Fourth Vector Ch. 25

"Then why let him leave at all?" asked Reynolds. "Why didn't you just strip him of his command and let him go?"

"Because he can still be useful to us. He's been very good at getting new Fourthie lands. We'll let him do what he does best and the second he stops being so useful is when we'll yank the command out from under him."

Reynolds sneered. "A pity then to be Jack Easterbrook. He's so close to the precipice that he probably doesn't even know it."

"And he could've had it all," whispered Bancroft before finding his voice more firm. "In the end, he'll do what I want him to do or I will destroy him."

Reynolds gave an approving nod. "We will destroy him."

*****

King Aedan of Picardy was moving through Daban's main square on the way back to the palace, just having stopped to see the Carinthian reinforcements that had landed earlier that morning. He was relieved more than anything to see them, knowing they were drastically needed at such time, especially with the Swabians still in control of the outskirts of the city.

Aedan had to trudge through snow that was still thick, the results of the blizzard that had saved the battle for them. Even though the city had long since dug itself out from the snow, pockets of it remained, piled up from roads and sidewalks that had already been cleared. Despite the clearance of the weather, the Swabians still hadn't attacked. They hadn't retreated either, still clinging to their positions that ringed the city.

At least the extra Carinthian forces would help give the front line soldiers some rest. They could be swapped out for some needed relaxation without sacrificing their fighting ability. It wasn't much to hope on, but it was something, and at this stage in the war, they needed every little aid they could get.

Aedan approached his own palace, watching as the guard faded away upon his approach. He was more than eager to get inside and away from this chilly weather, knowing that his first step would be to his study to start a roaring fire.

Unfortunately, he had one of his ministers waiting for him almost as soon as he was inside.

"Your Majesty," said the red-haired minister as soon as Aedan entered. "You have visitors."

"Who could possibly want to see me right now?" asked Aedan. "The only visitors I know about are the Carinthians, and I just saw them."

"I showed them to one of the state rooms. But you'll want to see them, sire. They're Galician."

Aedan groaned out loud. He had no time to deal with anything related to Eric Rosdahl right now. "Fine, let's get this over with."

The minister led him into the study where he saw three blonde-haired individuals standing before him, two men and a woman. One of the men was clearly military, and Aedan recognized the uniform of the Galician army right away. The other two carried themselves with purpose, clearly members of the nobility in one form or another. The woman was striking and lovely but even Aedan could see that she was clearly attached to the other nobleman.

"I'm afraid I'm not much for manners these days," said Aedan as he looked at the trio. "But I have to ask—who are you?"

The nobleman was the first to answer. "Greetings to you, King Aedan, from my father, Lord William Calland of Galicia. My name is Will Calland. We're here to find Katherine Rosdahl."