Darius exhaled slowly and shook his head, his gaze drifting out toward the darkened windows of the Keep. The long hall that had once been filled with voices and people roaming about now lay quiet. Silas stood beside him, arms crossed over his broad chest, expression unreadable.
The council chamber had been cleared some minutes ago. Ryker had given him a quiet nod on his way out. Livia had been the last to leave, pausing only to flick her brown eyes between the two men as if to remind Darius not to let Silas needle him too much. He appreciated the warning, though it wasn’t necessary.
Silas didn’t speak immediately. He never rushed into words when something real had happened. That alone told Darius just how much weight this day had carried. He had come to appreciate his council members day by day and the General Silas was one of them. He was good with what he did, yes there were a few head butting here and there between the two men but at the end of the day it was never anything detrimental.
"It is strange," Silas finally said, rubbing the bridge of his nose with one calloused hand. "All these years of keeping the gates shut, and now we are feeding maps to wolves from Dawnbreak."
Darius gave a short huff of a laugh. "We are not feeding them anything. We are merely bartering, it would have come to this eventually for all of us."
"Well that is one word for it," Silas muttered, shifting his stance. He cracked his neck lazily, like a man waiting for the ache in his bones to pass. "Still. I will admit, I thought they would be colder. Riven at least knows how to talk without foaming at the mouth."
"That’s generous coming from you," Darius retorted.
"I am practically dripping with generosity." Silas grinned, the expression crooked and dry. " But do not mistake me. I do not trust him, and I will not pretend he did not try to bait you with that little history lesson of his. But you handled it, gracefully if I might add." Latest content published on novel(ꜰ)ire.net
Darius’s brow lifted. "Was that a compliment?"
"I would not get used to it if I were you."
They stood in silence for a few beats, the air between them easy in the way that came from long service and longer grudges.
Eventually, Silas shifted again, his tone taking on a more casual edge. "Now then, about our little illusion."
Darius’s eyes narrowed. "What about it?"
"Just that I will be holding off on bringing Charlotte in, for now. Your speech did more than turn a few ears. It threw off the pacing a whole lot and I will not be able to ignore that."
Darius said nothing at first. Silas was talking about the cover story, the careful performance they’d been building to sell Serena’s presence. Charlotte, though that wasn’t her real name—was supposed to be a sort of decoy envoy from Crimsonclaw. Just convincing enough to distract from the fact that Serena was not a true ambassador in the room. If anyone from Dawnbreak tried to dig too deep, they’d find a polished, well-placed figure with all the right answers and a friendly connection to Darius to boot and it helped that no one of note could recognise Charlotte.
It was a clever and effective stragy but it also carried risks.
"She will be needed unless Dawnbreak starts sniffing where they should not," Silas added. "And after the way you handled yourself today? I doubt they will be brave enough to question you too closely."
Darius nodded slowly. "It is not just about looking confident."
"No," Silas agreed, shrugging. "It is about making them hesitate and you did just that."
He paused, then glanced sideways at Darius with a sly glint in his eye. "Still, you will have let me know if your Crimsonclaw shadow starts slipping up, will you not?"
Darius’s jaw tensed. He did not rise to the bait. He had already warned Silas, sharply that any slights against Serena would be dealt with. Silas might be stubborn, but he was not a stupid man. This was as far as he would go tonight.
"She will not," Darius said coolly.
Silas raised both hands in mock surrender. "I did not say she would."
A long pause followed, and for a moment, Darius considered pressing the issue but then Silas did something surprising.
He leaned a little closer, voice lowering as he said, "I meant it, by the way. You did good."
Darius glanced at him, caught off-guard.
"This was the first time in years we were not treated like the backwater relics of the North," Silas continued. "You put Ironshade on the map again. That is going to echo in their ears."
Darius let out a breath. "Let us hope it’s loud enough."
"It will be," Silas said simply. "You have got your mother’s stare, you know. She used to look at people like she already knew whether they were worth the breath. It does not matter how young you are, boy. You are the Alpha now. And you are leading like one."
The praise settled heavy in Darius’s chest, unexpected, but not unwelcome.
He nodded once. "Thank you."
Silas stepped back, rolling his shoulders with a grunt. "Do not thank me yet. There’s still more to do. Riven isn’t done testing us, and neither is Dawnbreak. But I will sleep easier tonight knowing we’re no longer walking blind."
He moved toward the door but paused with his hand on the handle. "And if you change your mind about bringing in Charlotte, let me know. She’s still waiting for the signal."
Darius shook his head. "Let’s see how things play out. One move at a time."
Silas gave a short grunt of agreement and slipped out the door, his steps echoing down the corridor.
Alone now, Darius turned his gaze back to the now-empty council chamber. Papers still lay scattered on the table. Candles had burned low. The faintest smell of ink, ash, and cedar clung to the air.