Chapter 1

The sun was high in the sky as Rufus Apep walked into a great hall. It shone through the stained glass windows, where illustrations of gods, kings, soldiers and more could be found, painting the hall with the colours of the stained glass and giving it an intangible beauty. People were crammed into the seats to his right and left, delineating the pristine red carpet he was walking on. He couldn’t quite make out their faces, but by their body language and cheers it was clear they were overjoyed just to see him. He reveled in their celebration and waved at the sea of people surrounding him. As he moved forward he realised there was a throne at the end of the red carpet, beside it stood a religious man holding a crown. A gleam came to Rufus’s eyes as a shock of excitement ran through his body, he started towards the crown, and at that moment, it was all he desired and all he could see. It glowed a bright, blinding yellow light, making Rufus want it even more. As he got closer he heard a thud, closely followed by another, ignoring it he quickened his pace, only to hear another two thuds, but this time louder, making the hall slightly tremble. He kept on, the crown his sole concern, until the thuds became a constant pounding, opening cracks all over the hall. To Rufus’s dismay a large breach had opened between him and the crown, now abandoned on the throne. He broke into a run, measuring the distance — he leaped! — but as his feet lifted off the ground, the breach widened. Darkness swallowed him as he plummeted into the abyss.

Rufus sat up with a jerk, breathing hard, sweat beading on his forehead and his hands shaking. He reached for a glass of water on his bedside table. The pounding from his dream continued, although now he recognised it as someone knocking on his door. He took a sip of the water, placed the glass back on the bedside table and went to see who it was. Rufus didn’t take kindly to being woken in the middle of the night, even more so when he was having a good dream. He was a man of fifty or so years and didn’t get much rest working as the king’s counselor, wrinkles gave away his age and his dull eyes gave away his dissatisfaction with his status. Long grey hair covered his scalp and ears, linking to an also long grey beard which seemed to cover most of his mouth due to his thin lips. Along with his crooked, eagle like nose, his features gave him a wise and stern look. On the other side of the door stood a small shady man, hidden in a cloak, only his mouth and chin were visible. As soon as Rufus opened the door his face went from annoyed to concerned and he whispered quickly “Come in, don’t let anyone see you.”. As he slid in, the small man whispered back “Ey Rufus… ye look like shite!”, to which he just shook his head and said “You forget your place. Take a seat and tell me why you are here.”.

Sitting in the darkest corner of the room, as was his habit, the small man began his report, “Well Rufus, tis like this… I been on the trail of that young lad, the prince ye know, just as ye said and I’s got somet grand… But tis not gonna be cheap!”, “Go on, you will get your money as long as your word is true.” Rufus responded. The small shady man continued his story, he told Rufus of how the prince he was following had stopped with his small entourage and camped outside of Moonglow city for a few days. Moonglow was a small city, located between the prince’s home town Val’vurek and his final destination, Hurekana. The prince hadn’t gone into the city with his entourage so as not to attract attention, however on the second night Rufus’s spy had seen him leave cloaked for the city. Stalking him lead them to shady alley, inside the city, where the prince met with a “Sweet young lassy, which wouda melted any young lad’s heart…” the spy went on, telling Rufus of how the young woman and the prince had talked for hours and just before dawn he had left for camp. “I thought twas it, but noooo… silly twat went back the next day!” the spy said as his mouth split in a naughty grin, he told Rufus of how they had met again, this time behind a tavern, and she had grabbed his hand and pulled him into a nearby barn, where their night culminated in “A good ol’ fuck! Uhm I mean sexual relations…”.

Rufus sat in silence for a moment, fondling his beard, then voiced “So what you’re saying is some woman is pregnant with our prince’s child?”, to which the spy answered “Fraid so, I been interceptin dem lettas, ‘cause they’d be writing a lot to each other… I think tis love they got there… But ye, in one letta she said she be knocked up… uhm… pregnant.”. Rufus burried his head in his hands and then started to rub his temples, “I didn’t expect this… We have to get rid of the woman before she has that child!”, “We? No no, I be settlin for ma money if ye don’t mind, I don’t do dispatchin.” the spy retorted, to which Rufus said in a bothered voice, “So be it, although I will throw in a few more gold if you direct me to someone who will…”. The spy nodded, Rufus went to his footlocker and removed a satchel which he threw to the spy declaring “I’m sure that’s more than enough. Meet me tomorrow night, Fogwheat Tavern, back room… bring your friend.”. The spy nodded again and slipped out the door, vanishing into the shadows.