As Shae stood outside the large ornate door to the High Council's chambers the following day, she realised she had not visited the room since the day her father brought her there for her engagement to Felix. It had been such a strange feeling to be hauled inside a room and inspected by twelve men of varying ages as if she was no more than a prize horse to be approved for breeding. The only person in the room that day who had treated her like a person was Felix. The only one who had cared about what she wanted.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed the heavy door open and stepped inside. To her relief, the council members had not arrived yet, and the only people inside were Felix and Castel. Seeing the King's Guard safely back sent a rush of relief through her, and without thinking, she hurried across the room to throw her arms around the knight. He took a startled step backwards, surprised by her show of affection, but his arms soon came up to reciprocate the embrace.

"I am so happy to see you safe," she said, her words muffled by the cloak fastened to his armour.

"Your Majesty." Castel's voice was soft, even as he remained steadfastly deferent to her higher position. "Thank you for your concern. I was relieved to learn of the safe return of you and the High King. I worried about you travelling alone without protection."

Taking a step back, she looked at the knight. He was a handsome sight in his King's Guard armour, polished to the point it glinted like silver, and a royal green cloak flowing down the back. His dark hair was slightly curly, usually kept short, and his eyes a warm brown.

"Oh, you're hurt!" She reached up to gingerly touch the gash dissecting one of his dark eyebrows.

He winced but didn't move away. "It's only a scratch. You need not worry about me, Your Majesty."

A noise from behind them made her drop her hand. Felix had quietly moved away to give them some privacy but was now staring at them, an unreadable look on his face. Had the members of the council not arrived right then, she would have asked him about it. Instead, she hung back as the men gathered around the large table that dominated the room, with Felix standing at the head.

She'd seen the council members around the castle and during functions through the years, but this was the first time she saw them all gathered like they had been when she first met them. At least today they barely registered her presence, much unlike their previous meeting when they had argued over whether she was the best match for the High King, or whether a princess from their own kingdom would be better suited. It had been humiliating. That her father had secured the match had been an accomplishment he was still proud of. There was glory in supplying the future High Queen of Erya.

"Council members." Felix's voice brought her back from her memories as he addressed the men in the room. "Today we are to hear reports from Sir Castel of the King's Guard and Spymaster Boreas. Commander Gawain is present as he needs to hear these reports as well. I have also invited Grand Sorcerer Arawn, as I thought he might have some insights."

There was a general murmur of agreement from the twelve council members.

"Sir Castel," Felix continued. "What can you tell us about the attack on our procession in Adreas?"

The knight stood from his seat at the bottom of the table, his gaze sweeping over the gathered men. Shae wondered if he was nervous. She certainly would have been. But maybe he was more accustomed to addressing a room full of men. Maybe if they allowed women on the council, their constant bickering that Felix complained about would cease. When Castel's eyes met hers for a moment, she gave him an encouraging smile. He gave her a barely perceptible nod before turning to address Felix at the head of the table.

"Your Majesty." He bowed. "We are certain it was a planned attack. Not only were they lying in wait for us, but they were much too organised and too many to be regular highwaymen. After Your Majesties escaped, we managed to fight them off and the remaining attackers retreated when they realised you had left. As we had sustained heavy losses, we decided not to pursue them but to return to Messina."

"A wise decision," Felix said. "How many men were lost?"

"We left Messina with a contingent of thirty soldiers." Castel rubbed the back of his neck with a hand and sighed. "We returned with just over a dozen. The attackers had greater numbers and knew the terrain better."

Hovering at the back of the room, Shae fought back a wave of grief for the men lost. She only knew the King's Guards by name, but the soldiers mattered equally. It was the first time they had lost anyone in battle since they took Messina back from the Dark Disciple, and it brought back all the memories of those dark days.

"We've lost a lot of good men. I would like a list of their names later so I can send notes to their families," Felix said. "Please make sure arrangements are made for their next of kin."

Castel nodded. "Commander Gawain and I will do that."

The knight sat back down, and Spymaster Boreas stood, nodding towards Felix. He was younger than one would have expected of a man in his position, just like Castel. Too many good men had been lost when the Dark Disciple first attacked the city, and their positions had needed filling once the city was freed and Felix crowned High King.

"As per your request when you first returned, I have sent agents to listen out for mentions of the attack or any information on who planned it," Boreas said, his voice a surprisingly dark baritone for a man of his small stature. "Some of the messages I have received back have been concerning."

"Concerning how?" The question came from one of the council members. An older man from the kingdom of Forturos. "I beg you, no more talk of this Son of Deva."

A chill travelled down Shae's spine at the mention of the Dark Disciple by name, and she rubbed her arms, trying to expel the cold settling into her bones.

Boreas's eyes bore into the older man. "You may not believe the reports, Emissary Goel, but I assure you we do not make it up. There is a man beyond our borders in the Dreadlands who claims to be the Son of Deva."

"Do we believe him?" Felix asked as he stood. "Is he actually the son of the Dark Disciple? Is such a thing even possible? Deva was a sorcerer before he swore his allegiance to the Dark God, and the sorcerers cannot have children."

It surprised Shae when he came over to her at the back of the room, took her arm and led her back to the table and sat her down on his seat. She wanted to argue, as that left him standing with no spare chairs in the room, but she remained silent as they were still in the middle of a discussion.

Felix remained next to her, his hand resting gently on her shoulder as he turned his head to an older man with a shock of white hair and a short beard of the same colour. "Grand Sorcerer? Could this man actually be Deva's son?"

The old man rubbed his bearded chin thoughtfully for a moment. "Sorcerers not having children is more of a rule than a physical restraint," he admitted. "We have ways to prevent it, but it is not impossible that something could have circumvented it, or that the method failed. It is not entirely unheard of."

"Great," Felix muttered. "So he might actually be Deva's son. Is magic inherited? Is he a magic user?"

"It is not always inherited, and he has obviously not trained with us at Highglaive," Arawn said. "But the possibility that he is magically gifted is real and something to be considered. If he is truly the Son of Deva."

"Until now it has all been rumours and whispers in the dark," Felix said thoughtfully as his hand gently squeezed Shae's shoulder. "Son of Deva has remained in the Dreadlands and as far as we've been able to tell, has made no move to venture south. Boreas, are you saying that the new reports claim he has made a move?"

"In a sense," Boreas said. "We believe Son of Deva himself is still in the Dreadlands. But from what we are hearing, he planned this attack. Why, we do not know yet. Lately, his follower number has increased markedly, and not only from the beasts and monsters left behind after Deva's attacks but by humans unhappy with the state of Erya."

"You mean people who did not agree with my ascension," Felix remarked dryly, to which the Spymaster nodded.

Everyone in the council chamber was silent for a moment as they contemplated the gravity of the situation. If there truly was a son of the Dark Disciple, what did that mean for the world? What did he want? Shae wasn't sure she wanted to know. Throwing a glance out the window, she saw the eerie glow of the crystal inside which they had trapped Deva—spellbound by Sorcerer Isobel, with the help of Goddess Dhim. It hovered over Highglaive, the tower of the sorcerers.

"Do we know what he wants?" She had voiced the question aloud without realising.

"Not for certain." Boreas nodded towards her in greeting. "But my money is on him wanting to free his alleged father from that crystal so they can finish what Deva started and free the Dark God from the Nether Realm."

A distressed murmur spread across the room as everyone's eyes strayed to the glowing crystal. No one could ever forget the unease that had plagued Erya in the ten years leading up to Deva's attack on Messina, or the even worse years of his occupation of the city. They were dark years of their history that no one wanted to dwell on for too long.

"Why didn't we just kill him when we had the chance?" the emissary from Goethe complained.

Grand Sorcerer Arawn stood, his bushy, white brows drawn. "Because," he said coldly, "Deva shares a connection to the Dark God that we do not fully understand. Somehow, from his banishment in the Nether Realm, the Dark God found a way to create small rifts in the veil between worlds. It is how he fed his beasts and monsters back into our world to assist Deva. Because we do not fully understand how their connection works, we did not dare to kill him for fear it would somehow create a rift large enough to allow the Dark God to escape."

The Goethe emissary looked suitably chastened by the Grand Sorcerer's words.

Another man, a middle-aged emissary from the kingdom of Ler by the name of Askar, threw another look out the window towards the crystal and shuddered. "Did we have to leave him here in Messina? I would feel safer if I did not constantly have to look at his prison."

"Messina, and specifically, the site of the sorcerers' tower—Highglaive—is the most significant magical location in the world," Arawn said. "This is where the great Battle of the Gods took place at the start of the First Age, and remnants of their magic still linger. The first sorcerers were created here, their powers bestowed by the Gods. The lingering magic of the Gods strengthens his prison. Moving it could prove disastrous."

Shae turned her head to glance at Felix. The sorcerers were notoriously tight-lipped about these things, and Arawn had just explained more than he ever had. At least that she had ever heard. Felix didn't look surprised. If anything, he looked determined with his lips pressed together in a thin line. The council members, however, appeared to share her surprise as they shifted uncomfortably in their chairs under the powerful sorcerer's stare. The very fact that he had shared as much as he had left Shae with a bitter taste in her mouth. He would only do so if he truly thought it was important.

Leaning forward towards his hands resting on the table, Spymaster Boreas looked at the old man. "So if we assume that this Son of Deva is who he claims... Would he be able to free the Dark Disciple from his prison?"

"Breaking the spell on that crystal is no easy feat. He was spellbound not only by a highly skilled sorceress but with the help of an actual goddess." Sitting back down, Arawn stroked his chin through the beard again as he considered the question. "It would take someone of immense power to undo the binding."

"But how would one go about it? Could this Son of Deva do it?" Boreas pushed, earning him an annoyed glance.

"You must understand," Arawn said slowly as if speaking to someone dull, "this is magic we do not quite understand. A goddess created the spell and there is too much we do not know of this spellbind, this prison, for us to speak in any absolutes. We don't know exactly what it would take to break it."

"If this man is Deva's son, we don't know what power he has," Felix said. "Deva was powerful enough to take Highglaive, killing and capturing most sorcerers. Granted, he had an army at his back, but that is still not someone whose son I would care to underestimate."

Arawn nodded, the memory of his fallen comrades deepening the etched lines of his face. "I agree," he said grimly. "Deva surprised us all. After killing the previous High King, he fled into the Dreadlands where he amassed a massive army. None of us realised until it was too late and they marched on Messina."

Shae looked down at her hands in her lap. The horde. It was the nickname given to the Dark Disciple's army. A horde of humans and monsters alike. All the creatures created by the Dark God which had made their way back through the veil. There had been attacks through the years, but they had been random and rare, and everyone had chalked it up to the few beasts left in the world after the Dark God was banished. Until they had come marching out of the Dreadlands in such numbers that the path they had taken to Messina could still be seen to this day; everything they had passed trampled into the dirt.

"What can we do to avoid that?" Felix ran a hand through his hair. "If the Son of Deva is in the Dreadlands, the chances are he's trying to follow in his father's footsteps. Boreas, can we send agents to survey the area? It would be good to know what he is up to if we can."

"I will send some today."

Felix's hand was still on Shae's shoulder, and his thumb caressed her skin next to the neckline of her dress. For once, she didn't mind. With the distasteful topic, the simple touch helped her remain grounded in the present and not dwell on the past.

"What is the best course of action here?" he asked the men gathered at the table. No one answered as they all looked between each other warily.

Shae cleared her throat, making Felix look down at her. Would he allow her to give a suggestion? Her father had indulged her enough to allow her to learn archery, but his lenience had stopped there. He would never have thought to allow her—or any woman—a voice at his war table.

"Yes?" he prompted when she said nothing, his voice surprisingly soft.

"We... We should establish a presence by the border to the Dreadlands," she said, her voice growing more confident as she caught his small nod of approval. "We are fortunate that there is a mountain range dividing the Dreadlands from the kingdoms below, and I believe the only viable route for anything larger than a handful of travellers is a mountain pass in the Kingdom of Ler."

"Absolutely. There is a mountain pass in Ler that we must guard going forward." His quick acceptance made her wonder if he had only pretended not to know the next step. Did he dumb himself down in front of his advisers? Or was he simply trying to get them to contribute?

"If memory serves, there is an old fortress by that mountain pass." Commander Gawain, the leader of Felix's forces, stood. He was a large, older man with red hair slightly faded by time. "It has not been used for generations and has fallen into disrepair, but if we send a contingent there, I'm sure we can restore it enough to use it. We should probably ask permission from the King of Ler to do so before we send military to a location in his lands."

Felix smiled wryly. "Considering that it's my father, I think we can assume that he will grant the permission. However, I will send the message to formally request it. Let us send a small contingent ahead to begin preparations. Spymaster, would you care to join them? It might make a better base for excursions into the Dreadlands."

"Glad to." Boreas tapped his fingertips together as his eyes glinted with interest at the idea.

An uneasy feeling settled between Shae's shoulder blades and she rolled her shoulders, trying to ease it. The possibility that their world might yet again be threatened by a zealot intent on freeing the Dark God was not one that sat well with her. She did not want to return to how things had been only a few years ago. The Dark Disciple's goal may have been to free the Dark God, but his followers had been equally happy with mindless killing and destruction. Why else would they have strayed further than Messina after they had captured it? Her kingdom should have been safe, and yet they had been attacked in the most brutal way possible.

With a quick look towards her, Felix cleared his throat. "Gentlemen, please excuse me for a moment."

Taking her hand, he guided her out of the room and closed the door behind them. "I beg your pardon," he said. "But you seemed uncomfortable in there. Are you all right?"

"I am, thank you. It's just..." She rolled her shoulders again, but the uneasy feeling refused to disappear. "I don't know. It might be all this talk of the Dark Disciple and his supposed son."

Felix reached out and rubbed her upper arm, warmth spreading from his touch. "You're welcome to stay if you wish," he said. "But if you would like to leave, I fully understand. I doubt anything we say from now on will be of interest. It will all be boring details like which soldiers to send. You probably have something better to do with your time than listen to a bunch of men strategising. In fact, it sounds dreadful... Maybe I'll come with you."

She smiled, his humour helping her relax slightly. "Thank you. I think I will take my leave."

"Are you sure? You are more than welcome to stay as well." He nodded towards the closed door. "Honestly, your input has been more valuable than most of theirs so far."

"I will go see Mio." Maybe some toddler cuddles before bed would help expel the chill that had settled in her bones during the meeting. "Thank you for inviting me. I appreciate being included."

"As my wife, sadly any threat to me is a threat to you." He made a wry face. "It's only fair that you should be made aware. But I must return to the council meeting. Give our son a hug from me, please?"

She smiled. "I will."

With a quick nod and a brief smile, Felix went back inside, leaving her alone in the hallway. Having told her ladies-in-waiting that she would meet them in the parlour when she finished, she made her way towards Mio's chambers. She was in the quiet, empty hallway leading to the private quarters when the ominous prickle at the back of her neck started again.

Stopping to glance around, she only narrowly avoided the dagger that came flying towards her.

~~~~~~