A Crown in The Mist: Book 2

Chapter 5

"No, no, no!"

Arnoldus swiped his arms across his war table, scattering the pieces to the flood. His shoulders shook with rage as he looked at his empire, his eyes burning with the desperate rage of a man loosing all that he had worked for. The others seated around the table remained quiet as he drew in long breaths. The longer he waited to attack the more the lock weakened. If the Prince rose against him, his kingdom will be lost. His city was overrun with crooks and the army he bought was delayed. His naval fleet was set to collect at Tradepoint but now he learned that his men were hesitating to go. He needed loyalty. He needed a strong army.

He needed the lock forged anew and the Prince's head on a spike. Only then would he rest.

"I will send word again, my King. The armada will set sail in a week."

He glanced up at the portly man who claimed to be his naval commander. Narrowing his eyes, he glared at him. "In one week? Do you expect me to sit idly while our waters remain unprotected from our enemy!"

The man gulped and averted his gaze.

Hearing a throat clear he looked up at the man seated furthest from him.

"Who exactly is the enemy, my King?"

"Out"

"Pardon me, my King?"

Slamming his hand on the wooden desk, he screamed. "Out!"

They quickly stood up, collecting their goblets of wine and decorative swords that had never seen active battle. Imbeciles! The lot of them!

"What our King is saying is, the enemy is all around us—the crooks that started the riot have amassed in numbers and their poison has spread through The Lands. The dark times your benevolent King pulled you from have returned, the creatures that terrorized your ancestors have joined their ranks. Your King wants his loyal subjects to be safe and protected under his rule. But for that to happen, you must follow him unconditionally."

He watched her rise from her chair, her scarlet dress trailing behind her. She had refused to leave his meetings but had never spoken until now. Anchoring his forehead against his fingers he followed her as she sauntered over to the portly man. Placing a slender hand on his shoulder she leaned close to him, whispering in his ear but loud enough for the rest of them to hear.

"And you know your King does not tolerate disloyalty. So, it would be in your best interests to follow his every word like the loyal underlings that you are."

The man coughed and tugged on his coat before turning to him. "I will get the royal fleet ready. We will set sail for Tradepoint in three days' time."

Three days. It was better than a week. But again, it wasn't enough.

Dismissing him with a wave, Arnoldus watched the rest of his council men file out of his chambers. Once the heavy door slammed shut behind them. The woman turned over two crystal tumblers and poured a finger of amber liquid. Swirling the alcohol, she walked over to him, placing the cup in front of him and taking a swing from her own.

"I told you not to interfere in my affairs. You should be out looking for the lock, if not forging a new one."

"Oh, Arnoldus, you worry too much."

Gritting his teeth, he pushed the cup away.

"Listen here. You may have eons to live but I don't. I will not have my kingdom taken from me by those creatures!"

Tilting her head, she leaned forward and picked up his discarded cup. Bringing it up to her lips she drank. Once the cup was empty she regarded him with unwavering eyes.

"If I were you, I would watch my words. Your men have begun to doubt you and if I were to turn my back on you—"

"You won't," he interrupted her and smirked seeing the uncertainty in her eyes. "You need me as much as I need you."

He had spent the last few days trying to piece together an army that would fight loyally against any enemy. But the guards had begun to rebel, talk of leaving the watch had circulated among the men and he would not tolerate insubordination at a time like this. He needed to send a fraction of his men to Tradepoint, but without the naval forces setting sail, separating his men would only spark further outrage.

"I may have a solution to your problem."

Raising an eyebrow he waited for her next words.

Smiling she said, "I have just the trick to turn any man into your obedient soldier."

"I'm listening."

A/N Extremely short chapter. Sorry about that.