Page 5 of Of Glass and of Gold

Something Mira had inspired me to do.

Seb didn’t waste the opportunity. With a warrior’s roar, he raised his sword and advanced. It took me a moment to fortify my grip and intercept with my blade. That extra second meant my block wasn’t as sturdy as it needed to be. His metal slid along mine until he sent it to my hilt, slicing into my hand.

Knowing I wouldn’t have enough time to recover and balance, I sent my foot into his gut and shoved. As he stumbled, I brought my sword to his neck and stilled. Precise and controlled. That gleam in his eye extinguished when he realized I’d bested him.

He coughed in recovery from my kick and chuckled. “Well played. I got too cocky when I got in my hit. Thought you’d get distracted from the pain.” He straightened with a groan.

“You did get me pretty good.” Blood dripped from my hand as I appraised the fresh cut.

“My apologies, Your Highness. Let me send for the healer.” Seb went to retrieve his shirt.

“Never apologize for pushing me, Commander. I’d take it as an insult if you didn’t.”

He smirked, the approval showing.

“But don’t bother with the healer. I’ll stop by their quarters later. Ricks has an agenda for me to look over and I fear his wrath if I make him wait.” The corner of my lips tilted upward. Ricks may have been a small, plump man, but he contended for the position of most high-strung in all of Highcrest. His bulbous cheeks rosied when he became flustered, and his rambling insistence was enough to drive even the most hardened man to his breaking point.

I’d much rather keep the man’s blood pressure down and save my ears from a symphony of pleading. Sebastian shook his head with an amused smile.

“Are you sure? Make sure you do stop, I don’t want to be the reason the Prince of Highcrest becomes horribly disfigured.” He gave me a sly smirk before saying, “If that’s all, then I’m off to oversee the final squad arrangements.” He fixed his weapons to himself as he dressed.

I grabbed a towel from the nearby rack and dried my face and torso. “No hiccups?” When I’d first proposed rearranging the guardsmen, I’d been met with resistance from my council of military advisors.

But Mira had opened my eyes.

For months now, there had been reports of missing people from the lowest laying town of South Harbor. Never found again. Never any witnesses.

Several attempts sending my men to investigate or patrol never produced evidence or leads. In a kingdom as populated as mine, that just didn’t seem likely. It’d been driving me mad.

Mira might not have been able to use her magic before it broke to solve the mystery behind the kidnappings, but she had been helpful. During last season's tax collections from South Harbor, she’d said the most profound thing:

“The wise man sits in a tall tower, spectating over all. He views the workers beneath as fools for they do not understand the complexity of their existence. But the fool is the most wise of all, for he builds the life he wants.”

I knew then what I had to do; take matters into my own hands.

“Not a one. The generals have prepared for their new stations. Some soldiers will quarrel amongst themselves, but that’s to be expected. They’ll figure out how to work together soon enough. I’d like to thank you again for keeping most of my squad together. I won’t have as much of a headache to deal with now.”

My military advisors had looked at me as if I had two heads when I’d proposed a complete rearrangement, but Seb hadn’t once fought me on it. He respected my decision, despite me ruling in a vastly different manner than my father. While I did still change the posted positions of his battalion, I let him have input on his squad.

Having him distracted with getting new guardsmen in line wouldn’t have been beneficial for me. I needed him focused on his duties, including reports of missing persons, like the one he’d shared at the start of our sparring session.

“There was an assault against a degenerate ship captain that looked to be the result of unpaid bookie fees. The man unfortunately succumbed to his injuries. Charges have been laid against the perpetrators.

"Oh, and another missing person. Though, it was a wife reporting her missing husband at night.” He gave me a knowing look. Deplorable, but not unheard of for a husband to sneak out at night and become lost to either gambling or prostitution.

“You’ve concluded your investigations, then?” I asked.

“Yes, Your Highness. Once my men finished their questioning, I had them return to their assigned postings.”

We finished dressing and strode out of the training room together. I clapped him on the shoulder. “I think you’ve earned a night off, Commander. You’ll need to relax those old man muscles if you’re to be at your best for our next session,” I teased.

He threw his head back and let out a deep laugh before wincing and rubbing his neck. “If it was one of my men saying that, I’d kick their ass despite this kink in my neck.”

From the way the guardsmen stood with unwavering attention anytime he passed, I didn’t doubt that had indeed happened on more than one occasion.

“Good luck with your meeting today. Sounds like you’re going to need it with what Ricks has planned for you.”

The humor drained out of my face at that. I didn’t need to be reminded. “Enjoy your evening, Commander.”

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