Chapter 64: The Poisoned Web

The break of morning woke Reika to the chirping of birds. In her head, she clutched the message from the shade of night like an iron vice. "The Dawns are moving faster than you think. Watch your back." Somebody was watching her, all right, but friend or foe remained to be seen. Daisy came in with Reika's morning tea. "You look like you didn't sleep a wink," Daisy said, setting the tray down on the table. "I didn't," Reika replied, throwing off the covers. "There's just so much to think about." "Still obsessing over the Dawn family?" Reika shot her a keen glance. "I am not obsessing. I am planning. Daisy smiled and handed her the tea. "Call it what you will, but you're balancing on a thin ledge, Reika. You need to rest, and you need to be clever." "Me being smart is what's keeping me ahead," Reika said, sipping the tea before setting the cup down. "But I have to move quicker. Something's going on behind the scenes, Daisy, and I won't let it blindside me." --- The Council Interruption Later that morning, Reika found herself on her way to the council chamber. Rarely did she attend day-to-day briefings, but then again, today was not a normal day. She needed to see the Dawns in action for herself. She entered to find Alpha Ileus looking her way in mild surprise. "Reika, I wasn't expecting you here this morning." "Surprise," she said silkily, taking a seat beside him. The members looked to one another around the table, not quite knowing which way to go. On the far side of the room, serenely, sat Lady Elara; her eyes gave nothing away. Reika's eyes were on her, but she turned to face the councilors as their discussion veered from the trade routes and political alliances. "My lord," Lord Darius Dawn began after clearing his throat. "There have been whispers from the north. Several villages are growing restless under the crown's leadership. Perhaps… alternative measures should be discussed." Reika's ears perked up, and she shot a glance at Ileus, who frowned. "Alternative measures? Explain yourself." Darius was all innocents. "Of course, I don't mean rebellion. But maybe new leadership within those regions-a delegation of powers, if you will. To ease tensions." Reika's blood boiled. They're testing the waters, she realized. Slowly, subtly, they were undermining Ileus's reign. She leaned forward. "Delegation of power to whom, exactly?" The room fell silent. Lady Elara's gaze met hers, cold and unwavering. "My queen," Elara said smoothly, "we were only speaking hypothetically. You mustn't assume there was ill intent where it does not exist." Reika smiled tightly. "Hypotheticals have a way of turning real when left unchecked, Lady Elara. I would caution you against indulging in such dangerous ideas." The air was thick with tension now. Ileus shifted in his seat, visibly ill at ease. "Enough of this. Let's move on to more productive topics." Reika leaned back, triumphant. For now, she knew that she had ruined the subtleness of the Dawns, but this was just the mere beginning. --- A Secret Meeting Hours later, Reika summoned Captain Harren to her chambers. Soft was the clinking of armor as he came into her chamber. "Your request for me, Your Majesty?" "Yes," Reika said now, extending the crumpled note she had received during last night. "This appeared on my window. I need you to investigate." Harren's eyes scanned the note, furrowing his brow. "Someone is watching them… or you." "Both, I suspect," Reika said. "And if the Dawns really are moving faster than we think, I need proof. Watch their movements closely. Use spies if you must." Harren nodded. "It will be done, my queen." As Harren left, Reika blew out a sharp breath. She was getting her pieces into position, but the game was far from over. --- Daisy's Discovery Afternoon found Daisy bursting into Reika's chambers as if without warning. "You won't believe this!" Daisy exclaimed, still slightly puffing. Reika lifted an eyebrow. "What is it?" "I heard one of the servants talking in the kitchens, Lady Elara's servant," Daisy whispered in urgency, "telling about some shipment coming in tonight-something big. The servant said it was 'the beginning of their rise'." Reika's eyes slitted. "A shipment? What kind of shipment? "I don't know," Daisy said. "But whatever it is, it's huge. And it's going down tonight at the eastern docks." Reika rose, her eyes afire. "Then we'll learn precisely what they're hiding." --- The Midnight Operation The darkness cloaked Reika in shadow once she dressed in a black cloak before Captain Harren and a few of his best men outside the stables at the palace's rear. Daisy had refused to stay behind. "I'm not letting you go without backup," she said. "You're backup to the backup," Reika muttered, though a ghostly smile tugged at the corners of her lips. Silent, together they floated down the streets, wreathed in shadow. The eastern docks bustled in activity upon their arrival-too much so for this time of night. Large crates offloaded from unmarked ships, and men scurried about with a rapidness that spoke to haste bred of darkness. Reika and her companions knelt behind a row of piled barrels, watching closely. "Who are they?" Daisy whispered. "Mercenaries," Harren replied grimly. "Not local men." Reika's heart started to sink. The Dawns were importing outside help, probably building up their own private army, but for what purpose? Suddenly, Lady Elara herself appeared, stepping onto the dock. She spoke low to one of the mercenaries before handing him a bag that clinked with coins. "They're buying loyalty," Reika whispered. Daisy gasped softly. "What do we do?" Reika was in a complete dither. If the Dawns were building up an army, it could only signify one thing: war. And she couldn't dare push without concrete evidence to place before Ileus. "Not yet," Reika said. "We fall back. But mark every crate and ship-we will trace their origins later." Harren signaled them to fall back, and they melted into darkness. Reika cast one last look at the tall figure of Lady Elara standing on the dock and marshalling her burgeoning operation. Reika sat alone in her chambers within the palace, her mind a maelstrom of anger and calculation. It was clear the Dawns were definitely moving against her, but the game was not fully revealed. Just then, as she was pouring her glass full of wine, there came a sharp rap at the door. In came Daisy, white as a sheet. "You simply have to see this, Your Grace," Daisy said, extending a parchment. Reika unfolded it; her blood ran cold. Another message from that handwriting of old. "The army of Dawns grows powerful. Still, they're not the only ones for your enemy to worry about. Trust none, not even the king." Reika let the parchment fall, racing heart. Not even Ileus? In that moment, the shades were deeper surrounding her, the walls closing in on her palace. Someone was playing a game within her game, and for the very first time, she knew then maybe she wasn't alone.