Daniel materialized, letting Orrin’s [Camouflage] spell fade. With a cold smile plastered on his face, the [Hero] strode across the tile floor toward Anabella, undaunted in his approach.

“Hi everyone. If you don’t know me, I’m Daniel, the [Hero]. I’ve been keeping your invading armies away from the elves for the past few weeks.” Daniel’s voice dripped with vitriol. “That blond dick has been lying to you and sending your people to die for no reason. The elves don’t want a war… but I’m not here to talk about that.”

Arvin took a more defensive position, furtively moving to where the other chancellors would block Daniel’s path toward him. Orrin kept his own [Camouflage] on for now. It wasn’t his turn yet.

Stick to the plan. Don’t improvise.

“I’m here to force your hand. This is what goes for the leadership of Odrana, is it not?” Daniel stopped halfway between Lady Tonsa and Lady Sanerris. “You are the ones who call the shots with this piece of filth?”

Orrin ignored Lady Tonsa as she moved closer to Daniel, calling him out for invading the sanctity of their land and all the other planned bullshit in their attempt to confuse the Sanerris duo. His heartbeat picked up when he saw the smile on Anabella’s face. He’d seen the same self-assured smirk each time she baited him into a trap playing Kala.

What are you up to?

“… possible reason you could have for being here?” Lady Tonsa asked, finishing her masterful acting class. The woman’s fury at Daniel’s supposed intrusion chilled Orrin and he wasn’t even the target.

Orrin moved slowly, positioning himself behind Anabella. From his interactions with the Sanerris family, Orrin believed her to be the more dangerous one. Her abilities were mostly unknown, while Daniel promised he could take Arvin now. He trusted his friend but still planned on getting a few kicks in on his former torturer.

“The [Demon Lord] has reached the Pass and will breach Dey’s walls in a few days. Against my recommendation and pleas, the Lords of Dey sent me to ask for your aid.” Daniel’s acting juxtaposed with Lady Tonsa was cringy. His friend was not good at this.

Arvin Sanerris finally spoke, pushing in front of Lord Wellan and pointing at Daniel. “What [Demon Lord]? You have no proof to back up your claims. Are you truly the [Hero] or a spy sent to –”

“Arvin, dear.” Anabella’s low voice cut through the room and stopped her son in his tracks. “Don’t overplay your hand. You’ve known a [Demon Lord] was coming for months and told no one. This is the [Hero] and if you can’t feel his power, I’ve failed you.”

She turned to Daniel and bowed her head to show respect. “You are sure of the timing? The Horde has arrived?”

“You are Lady Sanerris, aren’t you?” Daniel asked woodenly. “The person who has my friend, Orrin? We missed you at your cottage.”

Orrin groaned internally at Daniel’s terrible acting. Thankfully, nobody else seemed to pick up on it.

“I believe you are talking about the young man that I rescued from assassins and helped educate in my school,” Anabella said with a smile, spreading her hands in a supplicating manner. “He can be here within the hour. Your party members can relax, the daughter of Lord Catanzano is safe in Mistlight.”

“Madi is…” Daniel paused. “I think we should keep this between us. You’d release my friend? Just like that?”

“He is of no further use to me,” Anabella answered, moving closer to Daniel again. “I protected him from my son after you rescued your friend. I thought it best to keep him under my protection until Arvin’s rage had cooled. Know that there is still one Sanerris willing to work with the [Hero] to stop the demon threat to Asmea. How long until they attack Dey? Odrana will supply forces but we need time to coordinate with Dey’s armies and travel there.”

“Lady Sanerris, I’m sorry but you are not in a position to promise anything,” Lady Tonsa said, drawing all eyes back to her. “Have you forgotten that you are no longer a member of the Odranan leadership?

Orrin was quite enjoying watching from the shadows. He was tired of being the center of these shenanigans. Let Daniel deal with the problems for once.

“I have already prepared extensively for this,” Arvin said as the group of Lords and Ladies began arguing. “It is no small part of the reason our forces are fighting the elves. They are in league with the demons and must be stopped. I vote that I retain my position as chancellor and we can begin moving our forces to Dey at once.”

The disputes and bickering devolved. Arvin tried to convince the group that he had moved only in Odrana’s interests while Anabella simply pointed out that he’d already been removed, showing the council’s lack of trust in him.

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The air in the room stilled when Arvin gestured to Lord Palmer. “Palmer, you have worked with me and helped tremendously with the war effort. Tell the others how the fighting has helped our men get ready for the demons’ arrival.”

“The best thing to do now,” Lady Tonsa shouted, raising her hands up to calm down all parties, “is vote for Mistlight’s chancellor. We have both members of the Sanerris family present. Does any chancellor have a statement or vote to bring forward?”

Finley sauntered into the middle with his arms crossed over his chest and both hands resting on knives. His leather armor holding the braces of daggers glinted as he moved through the light. “I have something to say.”

“Madvarr stays home and sends his pup,” Arvin muttered loud enough for all to hear. “Too scared to do what is necessary himself. If he joined the fight with the elves, none of this would be needed.”

Finley smiled at the former ruler of Mistlight. “Lord Sanerris drew Odrana into an unnecessary war with the elven nation without just cause. We have already voted for his removal. What this council may not know is that Lady Sanerris attempted to do the same with Veskar.”

Lord Palmer went still.

Finley turned and pointed at Annabella. “Did you send a strike team to kill Rhys Tonsa and place the blame on a Veskar native?”

Orrin could feel Annabella’s icy glare even positioned behind her. “I deny that accusation.”

“Did you pay Veskar mercenaries to attack my planned convoy in an attempt to kill me?” Finley played with the strap holding his dagger in place.

“I deny that accusation.”

“Did you attempt to have Lord Wellan’s daughter killed?”

“No. Your information is poor if you believe I would harm Maeve. I believe my son may have insinuated that he would harm her before. Isn’t that correct, Lord Wellan?”

Finley popped the button and held the dagger tight in his left hand, ignoring her comments. “Did you send a spy into the Sanerris School to keep tabs on me, Rhys, and Maeve?”

“No. I have no reason to spy on children of Odrana.”

Finley smiled.

“I think you lost this one, Lady Sanerris,” Orrin spoke, appearing behind Anabella. “She hired me to befriend all three of you in an attempt to take her position back from her son. I witnessed the attack on Rhys and questioned the woman they say was responsible. She was innocent and killed for it. Veskar had nothing to do with the attack.”

“Not the young Catanzano,” Anabella sighed, her head turned over her shoulder at Orrin. “I missed something. How frustrating. Well played.”

“You asked me to become friends with them and then tried to kill them,” Orrin condemned her. “Was being in charge worth so much?”

Lord Wellan watched the exchanges, his head moving back and forth. Orrin almost missed Lady Tonsa step on his foot.

“Lord Palmer, did you know of the plot to kill Finley? You are in charge of the western front, are you not?” Maeve’s dad asked.

Their planning and plotting came down to this moment. They’d already voted Lord Sanerris out of power. Palmer voiced his support for Anabella before the charges of attempted ruler-on-ruler homicide. Orrin knew his reputation was one of survival but Lord Palmer’s history with Anabella was a concern.

Sweat covered his silver-streaked hair. The hunter was intelligent enough that he’d seen this coming. His eyes moved from Lady Tonsa to Lady Sanerris and back.

“I kne…” he wiped his forehead. “I know I was given orders to move the young Madvarr on reconnaissance missions far outside the normal patterns. Now that I hear this troubling news… I see that he would have been close to the Veskar border. If Finley was killed, it would be easy to place the blame on Veskar.”

“Who could give you orders like that?” Lady Tonsa took charge again. “Madvarr’s accusations are serious. Do you remember?”

“Why would Lord Palmer accept orders from me?” Lady Sanerris asked. “I am not my son. I have no power over Odranan forces fighting the elves.”

“Everyone knows that your son comes to you for martial advice, Anabella,” Lady Tonsa stated. “He may have personal power, but he is single-minded in his approach to problems.”

“You bitch,” Arvin snarled.

Lady Tonsa wagged her finger. “Making my point for me.”

“The orders came from Lady Sanerris, as they do from time to time,” Lord Palmer spoke softly, knowing he was defeated. His only chance at retaining his power was going with the trio’s plan. His animalistic bearing was reduced to a timid mouse trying not to be noticed between the large predators he’d found himself between. “Finley, I apologize for my words and actions when you returned against orders. Instead of court-marshalling you, I should be giving you a medal for saving your men. To think that I was almost party to your murder.”

Finley’s smile was vicious. “I would have survived and come for answers, Lord Palmer. We can call this a win for everyone.”

Lord Wellan didn’t need a nudge to remember his lines this time. “I vote that the Sanerris house be stripped of the Mistlight chancellorship and a new family be instated for leadership.”

Lady Tonsa kept her face devoid of joy but her voice was lighter than normal as she seconded the motion.

Finley spat toward Anabella when he added his voice to the vote.

Lord Palmer kept his face down. “Yea.”

“Motion passed. Arvin and Anabella Sanerris, you may leave. This is a closed meeting of the chancellor’s council of Odrana.” Lady Tonsa pointed to the door. “If you would be so kind?”

Orrin was waiting for it. They’d pushed both Anabella and Lord Sanerris to the brink. While the other leaders of Odrana said time and time again that they would accept the power change, Orrin watched. He caught the power building on Anabella.

“Arvin, you are an idiot. If you would have shared your findings when I told you to, none of this would have happened. We can’t allow this.” Anabella’s voice was tired and sad as she raised her hand toward Lady Tonsa. “I apologize to all of you.”

Orrin cast [Decrease Strength] and [Decrease Will] on Anabella just before she cast her spell. That should drop her to the grou… what?

Anabella stayed on her feet. The spell that she cast felt familiar to Orrin. A few weeks ago, he would have needed to see the results of the magic hitting but his new education let him see the turns of power as it left her body. He knew what was going to happen before it hit Lady Tonsa.

Rhys’s mom dropped to the ground.

Orrin used [Identify] as spells began to fly. Lady Tonsa’s dexterity had been reduced to zero.