The constant bumping and swaying were accompanied by the noise of wheels grinding on old tracks, mechanisms rotating relentlessly, and wood creaking, as if something would snap any moment. After being on the train for ten hours, however, David hardly felt or heard the movement any more. This journey was considerably more comfortable than the last despite the general condition of the train, which looked grime-covered when in fact it was merely very old.

David opened his travel case and took out a packet of nuts to chew on.

Unsurprisingly, since the last stop there were very few people left on the train and now David had a small cabin to himself. Next stop would be the final stop - Ghor, not known for being a holiday destination. It was known, in fact, for its colourful history and its conflicts with Celapaleis, which David's father once described as "a children's fight between two grown men". His father often played mediator between the two lords, a skill that David knew he would have to master one day. And the learning would begin with this visit. Because of the long history between Athlum and Celapaleis, Qubine was more-or-less a family friend and although David wasn't particularly fond of him, he knew Qubine was essentially a good man and a good ruler. Lord Ghor, however, was someone David hardly knew. His father said Lord Ghor was quite approachable and there was nothing to worry about, but David knew this was a test of his diplomatic skills and he had no intention to fail.

Putting his snack away, he lay down on the long seat, got the black coat he had taken off earlier and used it as a blanket. It would be a while longer before the train reached Ghor's border and there was nothing better to do but rest.

"Er, sorry, is anyone sitting there?"

David looked up. A mitra around his own age was at the door, eyeing the seat opposite to David.

"No. Feel free."

"Thanks." The young man went inside the cabin, put his luggage under the seat and then closed the door. "I was sitting in the next one. Some guy came in and sat down, and he reeked so bad... anyway, thanks, and sorry, I'll be quiet now."

David nodded. "Would you please wake me when we reach border control?"

The young man shrugged. "The guards would wake people up anyway, but sure."

"Thank you."

David didn't sleep - he didn't want to when there were strangers around - but he closed his eyes and rested until he felt the train coming to a stop. The young man was eating beef jerky when he sat up. He offered some to David.

Soon after the train stopped completely heavy footsteps could be heard from the corridor outside. Then three men, all yamas, opened the door to David's cabin. "Passport and luggage inspection," the one in front announced, "and hurry the fuck up, we don't have all day."

David handed his passport over. The man frowned when he saw the cover, then when he looked inside he gasped.

"Thank you," said David, holding his hand out and looking at the guard in the eye, an eyebrow arched, indicating that he should hand the passport back right away rather than show it around unnecessarily. The yama got the message.

"There you go, sir. Welcome to Ghor." He returned the passport, suddenly looking a lot more respectful. He ordered the men behind him not to touch David's luggage, then his attention turned to the other mitra occupying the cabin. "Is he with you, sir?"

David shook his head.

Raising an eyebrow at the exchange, the young man sharing the cabin pulled out his luggage from under the seat. The yama gauged its size and weight. "Passport and licence."

David's eyes widened when the guards opened the bag to reveal, alongside clothes and food, two swords. The leader guard checked the young man's passport and another small booklet, gave a satisfactory nod and moved on to the next cabin.

"Some magic passport you have?" The young man said conversationally, sliding his huge bag back to where it was before.

David just shrugged. He wasn't going to tell random strangers he was the next in line to Athlum's rule; that would defeat the purpose of this tour. "Not as magical as your licence."

"Well I kinda need that to get work."

It suddenly made sense. "You are a warrior?"

"Yeah."

David recalled what he had been told before: Ghor was where warriors congregated and got work, with guilds for mercenaries, hunters and other specialists everywhere in the country. It was a rigorously regulated trade for the elite and gaining a licence was many people's lifetime ambition.

His interest perked, David sat forward a bit, reaching for the dubious-looking beef jerky on the table between them. "To have obtained a licence at your age, you must be very gifted. What sort of work do you do?"

The young man looked a bit embarrassed by the praise. "Just luck really. I'm gladiator-class."

David chewed on the beef jerky. It was surprisingly good. "Monster killing?"

"Yeah." The young man pointed at their snack. "You like it? I brought it all the way from Eulam."

"The island off the west coast?"

"Hey, you know where it is!" The young man grinned, surprised. "Most people haven't even heard of the place, much less know where it actually is!"

David smiled back. He had stationed in Eulam for months at a time on military missions to protect the island from Nagapurian oil miners.

Casual chatting made time flow much faster, the young man's unobtrusive friendliness and quiet confidence lightening David's mood. It felt like barely any time had passed before the train pulled into Ghor International Station.

"Well, nice talking to you," the young man picked up his heavy bag with one hand and offered David the other. "The name's Rush. Rush Sykes. If you ever need anything... you know, monster infestation and stuff like that, you can contact me through Union of the Golden Chalice in Warrior Town."

"It was nice to meet you, Rush. I will remember." David shook the proffered hand, not giving his name. In their hour of talking he gave nothing away about himself and Rush must have noticed that. But Rush only smiled some more, pulled his bag over his shoulder and made his way out, disappearing into the crowd.

Ghor International had only two platforms, with trains going to and from Elysion, very small compared with some of the stations David had used in his journey so far. Construction was under way for new platforms and tracks to go directly to Athlum, but other than that the station probably had not seen a renovation for over fifty years. Even so, David find the stone balustrades, iron railings and out-dated signs quite pleasing. He had no idea where to go yet - his meeting with Lord Ghor was in three days' time, meaning he was in no hurry to get to the embassy. That left enough time to travel around a bit and get the formal attire in his luggage straightened first.

He made his slow way towards the exit, thinking he should have asked Rush about places to visit. Passing by a news stand, he glanced at the headline board.

Celapaleis Lord On Verge Of Death

He paused. Did the people of Ghor dislike Celapaleis so much they would spread such non-sense? Taking a closer look at the stand, he saw that every paper had similar headlines.

There was no reason to believe in such claims but the feeling of dread grabbed David for some reason. He could call home to check, though. It had been a while since he last called anyway. Torgal must be worried sick by now.

Following the woefully inadequate and misleading signs, David eventually found a phone box back inside the station. A familiar-looking person just picked up the receiver.

"Hey, hi again!" said Rush. Then, seeing David's obvious unease, he tilted his head. "Are you in a hurry? You can use this first."

"Oh, no, you don't need to do that."

"It's fine. Come on." Holding his bag close to him so that he could get out of the phone box, Rush offered the receiver to David with the other hand whilst swapping places with him.

The phone exploded in his hands.

It was a reflex rather than conscious reaction from the brain. David and Rush both grabbed the person nearest to them - each other - and ducked low. David stared at the phone that had fallen from Rush's hand and was swinging back and forth on its cord. The ear piece of the receiver had just been completely obliterated. An arrow fell to the ground several feet away from them.

Another whistle in the air, a new arrow flew and lodged itself into the wood of the phone box before he could even take another breath. Not a random, stray arrow then. Someone was aiming at him or Rush. He reached inside his coat and felt for his knife.

"This isn't Ghor's usual way of greeting visitors," muttered Rush as the people around them started to move, righteous warriors trying to locate the cowardly archer who loosed arrows in a busy urban area. With two arrows released and no hit, the archer should be fleeing now, using the commotion to cover his or her movements. This was also the right time for David and Rush to leave the area as well.

David quickly went through his options. Not knowing exactly why he was being shot at - although the intended target could very well be Rush - heading to the embassy would be the best idea if it wasn't located on the other side of Ghor. Sticking to Rush would be a bad idea whichever of them was the target. But he didn't know his way around this country...

"Come on!" Rush grabbed David's arm and pulled him up, and David found he had little choice but to run with him.

Carrying their luggage, they ran for nearly twenty minutes before arriving at a dusty district full of fallen arches and stone columns. Shops seemed to have carved themselves into walls of rock and invaded structures that must have once been grand.

They slowed down a bit to catch their breaths and jostle the weights they had been carrying. "I've never been shot at out of the blue like that!" Rush sat down on a bit of fallen granite column.

"Neither have I," said David. It was true. He had had arrows aimed at him before, but that was always on the battlefield.

"You've got pretty quick reactions. Are you a fighter?"

David did not answer the question. He had spent several years in the army as another part of his essential education, first fighting as an ordinary soldier and then leading as a commander. But there was no need for Rush to know.

At David's reluctance to say anything about himself, Rush just shrugged. "Well there's no reason for anyone to want to kill me. So that was probably for you I guess."

There was no response to that speculation either. "Where can I find a telephone?"

"There's one just round the corner," Rush pointed to their left. "Go for it. I'll watch your back."

"Rush..."

"It pisses me off, people shooting at other people in the back. Ask anyone here and they'll tell you the same." Rush's frown looked like an angry pout, amusing David despite the situation.

They armed themselves, both of them pulling out the swords in their luggages, then went for the phone. The whole thing was still disturbing him, but it felt safer to have another pair of eyes even though he hardly knew Rush, who stood some distance away, far enough not to be able to hear the phone conversation but close enough to react to anything. Still, when David made the call to Athlum Castle, he kept his voice quiet.

"Hello? Is that Lord David? Young Master?" Blocter's voice came through. David picked up the distress in his tone.

"Yes. I need to speak with my lord father immediately."

"Oh, Young Master, we've been waiting for you to call back! It's... well... oh wait, Torgal's here. I'll let him talk to you." And then, with the phone held slightly away, Blocter shouted for Torgal, who picked up the call.

"Lord David! Are you safe?"

"For the moment. I think someone tried to shoot at me but I cannot be sure," replied David. "What is going on? I need to speak with my father!"

"Where are you? We need to dispatch help for you right away."

"Torgal. My father," David repeated, anger tainting his words now. But suddenly he knew the reason for Torgal's reluctance. "Something has happened to him?" he asked, not realising he was holding his breath.

After a long pause, Torgal spoke. "Yes... a poisoning."

"What is his condition?" David's voice dropped to a whisper. He felt dizzy.

"The outlook is not good. It took very long for the poison to be identified, so the antidote was administered much later than preferred..."

"And?" David demanded, raising his voice when he did not receive an answer immediately. "Speak!"

"There is a chance he might not wake."

David kept the phone pressed to his ear, stunned to silence. Being shot at was one kind of shock, hearing that his father's life was hanging by a thread was a completely different kind of horror.

"I've failed Athlum, my lord. I... have failed you and your father..."

Torgal's voice saying those words brought David's mind back. Torgal never spoke like that. "We will play the blame game later. What of Lord Qubine?"

"Also poisoning. The news at Celapaleis got leaked, but we are able to control it in Athlum so far."

"Good. Keep it that way." David put a hand on the side of the dusty phone box to steady himself. "I need to go home right away."

"Where are you, my lord?"

"I've just arrived in Ghor. An archer tried to take my life at the train station." Given what he had just heard, David did not doubt he was the one the archer was after. "But I got out unharmed with a bit of luck and some help from a stranger."

Torgal breathed an audible sigh of relief. "I would recommend not going to the embassy or Ghor Castle. Whoever they are, they know you are in Ghor and would be lying in wait at all the routes that lead that way."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"Assume that you can trust no one. Find a safe place to hide and then contact me again with your location. Emma and I will come for you. We have been ready to leave for some time and were just waiting to find out where you are. We would send a larger party but - "

"That would only attract attention. We don't want to give off a sense of crisis and have people start wondering about things. The two of you is more than enough."

"Yes, my lord."

"Send word to Lord Ghor for me; I was to meet him in three days' time but that will have to be postponed." If this happened in Celapaleis, David would not hesitate to seek aid from Qubine. But although Athlum and Ghor had been allies for many years, David did not know Lord Ghor well enough to judge if he could let him know about his father's condition and that the west continent was suffering a potential power collapse.

"Yes, my lord."

"Tell everyone this: for now, I leave matters in your hands. You have all done well so far. Keep calm and carry on."

"Yes, my lord."

"I will look for a safe place and lie low," said David, although he had no idea how to do this. "Leave now. You will have to pass through Elysion on your way. I will call the embassy there. This will save us both some waiting time."

"Understood. And my lord, since you are in Ghor... an old associate of mine is a member of the Union of the Golden Chalice. I have no idea where he is at the moment, but I can try to send word to him without explicitly explaining who you are. If he happens to be around then he can aid you in the meantime. Would that be agreeable?"

"If he is someone you trust, then we can try. What is his name?"

"Allan. A sovani."

"I will seek him out at the guild as well," said David. "Enough discussion. Let's get moving. I will ring the embassy at Elysion at this hour in two days' time."

"Take care. We will get to you as soon as we can."

"I feel safe knowing that you are coming for me."

There was a short pause before Torgal responded. "Thank you, Da... Lord David."

David put the phone back on the hook, then half-collapsed against the phone box. This was the first time he ever had to reassure Torgal, a sign of how terrible the situation was. His father might die. Qubine might die. Someone was out for his life, too, and no one knew who the enemy was, although they could make a few informed guesses. There was no one he could trust but his generals and a man called Allan, whom he had never met...

"Hey, you okay?" Seeing that the call had finished, Rush went over to David. "You don't look so good."

...and Rush. Perhaps he could trust Rush? Back on the train, David was resting some of the time, completely defenceless, and Rush hadn't tried to harm him.

"I'm fine." David stood up better. "You said you are a member of the Golden Chalice. Do you know anyone by the name of Allan? He is a sovani."

"Yeah, heard of him. We don't have many sovanis. You wanna look for him?" Rush asked and David nodded. "I'll show you to the guild then."

"Just give me directions. I don't think you should stay with me any longer."

Rush thought about it for a moment. "It's not far. Let's go. I need to go there to check if there's work anyway."

They started to walk, declining offers from rickshaw drivers along the way, through a rather open area with no way for anyone to ambush, reaching their destination half an hour later. Then Rush led the way, going through alleyways, walking up some steps and going down some, ducking under low arches, passing by a market with haphazardly set up shops, to finally arrive at a nondescript door.

The Union of the Golden Chalice was a world-renowned organisation, but its base in Ghor stuck to its humble origins. The room behind the door was small, not even the size of David's bathroom at home. A yama man and a mitra woman stood behind a counter, chatting to themselves. A door behind them probably led to other rooms. Next to the front door were well-worn leather sofas. A plant stood next to the only window, soaking up what little sunlight it could get.

Rush gestured at the people. David decided this meant he should ask his own questions.

"I am searching for one of your members called Allan. A sovani."

"Allan... Allan..." The woman reached for a notebook under the counter and flicked through the pages. "He's in the middle of a job at the moment."

Damn! "When will his work finish?"

"I can't tell you that. You can leave him a message though."

Then David saw a hand holding out a small booklet. Rush stood beside David, showing his licence to the woman, who arched an eyebrow and studied her notebook again. "Says here he's in Berechevaltelle. It's not a complicated job, I suppose it might be done soon if it isn't already. If you want to give him a message then do it soon, we've got a courier going that way later today. Can't guarantee he'll still be there though."

The woman gave David pen and paper. As he pondered over how best to write this message, he heard Rush asking for hunting work.

"I want something big, not a two-day job."

"Not many big hunts going on I think... here, a pub owner in Baaluk needs help with some spiders and echidnamoths, that should be around a month's work."

"That's really out of the way! Isn't there anything closer?"

"Nope. Really, you can look in the book if you like."

Rush groaned.

"You could negotiate on the leg fee maybe? You could probably up the whole thing to three thousand gold. If not, the list of wanted rares is longer than ever."

"Yeah, I suppose... I'll think about it first."

David penned his message, passed it to the woman who put it into an envelope and then sealed it with wax. What David written was vague, but he mentioned Torgal which should hopefully be sufficient. He thanked the woman, then made his way out with Rush.

They both looked around them, checking for suspicious-looking characters.

"Well, I guess that's no work for me and no help for you..." Rush said, his voice drifting off as he screwed his eyebrows together and twisted his mouth, deep in thought. And then, "you know, I've an idea."

"Which is?" David sighed. Right now he was open to ideas. It wasn't as if he had any.

"You can hire me?" At David's widened eyes and dropped jaw, Rush grinned and shrugged. "Kidding. I could recommend you someone from the guild. We've got good bodyguards."

"No... that is a possibility..."

The less people getting involved in this the better. Rush had already proven himself to be helpful and without intention to kill David.

"No way, man. I kill monsters, not people."

People were the real monsters, David thought. "It is not bodyguarding I need. What I need are some clothes, a safe place to hide for a few days and food to sustain me until my help arrives."

"Still..."

"I admit there will be danger involved even if you keep your involvement to the minimum. But the offer is there."

"How much are you offering?"

The woman at the guild mentioned three thousand gold for a month's work in Baaluk, and that included expenses. David worked out his offer accordingly. "Ten thousand gold up front, an additional ten thousand when help arrives."

Rush drew a sharp breath through his mouth.

"My help should arrive within three days - four days maximum. If it doesn't, then feel free to leave me." These conditions were harsh on David, but he couldn't make himself ask for more from someone with no obligation to serve him. Rush wasn't even his own countryman. "And I will not ask you to kill anyone."

A long silence followed. Rush was weighing this up. "All this, without a contract?"

"No." Rush must have learned by now that David wished to remain as unknown and unseen as possible. Putting his name down on a contract to be held by the guild was simply not going to happen. "All I can offer is money."

"You're making this really darn hard." Rush rubbed his temples as if nursing a headache. "I really could do with some money right now. But... I don't know who you are. There might be a really good reason why you got shot at."

"That is fine. I understand." This wasn't going to work. Rush had a sense of self-preservation, which David could respect. He looked inside his travel case and found a leather purse. He wasn't sure how much was inside, but memory seemed to say there was several thousand gold. "Could you recommend a place for me to stay?"

"Uh... the ruins outside of town would probably be your best bet. We passed by it on our way."

David nodded. He took Rush's hand and pressed the purse into it. "A token of my appreciation. Thank you for all your help."

"What?" Rush opened the purse. David was already leaving. "Holy crap! You can't call this a token! I can't - "

"Then think of it as payment to keep your lips sealed. It doesn't matter. Please accept it, I would feel better if you do."

It wasn't as if David was giving Rush much choice. Ignoring the shocked mutterings, David left Rush at the front door of Union of the Golden Chalice, heading straight for the market.

Most stalls had closed for the day and he only managed to get a piece of clothing with a hood that could help conceal his face and hair. He would have to worry about food some other time; it was getting dark and darkness was assassins' best friend. This sort of time, dusk, which gave a false sense of security yet cast shadows at every corner, was particularly deadly.

He found his way back to the ruins. It was impossible to tell what the structure once was, it could have been a barracks, a temple, or something else entirely. But it was, indeed, a good hiding place and after searching around for a bit David found himself an area surrounded on three sides by stone and partially enclosed at the top. From here he could defend himself easily because there was only one entrance. There was no way to escape but David thought his chance of staying alive by running from assassins in the shadows would be less than that of fighting his ground where he could see them.

If worse came to worst, he had the Gae Bolg.

Soon, night fell completely.

Having spent time in the army, he thought he would be able to deal with this easily, but it turned out to be much harder than anticipated. This time he was completely alone. His father could be dying right now. He could even already be dead. Gut instinct told David he should just head home now rather than wait for help, but responsibility told him he must not put himself through unnecessarily risks. The duty of a son argued back, along with pride, saying David could handle any danger that came his way and he should leave. But finally it was fear, ambushing him under the cover of darkness, which won.

Torgal and Emma better get here soon.