Verdom was waiting nervously for their return. He wanted to run out with them and secure the caravan, but knew he needed to be there to distract Nartuck and his soldiers. He was placed in charge of the investigation into the fire, and he was doing a good job of misdirecting the information. Luckily, the piece of wood that held them in the hut was removed by someone in the faction to overthrow the Lord. So it wasn’t hard to convince him that it was never there to begin with. Tulka was alive but unconscious, and the healers didn’t think he was going to make it through. Verdom was paying very close attention to that, and if need be, he would step in if he had to. Nartuck found out about them and how they wanted to convert, and he had been adamant that someone was out to get him and his people. Nartuck had become more paranoid as time went on and was seeing enemies wherever he looked.
“Verdom, these people are out to get me; they need to be stopped. Place a curfew on them and start flogging people who speak out against me!” Nartuck said. Verdom placed his hands on him.
“My Lord, we are already doing those things. I think you need to rest,” Verdom said. Nartuck shook his head in agreement and went into his chambers. Mirtar came and asked Verdom to join him; his soldiers had things they wanted to say. They walked into the main hall, and more than half of the soldiers were there.
“Verdom, we ask your leave to retire,” Mirtar said. Verdom was curious.
“Please tell me why? You are safe here, I promise,” Verdom said. They all seemed nervous; none of them wanted to speak.
“The Lord is hurting the people, and we don’t want to be a part of it anymore,” Mirtar said. Verdom was waiting for this. He smiled at this, which made them all uneasy.
“What if I told you the King was still alive?” Verdom said. This made everyone start to whisper and shift their feet.
“Then we would say you are a traitor and that you cannot be trusted,” Mirtar said. Verdom came and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“The Lord is the traitor to our people, haven’t you people noticed. He is the one who hurts them and goes against the decrees of the water. He has fallen off the path. As our king has been living with the Master and has learned the ways. He will bring magic back to us. I have seen him use it. Don’t you want us to go back to our glory days?” Verdom said. This made people think.
“Have you really seen him use magic?” Mirtar asked. Verdom nodded. This made the other soldiers excited and scared all at the same time.
“Yes, and he has made me believe that he will bring a better world for us,” Verdom said. Mirtar thought about it and seemed to smile.
“So are you and Linth going against the Lord?” Mirtar said. The rest of the soldiers were intently listening.
“Yes, we are trying to overthrow him before Fulch returns,” Verdom said. This made all the soldiers talk, and Verdom felt a new sense of relief. Mirtar then put his hand up, and all the soldiers fell quiet.
“How can we help?” Mirtar asked. Verdom smiled; he knew this was what he needed.
“When the time comes, we will take power back, and the soldiers that are still on his side, we will imprison them until they see reason,” Verdom said. The soldiers all seemed to be in agreement, and then Verdom sent them on their way to try to convert more to their side. He then went to see what was taking the others so long.
Verdom went to the hut where they said they would meet at the end, and no one was there. He had a bad feeling in his gut. Finally, after some time, a Piskal was there, clearly sweating, and a look of terror filled his face.
“Linth said you need to come with me,” the man said. Verdom knew that it was bad. He followed the man to the sacred tree, where he saw them all catching their breath; some even had blood on them. He looked for Tanla but could not find her.
“Where is Tanla?” Verdom asked. Linth came up to him, solemnness completely consuming him.
“She was taken by the Rhudons, her and Hashmire and seven others,” Linth said. This made Verdom rageful.
“You were supposed to take care of her!” He yelled. Linth knew that this was going to happen. Verdom started pacing back and forth, quickly becoming lost to rationality.
“We will get them back, but we must wait for Fulch. He’s alive. With him, we can use magic, and we’ll have a fighting chance. We also need the Master. He can surely bring them back. There must be a reason they took them instead of killing them. They have a plan, so we must, in turn, come up with a plan,” Linth said. Verdom wasn’t listening, and he lunged for Linth. He dodged it and kept dodging the attacks from Verdom. He lunged one more time and fell on the ground, but he did not get up. Verdom just sat there crying.
“I have failed her. What am I going to do without her?” Verdom said. Linth saw how distraught his friend had become and came over to comfort him.
“She’s not lost to us yet; we will get them back. Trust me,” Linth said. Verdom stood up, wiping the tears from his eyes.
“Fulch will get her back, he wouldn’t fail me like that,” Verdom said. Linth, knowing the truth that that might be a very far fetched ask. He knew they needed the Master; he would know what to do and have the power to make it right.
“We need to explain this to the Lord. What was your excuse for us being beyond the boundary?” Linth asked. Verdom wasn’t thinking clearly; it took him a while to remember.
“I said that Hashmire wanted to go scavenging for the sap of the sacred trees, to see if he could see the benefits that the Porpura people use it for…it was Hashmire’s idea,” Verdom said. Linth then knew what he had to do.
“We need to tell the people about the attack, and the Lord’s inaction will be enough for an uprising, I’m sure of it,” Linth said. This made Verdom mad.
“You want to use this!” Verdom yelled. Linth half expected this reaction.
“Yes, Verdom, we have a job still to do, and we have to do it. We will gain the people’s support, and once Fulch returns, we shall have everyone on our side. We need an army, and this will give us that,” Linth said. Verdom then finally started to think.
“Maybe you’re right. I just can’t imagine what is happening to her right now,” Verdom said. That’s when Frayusha came out of the shadows. Verdom was taken aback by her presence.
“What is a Porpura doing here?” Verdom asked. Linth beckoned Frayusha to come close.
“This is Frayusha, daughter of Narutay. She seeks her father and the king,” Linth said. This confused Verdom. He was never good at keeping track of the Porpuraians' politics or anything about them, as a matter of fact. Frayusha stood there all the while observing what was happening around her.
“The Porpura people can help, but first we need my father,” She finally said. This took everyone aback.
“What do you mean, princess?” Linth said.
“When my father gets here, then we’ll have a fighting chance, but we must wait for my father; we cannot go to my people, and I can’t tell you just yet,” Frayusha said. Most people didn’t know what to do; they were confused by her secrecy, and it was Linth who came up with a solution.
“We need the Master of waters; he surely would know what to do. We must wait; we cannot do anything until they all get back here,” Linth said. They all decided to wait, and Verdom dispatched people to tell the story of all that happened to the people. Linth left to go tell Nartuck what happened to the people. Patience was not on their side.