I sense her uneasiness. She will run.
And if she does? I ask.
He’s quiet for a moment, then he speaks to me. Then I will find her and take her where she belongs.
I don’t miss the inference about not bringing her directly to me, but rather where she belongs. Arching a brow, I cross my arms over my chest and look down my nose at him. Arion does not seem bothered by the way I watch him. In fact, he is almost smug.
We have the ceremony soon, would you both like to watch?
They both jerk their heads in a nod of confirmation. Taking a step back, I turn to leave them alone in the barn. The ceremony is soon. Once I’m outside in the hot sun, I pause at the sight of Jeremiah coming my way.
He is walking quickly, far too quickly and my entire body jerks to a halt. My heart starts to race at the thought of something happening to Birdie with me just feet away. I don’t know what could happen, but about a dozen scenarios race through my head in the seconds it takes him to make his way to me.
“What is it?” I demand.
“We’ve just received a missive from Whitecotton.”
“Drat,” I curse.
My feet carry me quickly toward the house and straight into my office. Ernest has the letter in his hand, holding it out, and I grasp it as I walk past him and straight for my desk. Sinking down in my chair, I rip open the envelope and begin to read.
James,
They advance. I hope that this letter makes it in enough time that you will be able to protect and have troops ready to defend your home and yourselves.
I will be there as soon as I am able.
Hold strong.
Whitecotton
They advance. I know who they is, but I’m not sure how he knows their position. I can’t deny the bit of suspicion that I feel about my old friend and his knowledge of the men who plot against me and my position.
Just when I’m about to voice my concern, there is a knock on my office door.
“Sir?” Ernest calls out.
“Enter.”
The door slowly opens and I lift my head, Ernest is not alone. In fact, there are three people behind him and I recognize their clothes immediately. They are from the Assembly.
The members of the Assembly are nameless, the clothing being their only identifiable markers. They are meant to be looked at as equal parts of the government, no one of them is more important than the other.
Their names are hidden to protect not only themselves, but their families as well. It is also supposed to keep them from being able to be blackmailed, though I doubt that works as well as it’s intended.
“True to your word, you’ve arrived,” I announce as I stay seated.
I don’t bother standing, I’m not sure they deserve that much respect at this point. Granted, they did appoint me to my position, but they like to remind me of that often and attempt to use it as a way to get me to do what they want, the way they want it.
They don’t allow me to do what they claimed they appointed me to do. They want to micromanage me, and get angry when I don’t allow it, then send their little minions to put me in my place.
“We have,” the woman in front announces as she breezes past Ernest and heads directly over to the chair in front of my desk.
The other two walk over to the couch and sink down, wordlessly. I watch them, waiting to hear what they have to say. “Have you chosen a wife?” she asks.
“My wedding is today,” I announce. An audible gasp fills the room, but I ignore it. “You’re all more than welcome to attend.”
I would tell them about the gods and the prophecy, but I don’t bother. It is not theirs to know. However, I do tilt my head to the side and ask them about the impending attack.
The woman doesn’t even flinch, she is strong and hardened. The men have a tell and they show it just for a split second, but I catch it. One of them clears his throat and slides his hand on his thighs. The other uncrosses and then recrosses his legs.
“An attack?” the woman asks, attempting to sound surprised, but she fails.
“I have plenty of rooms here or you can go into town and stay at the hotel there. This conversation, whatever it is, will have to take place at a later time, I have impending nuptials.”
Without another word, I dip my chin and begin pretending to do paperwork, affectively ignoring them as a way to end the conversation without leaving the room. The last thing I want to do is allow these people to be alone in my office.
After a few moments of silence, the woman lets out an annoyed sigh, then I hear the rustling fabric of her dress before I hear the footsteps of all three people walk out of the door. Ernest doesn’t leave though, he never does, not when I truly need him.
“What was that?” I ask him.
“You sensed something off, too?” he asks.
“They know about the enemies coming to attempt to take me out and take over.”
“Indeed,” he says with a rumble.
“Bring me Florence,” I demand.
He chuckles, then he silently walks away and leaves the room to fetch Florence. Normally, I would never use magic, always choosing to use my own wit and cunning, but in this instance, I need to know what is actually going on and what they are attempting to accomplish.
She appears a few moments later, her hair particularly wild as are her eyes. “Don’t tell me you’ve contacted her?” she breathes as she shifts from side to side.
I shake my head, knowing that she is referring
