Everyone looked at the General. He was standing there completely alone, with no guards or helpers by his side. His face was covered in a thick layer of blood and dark grime, making him look far more vicious than usual. The crooked smirk on his face only made him look even more menacing as he stared down the room.
Marcus let his smirk grow wider as he watched the shocked faces of everyone in the court. He reached into his coat, pulled out a small leather pouch, and poured a handful of gray stuff onto his left palm. It looked like ordinary ash at first glance, but it gave off a faint, pale glow in the dim light of the hall.
"So you burned your assassins and brought back their ashes?" Elana asked, her voice turning very serious as she stared at his hand, "How very thoughtful of you."
"To think the General of the Ironclad Legions, Leader of the Breakers, and Lord of Aethelgard is just some musclehead is very thoughtful of you indeed," Marcus replied, his voice carried a mild threatening tone, "Do you really think I would go through the hassle of burning down dead scum and carrying their leftovers all the way here just to put on some cheap show for you?"
He paused, and hardened his gaze, "And tell me, Grand Scholar, which normal ashes glow like that?"
A cold shiver swept across the hall, chilling everyone present down to their bones.
Lorian narrowed his eyes at the glowing dust, "They turned into ash right when you killed them?"
"It seems the so-called idiot prince is the only smart one in this room," Marcus grinned, showing his teeth, "That is exactly what happened. And it was not just a few. The ones my boys and I cornered and tried to capture alive just crumbled into glowing dust the moment we tried to grab them!"
"Well, that explains why no trace of the enemy was ever found near the Sylvana site," Selena said, nodding slowly as the pieces clicked together in her mind.
"Wait. You mean the old man of Sylvana was attacked too?" Marcus asked, his voice suddenly loud and filled with genuine surprise, "And here I thought it was just my good-for-nothing cousin who…." He cut himself off and stared straight into Elana's eyes, "What about Stoneheart? Did they hit him too?"
"Well, they certainly tried," a booming voice echoed from the heavy doors at the back of the hall.
Everyone turned to see Jarl Borin Stoneheart marching into the court. He was covered in dark soot and dust from the road, brushing past a palace guard who was desperately trying to block his path. The guard looked over at Elana with a helpless expression.
"Grand Scholar, we tried to stop His Eminence Jarl Borin Stoneheart," the guard stammered, "but as soon as he heard that His Invincibility, General Marcus Ironclad, was already inside the court, he insisted on…."
Elana raised her hand to stop the guard and told him to let any of the arriving guests enter the hall whenever they pleased. The guard bowed quickly and hurried away.
Marcus turned his head to look at Borin, "So you were attacked on the road as well?"
"Yes, the fools tried their best," Borin grinned, crossing his arms, "But I was smart. I disguised my elite Iron-Forged Engineers as regular Stoneheart guards. Those fools were prepared to fight twenty standard guards, not twenty of my Iron-Forged engineers."
He threw his head back and burst into a loud, booming laugh, "We drenched them in liquid fire to our hearts content. We burned them right down to ash. Only regret is those wretched cowards did not even scream! I wanted to hear them cry and beg for mercy! Huh!"
"Hoh!" Marcus mocked him with a scoff, "I turned my attackers to ash without even needing to pour fire on them."
Borin gave him a strange, disbelieving look, "Did you burn them up just by staring at them with your fiery gaze? That is a bit much, even for you."
"No, you stonehead," Marcus snapped, trying to sound superior, "These scums are not even human. They just turn into ash automatically the second they die."
"Not... human?" Borin repeated, his face dropping as doubt filled his eyes.
"I suppose not," Marcus said in a grim tone, "And we were not the only ones targeted. They went after the old man of Sylvana, too."
"How is the old man holding up?" Borin asked, his voice lowered and there was genuine concern now in his tone.
"High Druid Colm O'Oakhaven was not actually part of the traveling party," Elana explained quietly, "He sent his trusted disciples, Dara MacInnes and Domhnall MacAulay, to represent him instead. Sadly, all of them were brutally massacred."
"What in the abyss's name is going on?" Borin muttered, shaking his head before looking over at Lorian and Selena, "What about you two? Did they leave you alone?"
"They traveled together," Elana cut in, "and as it turns out, the Lord of Veridia secretly brought along his own private troops without telling anyone, just to guard his caravan in secret."
"Just like I said before," Marcus smirked, pointing a finger at Lorian, "The so-called idiot prince is indeed among the smartest ones in this room." He then glanced at Borin, "And so are you, old man."
Marcus crossed his arms again, and narrowed his eyes, "Now tell me, you two. How did you both manage to guess the attacks were coming and take the right precautions ahead of time? It is as if you already knew about it. And Borin, I expected at least you would send word to me if you had a bad feeling."
"You muscle-brained troll, would you have believed me if I told you I just had a bad feeling after reading the invitation letter and that you should watch your back because of my hunch?" Borin fired back, scowling at Marcus.
"Fine, fair enough," Marcus grunted. He turned back to Elana. "What about Zaira? Is she safe?"
"Yes, her group was not attacked at all," Elana replied, "In fact, she is supposed to arrive here at any moment."
"WHAT?" Borin shouted, his voice echoed off the stone walls, "Why on earth was she spared?"
"Oh my my my what am I even hearing," a smooth, playful feminine voice called out from the doorway.
Everyone turned to see Zaira Zohanar stepping into the hall, "I never imagined you would look so genuinely sad just because I did not get ambushed on the road, Jarl Stoneheart!"
"You know Borin did not mean it like that," Marcus said quickly, trying to smooth things over, "You know the stonehead oaf has never been good with polite words."
"I know," Zaira smiled, as her eyes were shining with amusement, "I was only teasing the old man."
"Well, I am deeply relieved to see you arrived in Solara safe and sound," Elana said, forcing a polite smile, "Though, if I may ask... how did you already know the others were attacked?"
Lorian and Selena exchanged a quick smile between each other.
Zaira narrowed her eyes at the Grand Scholar, "Before you try to paint me as a suspect, Grand Scholar, you really ought to train your people to hold their tongues. They shouldn't go blabbing secrets the moment they get excited. Least you forgot, I run a whole city-state; I am hardly tone-deaf to the rumors whispering through the alleys and hallways."
She tilted her head, her expression turned sharp, "Now, as you raised the suspicion, I too have mine own share of suspicion. Who was it that invited us all here based on mere suspicions- suspicions that now look an awful lot like walking right into a trap?"
"And who is resourceful enough to send such blasphemous, inhuman monsters after us?" Borin added while clenching his fists at his sides.
Elana's face flushed with suppressed anger, though she kept her voice tightly controlled, "I believe you are all simply exhausted from your long journeys and need rest. We can discuss all of these heavy matters over dinner."
"Let us just hope the food is not spiked with poison," Zaira smirked, giving a light wave of her hand.
Roul jumped to his feet, his face was now red with fury, "There is a limit to such…."
Elana shot him a stern, freezing glare that forced him back down into his seat. She turned back to the guests, turning her voice ultra-smooth, "I will taste every dish myself if it helps satisfy our esteemed guests. Now, please let my people lead you to your rooms so you can wash up and rest."
She looked around the room at her own council members, "All of you as well, please leave. The court is dismissed. I need some time alone. No one should disturb me or call me until I summon!"
Lorian started to step forward to say something to Elana, but Borin reached out and caught his shoulder, "Come along, young lord. Let the lady have her peace for now."
They were leaving when Elana called Marcus, "General Ironclad, would you be kind enough to give me the ash. I would like to inspect it, if you may!"
Markus shook his shoulder, "why not, my boys have collected plenty of such samples. Actually, I thought of bringing one for each of us! Here, take this as yours!"
Marcus started leaving the court after handing over the sample in a pouch. But he turned around near the doorway, casting one last dark look back at the Grand Scholar, "Be careful, Grand Scholar. Do not stay in this empty hall alone. It seems the season of leaders' fall has only just begun."