Page 54 of The Forsaken Heir
“Your Highness! Sir, wake up, please!”
I sat up, torn from the dream against my will. “Son of abitch,” I muttered and climbed from bed.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM.
Another explosive knock, urgent and almost feverish in its fury. Vincent had awoken too and stumbled into the room’s foyer, rubbing his eyes.
“What’s happening?” he mumbled.
“Not sure.” I threw back the bolt and swung the door open. The moment I saw Titus’s face, I knew something was terribly wrong. Panic and terror warred in his eyes, which was unusual. Titus was usually stoic and calm in even the most stressful situations.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, taking a step toward him. “Is my father all right?”
“Your father is in the throne room, Highness,” Titus said, his voice tight with anxiety. “He waits for you there. The rest of the court is gathering.”
I glanced at my watch, then back at Titus. “Titus, it’s just past four-thirty in the morning. What could be so pressing?”
Titus swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “We’ve received word from the Laurents.”
A finger of icy cold fear slid down my spine. “What do they say?”
“They’ve declared open war on House Decimus and all dragon shifters,” Titus mumbled.
“What?” Vincent and I said in unison.
“Why?” I asked.
“They’ve declared war on us for…uh…well, they say we murdered the Lady Brielle Laurent. Murdered her and stole her body.”
“Bullshit,” I growled. “Let me get dressed, Titus. We’ll be out in a moment.”
“Yes, sir,” he said, backing into the hallway.
“They think we killedBrielle?” Vincent asked. “But…buttheysent wolves to kill her. If they should be mad at anyone, it’s whichever wolf family tried to kill her, right?”
“One would think,” I grumbled, dragging my clothes on. “Let’s get to the throne room and get the full story. Perhaps Titus is wrong.”
We joined Titus in the hall less than a minute later. Down the hall, another servant hurried along, Elle and Delphine trailing along behind, their robes cinched around their waists.
“Stop,” I commanded and waited for Elle to join us. She looked terrified.
“Aurelius? What’s going on?” she asked, reaching forward.
I took her hand without hesitation. “Come along. You’ll hear soon.” I kept hold of her hand as we followed Titus and the other servant to the throne room. The sounds of opening and closing doors, worried conversation, and hurried footsteps echoed all around us. The entire house knew by now. How soon would panic fully set in?
My father sat in his throne, looking weary beyond his years, as the rest of the court stood around or trickled in.
“Father,” I said, my voice booming out above the dull murmur of conversation. “What’s the meaning of this?”
He held up a piece of paper and nodded. “You’ve heard true. It seems that House Laurent is trying to declare war on us for assassinating their eldest daughter,” he said, and pointed to Brielle. “The letter is signed by none other than Bastien Laurent, heir to the Laurent family.”
“Outrageous!” Benedictus exclaimed and slammed his palm down on the table for emphasis, then pointed at Elle. “The girl is alive and well. Righthere. This declaration of war is nothing but a lie to stir up angry sentiment among the other wolves. The Laurents want our wellsprings. It’s as plain and simple as that.”
“Benedictus is right,” another man said. “We can’t let this go unanswered.”
“How would you answer this, Lord Corelian?” my father asked, his exhaustion evident in his words.
Benedictus stood and thumped his fist on the table. “We take the fight to them before they have a chance to mobilize. Lay waste to their holdings. Breathe down fire and leave nothing but ashes. That would be a start. After? We taketheirwellspring.”
