AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The emperor leaned back in the chair and clasped the front of the arms as he sighed. “I will tell you, but you must swear to-”
“Oh, give it a rest, Cal,” Dreda scolded him as she put her hands on her hips. “Nobody here is going to threaten your empire, so spit it out.”
Edouard’s face flushed and he took a step toward Dreda who didn’t even flinch. “That is no way to-” The emperor held up one hand and silenced his commander.
A smile slipped onto ‘Cal’s’ lips. “You were always more forward with me than any other, Dreda, but you’re right. Time is scarce. I’ve come here to negotiate a truce with the werewolves.”
Ben lifted an eyebrow. “But there’s already one in place.”
The emperor nodded. “There is, but I’ve come to negotiate a new deal that we hope will stop the incursions into one another’s lands.”
Ben folded his arms over his chest and a pensive expression appeared on his face. “That’s a tall order, Your Highness. How do you intend to do it?”
“We will each give up a portion of land which has been disputed since the elder days,” the emperor revealed.
Dreda’s eyes widened. “You don’t mean the east Weremarch and the west Fountains?”
He nodded. “Yes. We’ve both sought them, so the Weremarch will go to those who bear its name, and the Fountains will officially become a part of the empire. Both trade-offs will be without dispute from either party.”
“That’s quite the risk,” Ben mused as he furrowed his brow. “There are powerful families close to the disputed areas who won’t be pleased by your actions.”
A bittersweet smile slipped onto his lips. “Nor, I am sure, will there be too many werewolves eager to dispense with the lush lakes that make up the Fountains. That is why I sought secrecy until the plans were finalized, then we were to tell both our people prior to the signing.”
I turned my head around to look out the front windows. The rain was still coming down in buckets and pounding the glass. “Best laid plans. . .”
CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
Ben cuppedhis chin in one hand. “Yes. The storm is very inconvenient for the truce.”
Callidus nodded. “I would agree. There’s something amiss about the swiftness of the storm that swept over us with such ferocity.”
I jumped as Fysan flew into the room like a tempest, his ruffled feathers flying and his head turning this way and that to an unusually grotesque degree. He landed on the back of the chair occupied by the emperor and his chest moved in and out.
Dreda scowled at her feathered friend. “What in the world is the matter with you?”
He pointed the tip of one wing at the door. “I witnessed something at the window in the kitchen!”
“A shadow?” Ben guessed.
Fysan glared at him. “You think I’m seeing things, but I am not! There was some. . .somecreaturelurking about the grounds!”
The emperor sat up and looked about the room. “Where is our driver?”
His question forced all of us to inspect the area. “He went out to drive the horses into the barn after carrying you inside,” Ben reminded all of us.
The emperor stood. “Was that quite some time ago?”
A dark shadow fell on Ben’s brow as he pushed off from his place on the wall. “Too long.”
Ben strode through the crowd and out the door. I moved to follow, but Commander Edouard’s blocking his emperor gave me pause. “Your Highness, I must insist you remain here.”
“Not so long as my driver is in danger,” Callidus argued as he pushed past his guard and slipped past me.
Dreda and I followed along with Fysan. Our large group met in the entrance hall where Ben and the emperor stood at the open front door. The rain came down at an angle and ran into the house as though attempting to keep us inside. Ben squinted into the darkness that had seemingly engulfed the world. The fog had drifted closer to the house and now loomed not more than fifty feet away.
Ben studied the fog and pursed his lips. “This won’t be a safe job.”
The emperor leaned out. “Life is not safe, young Castle, but I do worry about this unusual fog.”
