An enormous activity raged in the grand hall of the palace. The news about the meeting of nobles was rampant and had invaded the entire Winter's Crown, giving rise to anxious moments among the allied Marlowe and those loyal to Damien while preparing for what might turn out to be a fight for the future of the kingdom.
Here he stood in the eye of the storm; Damien was looking down at the table in front of him with his steel-gray eyes. On it lay scattered maps, letters, and all kinds of documents, each one a piece of the puzzle he had been trying to decode for weeks. Amara and Carys stood at a nearby distance, and both had as much expectation as determination in their expressions.
"This is it," Damien said in an absolute but steady voice. "Marlowe's claw is letting loose, but we cannot stop now. If we want to expose Elyas, our move must be made before he gets the reigns back."
Carys had a sharp gaze when he nodded. "Those nobles who sided with us are all set, though. Marlowe's people will not go down without a fight. They'll discredit us before we can present any evidence to the king."
"Let them try," Damien replied. "Once we reveal the extent of Marlowe's treachery, there will be no one left to protect him."
Amara smirked, flipping a dagger in her fingers. "I can get behind a big showy confrontation, but we're forgetting one thing—Elyas. If we go pushing too much, he'll lash out at us. And we still don't know where he is."
Damien's jaw set. "Force him, then. If we can corner Marlowe, Elyas has no other choice but to step in. And when he does, we'll be set."
---
By the way, the draft was prepared. Before that, Damien's pals in the court leaked the news about an emergency assembly-the evidence was going to floor Marlowe front of the king and his advisors. The risk he took; however, Damien knew that there was no other choice left besides exposing Elyas' hold for once and all.
Rather, the lady met Damien inside an alien chamber of the palace: silver hair lit now in the flicker of a light close by.
"The assembly is scheduled for tomorrow," she said gravely, "but Marlowe isn't going to sit idle. he's already spreading rumors to vilify you as a traitor."
Damien's steel-gray eyes narrowed. "Let him. The truth is on our side and the evidence speaks for itself."
Lady Erynn hesitated, locking her blazing dark eyes into his gaze. "Be careful, Damien. This courtroom may prove to be as lethal as any battlefield; one false move and everything we've worked for could unravel."
"Perhaps I will," answered Damien gravely. "I understand. But now is the time. There can be no waiting." Else, Elyas will take the victory.
---
Damien, Amara, Carys were the ones who stayed awake that night in the safehouse preparing their plan for the last time. The air was filled thick with what was to come, but they stood unmoved.
Amara leans back in her chair, her angular blue eyes sparkling. "Tomorrow-is a big day. Nervous?"
"No," replied Damien flatly, "but I'm ready."
Carys sat there, arms crossed, expression showing deep thought. "I hope we're ready for anything. If Elyas or any of his group tried to do anything to derail the rapid train that is this assembly, then we're going to need to be fast."
"They will," according to Damien. "But we won't give them the chance of success."
Amara chuckled. "Spoken like a true man of ideas."
---
The next day, the grand hall of the palace filled with nobles, advisers, courtiers-even their small number would not suffice for distinguishing a voice above all the random whispers that soon became smothering-whispering poltergeists inhabited. Anticipation hung heavily in the air; every eye was turned toward Damien, Marlowe, and the throne where the king sat quietly contemplating his fate.
Damien stepped into the room, his steel-gray eyes surveying the interior. The burden of every decision now rested heavily upon his shoulders, but he maintained his stature and his clear, steady voice out of which came the words he spoke to the assembled audience.
"Your Grace," began Damien, slightly bowing towards the king. "Before this court today, thus I have come to bring forth an investigation regarding a very high treason-which undermines the very base upon which our kingdom rests."
With that, he indicated Lady Erynn, who approached with a mighty cargo of papers. "These papers constitute the activities that Lord Marlowe, in conspiracy with Elyas, has mounted as against the crown and for fomenting difference among the nobles."
Only then did the whispers multiply until the full weight of the breath of the room was exhaled for what seemed to be in helplessness setting down upon it.
Marlowe raised his head and forced his features to appear unaffected by rage. "This is an outrage!" he really bellowed-as it bounced and ebbed in the chamber. "This is nothing but forgery contrived to malign my name and forward Lord Damien's insane agenda."
Damien hardened his eyes. "Forged? The evidence is clear, Marlowe. Your seal, your ledgers, your correspondence with Elyas-it's all here."
"But what proves these weren't forged?" inquired a scurrilous Marlowe. "Lord Damien."
---
Increasing commotion as the assembly became heated by dissent within the ranks of its noble members. Lady Erynn made her way through the clamor into silence.
"The evidence speaks for itself," stated authority, adding. "Lord Marlowe, if you truly are innocent, then let there be nothing for you in objection to letting them investigate your estates and records."
For a brief instant, the equilibrium of Marlowe went awry, and he rapidly regained it. "I have nothing to hide," said he, his voice restrained. "But I will not be a bystander while my honor is dragged through the muck by nonsensical rumors."
Getting closer to Damien was important; his steel-gray eyes were fastened on Marlowe. "Your honor? How much gold should Elyas pay you for betrayal against the kingdom, Marlowe? How many lives have to perish on account of your ambitions?"
Marlowe was opening his mouth to respond, but before he could utter his words, the grand portal of the hall broke open.
---
All the looked-focused attention turned to a single figure that strode into the chamber. The presence was commanding, the sharply cut features unmistakable; Elyas had come.
The silence seemed able to cut by a knife; there was so much tension in this silent room. Elyas's silver hair glinted in the light while the icy-blue eyes swept over the assembly while a faint smirk crept up on his lips.
"Excuse me," Elyas breathlessly remarked, then adding, "but I couldn't let you all continue without addressing this personally."
Damien tightened his jaw as Elyas neared; the man exhibited an air of complete self-confidence and control.
"You have been working hard, Damien," Elyas said, sounding really amused," Arranging things with the court. Doing some good detective work in unravelling my plans. Very impressive really. But tell me... do you really think that you have won?"
Damien stepped away, his steel-gray eyes burning in resolve. "This is not a game, Elyas. Your schemes have failed. The court sees you for what you are-one manipulator, traitor, and coward."
A chuckle escaped Elyas's lips, who shook his head. "Dramatic. And the question I would like to ask you, Damien, is how you would intend to stop me while you are in such a defensive position?"
Before any of this could get answered by Damien, some guards stepped into place, weapon drawn.
"Your Grace," said one of those guards to the king, "it's a command from the capital that there's unrest in the city-an armed uprising led by the forces of Elyas."
Panic stirred within the room, Nobles ran against each other as they shoed voices around the room.
Elyas twisted the smile into a broader shape. "And so it begins."
His eyes turned cold as they met those of the king, "Your Grace, this is exactly what Elyas wants. We can halt this rebellion, but it must be at once."
Damien saw that pause on his king's face and how he had to be torn between looking at him and Elyas.
Elyas drew near and spoke in a quiet although sinister tone with her. "Your Grace, perhaps we should consider all possible scenarios before taking action then, for we do not want a mistake to be made."
Damien clenched his fists; his steel-gray eyes already burning with the fire of determination. "The mistake would be to trust him.
The battle for the kingdom has started into the final stage, and Damien knew every decision henceforth would matter for victory or defeat.