Total pages in book: 192
Estimated words: 192810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 964(@200wpm)___ 771(@250wpm)___ 643(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 192810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 964(@200wpm)___ 771(@250wpm)___ 643(@300wpm)
“And you’re on,” Germaine said in the direction of the king and the Prime Minister.
Both males stood, so we all did, and Germaine and two of the uniformed beings left the room with them.
When the door closed behind them, we sat again, and I leaned into Aleksei, “Who’s Tula Longshot?”
Aleksei turned to me. “Arnaud’s fiancée.”
Holy Hecate.
“She’s dead?”
“She was found beaten to death in the king’s suite at the Imperial.”
At that, I couldn’t help it.
I gasped.
“He did it?” I asked.
“Evidence gathered at the scene indicates that yes, he did. Without a doubt.”
“He beat a twelve-year-old child to death?” I snapped.
“Yes.”
My voice was rising. “Why would he do that?”
“Perhaps when he returns to Nocturn, we’ll find out.”
Good gods.
That poor child.
My eyes went to the door then back to my mate. “Where are the king and the Prime Minister going?”
“To do a live broadcast to announce the pretender king, Arnaud, launched an attack on the Celestial Palace tonight. Along with the fact that, for centuries, Sky’s Edge has been clandestinely harboring and breeding trolls for military use. And Night’s Fall considers this an act of war, and as such, the Edge is in criminal breach of at least four statutes of the InterRealm Accord of 1933. Further, Arnaud will be returned to Nocturn to be questioned in the murder of Tula Longshot, before he’s moved to the Center to answer to charges pertaining to the breaches of the Accord. However, if Prince Tanyn is crowned king within forty-eight hours, and any remaining trolls are transported to the Center for assessment and confinement, Night’s Fall will not be moved to retaliate against the realm of Sky’s Edge.”
I was having trouble breathing, but still I managed to get out, “Where are kings Dagsbrun and Niall?”
“They’re returning to their realms to discuss with their president and prime minister respectively, making public announcements of alliance with Night’s Fall in its war with Sky’s Edge.”
Well, one could say, while we were drinking, chatting, and I was reading about Aerin and Iphelia, Aleksei and all the rest had been busy.
My gaze drifted to the crafts gliding back to Nocturn.
And I asked anxiously, “Does this seem a bit easy to you?”
“It does and it doesn’t,” he replied.
I returned my attention to him.
“The defense bots are a new acquisition to Sceptred Isle,” he stated.
That was surprising.
“They are?”
He nodded. “Yes. They were assigned here after the first assassination attempt on me. This was known by the military, the RS, Father and me. Not Errol.”
Hmm.
“As such,” he carried on, “we believe Arnaud didn’t know we had an army of bots readily available to defend the island. Bots whose modern weapon capability would easily penetrate troll skin. We had agents providing security, but the additional bots doubled their number, and completely outnumbered the trolls, something he didn’t envisage. However, although preliminarily, the trolls were expected to occupy the island, they were not ultimately expected to survive, or triumph, as obviously, the military would have eventually launched a counteroffensive.”
When I nodded, he carried on.
“Therefore, their mission was simply to wreak havoc and make a statement. We believe Arnaud anticipated and planned for a good deal more carnage, if not the annihilation of three royal families, as well as what was perhaps his main target, Tanyn. We know he had a least one operator among the guests at the Masque. We believe this male reported back to Arnaud that his plan had not succeeded, and in a fit of rage, and the timing of death appears to corroborate this, he murdered his ‘true love,’ beat a hasty retreat to his craft and attempted to flee back to Sky’s Edge.”
“Why would he come all the way down to Night’s Fall if he never intended to show at the Masque?” I asked.
“It makes no sense,” Aleksei agreed. “But some killers return to the scene of the crime or involve themselves in the investigation to get some sick thrill reliving their deeds. Perhaps it’s something like that.”
Perhaps it was.
I took a surreptitious look around at the remaining personnel in the room, all of which were conferring, or working on tablets, the displays in front of them or their Palms, though I noted Bainon and Cormac had left the room.
Then I leaned closer to Aleksei, “Why am I here?”
He didn’t answer me.
He turned to the last being in uniform and asked (but it was an order), “You’ll contact me when he’s officially in custody?”
“Yes, your highness,” the male replied.
With that, Aleksei stood, taking my hand to pull me to my feet.
We were both silent as we walked back to the Palace, Fannon leading us.
He took his post with Geleena outside as we entered the suite. Aleksei closed the door behind us and went directly to the cabinet in the sitting room that concealed the contents of a bar.
“Want something?” he asked me.