The King's Guard

Chapter 81

The throne room of Veridale was colder than Kael remembered. Marble pillars reached toward the vaulted ceiling like ribs of a dead giant. King Elric sat on his elevated dais, the morning light catching the silver filigree of his crown.

Kael stood several paces back, flanked by Reyna and Ember. Darius was already there: stone-faced, his hands clasped behind his back.

The King’s voice cut through the stillness. “You’ve brought a report. Speak.”

Darius inclined his head. “We discovered Stormhaven weapons hidden beneath one of our outposts. Sealed crates, all carrying the crest.”

The King’s brow furrowed. “Impossible. Our treaties with Stormhaven forbid…”

“Treaties don’t stop smugglers,” Archon interrupted, stepping from the side of the dais. His presence filled the room like a shadow drawn long. “I’ve already reviewed the logistics manifest. It’s plausible, an outdated supply run.”

Kael’s voice came before he thought to stop it. “The crates were new, sir. And the runes weren’t Veridale make.”

Archon turned his head slowly. “Was that a question, Cadet Kael. You still don’t know when to speak.”

The King raised a hand. “Enough. What’s done is done. The cache will be sealed. No further action without my order.”

Kael frowned. “Your Majesty…”

Elric’s eyes flicked toward him. “That is my order.”

Reyna shifted slightly, sensing the tension building. Darius gave Kael the faintest warning glance, but the damage was done.

Archon’s smirk was small, deliberate. “The King has spoken. You’ll hand over your field notes to my office for review.”

Kael’s jaw clenched. “With respect, sir, those notes are part of an ongoing investigation under Commander Darius.”

“Then they’ll remain in safe hands,” Archon replied. “Mine.”

Darius stepped forward. “I’ll see to their transfer.”

Archon nodded once. “Excellent. Then this matter is closed.”

It wasn’t. Everyone knew it. The silence afterward was thick enough to choke on.

When they left the hall, Reyna spoke first. “You shouldn’t have challenged him.”

“I couldn’t stay quiet,” Kael muttered. “You heard him, he’s covering it up.”

Kyna joined them from where she’d been waiting near the corridor arch. “And the King’s letting him.”

Ember’s tone was low. “That’s what bothers me most.”

Drax gave a humourless laugh. “Politics, folks. It’s a disease. Catches faster than fever.”

Kael slowed his pace, his thoughts spinning. “The Queen used to advise the King. Where is she now?”

Reyna frowned. “She’s been absent from public view for years now. Illness, they said.”

“Or silence,” Kael murmured.

Darius turned to face them suddenly. “Enough speculation. The King’s order stands.”

Kael met his gaze. “Even if it’s wrong?”

Darius hesitated for half a heartbeat. “Especially then. For now.”

Later that afternoon, Kael found himself in the archives, the scent of parchment and candle wax thick in the air. He laid out his maps on a long oak table, tracing the supply routes that intersected the outpost.

Kyna leaned over his shoulder. “See that trail? It connects through two Stormhaven border posts.”

He nodded. “Exactly. Meaning they didn’t just slip through, they were invited.”

Reyna entered, arms crossed. “You’re not letting this go, are you?”

“No.”

She sighed. “I figured as much.”

Kael rubbed his temple. “Archon’s too eager to close it. The King’s too calm. Someone’s making sure this stays quiet.”

Kyna added softly, “Maybe they’re afraid of what comes next.”

He looked up at her. “Then they already know what it means.”

Reyna sat on the table’s edge, studying him. “You ever think maybe you’re chasing a storm you can’t stop?”

Kael met her gaze. “I’m not trying to stop it. I just want to know who started it.”

Before she could answer, a voice came from the doorway. “You’ll find that truth cuts both ways.”

They turned. Archon stood in the archway, his cloak a line of dark fabric against the light. “Still digging, I see.”

Kael straightened. “Just reviewing mission logs, sir.”

Archon’s smile was faint. “Darius’s discipline is impressive. He’s trained his team to defy me in perfect synchrony.”

“We follow the truth,” Kael said evenly.

“The truth,” Archon repeated, stepping closer, “is whatever survives the telling. Remember that.”

He turned to leave, then paused. “You might find loyalty a sharper weapon than honesty, Kael. Be careful which you choose.”

When he was gone, Reyna exhaled slowly. “He’s baiting you.”

“I noticed,” Kael muttered.

Kyna leaned closer. “He knows you’re not backing down.”

Kael’s voice was quiet. “Then he’s finally paying attention.”

That night, rain hammered the barracks roof. The squad gathered around the dim fire in the common room. Ember was polishing her blades; Drax poured over a field manual upside down.

Reyna looked up. “You think the King knows what Archon’s doing?”

Ember shook her head. “If he doesn’t, then he’s blind. If he does, then he’s complicit.”

Kyna stirred the embers with a stick. “I don’t like either answer.”

Jared, sitting apart, spoke suddenly. “You all talk like you’ve got the world figured out.”

Reyna shot him a look. “You disagree?”

“I think,” Jared said, “that maybe Archon’s right. Maybe silence is necessary.”

Kael turned. “Silence protects the guilty.”

“Or prevents a war,” Jared countered. “You want Stormhaven to know we found their weapons in our soil? They’d call it an act of aggression.”

Kael’s tone sharpened. “You sound like you’ve rehearsed that.”

Jared’s eyes flicked to him. “Maybe I just understand the bigger picture.”

Reyna’s patience snapped. “You’ve been defending Archon a lot lately.”

“I don’t defend him,” Jared said. “I respect him. There’s a difference.”

Ember muttered, “Could’ve fooled me.”

Drax looked between them. “You two done comparing moral compasses? Some of us are trying to stay alive till morning.”

No one laughed.

Kael leaned back, gaze fixed on the fire. “Stormhaven, Archon, the King, none of them are clean. We just have to decide whose dirt we can live with.”

Reyna met his eyes. “And if there’s no one left worth trusting?”

He didn’t answer.

Near midnight, Kael couldn’t sleep. The rain had eased, leaving only the distant drip of water from the eaves. He rose quietly and slipped out onto the training grounds.

The field stretched wide and silent, lit by pale moonlight. His breath misted as he drew the Rift, letting it hum faintly beneath his skin. He moved through its rhythm slowly, testing control, feeling the edges of time bend just enough to listen.

A soft voice came from behind. “Still awake?”

It was Darius.

Kael lowered his hand. “Can’t shut it off.”

Darius approached, hands in his coat pockets. “That’s the thing about power…it doesn’t sleep just because you want it to.”

Kael studied him. “You didn’t tell Archon about the cache.”

“I told the King what I had to. And I told you what not to.”

“Why protect him?”

Darius looked toward the empty field. “Because until I know who’s truly pulling the strings, I can’t risk showing my hand.”

Kael hesitated. “You think the King’s involved?”

“I think,” Darius said quietly, “that too many people have stopped asking questions. Don’t join them.”

The silence stretched. Then Kael said, “Do you ever regret saving the Queen that day?”

Darius blinked, caught off guard. “Where’d that come from?”

“You chose her over the Council. Everyone said it cost you your career.”

Darius’s gaze hardened. “It bought me clarity. That’s worth more.”

Kael nodded slowly. “Then I’ll remember that.”

Darius started to leave, then paused. “You asked earlier what happened to her. The Queen. Officially she’s recovering. Unofficially, she vanished.”

Kael frowned. “Vanished?”

“No guards. No body. Just gone.” Darius’s expression darkened. “And Archon was the one assigned to her protection.”

The words hung in the cold air.

When Darius was gone, Kael stared out into the night. The Rift pulsed again under his skin, echoing like a warning drum.

What really happened to the Queen?

By morning, the barracks felt quieter than usual. Reyna found Kael standing by the window, watching the courtyard fill with recruits.

“You didn’t sleep.”

He shook his head. “I found out something.”

“About what?”

“The Queen. She didn’t just disappear. Archon was guarding her.”

Reyna’s eyes widened. “You’re sure?”

“Darius told me himself.”

She exhaled slowly. “That explains his silence. He’s playing a dangerous game.”

Kael’s voice was low. “So are we.”

By dusk, the squad was summoned again, this time not by Archon or Darius, but by the royal chamberlain. The message was brief: His Majesty requests the Shadow Corps’ continued discretion regarding recent discoveries.

Reyna folded the parchment. “There it is again.”

Kael stared at the wax seal: a single black crown pressed into gold. “Then we’re on our own.”

Kyna nodded. “We were from the start.”

The squad exchanged looks that said what none dared speak aloud: they were no longer soldiers upholding peace. They were witnesses to something rotten, and every step forward risked the gallows.

Kael folded his arms, jaw set. “Fine. Then we do what Darius taught us.”

Reyna met his eyes. “And what’s that?”

He looked toward the distant palace towers. “We keep moving quietly until the truth has nowhere left to hide.”