The storm which had been brewing for the last couple of days was now pouring down. Lightning flashed across the heavens and thunder rumbled in the distance. The horses splashed through wet ground muddied with three hours of rain. The ride was supposed to be easy but already a horse had slipped and one of Grawden's men had been forced face first into the mud. Injured, Grawden had no other choice but to send that man back to Klonkar. Now nine horses and nine men braved the weather.

Arron was not enjoying himself. He hated extreme weather at the best of times and this was most definitely not the best of times. Rain dribbled down his back and his cape which he had retrieved from his backpack at the first hint of rain was now sodden and offered little protection from the elements. As far as Arron could see the guards were doing little better. I hope Marden is feeling very wet and very miserable. It was the only comforting thought Arron had. The party rode on in silence save for the sound of the thunder and the noise of the horses splashing though the wet ground. There was no joy in any of this and given a choice Arron would rather be curled up beside a cosy fire. I'd rather be doing administrative work than this. It was only the thought that at the end of this wretched journey there would be a Nibe envoy who Arron would have to speak to. At least I'll have someone to speak to then.

Grawden was not faring much better, he was also miserable and it had only been three hours. Should the unthinkable happen and the weather keep up like this then the group could be faced with another three days of rain. The something caught Grawden's interest. Something up ahead. There was a light and a person. Grawden raised his hand for the group to halt and he manoeuvred his horse over to Lieutenant Angstrong. "Lieutenant, take two men and investigate. I have a bad feeling."

"Aye sir." Angstrong indicated to two men and they dismounted and with weapons ready proceeded forward.

Arron moved his horse over to Grawden, "what is it?"

Grawden looked at Arron for he had heard the worry in the adviser's voice. "Probably nothing. It could just be a transport but in this kind of weather you would expect to find them on the main roads. We're off the beaten track here trying to make our journey as quick as possible and I did not expect to bump into anyone."

"Could it be a trap?"

"Possibly..." Grawden's voice tailed off as he noticed Angstrong coming back with the two men. "What is it?" called out Grawden.

"A caravan has slid into the ditch by the road. The owner's tried to get it back on the road but the rain's making that almost impossible."

"Sounds fine," said Arron.

"Yeah," agreed Grawden and turned to his men. "Dismount and help the citizen get his caravan back on the road. He shouldn't have to stay out in this weather any longer than he needs to."

Everyone dismounted and the horses were secured to some trees which were growing along the roadside. Grawden walked forward and he could see the owner of the caravan walking towards him. The man was soaked to his skin and mud provided a second skin. The man seemed out of breath as he spoke, "I didn't think I'd see anyone on this road let alone palace guards. It's a gift from the fruits indeed.

Grawden noticed the caravan, one of the wheels was embedded in the mud and the two horses tethered to it were becoming disturbed. "It doesn't look as though it's going to be difficult. With nine men we should easily be able to help you."

"I've been stuck here for over an hour," said the caravan owner.

Out of the corner of his eye Grawden noticed Arron walking towards the caravan and begin to inspect it with some interest. Marden was also beside the caravan but he had begun to take charge in organising the removal of wheel from the mud. A large raindrop hit Grawden's neck and rolled down his back, he sighed, the rain did not even bother him now.

"What happened?" asked Grawden of the caravan owner.

The man wiped the back of his neck and his face to try to clear the rain, he seemed very agitated with the weather, very much like Arron. "I had been riding along when this weather struck, it seemed to come out of nowhere. Anyway, the road started to become really muddy and my wheel just caught in it and slid. The more I tried to move it the more it sank into the ditch."

"Grawden," Arron was calling on the Captain of the guard.

"My men need me."

"By all means," the caravan owner motioned that Grawden should go where he was needed.

As Grawden trudged across the muddy road he wondered what Arron was wanting. He hoped it was nothing troublesome as he could not be bothered at this precise moment. As Grawden approached the king's friend Arron grabbed Grawden and pulled him aside.

"Grawden, we have a problem."

The Captain of the guard let a long drawn out sigh escape, "what now." Maybe Marden was right, Arron did have a tendency to moan a bit too much.

"This is a set-up," Arron looked straight at Grawden, his face a picture of sincerity.

At this Grawden pricked up instantly, if his men were in trouble he had to know and he had to know now. "What is it?"

"It was the horses that caught my attention, at first I couldn't place it and then it hit me - they are not distressed enough. Once I had spotted that I just began to find fault with the entire situation. The caravan is not muddy enough. That man is far too agitated with the rain for somebody who's been out in it for the last hour as he says. I can also find no evidence of a skid mark across the road."

Grawden looked. He realised now why he had had to ask the caravan owner what had happened as there had been no evidence available to lead him to any satisfactory conclusion. "Arron, good work, I want you to warn the men discreetly. We don't want our friend realising that we're on to him."

"It's too late for that, I already know." Grawden could hear the voice of the caravan owner and he felt the cold feel of metal across his throat. Arron was roughly pushed aside.

"My men," gasped Grawden.

"Too late for them." Grawden looked out of the corner of his eye and could see Marden, Angstrong and the rest of his men being rounded up by more men. Then the caravan owner spoke again and Grawden's blood was chilled. "For the vegetables."

The touch of Mawreth's hand on Rogeth's neck made him shiver. "Do I tantalise you?"

The sensations running through Rogeth were forbidden. Mawreth was trying to tempt him, trying to get him away from his wife. Rogeth reached up and grabbed Mawreth's arm but instead of that distracting his sister she only stepped closer. Mawreth now stood inches from Rogeth's face, their eyes locked together and their minds fighting a battle of wills. "Why do you play these games?" Rogeth spoke slowly to make his point. He hoped that his sister would see that he feared nothing by his use of the word game.

His actions though had the opposite effect, "why do you think?" Mawreth pushed her brother to the side and onto the bed which lay in the room. Joleth used the bed if he had been working late and did not want to disturb anybody by walking around the King's tower late at night. "Brother, Aneth is no use for you. She's too frail, I could be so much better." Mawreth slicked down to sit on Rogeth's chest, she traced her fingers across his shirt and began to unbutton it.

Rogeth reached out and grabbed his sisters wrist, "stop this now." Rogeth was trying to be commanding but there was only anger in his voice.

"Oh, we're angry now," Mawreth was very intuitive. With her free hand she began to trace the outline of the muscles on his body. Her hand running across Rogeth's flesh felt seductive to the young prince but he had to resist.

With his other hand Rogeth grabbed Mawreth's free arm. She struggled as soon as she realised that his grip was tight and that he was not going to let go any time soon. "Mawreth take your leave now and I wont mention this to father. Stay a minute longer and father will get to hear all about it."

"You don't want me?" Mawreth seemed utterly shocked, as though Rogeth would be compelled to want his sister.

"What I want is for you to leave me now before Aneth or Joleth finds out what you've done here."

"And what have you been doing here?" The voice was clear and distinctive - Aneth. Rogeth turned his head towards the door and saw his wife standing there, she seemed totally shocked. Aneth grabbed the door frame to stop her from fainting.

"It's not what it seems," spluttered Rogeth. He knew that it had to look bad. The prince sprawled out on the bed with his naked chest exposed and Mawreth sitting on him.

"It'd better not be," Aneth just spun round and left...

The memory pained Rogeth. It reminded him of earlier on the Garden tower when Aneth had stormed away after their argument over Mawreth. Now it was different, Aneth sat in Rogeth's arms as they both watched out of a window in the King's tower. The rain was pouring down and the king wondered how Grawden was doing, already one man had come back injured.

"What are you thinking?" whispered Aneth, barely audible over the noise of the storm.

"Just wondering how Grawden's doing, the weather must be slowing them down. If this storm spreads far over The Kingdom then the envoy will be slowed down."

"That'll be a good thing then."

"Why?" Rogeth was confused.

"It'll give everyone more time to prepare."

"Oh," replied Rogeth. He was astounded that he had missed the obvious answer but it had been so unlike Aneth to say something like that. Normally his wife was telling Rogeth to look on the bright side and that maybe things wont be as bad as you think. He had expected Aneth to tell him that the Nibe envoy probably would not be delayed. Probably she was just on edge - Mawreth had that effect on everyone.

There was a cough and Rogeth sat upright sliding Aneth off him so he could turn and see who was there. "Your majesty." Styrin was standing there with a serious look on his face. "May I speak with you?"

"By all means, go ahead," Rogeth signalled for the chamberlain to continue speaking.

"In private," Styrin nodded his head at Aneth.

Aneth looked at Rogeth, her hand reached up to his face. Her touch felt good like an anchor pulling the king back to reality. His wife was a calm port in the raging storm of palace life. "I have some duties to attend to," with that Aneth turned and disappeared off down the corridor.

Rogeth turned his full attention towards Styrin and laid into the chamberlain with all his might, "what is so important that I need to be interrupted now?"

"I wish to know why I have been excluded from the arrangements for the Nibe envoy?" Styrin pulled himself up to his full height and emphasised his total arrogance towards Rogeth.

"Excuse me Styrin I don't have time for this."

Rogeth turned his back on the chamberlain and started to walk away but Styrin walked round the king and stood in his way. Rogeth knew that he would have to face Styrin now. The pair stared at each other, an apparent tension in the air. It was Styrin who spoke first, "you can't get away that easy. Why did we not have a full council meeting when the news of the envoy first arrived."

"It would have taken too long. I wanted a decision made without the hassles of an argumentative council," Rogeth spat the last few words at Styrin.

"The council exists for a reason. It prevents any ruler from taking full control over a situation and causing ultimate chaos."

Rogeth glowered at Styrin, "do you think I've caused ultimate chaos?"

Styrin turned his back on the king and began to move away, "we shall see your majesty, we shall see."

Rogeth marched after the chamberlain and grabbed his shoulder. Whirling Styrin around the king laid into him, "what are you plotting? What's going on here?"

"Already your advisers are changing their minds against you."

"Krentar I assume. It was you who got him on the advisory team." Rogeth pushed Styrin up against the stone wall.

"Temper, temper. We can't let the king go to pieces now can we," Styrin started to laugh.

Rogeth released the chamberlain and then as he was away to leave, turned back to Styrin and said one final promise, "I don't have any evidence of your plotting but once I do I will have your head." Rogeth stormed down the corridor his mood as foul as the weather out side. I hate that man, thought Rogeth. If only he knew that my father had excluded him from more council meetings than he realises, that thought was the only comfort to the king as he went in search of Koflan. There were too many enemies in Klonkar and most of Rogeth's allies were already gone.

The weather made it too dangerous to use the bridges connecting the tops of the towers, Rogeth would have to go down to ground level where it was safer. Walking round to the stairs which ran down the centre of the tower Rogeth mused over today's events. Only hours previous he had been in a council meeting discussing possible war strategies. Hours later and the situation was reversed. Life had a way of being strange like that, there was always something around the corner. Problems had a way of creeping into Rogeth's life whether he wanted them to or not.

Rogeth reached the stairs and began to walk down when he stopped. There was a noise behind him. How many more people are going to interrupt me with cryptic advice or veiled threats. Rogeth turned quickly and almost over balanced to fall down the stairs, but he kept standing. Looking up the stairs to where he had just come from the king could see nothing. Rogeth took a few more steps up the stairs and then decided that it had only been his imagination.

It was another fifteen minutes and a trip through terrible weather before Rogeth reached Koflan's office in the Work tower. The king knocked and after a moment Koflan opened the door. He looked awake and refreshed unlike Rogeth who was tired cold and very wet.

"Come in, come in your majesty," said Koflan, worry all to clear in his voice. Rogeth was hurried in and sat down beside a warm log fire which was burning away in the corner of Koflan's office. Warming and drying himself the king watched his adviser pull up another seat in front of the fire. "So what brings you here?" asked Koflan once he was settled.

"Oh," Rogeth shook his head wearily, "it's Styrin."

Koflan sat up a look of concern all to evident on his face, "what's he been doing?"

"Threatening the king," the statement came out clear and simple but there was venom directed at Styrin.

"WHAT!" Koflan jumped out his seat utterly shocked. After a moment to calm himself down he continued, "He...I...what...oh. I knew he was devious but this is totally beyond him. How does he expect to do this alone, the entire council will oppose him."

"The entire council isn't here."

Koflan sat down once again stunned by Rogeth, "but he can't. Where's his support?"

"Krentar."

Rogeth watched as Koflan's jaw literally dropped. "Do you have any proof?"

"I've no proof yet. Styrin did say though that my advisers were already turning against me. Arron would never do something like that to me and anyway he's not at Klonkar at the moment. I know you wouldn't..."

"No, no I wouldn't," interrupted Koflan as his mind raced forward to reach the same conclusion that Rogeth was about to voice.

"Jobek is loyal and keeps to himself, he doesn't have anything like this in him. Krentar is another matter. We know very little about him and he was placed on the advisory team by Styrin when you were reagent."

"I admit the evidence is very compelling," Koflan looked at the king with a worried face. It was not a face Rogeth was familiar with but he feared that he soon would be.

"That's where Jobek comes in. I have a feeling that Styrin may try to gain more support for his actions. I fear that Ertan and Mawreth may fall in line with him, although I'm not sure about Ertan."

"Oh? I thought that you were completely set against him."

"I was, it's just something he said to me earlier. It was as though he was warning me about Styrin. I'm not convinced though that Ertan would stay loyal to me if it came down to it."

"And how does Jobek fit into all this?" Koflan leaned forward suddenly curious as to the plan that was forming in Rogeth's mind.

"I want him to be a spy."