"Loyalty built on lies still demands truth in the dark."
The royal chambers emptied, leaving behind the stale scent of adrenaline and parchment. The Inner Council had departed, each carrying a piece of the elaborate deception designed to protect the Kingdom and the secret pursuit of the King. I watched Silas for a moment. He was already issuing orders to the decoy force, his voice clipped and precise over the comms system. He was a natural at this, effortlessly maintaining the illusion of a strategically focused King obsessed with the southern border. The lie was working, but the weight of it was immense.
My own task was more immediate and internal: I needed to ensure the Keep's defences were unassailable, and that the prisoners, especially the Silver Fang assassin Rell Vorn remained secure and useful.
