Rebellion: Prince of Dawn

Chapter 13.5: The Chariot

---

RAY VAN CAMARO

My unit was shipped off while I was talking to King Arthureus.

I didn't get a chance to see my unit. Or say goodbye.

As a way to keep me busy, King Arthureus dumped a ton of work on me.

Doria resided in the Iron Keep as a way for the king to keep her close. We rarely saw each other. She'd try to talk to me on the rare occasions we pass one another but I ignored her.

She's safer if she doesn't know. Besides, she's smart enough to know what's going on.

What I couldn't wrap my head around was that Scar was fighting for a just cause all this time. I never would've believed it. But if Scar only killed people involved with this giant conspiracy, then that meant Jaime's parents were...

"Stop daydreaming," Greed ordered. "Focus."

I was instructed to write a letter to Pops and Czeslaw, but they didn't give me a chance to sneak in a message. Greed sat by my side and had me write the words he was saying. He watched me carefully, making sure I didn't hide anything cryptic in the letters.

Is the Royal Guard in on it as well? Or were they just blindly following King Arthureus because of their vows? It's hard to tell, but I can't rely on people who dedicated their lives to the king.

"By the way," Greed said, handing me a letter. "It's for you."

I read it aloud. "Hi, Ray. I heard you're in the city. Are Ilias, Mistress Trisha, and Jaime still missing? Can we please meet up for dinner? I want to know what's happening. Please. Sincerely yours, Heloise."

I crumpled up the letter and threw it in the bin.

"Why'd you do that?" Greed asked.

"There's no point. You're not going to allow me."

"I was told to make you attend that dinner. I already confirmed it with Silver. You're good friends with her and it would be suspicious if you didn't bother to tell her anything about Gilead. You will attend this dinner and give her context. But we will have spies watching you to ensure you don't slip anything to her." Greed took out an envelope from his pocket and handed it to me. "This is the story you'll tell her. Don't deviate from it."

I took the envelope from him and began memorizing the story.

"Also, Doria will be attending with you. It'll be suspicious if you're alone. You need to keep up appearances."

The story we were given was simple. We were still looking for where everyone was and, out of the missing people Heloise was close to, only Doria was found. We were not to say anything about our findings. And if asked about my unit, I would say they volunteered to go to remote places to help with the search.

The dinner was at this restaurant called The Pewtor Pot. Greed escorted us personally and sat at a nearby table pretending to be a traveller. From my count, at least seven spies were accounted for in the restaurant. The place was pretty empty too. Someone with good ears could pick up a whisper.

Heloise arrived not long after us, right at the time she set up.

"This is the first time you're early. Hello, Lieutenant." She took her seat and glanced around. "Where are the others?"

"They went to remote places to help look for the remaining villagers."

"I assume there are still no signs of Ilias, Mistress Trisha, and Jaime?"