Back in the cold, high halls of the fortress, Percy sighed tiredly. He was in his mother's office waiting as she chastised the guards and gave new orders.
Hecate's silver-white hair jumped each time she banged her hand against the desk, her eyes flashed with irritation.
"Has Sion left me with a pack of blind dogs? How did you not notice you were being followed?"
The guard commander knelt in front of her desk, head down in shame.
"We weren't expecting another assassination attempt so soon. The guards only made sure to keep commoners away from the—"
"That's not an excuse, Cassius. Have you betrayed me for your old master?"
Cassius, the guard commander, placed his head against the floor. He was a younger man, with buzz-cut hair and bronze skin. The harsh lines of his faces were softened by his frightened blue eyes.
"Never, Viscount Hecate. You giving me the position of commander was a great honor. I would never betray you."
Hecate tried to calm down, pinching her nose and letting out a heavy breath. She turned to the fortress steward, Dunn, and said.
"Dunn, we must collect levies from the barons to bolster the city. Then we must send a message to the Count of Yarol. See if we can negotiate a Knight order sending a regiment here."
Dunn was a grey-haired man who had served as steward in the fortress before Viscount Sion's removal. He and the chamberlain, Cain, were the only people she retained from Sion's old staff.
That was because of their reputation and experience, having worked for many different houses and even the Princes of the kingdoms. Yet even he didn't have a solution.
"We can't take levies from the barons, my lady," Dunn said solemnly. "We already don't have enough force to keep them in line. If we start relying on them, we'll look weaker to anyone that wants to take Dema."
Cassius raised his head from the ground.
"And seeking help from the Count of Yarol will come with a heavy price. Sion once went to war against him in hopes of becoming the new Count. He will demand a heavy sacrifice that will make sure Dema and the entire region of Demetria never challenge him again."
Hecate glared at Cassius for a moment but fully understood. Demetria was a fertile region with a high population. The Count had already sent them a letter requesting their presence in Yarol by the end of the month.
She turned towards Percy, who was standing by the window, dejectedly staring out to the city in hopes of making Hecate feel bad.
And she did. It tore her heart to have to keep Percy in the castle at all times, but if it meant he stayed alive, then it was more than worth it.
They needed power to protect everything. Without it, Sion would be Viscount again before the end of the year.
"What do you suggest?"
Cassius raised his head again, eager to redeem himself after the catastrophic event of their visit to the city.
"I have an old friend, a mercenary from Jaltova, the kingdom of the lost. He leads a band of men that number around three hundred. He is very flexible with his payments."
Dunn scoffed, once again irked by Hecate's decision to appoint Cassius as commander. He was too young, too inexperienced. Maybe that was why she chose him—because he would be easy to control.
"My lady, do not mind his suggestion. We cannot bring foreign barbarians to the city. Even if this Jaltovian mercenary is willing to be owed, we can never be sure when he'll switch sides to Sion, who can pay now."
That was true. The only reason Sion had been able to host a Knight order and such a large army was because of his wealth. Demetria was a land of prosperity and abundance; there were also rumors of his more shady businesses.
Before Hecate could say anything, Thalos' voice interrupted her thoughts.
"This Jaltovian mercenary, what is his name?"
His jet-black hair swayed as he marched past all the servants to his wife and child. His cold grey eyes had patrolled the entire city for a single sign of the people that threatened his son's life with furious determination.
Now his gaze softened as Hecate rose to hug him tightly. He kissed her forehead and turned to Percy, who was looking at him unenthusiastically.
Thalos tried to smile, but he knew why Percy was sad. He knelt down and hugged the boy a bit too tight.
"Daddd," Percy groaned.
"We'll talk about it later, okay?" he whispered to his son. Then he rose to face Cassius the guard commander, a bit of fury in his eyes. "What is his name? Let's see if I can forgive your mistakes today."
"His name is Lecetes, the hidden blade. He—"
Thalos held up a hand to stop Cassius and turned to his wife.
"I know of him. He is trustworthy on the basis of employment. He is very strange about his reputation, so he never works for lords that are against each other."
Cassius nodded rapidly.
"Yes! He will only work for the people that are not in conflict with his previous employers. He has not worked for Sion or any of the other Counts in this region."
Hecate thought this sounded too good to be true, that this was actually a battalion of enemies that Cassius was trying to get into Dema's walls as part of Sion's plans.
But Thalos seemed sure he was trustworthy, and she trusted him and his instincts for danger far more than anyone else. She asked
"How strong is this mercenary band? Three hundred is good enough to hold this city at least with the other guard."
Dunn narrowed his eyes.
"My lady, you can't trust these men. If they betray us once inside the city, then we're finished."
Thalos ignored the steward's disagreement.
"Lecetes himself is not all that strong. Even most of his men aren't Spiritmancers. But where they lack, they make up for it with cunningness, teamwork, and magic weapons that they have gathered on their many journeys. They are more fearsome than a battalion from a Knight order."
Dunn's eyes popped out. He couldn't be sure whether to believe what Thalos was saying, but the man was always so frank and straightforward.
"A Knight order's battalion includes Rank 4 Spiritmancers, and sometimes even ancient weapons from the dead empires."
"I've fought against a Knight order and against Lecetes' band of men. If I ever had to go up against one of them again, I'll pick the Knight order every time."
Hecate nodded, very satisfied with this. She clapped her hands.
"Okay. Everyone is dismissed. Cassius, send a letter to your friend. Dunn, find a way to collect the levies from the retainers slowly. We don't have any time. Before the end of the month, we must secure our position." Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on novel★fire.net