Chapter 24

Korva sat on a polished black-stone throne, his hand tightly gripping the deeply carved arm of the chair and frustration twisting his face. Sun Riser lay behind him, curled around the throne and his head resting on the end of his tail. A lone man stood shaking before his king, a scroll with a broken wax seal held tightly in his sweaty hands.

"How long ago?"

"We just received word this morning, but the messenger said he has been riding hard for almost three weeks, Your Grace."

"They have been invading Autumn Fall for three weeks without a captain? I doubt they've conquered anything at all." He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to contain his urge to strangle the man for giving him bad news. "Who was the deserter?"

"Cedric Youngmoore, The Knight of Darkness, Your Grace."

"Now that genuinely shocks me. Of all my knights currently serving, he was the most determined to please. Did the messenger mention why?"