A Blaze in the Dark (A New Dawn #1)

Chapter 14 - Fox

P.S. Tell Jonathan to keep a spot open for Frederic's youngest son next spring. He's a poor warrior, but a bright young man whose brain does not fit Laneby. Consider him the third part of the taxes owed. Who says Greed feasts in my mind?

Fox tottered on the red worn-out carpet that had once seen better days, pulling up the linen pants that were at least a size too big. Then he hurried behind Katla, who was walking as though he was getting chased by a cloud of mosquitoes. Not that he believed that any living thing would ever voluntarily enter this place. The windows were covered in dusty cobwebs, darkening the already murky interior of the castle. Why did he have to come?

He froze as a massive shadow appeared at the end of the hallway, his heart pounding so hard that it was almost popping out of his chest. Two guards, clad in the same black uniform with the arrow crest that Leo and Phoe had been wearing, approached with torches and a grim look in their eyes.

Katla laid his hand on his back, pushing Fox in front of him. "We're almost there. Be a good boy. Don't say or do anything unless His Majesty asks you to."

"O-okay," Fox stuttered. He took a deep breath. Though he wasn't ready to face the monster behind the destruction of Laneby, he had to be braver than he had ever been. For Mother and Father and Amy. For all the others that had lost their lives. And most of all for his friends; they were still alive.

They took a sharp turn at the end of the hallway, where a bulky guard stood, his beefy hands holding a great axe in the shape of a lion's head. "So the whispers are true. You have returned, Master Katla."

"Whispers hold more truth than words spoken out loud, Jay." Katla smiled. "Can I go in?"

"You should have been in already."

The guard opened the door, revealing a large room with pillars higher than the tallest trees in the Forest of Lane. Despite four fireplaces burning heavily in each corner, the place wasn't any hotter than the average Greenlander summer day.

Fox's hands turned clammy nonetheless. 

On the throne sat no monstrous beast, but a brawny man with long blonde hair and a billy-goat beard. His hands rested on his left knee, which was folded against his body while his other leg quivered playfully on the stool in front of him.

The man was staring into the fireplace closest to the door. He appeared brooding as half a dozen people in front of him were discussing loudly about someone named Wolf who had stolen a sword from the weaponry. One voice argued that he should be taught manners, whereas a woman in an apron said that he was just a young boy in dire need of some love.

The King of Silvermark didn't seem to care.

Fox's breath hitched when the man glanced up, a smirk spreading across his face. "My friend, here you are at last. I can't wait to hear what you have to say." He sat up straighter, dismissing the group with a snap of his fingers.

Katla bowed, so Fox did the same. Two pairs of long black boots departed on the left, two pairs of high heels on the right. A pair of strange curly shoes followed right after.

Fox looked up when the door was pushed shut. It was just them, the King, and a dark-haired woman in a long silver gown-the Queen, perhaps.

King Ariel put his legs on the ground and leant forwards. "Speak up."

Katla jutted his chin. "The mission was successful, Your Majesty. First the Lord and his family, then the rest of Laneby. There's nothing there but bones and ashes."

"Good," the King said as if someone had just told him the weather would be bright.

Fox's hands balled into fists as anger bubbled through his veins. This man had ruined his life, yet pretended that it was just another day. He didn't know who this Wolf was, but he understood why he had stolen a sword. If he had one, he would have stabbed this monster right in the heart, even it were the last thing he ever did. For Laneby!