Naeva-To Fight a Monster

Chapter 8

Prince Adrean Terro lay awake in his bed, for once exactly where his father thought he was. He couldn't stop thinking about his discussion with Luisa yesterday morning.

Once she'd confirmed that Adrean knew everything a prince was supposed to know about his generals, Luisa refused to elaborate any further. After admitting that she didn't know the source of the threat, she'd told him to keep an eye on the lieutenants and tell her in secret if he saw any acting suspicious.

"So you're only telling me there's a threat because I'm more of a people person than you," he'd said jokingly. Unfortunately, he'd forgotten that Luisa didn't get jokes when she was wearing that stupid armor. She'd clammed up at that point, refusing to share any of her current suspicions.

No, the things she'd said didn't worry him. Adrean was scared by the fact the Luisa was worried enough to use the Cerberus Code, a literal joke on Adrean's part. If Luisa was willing to go that far, she really was scared. Luisa, the woman who had singlehandedly fought off an entire cerberus pack and a giant, one after the other, and come back unscathed. Since that day, Adrean had had a hard time remembering that Luisa was mortal.

And yet she'd used the part of the code that meant everyone  was in danger, herself included. He'd seen the look in her eyes as she spoke, and that look... That was what had kept him up all night, flinching at every noise.

I'd normally be finishing my training with Maro around now, Adrean thought, turning over. He would give me advice, and I'd come up with some silly idea to make him laugh. The sun will rise soon...

Advice from Maro, huh. Maybe he should follow that for once and see what Father thought about his little escapades. Better than tossing and turning until Luisa came to wake him.

Rolling out of bed, Adrean thought about Father's schedule, something with which he'd become quite well acquainted ever since he'd started sneaking out. Right now, the king was probably in the high dining hall with his counselors. They'd all be holding a glass of wine to start their day, but Father's glass would contain unfermented juice. As far as Adrean could tell, Father hadn't touched alcohol since Mother had gotten sick. Perhaps he felt that he couldn't, with the kingdom now on the shoulders of one man.

Getting his bearings as he left his room, Adrean headed a course for the high dining hall. Perhaps he would get some breakfast there. Father always did want to eat with family.

None of the nobles in the dining hall noticed when Adrean arrived, so he silently grabbed a plate and got some food from the adjacent kitchens. On his way back in, he hesitated; Father looked stressed.

"That is not nearly as important right now, Counselor Magnus," Father was saying. He sounded tired. "What I want to know right now is why. Countless city lords have sent in reports. Monsters used to just wander around and attack on sight. Every report I get now sounds like it's evolving into guerrilla warfare. The least intelligent creatures are turning into ambush predators, and the wiser ones are performing full-on tactical assaults!" Father sighed, rubbing his temples with two fingers. "Why is this happening...?"

"It's my fault," Adrean said, sitting down next to the king. "I ripped the tag off of a mattress in town."

King Terro looked up in surprise, finally noticing Adrean's presence. Father was only thirty-nine years old, nineteen years older than his son. He had married Mother when he was sixteen, and Luisa was born a year later. He had been the king for fifteen years, since the day after Grandfather Adrian's death.

Charles Terro was well-known as a strict but just king. Everyone knew that the laws of the land were fair, and that King Terro was only considered ruthless because he upheld the law. It was what kept the peace in their country.

Except he wasn't a ruthless man. He was a scholar at heart, which was why he'd found flaws in the kingdom's laws and rectified them immediately. No innocent man or woman had been convicted since the start of his reign, and no true criminal had escape (as far as he and his officials were aware, at least). He considered the simple silver crown on his head to be a symbol of humility, preferring people to think of his actions over his appearance as the mark of a king.

The only part of King Terro's mask that wasn't an act was his stubbornness and his will to do the right thing. He was a traditional man, but he understood the motives of those he'd needed to execute. Adrean had overheard him praying for an assassin's soul on several nights.

No, it wasn't Father's stubbornness that made telling the truth here so difficult. It was the thought of seeing disappointment in the eyes of a great man.

"Adrean," Father said, his soft but powerful voice betraying a hint of surprise. "You came here. I thought you always ate with the guard."

"Not always," Adrean said. "Sometimes I skip breakfast." He began eating without another word. He'd approach the intended conversation in due time.

Counselor Meyer, a kind and wise but outspoken man, cleared his throat. "Your Majesty, the monster activity?"

"Yes, of course." Father regained his regal bearing. "Send out an espionage team. Most of the smarter monsters are coming from the west. Tell them to evade detection from humans and monsters and try  to find out what is causing this phenomenon. They mustn't take any unnecessary risks; we still don't have a lead."

Adrean nodded in agreement. "For all we know, we might even be looking in the wrong direction. Something in the west could have sent them, sure, but maybe it's the exact opposite problem. Maybe something in the east is calling them."

Father and the five counselors stared at him. Adrean's confidence waning, he quickly wilted under their gaze. "Um... What's that look?"

"That is the kind of alternate thinking His Majesty's father tended to show," Counselor Magnus said affectionately. "There's hope for Tierisch yet."

"We will keep that possibility in mind," Father promised. "For now, however, my current order stands. Now, if the five of you could step out of the room, please, I would like to speak with my son."

Stone-faced, the king watched the counselors until the door closed. Then he turned to Adrean. "You never come here. It stands to reason that you want something from me."

Adrean stiffened. He'd been planning to draw out the conversation, forgetting how straightforward Father became when he suspected something. "Actually, I, uh, wanted a few things. First, I need to confess something."

"Confess?" Father's eyes narrowed.

"I've been avoiding you," Adrean confessed. "I was doing things behind your back, like training with a rapier."

The king sighed with slight irritation. "Adrean, we've been over this. That is a woman's weapon."

"Only traditionally," Adrean defended quickly. "There are no laws forbidding my use of a rapier, and if I am to be honest, I would be dead if I had stuck with the broadsword. Remember that assassin I fought off a few months ago?"

Seemingly recalling the incident in question, King Terro's expression softened. "Point taken. But you've been sneaking out every night for well over a year, if my suspicions have been accurate. Why tell me all this now?"

"Well, I have reasons to train under proper supervision now," Adrean said. "I need to get better with a blade if I'm to be ready for what is to come, and we need to ready our defenses as a kingdom."

Father raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'what is to come?' What makes you so worried?"

There's the question, right there. I probably shouldn't tell him straight out. Assume there are eyes everywhere, Adrean.

He took a deep breath. "I heard an interesting rumor for Luisa yesterday. She said that the southern bandits are learning to ride a Cerberus pack."

King Terro's eyes widened, his face turning pale. "Luisa said that?"

Adrean held his gaze. "I'm sure you know that this will be a problem  if left unchecked?"

Slowly, Father nodded. "Okay, I understand now why you're opening up so suddenly. What do you propose we do?"

Perfect. Now give him the first serious idea you've enacted in years. "I actually was wondering something about my training..."