Page 32 of A Reign of Embers
I motion from Axius to my door. “Do you want to step inside? It’ll be as private in my apartment as any of the official military rooms and save us time.”
The high commander hesitates—I suppose my suggestion isn’t proper military decorum either—but he appears to think efficiency is more important. “All right.”
The guards all file into my bedroom, presumably to protect my modesty. I come to a stop by my vanity. “Well, what’s the matter?”
Axius’s expression manages to turn even grimmer. There’s something unusually deflated about the large man’s posture. “One of your usual guards is missing.”
I knit my brow. “Missing? What exactly does that mean?”
“It appears he’s abandoned his post. He left quietly in the middle of the night, made an excuse about being on an errand to the guards at the gate, and never returned.”
Dread starts to pool in my gut. “The errand could have taken him longer than he anticipated,” I say, but I suspect if that was likely, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
Axius holds my gaze. “If he had reasonable intentions, he’d have reported them to his commanding officer—or to me. He was dedicated to Sabrelle.”
Ah. “You think he’s defected to Tribune Valerisse’s forces.”
The high commander inclines his head slightly. “All the evidence points to that conclusion.”
I swallow thickly. “Well, I suppose that’s better than him attempting to assassinate me while he was here.” Whether that was out of some remaining shred of loyalty or more practical concerns, gods only know.
“He… He may not be the only one.” Axius appears to gird himself. “No one’s seen Severo since dinner yesterday.”
I stare at him for a moment before my mind catches up. “Mycounsel?”
“Yes.Hewouldn’t necessarily have felt the need to report his reason for stepping away from court if it’s only for a day or two, but at a time like this…”
Nausea pools in my stomach. “He was dedicated to Sabrelle too, wasn’t he?”
“He was,” Marc mutters from behind me, and shuts his mouth firmly at my sharp look.
Axius attempts to rally. “It’s possible his absence is temporary and unrelated. And we’ve had defections in the other direction. A few soldiers who were stationed in Lavira or nearby have been arriving in Vivencia to offer their support.”
My stomach churns harder. “Why would they feel they need to do that?”
If Axius’s jaw clenched any harder, I think his face would snap in half. “From what they’ve said, Valerisse has been stirring up a lot of hostility toward you among her local forces. She’s building her own personal army just outside Rodrige, and it’s already grown to a concerning size.”
None of the soldiers stationed that far away have had much of a chance to get to know me as a ruler. I only spent a few weeks in Lavira months ago, and then my presence wasovershadowed by my husband’s. The one challenge I carried out was solely for Linus’s benefit and conducted with only my personal guards as witnesses.
A handful of those soldiers have returned to me, but all the others… How can I sway them in my favor when they’re several days’ riding beyond my reach?
I know the answer, but I can’t help asking, “I don’t suppose the local Lavirian forces can stand up to them?”
Axius shakes his head. “Even if we could coordinate with the local authorities, their military has been kept small and spread out—for obvious reasons. We may see some revolt from the Lavirian citizens… but I’d imagine most would prefer to stay out of the conflict.”
A contingent of Raul’s people revolted against Marclinus just a year ago. They mightenjoyseeing the empire attack itself.
How much support do I have even here in Vivencia? “Have we lost many other soldiers—or anyone else—from the palace?”
“I know of a couple from the infantry, but that’s all.”
Kassun draws himself up straighter. “My colleagues are more than honored to serve you, Your Imperial Highness.”
“That sentiment seems to be shared through much of Dariu,” Axius goes on. “We’ve called in troops that could be spared to the surrounding towns so they’re nearby if we need them. I have messengers standing by to summon more reinforcements and sentries posted farther abroad. She can’t march on us without us knowing.”
One of the other guards scowls. “We should march onher.”
Marc inserts himself with an authoritative tone only I know he’s earned. “If we go to meet her on what she’s made her turf, she’ll have the advantage. And the Lavirians aremuch more likely to fight with her if we bring the battle to their home soil.”
