A hooded figure stealthily traversed the docks of Sah'mat under the shroud of deep darkness. The symphony of crashing waves in the harbor intermingled with the faint, muffled footsteps, becoming the only audible sounds in the vicinity.

Approaching one of the houses cloaked in shadow, the enigmatic figure cautiously glanced over their shoulder, ensuring no prying eyes watched their movements. Satisfied with the lack of observers, they silently opened the door and slipped inside.

Navigating a short corridor, they turned to ascend a narrow staircase that twisted and turned until it completed a full U-turn. At its apex, a door awaited their arrival.

With practiced hands, the figure felt the cool touch of the wooden door before locating the frigid metal of the lock. Retrieving a key, they inserted it, turned, and gently pushed the door, revealing complete darkness. In fact, it was a very small room, empty. The person stepped in, closing the door behind, and then carefully moved forward to eventually place their hands on the back wall. Feeling the stones, one by one, they finally discovered the right one and pressed it.

With a low, surprisingly quiet grinding sound, the wall moved, creating a narrow opening, which allowed access to a dimly illuminated chamber. Two candelabra adorned the corners, casting flickering shadows.

In the center stood a solitary table with two chairs, one of which was already occupied by another hooded figure. The person entered, pushing the wall slightly, causing it to close with the same noise as before. With a quick motion, they threw back their hood, revealing a face adorned with scars.

Sa'di Najjar approached the table, pulling the chair slightly away to seat himself just as the other figure discarded their hood as well. It was none other than King Smenkhkare.

"Tell me everything," the ruler urged, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I have seen the princess. She is well cared for and safe..." the former soldier began, but his words trailed off when he noticed something.

The king placed both hands on the table, his fingers pressing so forcefully against the wood that they turned pale.

"My daughter is not safe," he seethed through clenched teeth.

"Vere and Hadiza are with her. Vere swore to me that he did not betray you. He informed me..." Sa'di Najjar paused once more. "He told me that Mamun believes…"

"Say it!" the ruler snapped. "Do not dare hide anything from me!"

"My king... Vere told me that Mamun was in love with your mother. He believes that the archmage intends to overthrow you and marry your daughter to rule over your kingdom," the man responded carefully, weighing each word.

"What nonsense is that? Mamun is an old man who has shown nothing other but loyalty to me. He may be a serpent lurking in the sand, but he would never betray this kingdom. His love for my mother only strengthens his allegiance because he would never betray her son. Vere is a fool for thinking otherwise. Tell me, what do they want in exchange for Hallel's return? The preposterous terms presented to me today by those imbeciles I sent as a smokescreen are outrageous, and that can only mean that the pirate king desires something entirely different. Something that was revealed to you," Smenkhkare said, rising from his chair and pacing around as he continued his speech.

"It is not merely something they told me, my king!" Sa'di Najjar raised his voice, knowing full well that this might incite another outburst of anger from his ruler. He lowered his head, almost touching the table with his nose. "They not only told me more, but they also showed me something, my king!"

"What are you speaking of?" the monarch inquired, his raised eyebrows suggesting intrigue at the revelation.

"They told me that... Forgive me for daring to speak these words, as I do not believe this part even in the slightest... They told me that your father forced your mother to be with the servants because he was unable to conceive a child with her…"

"How dare you! If anyone but you dared speak such words, I would have them executed immediately!" Smenkhkare snapped, his anger palpable. He advanced toward the table, flipping it over, making quite a noise when the wood hit the stone.

"My king, I did not believe their words, even when they allowed me to speak with Lady Arabel!" Sa'di Najjar hastily interjected, seizing the opportunity to voice his thoughts before the king's fury escalated further.

"What?" the ruler exclaimed, freezing in place. His eyes widened.

"They told me that Mamun, before the lady's demise, extracted her mind and imprisoned it, only to later move it into your daughter's head!" the former lord expounded rapidly, anxious to relay all the information before Smenkhkare's anger consumed him. "I spoke with her. A boy provoked her, and when the princess became enraged, Lady Arabel showed herself. She was furious and seemed unaware of her situation."

The ruler responded with a prolonged pause, resuming his pacing around the room. The silence endured for a while longer before it was finally shattered.

"Are you certain it was not some kind of a joke? My daughter…"

"No, my king!" Sa'di Najjar interjected. "It was your mother. I swear upon everything I hold dear."

"Tell me everything you have learned in that place," Smenkhkare commanded, settling back into his chair.

There was only an empty space between him and the man who was once the captain of the royal guard.

"They informed me that Mamun was in love with your mother, but she was betrothed to your father. When the archmage returned from studying in Harothep, he supposedly discovered what they told me, but I do not believe it to be true. I believe it is only a massive lie concocted by the old man out of envy. He trapped your mother's consciousness and then, when Hallel fell ill, he offered to heal her, but instead implanted your mother's mind into hers, conspiring to eliminate all your children, except for her, my king. All to seize the throne by marrying her," the man explained. „I believe he is after you, my king. He only looks for a perfect opportunity to finish his plan. When Hallel is back, he will not hesitate to strike.”

"And Vere was certain of this? How did he come to know?" the ruler inquired, his voice surprisingly composed.

"An apprentice to the archmage escaped from Mamun and sought refuge with Vere to protect the princess. He claimed that Mamun was amassing an army. He has already used this army to... to kill..." Sa'di Najjar's voice cracked, the words seeming to lodge in his throat.

"I understand," Smenkhkare responded, alleviating the man's anguish. "Have you met this apprentice?"

"Yes. He was the one who provoked your mother to appear."

"I believe you... Now… Tell me what do they want in exchange for my daughter’s return? "

„An alliance. The pirates need a safe harbor and resources. In return, they offer to bring back your daughter, but also a safe passage for our ships through the seas they control,” Sa'di Najjar informed. „I kept my ears open. They fear confrontation with Hanza, so they are making moves to strengthen their forces.”

Smenkhkare snorted. „They are trying to pull me into their war. Here is what we will do… The archmage is away, investigating the attack he caused. I believe he will return soon, especially when the diplomats are back. He will want to hear what they found out, and might even insist on trying to renegotiate the deal with the pirates… This works in our favor. I’m going to pretend like I’m considering agreeing to their terms. I’ll distract him, and create a space for you to strike. You will kill the archmage. Then we will give pirates our response. We are going to agree to their terms. When my daughter returns, and Hanza attacks them, we will strike them too. Nobody plays games with Exalos!” He growled and even raised his fist to slam it on the table, but then he realized that it was missing since he flipped it before. This caused his hand to hang in the air before he pulled it back.

„Your wish is my command,”  Sa'di Najjar responded while getting up, then he bowed.