It took about an hour of reminiscing before Edwin finally began to relax. The visible tension and discomfort that’d been present in his posture and expression when he first entered the dining room disappeared, and he even managed to smile on occasion when the conversation turned to an oceanside vacation the family had taken together about a decade ago.

Seeing his smile—the first Surelin had seen from him in a long time—spawned a powerful urge within her to protect him.

That smile is why I’m fighting, she realized. I’ll do anything to make sure he and grandmother can live in peace again someday.

The conversation ended abruptly when Celaena entered the room without knocking, wearing her armor and sword. Her gaze flickered briefly between Edea and Surelin before settling on the latter.

“Ma’am. Marshal Len sent me to inform you that the section leaders are present, and they’re ready to start the meeting.”

“I see,” Surelin said, rising to her feet. “Then we shouldn’t keep them waiting.”

Edwin began to stand up as well, then halted with surprise when Edea placed her hand atop his.

“Go ahead of us, darling,” she told Surelin. “I’d like to discuss something in private with Edwin. We’ll be along shortly.”

Surelin was surprised, but quickly decided to respect Edea’s request. She gave her a nod, then exited the room, heading for the stairwell with Celaena in tow.

A low murmur of conversation rose from the floor below as Surelin and Celaena descended. Surelin spotted Len standing atop the raised dais in the heart of the workshop, gesturing on occasion to a large display board bearing a hand-drawn sketch of Loso. He seemed to be discussing something with a tall and ruggedly handsome dark skinned Forelian man with curly brown hair, who was speaking up to Len from below the dais. A dark skinned Forelian woman with brown hair tied in a bun and refined elfin looks stood closeby, chatting casually with a short, light skinned Forelian man with bright eyes and perfectly coiffed blonde hair.

Standing a few feet apart from the rest were two Easterners, a man and woman. The woman was slender and of average height, with beguiling good looks and jet black hair just long enough to tie back in a small knot behind her head. The man she was speaking with was built like a bear. He was twice the woman’s size and a few inches taller, his own black hair worn in exactly the same fashion. The conversation he was having with the woman seemed quite one sided, but the faint, patient smile curling at the corners of his wide mouth gave him an impression of sagacity.

All the strangers were armed, wearing the same leather and chainmail armor that Celaena wore, and all peered up at Surelin the moment she came into view. While most were simply curious, Surelin instantly detected something beyond curiosity in the gaze of the tall Forelian man, despite only locking eyes with him briefly.

The room fell silent as everyone stared up at Surelin, and the silence persisted until she and Celaena reached the bottom. After exiting the stairwell, Surelin was startled by an abrupt shout from Len.

“What the hell are you people doing?! Form up!!! The queen stands before you and the only thought in your thick skulls is to stand about giving her slack-jawed stares?!”

Embarrassment crossed the faces of the five strangers as they hurriedly collapsed into formation. Once in position they stood at strict attention, holding their heads and eyes forward, totally still. Amusingly, they had lined up from tallest to shortest, with the tall Forelian man standing on the left end and the blonde Forelian standing at the end of the formation on the far right.

Surelin walked before them, allowing her gaze to pass over each person in turn. Celaena followed along, maintaining a respectful distance.

“I apologize for their lack of decorum, ma’am,” said Len. “They’re usually much sharper than this.”

“No, it’s fine. I’d prefer that everyone felt comfortable here in the headquarters. You can all relax.”

In unison, they dropped out of attention, and their gazes locked onto Surelin. She walked down to the end of the formation, and reached her hand out to the blonde Forelian. They were exactly eye level with one another.

“What’s your name?” she asked as they shook hands.

“I’m Belyn, majesty.”

“Belyn. It’s good to meet you.”

“Pleasure’s all mine. I think you might’ve been familiar with one of my close friends. Vesryn?”

Surelin was taken aback. “...You knew Vesryn?”

“Yeah, of course! He was my old sergeant back in the day.” He gave her a charming grin. “Bastard left me behind in the garrison corps to join the royal retinue.”

“I see…I’m so sorry that I wasn’t able to save him.”

Belyn’s grin diminished a bit, but didn’t disappear.

“...No need to apologize, ma’am. From what I heard you did everything you could. And I’m sure he took great satisfaction in watching you humiliate Ennio Cappella.”

“I miss him every day. He was a good man. We’ll win this war for his sake, and for all the others who made the same sacrifice.”

“Yes we will,” Belyn agreed instantly.

Surelin gave him a firm nod, then moved on to the next person. The Forelian woman stood beside Belyn, and she anticipated Surelin by reaching her hand out to shake.

“I can introduce this one,” Celaena said as Surelin and the woman shook hands. “This is Essaerae Faena, my third cousin.”

“You’re related to Celaena?” Surelin asked, surprised. “I’m shocked we haven’t met before.”

Essaerae looked troubled, and stammered a bit in reply.

“W-well, we actually have met before, majesty. Though it was several years ago.”

Surelin was instantly embarrassed. “Oh, I’m so sorry!”

“N-no, it’s fine! We only met briefly, at a reception your mother was holding at the palace. I can’t blame you for not remembering.”

“No, there’s no excuse. That was incredibly rude of me. I hope you can forgive me, Essaerae.”

“Think nothing of it! And please, just call me Essy.” She gave Surelin a bashful smile. “That’s the name my friends normally use.”

“Then I’ll use it, too,” Surelin said, smiling back. “Essy.”

“In that case you can call me Bel,” Belyn remarked, grinning.

A few chuckles sounded from the rest of the formation. Surelin nodded to him.

“Alright, then. Bel.”

She moved on, coming to a stop before the Eastern woman. The woman studied Surelin’s face in guarded silence for a moment before extending her hand.

“I have several names, majesty.”

Surelin took her hand. The woman had a surprisingly firm grip.

“Do you? Then which name would you prefer I use?”

“My brother and I took western names when we first arrived in Loso. I am Maia, and my brother goes by Alen.”

I see…,” Surelin said, glancing at the man standing beside Maia. She’d had a feeling they might be related, despite the radical difference in size between them.

“I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who goes by multiple names.”

“It’s a very common practice among those of us from the east who happen to be in the west.”

“What is your birth name, if you don’t mind my asking?”

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Maia said something in the Eastern language, a short, melodious word which Surelin attempted to repeat.

“Dee…Dee-way?”

The small, knowing smile Maia produced spoke to how many times she’d heard her name pronounced poorly.

“Yes, ma’am. We usually use our western names, as people here tend to mispronounce our birth names. It can become exhausting.”

“Then I will respect your preference. Would you care to tell me a little more about yourselves? I haven’t had the chance to speak with many Easterners.”

The question clearly took Maia by surprise, and she responded eagerly.

“Alen and I are from the Satrapy of Media, which lies on the coast of the Morningtide Ocean hundreds of leagues east from here. We were born into…indentured servitude, as it's called in the east. Here it is called slavery. Our former master brought us to Loso about five years ago.”

Alen then spoke up, and his voice was shockingly deep, which somehow did not come as a complete surprise.

“I throttled him in his sleep. We’ve been fighting the masters ever since.”

“I see,” Surelin replied, startled. The bluntness with which he’d admitted it had taken her off guard.

“We’ve heard much about you,” said Maia. “Is it true that you’re a very pious woman?”

Surelin shot a look of bemusement at Len before responding.

“Uhm…well, I suppose I try to be. In all honesty I’m not quite as devout as I probably should be.”

“But you follow Kali’s teachings?” Alen asked.

“To the best of my ability. Yes.”

Maia gave Surelin a quick nod of approval.

“That’s very good. With Her at your side we cannot fail.”

Surelin responded with a polite thanks, then offered her hand to Alen. He accepted it carefully, but instead of shaking he wordlessly bowed over their joined hands. Maia let out some abrupt, snickering laughter.

“Oh, pay him no mind! He’s very shy around strangers, especially attractive women.”

“I am not shy,” Alen rumbled, but failed to elaborate any further.

He released Surelin’s hand, and she thanked him before moving on. The tall Forelian instantly extended his hand to Surelin once her attention had turned to him.

“Zebina. Call me Zeb. It’s fantastic to finally meet you, majesty.”

They shook briefly, and an amused half-smile appeared on Zebina’s face.

“Maia’s right, the city’s boiling over with rumors about you.”

“Really? I hope they’re all good.”

“Depends on your definition. People are saying that you’re Kali herself, come to level final judgment on the masters for their ungodliness.”

A deep frown crossed Surelin’s face. “...I see.”

“There’s other rumors, too. They say you’re a master swordswoman, and your skill in battle is matched only by your beauty.”

“Well, I’m quite far from being a master.”

Zebina responded without missing a beat. “But they’re right about your beauty.”

Several things then happened at once. Surelin instantly rolled her eyes, and behind the formation Len scowled deeply and smacked a hand to his forehead. Celaena barked, “are you out of your mind!?” with perfect indignation, and the rest of the formation exploded into noisy disapproval. Zebina’s conscious-stricken gaze darted between the people berating him.

Once the clamor had settled a bit, Len spoke out over the noise, quieting it further.

“Once again, I must apologize for my subordinate’s behavior, ma’am. Boldness is a useful trait for a section leader to have, but boldness and stupidity are quite often two sides of the same coin.”

“Sorry,” Zebina added, cringing.

Surelin was definitely irritated, but quickly decided to let it go.

He’s lucky grandmother wasn’t around to hear that.

Practically on cue, Edea and Edwin then appeared in the stairwell, drawing worried looks from Len and the formation.

“It’s fine,” Surelin said, trying to keep irritation out of her voice, and walked a few paces over to stand before the entire formation.

“It’s good to meet you all. I’m sure each of you could tell me harrowing tales about how you escaped from captivity. My own is full of strangeness, and I wouldn’t mind exchanging stories with you all someday. But we’re assembled this morning for an important purpose, and it must take priority. Marshal?”

Edea and Edwin walked up to stand beside Surelin as Len began. He turned to the map beside him.

“The great houses have reacted to yesterday’s massacre in a fairly predictable fashion. Several companies of hussars have been deployed to the outskirts of the slums to establish a series of checkpoints.”

He pointed one at a time to three roads leading out of the slums. The first two roads he indicated looked to be bridges crossing over the Silver river in the direction of the market sector, and the final one seemed to be on the road leading north-east towards the Elysium Hills.

“These are the locations of the current checkpoints. It’s safe to assume that these three are the first of many. Their objective is most likely to control all traffic in and out of the slums, so we can expect more checkpoints to pop up before long. We’ll soon be under siege.”

Surelin’s heart began to sink. Not again.

“What kind of numbers are we looking at?” Belyn asked.

To everyone’s surprise, Edea responded to him before Len could.

“The checkpoints will have between twenty and thirty soldiers stationed at them, and will be manned night and day. They have a rotation schedule in place to cycle their troops on a daily basis. ”

“They’ve spent most of their morning abusing any slaves that pass through the checkpoints,” said Len. “I’m very sorry to report that serious injuries have been inflicted on our people, and one person has already been killed. It’s still early, but there’s clear indications that they’re particularly focused on assaulting Forelians.”

Angry muttering rose from the section leaders, which was soon silenced by Edea.

“Our response must be calculated for the greatest possible effect. We are seeking out information on the soldiers manning the checkpoints. Those who won’t accept bribes will be blackmailed or assassinated.”

“No," Surelin said instantly. “No more murders. I don’t want any more massacres happening under our watch.”

“They’re doing that and worse to us every day,” Zebina replied.

“We’re not going to sink to their level. Marshal—”

“I think we should attack the checkpoints,” said Edwin.

Everyone turned to him, and he looked about nervously before continuing.

“If the enemy has fixed themselves into position then why shouldn’t we take advantage of it? Look, there’s still many other ways into and out of the slums! Perhaps we could arrange an attack on them from both sides?”

“That would be a fruitless endeavor,” Edea chided. “The great houses have a very large pool of manpower. Any troops we kill can easily be replaced, and our own forces are limited. An open assault would also further enrage the hussars, and accelerate their efforts to cut us off from the rest of the city.”

Surelin stared at Edwin, thinking. If they’re going to surround us anyway then maybe a frontal attack shouldn’t be out of the question.

“Attacking all three checkpoints is beyond our reach,” said Len. “We simply don’t have the available forces to make it work. However, we could muster enough force to overwhelm one checkpoint.”

“It would have to be quick,” said Maia. “We’d have to be upon them so swiftly that they wouldn’t be able to call for reinforcements.”

“There’s really a lot that could go wrong with this,” Essaerae warned.

“But it could be done,” Len replied, looking at Surelin.

“The discrete approach will be safer,” said Edea. “And will likely produce the same results. It would be wise to husband our resources for as long as possible.”

Surelin looked between Edea and Len, then allowed her gaze to settle on Edwin.

“Grandmother is correct that discretion is crucial. But I think it’s time to show them our teeth. We’ll attack one of the checkpoints.”

A small, disbelieving smile appeared on Edwin’s face, and the section leaders let out murmurs of approval. Edea’s expression was placid, but nevertheless Surelin sensed that she strongly disapproved of her decision.

“I suggest the southernmost checkpoint, ma’am," said Len. "If reinforcements are sent there it’ll take more time for them to arrive. In fact, I recommend we stay away from this northernmost checkpoint entirely for that reason.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do. Make whatever preparations are necessary, Marshal. I’ll be coming with you.”

“Understood. Section leaders, pick fifteen of your best troops….”

As Len began to rattle off orders, Edea approached Surelin and spoke in a low voice.

“Don’t go with them, darling. There is no need to put yourself at risk.”

“You didn’t seem to mind the risk when I went to rescue Edwin.”

“Of course I did, but at the time we had no choice. Now we do.”

“I’m going,” Surelin said firmly.

Irritation flashed through Edea’s expression.

“...I see. Then Celaena will accompany you to protect your person.”

Celaena nodded and took a few steps forward, resting her hand on the pommel of her sword. Surelin returned her nod with one of her own.

“We’ll be fine, grandmother. You’ll see.”

Edea made no reply, and after a few moments of loaded silence she turned about to leave. Surelin looked on with apprehension as she approached the stairwell.

“I can retrieve your gear from upstairs for you if you’d like, ma’am,” Celaena said.

“...If you’re willing.”

“Of course!”

Celaena took off after Edea, hurrying to catch up. Worry gnawed at Surelin’s insides as she watched her take the stairs two at a time.

Grandmother makes everything so difficult.

“Surelin?”

Surelin turned about, and discovered Edwin standing behind her. He had a nervous look about him.

“Yes?”

“I, um….”

He trailed off and looked away for a moment, reaching a hand up to absently scratch the side of his face.

“...Thank you.”

She suddenly found herself unable to speak, and Edwin walked past her towards the stairwell. She looked on, staring up at him as he ascended.

That’s the most sincere gratitude I’ve ever seen from him.

Once he’d disappeared into the floor above, she walked over to join the briefing Len was giving to the section leaders. As she listened, the realization began to settle in that she was about to risk her life once again, and fear formed like a clump of red-hot molten iron burning in her chest. Somehow it never diminished, despite everything that had happened to her over the past year.

I’ll make the world safe for them again, she told herself. No matter what.