Page 241 of The Edge of Darkness

Killian. The bastard—leaving his entire territory with no direction or orders to secure their borders. Thankfully, the Woodland Court had Breck to turn to.

“Good.” Niall turned to face Breck. “Make sure there are plenty left to protect the citizens from any of Lyceius’s creatures that might get past our lines and spread out. I doubt they will, but I want every territory well-defended and prepared for anything.”

Breck nodded. “I’ve been fortifying what I can. We will be on the move in a few hours.”

He was now Elandrew’s acting High Lord, and the territory and the realm were better for it. With him in charge, whether or not he remained in that position after the war, the Woodland Court would be taken care of.

Remic leaned in, gently resting his hands on the table. “Our scouts say Lyceius’s forces are poised to attack here, at Gabbath. It is where they have shown the most interest, and judging by their recent movement, I would say every legion of his has their sights set on this stretch of land.” He traced a line over the space where the northernmost entry point to Calledan sat—a mile from where we were currently standing. “We want to keep the fighting here. Keep it contained.”

Aremis stepped closer. “With such a large concentration of our infantry stationed along this section, we risk enemy forces breaking off and infiltrating further inland to both the east and west.”

“I can spare some units to help cover the eastern flank,” Fallon said. “We are fully capable of fighting alongside the Dreki and their fierce riders.”

Vanir grinned and clapped a hand on Fallon’s shoulder. “Happy to have the power of the desert at our side.”

“When will Drastia arrive?” Niall asked.

“Senna will be here with our troops by nightfall,” Laurent answered.

Niall’s eyes roved over the map, contemplating every move and strategic placement of the armies. “And what of Benmoor?”

“Several factions are being restructured as we speak,” Fallon explained. “Recent events temporarily complicated the structure of our ranks, but you can expect every Benmoori warrior to be on Calledan soil tomorrow.”

Niall nodded. Then, he turned toward the queen.

She stood with her shoulders back, holding her composure, just as I had done in the early days of being in this realm. Her witch blood made it possible to cross The Veil to be here, and, as Niall had briefed me a few nights prior, it was in our best interest if she was an informed ally.

It seemed that, now, her stance of “informed ally” had been upgraded to “military asset.”

“We’re assuming your realm was affected by the attack as well?” Niall asked her.

“Yes. It was contained to our northernmost outpost—near The Veil. A few soldiers stationed there reported a dark wall of shadows that penetrated the barrier and destroyed anything in its path.” She paused, and the silence stretched on for a long moment.

Niall opened his mouth to continue, but she cut him off. “There’s more . . .”

That was when I noticed the lines of worry that bracketed her features. Despite the strength that she emanated with her posture, she was . . . hurting . . . emotionally.

“Broderick was taken,” she finally said.

Niall straightened. “Taken?”

“We don’t know how, but the shadows seemed to be some sort of diversion. He was last seen in his study. Both of his guards were found slain outside his doors.”

I glanced around the room, marking everyone’s grim expressions.

Folquin stepped up to her side and spoke. “I did not detect any sort of shadows or creatures in the castle. Whoever or whatever did this, they had access to the grounds and were already familiar with them.”

“Folquin,” Niall said, “you mentioned overhearing Lyceius saying he wanted the king dead.”

“That is correct, My Lord. He said the king knew something and was planning to expose it.”

Niall looked at the queen. “What did your husband know? What was so threatening that a god would want him dead for it?”

“He—he found ancient texts beneath the castle about six months ago, which only furthered his long-time speculation and skepticism of the kings who ruled before him. He tried to tell me about his discoveries, but I always thought he was just caught up in conspiracy theories.”

“Conspiracies about what?”

“That the kings before him had a pact with Lyceius for wealth and power and good fortune.” She shook her head. “None of it made sense to me, so I didn’t pay it any mind. I warned him that one day all of his questions would get him in trouble.” Her bottom lip trembled. A tear slipped free and hit the table. “I just never thought . . .”