You Stop Here

Aric allowed himself a small grin. "If something goes wrong, you'll be ready to move. Understood?"

One by one, they nodded, though the tension in the room remained.

The meeting ended shortly after, the weight of the plan settling over them all like a storm cloud. As the others filed out, Aric remained behind, his gaze fixed on the map spread across the table.

Fear was a tool. A weapon. And soon, the Draken envoy would know exactly how sharp it could be.

———

Few hours later, the night was filled with silence, interupted by the occasional rustle of the trees outside Aric's estate. 

A faint candlelight flickered in the study where Aric sat, his fingers drumming against the table as he scanned the reports Maxim's men had sent back. It hadn't taken long—mere hours, really—but the news was exactly what he expected: a lone carriage moving through an isolated trail, one far removed from the typical roads. Strange, deliberate, and suspicious.