Cage of Deceit(38)

Her mother came to her. “I need to know for certain that you are ready and want to become a leader.” Her eyes were glassy as if she were on the verge of crying.

“I am,” Allyssa answered without hesitating. While roaming the streets at night certainly helped make a positive difference by putting criminals in jail, being a leader and ruling Emperion would be far more effective. By stepping into the position she was born to do, Allyssa would be able to help shape the future of the kingdom. The thought both excited and scared her.

“Then I want you to come with us.”

“Are you sure?” Darmik asked Rema. “You’ve always insisted we shield her from this sort of thing.”

“I know,” she replied, delicately wiping her eyes with the corner of her handkerchief. “But if she’s going to be married and one day rule Emperion, it’s time she sees firsthand the evil that lives in others.”

Darmik’s mouth pulled tight. “Very well.”

Allyssa had no idea what was going on or what she was about to witness. Her skin pricked with fear—whatever she was about to be privy to would not be pleasant. Rolling her shoulders back and standing tall, she steeled her resolve, preparing for what was to come.

Neco led the royal family to the Throne Room. When they arrived, dozens of advisors, all the dukes, and the entire Legion of Emperion were already there, along with a few nosy courtiers. Whatever was going on had to be of vast importance if all the politicians and lawmakers were gathered. Allyssa followed her parents down the aisle to the dais, where she took her seat at her mother’s side. Directly in front of her sat Prince Odar, Jarvik, and several Fren soldiers.

Before taking his seat, Darmik briefly spoke to Neco, and then he came before his daughter. “Remember, you represent this kingdom. This is not about you, or your emotions. Think of Emperion, think of your people, and stay strong.”

She nodded, and he sat on Rema’s other side. Even though dozens of people were present, no one spoke. The doors opened, and three men staggered in. One had blood covering the side of his face, which was caked with mud. Another’s nose was crooked and purple. The last man limped, holding his arm close to his chest. All of their plain, nondescript clothing was torn and dirty. Whatever they had been through, it was bad. When they reached the bottom of the dais, the three men dropped to one knee.

“Your Majesties,” Neco announced, “may I present three of my best scouts, First Division.”

Rema nodded, and the three men stood.

“Your Majesties,” the one in the middle said. “We are all that is left of our squad.”

Allyssa’s stomach twisted. A squad consisted of two dozen men.

“We were sent to Russek to spy,” the man continued. “Our mission was to determine Russek’s military strongholds and to uncover their plans for invading their neighboring kingdoms. When we first reached the border between Russek and Fia, we found it lined with thousands of soldiers. Some of them appeared to be as young as ten; others looked to be in their sixties.” He took a shaky breath, his eyes glossing over with tears. “Behind the soldiers, there were spikes stuck into the ground. On top of each spike was a severed head. There had to be over a thousand of them.”

Allyssa gripped the arms on her chair, her knuckles turning white.

“Rumors are that the heads belonged to the people in Melenia who fought or opposed the invading Russek soldiers. The heads are meant to serve as a warning to Landania and Fia of what will happen if they fight against Russek.”

“Were you able to get past the soldiers?” Darmik asked.

“We were, Your Majesty,” the man’s voice shook. “Russek is preparing to attack the kingdoms to the north of us for the sole purpose of marching straight into Emperion to claim this land as their own. They have tens of thousands of soldiers ready and willing to fight and die to achieve this goal.”

Fear coursed through Allyssa. Why did Russek want Emperion? How could they be so vicious as to kill thousands of innocent people simply to conquer more land? Had King Drenton no heart? No soul?

“What happened to you and your men?” Rema asked.

“We were ambushed by Russek soldiers,” he answered. “They came out of nowhere. The three of us barely escaped. Everyone else … .” He shook his head.

Another one of the scouts spoke. “The Russek soldiers are animals,” he said. “They don’t fight honorably. When they ambushed us, their goal was to maim as many of us as they could, then drag us closer to a fire where we could be tortured. Over a hundred Russek soldiers took our men, slicing off body parts, burning hands and feet in the fire, and doing whatever they felt inflicted the most pain imaginable without killing. All the while, they made the Emperion men still alive watch.” He started shaking. “Eventually, they all died. Mutilated.”