Chapter 46: The Dragon Summons
The courtyard of Lord Garran Ashford’s residence became considerably busier after the second Imperial dispatch arrived.
Nothing in the message revoked Kael’s original three-day deadline. Nothing accused him of contempt or ordered him to ride through the night. What it did was remove the comfortable assumption that he would reach Aurelia, spend a day recovering from the road, speak privately with allies, and prepare himself before appearing before the Court.
The Crown’s instruction was simple. Once Kael arrived in Aurelia, palace officials would immediately determine which formal session would hear the Blackwood matter.
Depending on when he reached the capital, that could mean the following morning.
Edwin had reread the dispatch several times before coming to the same conclusion.
We leave as soon as the horses are ready
Kael fastened the sword Garrick and Hugo had prepared around his waist.
We were already leaving this morning
Yes, but I was hoping for a civilized departure
Lily walked past carrying one of the document cases.
You work for Kael
Edwin looked toward her.
I am aware
Then civilization was optimistic
Kael gave both of them a tired look.
I’m standing right here
That has never prevented observation, Edwin replied.
Outside, Ashfall’s stable workers were already bringing fresh horses into the courtyard. Damien Ravenmoor checked saddles while Leon Ashford inspected each strap with the seriousness of someone who had spent the previous days listening to Darius explain how small equipment failures became dead soldiers. Victor Ravenshade stood beside him, attempting to help without appearing too interested in being corrected.
Iris Hollow had disappeared toward the eastern wall of the governor’s estate shortly after sunrise. By now Kael understood that this generally meant she was surveying the departure route rather than fleeing his service.
Probably.
Lord Garran joined Kael beneath the covered walkway overlooking the stable yard.
The governor had changed out of the previous evening’s banquet clothing and returned to the dark blue riding coat bearing House Ashford’s white hawk. He looked considerably more comfortable dressed like an administrator than a host.
You understand the new message?
Kael nodded.
The Court isn’t waiting three days after I arrive. The hearing happens at the first available session
Exactly
Edwin believes we can reach Aurelia tomorrow afternoon if the road stays clear
Garran glanced toward the sky.
Weather looks better
That sounds dangerously optimistic
I govern a trade city. Optimism is required whenever merchants begin discussing roads
Kael smiled.
Then Garran’s expression became more serious.
There is something else you should understand before you reach Aurelia
Kael waited.
The governor looked toward the open courtyard, where servants and soldiers moved close enough that a careless conversation could travel farther than intended.
My study
The room Garran used for private administrative work was smaller than the one where he had spoken with Kael and Leon the previous day.
Maps covered one wall.
Not one grand political map full of colored pins representing secret factions. These were working documents showing river toll zones, grain routes, patrol districts, bridge maintenance schedules, customs boundaries, and neighboring jurisdictions.
Kael immediately preferred them.
Garran closed the door.
Aurelia will have factions
Kael folded his arms.
I’m beginning to gather that
Don’t think of them as neat camps
Garran walked toward a cabinet and removed a folder.
The Empress has allies. Cassian has allies. Ministries have internal interests. Military officers often agree on one question and fight each other on the next. Merchant Houses support whoever protects trade until trade interests change
Kael looked toward him.
So nobody belongs entirely to one side
Some do
Garran placed the folder on his desk.
Most don’t
That sounded much more believable than a court divided into four convenient colors.
Garran continued.
You’ll hear people describe the palace as if everyone belongs to a single faction and receives instructions from one hidden master. It makes political stories easier to understand
And reality?
Messier
Kael nodded.
Good
Garran raised an eyebrow.
Good?
I’m tired of discovering that every problem supposedly has one evil person behind it
The governor smiled faintly.
Then Aurelia will cure you of that quickly
Kael thought of Silas Corven.
Baron Halwen.
The unknown observers around Blackwood.
Even if Corven had ordered attacks and destroyed records, that did not mean every ministry official who signed a Blackwood document belonged to one conspiracy.
Darius had already warned him against forcing evidence into whatever story felt simplest.
Garran seemed to be warning him about the same mistake from another direction.
Kael looked toward the maps.
Who should I actually watch?
Everyone
That’s not helpful
Garran leaned against the desk.
Watch what they ask for
That caught Kael’s attention.
Not what they say?
Both
Garran continued.
A noble may spend ten minutes insulting Grom and then propose something that matters far more than the insult. Restrictions on your military authority. Mandatory oversight. Removal of Darius. Suspension of Blackwood’s independent expenditures
Kael’s expression sharpened.
And someone may praise Grom while trying to take control of something else
Exactly
The governor nodded.
Court is easiest when you stop asking who likes you and start asking what outcome each person wants
Kael committed that to memory.
Darius would like you
Garran immediately looked displeased.
Don’t tell him that
Why does everyone in the Empire say that?
Because anyone who served near him eventually learned the value of avoiding invitations to train
When they returned to the courtyard, Leon was waiting near the horses.
Garran stopped.
For several seconds the governor and his nephew simply looked at one another.
Their conversation the night before had eased something between them, but years of resentment did not disappear because two men managed one honest evening.
Leon spoke first.
We’re leaving
I can see that
Leon nodded.
There was apparently more he wanted to say.
Garran waited.
Kael almost moved away, but Leon looked toward him briefly and gave no indication that he wanted privacy. So Kael remained near the stable entrance while pretending to inspect his gloves.
Eventually Garran said,
Your mother will hear you were here before noon
Leon’s mouth tightened.
Ashfall really does hear everything
She’s your mother
That’s worse
Garran almost smiled.
Write to her
Leon looked down.
I will
Not through the House secretary
I know
Garran hesitated before reaching into his coat.
For a moment Kael expected some ancient signet ring establishing Leon as secret heir to House Ashford.
Instead Garran produced a small folded piece of paper.
Leon looked suspicious.
What is it?
Your mother’s current address
Leon stared at him.
She hasn’t moved
No
Then why—
Because if I tell you to write, you’ll find some excuse involving not knowing where to send it
Leon actually laughed.
You planned for my excuses?
I’ve known you since you were born
Fair
He accepted the paper.
Garran’s voice softened.
You don’t have to return to Ashfall to prove anything to us
Leon looked up.
I know
But you can return because you want to
That landed differently.
Leon folded the address and placed it inside his coat.
I’ll remember
Garran nodded.
Then his eyes dropped to the Black Dragon armband.
And Leon
Yes?
Wear that well
The young swordsman straightened.
I intend to
There was no embrace.
No eighteen years of regret solved at the gates.
Just a better goodbye than the one that had come before it.
Sometimes that was enough.
The party departed Ashfall shortly after sunrise.
Kael rode with Edwin and Lily near the middle while the four Black Dragons maintained the simple travel formation Darius had established.
Iris moved ahead.
Damien stayed close to Kael.
Leon watched the road behind.
Victor alternated positions when ordered rather than inventing his own assignment, which Kael considered evidence that Darius’s methods were already producing miracles.
The Imperial road broadened gradually as they moved deeper into the central regions.
Traffic increased with it.
Noble carriages traveled east beneath House banners. Regional officials rode in compact groups accompanied by clerks and guards. Merchant caravans became larger, and Crown patrols appeared more frequently around major bridges and road junctions.
Victor watched another noble carriage pass.
Is everyone going to Aurelia?
Edwin shook his head.
The capital consumes an extraordinary amount of traffic every day
Kael glanced toward a carriage bearing a silver falcon.
Some of those banners are noble Houses
Naturally
For Court?
Some, perhaps
Edwin adjusted his reins.
Do not assume every person traveling toward the capital has reorganized their life because you’ve been summoned
Victor smiled.
He does have a point
Kael looked toward him.
Nobody asked you
I feel increasingly comfortable here
That’s the problem
Near midday they stopped briefly at a Crown relay station to change two horses that had developed signs of fatigue.
Kael used the time to review the Court packet with Edwin.
Fifty Black Dragons, he said.
Professional core
Edwin nodded.
Commanded by Darius
Yes
Grom selected through the same trial process
Yes
Blackwood’s current permanent population remains two thousand eight hundred ninety-three
Correct
Kael looked toward him.
Current estimated cost?
Edwin gave him the figure.
Kael grimaced.
Still terrible
It will become more terrible when they require proper armor
Good
Edwin stared.
Good?
If I hate the number, I’ll remember it
Lily sat nearby eating an apple.
You could also write it down
I did
Then you don’t need to emotionally bond with military expenditure
Kael ignored her.
He turned another page.
Food production can support fifty?
With careful purchasing and no major harvest failure
Which means—
We are not ready for five hundred
Kael nodded.
That was exactly the answer he expected Aurelia to ask for.
If one of his siblings accused him of building an army for the succession, the numbers themselves would be useful.
Fifty soldiers were expensive enough.
Five hundred would be absurd.
Ten thousand would bankrupt Blackwood before they marched anywhere.
Kael closed the financial report.
I understand why Father gave me a territory now
Edwin looked toward him.
Only now?
I thought it was punishment
Perhaps it was both
That sounded disturbingly plausible.
They had been back on the road for less than an hour when Iris slowed ahead.
This time she did not signal danger.
She signaled an approaching Crown rider.
Kael saw him moments later.
The man wore dark riding armor beneath a weatherproof cloak, with the Imperial Dragon engraved at the breast. No noble House crest appeared anywhere on him.
He traveled alone.
Victor’s hand moved near his sword.
Damien noticed.
Don’t
I wasn’t doing anything
You were preparing to
The rider slowed well before reaching Kael’s party.
Then dismounted.
Prince Kael Asterion?
Kael guided his horse forward.
You found him
The courier bowed.
I carry a private communication from His Imperial Majesty
That changed everyone’s posture.
Edwin moved closer.
The courier removed a narrow envelope from inside his coat.
The wax was dark crimson, nearly black beneath the afternoon light, bearing the Emperor’s personal signet rather than the larger Crown office seal used on the formal summons.
Kael dismounted.
The courier offered the letter with both hands.
For you alone, Your Highness
Kael accepted it.
Do you require a response?
No
The courier bowed again.
His Majesty instructed that the message be delivered before your arrival in Aurelia
Kael broke the seal.
The note inside contained only a few lines, written by hand.
Kael,
When you reach Aurelia, come to my private study before presenting yourself to the Court. Bring Edwin. Your escort remains outside the inner residence.
Do not discuss the purpose of the meeting on the road.
—Augustus
Kael read it again.
Edwin watched his face.
What?
Kael handed him the note.
The courier did not react.
Edwin read.
His eyebrows rose slightly.
Victor leaned from his saddle.
That’s either very good or very bad
Damien answered.
Or neither
Victor frowned.
You’re terrible at tension
Kael looked toward the courier.
Anything else?
The man hesitated.
His Majesty has kept his private schedule unusually restricted today
Kael’s expression sharpened.
Because of me?
I don’t know, Your Highness
A refreshingly honest answer.
Kael nodded.
Thank you
The courier remounted and rode west.
Victor waited until he disappeared.
You have to meet the Emperor privately
Yes
Before Court
Yes
And he doesn’t want us inside
Correct
Victor looked toward Leon.
I’m definitely calling that ominous
Leon shrugged.
You’re allowed
Kael returned the letter to its envelope.
Edwin, however, remained thoughtful.
Why me?
Kael looked toward him.
You know Blackwood
So does Darius
Darius isn’t here
True
Edwin looked toward the sealed cases containing their documents.
And I handled the administration before you arrived
Kael’s attention sharpened.
Father may want to ask about the territory before I took control
Possibly
Halwen
Possibly
Corruption
Possibly
Victor groaned.
Now you sound like Iris
She would be proud
They continued east.
No one discussed Augustus’s message beyond what was necessary.
Kael did not need the System to tell him the private meeting mattered.
His father had ordered him to bring Edwin.
That suggested Blackwood rather than family.
Or perhaps both.
With Augustus, Kael was beginning to understand, categories were rarely comfortable.
The System appeared briefly anyway.
[Imperial audience scheduled prior to formal Court appearance]
Known participants: Emperor Augustus Aurelius Asterion, Prince Kael Asterion, Edwin Ashcombe
Purpose: undisclosed
Kael dismissed it.
Victor glanced over.
Your invisible thing talking again?
Kael stared.
How do you know when it’s happening?
You get the same face
What face?
Like someone handed you a bill you don’t understand
Lily laughed.
That’s accurate
Kael decided the Black Dragons were becoming far too observant.
By late afternoon the Imperial road climbed through a series of low ridges.
From the highest point, Kael could see more traffic moving eastward than at any previous stage of the journey. Caravans stretched between relay stations. Military patrols guarded intersections. Noble carriages appeared more frequently, their House symbols painted on doors or fixed to small pennants above them.
Not all were traveling for Kael.
Some undoubtedly were going to Court.
Others belonged to families permanently based in Aurelia.
Still, the sight reminded Kael that he was about to reenter a world much larger than Blackwood.
Blackwood contained fewer than three thousand residents.
Aurelia contained ministries capable of shifting taxes across provinces with a signature.
Generals who commanded tens of thousands.
Noble Houses older than Kael’s territory.
Guilds wealthy enough to fund private roads.
Priests.
Scholars.
Diplomats.
Spies.
And twelve Imperial heirs competing for influence beneath the same father.
Kael looked toward the distant east.
For weeks, every important decision had happened inside a territory where he was the highest authority present.
That was about to end.
That evening they stopped only long enough to rest the horses and eat before continuing to the next Crown station.
Edwin objected to riding through the entire night.
Kael agreed.
Arriving exhausted would be foolish, especially now that Augustus expected a private meeting before Court.
They would sleep several hours.
Leave before dawn.
Reach Aurelia the following afternoon if the road remained clear.
Inside the station’s common room, Leon unfolded Garran’s small piece of paper and stared at his mother’s address.
Victor noticed.
What’s that?
Nothing
You have been staring at nothing for five minutes
Leon folded it.
My mother’s address
Victor immediately became less amused.
Oh
Kael sat across the room reviewing court records.
He looked up briefly.
Write the letter
Leon frowned.
You’re listening?
The room is twelve feet wide
Fair
Leon found paper from his pack.
Kael returned to his documents.
No one bothered Leon after that.
Far ahead, inside Aurelia, information from Blackwood continued moving through ordinary channels.
The Imperial military archives had begun gathering records concerning Grom Ironfang’s historical service.
Treasury clerks were reviewing whether Blackwood could sustain its new fifty-person military core.
Regional administrators were collecting Baron Cedric Halwen’s appointment renewals.
Cassian had requested the complete version of the Black Dragon trial report.
Seraphine’s household was reviewing legal precedents concerning nonhuman military retainers.
None of them belonged to a hidden council of masked figures deciding Kael’s fate beneath the palace.
The Empire did not need one.
Its politics were complicated enough in daylight.
There were spies, certainly.
Private networks.
Secret correspondence.
Foreign intelligence.
Old organizations with purposes Kael had yet to understand.
But inventing a single invisible hand behind everything would only make him easier to deceive when several hands were moving at once.
Augustus understood that better than anyone.
That was one reason his private study remained closed for most of the day while reports accumulated across his desk.
Near sunset, the Emperor finished reading another page concerning Blackwood’s military decline.
Then he reached for the appointment record of Baron Cedric Halwen.
Almost twenty years.
Renewal after renewal.
Stable revenues on paper.
Declining local defense.
Infrastructure deterioration.
Complaints disappearing somewhere between villages and ministries.
Augustus’s crimson eyes remained on one particular signature.
He said nothing.
There would be time for questions when Kael arrived.
Back on the road, Kael stood outside the Crown station beneath a clear night sky while everyone else prepared to sleep.
Aurelia was now less than a day away.
He touched the envelope inside his coat.
Come to my private study.
Bring Edwin.
The Court frightened him less than not knowing what Augustus wanted.
With Seraphine, Kael could predict at least part of the argument.
Grom.
Military precedent.
Nonhuman service.
With the ministers, the likely questions were financial and legal.
With Cassian and Adrian, military practicality.
But Augustus had built Blackwood before becoming Emperor.
He had known Darius longer than Kael had been alive.
He had appointed or approved the people who governed the territory during Kael’s absence.
He might already know something Kael did not.
Kael looked east.
Tomorrow he would find out.
Not from a masked conspiracy.
Not from another anonymous note.
From the one man who had been watching Blackwood longer than anyone.
His father.