Timothy looked around his office. His recruits were busy reading the papers and summarizing them for him. Finally.

He stretched and looked out the window. The sun glinted off the snow, lighting the window and part of the room. The group of students and a few servants sat there working.

Dwight yawned and stood. “You never did tell us what the king and queen said about our request to get her back here.”

Timothy spun. “We asked that she be allowed to accompany us, but all her crystals would be forfeited. It did not work. Apparently, she has the Void Novice class. They want her on the front.”

“She’s a void mage?” Randalf asked, jerking up from his pile of papers and turning toward the prince.

“She’ll be one. The front is her priority, and it’s going well,” Timothy said, leaning back.

“That’s why they pushed her to the front then,” Randalf said. He paused. “What of our deal?”

“Lucas will be given a border territory. The Milvsky family will be moved there,” Timothy replied.

Dwight paused. “What if she refuses the betrothal? Or if he does?”

“Then we’ll find her another match.” Timothy turned toward the soft couches. “Now, how could we have done better during our run?” He looked at Dwight and Kamal.

“Level three is good,” Kamal said. “Like Riley said, sometimes you just have to leave. The wall was broken, and the troops were out of mana.”

“But if we were more conservative?”

Dwight frowned. “Same problem. We’d need to camp, but it was too risky.”

“But what if we’d had enough to mend the wall?” Timothy asked, raising his brow.

“Okay. You’ve got me there.” Dwight nodded. “We could have done that and taken watch.”

“Yes, that’s where we messed it up.” Timothy sighed. Next time, we’ll get it. It’s all about planning and resources. He looked back at the window. At least Lily only managed level two. A smile spread across his face. If I can push ahead of her and ensure she has no competent help, I can surpass her.

He turned and walked back to the desk, taking a seat and flipping through the notes. Hmm. Why? He shuffled through them with a growing frown. “Why aren’t the demands for troops being met?” he asked the girl beside him.

“I’m sorry, my prince,” the girl said, blushing. “They said they needed them for defenses. They cite bandits, wolves, wild creatures, wraiths, and all sorts of things.”

“I’ll inform the king.”

A knock sounded on the door, and a servant poked his head in. “Seeker Lucas is here, my prince.” He bowed and shut the door.

Timothy stood and walked to the door.

“Are we allowed to listen?” Dwight asked.

Timothy shrugged. “I can’t promise it. Follow if you want.” He opened the door and walked down the polished hall to the throne room.

Walking inside, he saw a contingent of soldiers, the seeker, and a half-dozen manacled people kneeling on the floor.

“I assure you that this isn’t necessary,” Simon said, huffing and looking at the queen. “Your majesty, I am a duke. I must ask that the standards of royalty be maintained.”

“My apologies,” a knight said. “Let me know if I should gag him.” He glowered at Simon.

Timothy walked up to the thrones and leaned close to his mother. “Are others allowed?”

“Dwight and Kamal may observe unless the seeker says otherwise,” Lisa said, looking at the line of prisoners.

Timothy turned and gestured to Dwight and Kamal. Then he sat on a throne and looked at the seeker.

The king strode into the room, pausing momentarily to look at the line before striding up and sitting on his throne.

Lucas gave a slight bow. “Forgive me of my tardiness and any breaches in etiquette. The front is demanding more attention.”

The king nodded. “Forgiven. Captives?”

“Yes. This is Duke Simon of Shorove. The others were military leaders.” Lucas gestured at them. “We did some level of interrogation, but I will leave them here with the seekers. There are things that were missed.”

“Of course,” Lisa said, studying each of them. “They deserted?”

“We didn’t have much choice,” Simon said, trying to stand and getting jerked back down. He huffed at the knight behind him.

“Quiet,” the king barked. He looked at Lucas. “Continue.”

“We took the fort. I imagine you heard. They established four small ones within range. However, we were able to force them from one and managed some captives. The plan was to break another today and move from there.”

The king smiled. “So, it’s going well then?”

“We’ll need the soldiers and supplies to expand inward,” Lucas replied. “There is debate on the best approach and retaliation on Riverfront. We also have a problem further up the line. They are struggling.”

“Our mages are superior,” Simon added. “That is w—”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

The knight shoved the rag in Simon’s mouth. “My apologies, your majesty. I’d hoped he’d be civil.”

Lucas turned and glared at him. “He did promise.” He turned and looked back at the royals. “The current plan is likely to help push the line northward. They may pull a void mage over, and we’ll need to be ready. The biggest concern is supplies. We are running low.”

The king frowned. “I have some inbound. There is some reticence from several territories. We’ll correct it.”

“That will be the biggest challenge.” Lucas walked forward and gestured to the map on the table. He began placing pebbles on it. “We’re pushing here. The fear is that they’ll push and collapse on us.”

The king nodded and considered it. “But what if we took the river? That would give us two strong anchors.”

“The bridges are the biggest issue,” the knight said, stepping forward. “We’d need to get them up and keep them up. That means a new fort, and it would be exposed.”

“If you were able to take their fort, why do you need more reinforcements?” Lily asked, frowning. “We could send them all to the river and push.”

A kneeling soldier snorted and went quiet.

Lily’s eyes blazed. “Something funny?”

The man looked up. “There is only one reason they managed to get that fort, the Void Mage.”

“She upgraded?” Queen Lisa asked instantly, turning to Lucas.

“Yes. She managed to get Psion and combined them,” Lucas said. “She has Spell Steal now and hopes to get Void Blast.”

The knight nodded. “If we take the place of power, we’re sending her in to get it, your majesties. It’s needed. I know the plans for the prince and princess, but I trust they can manage now.”

“I agree,” Timothy said quickly. That’s perfect. We’ll figure this out and ensure we push ahead. “It would be ideal to have a strong Void Mage.”

The king nodded. “I approve of one visit.” He turned to the knight. “I will be asking for a knight’s oath from her. I’ll send a letter with you.”

The knight nodded. “Of course, my king.”

Timothy looked over to see his sister fuming. He masked his smile and saw Lucas bow. Perfect. This is perfect. He turned toward his mother.

“Why wasn’t this in the report?” the queen asked.

“It was recent,” the knight said. “Last night, from what I observed. We’d already sent that report.”

“How did she beat our psion then?” the chained man muttered, confusion spread on his face.

“Innate void magic to nullify his attack is my guess,” Lucas said, shrugging. “I do not understand psychic connections.”

“She does have a knack for those,” the knight said.

The queen nodded. “Get an oath from her now if possible. We’ll have the ceremony over the holiday.”

The knight bowed slightly and stood. He looked down at the prisoners.

What now? Timothy asked, studying them.

“We know of several reinforcements that will be arriving,” Lucas said. “They will begin fortifications further back.”

The king nodded. “We are doing what we can. I’ll inform the nobility to meet their quota. As you are betrothed to Riley, I should inform you that the family is behind on their payment and contribution.”

Lucas frowned. “How far?”

“The current debt is one hundred and five nobles, and it is growing at twenty-one nobles a day,” Lisa said with a frown. “We’ll be taking their pay as backlog. If you wish to make the betrothal official, we will need to do the same to you.”

“I see. You’re warning me that I will inherit the family debts?” Lucas asked.

The king nodded in affirmation.

“The betrothal is off then. I have worked too long and too hard for that.”

Timothy looked at him in surprise. I did not expect that, but that barony was in decline. He turned and looked at his father. “Do we have another Void Mage? I thought one ran off somewhere, and the other was killed.”

“We have a few in training. They’ll be sent to the front soon,” the king replied.

“Are you sure about the debt?” Timothy asked.

“Yes,” Lisa said sternly. “We are at war. Debts are due.” She looked at both Dwight and Kamal. “Make no mistake, we expect them to be paid by everyone. You’d do well to remind your families of that.”

Dwight bowed.

“You’d end it like that?” the king asked Lucas, his brow raising. “You made quite the speech.”

“That she could become a potential Void Mage and was an ally,” Lucas replied. “I cannot afford that debt. It would only grow.”

“Very well. I trust she knows what it would cost if she deserted?” the king asked.

Lucas nodded.

Timothy frowned. What would she lose? At this point, her barony’s in collapse, and we’re offering what? “How are we going—”

“Enough,” King Titus stated. “Now, we expect all to adhere to their obligations.” His eyes lingered on the two boys. “Even if you think you are above it, you are not.”

What? Are they behind? Timothy looked at them.

“We’ll leave the prisoners to the seekers,” Lucas said, bowing.

“Do,” the king said. “For now, anchor your position and push into their villages. We need to send a message. I’ll send the Void Novices to Riverfront.” He stood and walked to the table in the corner. Opening a drawer, he flipped through letters and picked one up. Pausing momentarily, he picked up a quill and wrote something. Folding it shut, he dripped wax on the seal and pressed his ring into the wax.

Turning, the king walked to the knight. “See to it that Lady Riley reads this and agrees.”

“Of course, my king.” The knight took it and bowed. He stood. “Anything else, my king?”

“No, dismissed. Thank you all for your service.”

The soldiers filed out, dragging the prisoners with them. Timothy frowned, and the door shut with a thud.

Titus turned and looked at his children. “I need to send some guards to the front. That means I need you not to go find strange assassins.” He looked at both.

Timothy sighed. “We already had this talk, father.”

“We know. It’s dangerous enough,” Lily added.

Titus paced. “Good. Now, I need your friends to know they are not above it. I do not care if they provide essential food, smiths, soldiers, or anything else. Yes, Riley’s skills are critical, but so are countless others. That doesn’t make one above their obligations and duty. If she wishes to act like her father and relinquish her claim to the barony, that is her choice. She needs that lesson. All of you do. None of my nobles are above the rules. That includes your friends, some of which are far too full of themselves lately. Understood?”

“Did they do something?” Lily asked. Her eyes blazed. “What did they do?”

The queen scowled. “The Voltair barony was found dealing with the enemy. They will be executed this weekend. Examples will be made of any who think to overstep.”

“Too many are forgetting that we are at war,” Titus added. “Don’t tell your friends that they are above it. They aren’t.” He turned and headed for the door.

Timothy stood. Riley’s going to be pissed.

~~~

Lucas walked from the castle. Riley will forgive me, right? She’d understand that it doesn’t benefit either of us to lose everything, right? He mused on it and walked forward. Althea, please don’t yell at me.

“Seeker?” a voice called, pulling him from his thoughts.

Lucas turned and looked at the servant girl. That’s unexpected. People usually run.

Emma walked up and curtsied. “Sorry to bother you. Is Lady Riley with you?”

“She’s occupied at the front. Why?” Lucas asked. This is new.

Emma blushed. “I was wondering how things were going, and if she’d be willing to let me govern in her territory.” She fidgeted. “I’m sorry if this is forward. I hoped to speak with her.”

“That’s a bit complicated right now,” Lucas said. “The betrothal has ended, but I’ll inform her.”

Emma looked at him in surprise. “It ended? Why?”

“Family debts.” Lucas sighed. That means I’ll be getting pressure again.

“Oh. That’s unfortunate. Sorry to bother you, Sir Seeker.” Emma curtsied.

“Wait. The prince and princess? Are they behaving?”

Emma shrugged. “They quarrel but have guards. So, I don’t think they are doing anything bad.”

Lucas nodded and studied her. “You are the first to approach me and ask me for something.” He chuckled and smiled at her. “I’ll inform Lady Riley. Let me know if they cause problems.”

Emma smiled. “Thanks. She is a good person if that’s your concern. I don’t know about the debts, though.”

“May your family avoid them.” Lucas bowed. “Have a nice day, Emma.” He turned. Approaching a seeker? He paused and watched her walk away. And she did it without a single trace of fear? He jogged toward the guards. I’ll have to inform Althea.