Damask & Deception (Spellbound #2)

Chapter 21: Lonely As You

"Sir Aurelian, you said you had important news from the High King?" Baudwin leaned back in his chair and stretched his aching leg out in front of him.

His advisers were all gathered to hear the news from Messina. Aurelian, as the High King's Envoy, usually reported the goings-on in the kingdom to the sovereign city, but occasionally he would also relay messages from them. The High King rarely got involved in the kingdoms, letting rulers govern as they saw fit - as long as they did so with their subjects' best interest at heart. It had been this failing on Baudwin's parents' behalf that had caused their dethroning and his crowning.

Aurelian stood up, the brown-haired former knight looking more sombre than usual. "I think we've all heard the rumours of a man calling himself the Son of Deva, claiming to be the son of the Dark Disciple."

A murmur of agreement sounded around the large table.

"Do we really believe that Deva had a son?" Donauld asked, his bony shoulders tense despite his unwillingness to believe the rumours.

"According to the latest message from Messina, they are now fairly certain the rumours are true. There have been attacks on the High King and his wife, apparently orchestrated by followers of this Son of Deva."

Baudwin sat up straight. "Are they okay?"

He'd met High King Felix during the Battle for Messina years ago, when the former was still the Prince of Ler, and he quite liked the man. Not much older than Baudwin, he had been straddled with a lot of responsibility at a young age. Following the recapture of Messina, they had crowned him High King, and two years ago he'd come to Baudwin's and Braithe's aid against their parents.

"They are fine. The queen was poisoned, but has recovered nicely. They've caught the would-be assassin, and it was apparently a follower of this Son of Deva. As a precaution, the High King is sending troops to the mountain pass between the Kingdom of Ler and the Dreadlands. Just in case they try to march on us as they did eight years ago."

"I'm glad to hear they are well. And that sounds like a good start." Baudwin nodded thoughtfully. If this Son of Deva was real, he might be a considerable threat to all of Erya. It had only been four years since they defeated Deva and recaptured Messina. Was their peace to be so short-lived?

"What does he want? Do they know what he's doing?" Golen shuffled a few papers around in front of him, always needing to occupy his hands.

"It doesn't say." Aurelian looked at the crumpled piece of paper in his hands before sighing. "But I think it's fairly obvious. He will want to free Deva from the crystal in which they spellbound him, and then the two of them will continue what Deva started. Trying to free the Dark God Ondastos from the Nether Realm."

Baudwin nodded. That had been his thinking as well. "Which we cannot allow to happen. What does the High King want us to do?"

"For now, he only asks that we keep our ears to the ground and our eyes to the mountains. They are not easily traversed in this region, but since the Dreadlands are immediately north of them, he would like us to be extra vigilant."

"Of course. We will station lookouts along the mountain range." He tapped his fingers on the oak table while thinking. "Anything else you can think of we could do?"

"It's worth adding more training for the troops and opening enlistments," Sir Ioan, the Captain of his Guard said.

"Agreed." Baudwin nodded. "Good call. Please see to it, Sir Ioan."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"It might be worth taking stock of our grain and other resources," Donauld suggested. "We will want to be prepared if there is a battle and we cannot harvest or get food from elsewhere."