The Shadow Kingdom

Chapter 27 - Best Laid Plans

Augustus's office has become the White House situation room. Julian, Octavia, Diana, and Isabella are all debating how to use this new piece of intelligence that I have brought them. "Augustus, we have waited centuries for this golden opportunity!" The fact that Julian is allowed to call Augustus by his first name suggests that his station must be close to that of Adrian's.

"After the attack on the manor, all of your minor houses have been crying out for war! They all want vengeance for the loved ones that they lost, and they have all declared their commitment to our campaign. We have raised an army more than fifty thousand strong, enough to outnumber House Ashcroft by at least two-to-one!"

Augustus rests calculatingly in his seat, unmoved by Julian's vigorousness. "All of their compounds are located underground; the entrances and exits are all chokepoints. They could withstand a direct attack from a force on the outside that outnumbers them ten-to-one. There is also the issue of their home field advantage. As soon as we enter their territory, they will have the human police and military forces to assist them."

"Then we burn the damn buildings down!" Julian slams his palms flat against Augustus's desk; his heart beats with the rhythm of a warmonger. "We wait until their buildings are empty, and we crush their armies beneath their own castles!"

Augustus remains unfazed. "And do you intend to bury my son underneath the rubble as well?" Julian opens his mouth but quickly realizes he has nothing to say. "House Ashcroft has no doubt prepared for the possibility that someone will try to destroy their buildings on the surface. Their forces inside the compounds would have escape routes."

"How do we even know this information is reliable?" Octavia pitches in. "It was delivered to us by the Ashcroft bastard." She glares at me without fear of confrontation. "The minute she came into our house was when this whole shit-storm began. It's because of her that one of my sons is dead, and the other is in a prison cell. And now she just conveniently happens to deliver us this information? For all we know, she could have been an Ashcroft spy from the start!"

"Mother, I have verified this intelligence..."

"Don't call me that!" Octavia snaps before Diana can finish.

Diana breathes a heavy sigh before continuing. "Shang Majesty, I have verified this intelligence with our own. It is consistent with everything our spies have reported over the years. She is telling the truth." Octavia's mouth closes for now, but her claws are still fully extended. If I succeed, this bitch is going to be my mother-in-law.

Augustus and Julian continue their insufferable dick-measuring contest while Octavia continues to think of ways to blame me for everything. Diana and Isabella are the only ones actually strategizing, and I listen closely to what they say.

The significance of these six strongholds in particular is that they belong to House Ashcroft itself. If they were to fall, House Ashcroft's control over Prometheus and their vassal houses would falter at which point the loyalty of their sworn subjects will be tested.

While Diana and Isabella discuss the logistics of raiding one of the strongholds in London, my attention is focused on the sixth stronghold – or rather the absence of a stronghold. We have been monitoring these locations via live satellite ever since I got back. The sixth location is on the northern coast of the Isle of Wight not too far from Southampton, England. The area is heavily forested, which would be a good place to hide something.

But the Via Domos didn't show me any type of underground structure similar to the other locations. And on infrared, we haven't been able to see any heat signatures enter or exit the area. As far as we can tell, there is literally nothing there but trees. Why would the Via Domos show me this place?