Elmar got a letter from Theanore. It read.

Dear Elm,

Marferik the Cuddly is on our side, don’t worry. He will be paid in mana and cookies and bonbons. So will the other dragons. Tell the bakeries and candy shops in Mirstone to make lots of the payment.

Lots of love,

Theanore the nymph, First of my name.

Elmar waved the letter and that got the attention of the crowd that was still trying to push their way out of the gate.

“Citizens, our Princess has gotten the allegiance of Marferik the Dread. There is nothing to fear, victory is near.” Said Elmar, and a lot of whispering came from the crowd. Then the farmhand that had dueled with Dereck stepped forward.

“Court wizard Denrivir, how do we know that this is the truth? What proof do you have?” He asked. Elmar showed him the letter.

“It was stamped with the royal sigil.” Said Elmar. The farmhand blinked.

“The royal sigil is a teddy bear holding a cake?” He asked, and laughter spread through the crowd.

“Yes, well, it is a work in progress.” Said Elmar, blushing. He hoped Theanore matured with age because no one would take them seriously otherwise. “Go back to your homes.”

“So, we can starve during the siege?” Asked a woman from the crowd. “I have lived through the war of the lilies, boy. Don’t lie to us and tell us it won’t come to starvation.”

Elmar sighed. He had lived through the final year of the war of the lilies. The conflict that made Emperor Casimir an Emperor and saw his sister, the Princess Livia, dead. But he didn’t remember it. And he still had a family, back then.

“The dragons will secure the borders.” Said Elmar, he didn’t feel so sure about this. “And this war will be over before you know it. Now, I need to show the letter to the baker and the candy shop owner.”

“Why? Does our Princess want to hold a tea party?” Asked the farmhand with a laugh.

Elmar felt silly for even thinking it, but he had to say it.

“No, this is the payment the dragons have requested…” The crowd burst out laughing. An old woman came forward and brandished her cane at Elmar.

“That toddler thinks this is a fairy tale, does she? What of grandpa Thinker and Esmer von Kleindorf? They have not allied themselves to her, officially. Will they? And what will they want for it?” She asked. Elmar didn’t know. But he did know that Esmer loved Theanore and that grandpa Thinker was changed by the nymph.

“They will defend her, with or without an alliance.” Said Elmar. In this, he was sure.

“And us? Will they care about us?” Asked the old lady.

“Of course, they will. Theanore cares, and she will make sure you are protected. I will suggest that she uses her and Marinus the merman’s mana to supply you all with food. No one is going to starve.” Said Elmar. He was sure that Theanore would agree.

“And when the refugees come from the villages? Will you be able to feed them too? House them?” This woman was persistent, Elmar thought.

“The little Highness has a big heart. She will be able to do all that and more.” Said Elmar and the lady hit her cane on the ground.

“Well, did you all hear? Go home, you louts. We have dragons guarding us and a Princess feeding us. Make room in your houses for the refugees and be ready to weather this storm.” Said the old lady, and she left, probably to go home.

Since it was one of their own that left, many began heading home. Elmar smiled at that. Diana tugged his sleeve and pointed at the gate. There was a wagon blocking the way.

“Who put that there?” She asked. Elmar didn’t know. He nodded at Dereck and the two went to check it out. Inside they found fairy dust. And lots of it.

“This is a trap.” Said Dereck. “We have to dispose of this before the fairies arrive. Hopefully, they are not on their way.”

“The nearest fairy is the ghost aura at the apple grotto.” Said Diana. She was inspecting the wagon for signs on who put it there. She saw a stamp and paled.

“The thieves guild put this here. See the triangle there?” She pointed at one of the wheels. It was such a small sign that it was barely visible.

“Or maybe someone wants us to think it was them. This is Emperor Casimir’s doing.” Said Elmar. He had heard many bad things about the thief’s guild. If Diana was right, and they were working for the Emperor, then they were all in trouble. There were no better masters of the art of sabotage than the members of the guild.

“Or it could be a third party. Someone who wants the war to be bloodier than it has to be. Let us burn this already.” Said Dereck. He climbed on the wagon and took the reins of the horses. He spurred them to move forward, and they exited the town.

They let the horses go to the side before they scrubbed them clean of fairy dust. They had to cut off a good chunk of their manes. Whoever did this, they expected the horses to run for their lives and draw the fairies into the town.

A collective shudder passed over the three at the realization. Whoever they were dealing with was ruthless. As the fire engulfed the dust and wagon, Diana petted one of the horses while inspecting it for any missed dust. She couldn’t see anything, but there was something wrong with the horse’s leg.

Bending down, she inspected the hoof and saw a rune on the horseshoe. It looked like a bat with vines for wings. Moreover, the horseshoe was hot to the touch. This must be the thing that pained the poor creature. A look at the other horse showed the same problem.

Neither of the three knew how to remove horseshoes, and so Elmar and Dereck took the reins of the horses and brought them to the stall. What the farmhand found made them worried.

The rune was the sign of a long dead dungeon core. The dreaded Orris the Black.