Fannon stayed outside.
I entered, eyes wide, taking it all in, because all of it wasmega.
There were a good dozen beings in there, seated around a long table.
They all took their feet (aside fromKingFillion, who was sitting next to thePrimeMinister, a maleI’dmet in the receiving line that night and who was still wearing his tuxedo, though it was dirty and had a torn lapel, but he, too, got up whenIentered).
Aleksei, sitting to one side, also took his feet.
I sawBainonandCormacat the long table.Tanynwas standing and appeared to have been pacing beforeIarrived.Therewas a female also standing at the foot of the table, andIknewI’darrived in the middle of her giving a briefing.Butaround the seats were a variety of males and females, three in uniform (one male, two females).
AndGermainewas there.
Every wall in the room was a screen, and on them a variety of live vids were displayed, including the activities in the west gardens, inside and outside of tents, and the trajectory of a lone craft that was speeding through the night.
The long table in the middle had displays built in at each seat, and hovering over it was a holo map of the entireSceptredIsle.Itglowed yellow, except for a tiny area to what would be the southwest edge of the island, which was red.
Clearly, this was the situation room.
And it was insanely cool.
“Laura, if you’d be seated byAleksei,” the king invited.
I didn’t ask whyI’dbeen invited to this session.Iwas just thrilled to be there.
So, without hesitation or that first sound,Imoved around the head of the table to sit in the vacant chair next toAleksei.
I caught his gaze and was pleased to see he didn’t look ticked at me, or anyone.Therewas no purple or pinprick of stars in his eyes, though the room was rather dim, so maybeIcouldn’t see the latter.
But he did look serious.Verymuch so.However, that was no surprise.
He held my chair asIsat.AndonceIdid, he did, as did everyone else.
“Carry on,”KingFillioncalled.
The female standing aimed a laser pointer at the little red area on the holo map.
“The preliminary breach was at the southwest dock.Theboat signal was that ofBaronLaFleur, who was, with his wife, to be an attending guest at theMasque.Radiocommunication affirmed that the voice heard after hailing wasLaFleur’s.However, an hour ago, the baron and his wife were found deceased in their flat inNocturn,” she stated. “Murdered.”
I nearly gasped, even thoughI’dnever met theLaFleurs.
AlthoughIwasn’t certain whyIwas there,Iknew this was a briefing of important people (Ijust didn’t knowIwas that important), soIdidn’t want to do something stupid, like gasp.
The holo pixilated like falling dust into the table, and a new one sprang up in 3D, full color, of a male in an elaborate mask and tuxedo alighting from a boat and going to talk to theRSagent who was guarding the dock.
“This male has been identified asRandalTapshine, anArnaudsympathizer,” the female reported.
I had to hold back another gasp asTapshineengaged his demon speed and snapped the neck of theRSagent.Hethen turned some kind of weapon on the other agent who was in the guardhouse, and faster than a blink, she went down too.
Tapshine then moved into the guardhouse, and it was sickening how matter-of-factly he yanked her body out so he could enter it.
“At this point,” the female reporting said, “Tapshinehacked into security, commandeering cameras to display false images.Healso jammed nautical detection beacons and the frequency sensors on the west side of the island.”
That holo dropped and the island came back up again.
“Therefore, the trolls approached by boat and were able to breach the island here first.”Shepointed to the red area, and another red area sprang up at the western end of the island. “Thiswas their second point of entry.”Athird illuminated on the northwestern side. “Andthis was their last.Thelanding was coordinated, and we found comm tech in their boats that were set to a short-range frequency to corroborate that.”
She took a deep breath and gave her conclusion.
