P.S. Tell Jonathan to keep a spot open for Frederic's youngest son next spring. He's a poor warrior, but a bright young man whose brain does not fit Laneby. Consider him the third part of the taxes owed. Who says Greed feasts in my mind?

Fox tottered on the red worn-out carpet that had once seen better days, pulling up the linen pants that were at least a size too big. Then he hurried behind Katla, who was walking as though he was getting chased by a cloud of mosquitoes. Not that he believed that any living thing would ever voluntarily enter this place. The windows were covered in dusty cobwebs, darkening the already murky interior of the castle. Why did he have to come?

He froze as a massive shadow appeared at the end of the hallway, his heart pounding so hard that it was almost popping out of his chest. Two guards, clad in the same black uniform with the arrow crest that Leo and Phoe had been wearing, approached with torches and a grim look in their eyes.

Katla laid his hand on his back, pushing Fox in front of him. "We're almost there. Be a good boy. Don't say or do anything unless His Majesty asks you to."

"O-okay," Fox stuttered. He took a deep breath. Though he wasn't ready to face the monster behind the destruction of Laneby, he had to be braver than he had ever been. For Mother and Father and Amy. For all the others that had lost their lives. And most of all for his friends; they were still alive.

They took a sharp turn at the end of the hallway, where a bulky guard stood, his beefy hands holding a great axe in the shape of a lion's head. "So the whispers are true. You have returned, Master Katla."

"Whispers hold more truth than words spoken out loud, Jay." Katla smiled. "Can I go in?"

"You should have been in already."

The guard opened the door, revealing a large room with pillars higher than the tallest trees in the Forest of Lane. Despite four fireplaces burning heavily in each corner, the place wasn't any hotter than the average Greenlander summer day.

Fox's hands turned clammy nonetheless. 

On the throne sat no monstrous beast, but a brawny man with long blonde hair and a billy-goat beard. His hands rested on his left knee, which was folded against his body while his other leg quivered playfully on the stool in front of him.

The man was staring into the fireplace closest to the door. He appeared brooding as half a dozen people in front of him were discussing loudly about someone named Wolf who had stolen a sword from the weaponry. One voice argued that he should be taught manners, whereas a woman in an apron said that he was just a young boy in dire need of some love.

The King of Silvermark didn't seem to care.

Fox's breath hitched when the man glanced up, a smirk spreading across his face. "My friend, here you are at last. I can't wait to hear what you have to say." He sat up straighter, dismissing the group with a snap of his fingers.

Katla bowed, so Fox did the same. Two pairs of long black boots departed on the left, two pairs of high heels on the right. A pair of strange curly shoes followed right after.

Fox looked up when the door was pushed shut. It was just them, the King, and a dark-haired woman in a long silver gown-the Queen, perhaps.

King Ariel put his legs on the ground and leant forwards. "Speak up."

Katla jutted his chin. "The mission was successful, Your Majesty. First the Lord and his family, then the rest of Laneby. There's nothing there but bones and ashes."

"Good," the King said as if someone had just told him the weather would be bright.

Fox's hands balled into fists as anger bubbled through his veins. This man had ruined his life, yet pretended that it was just another day. He didn't know who this Wolf was, but he understood why he had stolen a sword. If he had one, he would have stabbed this monster right in the heart, even it were the last thing he ever did. For Laneby!

"Brandon the Stubborn... our fallen Prince... truly gone." The King stroked his beard. "Thomas will be devastated. He won't show it, but he will be, losing his brother and nephew like that."

Fox blinked a couple of times. These Silvermarkers really must have ale in their brains because the Lord Brandon he knew was certainly no royal.

The woman with long dark brown hair had walked up to him and Katla. "You brought a new pet," she whispered, loud enough for Fox to hear. Her snake-like eyes pierced right through him. "Another redhead. You're becoming predictable."

"So tell me. What's the deal with the little brat?" King Ariel asked, though he could not have heard the whispers. "Another magician for my collection? You didn't have to. I already have too many."

"I apologise. I'm aware that it's becoming a habit, Your Majesty. The boy is a very gifted Fire Magician, and it is my wish to train him as my apprentice."

"Out of the question." The woman's long hair slapped Fox in the face as she swiftly turned to Katla. "I won't have it."

The King leant back against the furs. He took a goblet from the small table on his right. "Last time I checked it was my silver who paid his services, which makes it my decision—not yours, Grand Master."

Fox's eyes widened. So this woman in the silver dress was not the Queen, but the magician that Leo and Phoe had spoken about. Now he understood why she kept to herself in Mage Tower—to not have to be in the same room as this awful man.

While the Grand Master re-took her original place next to the throne, King Ariel took a long gulp from his drink. Placing it back on the table, he licked his lips. "You've had an apprentice before, haven't you? What was his name again?"

"Hunter." The Grand Master spoke before Katla had the chance to, the bitterness in her voice betraying her dislike for the boy.

"Oh, yes, the Ician lad... I remember now. Leo once told me that he was destined for great deeds, even a potential Grand Master. Such a shame that a fever took him away." The King ignored the Grand Master flinching and stared at Fox with ice-cold blue eyes. "And you, young man. What is your name?"

Fox whimpered, his mind going so blank that he wasn't sure about anything anymore; not even his own name. "Fo... Henr... Fox, I think."

"You think?" The King slapped his leg, his booming laugh thundering through the throne room. "Which back-alley did you pick this one up?" he asked, more to Katla than to Fox.

"Henry is his real name, but he has been called Fox all his life." Katla lowered his voice. "I found him in Laneby."

"A Laneby magician?" The laughing died down. For a few awful moments all was quiet, but then the King stretched his legs wide, patting the stool in front of him. "Come here, lad. Show yourself to me."

The God of Sloth had stolen all the strength Fox needed to be brave. Katla laid his hand on Fox's back, nudging him to get closer, but all it did was turn his legs so liquid that he staggered over the red carpet.

When he stood by the stool, King Ariel grabbed him by the cheek. His hands were dry and rough and his breath smelled of the same yucky red juice that the warriors of Laneby used to drink in the tavern.

Just a man, not a monster. Fox's heartbeat rose to new heights when the King squinted and lay his hands on Fox's head, looking him in the eyes. "Excellent. More than excellent. The God of Diligence smiles upon me today." He patted Fox on the cheek. "Welcome to Silvermark, lad. You'll find that your Master is an excellent Fire Magician. He will surely teach you a lot."

"Marvellous. Everybody happy." The smile on the Grand Master's face was a sour one. "But I can't help but wonder. Is this the only Laneby child you have kept alive, Katla dear? We all know your soft spot for the little ones."

Instant sweat formed on Fox's back. His head felt light and hot at the same time. If there was any kind of trick to disappear magically, he would have wanted to learn it on the spot, but his best shot was just to stare into nothingness and pray that they would leave him alone. They could not know about Nick and Seb.

"There was another. A young girl." Katla paused, but no reaction came. "I told her to run to Sundale like the frightened little weasel that she was. I figured Half-Ear should know that his days as King of The Greenlanders are numbered."

King Ariel banged his fist on the throne's armrest. "Fool!" Spit flew out of his mouth as he raged, "the last thing I wanted was an open war with the Greenlanders. It was all supposed to be an accident. How else could we convince poor Thomas that his heirs were killed by an unfortunate forest fire? Did that thick Jade-Islandic skull of yours ever consider how he would respond? His army is ten times as large as mine."

Katla mouthed an apology but none of his words reached Fox's ears. Laneby had been burnt down to kill Lord Brandon and Seb; that was what King Ariel was trying to say. Could it really be true that they were royals? And that none of the other lives mattered? That this was all to convince King Thomas a forest fire had destroyed their town?

Fuelled by the God of Charity, Fox regained a new spike of bravery. He glared at the King and blew up his cheeks. Seb had left with Abby. Their plan had failed, and if it were all true what the Foambrains were saying, then his best friend would be King one day. Never would this creep rule over The Greenlands too.

Out of nowhere a stinging headache crept over Fox; faint at first but more severe with each blink of his eyes. He squinted as the light of the fireplace became too bright all of a sudden. The pain increased even more as he rubbed his head, trying to wipe away the pain. He had been a good boy, so why were the Gods punishing him now?

A weight crushed down on Fox's chest as the room began to spin. His legs failed him and he fell to the ground, knees first. With shallow breaths, he gasped for air. Mother. He wanted her so badly.

Flashes of light appeared before Fox's eyes, alternated with vivid images of him and his Mother sword fighting with two brooms. He ran around her, then jumped into her arms for the best hug in the world. But it felt all wrong. Someone was inside his head, somehow, poking around.

"Hawk, don't you dare!" Katla pressed his fingers against Fox's temples, forcing him to look up. "For Kindness's sake. He's a child."

"What do you know of kindness, assassin?"

It was her. The Grand Master. Fox screamed out as another memory flit by: Father jerking him out of the river while he was washing the wound caused by the staggering horse in the stable. She was flicking through his mind, looking for something. An agonising pain blasted from one side of his head to the other. He was talking to the flames in the forge while Father adjusted the diamond on Seb's hilt.

"No!" Fox cried as he saw himself talking to Lord Brandon, followed by arrows flying into the air and missing a partridge. He thought about Farmer John's stupid sheep in an attempt to stop her, but she fired off a million more banging hammers in response. He needed to do something because soon she would get to Seb and Nick.

"Hawk, please! Have mercy," Katla yelled in the distance.

"No, he has valuable information. I need to go on."

"What do you see?" There wasn't a trace of pity in the King's voice. "Tell me."

"Friends. He went out with friends: two boys and a girl."

"Katla, help. Make it stop." Bile rose at the back of Fox's throat. The running sheep turned into their little white horse. Nick clutching Billy's reins. "It hurts so much."

"Your Majesty, I beg you. Stop this madness." But Katla's words came too late. Abby was mounted onto Billy, and Seb swung his leg over the saddle. He rode off.

As sudden as the excruciating headache appeared, it went away, leaving Fox with a throbbing pain as a reminder of his torture. Carefully he scrunched his eyes, still adjusting to the light of the fireplaces.

"He's alive." The Grand Master sniffed. "Brandon's son. Your brilliant plan has failed."

"What!" King Ariel bellowed. "You Jade-Islandic scum, give me one good reason why I shouldn't send your cursed ass back to the Islands."

"There was a boy in the Lord's home. Blue eyes and black of hair, like I was instructed."

The King sighed, clacking his tongue. "You, lad... Fox." He tapped on the stool. "Sit down."

Still feeling woozy in the head, Fox reached for the cushion. He moaned as he pulled himself up and sat down.

King Ariel yanked his chin up so Fox had no option but to look him straight in the eyes. "Shall we make a deal?"

Fox pressed his lips together. Whatever deal that monster would propose, it would end up with him telling about Sebastian. Mean people always got what they wanted. It wasn't fair.

"It's a good one. I would take it if I were you." The King smirked at the evil Grand Master. "I can promise you that nobody will ever peek in your head again, but then you'll have to tell me all you know about your sweet friends."

The only way to win was to be mean too. Mother wouldn't have liked it, but Father would have understood. "And what if I don't?"

Fox shrunk onto the seat. It was like the God of Wrath himself was staring back at him. "Then you'll never have another thought to yourself. Whatever you're thinking, at any time. I'll make sure that I know it."

"Your Majesty, please," Katla begged. "He's Felix's age. You wouldn't do this to him. He's—"

"Too small? I would even do it to Wolf if he had information this crucial." King Ariel rose from his seat, baring his teeth. "And you need to learn when to shut your mouth. Thanks to you the whole of The Greenlands will know what happened in Laneby, and who's to blame."

"It was a moment of Pride. I shouldn't have done it." Katla cleared his throat. "I still think I killed the right boy."

Katla was wrong. The boy he had mistaken for Seb must have been Nick's brother, George. Amy had been complaining that very morning that he did spend an awful lot of time with Emily, though he didn't know why that was so important to his sister. George was always mean to her.

"The choice is yours, lad. The truth by choice." The King hovered over Fox like a predator about to devour his prey. He closed his hand into a fist. "Or by force?"

Fox stared at the carpet, long enough to regain control over his own body. He couldn't remain quiet for long, but he had to help Seb. And that meant saying something. "I don't know where my friends are."

"But Sebastian isn't dead?" The King's voice was as cold as his eyes.

"I don't know."

Katla kneeled beside him, disbelief all over his face. "Was your friend still alive when I took you?"

"I don't know." It was harder to ignore Katla. He could not explain why, because he hated the man too, but somehow it seemed easier to talk to him. "He was already riding to Sundale with Nick's sister, Abby. I don't know if they made it. They could be dead."

"I apologise again, Your Majesty." Katla lowered his head, shame tinging his voice. "Greenlanders usually never stray far from their homes on Sundays. I never actually counted the bodies."

"And neither did Leo, I presume." A silence settled in the room as the King stared into the fireplace, stroking his beard. "Maybe Brandon's boy reaching Sundale might not be the worst outcome. For now. Thomas will raise the boy as the son he never had. I doubt he'll want to jeopardise the prince's life by starting a war. It's something I can work with."

"But what will you do?" the Grand Master asked. "Is it no longer your ambition to reunite the two countries, bring my kind the freedom to roam at least this side of the world without being hunted down like animals."

"The Greenlands is important for the economic and political advantages that it bears. I'll tolerate your kind if that's the price I must pay." The King glared at the Grand Master. "Take your leave, all three of you. I will arrange matters with Thomas."

"And what about the boy? Are you going to let him live with Katla?"

"Yes." The King rubbed his hands together, smirking as he lay his eyes on Fox. "I have a new task for you, Jade Islander. Train the lad. Make him forget his home, his family, and especially his friends. His only allegiance should be to me."

"Understood, Your Majesty." Katla bowed. "Come, Fox. Let's go."

Fox got up from the stool and bowed as well. He yelped as a short jab shot through his neck and into the back of his head. He may be a magician, but he would never stop being a Greenlander. King Thomas was his King, not this monster. And Katla would never ever make him stop remembering his friends, his family, or Laneby.

Fox limped behind Katla as he rushed out of the throne room. The banging of the door split his head in two. Had this happened at home, he would have spent the rest of the evening on Mother's lap, cuddling. He began to cry. He missed her so, so much.

Katla kept on going at a steady pace, ignoring all of the people in the hallways who greeted him. A young girl with blonde hair and a silver tiara bit her lip as she passed Fox.

It wasn't until they were back on the streets that Katla turned around, his bushy eyebrows twisted into a frown. "You embarrassed me, son. If you have any other secrets, I want to hear them now."

"Only if you tell yours," Fox murmured through his tears. He wasn't planning on telling any more, but Katla shouldn't get angry at him. King Ariel may be the bigger monster of the two, but Katla had still killed everybody; nearly everybody. "Like why you live all by yourself? It's weird. Only really old people do that."

"I was married." Katla reached for the necklace around his neck, showing him the ring. "We had a son together. Both of them died."

"What happened? Did King Ariel kill them? Or the Grandmaster?"

"No." He put the necklace back in his shirt and patted his chest. "Now it's your turn to share a secret."

"I will tell you three." Fox held out three fingers. "I'm tired. My head hurts. And I miss my mother."

"I'm sorry." He tried to lay his hand on Fox's back, but Fox jerked away. He didn't need any pity from her killer. "I know how much it hurts. The Grand Master put me to the test as well when I first came to Silvermark. I guess my second secret is that I have a potion at home that will make the pain go away. Do you want it?"

"Yes."

Back in the house, Katla ordered him to go upstairs and get changed for the night. He gave him an old shirt to sleep in. As Fox climbed the stairs, he tried to unbutton Hunter's shirt, but his pounding head didn't agree. Not one of the buttons budged.

He kicked off his boots and slid beneath the covers, still wearing Hunter's clothes. It's not like the boy from Ice would complain about it.

And neither did Katla when he entered the room. He crouched down in front of the bed and presented a corked bottle with pink liquid. "Are you comfortable? This potion will knock you right out."

Fox nodded. "One thing. I told you three secrets, you still need to tell me who killed your family."

"Hmm." Katla uncorked the bottle and handed it to Fox who shuddered as he gulped it all down at once. It tasted like smelly feet. "A Greenlander patrol killed them."

"Why?" Fox yawned, sleep coming down on him in one exhausting wave. His eyes fell shut.

"Because my son was a magician too."