CHAPTER 241: GARDEN TALK

Darius sighed deeply and looked at the statue in front of him and then at Nathan who was languidly walking around the bench.

"You do really miss the outside," Darius murmured.

The other man clicked his tongue and laughed. "Of course I do, I would talk you one of these days but you would complain about-"

"You know I have work to do," Darius interrupted.

"Exactly that, you have work. I understand."

Darius rubbed the back of his head and sighed again. He would have obliged but this was a critical period for all of them. But what would he give to have those little get away trips his mother took him on.

Nathan dropped himself onto the bench with all the elegance of a sack of flour and sighed dramatically, arms stretched wide over the backrest. Darius didn’t comment. The garden was unusually quiet today, save for the gentle splashing from the fountain and the rustle of leaves catching the afternoon wind.

"Feels good to sit," Nathan said. "Truly, I forget what luxury this is. A stone bench, a soft breeze, and no one shouting about border disputes."

Darius gave a tired smile. "You have not been here two days."

"That is two days of not being shouted at. You ought to try it sometime."

Darius chuckled low. "If only I could."

They sat in companionable silence for a while, broken only by the occasional chirp of birds overhead. The garden, with its hedges and winding gravel paths, looked much the same as it had a season ago. Yet everything felt different. The air, the people, the burdens he carried on his shoulders.

"I suppose you are wanting a run-down of what you’ve missed," Darius said after a beat.

Nathan perked up. "Only if you promise not to talk like a scribe."

"I make no such promise."

Nathan waved a hand. "Proceed then."

Darius folded his arms. "The Dawnbreak delegation arrived with more heads than anticipated. Three main figures remain: Riven, Verec, and Lady Amara. The first is reserved, the second overly diplomatic and very talkative about his interests. Amara... she is something else entirely."

Nathan raised a brow. "How so?"

"She asked to speak with me privately today. Stayed behind after the rest left."

"Forward, isn’t she?"

"She is... odd in a charming way. I suspect she is more knife than lace."

"Shaking in your chair, were ya?."

Darius ignored the jab and continued, "She hails from Redfall."

Nathan stilled. "That old name still breathes?"

"Apparently. She carries it with pride. Their bloodlines were absorbed into Dawnbreak decades ago."

Nathan whistled low. "Redfall. They used to say the wolves from there saw omens in smoke and blood."

"Perhaps that’s where she gets her insight. She asked about my father. About why he severed ties with the Tribunal."

Nathan’s face darkened slightly. "That’s a sensitive vein to press."

"Indeed. I told her little. She did not linger, but it was enough to remind me, our position as a cardinal pack is not as stable as we like to think."

"And yet, you let her speak without challenge."

Darius tilted his head. "It was calculated. She spoke as if to reassure me. Called our current alliance with Dawnbreak a promising one and was flattered by our openness."

"Too much honey, and you will find the poison hidden."

Darius nodded slowly. "I don’t trust her but I understand her. She is clever and clearly not interested in Crimsonclaw’s place in this union."

Nathan glanced over. "She dismissed Serena?"

"She never said her name. But when I asked about Crimsonclaw, she offered an answer so empty it felt deliberate. As though it did not merit her attention."

Nathan frowned. "She sounds dangerous."

"Perhaps. But that is Dawnbreak. They send pawns who speak like queens."

Nathan leaned back again and exhaled. "So, what’s our move?"

"We keep our eyes open. Dawnbreak is serious about this union. Thalia...she chose her people wisely. Riven is too quiet, but never misses a word. Verec masks himself with cordiality. And Amara... she smiles too often."

"I still don’t like it," Nathan murmured.

"Neither do I. But we cannot isolate ourselves again."

They sat in silence again, the wind picking up slightly, scattering petals across the gravel path.

"I told Livia you arrived," Darius said at length. "She was pleased."

Nathan grinned. "Did she now? She still drink too much wine?"

"Only on days that end in ’y.’ She asked when we could all sit down for supper. It has been some time."

"I’d like that," Nathan said genuinely. "If we’re going to brave the political storm, we might as well do it on full stomachs."

"You will need it. There are whispers already."

Nathan tilted his head. "About?"

"Whether we’re the last to know it or not, everyone is trying to test Ironshade’s stance. We’re being measured, word by word, breath by breath."

"Let them try, we are not some feeble bunch."

"No," Darius said, his voice low. "But we have been quiet for too long. They’re not sure if we’re sleeping... or dead."

"They will find out in due time," Nathan said with a laugh.

Darius glanced at him with a small smile. "You havve gotten bolder."

Nathan stood and stretched. "That’s what happens when you live too close to border wolves and smugglers."

Darius rose as well, brushing off his coat. "Good. You’ll need that skill before long."

As they began walking back toward the northern wing of the castle, Nathan asked, "You think she will be a problem?"

"Amara?" Darius murmured. "She is not here without reason. If I were Thalia, I would send someone like her to gather more than surface impressions."

"So, a spy then."

"Not quite. But close enough. She does not need to sneak around to uncover things. She simply watches, and people talk."

Nathan snorted. "Remind me not to sit next to her if ever at all."

"You may not have the choice," Darius said wryly. "Livia might decide she wants the two of you to get along."

Nathan groaned. "I will bring the wine."

"Bring enough for the rest of us, too."

As the castle loomed before them, Darius paused once more and looked up at the spires cutting through the dusk sky.

"Whatever future we’re walking into," he said, "we have to walk wisely."