A chilly wind blew across the sand-filled land of Sandspear as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. Standing on his balcony, Jamal Sahrun, the Lord of Sandspear, read the scroll that Rook, King Eros's falcon, had brought to him.
As he skimmed the contents of the scroll, his expression became more serious. He clenched his teeth, tore the scroll to pieces, and hurled it in front of the guards standing behind him at a distance, with their heads lowered.
"How dare he bite the hand that feeds him?" Jamal roared, slamming his hands against the railing.
"My lord, we can deal with him anytime, but the main issue is that King Eros has discovered our motive. We must take action before he returns to the kingdom," Jamal's advisor, Lazur, expressed his concern for his lord.
Jamal remained silent for a moment before dismissing his advisor and guards with a wave. Lazur bowed his head and turned to leave. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a shadow emerging from the side of the balcony wall. A dark cloak concealed its enormous figure. The darkness enveloped the silhouette, deeper than the gloom of the night, sending shivers down his spine.
His pace quickened as he left the balcony with the guards. The silhouette moved in from the side, its veiled form refusing to reveal itself in the moonlight, as if it was an entity that had sucked the light away.
In its presence, Jamal's body tensed, but he forced himself to look composed.
"Now, what can we do?" He watched the silhouette approach him and remarked, "The rat sold us out."
The edges of its cloak dragged along the floor, and black tendrils of smoke unfurled, curling and twisting in the air.
"Chaos... create chaos in the courtroom," its voice, shrill and raspy, echoed on the balcony, adding a grim edge. Jamal gulped in nervousness as the creature used its sharp nails to grab his chin. Even close, he couldn't able to see the creature's face hidden under the hood. He watched as the thing let go of his face and vanished before his eyes in a cloud of black smoke.
Jamal caressed his face, which was itchy from the creature's touch. He sighed and headed to his room to get ready for the journey to the capital.
Lorion Dunesworn, Jamal's trusted minister, slept soundly in his bedchamber not far from the Lord's castle. He was startled out of sleep by a rustling sound coming from behind the curtains.
Getting out of bed, he glanced at his wife, who was fast asleep. After slipping into his outer robe, he exited the bedroom. As soon as he reached the balcony, he looked around to see if anyone was there. Upon finding no one, his brows furrowed in confusion.
Suddenly, a gust of wind rushed past him. He glanced over his shoulder but was met with emptiness. His furrows deepened.
"Who is there?" he called out.
His question was answered only by the distant chirping of crickets in the night.
For some reason, he began to sweat, and terror crept into both his mind and body. He took one last look at the deserted balcony before turning to return inside the room.
As soon as he turned, he found himself face-to-face with a hooded figure. Lorion's breath caught in his throat as he stared at the mysterious creature. The night wind blew the hood off its head, revealing the skull of a large vulture, with rotting flesh hanging in patches from its hollow face.
Before a scream could escape Lorion's mouth, the creature seized his face in its bony hand. Under its touch, the flesh on his face began to melt like wax, releasing a foul, decayed stench. The floor was stained with a puddle of melted flesh and blood from Lorion's body. The thing disappeared into thin air, leaving a heavy stink of blood and death on the balcony.
When the daylight arrived, the people of Sandspear were shocked to hear of Lorion Dunesworn's death. The sight of Lorion's corpse caused the members of House Dunesworn to shudder. All that remained was a lump of flesh, smeared with blood and reeking of death. If not for his clothes and ornaments, they would hardly have recognized him as Lorion, the trusted minister of the Lord of Sandspear.
The word quickly made its way to Eros, who was having breakfast in the grand dining hall of Everdale Castle. Amidst the tension filling the room, he seemed carefree, slicing his steak with precision and elegantly putting it in his mouth with sophistication.
People around the table exchanged wary glances, puzzled by how the young man could so heartily enjoy his meal after hearing about the death of one of his kingdom's most important figures.
Silas, standing beside His Majesty with a grave expression, folded the scroll and tucked it inside his robe. He had expected to hear about Lorion's death, but not in the way it had occurred.
Although the report claimed that Lorion's body had melted due to intense heat, it did not explain the overwhelming stench of decay.
Amidst the disapproving stares, Eros finished his meal in peace, dabbing his mouth with a cloth. He then smiled at the woman seated a little farther from him. "Duchess Severina, I heard your daughter's dress was stolen by someone?"
Kael, who was sitting beside his sister enjoying dessert, paused in the mid-action and glared at him.
His question surprised the Duchess of Noctara, Severina Hines. It was true that her daughter's dress had been stolen from the drying yard. However, she hadn't given it much attention, as it was just a simple dress, easily replaceable. What she didn't expect was for the young king to mention it.
"Indeed, it is, My Majesty. The maids had informed me earlier," she replied politely, not wanting to offend the young king.
"Tch... I wonder who would be petty enough to steal a gown. You must take countermeasures, Prince Orion," Eros exclaimed with mock seriousness. "What if he steals all our clothes one day, and we're forced to roam around wrapped in blankets?" He grinned, clearly amused by the thought, while turning to Orion, who simply returned his gaze with a blank stare.
"I'm sure you'd be more than happy wrapped in that colorful blanket of yours," Kael muttered under his breath.
Naeris shot him a sharp glance, and Kael swiftly lowered his head, pretending to focus on the food on his plate.
"I will ask the palace guards to look into the matter, Duchess," Orion assured her.
The Duchess opened her mouth to reply that it didn't matter because it was just a piece of clothing, but she was forced to swallow it when she saw Eros's endearing smile. She bowed her head instead.
"I apologize for bothering the Crown Prince about this," Severina replied courteously.
Orion acknowledged her with a nod, and the people in the dining hall started to disperse.
"Do you know who did it?" Orion asked Eros.
Eros nodded his head. "My nephew Kael stole the gown," he said truthfully.
Orion's lips twitched. "Not the dress, but the murder," he replied flatly.
Eros chuckled. "Until I see the corpse for myself, I won't know. The rotted flesh will be rotten beyond recognition by the time I get to Dusthaven," he shrugged, his tone casual, as if discussing something mundane.
"By the way, I need a favor from you," Eros added, his voice suddenly serious.
Orion raised his brows in surprise, curious about what Eros was up to this time.
Following a brief conversation with Orion, Eros left the dining hall, followed closely by his trusted confidant, Silas.
"Make the preparations. We'll depart tomorrow," Eros instructed.
With a nod, Silas left to take care of the arrangements. As Eros strolled through the corridor, he noticed Kael following his sister Naeris as they made their way to the study hall. A smirk tugged at Eros's lips, and he called out to them, drawing their attention.
"What happened, my dear niece?" he asked Naeris, though his gaze fixed on Kael, who returned his stare with the defiant glare of his own.
"Greetings, Uncle. Kael seems to have forgotten the etiquette of royalty, so I requested the Crown Prince to arrange a tutor for him," Naeris clarified.
Eros hummed thoughtfully and chimed in, "You're right. My little nephew has indeed been behaving unruly these days."
Kael scoffed inwardly. Unruly? Me?
If anyone's unruly, it's clearly you. He was the first one to steal a gown—I just borrowed it for a while; he muttered to himself, but kept silent, not wanting to speak out in front of his sister.
"Will everything be alright in Dusthaven? I heard the man who died held an important position in the courtroom," Naeris inquired, her voice laced with worry.
Eros waved a dismissive hand. "People die all the time, Naeris, and it gives us the opportunity to replace them with more capable ones. Don't worry, I'm leaving for Dusthaven tomorrow. I'll take care of it."
Naeris nodded in understanding, but Kael frowned at the news of his uncle's imminent departure. His uncle would be off, enjoying the sea, while he'd be stuck here with the grim reaper of a tutor the Crown Prince had assigned to him.
He wasn't pleased with the situation at all.