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explained.
    "Cedric Osgood, I believe you gave his name?" the king wondered.
    "Yes, that was his name," Ned confirmed, evidently not of the humor to speak of the topic.
    "He was quite proficient in magic, if I recall, and very gifted in foretelling the future," the king mused.
    "Oh yes, I recall him now!" Telana exclaimed. "He had a very unusual staff, did he not? Something he had acquired from his homeland?"
    Ned smiled and bowed his head, but his lips strained to keep the smile on them. "You are both quite right, and as we are on the subject of my last visit I am curious to know why I do not see Tatrin. Is he not in the city?"
    Telana and her father glanced at one another, and their faces showed anguish. "I am afraid you will not find my son here, and we ourselves can not find him anywhere else," the king revealed.
    Ned raised his eyebrows. "What? Is he missing?"
    "Yes, these last ten years. There was some disagreement between Tatrin and my cousin here," the king explained.
    "Perhaps we are prying, and this would be better spoken about in a quieter setting," Ned suggested.
    The king shook his head. "No, my family does not keep secrets from my people, so they know the story as well as we. A duel was scheduled for the following morning Come sunrise my son was nowhere to be found, and his horse was missing. Later that day his horse returned with saddle, but without rider. We have heard nor seen anything of him since," the king told them.
    "Perhaps he fled out of fear," Ransan suggested.
    Telana's eyes flashed with indignation. She stood and her hands at her sides glowed with the color of their magic. "My brother was a brave man, and would never have fled," she argued.
    "Whatever the reasons, he is gone and Telana is the sole heir to our kingdom unless Tatrin returns," Theowin added.
    "She is the beauty of our kingdom, but the thorn in every man's side," Ransan spoke up. "Every day we men are graced with her presence, and yet she chooses none to be her husband."
    Telana opened her mouth for a quick, snapping response, but her father set his hand atop hers on the table. She quieted. "I know you yourself are eager to marry her, cousin, but she has the right to choose her husband as any of our women have the right to find their love," the king reminded his kinsfolk.
    "He would not care for me were I not so wealthy," Telana muttered, and her cousin overheard her remark.
    Ransan smiled and bowed his head. "Even if you were the poorest creature in our kingdom I would still vie for your hand," he insisted.
    "I'm sure, my dear cousin," the king replied. He didn't sound convinced. "But here we are speaking of old times and arrangements of marriage when there is a feast to be eaten and dreams to be dreamed. Come, let us eat."
    "If you will excuse me, dear cousin. I have duties to attend to in the port," Ransan commented, and strode out of the banquet hall.
    "You must excuse Lord Ransan. He is very straightforward in his speech, but a competent administrator of the port. We have never had the port run as smoothly as under his command," the king commented.
    "I am sure he grieves at the loss of his cousin, and the topic is a sensitive one for him," Ned suggested.
    The king stroked his chin and furrowed his brow. "Perhaps, but enough with the past. Let us celebrate your long-awaited return, Edwin, with some of our delicacies. Servants, the food!"
    At the king's words the food was brought into the hall, platters and platters of covered dishes. Each guest received their own covered dish and the servants pulled away the lids to reveal a small bit of greenery with an ounce of meat and a serving of chocolate that would have fit into a thimble. Many of the companions were disappointed, and Canto was disgusted.
    "What is this?" he growled.
    "Our delicacy. Each piece comes from the far reaches of the world. The meat from the herds to the south, the greenery from the marshes of your own homeland, and the dessert is a specialty of the islands to the