Gavin started to open his mouth to answer Tansen's question, but paused. Would it be prudent to just blurt all this out? For all he knew, by sundown he'd be king. He had to act like one.<br/><br/>"The investigation is coming along well," Gavin said after Hasglow ran off. "There will be a brief delay in the meetings. Why don't the two of you take the time to see some the sights of Anstaria. We have a beautiful garden in the palace, as well as a lovely city beyond our gates. Not to mention that you can use the horses to go for a ride in the woods. Why not familiarize yourselves before tomorrow's hunt?"<br/><br/>********************<br/><br/>Diane slowly picked up the book and her eyes lit up with wonder. "A journal of travels," she said softly. She opened the book, eagerly reading a few lines. "Oh, thank you, Lord Martinez! You don't know what this means to me." Dropping her seductive act, she impulsively reached over and hugged him, placing a kiss on his cheek.<br/><br/>"This is the best gift I could have hoped for," she said, her fingers lovingly stroking the leather binding.<br/><br/>*************************<br/><br/>Hasglow escorted Masako to her rooms and roughly pushed her inside. "If I were you," he said, "I'd be careful of what I say. Prince Gavin will hear of this, and you had better hope nothing happens to His Majesty because of your little tricks. If it weren't for the position you just previously held, I would be under authority to execute you. We tolerate demons less then we do magic-users. I suggest you remember that."<br/><br/>With that, he had the door locked and walked away. Unfortunately for all involved, Masako's impulsive magic had already triggered a set of events. The power flowed through the palace, putting many of the Ritter Hex at unease as it brushed by them. As the trendils of power touched the king's room, it set off a well-placed trap. Eloran may or may not have felt the ring given to him heat up - A warning? A trap? A coincidence? - mere seconds before the air above the king's bed burst into flames.<br/><br/>The startled men in the room barely had time to draw their swords before a demon dropped from the fire and ripped open the old king's chest. The assassin had struck.