Page 20 of The Sorrow of Shadows

“Not yet. We plan to question the castle staff and guards today. Lord Aurelius will assist me, as well as Commander Jade.” That catches their attention. They all knew what powers each of us possessed and what that would mean for those being questioned. “Rest assured, if those responsible are within these walls… wewillfind them,” Breyla promises.

Lord Seamus clears his throat, “Do you suspect it to be someone within these walls?”

“I’m not ruling out any possibilities.” Breyla glares at him.

“Lord Aurelius, surely you think this notion is absurd? As emissary, surely you have made no enemies in such a position.” Seamus looks to me to side with him. I find it intriguing that he is adamant that it could not be someone within the castle. But I also find it offensive that he would try to rely on another male to convince the general she was wrong for thinking the way she did.

“Lord Seamus, I only find it absurd that you would try to rely on another male to undermine your princess and general. I agree with General Breyla’s decision and line of thinking,” I spit at him. “I do not believe my position asemissaryhas anything to do with why I’m being targeted.” That earns me a heated look from Seamus and a slight smile from Breyla.

“Now onto the next order of business,” Breyla starts. “The attacks from Prudia have grown in boldness and frequency. My commanders, Jade and Julian, have more information to report.”

“My Lords and Ladies,” Julian starts, “in the weeks before our arrival we suffered three separate attacks on border villages. We were able to fight them off, but not without heavy losses. They’re not attacking females or children, but have no problem making widows and orphans. The odd thing seems to be the locations they’re attacking. They aren’t going for areas that would easily provide a foothold into Rimor. Their attacks are sporadic and spaced out...almost like they’re trying to get our attention or provoke us.”

The queen has been quiet, but finally says, “They sense weakness and want to test us. They’re looking for something they think they’re owed.”

“That makes sense with the passing of King Raynor,” Breyla muses. “But to what end? Even if they sense instability, they can’t seriously think they can take on the full force of our armies.They stand no chance of overtaking the capital, even if they make it into our lands.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure, General,” Jade says. “I sent scouts out shortly before we were summoned to the capital. Their reports show significantly more troops than our last estimate. While our armies are better trained and far more powerful, they most likely outnumber us.”

Breyla’s jaw ticks before she asks, “By how many?”

“Three to one, if the scouts’ reports are correct.”

“Prince Ayden certainly has been busy.”

“With much more than we realize,” Genevieve adds. Breyla quirks an eyebrow at her but doesn’t say anything.

“I’m concerned about the locations of these attacks,” Breyla starts. “What if they aren’t random?”

“What’s their strategy?” I question.

“If they know they outnumber us, they could be thinning out our troops by drawing them to villages as far apart as possible. They take out as many of our people as possible, but the real goal is separating us so they can overpower us when they push forward.” This explanation has everyone in the room quiet.

“For all of our sakes, General, I hope you are wrong,” Lady Daphne says solemnly. She’s an older female, soft spoken, but wise. She’s seen a lot of fighting through her years, so I understand why she doesn’t want to see war reach us.

“I hope so, too,” Breyla replies. “Julian, has Prince Ayden requested any meetings with us?”

“Not so far, General.”

“Perhaps a proactive approach would serve us better. We could invite Prince Ayden to Ciyoria to negotiate terms of peace.”Absolutely fucking not.Breyla doesn’t know what damage that could cause. The Prince of Prudia was finicky on the best of days. He was unpredictable and difficult from my experiences with him. Prior to Raynor’s death, the king had me working toward a political alliance with Prudia that would bringpeace for our two kingdoms. But that had died with the late king. Causing trouble was one of Prince Ayden’s fortes, causing me to want him nowhere near this palace—or Breyla.

“A nice sentiment, but I would advise against that.” I try to keep my voice even.

Her eyes dart to me. “Why is that, Lord Aurelius?”

“Forgive me, General, but you have not spent time there as I have. As emissary I have made numerous trips to Prudia. I feel I can speak to Prince Ayden’s character at least a bit. For years he has been driven by one thing—vengeance for his Father’s death. He does not care that King Raynor killed him in battle; he wants restitution. I fear if you invite him here it will be like letting the wolf into the chicken coop. It will cause far more damage than the alternative.” I pray that’s enough to convince her.

She mulls over my warning. “I will take your warning under advisement, My Lord,” she finally says.

“Perhaps we should address why the kingdom of Prudia views us as unstable right now,” Lord Rion suggests.

“Lord Rion is right,” Lady Daphne agrees. “My Queen, you have announced your betrothal to your council, but you haven’t made a public statement, set a date, or planned a betrothal celebration ball. You need to put our people’s minds at ease and squash any sentiment of instability.”

A few other council members agree. Lord Seamus has been uncharacteristically quiet. I glance at him and he’s still wearing that smug look, like he knows something we don’t.

“Lord Rion, you are approaching two centuries in life, correct?” Queen Genevieve asks. She looks exhausted. Dark circles are lining her eyes, and she seems thinner, her cheekbones more prominent than before.

“That is correct, Your Majesty,” he responds, unsure where this is going.

---