Warrior's Mind (Book 2 of The Warrior Chronicles)

Chapter 65

Leyla followed Raphael's gaze over his shoulder to the room they were standing in front of. There, beyond the soundproof glass, a frustrated Michael was waving from his seat at a long table in order to catch her attention. By Tevvuk's Beard, how had she not noticed him till now!? The Prorex kept messing with her senses.

Seeing that she was finally paying attention, Michael raised his brows, jerking his head this way and that in an attempt to tell her to come in.

"We better go in before he strains his neck," Raphael shook his head.

"Ah, yes," Leyla clasped her hands together in case he tried to hold them once more. She had to pull herself together; she couldn't just keep letting herself get flustered.

"Let's go," Raphael opened the door and stepped aside for her to enter.

All five occupants of the room stood as they entered, saluting first the Prorex, then welcoming her with different degrees of warmth. The Minister of Defence did not look too happy to see her, while General Lanark and Michael seemed genuinely pleased. Next to the General was a skinny man with a reserved smile who she didn't recognise and next to him stood a Warrior who she recalled seeing stationed at the outpost at the Green Kingdom.

"He is our expert on the Greenlands and you've met her before," Raphael whispered in her ear as he drew out a seat for her to take.

Leyla's eyes widened as she took in the new face of the spy she had met at the White Gardens. The Light spies ability to disguise themselves seemed impossible to detect, but Leyla remembered the places the spy had touched along her scalp when removing her mask. If she got closer, would there be any visible marks?

"Please, be seated," Raphael's voice drew her thoughts back to the present as everyone took their seats. "Now, if someone will catch us up?"

The Expert stood up, bowing curtly. "If you will permit me?" At Raphael's nod he went on: "King Alec and his troop were held up during their Greenland visit due to an attempted coup. The Green King's brother gathered several hundred followers, surrounding the King's residence with the claim that he had to be removed as he could produce no heir."

"No heir?" Raphael frowned. "Is Julius dead?"

Julius? Leyla was under the impression that the Green King did indeed have no heir. Of course, as Lieutenant, there was a lot of information she may have not been told. 

Raphael must have noticed her surprise, because he held up his hand, stalling the man from answering his question, "Tasgall, a short explanation on Julius for the Colonel, please."

"Of course," the Expert bowed, then turned to Leyla. "The Green King had not sired any children in the last two decades, but he does have a son named Julius. We have no information on his mother, but he was named heir on his twentieth birthday, eight years past. Julius is highly regarded by all Green Army officers as well as the Warriors that are stationed at Greenland outposts."

"I see," Leyla smiled in thanks for the information, then asked, "From the way you are speaking, I gather Julius is not dead. Then does the Green King's brother not accept him as heir?"

"The Green King's brother has no choice but to accept Julius as heir, since his popularity exceeds any other existing or potential leader in the Greenlands," Tasgall explained. "However, the coup makers claim that he is dead, as he has not been seen for over a year."  

"But you don't think so," Raphael concluded.

"No, I do not," Tasgall agreed. "There is ample reason to believe that Julius is alive."

"Alright, we will get to your reasons later," the Prorex said. "Right now, I want to know what came of the rebellion."

"Of course," Tasgall nodded. "As per the Leader's instructions, we had people in place to maintain the status quo, but King Alec stepped in when the attack happened and sided with the Green King. leaving our interference unnecessary." The Expert then looked to the spy to continue.

"The Warriors put out the rebellion within hours," she said and Leyla remembered her voice clearly. It really was the Face-Changer from the White Gardens. "Afterwards King Alec left the Greenlands with his force split into two." She took a paper out of her pocket, unfolding it to reveal the map of the four kingdoms. "The first  group is larger and is heading back to the Warrior Kingdom with two wagons given to them during their visit to the Giant Forest. The contents of the wagons are not confirmed, but we have ascertained that King Alec struck a deal with the Heka in which more Healers are to take up residence in the Warrior Kingdom in exchange for strengthened protection."

"This could be a preparatory move for something bigger," the Minister of Defence spoke up. "Why does this new King suddenly need more Healers, if he isn't predicting more fighting?"

Leyla was irritated by the scratchy voice of the Minister as well as his attitude. It was starting to feel like the man had some personal issues towards Warriors. Either way, it was time to speak her mind: "I doubt that is the case, Minister."

"Why not, Colonel?" Michael said quickly so the swiftly colouring Minister had no time to protest.

"It's simple." Leyla thought back to when she was in charge of Warrior Keep security and continued: "Only three Healers reside in the Warrior Kingdom, two inside the inner keep and one at the village. This number used to be sufficient during times of peace. However, the population of the Warrior Keep as well as the village has grown and No Lander attacks have increased, leaving more than the usual number injured. The number of resident Healers are no longer enough, not even for times of peace." She looked at the Minister who was listening intently now. "Taking the King's personality into account, I would think it likely that he is addressing this problem with the new deal, but there is no need to make guesses. We just need to find out how many new Healers are being taken in. If it's two or three, then they are covering a peacetime need. Preparation for large scale war would involve a much higher number. Optimally, one Healer per squadron."

"The Consort is correct,' General Lanark spoke up from her left. "There is no need to blindly guess at the Warrior King's intentions. With more information, we can narrow down the possibilities."

"Indeed," Raphael looked to Tasgall and the Face-Changer. "Let's find out the exact contents of the wagons as well as the details of the new deal."

"It shall be done," Tasgall bowed.

"As for the second group of Warriors," Raphael looked to the Face-Changer, "I assume they are headed in our direction?"

"Yes, Leader," the spy replied.

"Stubborn fool," Raphael muttered beneath his breath.

Alec was coming back? Leyla had no idea what to think. The day after her trial, the Warriors camped at the gate of the Land of Light had moved on. Leyla had figured that Raphael used his political prowess to make the Warriors move on. But then why would they be coming back only weeks later?

Raphael brought his hand up to massage between his eyes, then sighed. "Alright, we need to address security measures that will be implemented for our unwanted guests first. Tasgall you don't need to be here for that. Instead I need you to gather a team and draw up an assessment of what has changed in the Greenlands because of the unsuccessful coup. Who gained strength, who has become inconsequential. If there is information missing, I need an outline of how many face-changers we need to send out to gather intel and the specifics of what they are looking for."

Leyla watched as Raphael gave the individual members of the defence council their tasks, her respect for his abilities rising at the minutes ticked by. He was a natural leader, his ability to anticipate questions and needs allowing him to give out succinct instructions that required no explanations.

After Tasgall and the Face-Changer left the room, Leyla pulled her chair forward and rolled her shoulders. She would ask Raphael why Alec was coming back later. For now, she needed to concentrate on the matter at hand; defence strategy was her speciality.