He had to tread carefully.

Eyes were on him everywhere he went, and it was impossible not to feel the sense of dread as he moved through the Palati. It made him want to do nothing more than send Iris as far away as possible. Phillipa was long gone, and having his wife there was not putting his mind at ease. As much as it brought him some comfort to have her reassurance and support, he was genuinely concerned about her wellbeing. She was a high risk for him, and for herself. But she was a big girl, strong willed and determined-- she would take care of herself and could decide for herself. As much as he tried to talk her into leaving, she fought harder to stay.

His largest concern, more than his family, was the kingdom. Already in upheaval with the death of the king, Athenia was trying to recover from the losses brought about by the usurper. Elias had been proven to have had ships and cargo destroyed, had brought losses so great that many would take years to rebuild wealth. He had been in direct involvement with the Senate to try and help, so he knew just how broken the people felt.

Sadness.

Regret.

Why hadn’t he tried harder to find Persephone that night? To protect her to try and keep her safe that night? She vanished with Iason, hopefully to somewhere that she would be safe. He had to hope that she was safe, because thinking anything else brought far too much worry and grief into his life. And he couldn’t think about that.

Couldn’t handle if she, too, was taken from the world.

He’d spent the night awake, writing close to 20 copies of completely identical letters. Each seemed as if it was just a communication to his brother with a normal update. Aimias was known for writing his family almost weekly, so it did not seem out of the normal that he was sending a letter to his brother. What was abnormal was the tithymalus milk he’d used to write a secret note. Brief but informative, he had to hope that Persephone would take the hints to expose the writing to heat.

But he’d do his best to make it apparent that it was what was supposed to be done.

Aimias moved through the market, pockets heavy with coin and letters. There were several carriers he trusted, used only to send messages to Senators, communications between royalty and the game makers. Those men (and a few children) were paid to send letters out through Athenia. Two were sent specifically to his family’s land, so that if they were followed, it wouldn’t appear as if anything was out of the normal. Each messenger was told to burn the letter if they felt they were being followed. 5 were sent to Colchis, on the off chance that Iason decided to flee to the kingdom in which they would be expected. But, he had a hunch that Lord Iason would take her to familiar, safe ground in Taegnea. So he chose the best hunters, the most trusted trackers, to try and follow whatever breadcrumbs were left by the pair as they fled.

Each courier was told to suggest reading by candlelight, but only should they come across Iason or Persephone themselves.

By Gods, he hoped they weren’t dead or at the bottom of the seas.