The night was dark, the moon a mere crescent hanging suspended in the sky. The stars were out, constellations showing vividly in the sky, constellations such as Estelle or the dagger and many others that Nathan knew, their names stored away in his mind from years of using them to navigate by. He stood on the hill that overlooked the town of Hampshire .
He had crossed from their island to the mainland because he had felt that, after years of keeping himself on the island, it was time to set foot once more on the land that he had been born on, the land he had grown up on.
He smirked evily down on the sleeping city of Hampshire and, in the distance, the small town of Dunkirk.
The king has spent the majority of his life growing up right in this area. An attack here will most certainly draw his attention more than any other.
He frowned at the sound of huffing and puffing that suddenly arose behind him. Turning, he saw Sawyer mount the hill with ease, while Spad brought up the rear. It soon became evident to Nathan that Spad was the cause of the heavy breathing. He managed to hide his disgust. The promise of an imminent attack was enough to dull his irritation somewhat.
"Look at it...everyone sleeping," hissed Sawyer. "So... peaceful!" He laughed evilly.
Nathan smirked. "It is time to begin making ourselves well-known."
"Shall we take prisoners?"
"I think that we shall, tonight...Our spy in the palace has given us the information we need to make the captures that will most benefit us. Our goal is to get the king's attention. Jurmala was play; this is real."
"Of course," said Sawyer, grinning.
"You know where all of this leads, don't you?"
"Enlighten me again, boss."
Nathan frowned irritably. "What do you think the king will do when we become enough of a threat?"
"He'll look to the mercenaries of the royal army, of course," said Sawyer.
"Yes. I shall allow them to take me in. They will be a laughing stock when I escape from the palace prison, the eve before the execution they'll surely plan for me."
"Of course, sir," said Sawyer. "They'll be humiliated. But it seems rather pointless to allow yourself to be captured."
"I have my reasons," said Nathan, nodding. "For tonight, however...let's only focus on our goal. Two prisoners. No others. You know exactly what to do. Anyone who gets in the way is dead."
"But sir..." said Spad, suddenly piping up from the background.
Nathan closed his eyes in irritation, before turning to the man.
"What is it?" he snapped.
"I...understand how capturing the man will gain the attention of the general...but how will capturing the boy gain King Antony's attention? He does not even know the urchin!"
Nathan smirked once more, allowing himself to compliment, mentally, on the brilliancy of his plan. "Trust me, Spad," he said, simply. "If we can count on the word of our palace spy, we'll gain his attention well enough. If we can't...our palace spy is dead."
Spad nodded, before sinking back into the background, as usual.
Sawyer turned to Nathan. "Now?" he hissed, impatiently.
Nathan simply nodded. Spad dutifully lit the end of the arrow and Sawyer shot the flaming beacon high above the heads of the men gathered beneath the hill. The men sprang into action.
It was early in the morning, much earlier than he or anyone else in the palace, excepting the servants, usually got up.
Kade sat at the desk in the office provided for him on the second floor of the palace in the north wing. He took a sip of his coffee and then a forkful of eggs from the plate before him. He stood and examined the map behind him on the wall.
Upon his appointment to general, he had asked that the huge map be installed in his office at the palace. Now, he frowned as he looked at it, trying to find some sort of correlation between the different places where attacks by looters and the like had been noted in recent times. These were marked with small red tacks.
There was a knock at his door. He turned, curiously. He hadn't been expecting anyone.
"Come in," he said, absently, after a few moments, walking to his desk and taking another bite of scrambled eggs as he waited for the visitor to come in.
The door banged open, startling him with the noise, even if he had been expecting it to open. The man who now stood there looked wild and frightened. His clothes and hair were a mess, as if he had just ridden miles on a horse across rough terrain.
Kade frowned as Fulton stepped forward behind the man.
"General," he said, giving Kade a slight bow. "This man has a message for you."
Kade looked back and forth between Fulton and the man, a feeling of apprehension beginning to take hold in the pit of his gut.
"Go on," he said to the man.
"There's been an attack, Sir. Hampshire and Dunkirk. Fourteen dead. Two prisoners."
Kade felt his fist clench at his side, his other hand, resting on the back of his desk chair, gripped the wood strongly.
"You're dismissed," he said to the man. Fulton ordered the man to go down to one of the footmen in the entry hall and have them show him to the kitchens for some nourishment. Once the man was gone, Fulton reentered Kade's office.
"These attacks have crossed a line now. Fourteen deaths? Prisoners?" Kade turned and stuck another tack in Hampshire, and then Dunkirk. He turned and spoke authoritatively to the butler. "We're going to need King Antony awakened. Let him know that I need an audience for matters of the kingdom's safety. I need word on the names of the prisoners. I need Captain Landon sent for from town, immediately."
"Yes, Sir," said Fulton, immediately leaving to do everything that Kade asked.
Kade forced himself to relax and sit down at his desk once more. He pushed aside his plate of food and his cup of coffee, no longer having any appetite whatsoever.
After what seemed an eternity, his door was opened without even a knock. He looked up to see Antony. The king looked exactly as if he had just been awakened from sleep. His hair was messy and his clothes had been hastily thrown on, his sword belted haphazardly around his waist.
"Kade?" he questioned. "Fulton said you needed to see me. He wasn't specific, but it's urgent, I assume?"
Kade wished he didn't have to tell his friend the news. He could see the worry residing in Antony's eyes, in the way he frowned.
He looked up and met Antony's gaze.
"Hampshire and Dunkirk have been attacked."
He could see the immediate anger mixed with confusion that entered Antony's eyes. "That's inland! The other attacks have all been border towns!" Antony pushed past Kade to stand before the map, examining it as if staring at the map and willing the news he had just heard to be false would make it so.
"So they have been," muttered Kade. "But that alone is not what makes these attacks so disturbing."
Antony turned slowly to face Kade. "What, then?"
"Fourteen deaths," said Kade, sadly, avoiding Antony's gaze. "Two missing and presumed captured."
"Who was captured? What purpose do they have taking prisoners?"
"I don't know. I've sent Fulton to send people to get me that information and Captain Landon is coming from town for an immediate conference. I'm going to send two squadrons of soldiers to the area."
"Of course," said Antony, nodding and looking agitated.
"Please sit," said Kade, pointing to the chair across from his desk. "All we can do now is wait. It shouldn't be that long before we have news."
Antony nodded and sat, head in hands, in the chair Kade had pointed out.
It seemed as though entirely too much time had passed since Fulton had left, but the butler finally returned with a small, wrinkled sheet of paper in one hand and Captain Aaron Landon at his side.
The paper, he handed wordlessly to Antony at Kade's urging before bowing and leaving the room.
Kade turned to watch Antony's face as he read the list of names on the paper. Fourteen dead, two missing.
Antony reached the end of the list and his face paled. Kade held his breath, feeling his fists clench up once more as he waited. Antony looked up, slowly, to meet Kade's gaze.
"Well?" said Kade.
"I...recognize both names."
Kade couldn't speak. If something had worried Antony this much, it couldn't be good.
"Kade..." He could hear the hesitation in his friend's voice.
"Please Antony," he said. "Just...tell me."
"Your father."
"Missing?" Kade managed to ask. Antony merely nodded.
Kade sat down hard in his chair. His father was his only living relative that he knew of, not counting his mother. The man had taken care of him by himself ever since his mother walked out on the two of them when Kade was only a baby. Kade shook his head, dazed. It can't be... He closed his eyes and forced himself to stand once more, facing both Antony and Captain Landon.
"The other name, please?" he prompted the king.
"Nash Ellington."
Kade frowned. The last name certainly sounded familiar. Where... It suddenly hit him. Meredith.
One questioning glance at Antony was all it took. Antony nodded, and Kade was confirmed in his recognition of the name as being Meredith's last name.
"Alright..." said Kade, finally. "Aaron, I've called you here because I want two squadrons of fifty soldiers dispatched immediately to Hampshire and Dunkirk. From descriptions of the attacks, that should be enough men...but just in case, I'm going to transfer another squadron of fifty from the reserve barracks in Yester, just upriver from Hampshire."
"Yes, sir," said Captain Landon, standing and saluting the general.
"You're dismissed," said Kade. Landon left and Kade and Antony were alone again.
"I suppose now we need to send for someone to tell Meredith the news. We should make arrangements to have the families of the dead compensated..." He stopped as Antony stood. "What is it?" he said.
"Don't send for anyone. I'll tell Meredith myself."
Kade nodded, then, noticing that Antony's gaze was fixed on the floor, said aloud, "Certainly. I'll begin speaking with the advisers about the arrangements for compensation." He watched Antony, whose gaze was still trained distractedly on the ground. "Take your time," he added. "I'll handle things until you arrive."
Antony nodded and turned, leaving the room.
Once he was gone, Kade allowed his strong facade to break as he laid his head on his desk and let all his worries for his father wash over him.