Page 301 of Night's Fall
Sounded likeGermainehadn’t missed a beat, as usual.
At least it was good to know she was fine and functioning on all cylinders.
“There may be casualties, but we haven’t received official word,” she went on. “Emergencyforces were dispatched to theSceptredIsle.Weawait further news on developments.”
“Screen mute,” the queen called.
The newsreader continued to be displayed, her mouth yapping, but we couldn’t hear her.
“They can’t possibly think hundreds of people who saw, and even battled, trolls are going to keep their traps shut about seeing and battling freakingtrolls,”Monremarked.
“No, we won’t be able to keep that under wraps,” the queen agreed. “However, perhaps we can do it long enough the appropriate comms can go out so we’ll be at the ready.”
“At the ready?”Gayleasked. “Forwhat?”
The queen turned frighteningly sober eyes to her.
And then she decreed, “Mydear,I’mnot certain who did it, but someone did.Theylaunched an attack againstNights’Fall.Andnow, we are at war.”
Chapter45
Ingrained
It was a full hour beforeSetarrived in the king’s study to give us a brief rundown of what they knew.
TwoRSagents had been killed, three guests had also been killed, and there were forty more casualties from the battle with the trolls.Ofthe wounded, seven were so severe, they had to be ambu-lifted to a hospital in the city.
Further casualties numbered twenty-seven.Thesewere guests who had been injured in the stampede to return to thePalace.Luckily, only two of those were severe enough to go to hospital.
And one hundred and twenty-two trolls had been streamed dead in the gardens.
No trolls survived.
After delivering this news,Setopened the door to a phalanx ofRSagents, includingFannonandGeleena, explaining we’d be escorted back to our chambers.
Obviously,FannonandGeleenawalked me toAleksei’sand my suite.
They also requestedIstand outside withGeleenaasFannonpreceded me and checked the space before they allowed me in.Andthen they took their places as sentry in the hall.
Apparently, chances were not being taken.
I was down with that.
AsIentered the sitting room,Isaw all three cats lying side by side on a window seat, tails swinging, attention aimed out the window.
I went to stand behind them.
Fog drones hovered, flooding the entire garden with light.Therewere a dizzying number of white tents set up, my guess, covering troll carcasses for investigative purposes.Andan equally dizzying number of uniformed beings were moving urgently about, investigating the vast scene.
There were also dragons seated on the massive plinthsI’dnoticed positioned all around the perimeter of the island, butI’dthought those plinths were decorative.
They weren’t.
They were sentry stations.
For dragons.
There were further dragons in sets of five flying in the air.
