Page 53 of The Final Battle

“Then tell me everything you know about what the queen has been doing behind the king’s back. I’m positive someone has brought it to your attention, and the king himself had you looking into things.“ I raised my hand to stop him from speaking. “Before you speak, I want to know everything. The information you thought was useful and the crazy theories you tossed out. Leave nothing unsaid, do I make myself clear?“

His head bobbed up and down in silent agreement.

“Then you may speak,“ I ordered.

The Spymaster moved to sit on the couch again and settled himself back into a person I believed should be given the position he held. “As you said, the king became suspicious of the queen and situations he discovered after investigating. He asked me to have my men and women look into what she’s been up to. At first, it didn’t look like anything was going on but then we started to follow the people around her, like Sir Roulf. That man is one sneaky rat, exchanging notes with people in the dead of night and helping to coordinate supplies to be sent to Utros. Through investigating him, it was revealed there was a network of people that had been brought in from other nations to work in the city.“

“You didn’t tell the king this?“ Paxton demanded, cutting into the story.

“Of course I did, but there was nothing about the interactions that I could say for certain were traitorous. They could be exchanging notes with their families for all I knew,“ the Spymaster countered.

Paxton let out a frustrated growl. “Why didn’t you have someone intercept one of the exchanges, allowing you to see what was written in the notes? Then you would have had proof you needed, or better yet, just arrest one of them to question them for information. Clearly, you felt like things weren’t as they seemed.“

The Spymaster’s jaw clenched at the attack, his hands balling into fists with anger rolling off of him. It was almost as if I was seeing the real man for the first time. This whole thing had been an act, he’d tried to play me into believing he really wanted to help, that his daughter was the problem, not him. Problem with that was, he wasn’t a good actor himself and this bumbling idiot act wasn’t working for him.

“Something upsetting you?“ I questioned. “All of his questions were reasonable. You forget you’re talking to a group of mercenaries. I might be queen, but I was trained just like the others to spot deceit and to get information out of people. What you’ve been saying are things I already know, but you know that, don’t you? Did the Lost King pay you off? Offer you something you couldn’t refuse in exchange for being the worst Spymaster in history?“

This had Lord Belin on his feet, his face bright red with anger. “You two bit dragon whore! The Lost King is who should be ruling our world, he sees what’s become of us and how to make it right. We need to be united under one ruler instead of divided, allowing some to become prosperous while others fight and scrap to make a living in desolate lands!“

Dayson, who’d stayed close by, held out his sword blocking the man from advancing on me.

“Tell me, Lord Belin, where were you born? By the sounds of it, it wasn’t here in Creisal. My guess would be Errit,“ I mused. “Could it be that your family sent you to this court to be raised and trained in their military? That’s the only thing that makes sense for you to land yourself in this position without being noble born in Creisal. You must have been quite the soldier to impress your superiors, now look what you’ve become.“

“Do not speak of what you do not know! Errit is a dying land, it’s a dry desert wasteland that no one can make anything grow in. When the Lost King married our princess, it was the best thing that happened. We got supplies from Utros and the people began to flourish as traders and other merchants started to sell to us and we could travel to their lands doing the same. While I was lucky to make it into the military here, I still have family back home who have suffered greatly. I did what I could to help them, but the previous king was cheap and felt that food and lodging was enough for his soldiers.“ Lord Belin roared. “So yes, I’m loyal to the Lost King but out of my own choice not by being bought.“

I watched him for a moment, absorbing all he’d told me, which was far more than he knew. Dearest Henry had started this whole thing gaining the trust and respect of the people in Utros and Errit, then sent them out into the world to sow the seeds of him unifying the Counties together under one rule. Then, when people started to resist the mind games in other kingdoms that weren’t as hard pressed for that type of change, he knew he needed to start a war. The Lost King was patient, placing what tools and people he needed in the right positions and watching them eat away at the kingdom from the inside out.

“So, I’m guessing that you aren’t going to help us destroy him then?“ I asked, calmly folding my hands in my lap.

“I’d sooner slit my own throat than help you,“ Lord Belin spat.

Nodding, I turned my gaze to Dayson. “Would you be so kind as to help our Spymaster out with that request?“

Without hesitation, Dayson grabbed the man, dropped him to his knees, grabbed his hair to pull back his head, and slit his throat. There was a gargled gasp as the Spymaster’s life leaked onto the rug as he dropped, eyes wide in shock, mouth moving as if he was trying to speak.

“It seems I owe the king and queen a new rug,“ I sighed. Paxton pulled me to my feet as the pool of blood seeped closer. “Jade, I don’t know how you got rid of the other body but will you be able to do it again?“

“Yeah, there is window access so it should be fine. I dropped the last guy out the window and Tahir burnt him to a crisp. No one will be able to tell who or what it was once dragon fire is done with it,“ he explained.

Leaving him to it, with Zan’s help, I returned to my room and sat down on the edge of the bed, holding my stomach. “I feel like I’m going to be sick.“ Becka quickly grabbed the basin used for washing my face and placed it in my hands. “The smell of his blood brought me back to the house last night. There was so much blood and gore everywhere, bodies rotting, having been left there for a few days.“ I shared ducking my head, rubbing my belly.

Becka worked on getting me out of the bodice and the moment the ties were loosened, it helped to make breathing easier. A cool cloth was placed on my neck and I looked up to see Gavin next to me with concern etched on his face.

“Are you sure that was a wise move to kill him? What if he was able to tell us more or we could use him to find other connections?“ He asked, taking my chin in hand while using another cool cloth to wipe my face.

“He never would have told us anything, what he did tell was by mistake,“ I shared letting my eyes fall closed as his soothing touch brushed over my skin. “The loyalty he had towards the Lost King was one that was rooted deep in his heart and soul. There was nothing that man wanted more than to have Henry rule over this world, giving the dream of a united front where everyone was taken care of.“

“Still, what was the purpose of killing him before you spoke to the king?“ he challenged.

I reached up and grabbed his wrist, pulling his hand away from my face so I could look him in the eye. “A man with that much power would have been incredibly dangerous to leave alive. There is no telling what kind of system he actually has running through this kingdom. He might have acted like a fool to throw people off but in reality, he was incredibly smart and conniving. We need a miracle for there to be any chance we get to the summer home without an army descending upon us. The battle won’t happen in the fields between Creisal and Norden. It’s going to happen right here on the shores of the Celedon Sea, hidden from sight just how everything else had been done in the shadows.“

“So, us going to the summer house tomorrow will be the beginning of the end?“ Gavin questioned, finally realizing what I’d known all along.

“Yes, the final battle will be waged and whoever gets to the dragon heart first, gets to determine how this will end. What I don’t know is if the magic repels Henry from taking the heart as well. All magic has consequences some worse than others, but a spell that cheats death will require something great in return,“ I shared, feeling the truth of my words like a rock in the pit of my stomach.

Everyone looked at me, clearly uneasy. I could tell some of them wanted to argue or keep me from going, but they kept their thoughts to themselves.

“It’s alright, say what’s on your mind. You have every right to share your feelings, even if we won’t see eye to eye.“ I encouraged them. “We are partners in every aspect of our lives, and you deserve to be heard as much as I do.“