Meanwhile…

After dropping the liquid light into the gnome's mortal wound, Zan waited to see if he had been too late. Gandr's body glowed so brightly that the Chief shielded his eyes. Zan's eyes finally cleared, but the gnome lay unmoving. When the head doctor arrived, the guardian was still unsure of the condition of his prisoner.

"Do not let anyone in or out of the dungeon!" He ordered the two guards who had returned. "Spread the word that we are looking for an assailant with a knife who is likely covered in blood. Go!" The soldiers obeyed and ran out of the cell.

"How is he?" Zan looked hopefully at the physician, whose brow was furrowed in concentration.

"I am not well versed in gnome anatomy, but he is alive. He seems to have lost a lot of blood." The floor was covered, and Zan's hands and clothes were stained. "What happened?" The doctor could no longer see the wound as the liquid from Zan's vial had healed and closed it.

"He was stabbed. I do not know how or by whom."

"But the wound is healed…" the doctor said, amazed.

"I wish I could explain," Zan said with a weary smile.

"So do I," the doctor pulled up the gnome's shirt and checked his entire abdomen. There was not even a scratch. The physician pushed on Gandr's stomach, and the gnome groaned. "He may have some internal damage. I would like to transport him to the infirmary for a better examination."

"Of course…" Zan's mind was racing. He had an idea. "Can I trust you, doctor?"

The latter looked down his nose at the Chief. "I am an honest man if ever there were one," he responded indignantly.

"That is the problem. I am going to need you to help fake his death." Zan looked to the doorway to make sure no one could overhear them.

"What?!" The doctor stared at him wide eyed. "Why?"

"We have a traitor in our midst, Doctor, and I believe this gnome knows who it is. I would bet my life that the one who tried to kill him wanted to silence him to protect themself. If he or she knows that this creature survived, they will try to murder him again. I need him alive for the safety of the empire." The guardian waited for the doctor's response. If he did not agree, Zan wasn't sure what he would do.

The doctor pulled a capsule from his medical kit and placed it under the gnome's tongue. "If he reacts like a human, this should sedate him. No one will know he is alive." Then the doctor stood and headed for the door. "I will get a sheet and a stretcher, but you will have to tell the soldiers to let me in and out. I do not like it, but I will help you. I just hope you know what you are doing, Chief Zan."

"Me too," the silver-eyed Guardian agreed.

A stretcher and four attendants—the gnome was made partly of stone and extremely heavy—came to remove Gandr from his cell. The doctor placed the sheet carefully over the gnome's body and face. He made a circular motion in the air and dispatched the men to take him to the infirmary. Zan and the doctor tried to hurry the travel, but they were not quick enough.

News of the incident had set the entire palace abuzz with fear and excitement. Cafer, Ezer and a few other councilmen met the stretcher in one of the long corridors between the dungeon and the doctor's office.

"What happened?" Ezer looked visibly upset.

"Our prisoner was stabbed," Zan growled angrily.

"He is dead?" Cafer inquired, feigning distress. He moved towards the body to examine Gandr.

"Stop, Councilman Cafer! The doctor believes the wound was poisoned in addition to being stabbed." Zan pretended to protect his colleague.

"It is better to stay back until we know what we are up against." The doctor agreed.

Cafer, who could not tell them that he had not poisoned the knife, was forced to comply and let the stretcher pass. "I look forward to reading your full report, Doctor." He grumbled as they continued on their journey. "And Zan, clean yourself up. You reek of death."

"I will keep that in mind." The Guardian acknowledged.

The rest of the trip was uneventful, and the men laid Gandr on a wooden table in a hidden recess of the infirmary. A week passed.

Now Zan sat dutifully by the gnome's side. He and the doctor had seen fit to tie the patient to the table in the event that he awoke, but that event had yet to occur. The Chief made sure to place water on Gandr's tongue and even got him to swallow some broth from the kitchen, but the gnome stayed blissfully unconscious. At first the doctor believed that Zan's ministrations were purely for the sake of extracting information, but he could not deny the tenderness with which Zan took care of the gnome.

Finally the doctor could stand his curiosity no longer. "It is a physician's job to heal, but you took no such oath. Why are you taking such good care of your prisoner?"

Zan looked guiltily at the doctor and gave a faint smile. "I know what it is like to have someone who you trust betray you. Whatever the gnome's crimes, he did not deserve that." When Zan had hit a low, his help also came unexpectedly and changed his life. Perhaps the same would be true for the gnome. At least he hoped so.

"Doctor!" an assistant called as he knocked on the door. "The Council is meeting and they are in need of your expert opinion."

"I know of no such meeting." Zan was surprised.

"Perhaps they are looking for you too," the doctor offered.

"I will sneak out then and see you in the Council's chambers."

The doctor dismissed the assistant through the door to allow Zan to leave. Even without his cloak, the Chief was an expert at stealth, and no one spotted him until he was in the main hall. It was there that a servant found him. "Chief Zan, you are needed in the Council's chamber. There is news of the Empress!"

"Has she returned?" Zan quickened his pace. Except for Nurlan's report that came with Gandr, they had had no recent news of Aurora.

Coming into the meeting room, all of Zan's hope vanished as time stopped. On the table we're two dainty shoes and a torn piece of skirt all covered in blood.

"No," the Chief choked on his words.

Cafer moved beside him and lay a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "I'm afraid so. The Empress is dead."