Tension hovered in the air of the Onyx Castle. The upper hand was being fought for with whispered orders and skilled manipulation. Queen Christiana was using her influence with the ogres in her service to try to undermine the King as much as possible.
Zeren, unable to veto the vote taken in the council, held a private meeting with the squad set to retrieve Syrus from Forest’s care. There he appointed Redge to lead the bogus mission. Giving authority to Redge was Zeren’s "ace in the hole." Christiana could cause plenty of trouble, but Zeren squeezing Redge into the mix had trumped her best scheming.
Moments before the squad left the castle, Zeren met secretly with Redge.
Redge came quietly into the dark room and inclined his head to the king. Zeren strode up to him and grabbed him by the shirt. “Do what you have to,” Zeren said desperately. “Give them a chance. You spoke to Kindel?”
“Yes, my king. He’s with us. Forest and Syrus should be on their way now. I will delay as much as I can without invoking recalcitrance within the squad. We will track and protect them.”
Zeren eased his grip on Redge and smacked him once on the back. “Good. Good.” His eyes seemed to lose focus. “I have a premonition about this, Redge. It’s the strangest thing. I feel that Syrus is on a great precipice. He must be allowed to finish this. I feel there is more than his sight on the line. Does that make any sense?”
Redge thought back to the night that Syrus left. There had been something elemental in that room as soon as Forest had come in. “It makes sense, my King. I feel it too.”
Zeren backed away from Redge and began pacing back and forth. “You’re the best of them, Redge.”
“Beg pardon, your highness?”
“Syrus doesn’t consider you a servant. He thinks of you as a brother.”
“Yes. And I him.”
“You have the End of the Bridge, just in case?” Zeren asked.
Redge pulled the chain with the little red transparent ball on the end of it out of the front of his shirt. Zeren nodded and Redge tucked it back in. “I’ve never used one before.”
“It will only work once and you must not open it unless there is no other alternative. Keep it hidden, and if luck is with us, you will bring it back intact.” Zeren waved his hand in dismissal. “Go and keep your eyes open and your ears pricked. Remember Syrus is the future of Regia.”
Redge bowed and quickly left the room.