The first measure Raelynn took after finding out the names of the spies was to dispatch a knight to each of the battalion, providing them the list of spies. Although the East Battalion had lost seven brave men, she did not want the other three battalions to face the same disaster.
Following this, she arranged for the funeral for her brave knights. They had been murdered at the peak hours of dawn and their family members had already been intimated to the issue. Now, they had to take the dead men to the burial ground so that they could give them a good farewell.
In a
The next day.In Hollis, Dimitri was going man as time ticked by. The fugitive had escaped from, his prison and as each second passed, Dimitri was sure that the man had left Hollis. Otherwise, given his manpower and skilled guards, there was no way he would have caught up with him. Dimitri's paranoid mind had gone to the extent to even doubt his loyal guards and in a fit of anger, he had killed more than twelve knights.Dimitri stared at the knights he had killed, his blood thirst not satisfied by their blood on his hands. He wanted more and preferably of the man who had escaped from his kingdom. He knew who the man was; he was a spy from his enemy's kingdom ad his escape was nothing but a huge blow to his power as well as ego. Unlike his spies who were getting caught by the knights of Volar one by one, the fugitive was the first one he had ever caught in his kingdom.With a loud roar, Dimitri chopped off another guard's head, his blood splattering on his face,
Seeing the guard drop to his knees, Dimitri was surprised. This was the first time somebody had evoked such a reaction from him. It was quite rare of him to be taken aback. Dimitri was a cold man and nothing could make him lose his coldness, nothing at all. However, for the first time, he was visibly stunned, especially after taking a closer look at what the case held.The other people in the hall wanted to take a view of what the case held for they were stupefied to see such a reaction on their Lord's face. However, nobody dared to move away from their place in fear of losing their heads, in case their actions irked the Lord. They waited patiently, hoping for some to kill their curiosity.All of a sudden. Dimitri, who was staring at the case intently, started laughing out loud and his sudden cha
Dimitri ran his eyes over the carriages and saw the way each of his men were butchered and killed. The gore scene and the blood stench made many blood stench people to move away from the area. It was too much for the common people to bear. However, that was not the case for Dimitri. For him, this scene evoked a sense of provocation, a sense of failure, a taste of defeat.Dimitri walked around the carriages, keenly observing the dead bodies. Nobody could decipher what was running his mind. However, only he knew how impressed and stirred he was by what he was seeing. ‘I must applaud your army, Eldrick.’ He nodded, an evil glint flashing in his eyes which nobody noticed. ‘But I have not accepted defeat yet, nor will you be able to defeat me. I will take this as a challenge and let me assure you that you will not like the outcome once I take
"Zaina, where is Miranda?" Dimitri questioned as he pulled back and stared at the girl who did not show any changes in her expressions. She was calm and relaxed as she had already gone through what she was supposed to tell the man who was more observant than she had imagined him to be.Zaina had already prepared herself for the question and she smiled to herself, praising herself as well as her friend, Miranda for their smartness, more to Miranda though. It was her who had given her the courage and the hope she needed at her desperate time."Milord, Miranda's relative is ill and she has gone to meet her family in her village," Zaina uttered. She did not specify which relative of hers was sick as that would make things difficult for the girl in case Dimitri were to investigate the truth. Zaina had heard Miranda speak about a distant relative of hers from her mother's side who was on her death bed. So, she was, in fact, not lying to Dimitri."I s
Cathal had reached Hollis the previous night and had waited for the break of dawn to meet the Lord of Hollis. Although he had prepared himself to meet the Lord and speak to him, he could remove the distress and uneasiness in his mind that had taken its seed the moment he had departed from Volar.His trepidation only grew and terror settled in when he too heard about the dead men found at the entrance of the kingdom gates. He knew that the Lord would be fuming by now, and this was not the right time to meet him; especially when it was his kingdom men who killed the men of Hollis.The moment he had arrived at the palace, the guards had given him a look of hatred and disgust. It was not that the men hated the people of Volar, no. Unlike Dimitri and some fawning and fussing ministers who agreed with everything the Lord demanded without thinking, just for their greed and selfishness, everybody else from the kingdom of Hollis, including the knights and the other men treated
"What if I want nothing but war and want to kill your Lord? What will you do?" Dimitri asked, a sinister smile making its way on his face. His smile made him look all the more evil and cunning and Cathal, for the first time after entering Hollis, did not feel afraid of him."In that case, we the people of Volar will fight until our last breath. But we will not lose hope and accept our defeat without putting our best." The man spoke, determination and confidence dripping in his words. He was certain that these words of his would make the man before him lose his cool and irk him. But he was here on his Lord's orders and he had taken up the responsibility to negotiate and bring peace between the two kingdoms.Dimitri raised an eyebrow listening to Cathal's bold words. "May I know what your name is?" He questioned, his menacing smile not leaving his face. 'I appreciate the people around Eldrick. All of them are strong and courageous, unlike the men in my kingdo
The courtroom, Hollis.Cathal stood outside the courtroom while he watched all the ministers and high ranked knights enter in one by one. He did not bother to even smile at them, especially after what had happened to him in the guest room. The moment Dimitri had tried to poison him, Cathal had lost all the respect he had for Dimitri and Hollis. Now, all that remained was hostility and hatred for the enemies.Cathal and the four knights who had accompanied him for protection waited for a few moments until one of the knights of Hollis called them inside. The previous time when he had met Dimitri, Cathal had requested his knights to stay outside, while he decided to face the man himself. However now, he had asked the men to accompany him as he was not certain how things would turn out in the courtroom. Dimitri was not a man who could be trusted and there was no way he was willing to take risks and put his life at stake.Cathal entered, the four knights tailing him
"I, Cathal Bringe, the messenger of peace from Volar, with the power bestowed upon me by the kingdom of Volar and Lord Eldrick, declare that the kingdom of Volar is at war with the kingdom of Hollis." Cathal declared and held his sword in front of him ready to fight anybody who wished to attack him.Following his words, the four knights behind him too held their swords, their eyes sharp and on high alert. They gazed around the hall, counting the number of people who seemed to be ready to attack them.Unlike Cathal who was not well versed in the tactics of war and attack, the four knights who had accompanied him knew the stratagem and schemes of battle. They had already sensed that the number of knights they could see was not the correct count. There were many more who were hiding in the dark and the four knights had estimated their count and positions.Seeing the five people ready to battle it out in the courtroom, the knights of Hollis too steeled themselves, p
Eldrick sat on the chair, his eyes not leaving the man who was kneeling before him. The two royal guards were standing beside him keeping him in check, while the other two guards stood outside the manor.Eldrick crossed his leg, his imposing aura impossible to ignore. He tilted his head with his lips pursed, and everybody could tell at once glance that he was beyond furious. And why wouldn't he be? Since the time he had set foot outside the castle, he had been uncovering shocking information one after the other. The day had been anything but pleasant, and Oakley wondered how much more would they uncover by the end of the day."Commander Carrier," Eldrick's voice resonated through the room. "Care to explain what we just witnessed." Although the Lord was giving an option for the man, everybody knew that it was not so. He was only ordering the man gently to do as he was told. Or else, the consequences would be dire.However, his threat did not affect the man,
Eldrick rode his carriage, thinking about Curtis's words again. 'Who is the Minister he was talking about?' He pondered over it, his mind unable to move away from the issue. 'Is he saying the truth, or is he just trying to deceive me?' Eldrick closed his eyes, his head throbbing in pain. The recent turn of events was too twisted and complicated, but it was not something Eldrick could not handle."Milord," Oakley had been observing Eldrick since the time they had left the warehouse. The Lord was lost in thoughts, not speaking the entire time. He had not said a word about what he had found out from the three men, and this was making the two ministers curious and anxious. Oakley's voice brought Eldrcik out of his thoughts, and he lifted his head in confusion. "Is everything fine, Milord? You seem lost and troubled.""Minister Oakley, I wonder if we should recruit new ministers and remove the older ones." Eldrick put forth his thoughts before the two ministers he trusted t
"Milord?" Curtis gaped at the Lord in horror, his eyes widening in trepidation. He shuddered at his words, and his palms turned clammy as time ticked by."Tell me, Curtis." Eldrick approached him slowly, his each step pushing the man closer to his doom. "How did you afford such expensive clothes? Where did you get the money from?""Mi-Milord," Curtis breathed, not knowing how to overcome the predicament he was in. It was as though the man had lost all his senses. He had even forgotten to lower his eyes and give Eldrick the respect he demanded. Curtis was frozen in his spot, and Kolan had no idea what was happening in the room.'Why is the Lord enquiring this assistant about his clothes rather than asking him Sir Fergus? What am I missing?' He pondered looking back and forth between the Lord and the assistant whose name he did not know."How many people are there in your family, Curtis?" Eldrick changed his question all of a sudden, and this ti
Ravi left the room and met the two other assistants who were waiting for him in anticipation. His calm gaze did not give anything away and the men could only frown at him. "Ravi, is everything fine? Are you fine?""Yes, I am fine. The Lord wants to meet you, Curtis." Ravi reiterated the Lord's orders, making Curtis's jaw drop."Why me?" He wailed, keeping his voice low so as to not alert the two ministers who were guarding the room."I don't know. It's best that you deal with it soon. The Lord seems vexed." Ravi stated calmly. However, the calmer he was, more the anxious Curtis became. He had just escaped the Lord's wrath, coming out alive from the lion's den. Now he was asked to go again. How could he do it?"Do you know the reason?" Curtis was almost about to cry and Ravi was sure that once the man stepped inside the room, he would be begging for his life given the way the Lord looked.Having no other choice, Curtis knocked at the door and
Hiro's happiness vanished, and his shoulders dropped hearing the Lord's determined words. "You may leave now and send the last man." Eldrick waved his hands and Hiro dejectedly left the room.The moment the two assistants saw him, they rushed him. "What happened? Why was the Lord furious?"Hiro snapped out of his miserable thoughts and shook his head at them. "Ah, that's nothing. Ravi, the Lord wants you to go in."Ravi narrowed his eyes at him, and he observed him closely. There was something strange in Hiro, but he could fathom what. Not wanting to make the Lord wait, Ravi entered the room after knocking at it.Eldrick was beyond infuriated. He was annoyed at Hiro and he still had another assistant to deal with. He could not control his frustration, and his face showed how he felt the moment Ravi entered.Ravi took a glance at the Lord to read his expression before he lowered his gaze. "Milord," He bowed at him politely, and Eldrick let out
"Shall we start from the beginning?" Eldrick stood up from his chair and walked around Hiro who was still slouching on the ground. Not once did he raise his head to meet the Lord in the eye, an action that he had rudely followed when he had entered the room a few minutes ago.Eldrick did not avert his gaze away from him while he continued walking. He only stopped when he was right behind him. Hiro did not dare turn towards his back and face the Lord. He was too petrified to even move. He had already annoyed the Lord by lying to him. He did not want to anger him more.Eldrick picked up the dagger that was lying by the door, and walked back to his chair, an action that did not go unnoticed by Hiro. His body stiffened as Eldrick approached him and he sat frozen in his place.Eldrick dropped the dagger on the table with a thud, the sound loud enough to send Hiro's heart thundering in fright."I expect an answer when I put forth a question." Eldrick gritted hi
After Curtis left the room, Eldrick had taken his eat on the chair, while he waited for the next man to enter. The dagger, he had removed earlier, lay on the table. Eldrick had not taken the effort to put it back to its original place.As soon as the man entered the room, his eyes fell on the Lord's face before they settled on the dagger that greeted him wholeheartedly. His eyes widened in disbelief and apprehension, and he could move his gaze away. Eldrick was amused to see his reaction. While Curtis had been scared to even lift his head and meet him in the eye, the second man was completely opposite to him.He had not only stared at him without showing him any respect, but he was also gaping at the dagger. Eldrick cleared his throat to gain the man's attention. He was younger than Curtis and from what he remembered, Eldrick was certain that he was the youngest among the three assistants."Are you done staring?" Eldrick chided him and the man blinked in c
"Why did you kill Fergus?" Eldrick's question made the man's eyes widen, and he dropped to his knees at once, bowing his head before him."Milord, I did not kill Sir Fergus. I am innocent. I did not kill him." He pleaded, his eyes tearing up in terror. "Milord, I did not kill anyone. Please, believe me."Eldrick narrowed his eyes, and he stared at the man trying to see through him. The man's body language did not seem strange. Although he was appalled and trembling, it was a reaction Eldrcik had already expected from him. "What is your name?" Eldrick did not ask him to get up, and the man had no choice but to stay on his knees."Curtis, Milord." The man replied without lifting his head."Curtis, say how many people are there in your family?" Although Eldrick's question was simple and harmless, Curtis knew that the Lord was threatening him, and he shuddered in fear."Milord," He cried, his mind unable to fathom what he had done wrong. "Please spare
"Call the helpers who were in the record section. I would like to interrogate them." Eldrick ordered Leander. Leander was just about to leave to follow his orders when the Lord stopped him. "Also, I want your workroom to be cleared out of all men. I want to speak to the assistants privately.Eldrick's orders stunned Leander, and he stood frozen in his place for a few moments. He had no idea what the Lord was thinking and why he wanted to interrogate them privately. Being wise he was, he had a hunch that it had to do with the three assistants and one among them knew crucial information that Eldick could use to find the murderer.Seeing Leander not moving from his place, Eldrick raised his eyebrows. "Is there a problem?"His sudden question brought the man out of his stupor and he shook his head immediately in fear. "No, no, Milord. I will leave right away." Leander scurried away like a scared rat, leaving Eldrick with Kolan and Oakley. They were at the main secti