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“It seems the lad answered your question for me, my good Virtus.” The man turned to him with a smile. Virtus was still puzzling over the young man’s outburst. Caution would probably come in handy here. He sighed. He hated caution. “You are indeed in my uncle’s castle,” the man continued. “I am, as you presumed, ‘in charge’. My name is Commander Olavir Vulferym. I regret to say that I have not heard of this Lord Delernious. Is he stationed in Ikarial, perhaps?”

Ikarial? Where is that? “No, sir, he isn’t,” Virtus replied slowly. He took another breath, intending to say, Actually, he was headed for the Outer Realms last I knew, but I haven’t technically been in on his plans for a few weeks. But he decided against it, and remained quiet.

“Mmm. I must remember to ask my uncle if he knows of him.” The man lifted an elegant hand up, studying his fingers in a way that Virtus remembered clearly. It was a kind of dismissal without actually dismissing someone. It was saying, I’m sick of this conversation, and bored too. Why don’t you move along so I can get back to my life?

Virtus took the hint. He bowed stiffly. “Thanks. Permission to leave? Sir?” It was getting harder and harder to be polite.

Vulferym nodded imperiously, not taking his eyes from his slender fingers. Virtus noticed the rings glittering on three of them, and wondered which peasant had lost their year’s crop to pay for them.

With another half-bow, Virtus spun on his heel and marched away, mulling things over in his brain. The young man had said Vulferym’s unce was in on “plotting” the “demise” of everyone in here. It was something to keep in mind, whether or not that proved true. Perhaps Vulferym wasn’t in on his uncle’s schemes? Somehow that seemed unlikely. The man’s… everything grated on Virtus’ nerves, just like Delernious did. From the aloof speech and body language to the words full of more loopholes than a fisherman’s knot. Virtus would keep an eye on him.

Right now, he wanted to talk to the young man who had ventured to say such things.

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