The Weight of Darkness (Catalyst Book 5) by C.J. Aaron

Author:C.J. Aaron [Aaron, C.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aethon Books
Published: 2021-06-21T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

As the time grew short, the meeting was adjourned, though few left the concealment of the master’s house and clinic. Both Le’Dral and Fay had sent guards to requisition both supplies for travel and clothing for disguises. Ryl peered through the shuttered windows of the thankfully quiet clinic. The ranks of guards from House Eligar had thinned dramatically. Captain Cipri moved among his final group of men, awaiting the head of his house.

The final contingent remained at the ready in the square.

It was a bittersweet moment for many. A somber affair. There would be no glorious send-off. The soldiers who had risked all to save the tributes had aided in preventing the complete slaughter of an entire city. The several thousand who now adjusted to life as best they could inside the walls owed them much. Though it was a pitiful percentage of the whole of the city, their presence had been crucial.

So many owed the soldiers their lives, though there would forever be debate.

Were they the saviors of the massacre of Cadsae Proper, or were they traitors to the throne, held culpable for the tragic death of the king?

The farewells spoken between the captain and his lieutenants were heartfelt and true. Fay was the next to bid Le’Dral farewell. Though a single stout handshake solidified no treaties, signified no long-term standing, there was meaning in the grasp. The captain and the young Lord Eligar would be forever and inexplicably bound by a single element.

They had chosen to forsake a lifetime of fallacy to stand by a single youth. Barely old enough to be considered a man, they had thrown their lot in with him. They had erred on the side of righteousness. Up until today, fortune had smiled on them. They had succeeded.

Their beliefs in Ryl had found concrete worth.

In the end, it was agreed that a contingent of Fay’s troops would remain under the temporary command of Captain Le’Dral. These men had embedded themselves among Le’Dral’s most trusted guards. They stood shoulder to shoulder with those who had abandoned the king in the defense of the tributes.

For a moment, Ryl was lost in the thought. They had followed him. Why? The answer was simple.

Power.

In Ryl, they saw power. They felt strength. Did they believe in the cause because it was right, or simply because they hedged a bet with the stronger of elements?

Either way, they had cast their die. Whether they liked it or not, their fates were tied to the tributes’, tied to his. Either they would stand together, or they would fall, erased from the history written from the hands of the victor. Ryl knew that if they failed, this time the erasure would be complete. They’d risk no reprise of the events of the last few moons.

From the eyes of those onlookers without the benefit of private knowledge, the timing of the withdrawal of the troops of House Eligar would likely be seen as a retreat. The missive from the regent at Leremont was no secret.

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