Special Guests

"I swear I don't know anything!" Kym defended herself. The meager contents of her bag were on the floor, and the thin, comfortable mattress she had been sleeping on had been overturned.

The nursemaid leaned with one hand on the wall, watching the proceedings in horror, a guard standing next to her in case she decided to run.

Nearby, Devrim and Junayd surveyed the progress. Their hands on their hips, the men were clearly displeased with how things were going.

Kym gripped at her skirts, trying desperately to stay calm. "Please tell me what you are looking for, and I might be able to help."

Instead of an answer, she received an accusation. "Are you working with Velia?" Gandr, disguised as Junayd, looked deeply at the woman. Her fear was genuine.

"Velia? She's my friend! What does she have to do with this?" Even Kym did not realize the other woman was being detained. She just assumed that the woman had been locked away with the baby prince for safe keeping.

"We have reason to believe she has conspired against the throne. What do you know about this?" The Emperor scowled. When his family's safety was concerned, he had no leniency.

"I know nothing about a conspiracy, I swear! All I have ever wanted to do is be a nursemaid. Why would I put that in jeopardy?" Tears began to run down Kym's face. "If this is about the letters from Velia's brother, I thought I was just doing her a favor."

"Explain yourself, Madame!" Gandr demanded. "If not, justice will be swiftly served!"

Devrim gave him a sidelong glance. The halfling was doing his best attempt at sounding like Junayd, but he was sounding more like an actor in a play.

Kym was too disturbed to notice Gandr's strange cadence. Instead, she dropped to the ground and hugged her knees.

"I cannot betray her trust," the frightened woman looked like she was about to be torn in two, "yet I do not want to betray His Majesty either." Kym began to mumble to herself, trying desperately to make sense of her thoughts. "What can I do? My conscience will not let me hurt a friend or the Empire. Please, Sire, I beg your mercy!" Gripping her head, the woman began to rock back and forth.

Devrim's face softened slightly. He bent down to her level and met her eyes. "The only way to help Velia now is to tell the truth and all of it. Perhaps she is not in as deep as we suspect and you can actually help clear her name. If not, you cannot do her any additional harm at this point, but you can certainly hurt yourself and all of Valiant. Now please, tell us about the letters."

Like a ray of sun through the clouds, the Emperor managed to break through and pull Kym back form the brink of insanity. Her rocking stilled and her cloudy vision cleared.

"Very well," Kym's voice was thin as paper. "As you may know, Velia was hired to the position of nursemaid because she was recommended by her benefactor." She paused to gather her thoughts.

"Who is that?" Devrim asked, trying to keep her talking. The more pauses she made, the more tempted she would be to lie to make herself or her friend look better. Quick responses when it came to facts and memories tended to be the most honest.

"I don't know," the nursemaid admitted. "Velia never said. But she did tell me that her brother was the one really behind the recommendation. Her brother had convinced a Lord to send her name to the palace."

"Brother? Velia is an only child." Devrim knew that from the report he had studied earlier that morning over breakfast. Velia's mother had never been married and had no other children.

"I think it may have actually been her half-brother. I get the impression that he is some sort of nobleman..."

"What does that have to do with the letters?" Gandr interrupted. He was growing annoyed by the woman's avoidance of the question.

"I am getting there. Because he was a nobleman, or at least someone important, he didn't want Velia to be tied to him because it would hurt their father. Yet, he did want to make amends for what their father did. After Velia and I met at the palace and got to know one another, she told me about her situation. Having a rough relationship with my own family, I could sympathize. So the siblings began to exchange notes through me. That way no one could link them together. I thought I was just helping family connect. I still hope that is all I was doing."

Kym's voice became strained. She placed her forehead on her knees and sobbed softly. The two males looked at one another. They both believed her.

"How did you get the notes?" Gandr asked, trying to mimic the soft tone of the Emperor.

When the woman caught her breath, she answered. "I am the one in charge of making sure that the prince has all the things he could ever need including all the best toys and trinkets. At least twice a week I go out into the city to pick up something new that the royal toymaker has invented for the little prince. Someone is usually waiting for me outside the toymaker's shop. I give them any letter Velia has given me and I get one in return. They are always sealed, and I was never nosey enough to read them."

"Is that why there is no letter with your things?" Devrim was beginning to understand.

Kym nodded. "I have not been out of the palace since the attack. Normally I would have gone three days ago and again today."

"Would you be willing to go now?" The Emperor asked her. Perhaps they would finally have a lead on who was after them.

"It would be the best way to prove what you are saying is true," the halfling added with a nod.

"If I must," Kym answered, knowing she really had no other option.

"Good. Then let us go. Oh and nursemaid, should you try to cross us, run, or warn the enemy, it will not end well for you." Devrim's face was dark. He may have believed that she was telling the truth, but that did not mean he could completely trust her.

Kym's eyes held her fear, but she stood up, sniffed and answered evenly. "I understand."

With a small army of shadow guards, Kym headed into the streets of the city. The midday hustle and bustle meant the people of Valiant were closely packed together as they went about their business. Even though there was a sea of humanity, Kym felt utterly alone and exposed.

She just needed to complete her task. Thinking about anything else would cause her to lose her cool. Kym could not think about how she might have been secretly passing notes between enemy spies or how the person she might any moment see was likely an enemy combatant. He might even be an assassin.

'Oh!' Suddenly Kym felt the urge to pass out. She paused and felt the world closing in around her. Only a deep, measured breath kept her from giving in.

Fortunately, the toy shop was only a short walk from the palace. On any other day, it would have been a pleasurable outing. Kym was both disappointed and relieved when no one was waiting for her outside the toymaker's shop. She ducked into the familiar place, wondering just how many guards were watching her.

The toymaker greeted her heartily. "There's the nursemaid of my favorite customer! I was beginning to think you had taken you business elsewhere!"

"Of course not," Kym tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace. "What do you have for me?"

The old tinker brought out a large display for her to peruse. "My best works yet!" he boasted.

In order to avoid suspicion, Kym did her usual routine and selected what she thought would be best, paid the man and turned to leave. "Thank you, I will be on my way..."

"Wait!" The toymaker ran into the back room. For a moment Kym thought he might had remembered another of his newest inventions, but he came back empty handed. "Silly me, I had it the whole time. When you didn't come the other day, a young man asked that I give this to you when I see you. I promise I didn't open it. See? The wax is still sealed."

The woman's heart sank as she saw him pull a letter from his apron. It was easy to guess who it could be from. "Thank you," she said, taking the paper from his hands. It felt like it was made of hot coals, but she grasped it tightly. She dipped her head, grabbed her purchases and hurried out into the streets.

It wasn't long before the young woman rounded the corner and was surrounded by a half dozen guards. She held out the note. One of them soldiers stepped forward and took the paper. She realized with shock that it was the Emperor in disguise.

"I thought you said you had a contact. No one came in or out of the toy shop..." Devrim said, pulling away the wax seal.

"When I did not show up the other day, he left the note with the toymaker. He's never done that before," Velia defended herself. Devrim sent two soldiers to investigate.

"What does it say?" Gandr, disguised as the General Nurlan, asked respectfully.

On the page, it said very little. It held the day's date along with a brief message.

'You know the day. Be ready two hours after dark. The time has come. -S. T.'

"It says," Devrim said, "that we need to get back to the castle. We are having some special guests tonight."