Page 51 of Bearing Secrets
Okay, he was making a speech after all. Damn.
“Klaue. I want you in charge of the interior. We must be on alert, in case there are any further intrusions. Canis knows what happened here, and I wouldn’t put it past them to try and gain the upper hand because of it.”
Even more of an upper hand. The greedy bastards.
With Ursa in shambles, Canis was the most powerful, and they wouldn’t hesitate to do whatever it took to maintain that position. He wanted his men aware of this, and on constant alert for any meddling by the troublesome wolves.
“Kedd. Outer perimeter of the house itself. Driveway, pathways, the backyard. Make it impenetrable.”
“Kellas. The border. If anyone penetrates it, I want to know about it before it happens.”
The trio nodded, and he doled out three men to accompany each of them as well. That left himself, Krave, and two men unassigned. Conveniently, both men were also newcomers.
Not that it’s a coincidence at all.
Kirell needed men he could trust to help him with the other task. Men who hadn’t been tainted by the rebellion. The two newly-returned guards had been in postings for over three years each. He deemed both of them to be loyal still. Krave, based on everything he’d ever heard of the man and the interactions between one another, was as loyal as they’d come. He’d advanced up the chain of command not by imagination, but by length of service.
It was Klaue he was most worried about. The man was a natural charismatic leader. Kirell knew it; he’d observed the man’s rapid rise up the ranks. If anyone could rally others to him and convince them that removing the Queen was a good idea, it was him. By assigning him to the security of the interior, he could keep a close eye on him.
Kellas and Kedd, he trusted completely. They had grown up together, and Kedd was as close with Kellas as he was to anyone; not that it said much about the recluse, but Kirell didn’t doubt his loyalty to the throne.
“Come up with your plans and report back to me. I know manpower is tight. Do the best you can until others return home.” He nodded once, dismissing the twelve men.
The leaders gathered up their charges and left. Only Klaue looked back over his shoulder at him briefly, before disappearing.
Kirell exhaled heavily, forgetting for a moment that Krave and two others were still present.
Shit. Not a good start.
“What do you require from us Captain?” Kedd asked once they were alone.
“Anyone who believes that every traitor has been found is an idiot, Krave. Your job, and yours as well,” he said, encompassing the two others, “is to find out who.”
“How?” Kedd spoke for the others.
Kirell nodded to himself. He’d made the right choice. Krave was radiating an intensity, a desire to prove himself, as were the two others. These men would give him everything they had in the quest to root out any remaining traitors.
“To start? We’re going to watch a lot of video. We’re going to review every minute of the day of the attacks. We’re going to trace everyone’s actions, from the King on down, and make sure they’re all accounted for. That they never acted against the House.”
His men were nodded eagerly. They were ready to get to work putting the House back together again. They wanted to be a part of the solution.
So do I. Let’s just hope my actions lead us there, and not further into ruin.
23
“You really didn’t have to wait.”
Stretching, Natalia lifted herself from his office chair and wandered over to where he leaned against the doorway. “I know, but what else was I going to do? I should probably be learning what it is you do and what goes on around here, right?”
“Did you learn a lot sitting here by yourself for three hours?” He was teasing her.
“You have three hundred and sixty-eight ceiling tiles.”
Kirell glanced up. “Is that so?”
“Yes.” She had no idea, she was making it up. The truth was, she’d spent most of the time napping in his oversized chair. “Did you get a lot accomplished?”
“We got a start. There’s a lot of footage to review. It’s going to take some time.”
