Duty

Chapter 76 War Council

They had been gathered in the council room for hours when another rider was announced, carrying an urgent message from king Darius. The man had barely finished speaking when a second rider arrived. This time, he came from the North, from the fort where Iason was stationed. When he noticed Vara he bowed at her respectfully. "My lady," he said, "do not fear. Your husband is well. He sends word ahead. Two more riders are coming. We have prisoners, Your Majesty, Your Highness."

"Prisoners?" Vara blinked. She listened as the soldier explained how they had captured a Balor scout and the suspected messenger from Vertalis, only the rider had come from farther South of the province. He carried a saddlebag with gold and a message.

Torcan walked over to the large table and studied the map of Zeir. The South road. It was in line with what they had heard regarding this so-called engagement between his brother and lady Giulia Atoli. Her father's home was in the South of Vertalis. In combination with the message Darius' rider had given them, things did not bode well. "Your Majesty," Torcan said pleadingly.

King Marcos nodded. "Yes, I know." He took a deep breath and turned to Cyrus. "What do you think?"

Cyrus narrowed his eyes and joined Torcan at the table. He, too, studied the map carefully. "I think the time for sitting idle is over. If we don't act now we'll be too late." He looked at Torcan. "Where is this meeting point king Darius mentioned?"

Torcan moved his finger to a spot just North of Salvire. "There. We need to beware of Izem though. A large army like that will be noticed. We don't want to be caught in between. Nor do we want him to tip off our enemies."

Cyrus shook his head. "We can travel by Boncini and cross the border there. We'll meet king Darius' troops at the meeting point."

"Cyrus," Vara spoke up, "if you take that route, you'll need to be careful of lord Atoli too. He'll see us march. If he is indeed a conspirator, he'll send a message out. We could be caught in between either way."

King Marcos frowned in thought. "We have enough to take Atoli in custody for questioning. We'll place him under house arrest for the time being. Him and his entire household. I will send a few men ahead." He looked at his son. "I'll leave you in charge of the army. I need to stay her and see to our prisoners. Perhaps they'll divulge some more information. Stregare has a large army as well. I'll send word to them to join you in Tirèze."

Cyrus nodded grimly. He did not want to leave, especially now that Ariane was with child, but he knew there was no other way. "I'll rally the troops," he said, "we'll leave at dawn." He turned to Torcan. "I'm assuming you'll ride with us? There's no point in returning to Tirzé first. You'll lose days."

Torcan gave a firm nod and turned to the messenger Darius had sent. "Carry a message home of our plans."

The messenger gave a stiff nod. Torcan knew it was because the man despised him and did not want to take orders from him, but he would do as he was told. In the end, he was representing the king. Personal preferences had no place in a war.

"Vara," Cyrus said, "you should travel to Boncini with us. I'll make sure both you and Chloe are returned home safely."

Vara nodded gravely. The upcoming conflict would be all deciding and she was afraid. Afraid for her loved ones. Her mind drifted towards Iason who was at the border still.

Cyrus seemed to realize where her thoughts were going and he pressed her shoulder reassuringly. "We will send word towards Iason once we are closer to the border. Perhaps he can aid us from his side. They are still holding the fort. We are at the advantage now. And with king Elon lending aid from the other side, we are sure to be victorious."