Diago put his sword on a table and began undressing his coat.

„It’s armored,” he explained. „More, it has my friend’s protections all over it. It would not be fair to keep it on. I feel bad to have a longer weapon too, but I’ll hold it from the ricasso, to compensate.”

The adversary just sat silent, in position, still as a stone.

„So, you are one of those zsen vagrant warriors, aren’t you? Going here and there, today saving people, tomorrow killing them... How do you call it? Keeping the balance or stuff. Are you one of the top ten? Just curious. I like to know things about my rivals.”

The westerner just puffed a disdainful „hmpff” and made a step forward. It was lightning fast and yet so silent it looked like he had floated over the wooden floor.

„Oh!” exclaimed Diago. „Such elegance! Now I realize you must be the best zsen warrior around, by far. I’m honored to fight against you. I thought to improvise a poem while fighting, but it seems it has a terrible effect on people, so I’ll keep it in my head. It starts with Sweet summer, indifferent to the spilled blood, mixes flower scents with dead bodies stench. I have to find another rhyme, though, but that’s the idea. Good. I’m ready.”

He took back his sword, gave it a small hit with his foot, and started a flourish. At the same time, the other swordsman attacked. As fast as his previous step, he made a similar one, but this time he raised his sword and made an oblique descending cut, meant to cleave Diago’s body from the shoulder to the hip.

A metallic clink, swords colliding, then a metallic clank, a sword felling on the floor, two muted thumps, and an exclamation.

„Oh, buggers! I forgot to hold it from the ricasso. The poetry must’ve distracted me. So sorry! Well, nevermind. I wonder how Istaìnn is faring.”

His friend was just descending the stairs, followed by three men he pulled after him by force-fields leashes.

„Goodness!” exclaimed the prince. „You’ve cut him in half? Really? Beurch!” he almost vomited at the sight of spilled guts.

„I had to!” protested Diago with an apologetic tone. “He was speedy, barely had the time to react. What do you have there?”

“I’ve captured three evildoers, magicians who, despite being blessed with powers, use them to harm innocents. Many fireballs were flying around, but well… if I’m good at something besides tunnels, it’s force shields. Gentlemen, I offer you a deal. Whoever offers me the most valuable information gets to die.”

“You meen gets to leeve,” sneered one of the three captives, with a pronounced Median accent.

„Oh, no. I’ll surrender the others to my friend Lau, whom you attacked, and maybe killed his daughter in the process. I hear that torture here is an art. They can keep you alive for days. So?”

„Wee’re meedians!” shouted one man.

„Goodness, how did I missed it? Get seerious!”

„I’ll tell you wherre our dirigeeble is,” offered another, and was met with just a frown.

„The Triumvirate is goeeng to Balirbar’s capital the day after tomorrow, in the morning. Bye aeire, only tweenty guaards. The Sultain will surendeer to them officialee.”

„Now that’s interesting.”

With a snap of his fingers, Istainn disintegrated the median into ashes. It looked fast and straightforward, but it involved a very complex series of spells, done in an instant.

They went back to the park, towing the two remaining captives after them. Lau, Dora, and her troops were already there, herding a few prisoners of their own on the main lawn.

„Lau, do you have something of Li-Hua I could use to track her?” was the first thing the prince asked.

His friend pulled out a silk handkerchief.

„She painted this with a line from one of my poems for my fortieth anniversary.”

He did not need to feel the object; instead, he projected his powers over it, feeling the unique magical resonance each living creature had.

„I feel her!” he said. „She’s alive... but far... I can’t make a tunnel to her, which means she’s in a place I’ve never seen before and have no way to connect to. But the overall sensation is that she’s safe. I’ll try again later, Lau; I have to go now before someone notices I’m missing. Dora, a word?”

„Thank you!” whispered his friend while Dora approached.

He was back in the South, not even a full hour after he had left. The first thing he did was shower; he had that awful smell in his nostrils, the dead. Just when the shower was finished, someone knocked at the door. Taking a towel around his hips, he opened it. In the door frame, dressed in a transparent gown which left nothing to the imagination, his sister-in-law.

„I’ve heard you’re not feeling well,” she started, caressing his chest with her fingertips. „Maybe I can help? I”m a fantastic masseuse.”

„Beurch!”

The memory of the massacre, behind, was still with him; the combination with the indecent proposal almost made him threw up, again.

„Please.. just go... I’m sick and not... interested!”

„What a wimp!” he heard her insult while he was closing back the door.

Until supper, he slept. The thought of food was nauseating, though, so he drank only a glass of lemonade. After dinner, he chatted separately with the families who agreed to his proposal and excused himself as soon as possible.

It was early evening in Ohst when he got back. His wives were already home.

„Poor thing!” exclaimed Heyra. „Dora told us all, she called us a few hours ago. We’re so sorry you had such a hard day!”

Feyra kissed him softly, and that was the best welcome.

„Since when is Dora so compassionate?” he asked, a little puzzled.

„She’s not,” answered Feyra. „She called you an amateurish idiot, but we connected the dots. You’ve let them stranded there, by the way. You told her about the Triumvirate, then just puffed away, letting her with the eyes in the sun.”

„Goodness! I’ll go get them!”

„Wait! Now she’s doing a communicator conference with the secret service, and they are in another town. You’ll get them later, now go in the living room, Ernest is waiting.”

He sighed as the sky felled on his shoulders.

„Forgot about that too. Do I really need to see him?”

„Of course, dear! Common, you are a valiant hero; you can do it.”

Heyra kissed him too and shoved him off. Head and shoulders lowered by distress, he went to the first floor and the living room. Waiting on an armchair, a notebook, and a pen in his hands, Ernest.

„Good evening, Istaìnn!”

„Good evening, Ernest!” he replied sulking.

„Please, sit on the couch. Lay down, I mean.”

„Is this necessary?”

„Absolutely, the book says it will relax you.”

Istaìnn took out his shoes, threw them away, and obeyed.

„Now, I know already what happened today, but I want to hear it again with your words. Don’t omit a thing!”

He started talking, and while it was not comfortable, he told all.

„Unbelievable!” exclaimed Ernest. „Your brother-in-law's wife wanted to do you!”

„What’s so unbelievable, Ernest? Rich people often live a promiscuous life. Between us, hitting on me is like a national sport among the noblewomen. I almost cannot stand going to receptions anymore.”

„And do you feel any attraction at all? Like today, with your sister-in-law, how did you felt about her?”

„Look, Ernest, she’s not bad looking, but this is irrelevant.”

„So you do feel attraction!”

„Yes and no. I notice the looks, but it’s just a normal human instinctive reaction. It takes no more than a second. I could not even bear the thought of kissing other women, having what I have, the relationship, the love, the magical connection. It’s like having the best wine at home, and you’d like to drink some common wish-wash. Why? I love them with all my heart!”

„Oh, darling, you are so sweet! We love you too! Sorry, Ernest, go on.”

The back door was open just an inch; the voice coming through was Heyra’s.

„They are listening?” seethed Istaìnn.

„Of course. We’re rediscovering a long lost science; we are all studying it. Don’t mind them!”

„You mean they heard their brother is stupid and their sister-in-law a harlot?” whispered the prince with the same anger.

„He chose her; it’s his problem. And we know already he’s not the brightest mind around. But he still does a good job as Viceroy, despite the odds. Please speak louder; we can barely hear you.”

That was Feyra.

„Ernest, I’ll strangle you with my bare hands as soon I’ll get the chance!” hissed Istaìnn.

„Aggression toward the therapist... Hmm. Let me see...,” said Ernest while browsing a book. „Not in this volume. Ah, it’s such a pity only this book survived through the ages... Nevermind, surely it is something related to mother and father issues. Everything is, according to the book.”

„Then it’s a bad book. I have no issue whatsoever with my parents. Except they pester us all the time about having more kids, which we want as well, we are even in the process... well, it’s not your business.”

„Everything is the therapist's business,” talked Heyra through the door. „We’re working on it, Ernest, I’d say quite... a lot. He’s just too shy to talk about it.”

„That, and also I abhor the idea that my parents will think it was they who convinced us. It’s so annoying!”

„See? Mother and father issues, I’ve told you! Well, I think we’re good here, you’ve been an overall acceptable subject of study. You are perfectly fine, by the way. But now that I’ve done these ten sessions, I’ll open a cabinet at the Rhits. You need more counseling; you come there.”

„Sure, sure, count on it,” replied Istaìnn with sarcasm. „Can I get up now? There's an angry Dora somewhere out there waiting for me to get her back home. And I’m starting to starve.”