Little help

It takes a while after reading the letter to calm down. Evie practically panics, and both Kael and Gabby take turns in soothing her. Once everyone is finally breathing easier, Kael heads for the door, intent on finding out how this letter got there. He’s interrupted, however, by Ria bursting in.

She holds up a letter, identical to the one Kael holds. “We’ve got problems, big guy!”

Kael nods, holding up his letter. “I’d say. I’m guessing that you got the same message?”

She hurries over and skims the letter he has, and nods. “More or less. What should we do?”

Kael glances at Evie and Gabby, who are sitting on the couch. “Well, I’d say that the first step is to talk to Lord Greyheart. He will want to know. And then we start tracking down the source of these.”

He turns to the elf and holstaur. “You two should relax. You’re safe here. Finish unpacking, we’ll be back soon, and we can properly break this place in. Deal?”

Gabby grins. “I’ll agree to that, sir!”

Evie smiles, though there’s still nervousness in her voice. “Hurry back, master. I’ll feel better when you’re here.”

Kael smiles, leaning down to kiss her. She smiles back, then giggles as Ria kisses Gabby. Ria grins as she looks at Kael. “Just making sure everyone’s included, big guy!”

Kael chuckles. “Fair. Let’s go, although I doubt we’ll have much luck.”

The two of them hurry through the palace, finding Lord Greyheart pouring over some documents. He looks up as they burst in, his initial smile fading as he looks at the expressions on their faces. “Kael, Ria. Such urgency. What’s going on?”

In answer, they hand him the letters. Lord Greyheart reads quickly, his brow furrowing. “Well. This answers some questions, but raises some more.”

He turns towards a nearby aide. “Go to the courier station, and get me the manifest.”

The aide bows, and hurries off. Lord Greyheart sighs. “I doubt anything will come of that, but there’s always the chance that they were sloppy.”

He looks between the two of them. “I’d like to post guards outside of your quarters. I know you’re more than capable of defending yourselves, but more security is never wasted.”

Kael nods. “We do have to sleep sometimes, my lord.”

Lord Greyheart sighs. “Yes. On that note, I wanted to speak with you both about something. Naturally, making you my heirs has left the champions rather undermanned. I have instructed Orin and Koa to begin looking for replacements. I would ask you to aid them, when there’s time.”

Ria nods. “No problem, my lord. But where would we find them?”

He smiles at her. “I took the liberty of gathering a list. None of you are old, save possibly Bernal, but you won’t stay young forever.”

Kael looks around, realizing that for once, Bernal isn’t there. “Where is he, anyway?”

Lord Greyheart chuckles. “I sent him to rest. He had a…busy night. I am secure enough here.”

Before Kael can question that, the aide hurries back in, carrying a folder full of papers. Behind him is a woman that Kael doesn’t know, but her uniform marks her as an official. “Here is the manifest, my lord. And Miss Celia insisted on joining me.”

Lord Greyheart nods, taking the folder. He flips through the papers, speaking to the nervous looking woman. “Miss Celia. You’re in charge of the palace mail, correct?”

She nods, gulping. “Yes, sire.”

Lord Greyheart pauses. He points at a scribble in the manifest. “These two messages. Do you know their origin?”

She looks at where he’s pointing. “No, sire. I don’t know the signature, either.”

He nods. “I thought that might be the case. In the future, any letter addressed to myself or my heirs must be inspected by a mage. Understood?”

She nods nervously. “Yes, sire. That will slow the delivery process, however.”

Lord Greyheart smiles, handing her the folder. “That’s acceptable. You may go, Miss Celia.”

She bows and hurriedly leaves. Lord Greyheart looks back to Kael and Ria. “I’d like to give those letters to the court wizard as well. There’s likely no way to trace it, but every avenue should be tried.”

They hand him the letters. Ria speaks up. “So, what do we do now?”

Lord Greyheart chuckles. “One of the hardest parts of leadership is realizing that you can’t do everything yourself. Right now, there’s nothing you can do about this, beyond staying vigilant.”

He shakes his head. “Unfortunately, we have to react, rather than act. For now, anyway.”

Kael nods. “So that’s it? We just…go on?”

Lord Greyheart nods. “Essentially, yes. Fortunately, in their arrogance, they have given you a warning. Now you know what to watch for.”

He thinks for a moment. “Actually, there is something you should do. I believe Orin decided to offer tryouts for potential champions today. It may be worth checking that out. Your opinion is important, after all.”

Ria grins. “You’re trying to distract us.”

Lord Greyheart laughs. “Very good. Yes. But it’s also true that you should have input. They will be your champions soon, after all.”

Kael nods. “A good point. Thank you for your help, my lord.”

Lord Greyheart nods. “Go on. But keep an ear to the ground.”