For a palace, this was the worst room in it. Too small, too cramped. From wall to wall, it seemed spacious enough, but security made it feel otherwise. It had no windows, just thick stone and a single reinforced door. The air was heavy, stale, like it had been trapped for too long.

  The space wouldn’t have been so bad if not for the company. A handful of old soldiers filled the room. They rarely saw battle anymore, and time had softened them. Their once-hard bodies had turned thick, their armor replaced with embroidered tunics that barely fit. Worse than their size was the stench of sweat, old leather, and wine thick in the air.

  There were two exceptions.

  The first was my father, the King. Older than any man here, yet looking younger than me. The second was his two guards. Beautiful, tall, and deadly. They stood behind him, silent and still, and were often forgotten, but never by me.

  At the table, the oldest soldier jabbed a finger at the massive map spread out before him. Eight marks stood out. Two were trees. Six were cities. His voice cut through the thick air.

  “We have multiple reports that Fury is massing his troops on his northern border.”

  This caused the two guards at the door to shift uncomfortably. I doubted anyone else noticed, but since we were related, I always kept one eye on them.

  “There is nothing in the northern forest that Fury could want,” a seated general stated as if it were fact.

  Correcting him, I gestured to the tree on the map. “There is one thing of importance up there.”

  The man barely glanced at it before replying, “Princess Sidera, we have been very careful to ensure no region learns about the trees. Even if someone did, I doubt it would be Fury. He is one of the furthest from this location and isn’t known for his intelligence.”

  I smiled. “I partially agree, but learning the location wouldn’t have to come from us. The Nymphs could have told someone, or a traveler might have passed through their territory and lived to speak of it.”

  “Even so, what would his goal be? He risks banishment or execution.”

  “There is only one reason I can see,” I said, gesturing to the king. “He’s trying to shorten my father’s life and weaken his protection.”

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  The general scoffed. He didn’t like being questioned and seemed determined to prove me wrong. “That wouldn’t even accomplish that goal.”

  “But does he know that?” I asked. “If his information came from the north, he may have simply put two and two together, figuring out why our king lives so long but drawing the wrong conclusion.”

  The Spymaster finally spoke up. He spoke so rarely that I had forgotten he was even here. “One of my assets has given me seemingly unrelated news. He reported that large sums of money were moving through the Kudo, and that many of their members from this city were heading north.”

  The general I had been arguing with frowned. “We are on the opposite side of the continent. Even if both forces are moving north, they would not meet each other.”

  Unfortunately, I had to agree with the old man. Even if Fury had contracted the criminal mercenaries, they were too far away to make a difference. Still, clearing out criminals from this city would help with what my father had been trying to accomplish here. As far as I was concerned, we shouldn’t be handling them so softly.

  Soft-spoken as ever, the Spymaster replied, “I don’t believe any of us think those forces will meet over such a large distance. I am merely noting that pieces are being moved north, and the same purpose might drive them."

  Whatever the purpose was, we didn’t find out. The door banged open, the sound echoing off the stone walls. Before the intruder even registered what had happened, the two towering female guards had arrows pointed at his temples.

  He didn’t flinch. He didn’t beg. Instead, he dropped to his knees, head bowed in supplication.

  The outer guards shut the doors again, sealing the room in tense silence. The standing general scowled. “This is a war council meeting. Explain yourself.”

  “My king!” The messenger’s voice was urgent, breathless. “I bring a message that couldn't wait. There’s an outbreak of undead in the crafting district.”

  My father, silent until now, stood from his chair. He moved so fast that every eye in the room snapped to him.

  “Close the district down. Station every available guard at the entrances. Anyone we let out is to be fully checked.”

  “But sir…” the general started.

  The king cut him off. “Now! Deliver the message.”

  The messenger didn’t hesitate. He rose to his feet, despite the arrows still trained on him, opened the door, and disappeared.

  “Sir,” the general tried again. “I doubt it could be that bad. We should send the soldiers in to handle the problem.”

  Ignoring him completely, my father turned to me. “Daughters! I will need all of you. Yes, you too, Sidera.” His gaze locked onto mine. “Get armored and prepare to join me. We are going to solve this issue once and for all.”

  The room fell silent. It wasn’t just me who was stunned. Kings and princesses didn’t march into battle, not in an uncontrolled environment. That was what soldiers were for. Even our personal guard existed to protect the royal family, not fight on the front lines. That was part of their treaty.

  “Sir, I know you are powerful in Death Magic, but let us handle this,” the general pressed. “If you believe it’s a real threat, I will lead the group myself.”

  The king declared, “No, I need you to prepare for a full invasion. My group will try to stop it at its source.”