Chapter 16
The Voss estate came into view as the sun dipped toward the horizon, casting long shadows across the courtyard.
Valerius felt the exhaustion in his bones.
Not the sharp kind that came from a single night without sleep.
The deeper kind. The accumulated weight of five days spent hunting a fleeing criminal across multiple towns, six days transporting dangerous prisoners under armed guard, and too many hours in the saddle with too little rest between.
His men felt it too.
Leon rode at his right, posture still disciplined but with the particular stillness that came from conserving energy. Edric brought up the rear with the same watchful competence he always carried, though his eyes had the faint redness that came from days of wind and dust and insufficient sleep.
The guards Valerius had left at the estate were visible at their posts throughout the courtyard and walls—disciplined, alert, maintaining the security perimeter he had ordered before departure. Good. The detail had held during his absence.
As they entered the courtyard proper, Valerius saw the household staff assembled near the main entrance.
Bernard stood at the center with his usual grave composure. Grace waited slightly behind him. Several other servants had gathered in quiet formation—ready to receive arriving guests with the efficiency that came from years of practice.
And at the front, looking composed and entirely too alert for late afternoon, stood Lynara.
She wore a deep blue day dress, her hair arranged simply, no excessive ornamentation. She looked rested. Well-fed. Exactly as someone should look when they had spent nearly two weeks safe inside their own estate rather than chasing criminals across the kingdom.
Valerius felt a sharp stab of something that might have been envy if he had possessed the energy for it.
He dismounted.
His legs protested slightly. Not dramatically. Just enough to remind him that he had been on horseback for most of the past two weeks with only brief respites in coaching inns that prioritized function over comfort.
Leon and Edric dismounted behind him. The remaining guards followed suit with the practiced efficiency of men who had done this too many times to waste motion.
Stable hands moved forward at once to take the horses.
Valerius walked toward Lynara, already organizing the report in his mind. Montrose captured. Three archmages taken. Evidence secured. Prisoners delivered to Crown Annex holding. Interrogations to begin within—
"Your Highness."
Lynara's voice cut through his mental planning with perfect clarity.
He stopped.
She was looking at him. Then at Leon. Then Edric. Then the guards.
Her expression shifted slightly.
Not alarm.
Something else.
Assessment.
"You look exhausted," she said.
It was not a question.
Valerius straightened slightly. "The mission was successful. Lord Montrose has been captured along with three of the archmages responsible for your kidnapping attempt. The prisoners have been delivered to secure holding at the Crown Annex, and—"
"Yes," Lynara said. "I received the messenger."
She took two steps forward. "How long have you been riding?"
Valerius paused. “The ride back from Brackford took six days. The return journey required careful transport of—”
"Before that."
"Two days to Millhaven. Three to Brackford."
"So five days of pursuit followed by six days of prisoner transport."
It was not a question.
Still, Valerius answered. "Yes."
Lynara looked at him for one long moment.
Then she said, very calmly, "You're not giving me a full report in this condition."
Valerius blinked. "I'm perfectly capable—"
"Your Highness." Her tone remained polite. Respectful. And absolutely firm. "You've been riding for nearly two weeks. All of you look like you can barely stand. I'm not discussing anything important with people who are this exhausted."
Behind him, one of the guards made a sound that might have been a stifled cough.
Valerius looked at her.
She looked back with complete calm.
"Food first," she said. "Then showers. Then proper rest. We'll discuss everything tomorrow morning when you're actually functional."
There was a brief, dangerous silence.
Leon shifted almost imperceptibly beside him.
Valerius became aware, all at once, that she had just given him an order.
Not a suggestion.
An order.
In her own courtyard.
To the Crown Prince.
He should probably object to that. "My lady—"
"I have questions about Lord Montrose," Lynara continued, cutting him off with the same practical tone. "I'd prefer answers that make sense. That requires sleep."
She gestured toward Bernard.
“Bernard, please see that His Highness and his men have food, hot water, and proper beds waiting in their rooms. Nothing else until tomorrow.”
Bernard bowed at once. "Of course, my lady."
Valerius stared at her.
She had just... dismissed him.
Politely.
Respectfully.
But completely.
Leon cleared his throat softly. "Your Highness, she's not wrong."
Edric, traitor that he was, said nothing.
Which was an agreement by omission.
Valerius looked at his men.
They were exhausted.
He could see it now, watching them try to maintain professional posture while their bodies clearly wanted nothing more than to stop moving for twelve consecutive hours.
He looked back at Lynara.
She was still watching him with that same calm, practical expression.
Not challenging.
Not defiant.
Just... decided.
And the truly dangerous part was that she was right.
He was exhausted.
They all were.
He had been prepared to push through it—had pushed through worse during campaigns—but now that someone had actually said it aloud, had made the decision for him, the full weight of the past two weeks settled over him like a physical thing.
Food sounded good.
A shower sounded better.
Sleep sounded miraculous.
Valerius exhaled slowly. "Very well."
Lynara's expression didn't change, but something in her eyes suggested satisfaction. "Good."
The household mobilized with impressive efficiency.
Servants appeared from various doorways, already carrying linens and hot water crystals. The stable hands led the horses away toward rest and feed. One of the kitchen staff hurried past with the determined expression of someone about to prepare food for nine starving men.
Lynara looked at Valerius one more time.
"Tomorrow morning," she said. "After breakfast. We'll discuss everything then."
It was still an order.
Valerius found he did not particularly mind.
"Tomorrow morning," he agreed.
She nodded once, then turned toward the entrance. “Bernard will show you back to your rooms.”
Bernard appeared at his elbow with perfect timing. "This way, Your Highness."
Valerius followed.
Leon fell into step beside him. Edric brought up the rear with the guards.
As they entered the estate, Valerius caught Leon's expression.
There was something in it that looked suspiciously like amusement.
"Don't," Valerius said quietly.
“I said nothing, Your Highness.”
“You’re thinking it.”
“I am thinking,” Leon said with perfect neutrality, “that Lady Lynara is very practical.”
From behind them, Edric said, “She just ordered the Crown Prince to bed like a tired child.”
“She ordered the Crown Prince to rest before conducting important business,” Leon corrected. “Which is sensible.”
“Also probably the first time anyone’s actually stopped you from working yourself into the ground,” Edric said.
Valerius did not dignify that with a response.
Mostly because it was true.
Bernard led them through familiar corridors. The estate was still heavily secured—guards positioned at strategic points, patrols visible through windows, the same disciplined presence that had been in place when he left.
Good.
Montrose was captured, but the conspiracy was larger. One archmage had escaped. The broader corruption network remained. Until Valerius knew for certain the threat had passed, the security stayed exactly as it was.
He would not risk her safety on assumptions.
Bernard stopped at a familiar door and opened it. "I'll have new hot water crystals prepared for your shower immediately, Your Highness. The meal should arrive within the quarter hour."
Valerius stepped inside.
His room. The same one he had occupied for the past three weeks. Clean. Comfortable. Exactly as he had left it, though someone had clearly aired it and changed the linens during his absence.
"Thank you, Bernard."
Bernard bowed. “Sir Leon’s and Sir Edric’s rooms have been kept ready. The guards’ quarters as well. If you need anything, simply ring.”
He withdrew quietly.
The door closed.
Silence fell.
Valerius stood in the middle of the room for one long moment, feeling the exhaustion settle deeper now that he had finally stopped moving.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow he would review the interrogation results, give Lynara the full report, and plan the next steps.
Tonight...
Tonight he would eat. Shower. Sleep.
In that order.
Because Lynara had been right.
He was useless like this.
And as much as he wanted to object to being managed by the governor's daughter in his own investigation...
He was also deeply, unexpectedly grateful that someone had simply made the decision for him.
Valerius removed his sword belt and set it carefully on the desk.
Then he sat down in one of the chairs to wait for the food and for the shower to be prepared.
And for the first time in two weeks, allowed himself to simply... stop.