Soren
The moment Gareth, the head of my personal guard, came through the doors, I already knew what he was going to say.
"There's movement on the southern border," he murmured, low enough that only we could hear. "They've gone dark..."
He tracked off, tapping the comms in his ear as I brought the liquor to my lips and Jericho said, "The east, too?"
Gareth nodded, his eyes shifting my way. "They took the bait. Just like you said they would."
I took a slow sip of my drink, letting the burn settle in my chest. Mercer stood beside me, wearing a nonchalant expression, but I felt the shift in his posture.
Of course Margaret would strike tonight.
She was many things. Vicious, brilliant, and utterly convinced of her own superiority. But in the end, she was also predictable once you'd spent long enough watching her.
