A Most Dangerous Weapon

Chapter 63: The War Room

The rest of our troop arrived the next day.

Quintus and Newt marched their army of about a hundred gladiators into Kent as the sun shone brightly above, gleaming off their acquired armour and weapons. Our numbers may seem dismal in comparison to the thousands of soldiers that awaited us on the battlefield, but our troop was made of more ferocious beasts. We also just needed them to clear a path and offer protection if Galacian or Romallian soldiers tried to take us on. Our goal wasn't to eliminate the armies, but to take out their leaders. A hundred gladiators were more than enough to accomplish such a task.

The gladiator's imposing presence forced the people of Kent back into hiding. They didn't like the looks of their weapons, fearing that it was another Galacian raid on the rise. I assured Silvia that our troop meant the people of Kent no harm. She was also skeptical, but in the end she chose to trust me once I assured her that we would be leaving Kent behind by nightfall. Silvia spread the word amongst her people that they would be safe, but she also offered them shelter for the day on the west side of town where her clinic was set up. Our troop was welcome to the east side.

Once that was all settled I called a meeting with all my trusted allies and leaders at the courthouse. Unfortunately this also meant bringing my brother inside because I didn't trust his security to anyone but this group. Loxley was also invited because I still needed her to work with me. I figured she'd be more receptive to this fact after her time away to repent, and now that Rowan was our first choice for the throne.

The courthouse was much smaller than anything found in Brixen, Steppe, or the Capital. The double door entrance opened up to a small waiting area that also served as a Bonding Ceremony space on raining days. A door at the end of the sparse waiting area led to the courtroom, which was used for more serious crimes or private discussions for the town's development. It was merely a singular large room that housed a decent sized table and a couple of chairs.

Everyone filed into the room at the appointed time. I was already there with Rowan, Arlo and Marcus, who was tied and gagged in a corner with Arlo's blade pointed at his throat for good measure.

Brutus came booming into the room with a large smile on his face. "Hello Little Dove! Did you miss us?"

Newt and Quintus followed in good spirits as well, grinning as they respectfully nodded in my direction before taking their place at the table.

"I never thought I'd say this given our history, but it's good to see you, Brutus."

He laughed heartily at my slight, clapping me on the back in a friendly manner. After a few more pleasantries he moved to stand behind Quintus' chair. The three men began to chat away about their army. I was glad to see that they had grown so close, for it would come in handy during the fight.

Theo and Kilgorian were next to arrive. Quintus and Newt stood up upon seeing their old friend again. Theo jumped into their embraces, and then pulled Kilgorian over to join in the conversation without a second thought. Kilgorian blushed slightly at the ease that Theo exerted, happy that he still held Kilgorian high on his list of priorities even when Theo's long-time friends were at his disposal.

Arrian slipped into the room carefully, still nervous about what was yet to come but determined to show me his support. He squeezed my hand lovingly before responding to the summons of his gladiator friends.

Evander and Camilla came in together holding a bottle of alcohol each. They raised them in salute to our solidarity after our strange, drunken bonding moment the previous day. I couldn't help but be annoyed with them for attending this meeting in such a state, but I kept my lips pressed firmly closed to stifle my words. They were grieving, after all, and I suppose they weren't as drunk as they had been before. They seemed coherent enough to follow along, and I didn't think I'd need them to contribute many words of their own anyways. Perhaps this was a good thing. They could keep silent in their seats while the rest of us worked out the logistics of our plan.