"

"No," agreed Prince Antion. "One of our group slipped up in Caxon. He let our destination be known. Prince Zinan was in that city at the same time we were. I saw him in a tavern."

"And he did not recognize you?" inquired the Salacian prince.

"He did not," answered Prince Antion.

"Still," pondered Prince Derri, "there are only two major roads out of Kyland. One would have to be a fool not to think that you are heading south from here. The Borundans will try again."

"There is truth to what he says," interjected Prince Umal. "Perhaps it is time to end your wanderings."

"No," the Arin prince shook his head vigorously. "I will not become a prisoner in my own castle. I will escort Kerzi back to Capri and then search for the killers of Jared's father. That is what my future holds."

"Jared?" questioned Prince Derri.

"He is the one I told you about," answered Prince Umal, "the one who looks like Prince Zinan."

"His father was killed in Capri about a year ago," explained Prince Antion. "I need to find out why he was killed and who killed him."

"Why?" frowned the Salacian prince. "How can you get so distracted when you are being hunted?"

"I am not sure," admitted the Arin prince. "There is something special about Jared, and I don't just mean just his resemblance to Prince Zinan. There is a bond between us that I do not understand, and I am filled with this urge to solve the mystery of his father's death. I cannot explain it, because I do not understand it, but it is something that I must do regardless of the danger. Can you understand that?"

"Absolutely not," smiled Prince Derri, "but I will support you in any way that I can. Tell me what I can do to help."

"There is nothing that you can do," Prince Antion smiled in return, "but I greatly appreciate your words. I cannot imagine what life would be like without friends such as you and Umal."

"So what happens next?" asked Prince Derri. "Will you at least visit your father as you pass through Anatar?"

"I would like to," said Prince Antion, "but I cannot risk being seen entering the palace." The Arin prince sighed and placed his hands on Prince Derri's shoulders. "The merchant will choose a load in the morning, and we will depart this fine city. I do not know when we will meet next, but I hope it is under circumstances that will bring us both much joy and time to spend with one another."

"I have a thought," Prince Derri responded after a moment of awkward silence.

"I hope it is not a request to come with us," interjected Prince Umal.

"Of course not," chuckled Prince Derri. "I already know what that answer would be if I asked the question. You mentioned that your merchant had not yet chosen a cargo. Is that correct?"

"Prince Antion is trying to get him to carry stones," laughed Prince Umal. "The merchant is not taking too kindly to the suggestion."

"Arin is in desperate need of weapons and armor," declared the Salacian prince. "Salacian forges are working night and day to help them with their needs. I could easily arrange a shipment for your merchant, and the remuneration would be greater than his usual profit on such a journey. He would also be helping Arin to get ready for the coming war."

"That is the type of help that I am happy to receive," grinned Prince Antion. "Can it be done in such a way as to not call attention to us?"

"Easily," nodded Prince Derri, "and it will also get you into the royal palace in Anatar without anyone suspecting anything. I will send a runner on ahead of you with a personal message for King Caedmon. He will arrange his own security for the meeting with you."

"I would like that very much," smiled Prince Antion, "but what will you say in the message?"

"I will let you write it yourself if you wish," offered the Salacian prince.

"That will not be necessary," Prince Antion shook his head. "Just make sure that he is aware that not all of my party knows my true identity. It is simpler if things stay that way."

"Are there some that you do not trust?" frowned Prince Derri.

"No," answered the Arin prince, "but I fear the Borundans' ability to reach into others' minds. The fewer people who know about me, the safer I feel."

"All will be taken care of," promised Prince Derri. "I will leave now and wish you both a safe journey. You two remain here for a few minutes to make sure that I am not followed."

The Salacian prince embraced each of his friends and then slipped out of the stables. In seconds he was gone, but they stood watching for movement in the dark for a few minutes longer.

"I am surprised that he did not try to join up with us," commented Horst. "We sure could use his sword when the Borundans find us next."

"We could indeed," nodded Gunnar, "but it is better this way. The others might not think anything strange, but I am sure that Kerzi would be suspicious if someone joined us in Kyland. He already thinks Monte might be a prince in disguise. Your joining with me has really made him curious."

"He no longer thinks that of Monte," laughed Horst. "We had a long talk one night when I was on sentry duty, and he had awoken early. The man treats me as he does the others when we are in view of anyone, but in private he is still in awe of your having a prince for a friend. I cannot imagine what he would think if he knew the truth about you."

"I don't even want to think about it," chuckled Prince Antion. "Let's get out of these foul stables before I lose the evening meal."

* * *

The merchant and his five warriors were having the morning meal in the common room when two soldiers entered through the rear door of the inn. Their eyes scanned the common room and one of them walked to the center of the room and spoke loudly.

"Who owns the wagon out back?" the soldier asked.

Kerzi raised his hand and both soldiers converged on the table. Kerzi rose as they approached.

"Is there something wrong with my wagon?" he asked anxiously.

"Not at all," replied the soldier. "We are looking for merchants heading towards Anatar. Would you be going that way?"

"I am," nodded the old man. "I am leaving this morning as soon as I get a load. Why?"

"We need to make a delivery," answered the soldier as he handed a paper to the merchant. "This is the request form. If you take it to the armory, they will load your wagon with goods bound for Anatar. You will be paid in Anatar when you make the delivery."

"This is most unusual," frowned Kerzi. "I usually buy my own goods and resell them at a profit. What will I be paid for this delivery?"

"You will be paid handsomely," answered the soldier. "I am told that the trip is more profitable than most merchants are used to, but I do not know the exact amount. Should I extend the offer to some other merchant?" the soldier asked as he reached for the paper.

Kerzi looked at the other members of his group for some sign of acceptance or rejection of the proposed offer, but no one appeared to have strong emotions one way or another.

Kerzi held the paper close to his chest and shook his head. "I will go to the armory," the merchant agreed. "Thank you for this opportunity."

The soldiers nodded and retreated from the inn.

"What do you make of that?" Kerzi asked his group.

"Sounds like they need to get something to Anatar and don't have the wagons to accomplish it," shrugged Monte. "Whatever it is, it sounds like they will load the wagon for us. That can't be all bad."

"The armory indicates that they are shipping military goods to their neighboring country," offered Horst. "I suspect they will be generous with their rewards."

"Then we have a load," grinned Kerzi, "and it is not rocks. Let's get whatever it is they want us to take, and get on the road."

"I will go with Horst to retrieve our horses," offered Gunnar.

"I want to make a last run through the marketplace," said Monte. "Where shall we meet?"

"The armory is near the market place," replied Kerzi. "Let's meet just outside its gates. It should not take a bunch of soldiers longer than an hour to load the wagon, seeing as they are in a hurry to get their goods out of the city."

* * *

As Prince Zinan rode through the gates of the palace in Tarent, his eyes scanned the barracks area and the training grounds. While there was a great deal of activity going on, it was not nearly as much as he had expected. His dour mood deepened when he saw that some of the recruits were training with sticks instead of weapons.

The dark prince stormed into the palace and made his way directly to the throne room. As expected, he found Prince Garrick sitting on the throne, but Naveena stood beside it issuing orders. She looked up as he entered and then immediately dismissed everyone. The people hastened out of the room, and the dark prince approached the throne.