Page 30 of Stars May Fall

It seemed everyone was going to be civil today as if they weren’t planning my downfall. I guessed that also meant I wasn’t about to be arrested.

Stirling’s actions had broken some of the tension in the room, but I was still the focus of long glances from every direction. Seven men, the usual leaders of our strongest regiments along with a few new faces. I sighed inwardly. As much as I wanted to show my boredom and displeasure at being here when I could be in Kasomere with Sophie, Stirling was taking the right course of action. If we were going to work together in this war against Kollenstar, I had to be civil and forthcoming. I downed my whiskey and took a seat at one of the tables, studying the black figurines that represented the distribution of Kollen soldiers in the fortresses adjacent to our border. They appeared mostly unchanged from our last meeting. Our own forces were marked by white figurines with a colored dot to indicate their regiment, both those manning the border defenses and those scattered in various cities across Fenland. Kasomere was marked by two regiments. I gritted my teeth. Westill weren’t back to full force yet. I was wary of recruiting too many soldiers from Lord Hans’s lands to replace his regiment. I hoped my troops weren’t going to be depleted yet again in some reckless move I couldn’t oppose.

I caught myself. No, they weren’t, because I’d promised myself I wouldn’t let that happen anymore. I wasn’t the loyal dog Duke James made me out to be. In this meeting, if the king pushed me, my claws wouldn’t stay sheathed.

The door opened and the king strode in dressed in his formal jacket and sash bedecked with useless medals. I stood and bowed like everyone else. When I lifted my eyes, I froze. My lungs refused to inflate in shock and all my senses went on high alert. Trailing the king was Lord Lyrason. He was dressed as usual in a smart navy jacket and black cravat, though his head was tilted down.

How could he be here? He had admitted to being behind the halfsouls. The whole court should have been aware of the situation with Sophie. Annabelle had even seen the undeniable proof and would have told her account to her father.

What he had done was unforgivable. He should be hanging from a noose.

The temperature in the room plummeted, and I could feel the tension around me, though the king ignored it. Behind his back, Lord Lyrason tilted his head up slightly, slid his glasses up his nose, and gave a faint grin as he met my eyes.

The power of the starstone surged inside me, matching my rage. I looked away, struggling to get my emotions under control before I destroyed the palace and everyone in it. The sting of betrayal made me clench my teeth.

“Kasten, thank you for joining us.”

I snapped my head up at the words to find the king had stopped in front of me. His face portrayed nothing. I knew I should be relieved at the civility of my greeting and dippedmy head in acknowledgement before my eyes slid back to Lord Lyrason, but my anger was too great to contain. The king might as well have slapped me in the face. “Why is he here? You know what he did. His crimes are far beyond deserving mercy.”

The king glanced over his shoulder as if the matter with Lord Lyrason was so minor, he had forgotten who was there. Unlikely. “Lord Lyrason is needed for the war effort. I agree that he has committed a terrible crime both to you personally and Fenland in general. As such, he has retained his manor in Adenburg, but his country estate has been confiscated, and his experiments have been terminated. He has something to say to you.”

The king stepped to one side. Lord Lyrason was no longer smiling. In fact, his face was a mask of suppressed anger. The king gestured for him to approach me, and I couldn’t hide my surprise as Lord Lyrason got down on his knees in front of me. He held up his hands in supplication.

“General Batton. I have deeply wronged you. I never intended one of my experiments to harm your wife. As such, I made every effort to take responsibility and make her well. I can assure you it will never happen again. I trust you can forgive me. As I remember, you promised me no harm if I saved your wife. Please accept my apology.”

My heart thudded in my chest as the room collectively held its breath. I had promised him no retribution if he healed Sophie because I had assumed that even if the king was involved, he would still punish him. How could the king let something like this slide and not lose the trust of his people?

I almost killed Lord Lyrason then and there as he bowed before me.

Lord Lyrason, perhaps sensing my rage, didn’t wait any longer for my reply but got up with a look of distaste. He bowed to me then moved back behind the king.

The king clapped his hands together. “Well, that is settled then. Lord Lyrason corrected his mistake, your wife is now fine, and I trust you will uphold your end of the agreement, Kasten. I will see this as an end to your quarrel. Now let’s move forward to concentrate on the threat of Kollenstar.”

I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t have the words. The king was clearly planning to act like it had never happened.

Sophie had almost died, and Lord Lyrason hadn’t been dealt with. He was still a threat to both of us, not to mention the whole of Adenburg.

“Everyone, sit.” The king gestured to the largest of the tables and the map and figurines there. I sat in silence and didn’t meet anyone's eyes, still deciding on my response to Lord Lyrason’s presence.

The room’s focus on me, including the king’s gaze, hadn’t ceased. Surprisingly people seemed more nervous and uncertain than hostile. It seemed nobody was sure what the king had planned for me and were waiting to follow his lead. The same uncertainty surrounded Lord Lyrason as he sat in a chair set back from the table as if intending to fade into the background. Nobody met either of our eyes.

The king leaned forward over the table. “General Kasten, we also have a lot of questions for you. It is clear Lord Lyrason isn’t the only one practicing illegal kryalcomy. What was the weapon you used to such devastating effect on Lord Lyrason’s men? Why have you not presented it to the Maegistrium for consideration for the war effort? Were you intending to use it for something else?”

The room fell silent as everyone waited for my response. The men sitting directly to either side didn’t even seem to be breathing. I deliberately took a sip of whiskey from the fresh tumbler a servant had placed beside me. I could feel the tensionrising and rising. So much would be determined by my response and the entire room knew it.

I leaned back in my seat and folded my arms. “It was a type of sword. I regret only one was made and it can’t be recharged. It is useless now. We haven't been able to replicate it. I was saving it for a dire emergency such as the one I was presented with.” I bowed my head. “Please accept my apologies for keeping it concealed. It was discovered by accident and since it can’t be replicated, I didn’t think it was important or of any real use. I merely desired to keep it out of the wrong hands.”

The people shifted in their seats. Only the king dared to meet my eyes. I had no idea if any of them believed me, but regardless, none of them challenged me.

The king tapped one long gloved finger on the side of his wine glass. His knowing eyes didn’t leave my face. I met his stare without flinching. At last, he sighed. “Pity. Such a weapon would be enormously valuable against Kollenstar. It would save many lives, would it not?”

I dipped my head in agreement. “Indeed. If we manage to replicate it again in Kasomere, I’ll let you know, but I don’t want to get on the wrong side of the Maegistrium, of course. I suspect they will be far more likely to come up with what you need.”

The king sighed. “You should have sent it to Ilustran at once for the Maegistrium to study.”

I inclined my head once more.

The tension in the room didn’t abate as everyone waited for the king’s response. Finally, he turned to the map and asked Lieutenant Steer for an update on recent troop maneuverings and information from our spy network before we started to formulate our specific plans of attack tomorrow.

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