Chapter 2
“Any Portal issues?” Asked Orator Moon.
“No, sir,” said Doggbind. “There have been no reported breaches. A minor disturbance every few weeks-a small bird from The Dread Lands.”
“For her?”
Doggbind nodded.
“What kind of bird?” Moon asked, a slight nervousness leaking into his voice.
“A jay. I am certain. It slips back through before I can grab it, but I am able to divert the messages all the same.”
“What do they say?”
“Nothing of importance. Her cousin, the Rosethorn boy, writes her. He never says anything other than that he misses her, and wonders if her reply is lack of deliverance, or her state of mind.”
“Good,” said Moon. “Well done. Keep up the good work.”
“If I may, sir?”
Moon nodded. Doggbind looked to Leslie Loxerman.
“Loxerman and I were discussing the possibility of writing back to him.”
Moon didn’t interject, so Doggbind continued.
“If we could make it appear it is from Sinclair, then perhaps we could receive some insight into their plans.”
“Fake a letter?”
“Exactly,” said Doggbind. “Her signature isn’t a problem. We have a copy from her Bellator paperwork. But the letter itself is another story.”
“The pair know one another well,” said Moon. “Convincing the Rosethorn boy it is indeed his cousin who writes him will be far more complicated than matching handwriting.”
“What if you allow one of his letters through to her?” Asked Doggbind. “Let her write back, and then begin re-intercepting them?”
“Hmm,” said Moon, “that is a thought.”
“What if she doesn’t write him back?” Asked one of Moon’s secretaries. “You said it yourself, Premier Doggbind, she is not her former self.”
Moon contemplated for a moment.
“Arman,” he said after a moment.
Ambrose Sinclair’s former Captain looked up from his lap. “Sir?” He responded emotionlessly.
“She trusts you?”
Arman shook his head slowly. “Not anymore.”
“Drat,” said Moon, “I was hoping you’d be able to convince her to write back. You no longer train with her?”
“She has not maintained her position as Optimum. So, no,” said Arman.
He maintained his position as Captain of the Magical Militia under the new Premier, and swore a new oath to the Double O.
“Good,” said Moon with a forced and uncomfortable chuckle.
Arman continued. “In fact, she barely trains with the Bellator at all. And when she does, she is at a fraction of the strength she once was.”
“She remains loyal though? Despite all this?”
Doggbind barked a laugh. “I know a beaten soldier when I see it. She needs new guidance.”
“I don’t agree,” said Moon. “I do not think it’s wise to reignite her flame. The longer that boy is gone, the farther away from power she is.” He looked to Leslie Loxerman. “She may even agree to marry at this point.”
Loxerman nodded. “Reluctant though she may still be, I think you may be right. I just wish I could make the child understand. This is for her greater good and the good of us all.”
Moon drummed his fingers together anxiously. “Perhaps it was a mistake for my predecessors to suppress the truth of the Shadow War. These children don’t know what fear is.”