Ted kept himself firmly on the ground as he watched a car drive past the bushes, down to the spot where it could no longer be seen from the hiding place of the adventurers, and from that point onwards it was clear that this was the place they had been looking for.
The car had been carrying something, and Madorn took off his goggles for long enough that he could express himself with his eyes.
Yes, they were airship parts.
Ted trusted Madorn's judgment. This had to be significant. There was an opportunity to spy the death of an industry – Ted could hear sounds of metal banging and something hissing, too, but he also heard footsteps and there was no reason to assume they did not belong to heavily armed guards.
Ted could have been stupid and heroic. He could have darted towards the area and been considered as a brave and active gentleman.
"Eknie, you are the sneakiest of us, you should go see if you can find a way in," he said. "Me and Mad, we'll wait further down the shore."
"The beach?" Eknie didn't seem like she was about to complain. She adjusted her goggles and raised her head a bit. "I can see a path that they are not likely to watch very closely. That's because it's obviously infested by snakes."
Ted had no problems delegating the worst stuff to her. He nodded and gave her a dagger to use if the situation with the snakes got too rough. A gunshot would have attracted attention.
"I have two now, thanks, Ted," she said as she accepted the blade.
"Of course you do. You're not a fool."
Ted and Madorn sat in silence for a while, watching Eknie slither across the dangerous path as if she had transformed into a viper herself.
Then Mad shrugged. "Cold, of course, but very practical of you, Ted. Interesting move."
"If she would ever desire a different life, the solution's right there. She only has to tell me she will not tolerate me anymore."
Madorn raised an eyebrow. "You think she is capable of that?"
"With all due respect, Mad, you haven't really seen her in action. In many ways, she is worse than me."
Ted began to lead the way back down to the beach.
"She would sell her own grandmother for a particularly nice pudding," he continued. "I don't think you understand. She might crawl with snakes, but that's because she is one herself."
"All right, you have a point there." Mad glanced towards the common beach. There weren't enough people that two men in full clothing could go unnoticed. In order to blend in, they had to stand out.
It was standing out if they took off their shirts – they were good-looking men, both of them.
"I hope you are not bothered by archaic ideas about women as weaker or less capable," Ted said as they rolled out a couple of towels to bask in the bright sunlight.
It was supposed to be fun, but Ted couldn't see it that way. He felt himself burn in the light.
"Heavens, no," Mad said while spreading out his limbs on his towel. "I'm more impressed by your practical approach than shocked. Although most people would not see it that way, and while I don't think Eknie is weak by any means, I do understand the sentiment behind protecting women."
"Anything else? Done with your inane rambling? Did you bring wine?"
"Wine…and scones. We'll have to make do without jam."
Ted was not bothered in the least about what could potentially happen to Eknie, or what could have happened already. It was not his problem anymore. If he delegated something, he did not engage in micromanaging, especially when the task was being completed out of his view. He was able to concentrate on the discussion about the nature of knowledge and the scones, although the conversation did not yield as much intellectual stimulation as he would have hoped for.
"I am saying that our eyes can deceive us and our rational minds will absolutely fool us whenever they are given a chance," Ted said, but his mind was wandering after thirty minutes of idle lounging.
There was something happening on the beach, a commotion, a dramatic event concerning three young women.
"It was wine!" the blonde one shouted. "I am certain of it! He is in good shape!"
"Oh, did he hack up red wine first thing in the morning?!" the dark one shouted back at the blonde.
It sure was convenient that all the women looked completely different. The blonde had an ugly nose, the dark one was pretty, and then there was a mousy lady with a terribly outdated bathing suit.
"Darling, you must realize he won't be here for long," the mousy one said, apparently trying to act as a mediator of some kind. "What will happen to the bastards?"
"It's about…oh."
The realization hit Ted like a freight train.
The Diamond King was coughing up blood. He was trying to compensate for his lung cancer or whatever it was by exercising, but nothing was helping. Yes, it had definitely been blood on his beard and not wine back there in the palace.
He was about to die and leave the throne to his legitimate son. He had been protecting his bastards from the ruthless institution that the crown truly was, but he would not be here for long. That much was now clear to Ted.
Then he saw a dark car pull up on the edge of the sand. A man got up and wordlessly commanded the three women – courtesans – to come with him.
The mysterious man left and Ted tried really hard not to stare.
Eknie approached the two men with bouncy, happy steps.
"Found out anything?" Ted asked.
"I got me a sample vial of the secret fuel. There was a small tank half full and I had to get something."
Eknie jingled a vial in her hands, smiling.