Those deaths had been attributed to him. The Beast.
The hair on the back of his neck rose, and his scalp tingled. There would be lightning with this storm. He could already feel it, the sizzle of energy in the air. Damn, he was a monster. He knew the power would cause him pain, but as much as he hated it, he also craved it.
The blast of a horn drew his attention, and he spotted a small band of armed soldiers on horseback entering the camp. They were dressed in the uniforms of the royal guard, and the lead soldier was carrying the royal banner. The entourage for an envoy from the king.
With a groan, Leo started toward his tent. On the way, a large black-and-white-spotted dog loped up to him.
“Brody!” Leo smiled at the dog, and he could swear that the dog grinned back. His face was mostly white, except for a black nose and a black patch of fur around his left eye. His legs were caked with mud and his fur still damp. “You had to travel through the rain? Did you tag along with the royal envoy?”
When the dog nodded, Leo continued, “Go wash up and get dressed. I want to hear your news.”
The dog trotted off to Nevis’s tent. Everyone assumed he was Nevis’s pet, but in truth, Nevis merely kept Brody’s clothes for him, so the dog had a private place to change back to human form.
As a dog shifter, Brody was Leo’s best spy. In canine form, he could join other dogs in any castle keep in the country. Then, while he pretended to be napping, he heard all sorts of secret agreements and negotiations.
Leo reached his tent at the same time as the envoy and his entourage. Their clothes were all wet, and the sodden feathers in their caps drooped. The envoy dismounted and bowed just as General Harden arrived. Leo invited them both inside and found his squire busily polishing his sword. Edmund already had the inside of the tent in order. Two candles burned brightly on his desk.
“Good work, Ed.” Leo stepped behind his desk and faced the envoy. “You have news?”
“Greetings from His Most Royal Majesty, King Frederic the Great,” the envoy began in a high-pitched, whiny voice. “May the Light shine upon his magnificence forever.”
Leo bit his lip to keep from laughing. Behind the envoy, the general was making a rude gesture. “The news?”
With a grand bow, the envoy handed Leo a rolled piece of parchment, sealed with a glob of wax imprinted with the royal insignia. “His Royal Majesty has gifted you with a few words of his glorious wisdom. Surely you are blessed.”
Leo broke the seal and unrolled the parchment.
Dear nephew,
You bastard. Your failure to come to Ebton has been noted and added to your list of transgressions. Luckily for you, your betrothed is also late to make an appearance. Your new orders: Go directly to Vindalyn. Find the damned duke and his daughter and escort them to the royal palace in Ebton. You have two months. Failure means death.
And with a grand flourish, Frederic had taken up the bottom half of the page with his signature.
Leo set the parchment on his desk and dipped a quill into a bottle of ink. In the small margin at the bottom of the page, he wrote:
Dear Uncle,
Your order has been noted and added to your list of commandments. See you in two months. By the way, I’m harder to kill than my father. Assassins will not succeed. Failure means death.
There was only room enough left to sign a simple Leo.
He rummaged through the drawers of his desk till he found his insignia ring. He didn’t normally wear it since he had to wear thick gloves. By then the ink had dried, so he rolled the parchment back up, drizzled some candle wax on the seam, and stamped it with his ring.
“Here.” He handed the message back to the envoy, then turned to his squire. “Edmund, take them to the commissary so they can have a meal before they leave.”
“You expect us to leave today?” The envoy’s voice grew even more highly pitched and whiny. “But, my lord, the—”
“Today,” Leo interrupted. “His Most Royal Majesty deserves an answer as soon as possible, don’t you think?”
“But the storm…”
“You would let a little rain dampen your loyalty to the king? I would hate for my uncle to hear about that.”
The envoy’s eyes widened with panic. “Have no fear, my lord! I will deliver this message with the utmost speed and diligence.”
“Glad to hear it.” Leo smiled. “You may go.” And take your damned spies with you.
“Yes, my lord.” The envoy backed toward the tent entrance, bowing repeatedly. On the way out, he bumped into Nevis and Brody, who were coming in.
“This way, sir.” Stifling a grin, Edmund led him away.
General Harden chuckled as he poured a cup of wine.
“Looks like you’ve frightened another envoy.” Nevis headed toward his father. “Pour me a cup, too.”
“Me, as well,” Brody added. “I’m famished.”
“Here.” Leo handed him the plate of food Edmund had left on his desk. “It’s a long journey from Ebton.”
“Thanks.” Brody took a big bite from the loaf of bread.
“Tired as a dog?” Nevis smirked as he handed Brody a cup of wine.
Brody snorted. “I’m in better shape than you are.”
Nevis thumped his stomach. “This is muscle!”
The general nodded as he handed his son a cup of wine. “I’ve always believed a little added weight keeps a soldier better seated on his horse during battle.”