Master I was passing the throne room as I waited for Merna to be brought to me. I had gone to her chamber to find it empty. I strolled to all of the locations that Merna could have gone to. Yet in each location, Merna was not there. Each hunter reported back to me that they had not seen Merna. ‘I found her!’ A breathless Ashur responded to me. ‘Father, we also have a big problem!’ My initial reaction was that something had happened to Merna. ‘I am dropping Tizqar into the holding cells, your PET is heading to your chambers to speak with you.’ ‘Merna!’ I mindlinked my little hybrid. ‘Heading to you, I will be there in a few seconds.’ Merna seemed out of breath as well. ‘Throne room now!’ I roared. What was going on? There better be a good explanation for this event. “Master if I may speak boldly!” A mage spoke after he cleared his throat. “OUT!” I ordered the mage not wanting to hear a thing from his mouth. Without saying a word the mage bowed and exited the room. Soft footsteps could be heard coming down the hall, getting closer to me. My eyes widened once I saw Merna. Blood was covering the front of her body. Merna placed both of her hands up in the air in a defensive motion, “I just need you to listen to me before you punish me. That is all that I ask!” I was not in a mood before but now I was, “What happened?” Calmly Merna started, “Please sit and I will explain everything then you can punish me in any way that you see fit, just let me tell you what you need to know!” On hearing that my temper roared to a new height. “What is going on? I am not a patient dragon!” “It started while you were gone!” Merna started. “I told the leaders of each hunting party that I believed something was going on in the far north. Ashur told me that the topic was none of my business. I did not listen, so I started to do my own personal investigation.”I sat down in the chair, this was going to be a long explanation. “Your records show that there are two thousand two hundred and twelve hunters, two hundred and fifteen mages, one hundred and nineteen serfs, one thousand three hundred and ten pleasures, one thousand seven hundred and seventeen family members and one hundred and twenty-nine to be sold. That means that there should be only five thousand seven hundred and two heads here.” “I am losing patience Merna!” I warned Merna. I wanted her to get to the point. “The point is extra heads are wandering around this terrain.” Merna placed one dagger after another on the table. Out of thin air, she placed twenty- six daggers on the table. One of the handles had my crest on it. “I killed each of the trespassers, except one of them. Each of them was located around the far northern section of your domain.” She paused and I also dealt with the extra heads too!” Ashur materialized beside Merna. “This is where I have to apologize …” Merna glanced over at Ashur. “All of them are dead?” I could not believe that she was capable of such an act. “Yes!” Merna did not explain anything more. “And this is what you are apologizing for?” I was not looking forward to any new news. “No! I thought that my skills were of the best.” Merna gestured towards Ashur. “I should have known I could not read the minds of everyone here. Your bloodline can block me out. And I had made the grave mistake of assuming that the bloodline that resided here was loyal to you. It never occurred to me to suspect your bloodline. That is what I am apologizing for!” She paused, “I do not normally make grave mistakes like this! I am usually more humble … I allowed arrogance to take hold of me and could have gotten a lot of individuals killed.” I strolled over to the table picking up the dagger with my crest on it. “You killed them?” “Yes!” Merna placed her hands behind her back. “Did it occur to you that maybe … MAYbe, they would need to be interrogated.” I glared at her. Getting to the point, “That is why I didn’t kill Tizqar!” I was not impressed at the situation, “And the others?” I growled Merna was starting to point out. “I was able to pick up information from those that I killed, I did not think it was time effective to question the trespassers!” I give Merna my signature expression.“Each of them either said the name Mannel or Pappavar!” Merna inhaled loudly, “they were trying to get me alone and zip me out of here. Word got to your siblings that I am a budding new sorceress.” Merna glared at Ashur. “I suspect that one of your offspring had been talking to one of the many kin that live here and word got back to your enemies. I have been more than careful to hide everything about my powers from others.” Ashur cleared his throat, “would you like me to interrogate Tizqar personally?” “Take Kudiya with you!” My sight never left Merna. Merna opened her mouth, “If I may add a thought!” My temper was starting to get the best of me. “You seem to be thinking a lot lately!” I snarled Tilting her head to the side, “Yet I have not been wrong!” Merna’s head went to the other side. “You seem to thrive off of being right all the time.” I was a bit harsher than I intended to be. Matching my level of temper, “The same could be said to you!” I went up one more level in my attitude, “I am running out of patience.” “I am not sure who is against you. They are in your halls … eating the food you offer … so drop your mood, I am not the enemy here.” Merna was head to head with me in temper. “At any time, they might attack you. If I am not around to warn you you could be harmed. I suggest that the interrogation be discrete. I have been doing the duty rosters, so I could add a new route. That way no one will question any actions that are going on. While this is all going on, I can observe from the side. Watching any unusual behaviours and reporting them back to you. Something I pretty much have been doing since you departed here.” Ashur started to chuckle, “Father if I did not know better, I would have thought that your princess here is pretending to be a man.” I glared at my son, “Yes!” I held on to the s. The corner of my lips lifted when Merna crossed her arms in front of her chest and huffed out loud. I ordered, “Interrogate Tizqar!” “Yes father!” Ashur had a smile on his face. I did not have to give him details to know what he was expected to do. I brought my attention back to Merna, “twenty- six blades, only one of them you did not kill.” “Yes!” Her reply was snarky.“Do you have any idea of the danger that you placed yourself in? No you do not!” I paused for a second to bring the volume of my voice back down. “All you had to do was bring in the first assassin you killed, in for questioning and that would have been the proof that would be needed to prove that you were correct but no, you had to continue with this game.” An evil grin graced my face, “you will receive ten spankings!” “What?” Merna appeared to be disgusted with the punishment that was going to come her way. “When I said any punishment … I was implying more work duty or double shifts … a SPANKING!” ‘She will love that?’ Ashur linked me as he was walking out of the area. ‘That reminds me … we will be having a private conversation soon!’ I did not feel the need to explain further. I could hear Ashur clearing his throat, ‘Kudiya spoke to you! Bastard I told him I would tell you everything when you got back myself!’ He did not sound happy. Nor was I, I wanted to be the first to taste her flesh. ‘That he did!’ I brought my attention back to a protesting little redhead. “And you will count each time you receive a spanking.” “Never in my life have I ever had a SPANKING!” Merna was outraged. I chuckled darkly, “It shows!”