The guards released Rovek and ordered him to leave Velasyr.

  That wasn’t going to happen. Jeremy had been wrongfully accused and knocked unconscious mid?testimony on a truth rune. Unheard of.

  This was highly abnormal. Hell, even Orc courts were more civilized, and they were brutal, often ending in someone losing life or limb. Plus, forcing a law-abiding citizen out of a city was illegal. It was corruption wearing a badge.

  Rovek knew people who understood Elar’s law. Even though he hated politics and despised the elite, this was one of those rare moments where he would set his irritation aside.

  Returning to The Crest with Melorien perched on his shoulder, he extended his stay for several days. He didn’t know how long this would take, but he wasn’t leaving until Jeremy was free and Threnna’s killer was found.

  After checking back in, he marched straight to a column to start making inquiries.

  “Good day,” a beautiful female orc avatar greeted him. “How can I assist you today?”

  “I need to contact someone in Serenveil immediately,” Rovek said, all business-like.

  “I can attempt to reach a Serenveil contact station to send a message. Will that work?”

  “Yes. Contact Thimloo and Ninfey Thirel. Message: Urgent message from Rovek Talin. We have a situation in Velasyr that may need Elf Council involvement. Teleportation may be necessary, if available.”

  “I have sent your message to the Serenveil Hollow Inn. Would you like to be notified if a reply is sent?”

  “Absolutely,” Rovek grunted. “Next matter. I need Velan Halor to visit me at The Crest immediately. He should be at his residence here in Velasyr. Ask him to respond when he is on his way.”

  “An errand boy has been dispatched to Velan Halor’s residence. Can I assist—”

  “Yes. I also need Oryndel Doss contacted immediately. He is the mayor of Karr’Vethun. Message: Urgent message from Rovek Talin. We have a situation in Velasyr that may need Orc Council involvement. Teleportation may be necessary, if available.”

  “I have sent your message to the Karr’Vethun District Vendicator. Would you like to be notified if a reply is sent?”

  “Yes,” Rovek said. “Final message. I need High Priest Velarion of Elaria to visit me at The Crest immediately. He should be at the Church of Nivalár in Elaria. Teleportation may be necessary. Ask him to respond when he is on his way.”

  Rovek walked away without waiting for the response.

  Mel wished he could speak to Rovek directly. The orc was clearly handling business, and all Mel could do was hover nearby and wait. He didn’t even feel like eating varnelings. He just wanted Jeremy back.

  If he could talk to Rovek, he’d probably beg him to break Jeremy out and flee Velasyr. But he trusted Rovek’s judgment. He had to.

  How did Vaelith know about Karn? Mel wondered.

  The whole thing felt wrong. He could read Jeremy’s mind, and he knew, he would never harm anyone unless he had to—and even then, he hated it.

  If Mel could just talk to Vaelith or Thalorin, maybe he could convince them of his friend’s innocence.

  Mel tried to piece it together.

  Karn killed Elirian. He tried to kill me and Jeremy. If Nivalár hadn’t intervened, we’d be dead. Karn worked for Thalorin. Thalorin sent Karn with us. Thalorin could have sent Karn to steal the Tear. Then he contacted Vaelith and told him to arrest Jeremy. Oh! That’s it!

  Mel teleported from Rovek’s shoulder and raced back to the mayor’s house. He kept questioning the logic, but every path led to the same conclusion: Jeremy had been framed so the Tear of Nivalár would be up for grabs.

  When he reached Vaelith’s mansion, he activated glimmershade, blending into the scenery, then teleported across the garden to bypass the guards. Another teleport took him through the door. Using stealth, he searched room after room for the Tear. That piece of evidence would seal the case.

  He reached a small dining nook in the back of the house. Thalorin sat at a table with Vaelith, chatting casually. Mel’s mouth almost hit the floor when the conversation shifted.

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  “I believe we should make a decision on the frog creature soon,” Vaelith said. “I do not believe he is a physical threat, but he can still cause us trouble.”

  “What can he do?” Thalorin smirked. “He is trapped in a dark dungeon. No one of consequence even knows he exists. We could poison him or kill him outright tonight.”

  “Brother, you forget he is The Emissary. He has the attention of Nivalár. We need to send him somewhere he will die, but with plausible deniability.”

  “You always were the cleverer one. So, a dungeon then?”

  Vaelith paused, then grinned. “I know just the place.” He laughed.

  Mel wanted to attack them both, but he knew he couldn’t. All he could do was warn Jeremy and find out where they planned to send him.

  He scurried outside and positioned himself where he could reach the prison cells telepathically.

  [Hey, Jeremy!] Mel said, trying to sound upbeat.

  There were no lawyers here that I knew of. I didn’t have any rights. There was no one who would defend me. Here I was in a prison cell, again, for something I didn’t do. I was frustrated and just wanted to go home.

  It felt so good to feel that tingle behind my ear at Mel’s internal voice.

  I answered him, “You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice, lil’ buddy.”

  [But you can’t really hear me.]

  “I even missed remarks like that. What I miss?”

  [A LOT!] Mel blurted. [I confirmed the conspiracy. Thalorin sent Karn to steal the Tear, and he’s working with Vaelith to kill you!]

  “Don’t sound so excited about that,” I said, laughing. “How are they going to kill me? I’m defenseless down here. Are they sending a soldier to murder me in cold blood?”

  [No! They’re going to send you to a dungeon where the creatures will kill you.]

  “When?”

  [I don’t know. Soon.]

  “Okay.” I thought fast. “You can’t tell Rovek this directly, and neither can I. Is there any way to relay the message?”

  Mel hesitated. “I could try the columns. They seem to adjust to whoever needs them.”

  “Great idea. Try it. Hurry, friend, hurry!”

  Mel raced back to The Crest. He hoped the column would work. If it did, it would be the perfect way to send a message.

  The lobby was busy, but Mel scurried underfoot, avoiding everyone. He approached a vacant column and waited. Nothing happened. So, he projected a loud mental, HELLOOOO!

  A female Moonwake Koi avatar appeared. Mel was briefly entranced, then projected his thoughts.

  [I need assistance relaying a message to my friend Rovek. Can you do that?]

  [Sure!] she chirped. [Is Rovek the orc you were with earlier today?]

  [Yes! Can you send an alert to our room immediately?]

  [Sure!]

  A few minutes later, Rovek arrived.

  The avatar said, “Your friend Melorien has a message. I will relay it as he speaks.” She paused. “He says: ‘Jeremy is in trouble. The mayors of Velasyr and Serenveil plotted to kill him. They have the Tear of Nivalár and want Jeremy out of the way.’”

  Rovek’s eyes widened. He hadn’t known the columns could interpret Mel’s thoughts. He thought that he should’ve introduced them to team chat earlier just for that reason.

  “What are they going to do? Kill him in his cell?”

  “He says: ‘They are sending him to a dungeon that will surely kill him.’”

  “Then that is how we will save him,” Rovek declared. “We must follow them as they transport him.”

  He turned to the column. “Inform the guests I requested an audience from that I will return shortly. If I do not return, tell them about the Vask family’s deaths. Something strange is happening, and I believe the mayors are at the center of it.”

  Again, he abruptly walked away without waiting for the column’s response.

  I drifted in and out of sleep. At just around 36 square feet, the cell was too small to rest comfortably, barely tall enough for me to even stand. Rovek would’ve had to hunch. I held my bladder as long as I could, then picked a corner and relieved myself. No idea if it was the “designated” corner, but it was my bathroom now.

  I wondered what was taking Mel so long.

  In my solitude I had nothing but time to think. So, I thought about everything that had happened since Bart showed up at my house.

  I prayed. I wasn’t sure if my God, the God of Earth, could even hear me, but I reached out to Him. I wasn’t sure if it was right or wrong, but I prayed to Nivalár, too. Hell, I prayed to any god listening.

  I had never been so bored, so exhausted, or so alone.

  Eventually, I passed out in a pile of moldy hay.

  I woke to guards shouting orders at me. “Get up!”

  “Don’t make trouble!”

  “Hands out!”

  “Move it!”

  My eyes struggled to adjust to torchlight. I couldn’t tell how many guards there were. How many did they think they needed?

  I didn’t resist. They chained me, put a black bag over my head, dragged me outside, and shoved me onto a carriage. The cushions were surprisingly comfortable. I fell asleep again almost instantly.

  The carriage stopped abruptly, jolting me awake. The guards yanked me out and threw me to the ground like a trash bag. Dust exploded around me. I rolled twice, landed on my feet, and somehow didn’t fall.

  They jerked the bag off me, and I squinted at the sunlight. I stared at the guards, briefly considering poisoning them with my tongue. But I needed them to think I’d die in the dungeon as they planned.

  If I survived. Which is doubtful if Rovek and Mel don’t hurry the hell up!

  “Should we take his collar off?” one guard asked.

  “No, you idiot,” the other snapped. “The idea is for him to die down there.”

  “Right. It just feels wrong to leave him defenseless.”

  “You wanna go down there with him?”

  “No sir.”

  “Then shut up. Let’s get this over with.”

  They dragged me up a small mound. Not a hill, really. More like a dirt zit.

  “Where’s that door?” the first guard muttered.

  “I haven’t been out here in a while,” the second said. “It’s small. We’ll have to search.”

  “Is this it?” the first guard asked, waving the second over.

  “Yeah. That’s it. Should be a rope or something to open it.”

  They brushed dirt aside until a circular trapdoor emerged. The second guard pulled it open.

  The smell hit me like a physical blow—death, decay, rot, mold, mildew. A wall of stench.

  They tossed me in without hesitation—still chained, still collared.

  “Good luck,” the second guard sang as I fell into darkness.

  Fifty feet away, Rovek and Mel watched, waiting for their moment. Mel wanted to attack immediately, but Rovek held him back.