The Catalyst

Chapter 56

Jaden half-expected the crown to have been claimed by his aunt Nissy or one of the twins in his absence. But Moira and Zemisha greeted him in the grand hall, flanked by a little army of perhaps a dozen men. Caleb and Liandris stood among them in their castle guard uniforms, hands on their sword pommels. Liandris had filled in since his enrollment, the width of his shoulders revealing regular practice with the bow.

There was also Bastian, a skilled swordsman who had served as lieutenant in the war. Standing tall in his black-and-golds, Bastian had a squared jaw and eyes of different colors, one blue and one brown. Next to him was Master Gareth, the strict archery instructor from Jaden's time at the barracks.

Bryani had taken Sofi and Chana to visit the theater, leaving Jaden and Kitera alone with their welcoming committee.

"We're glad to have you back, my king," Zemisha said with an elegant bow.

Kitera shot Liandris a glare. "Shouldn't you be training?"

He went pale. "I . . . I thought I should . . ."

"No, I don't care," Kitera snapped. "Back to training. Now."

"Right away." As Liandris stormed out, his booted steps echoed across the vast high-ceilinged room.

Moira cleared her throat. "Trust me, we did try to reduce our, um, personal guard, but these gentlemen insisted."

"Actually, these men" – Zemisha gestured at Bastian and the others in military uniform – "arrived from the barracks along with two hundred more, sent by Lord Kemon to reinforce the garrison."

"Good," Kitera said. "Did he send scouts as well? The Azurians might be on the move. Our former queen might be with them."

Bastian took that one, "Yes, scouts were sent to the south and south-west." Kitera nodded in approval.

Jaden addressed Moira, "And your reformed prisoners?"

She smiled. "Seventy of them are in training. Master Gareth was kind enough to offer his services."

The old man's keen eyes met Jaden's. "If the Azurians attack the castle, you'll need as many archers as you can get. I thought you could use the help."

Jaden's chest swelled with gratitude. "Thank you."

"You could help train the guards," Kitera suggested.

Master Gareth's expression became stern. "I was already doing that, seeing as their captain was absent." Kitera took the blow and held her tongue. Jaden cleared his throat.

"Anything else of note?"

Moira glanced at Zemisha, who lowered her gaze and took a deep breath before looking back up at Jaden. "There is something else, yes. It's about my half-brother."

Jaden's heart skipped a beat. "Myzian?" The man whose blade had slayed Matt.

She shook her head. "His name is Neros. He's here." Kitera's hand reflexively went to her sword hilt, which Zemisha noticed. "Don't worry, we had him locked up in the dungeons."

"He was acting crazy," Moira said distastefully. "Insisting on taking Zemisha away as if she was his property."

"In Azuria, I would have been tied up and handed to him without a second thought," Zemisha pointed out.

"Well, this is Fellera," Jaden said.

"Thankfully," she replied. "In any case, one of the guards volunteered to torture Neros for information." Her gaze brushed over Caleb. "Of course, I would need to act as translator, since my half-brother doesn't speak a word of Felleran. But I haven't made up my mind. I was wondering if we could discuss it together?"