“Oh no you’re not. You’re coming back to my castle with me. I have a great deal to speak with you about. You were the advisor to the Emperor and are obviously very gifted and knowledgeable. I have great need for such an advisor. You will be my Royal Counselor.”

“No. ’Twill…” he sighed and then continued. “It will come as a shock to—you—but I did not escape for the purpose of helping you with your little problems. I have more important matters to which I must attend, and I have been too long from them.”

The prince appeared taken aback. “What matters could you possibly have after nine hundred years? After all, it’s not as if you have to get home to tend to your livestock. If it is a matter of compensation, you will be well paid and live in as much luxury as I can afford. And if you are thinking of shopping around, only Ethelred of Warric is likely to offer as much and trust me, you don’t want to work for the likes of him. He’s a dogmatic Imperialist and a loyal church supporter.”

“I am not looking for compensation.”

“No? Look at you. You have nothing, no food, no place to sleep. I think you should consider your situation a bit more before refusing me. Besides, gratitude alone should compel you to help me.”

“Gratitude? Has the meaning of that word changed as well? In my day, it meant to show appreciation for a favor.”

“And it still does. I saved you. I released you from that place.”

Esrahaddon raised an eyebrow. “Didst thou help me escape as a favor to me? I think not. Thou freed me to save thyself. I owe thee nothing, and if I did, I repaid thee when I brought thou out.”

“But the whole reason I came here was to gain your assistance. I am inheriting a throne handed down by blood! Thieves abducted and dragged me across the kingdom in my first two days as king. I still don’t know who killed my father or how to find them. I am in great need of help. You must know hundreds of things the greatest minds of today have never known—”

“Thousands at least, but I am still not going with you. You have a kingdom to secure. My path lies elsewhere.”

Alric’s face grew red with frustration. “I insist you return with me and become my advisor. I can’t just let you wander off. Who knows what kind of trouble you could cause. You’re dangerous.”

“Yes indeed dear prince, so allow me to givest thee a bit of free council: doth not use the word insistin conjunction with me. Thine hath but only a small spill to contend with, do not tempt a deluge.”

Alric stiffened.

“How long before the Church starts hunting you?” Hadrian asked casually.

“What dost thou…” the wizard sighed. “What do you mean?”

“You locked things up nicely in the prison so no one will know you escaped. Of course, if we were to return and start bragging about how we broke you out, that might start inquiries.”

The wizard leveled his gaze at Hadrian. “Art thee attempting to blackmail me?”

“Why would I do that? As you already know, I have nothing to do with this, being just a scapegoat and all. Not to mention it would be pretty stupid of me to threaten a powerful wizard. The thing is though, the king here, he is not as bright as I am. He very well might get drunk and tell stories at the first tavern he arrives at, as nobles often do.” Esrahaddon glanced at Alric, whose red face now turned pale. “Fact is, we came all this way to find out who killed Alric’s father, and we really don’t know much more than we did before we set out.”

Esrahaddon chuckled softly. “Very well, I will give you some assistance. Tell me how did your father die exactly?”

“He was stabbed with a knife,” Alric explained.

“What kind of knife?”

“A common rondel military dagger.” Alric held his hands about a foot apart. “About this long. It had a flat blade and a round pommel. It was really nothing special.”

Esrahaddon nodded. “Where was he stabbed?”

“In his private chapel.”

“I meant where physically?”

“Oh, in the back, upper left side, I think.”

“Were there any windows or other doors in the chapel?”

“None.”

“Who found the body?”

“These two.” Alric pointed at Royce and Hadrian.

The wizard smiled and shook his head. “No, beside them, who announced the death of the king? Who raised the alarm?”

“That would be Captain Wylin, my master-at-arms. He was on the scene very quickly and apprehended them.”

Hadrian thought about the night King Amrath had been killed. “No, that’s not right. There was a dwarf there. He must have come around the corner of the hallway just as we left the room. He probably saw the king’s body lying on the floor of the chapel and shouted. Right after he yelled, the soldiers came, and surprisingly fast, I might add.”

“Did you actually see this dwarf approach from the corridor?” the wizard asked.

“No,” Hadrian replied, and Royce confirmed with a shake of his head.

“And when you entered the chapel, was the king’s body visible from the doorway?”

Hadrian and Royce shook their heads.

“That solves it then,” the wizard said, as if everything was perfectly clear. The party stared back at him in confusion. Esrahaddon sighed. “The dwarf killed Amrath.”

“That’s not possible,” Alric challenged. “My father was a big man, and the dagger thrust was downward. A dwarf couldn’t possibly have stabbed him in the upper back.”

“You said your father was in his chapel. As any good pious king, he was no doubt kneeling with head bowed. The dwarf killed him as he prayed. I suspect the dwarf was someone your father knew. Someone he would not be alarmed to see in the chapel.”

“But the door was locked when we entered,” Hadrian said. “And there was no one in the room besides the king.”

“No one you could see at least. The dwarf must have been hiding inside the room when you entered. Did the chapel have an altar with a cabinet?”

“Yes, it did.”

“They did a millennium ago as well. Religion changes very slowly. The cabinet was no doubt too small for a man to crouch in, but I’m sure it could easily accommodate a dwarf. After he killed the king, he locked the door and waited for you two to find the body.” Esrahaddon paused. “That cannot be right you—two—to?” He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “If you have done this to language, I fear to know the fate of all else.

“With the door locked, a night guard or a cleaning steward would not find the body prematurely. Only a skilled thief would be able to enter, which I assume at least one of you is.” He looked directly at Royce as he said the last part. “After you left, the dwarf crept out, opened the door, and sounded the alarm, trapping you before you could get away.”

“So, the dwarf is the agent of the Church?”

“No.” The wizard sighed with a look of frustration. “Unless things have changed drastically since I was last about, there is not a dwarf alive who would carry a common dagger. The traits of dwarves change even slower than religion. He was given the dagger by the one who hired him. Find that person and you will find the true killer.”

Stunned, everyone looked at the wizard.” That’s incredible,” Alric said.

“Actually, it is not difficult to determine. After so many years you learn a great many things.” The wizard inclined his head toward the cliff. “Getting out of there was hard. Speaking as you do is hard. Determining the murderer of King Amrath was…was…soft.”

“Soft?” Hadrian asked. “You mean easy.”

“How is easy the opposite of hard? This does not make sense.”

Hadrian shrugged. “And yet, it is.”

Esrahaddon looked frustrated. “See what I mean? Now, you have what you came here for, or at least as much assistance as I can lend in this matter. Therefore, I will be on my way. As I said, I have to attend to my own affairs. I assume my help was sufficient to prevent any loose tongues?”