Chapter 29
Council meetings were always the14Please respect copyright.PENANAFolgY7OpLf
same. Those in attendance always complained about not making enough money off14Please respect copyright.PENANAjcOfrfy7Kb
taxes or whatever business ventures they were bankrolling even though a good14Please respect copyright.PENANAe5CTt31RMS
majority of the population, both inside and outside the city walls, were14Please respect copyright.PENANAOYrnjfKjz4
struggling. Between the guards forcing those to give them bribes to the14Please respect copyright.PENANAczfidGh6VE
ever-increasing prices, more and more people find their pockets dwindling and14Please respect copyright.PENANANfc9SaOQAP
unable to pay for even the most basic of necessities. But that wasn’t even the14Please respect copyright.PENANA1bcYDcnNrp
worst part.
Now that Malcolm had been buried14Please respect copyright.PENANAgAa9aiQL4g
in the crypt, several of them were discussing how to remove Cuvera from his14Please respect copyright.PENANAJsYZIXWuqo
seat as King and elect someone else. There was staunch opposition to this of14Please respect copyright.PENANA9uurfFQYiP
course, but those in favor were quite persuasive.
“He is still too young,” Anna14Please respect copyright.PENANAQ5zNkTwqyR
Jilena argued. “And he just lost his father after he married a foreign14Please respect copyright.PENANAfjegSpgGks
princess. We don’t need her whispering in his ear while he is vulnerable.”14Please respect copyright.PENANAoIvwwYGUYW
Peyton never much cared for her. All she cared about was expanding her family’s14Please respect copyright.PENANAVs7BvpSXsg
influence within the city. Her husband was a general, her eldest son was14Please respect copyright.PENANATYEgEhgfNj
following him, and the youngest likely would have replaced her in twenty years14Please respect copyright.PENANA67y9UYKcKs
if he hadn’t been killed.
Jeffery’s death was a sacrifice to14Please respect copyright.PENANA79RgLKq7zh
get the council, especially Anna, to force Vander into a corner to make him14Please respect copyright.PENANA5oQrgjxJSU
more in a hurry to clear his name by exposing the Serpents. However, in an14Please respect copyright.PENANAkzJyJOlvIX
unforeseen circumstance, she had ordered a hit on his head going against14Please respect copyright.PENANAqzBOoZHQwQ
Cuvera’s wishes. Once he found out he was furious and ordered it to be stopped,14Please respect copyright.PENANArtfc8kAt2P
but she went behind his back to keep it up.
“We all agreed to the terms of14Please respect copyright.PENANAz6ueAD4oGQ
peace term, Jilena.” Simeon Steele said, his deep voice quieted down the table,14Please respect copyright.PENANArvOYS54JGD
but only for a moment. “And from what I’ve seen of her so far, she is more than14Please respect copyright.PENANAxJj0sC5Pc0
qualified to help him run this city.”
“And he is grieving.” Katherine14Please respect copyright.PENANAoHlHdj6pqn
Burnet, one of the oldest council members, said. “He had just lost his father14Please respect copyright.PENANAr68yjNmOtu
to murder, by his best friend no less. So, excuse him for taking some time to14Please respect copyright.PENANAQ5bd7Jo5QT
come to terms with it.”
“And I Iost my son,” Anna hissed.14Please respect copyright.PENANAI7Dq7U091v
“Yet I am here doing something productive with my time and not grieving.”
Peyton chuckled quietly to14Please respect copyright.PENANAKsKZkyuUoI
himself. That wasn’t the slam on the King as she thought it was. In fact, that14Please respect copyright.PENANAYJyjKp766B
reflected more on her than it did anyone else. Anna wasn’t someone he would14Please respect copyright.PENANA7JM1oy06WC
have considered warm, but she hadn’t even taken the week to properly grieve.14Please respect copyright.PENANAtc8SOsqH0d
Instead, she got right to using Jeffery’s death as a political tool to bring14Please respect copyright.PENANAx4yOi4TxNf
people to her cause. It was brilliant, but he would have respected her more if14Please respect copyright.PENANANxp881M4Ek
she wasn’t such a bitch.
“Maybe you should.” Bryce Kolmijr,14Please respect copyright.PENANAWmufevukqY
the head of the smithing alliance that stretched the entire country, said.14Please respect copyright.PENANAHdw7ovRGX8
Everyone turned to look at him. He was one of the more levelheaded members of14Please respect copyright.PENANApkm1rZHSjI
the council. He rarely talked, preferring to listen to gather intelligence14Please respect copyright.PENANAg9tCJCST7s
before voting, so today was such a rare outburst from him.
“What did you say?” Anna’s voice14Please respect copyright.PENANACFvE8n9IvC
took on a dangerous tone. Bryce wasn’t phased in the slightest. He took her14Please respect copyright.PENANACaoMvfUOjm
glared head on, giving her a small smile.
“Your son has been in the ground14Please respect copyright.PENANAl0TxPtYQwY
for many months now.” He knew he had to tread carefully. “Yet you haven’t taken14Please respect copyright.PENANAzDRwbWSci8
a break to be with your family. Almost as if you care more about appearances14Please respect copyright.PENANAEHmADQrQGz
than your family.”
“How dare you.” She went to lunge14Please respect copyright.PENANACNn1e71vJJ
over the table, but the brewing master Samuel Mills wrapped his arms around her14Please respect copyright.PENANA9LtLKMj5RM
waist keeping her rooted. Sighing, Peyton knew it was time for him to step in.
“Quiet down, all of you.” Anna14Please respect copyright.PENANA9JaOLowhZx
opened her mouth to protest, but a single glare from him dried her retort in14Please respect copyright.PENANAKCRCpdEhRJ
her throat. She slapped Mill’s arm to let her go then she sat in her chair and14Please respect copyright.PENANAIau0b975k7
folded her arms over her chest. “Bryce, I expect an apology to the Jilena14Please respect copyright.PENANAoVbyjzNHsj
family once this is done. What she does is her business, and you have no idea14Please respect copyright.PENANAxp2T4xp84P
what’s going on in her private life.”
“I understand.” While he knew that14Please respect copyright.PENANAXRs6MtGK5M
Bryce would apologize, he wouldn’t mean it. He hated the Jilena family with a14Please respect copyright.PENANAW4ph3WAocm
passion for reasons known only to him. However, it would have to do.
“Has there been any leads14Please respect copyright.PENANAVuspDmKbVR
involving the Green Serpents?” Peyton addressed them, specifically Katherine14Please respect copyright.PENANAZ274VFRzDv
who, despite her age, had a cunning spy network that was rivaled only by Ross14Please respect copyright.PENANAEbaMFZ6I2f
in the lower district.
“No,” she said. “They have since14Please respect copyright.PENANATMzYPA2Hgm
gone underground. My people haven’t been able to find anything about them.”
“That’s concerning.” Another14Please respect copyright.PENANAFSD1RLi4yK
council member frowned. “They got away with the poisoning and murder of14Please respect copyright.PENANAJ46rJqQp3J
Malcolm, and we can’t find them?”
“There is no proof that Vander14Please respect copyright.PENANAksrdo3z3tL
worked with the Serpents on the assassination.” Bryce spoke up. “This is purely14Please respect copyright.PENANACDTCKTz3IP
conjecture.”
“It’s an educated guess.” Visc14Please respect copyright.PENANA6XOGJpbSoG
said. Peyton wondered when the rat would speak up. He was being oddly quiet14Please respect copyright.PENANAOwqx358GGi
during the whole back and forth. “The Serpents were behind the poisoning, that14Please respect copyright.PENANAmg2rCCOyn8
has been confirmed by Topal, however Vander knew an awful lot about the poison.14Please respect copyright.PENANAtCkZAgvyI4
It’s a little suspect is it not?”
“Plus, he wasn’t in the city when14Please respect copyright.PENANAI29GCm1USK
it happened.” Lucas Brattle, someone on Jilena’s side of things, said. “He14Please respect copyright.PENANAmuY96hPjO7
could have snuck in, poisoned the King, then framed someone else for it to14Please respect copyright.PENANAeus7ApXEmu
avoid suspicion.”
“That’s a lot of speculation14Please respect copyright.PENANAJSweV3iUaO
without any proof.” Mills slammed his hand on the table. “I will prefer to hold14Please respect copyright.PENANAEqUdUMrSv3
my judgement until I hear his side of things. There were of course two people14Please respect copyright.PENANARlg1US8vR0
in the room when the King died, we aren’t sure who did it.” He glared up at14Please respect copyright.PENANAgpYZTBk0g5
Peyton. Peyton grinned inwardly to himself. Mills had always been a bright one14Please respect copyright.PENANATmfDpU8KQB
and never much cared for the King’s advisor. If only he knew how close, he was14Please respect copyright.PENANAIfpc4otUaL
to the truth.
“I suggest you hold the traitorous14Please respect copyright.PENANA2807tUzItq
tongue of yours.” Visc stood up, though it did nothing to make him look14Please respect copyright.PENANAKTQFA1anRB
intimidating. “Lord Cranton had been Malcolm’s friend since they were children,14Please respect copyright.PENANAmR5t9nq1Px
how dare you imply he was behind the murder.”
“And Vander had been part of14Please respect copyright.PENANAQpPrafT2hR
Malcolm’s family since he was but a child.” Bryce fired back. “Yet you had no14Please respect copyright.PENANA62vRbSDCCn
problem assuming the worse about him.” Before anything could get going again,14Please respect copyright.PENANA7adwzxNoSf
there was a knock on the chamber door.
“Enter.” Peyton shouted. The doors14Please respect copyright.PENANAmdSHwj2ZbB
were pushed open by the two guards allowing Leon Visc to enter the room.
If he was being honest, Peyton14Please respect copyright.PENANAyaQnlmeHej
hated both Leon and his father. Both kissed the ass of whoever would give them14Please respect copyright.PENANAHdJBxTh5Ng
the most power and they had no loyalty to anyone except themselves. Peyton had14Please respect copyright.PENANAb3zuGuuBwv
watched Leon grow up to be spoiled child, picking fights with Vander and when14Please respect copyright.PENANAZltyBougSc
he lost, went crying to his father to fix things. He had been jealous of14Please respect copyright.PENANAyf2Hu5vAjK
Vander, so much so that he was willing to ruin a happy union due to it. The14Please respect copyright.PENANAGwWx4e34l8
country would be better off without those two in it, but he would have to deal14Please respect copyright.PENANAyggZAia7mM
with that later.
Leon bowed before the table.14Please respect copyright.PENANA0299vo9sKq
“Greetings council, I come with news.” He had grown into his new role poorly.14Please respect copyright.PENANApu2VLDL1A4
Using his power as head, not Commander, to flex his fight and fill his squad14Please respect copyright.PENANAvRb7jRi5ew
with people who would obey him without question. The Blades were supposed to be14Please respect copyright.PENANASCmVORvT0I
independent of the council, protecting only the King and his family, but Leon14Please respect copyright.PENANAsEF9nf9nlZ
sold their services to anyone who would pay.
“What is it?” Peyton asked.
“The house in the eastern district14Please respect copyright.PENANAbTItYeeYtI
that had been broken into and the occupants murdered was discovered to be a14Please respect copyright.PENANAp6f97L7bKr
Green Serpents hideout.” He explained. “It looked like a savage animal had14Please respect copyright.PENANAeYTfv5pLBB
slaughtered everyone inside.”
“Green Serpents?” Peyton and14Please respect copyright.PENANAQf4122Ww6E
Katherine exchanged glances. “I thought there was no trace of them here at14Please respect copyright.PENANAgTeiGNQmtC
all?”
“They had proper paperwork, so no14Please respect copyright.PENANADlEtgcpbHU
one questioned them. We are going through their house to see what they might14Please respect copyright.PENANAbYEkr9ctVA
have been up to, but that’s not the important part.” Leon was practically14Please respect copyright.PENANASeuBMPAygs
jumping up and down with excitement.
“Spill it, man.” Viggo snapped.
“We found Vander.” Leon grinned. A14Please respect copyright.PENANAQT3FTs3DcS
collective gasp rang out from the council. “Someone recognized him in the crowd14Please respect copyright.PENANAg0L1urkXU2
looking as we took out the dead bodies, but Alexander convinced them that it14Please respect copyright.PENANAwrXKDr4FYw
wasn’t him, so they let him go. But one of my people told me as soon as he14Please respect copyright.PENANABpCv9S6VjX
arrived back.”
“So, you didn’t see if for14Please respect copyright.PENANAkj1rd9wKAA
yourself?” Bryce asked. “Then how do you know?”
“My man followed Alex as he14Please respect copyright.PENANAItPtNyp0ff
slipped away from the scene.” Leon explained. “He followed him to the Orange14Please respect copyright.PENANAmFODzLpQa8
Fox, one of Vander’s hideouts. If he is in the city, he would be there.”
“I thought we checked there during14Please respect copyright.PENANAe1hQL9BhTM
the manhunt?” Anna asked.
“No,” Katherine said. “We don’t14Please respect copyright.PENANAw32cPTmdLt
mess with the Lower King’s domain he doesn’t mess with ours. That’s the way it14Please respect copyright.PENANAG9Meq7ZEuI
has always been.”
“And that was our first mistake,14Please respect copyright.PENANAVKIOnUwyS7
trusting a conman to be truthful with us.” Anna snapped back. “Leon, gather14Please respect copyright.PENANAggTDp6UIZw
your men and bring him here. If he resists, do what you must, but don’t kill14Please respect copyright.PENANAtYaauD4iNN
him, we need him alive.”
“It would be my pleasure.” Leon14Please respect copyright.PENANAVY8W2EHhnc
grinned.
Peyton frowned. It was too early14Please respect copyright.PENANAhC92Rj2bvc
for this to be happening, but he had no choice now. It was out of his hands.
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ns 15.158.61.48da2