45.
Edrick cut through the press of bustling soldiers. Less than an hour after the battle ended, the camp, which had been in complete disarray, was already being reorganized. As men scavenged weapons from the wyvern carcasses and dismantled shredded tents, laborers loaded crates onto carts, and maids began the grim work of wrapping the dead in silk.
Pacing the perimeter with hurried steps, Edrick calculated the toll at a glance. Seventeen bodies. Counting those swallowed by the wyverns, the death count likely sat between twenty-five and thirty. The wounded were numerous, and the scale of the disaster was impossible to ignore. He clenched his fists.
*A pack of wyverns appearing during the Season of Fire…*
Wyverns usually roused from hibernation only at the end of the Season of Winds and did not hunt in packs until the Season of Water. Since they generally scattered in pairs after mating, the sudden convergence of over a dozen beasts during the heat of summer was an impossible anomaly. Moreover, this region was no habitat for creatures of that size.
*Something is wrong. This isn’t just a matter of bad luck.*
Edrick scanned the wyvern carcasses strewn across the hillside, his eyes narrowed, before forcing the suspicion down. Now was not the time for idle theorizing. He strode toward the cluster of knights.
“Commander!”
Varkas, currently issuing orders, turned his head.
Edrick instinctively flinched, coming to a halt. His superior’s face, seen under the flickering torchlight, was painted in dark, dried blood. Edrick was likely in the same state, but the sight of Varkas—his statue-like features splattered in gore, his eyes gleaming with a cold, unsettling stillness—struck a primal chord of dread.
“Did you find them?” Varkas asked in his signature monotone.
Shaking off the trance, Edrick offered his report. “I found traces of a wyvern crash to the north. It appears to have fallen below the canyon.”
Varkas turned his gaze north. Torches held by the knights cast long, dancing shadows over the grim forest. There was no telling what other horrors might be lurking in the dark.
Edrick added, his voice tight with anxiety, “We must organize a search party immediately. We have no time to lose—”
“A search party? What are you talking about!”
At the sudden, fierce shout, Edrick whipped around. The Crown Prince, his dark hair disheveled like a lion’s mane, was marching toward them, attendants struggling to keep pace.
Edrick bowed, but the Crown Prince ignored him, stepping directly into Varkas’s space.
“It’s obvious they’re dead! Do not waste time on useless errands; prepare to depart! Do you want us to be slaughtered by another pack while you dawdle?”
Edrick’s jaw tightened at the callous remark. The Crown Prince’s face was deathly pale—hardly a surprise for a man who had never faced even an ogre, let alone a wyvern. Yet, seeing him frayed and pathetic, Edrick felt not a shred of sympathy. He glared at the prince, then glanced at Varkas to gauge his reaction. Varkas was unnervingly silent.
Surely, he wouldn’t bow to the Crown Prince’s whims?
Talia Roem Gwirta was an Imperial Princess, the daughter of the Emperor and the eldest child of the Empress. They could not simply leave her to rot as monster feed just because of the Crown Prince’s petty vengeance. It was a matter of basic knightly honor.
Edrick spoke urgently. “If you form a search party, I will go find the Second Imperial Princess myself. So, please…”
“Who gave this insolent brat the right to act on his own authority!”
The Crown Prince erupted, grabbing Edrick by the collar.
Edrick looked up, his expression calm. He was accustomed to the prince’s outbursts. He replied with forced respect, “I apologize. However, we cannot simply abandon the Imperial Princess.”
“Imperial Princess?”
The Crown Prince let out a dry, mocking laugh, then leaned in, enunciating every syllable.
“Listen closely, you fledgling. There is only one Imperial Princess in this empire, and that is Aila Roem Gwirta. That girl, Talia, was an existence that should never have been born. That is the only fitting conclusion for an illegitimate child—to become monster feed.”
“Stop.”
At the low, dangerous command, Edrick flinched. No matter how unruly Gareth behaved, Varkas had always maintained a strict veneer of formality. The fact that he had not only cut off the Crown Prince but had spoken with such biting condescension left Edrick stunned.
Even the Crown Prince seemed shocked, his eyes widening. Varkas, however, remained unmoved.
“Your Highness, I suggest you return to your quarters and rest.”
Varkas gestured toward the knights behind the prince. “Bring a mage at once. I am selecting ten men with quick reflexes for a search party.”
The knights immediately scrambled to obey. The Crown Prince, momentarily dazed, shoved Edrick away and lunged toward Varkas.
“Are you… actually going to defy me for the sake of that wench?”
“I was commanded by His Majesty the Emperor to escort all three of them,” Varkas said, his voice devoid of emotion. “Surely, the Crown Prince’s instructions cannot supersede the commands of His Majesty the Emperor?”
“Don’t make excuses!” The Crown Prince blocked Varkas’s path. “Do you think I haven’t noticed how you’ve been strangely protecting that wench, Talia? Tell me the truth. Do you—!”
“Gareth!”
A sharp, high-pitched voice sliced through the tension. Edrick turned to see the First Imperial Princess walking elegantly through the ranks of the knights, accompanied by her attendants.
She was the one who had organized the maids to tend to the wounded while the chaos was still unfolding. Weary from the battle, she approached her brother and cast a resolute gaze upon him.
“Lord Siorcan is right. We cannot leave Talia behind. Regardless of everything, that child is our own flesh and blood.”
“Are you saying this in your right mind?” The Crown Prince glared at her, his eyes brimming with betrayal. “Do you know what kind of humiliation our mother suffered because of her? And you say this?”
“Please, be rational.” The Princess cut him off with sharp authority. Despite being only minutes older than him, she carried herself with a maturity he lacked. She looked up at her brother, her tone steady. “If we return to the Imperial Palace having left Talia behind, it will invite unnecessary gossip upon Lord Siorcan—and upon you as well. Why would you risk that?”
Edrick stood frozen by the cold-blooded pragmatism of the First Imperial Princess, who was so often praised for her benevolence.
She added softly, as if soothing a tantrum, “At the very least, we must ensure we retrieve the child’s body so that a proper funeral can be held.”