Kira and Jared

✍🏻The purple tree

JARED'S POINT OF VIEW

Even after two weeks since we captured a few of the invaders for interrogation, they still refused to speak despite all the tortures they underwent.
They had been trained to withstand the worst kind of pain.

When my Father returned from hiding with all the other royals and nobles, I went again with Edrin to question the men hoping that they would finally open their mouths, but the strangest thing happened, They were already dead when we got to their cell, an unknown poison had been given to them.
Edrin told me what Zseindz told him about our father, though we both do not believe it. I regretted killing Zseindz, he probably would have been more helpful.

Now, I am in Aakh on a secret quest to discover who is after Verthona. The Aakhian government is known to be volatile, if we tell them that the attack came from their city, they might take it that we are pointing an accusatory finger at them and that might cause bigger problems for us. That is why we need to make sure who is responsible for the attacks. I am not going to rest until I have achieved that, and with me are my trusted men, Victor and Hector.

I have a friend who works in the Aakhian intelligence sector, Herres, whom I once saved from assassins. After meeting with Herres, I was more than convinced that the Aakhian government had nothing to do with the attack. I then told him about the workshop Victor and I had discovered. He informed the emperor but did not tell him that it was from me. The emperor sent soldiers there using the description that I had given Herres. Thankfully, they found it, they killed the men who tried to resist and captured the ones who surrendered. The Aakhian government then confiscated everything in the workshop and arrested the scientists working there. As a return for the honor I brought him in the eyes of the emperor, Herres let me see the man who was in charge of the workshop. He had been detained like many of his cohorts.

I stepped into the room he was locked in. He was sitting on a chair with his hands bound with a chain. I stood in front of him. He looked up and saw me and recognized me at once...
"I know you, you are one of the men who trained with us"... "I should have known".
He snickered while shaking his head.
"What do you want from me now, boy?" he asked, smiling.

"Who is responsible?"...
I went straight to the point.

He scoffed...
"I believe you are Verthonian"

"Yes, I am". I affirmed.

"What rank do you hold there?"

"I am the King's son and a commander of his army". I replied proudly.

He laughed out loud.
"So, you are Grayson's son, yet you come all the way here to ask me this?"

"I don't have time, please tell me all I need to know". I said.

The smile on his face disappeared when he said;
"If you know you have the heart to bear the truth, I will send you to the man who has all the answers you seek. But it would be foolish of you to disclose his identity to the emperor, for you shall lose your head the moment you mention his name".

"I will not say anything ". I assured him.

"Find the purple tree at the heart of the city, there you shall find him. I will speak no further".
He went back to keeping his head bent.

I left him, went back to our lodge, and told Victor and Hector what he said.

"A purple tree won't be that hard to find, right?". Asked Hector.

Victor and I looked at each other, wondering the same thing.

***

"Okay, I was wrong, a purple tree IS hard to find here. Where is it?!". Asked Hector who had grown tired and impatient, just like Victor and me.