Chapter 55
Fifty-Five
Dirk
The mood in the room was somber and distant when Ella and I walked in, hand in hand.
Glances were given our way, heads nodded in acknowledgment, and even a soft ghost of a smile on Anna’s face from where she sat at the front.
Ella back on her feet, albeit moving slowly, was a victory, but a hollow one. There was no celebration. Not yet.
I clapped Kolar on the shoulder, stopping next to him.
He looked up. I didn’t bother with contrite words or other metaphors that the man did not want to hear at the moment.
I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to discover your best friend was a traitor.
But I wouldn’t want platitudes if it were me, so I didn’t give them.
We met stares and nodded. That was all. He knew I was there for him, if, and hopefully when, he wanted to talk. Or drink. Or whatever he felt was necessary to address the pain.
I knew what it was like to feel failure and to be unsure of how to undo a mistake that isn’t necessarily my own. When he was ready, I would be too.
On the other side of him, Milly sat in a chair, frowning to herself.
“Everyone’s here,” Caz said as Ella and I took seats. “Good. Um …”
Even the Ice Tyrant himself was stunned by the reversal.
Next to him, Anna slid a hand over his leg, finding his and locking grips. Caz glanced at his mate, who squeezed tightly and nodded, gently urging him on.
“We’re going to get it out in the open,” Caz said. “We got our teeth kicked in. Durion was a traitor. Mirko and Andrik escaped our grasp.”
Silence followed, as cold and unyielding as the ice in our veins.
“I want to make two things very clear on that front,” Casimir Dvorak IV, Tyrant of the Ice Kingdom growled, leaning forward with all the gravitas he possessed.
“We will have our revenge, in the form of ice justice. No more courts. No more procedures and laws. They will be found, and I will break their necks myself.”
A growl from everywhere and nowhere at once filled the room as the anger in all of us found a home, a place to roost and breed.
“Secondly,” Caz said, leaning back, his voice softening slightly, “is that we will do so with our brains first. We will not give in to that anger you just showed. We will not let our feelings dictate what we do. If any of you is too close to the issue to be able to accept that, I understand. But you will not be allowed to participate in what is to come.”
There was silence.
“What is to come?” I asked dutifully, though I already suspected the answer.
“War,” Florian answered, confirming my thoughts.
“We tracked them to the northern border.” The warlord’s knuckles cracked as he clenched a fist. “There they were met by Akio, and who we believe to be Volkan himself.”
I sat up straight. That was news. “Are you certain of this?”
“Not completely,” Florian admitted. “The scouts who caught sight of the meeting were driven off quickly, and the Reds worked hard to hide who was in their midst, but we think so.”
“If the Red Prince met them in person, it’s obvious Mirko has been in contact with them the entire time.
This whole scheme was sanctioned by them,” Caz said, putting into words what we were all thinking.
“There can only be one response. Whether any of us want it or not, the Elites will demand we retaliate. War is the only outcome.”
The mood in the room grew darker, if at all possible.
“War is useless,” I growled, finding Ella’s hand. “But if they won’t turn over our traitors, I see no way around it either. The Reds have been messing with us, trying to find a way to remove Caz from the throne. They must be taught a lesson, or they’ll just keep trying until they succeed.”
“I agree,” Caz said, looking troubled. “I don’t want war, but I see no other option that will dissuade them from poking around so fully in our business.
I have sent a message via Lord Elissen, the Fae whose territory borders us both.
It is addressed to King Pyrrhus III himself, demanding that the traitors be turned over to answer for their actions.
I expect him to say no or to outright ignore it, but I will not declare war without trying diplomacy first.”
We were all nodded in agreement.
“The full tally of their treason is still being discovered,” Florian said.
“But so far we have reports of over thirty palace guards who enacted some form of sabotage before fleeing as word spread. Most of it is merely cosmetic, or the loss of files, which, while irritating, is not devastating. However, one group broke into the dungeons and freed Bryna from her cell, taking her with them as they fled over the border.”
Beside Kolar, Milly hissed in fury. I couldn’t blame her, not after the suffering she’d endured at the hands of Mirko’s mate. Knowing that her torturer had escaped justice as well would be infuriating.
“She too, will answer for her crimes,” Caz assured her. “But as I said before, we will be smart about it. We will not let the fact that we are on the back foot propel us into doing something foolish.”
“At least we have some bright news,” Anna chimed in, pointing at Ella. “Ella’s dragon has come around, and they seem to be on speaking terms.”
“Working on that,” Ella said. “It’s taking time.”
“It took me time too,” Anna assured her. “But that’s two of us now, who have gone from Grounded to alpha-level for me, and who knows for you, but certainly powerful.”
“Don’t you all look at me now,” Milly said as bodies shifted. “I know what you’re all thinking. First, I have to get this collar off and deal with the effects of that.”
“Whenever you wish,” Caz spoke up. “I will gladly destroy it.”
“I’d like it now.”
Caz shook his head. “I must go and meet with the Elites from here. This afternoon. In your quarters, with your friends there to support you.”
“Done. I’m sick and tired of it, now that I’ve made the decision to go forward,” Milly said, smacking a hand on her thigh.
Nods of approval went around.
“What do we do now then?” Kolar asked, speaking up at last. “Just sit around?”
“Now we prepare for war,” Caz growled. “Florian will head to the border, get things organized, prepare defenses. The call for warriors will officially go out after the Elites vote, but word is spreading fast. Our people are already responding. Report back once things are organized and you can take over the general mobilization here.”
“On it,” Florian grunted, rising and leaving the room, his eyes already glowing with determined purpose of man and dragon in unison.
“As for the rest of you,” Caz rumbled. “Get some rest. I fear it will soon be in short supply.”