Chapter 124: A general meeting
"My Lord. You called, and I came."
"Rise."
She stood, her red eyes already scanning Kai’s expression for any hint of what this was about.
Behind her, Sanovere entered through the side corridor, his hands clasped behind his back.
Carlotta noticed him immediately. Her eyes narrowed, just a fraction.
"You are sending me somewhere," she said. It was not a question.
"I am sending you back to Throneguard."
The reaction was immediate. Her shoulders straightened. Her chin lifted. And the faintest trace of satisfaction crossed her features before she suppressed it.
"The King has requested an audience," Kai continued. "The Nexus Empire has issued a formal declaration of territorial reclamation over the southeastern provinces of Traona, including the Jaun Land. Desmond wants to discuss a joint response."
Carlotta’s eyes widened slightly.
"They made their move."
"They did. And faster than I anticipated."
Kai leaned back in the throne.
"You will represent me, as before. The terms are simple. Listen to what Desmond has to say. Assess how desperate he truly is. And do not commit to anything without consulting me first through the communication crystal."
"Understood, my Lord."
"There is one addition this time."
He gestured toward Sanovere.
"He will be accompanying you."
Carlotta turned to look at the vampire. For a moment, something unreadable passed across her face. It was not hostility, not exactly. It was closer to the expression of someone who had been doing a job perfectly well on their own and was now being told they needed a chaperone.
"May I ask why?" she said, her voice carefully neutral.
"Because this is no longer a simple negotiation, Carlotta. The political situation inside Traona’s court has changed. The princess has been consolidating influence. The prince has gone suspiciously silent. And I need eyes that can see what the diplomats are not showing us."
He looked at Sanovere.
"Carlotta talks. You watch. That is the arrangement."
Sanovere offered a polite bow.
"I assure you, Lady Carlotta, I have no intention of stepping on your stage. My talents lie in the shadows, not under the spotlight."
Carlotta studied him for a moment, then turned back to Kai.
"As long as he does not interfere with my conversations with the King, I have no objections."
"He will not."
"Then I accept. When do we leave?"
"Before sundown."
Carlotta’s expression shifted. The professional diplomat receded, and for just a moment, the lovesick witch peeked through.
"My Lord, the last time I went to Throneguard, you promised me a reward upon my return. I fulfilled my duty flawlessly, and you honored that promise."
She tilted her head, her red eyes gleaming.
"If I perform equally well this time, may I expect the same?"
Kai stared at her.
’Here we go.’
"We will discuss that when you return."
"That is not a no."
"It is not a yes either. Now go prepare."
Carlotta rose to her feet, and the smile she wore as she turned toward the exit was the kind of smile that made Sanovere raise an eyebrow and Kai question every decision he had made in the last thirty seconds.
"I will not disappoint you, my Lord. Not now. Not ever."
She swept out of the room, her black hair trailing behind her like a banner.
Sanovere watched her go, then turned to Kai.
"She is remarkably motivated."
"She is remarkably dangerous. That is why I am sending her."
"And me?"
"You are remarkably observant. That is why I am sending you."
Sanovere chuckled softly.
"A flattering assignment, my Lord. I will ensure that no detail escapes my notice."
"See that it does not. The prince is our primary concern, but do not ignore the princess. She has been watching her brother for weeks. If she has found something, I want to know what it is before she decides what to do with it."
"You wish me to make contact with the princess?"
"No. I wish you to observe her the way you observe everyone else. If she is building a case against Aldren, she will leave breadcrumbs. Find them."
Sanovere bowed once more.
"Consider it done."
He turned to leave, then paused at the doorway.
"My Lord. One final question."
"Speak."
"If I uncover definitive proof that Prince Aldren is collaborating with the Nexus Empire, what would you have me do?"
Kai’s golden eyes burned in the dim light of the Throne Room.
"Nothing. Bring the proof to me. What happens to the prince is not your decision to make."
A beat of silence.
"It is mine."
Sanovere’s smile returned, wider than before.
"Understood, my Lord."
The doors closed behind him.
Kai sat alone in the Throne Room, the weight of the declaration pressing against his thoughts like a stone on his chest.
’The Nexus Empire is making its move. Desmond is panicking. Aldren is a traitor. The princess is suspicious. And somewhere to the north, General Harken is waiting for the perfect moment to march eight thousand soldiers into my territory.’
He closed his eyes.
’I built Valdris from nothing. I carved a kingdom out of wilderness and filled it with monsters who would rather die than see it fall. I tamed dragons. I broke armies. I turned a dungeon into a nation.’
His fingers curled around the armrests of the obsidian throne.
’And now some empire thinks they can write a letter and take it from me.’
He opened his eyes.
’Let them come to the table. Let them come with their demands and their armies and their chained dragon.’
The corner of his mouth curved upward behind the dark mist of his form.
’They have not seen what I am willing to do to keep what is mine.’
...
Three hours later, Carlotta and Sanovere departed Valdris through the eastern gate.
Carlotta rode in the same skull-shaped carriage that Teriam had built for her first visit to Throneguard. She had insisted on it, claiming it sent the right message. Sanovere had not argued, though he privately found the horns on the roof to be a touch dramatic.
He rode alongside the carriage on a dark horse that one of his vampire scouts had procured from a border town. His attire was impeccable, as always, a fitted black coat, white gloves, and a red cravat that matched the cape draped over his left shoulder. He looked less like a spymaster and more like a nobleman out for an evening ride.
That, of course, was the point.
Inside the carriage, Carlotta sat with her legs crossed and her arms folded, reviewing the mental notes she had compiled from Kai’s briefing.
’The Nexus Empire has issued a territorial reclamation demand. Not a declaration of war. A political move designed to justify military action without triggering the continental treaties. Desmond is frightened, which means his negotiating position is weaker than it was during our first meeting. The princess has gained influence. The prince has gone quiet.’
She tapped her finger against her knee.
’Lord Kai wants me to assess Desmond’s desperation. He wants to know exactly how much Traona needs us, so that when he decides how much to give, he gives precisely enough and not a drop more.’
A smile crossed her face.
’My Lord is brilliant. He always was. Even when he pretends not to be.’
She looked out the window at the passing treeline.
’But he also wants Sanovere to find proof of the prince’s betrayal. That changes the nature of this mission entirely. I am not just a diplomat this time. I am a distraction.’
Her smile widened.
’Good. I am excellent at being distracting.’
...
Meanwhile, in the Royal Capital of Throneguard, the atmosphere had shifted.
The streets that had once buzzed with casual commerce and idle chatter were now threaded with tension. Soldiers patrolled in larger formations than usual. Merchants whispered to each other behind their stalls, their eyes darting toward the palace every few minutes as though expecting an announcement.
The news of the Nexus Empire’s declaration had not been made public, not officially. But in a city built on trade and gossip, secrets had a half-life shorter than a candle in a storm.
Everyone knew something was wrong.
Inside the palace, King Desmond Altair the Third stood in the Hall of Crowns, his hands braced against the curved table, staring at a map of his kingdom that suddenly looked much smaller than it had a week ago.
The declaration sat on the table before him, its language precise and cold. A masterwork of political violence disguised as administrative procedure. Every sentence was crafted to leave Traona with only two options: surrender the southeastern provinces, including the Jaun Land, or face the consequences.
The Nexus Empire had not specified what those consequences would be. They did not need to. The eight thousand soldiers gathering at the border said everything the document did not.
Desmond lifted his head and looked at his daughter, who sat at the far end of the table, her posture straight and her expression composed.
The princess had been the first person he had summoned after reading the declaration. Not the Dukes. Not the military council. His daughter.
That alone said something about how much the balance of power had shifted inside the court.
"You have read it?" Desmond asked.
"Twice," the princess replied. "It is designed to give us no room to negotiate. The language references historical land treaties from before the kingdom’s founding, treaties that the Empire has never enforced because they were never meant to be enforced. They are pulling legal arguments from archives that no one has read in centuries, specifically to create a paper trail that makes their invasion look legitimate."
Desmond nodded slowly.
"And the Jaun Land?"
"Specifically named. Paragraph four refers to it as unclaimed imperial territory currently occupied by a hostile non-state entity. They are not just coming for our provinces, Father. They are coming for the Nameless Dungeon."
A long silence settled over the room.
Desmond looked at the empty chair where his son usually sat.
It was still empty.
"Where is your brother?"
The princess’s expression did not change, but something tightened behind her eyes.
"He declined the summons. He sent word through his attendant that he was indisposed."
"Indisposed."
"That is what the attendant said."
Desmond stared at the empty chair for a long moment. Then he looked away.
"I have sent word to the Shadow of Victims. If anyone has the strength to change the calculation the Empire is making, it is him."
The princess folded her hands on the table.
"And if he does not come?"
"Then we will speak to whoever he sends. The witch was effective last time. She was rude, blunt, and entirely lacking in diplomatic grace, but she was effective."
"She was more than effective, Father. She was right."
Desmond looked at his daughter.
"About the Empire. About their intentions. About our vulnerability," the princess continued. "Everything she said in that room has come to pass exactly as she described. The Empire was preparing for war. They did possess the artifacts she mentioned. And we did not stand a chance on our own."
She paused.
"Which means the Shadow of Victims has intelligence that our own networks failed to produce. That makes him either the most valuable ally we could have, or the most dangerous enemy we could make."
Desmond sat down slowly.
"You sound as though you have already decided which one he is."
"I have decided that we do not have the luxury of treating him as anything other than essential. Not anymore."
The King studied his daughter’s face. She had grown into her role faster than he had expected. Where Aldren saw the sovereignty agreement as a humiliation, she had seen it for what it was: survival. And while her brother had spent the weeks since the agreement nursing his wounded pride, she had been quietly expanding her influence within the court, building relationships with the Dukes, reviewing intelligence reports, and positioning herself as the voice of pragmatism in a palace full of people who still thought pride was a viable strategy.
Desmond had noticed.
He had also noticed that Aldren had not.
"The envoy from the Nameless Dungeon should arrive within two days," Desmond said. "I want you present for the meeting."
"I intend to be."
"And your brother?"
The princess hesitated. It was brief, barely a flicker, but Desmond caught it.
"I will extend the invitation," she said. "Whether he accepts is his decision."
Desmond held her gaze for a moment longer, searching for something. Whatever he found, or did not find, he let the silence pass without pressing further.
"Very well. Prepare the Hall of Crowns. And inform the Royal Guard that we will be receiving guests who are not to be treated as enemies."
He paused.
"No matter how the carriage looks."
The princess allowed herself the faintest smile.
"I will make sure they are warned."
She rose from her seat, gathered the documents from the table, and walked toward the exit.
At the door, she paused.
"Father."
"Yes?"
"I reviewed the visitor logs from the past two weeks, as I mentioned I would."
Desmond’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"And?"
"Three entries were missing. Someone removed them."
The words hung in the air like smoke.
Desmond said nothing for a long time.
"Keep looking," he said quietly.
The princess nodded and left the room.
The Hall of Crowns fell silent.
Desmond sat alone at the curved table, staring at the empty chair where his son should have been sitting.
His hands were steady. His face was calm. But behind those cold, calculating eyes, the gears were turning faster than they had in months.
’My daughter is finding things I did not want her to find. My son is hiding things I cannot afford to ignore. The Empire is at my gates. And the only ally I have is a monster who could destroy my kingdom as easily as he could save it.’
He closed his eyes.
’I should have listened to the witch the first time. She told me this was coming. She told me we were not ready.’
He opened them again.
’She was right. We were not ready then. We are not ready now.’
His gaze drifted to the map.
’But if the Shadow of Victims keeps his word, we do not need to be ready. We just need to be useful enough that he wants to keep us alive.’
The torches in the Hall of Crowns flickered.
Outside the palace walls, the city of Throneguard held its breath.
And somewhere on the road between two nations, a skull-shaped carriage rolled steadily eastward, carrying a witch who was already rehearsing her opening line and a vampire who was already planning which shadows to disappear into first.