Perched upon some crates on the massive quay of the pirates' dock, Vere discreetly observed the diplomatic envoy disembarking from the ship. His face was veiled by a scarf, a shroud of anonymity to ensure no one recognized him in this unfamiliar place. While such behavior might arouse suspicion elsewhere, in this haven of outlaws, it raised no eyebrows. He strategically positioned himself off to the side, creating a perfect vantage point for both observation and concealment.

As the morning sun beamed down, its warmth comforting his back against the chill of the sea breeze, Vere patiently awaited the unfolding events. The bustling dock was alive with activity as ships prepared for their journeys.

While the diplomatic envoy disembarked, Vere focused on the visitors, keeping a watchful eye on their every move. The slow pace of their arrival prompted him to extract a knife from his shoe and an apple from his pocket. He meticulously sliced the fruit into delectable pieces, savoring the taste while maintaining his vigilance.

Further down the shore, a gathering of captains awaited to extend greetings to the Exalonian diplomats. They arrived late, forcing the diplomatic envoy to wait for several hours after they delivered the king’s letter, which had to then be brought in front of Hugo Wagner. The response was delayed, but the tall man was aware of the reasoning behind such a move. There was no room for mistakes in this encounter.

Vere scrutinized each of his countrymen, his familiarity with many of them enabling easy identification. The crests of on their clothes, representing their noble houses, aided in distinguishing one from the other. He recognized members of each major house, and some minor as well. The members of house Al Nasser, house Mirza, house Zaman, house Rajput, house Al Zahir, house Al Khalid, and house Singh were all there, making the group quite sizable. It proved challenging to pinpoint the genuine messenger from King Smenkhkare, hiding in this crowd.

While Bruno remained convinced that the true envoy was among them, Vere couldn't help but question the certainty of such an assumption. As a young boy and a peasant, Bruno lacked insight into the intricacies of noble families from Vere’s perspective, leaving room for doubts to creep into the tall man's thoughts.

Among the crowd, some individuals seemed like mere decoys, designed to obscure the genuine messenger. Their comical presence betrayed a desperate attempt by certain families to secure a place on this important mission. It appeared as though Smenkhkare had yielded to the pressure of these families, granting them an opportunity to redeem themselves in the eyes of Exalos' ruling class. They hid among the more renowned faces, but even those people didn’t strike the tall man as trustworthy in the eyes of the King.

"Could it be somebody else?" Vere pondered quietly.

Hugo Wagner, cunning and calculating, had devised a plan to detain the diplomats for several days, saturating them with falsehoods. This strategic maneuver provided Vere with the time he needed to discreetly gather information. The stakes were too high to approach this game recklessly, and he knew he must navigate the treacherous waters with utmost care.

Bruno's surprising involvement in the plan was the first intriguing element for Vere. The young boy displayed an understanding beyond his years, delving into the world of intrigues and mind games that typically belonged to the realm of the rich and influential, not to those dwelling in the slums. It was intriguing, but not enough to fully sway the tall man.

As the two groups converged and exchanged somewhat stiff greetings, they proceeded towards a wooden fort nestled against the torn-apart mountain wall. Guarded and guided along the main path, their movements remained under Vere's watchful eye for a time. Eventually, he shifted his attention back to the ship, suspecting that the person chosen by the king might be among the crew, secretly waiting for a discreet rendezvous with the pirates.

‘Would he send someone unknown to me? He should know I'm with the princess,’ Vere questioned himself. ‘Will I have to watch it day and night? No… If the person is still on the ship they will move now, when everybody is distracted with the nobles.’

Several Exalonian sailors remained aboard the vessel, initially engrossed in their tasks, but soon finding themselves with little to do. They gazed out at the peculiar construction of the city hastily pieced together. Some of them ventured off the ship, but not too far, as they had clear orders to safeguard the vessel and avoid unnecessary meddling with the pirates. The allure of the prostitutes on the docks seemed to tempt a few, but their duties kept them in check.

A water change took place – the swapping of empty kegs for full ones. Some of the crew members inspected the containers to ensure their contents, and among them was a peculiar man. It wasn't his attire but his behavior that caught Vere's attention. He seemed to be excessively fixated on the wooden fort, while awfully gnoring the task at hand and appeared to seize an opportunity to slip away from the crew. Finding cover behind crates and barrels on the vast quay, he reappeared with a changed appearance, now resembling a pirate rather than a member of the Exalonian crew.

‘Is that my man? I don't know him. Does the king want to take the princess back by force?’ Vere pondered.

He remained observant, closely monitoring the man's movements. When the stranger headed towards the fort, Vere decided to trail him. Tucking his knife back into his shoe and tossing the remnants of the apple into the water, he left his hiding spot and casually followed his target. The man, keen on remaining in the shadows of shacks and small warehouses along the docks, led Vere further on the intriguing path.

The deeper they got, the more noise was around them, alongside the distracting people. Whores who presented their charms, quite literally, drunkards who were no strangers to yelling and singing, and the screaming kids. They crossed the vicinity of the port, bustling with activity, then further through the damaged buildings and narrow passages, as they closed on the strange castle nested against the mountain wall.

Careful to maintain stealth, Vere moved silently, his senses attuned to every sound and movement. The wet, dark sand left traces of footsteps of the elusive target, but they were among many, which carried a level of uncertainty if he would decide to only rely on them. This prompted the tall man to not lose sight of the fake sailor.

Then his target disappeared around the corner, forcing Vere to retrieve a knife concealed in his shoe, in preparation for a possible confrontation. As he turned the corner, he found himself face-to-face with Sa'di Najjar, who also brandished a blade. Their eyes locked, and Vere recognized the familiar gaze despite the altered appearance.

"Those eyes… I will recognize them anywhere," Vere spoke softly, keeping his blade steady. „Malik Soltani.”

"Not anymore, Vere," Sa'di replied. „You betrayed your king, you filthy traitor.”

"I didn't betray my king. You should know better than anyone that I would never do such a thing. I saved the princess," Vere said with confidence clearly sounding in his voice. "There was no other choice."

"Where is the princess?" Sa'di Najjar asked, ignoring most of those words.

"Safe. What did you mean by 'not anymore'?" Vere asked with a dead voice.

"Malik Soltani is dead. He died paying for his sins. He failed to do his duty, to protect the heirs to the throne. I am Sa'di Najjar, the blade in the darkness," the man explained.

Showing any interest would mean showing some of his cards, and in this game, they had to be hidden until the very last moment. The different face was a clue, but he wasn't willing to cloud his thoughts by thinking of something unnecessary at the moment.

"Safe. But we must not stay here for long. Follow me," Vere responded.

„Why would I trust you? You betrayed your king once. You will have no issue with betraying me,”  Sa'di stated.

„I would never betray my king,” the tall man protested. „I only did what I had to do because there was no other choice. Now follow me, I’ll bring you to the princess.”

The tension was palpable, but Vere eased it a bit by sheathing his knife first, making Sa'di Najjar do the same after a moment of hesitation. Then, carefully at first, the tall man began guiding his fellow Exalonian through the narrow streets, away from the main route. Ignoring the eager whores, who promised pleasure for a tiny bit of silver, they approached the bottom of the wooden fort where Princess Hallel was kept.

The path was prepared for them. Guarded only by the most trustworthy men of Hugo Wagner, who knew exactly what to do. Thus the travel to the top of the fort was swift.

As soon as they got to the right room Vere knocked four times on the door, then opened it. Inside was Hadiza with a knife in her hand, and from behind the plumb woman's back, the princess was looking, to check who just invaded their privacy.

Although they agreed upon the way of knocking, the close proximity of guards could easily allow them to overhear the signal, and use it, which made Vere insist that the former head maid was prepared for the worst, each time the door opened.

"It's me," said the tall man, which made Hadiza put the weapon down.

"Who is this?" Princess asked, stealing glances from behind her servant.

Her eyes were laying on Sa'di Najjar who just entered the room with Vere. He immediately went to one knee while Vere closed the door behind them.

"I'm Sa'di Najjar, your father sent me to bring you back to Exalos," said the stranger.