Aldric kept his eyes on Ibonek’s face. They were of a similar height, the older man’s face slightly wrinkled beneath that trimmed silver beard, his flowing grey hair hanging loose to his shoulders. Ibonek kept his black eyes on Aldric’s blue. Had Aldric spent too long underground, hidden away from the world? The general stood as still as he did – a part of him wondered if he was wrong to even have suspicions of such a loyal servant of his father’s.

  This man had been with his father since before Aldric had been born, though he had been a soldier then, working his way up to his current position – General of the Armies of Rhian. Ibonek had watched him grow up. Even gave him a lesson or two with the sword. Aldric felt a little uncomfortable for whatever suspicion he had, but his eyes flickered to the drawer again. It was true this man had been loyal to his father, but Aldric wasn’t his father.

  Rhian had been lost. Partly on General Ibonek’s watch. His mind drifted to Elliott for a moment. Aldric didn’t have Elliott’s strength. He couldn’t afford to be negligently trusting. And Elliott had made it clear what would happen if he was betrayed. What had he told Aldric and Cedric?

  “That’s how you secure your future. You become as strong as you can and eliminate any who might threaten you.”

  It was true. Ibonek might be loyal to the kingdom and his father, but Aldric hadn’t seen him in over three years. Much had changed since then. It wasn’t that he should trust him. It was that Ibonek should earn that trust.

  “What’s in the drawer?” Aldric repeated, firmly. He didn’t have a weapon on him, but he had trained with Daveran and his guards in the temple. He was more than a match for an Adamantite Knight. And Ibonek wasn’t armed either. He steeled himself in case the general refused.

  Ibonek defused the tension by calmly opening the drawer and grasping a crystal orb with his right hand and a small black stand with the other. He put the stand on the writing desk, but kept hold of the crystal orb that was as wide as Ibonek’s hand as he spread out his fingers to hold it with a firm grip.

  Ibonek wiped a thumb across the orb, and grey clouds swirled across its transparent surface.

  “I was speaking with my wife,” the general said, placing the orb on its stand. “Here, see for yourself.”

  Aldric stepped closer to the writing desk, as the grey clouds swirled and began to form an image within the comoculus. Aldric placed his hand on the orb, felt the smooth edges. Most likely Atherium Crystal, or maybe Goldroth. Comoculi came in various shapes and sizes – some were auditory only, others were visual like this one – and were made with various crystals. Some could be used for many years. Others for only several messages. All were very expensive. Not available to the masses. In his own household, only the king had had a few, to speak with his generals and the high nobles in the field or on whatever mission or trade they were on. The materials for such communication devices were too rare to mass produce.

  The image within the crystal solidified into a three-dimensional head of an elderly female. Her grey hair had been put up in a bun. Dark bags sagged beneath her brown eyes, and it looked like she had been crying. Aldric didn’t recognise her, though even had he met her, he would have been very young. Ibonek had been around the palace often, but not his family.

  “Vanessa,” Ibonek said, from behind Aldric’s shoulder. “This is King Aldric. The youngest son of King Talman, and last surviving member of House Rhian.”

  Vanessa bowed inside the crystal orb. She seemed to be in some sort of farmhouse. The wall behind her was made of wooden logs strapped together and unadorned except for the edges of a blue banner with a smidgen of gold and a touch of red at the periphery of the image. “Your Majesty,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. The sound had a slight distortion to it. A lesser crystal than Atherium, then. The better quality crystal, the better the sound and image.

  Aldric felt a little sheepish. He glanced at Ibonek, with a small shake of his head. He’d been too suspicious. Too paranoid. He turned back to Vanessa.

  “I hope you’re well. I’m sorry to have interrupted your time with your husband.”

  “Not at all, Your Majesty,” Vanessa said, stifling a sniffle. “I’m grateful you’re alive. Your father was a good man to Ibonek. We can’t forget that. I am sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you for your kind words,” Aldric replied. “May I ask where you are right now?”

  “Jiaan,” Vanessa replied. “It’s a town on the southern coast of Aldren.” She wiped her eye and then offered a small smile. “About as far as I could be from the war.”

  “I managed to get her and two of my daughters to safety with the King’s help,” Ibonek said from behind him. “I was just telling her what’s happened and that I will arrange for her and my daughters to join us as soon as possible.”

  “Of course,” Aldric said, smiling at Vanessa. He turned to Ibonek. “Tell me what you need and I’ll ask King Cedric to provide it. We can have them here in a few days.”

  “Please, Your Majesty,” Vanessa said. “There’s no need to hurry. I’m sure you have greater concerns.” She smiled again, looking over Aldric’s shoulder at Ibonek. “We’ve been apart for a while now. I might even prefer it this way, so please take your time.”

  Aldric laughed. “We’ll take as much time as you want us to. Keep well. Now, I’m afraid I need to borrow your husband.”

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  “Of course, Your Majesty.” Vanessa bowed again inside the crystal. Ibonek put his hand on the orb, passing his fingers over it. The image of Vanessa, the logs and the edges of the banner behind her began to dissipate, turning into grey swirls that eventually disappeared themselves, leaving behind a clear, transparent sphere. Ibonek picked it up, along with the stand and put it back in the drawer.

  Aldric stepped back a bit, towards the heavy wooden entrance to the bedchamber.

  “Why didn’t you answer the door when I knocked?”

  As the drawer clicked shut, Ibonek looked up with a frown. “Your Majesty?”

  “You can call me Aldric when we’re alone. Why did you end your conversation so abruptly and not answer the door?”

  “I wasn’t sure who was knocking, Your M…I feel slightly embarrassed to have saved my family when so many lost theirs. Aldric,” he said, with a small tilt of his head. “I didn’t want anyone to know.” Ibonek pursed his lips.

  “Were you going to keep them hidden forever?”

  “Not forever,” Ibonek smiled as he walked across the rug towards the bed. “May I?”

  Aldric gestured his permission and Ibonek sat on the edge of the bed, elbows resting on his knees as he leaned forward. “I was going to mention it to you when the time was right, but I didn’t feel it was correct. It’s not even been a day yet since you’ve returned to us from the grave. I was going to ask Thessa for advice on how to approach you. Maybe get her to do it instead.”

  “The great general Ibonek afraid of the young king?” Aldric laughed.

  “Not afraid, Your Majesty,” Ibonek said. He met Aldric’s eyes with a slight hint of tears and there was the faintest tremble in his voice. “Ashamed. I couldn’t protect the King or your brothers.”

  The last night he had spent in the palace came to his mind unbidden. A meeting with his father in his privy chambers. His mother had died several years earlier, before the invasion. It had hit his father hard, but in some way, it had made him love Aldric more. He was the youngest child and the one that most resembled his mother. King Talman had spent more time with him than with his brothers combined, even as the war raged, keeping Aldric close to him always. He held back the tears that wanted to come as he came to terms with never seeing his father again.

  “I’m sure you did your best,” Aldric replied, keeping his voice steady. “None of this is your fault. It’s no one’s fault but my uncle’s.” That was the truth. His uncle – Talus – two years younger than his father. Emperor of Bizayn. If it weren’t for him, Aldric’s family would still be alive. It made no sense, either. Talus had power. He had the whole west of the kingdom. And he had loved his older brother. Even when he had announced the founding of the Bizayn Empire, King Talman accepted it. Had wanted to work with Talus as allies.

  Aldric looked at Ibonek, who had his head in his hands. It wasn’t the general’s fault. Bizayn had become too powerful, too quickly and with the army they had, none of the human kingdoms had the power to resist. They could make it difficult, like Rhian had – but they could not have stopped the avalanche once it began.

  “How did my family die?” Aldric asked. Rumours had reached the temple when the royal family had been killed just over a year ago. When the border of Rhian still stretched to the city of Frieven, but no details were ever shared.

  Ibonek looked up, his lips pressed together.

  “Are you sure you want to know this?”

  “I’ve had a year to come to terms with it.”

  Ibonek remained silent a moment, studying Aldric’s face before answering. “I wasn’t there. I was on the battlefield. While the Bizayn army diverted our attention, Shadows infiltrated our cities. Their top operatives. Of course, your family had been split to try and protect them. Make sure there was a succession. But the Shadows found their locations. On the same night, they infiltrated the homes that your father and your brothers were staying at. They slaughtered everyone. Soldiers. Servants. Men. Women. Children.

  “After that happened, we had no hope of holding out. From then on, it was a matter of survival.”

  Aldric nodded to himself, as he gazed upon the woven blue rug beneath his feet. It was…good…in some way, to know how his family had met their end. It provided some closure, in the absence of being able to attend their funerals. Not that there had been funerals.

  “What did they do with their bodies? I never heard about any funerals for them.”

  “I heard the bodies were transported to Talusia. Your uncle gave them a state burial, in recognition of their bond.”

  Aldric almost laughed. It was a like a bad joke. Kill his whole family, then transport them to the capital of Bizayn for a state burial. Still, at least they had been given an honourable burial. And he knew where they were now. As soon as he could, he would bring them home.

  He moved towards the door. He’d been here too long already. He was supposed to tell Ibonek the plans, but having spoken to the general’s wife, and looking at both her drained face and Ibonek’s weary one, now wasn’t the time.

  And there was still a nagging doubt in his gut. A small voice telling him not to. Not yet, anyway. Although the Bizayn Empire was powerful, he doubted they could have found all of his family without some help from within the kingdom. It’s why the only people that knew about his ‘death’ were his four guards. Everyone else thought it was real. His father had known there were spies among them. He glanced at Ibonek again. The man had spent a decade fighting for his father. And there was another fight coming. He was still going to have to earn Aldric’s trust.

  But that meant leaving Thessa in charge. Thessa was his aunt, but how far could he trust her too? She and Clarissa knew the plans. He almost thought – and they are family. Then he remembered Talus. Family might be worse. He still needed their help though.

  “I’m going with Elliott to the dungeon. I’m going to put Thessa in charge here.”

  “Thessa?” Ibonek frowned. “Are you demoting me, Your Majesty?”

  “No,” Aldric said. “You remain a general. Elliott has bought us a year, we hope. We’ll re-establish our kingdom.”

  “What are your plans?”

  “We’re still working on it. But I don’t want you to worry about it yet. I’m giving you time off. Go and be with your wife. Speak to King Cedric – tell him I sent you. He will give you what you need. Once I’m back from the dungeon, and your family are with you, we’ll talk then.”

  “Aldric,” Ibonek said, using his name like he asked. “I don’t need time off.”

  “Everyone needs time off,” Aldric replied. “It’s been a hard war. But we have an opportunity to rebuild. I need everyone to be rested and ready. You served my father well. Now, I need you to serve me.”

  Aldric stepped out of the room, closing the heavy wooden door behind him and walked a few steps away from the room. The corridor was empty and silent, sunlight streaming across the floor from the windows to his left. He stumbled as images of his family whirled through his mind. His brothers. His father. All dead. All gone. His nephews and nieces. He’d never get the chance to be an uncle. He put a hand out, fingers splayed across the velvet that covered the stone walls. He steadied himself. A drop of water fell to the floor. From his eyes.

  Tears.

  Tears for a family he would never see again.

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