Maverick stared down from the high hill, Osha a little town beneath them. They'd chosen the hills, unpopulated and desolate, for this very reason. What better place to hide from the enemy than in their own backyard?

"The scouts are back," a man said, directing his report to General Yow. 

"Good. We'll meet with them now." He turned to Maverick. "Perhaps you'd best stay here."

"What?" Maverick turned to him. "After all those coachings, trainings, and meetings I sat in on, you want me to sit out of the scouts' report?"

"Playtime is over, son," Yow said, his puffy face scrunched up like a turtle. "This is war."

"And I'm your future king," Maverick retorted. Yow shrugged and marched off, Mav on his heels.

"...and that's the thick of it," one of the scouts said after a twenty minute exposition. "The Army is crawling everywhere. They've just started those balls where the nobles and political families come into Osha."

"The perfect time," General Frend said, twiddling his mustache. "They'll be given the choice to side with us or face the consequences." 

"Consequences?" Maverick asked, speaking up for the first time.

"Join or die," Yow said without even a hint of jest.

"We'll go at nightfall," Frend said, nodding. "Either during their ball or just after they've all fallen asleep."

"Wait, what?" Maverick shook his head as though he needed to clear his ears. "What do you mean?"

"The element of surprise," Yow said, frowning. "We'll sneak up on them. They won't stand a chance."

"I thought this was going to be dignified," Maverick said, turning to Lady Helena. "I thought we would face them in battle, head on, and -"

"To what end?" Yow asked. "We're outnumbered. Our best bet is to catch them off guard."

"While they're sleeping? How will we know the difference between an enemy and an innocent?"

"They're all our enemies," Yow replied.

"No. No I won't stand for this." Maverick slammed his palms down on the table they sat around, wondering why they felt the need to pack a table in the first place. "My sister is in that city and-"

"If she's there this long, she's either dead, captured, or changed sides." Frend glared at Maverick. "You might be the future king, but we are the ones who have prepared for years for this moment. You won't stand in our way."

"You need me," Maverick shot back. "I'm your replacement for the throne."

"We'll find someone else if we have to," Frend said with a sneer.

"Gentlemen, please." Helena's face had gone white, her eyes wide. "This is your future king you're talking to."

"He should be more compliant. You said-"

"I said to include him," Helena snapped. "I didn't say to disregard him and step all over his opinions."

"The Militia listens to us," Frend said. "They'll follow our orders." 

"I won't fight with you." Maverick got to his feet. "I won't do something this low."

"Then you'll stay back where you belong, safe where you won't get hurt." Yow didn't sound condescending, nor as angry as Frend. "This is how it must be done, Maverick. Everyone else understands that. Why can't you?"

#

Maverick went back to his friends, his heart heavy.

"What's wrong?" Noelle asked, sitting with Roman. "You look awful."

"They're attacking at night." Maverick said, slumping down on the ground beside them. "They're going to sneak into the castle and kill whoever comes against them. I have no idea how many will die."

"That's insane," Roman said, face twisting. "There are innocent people down there."

"It doesn't matter." Maverick rubbed his eyes. "They'll do it with or without us." 

"We need to do something." Gwen rested against Roman, her strength better that it had been yet, but still not perfect. 

"We have to warn them." Noelle's eyes narrowed. "We've traveled all day to get here. Night will fall within an hour or two. We've already seen the carriages bringing in people for the feast. We don't have much time."

"They won't mobilize until the ball is over," Maverick said. "They'll wait until the castle is asleep."

"I wish I knew where Abigail lived," Noelle said, staring off.

"Why?" 

"Because Phoenix is probably with her."

Maverick's eyes grew round, his heart lifting a bit. "We need to find her."

#

Finding Abigail's home wasn't easy. In fact, it was nearly impossible. The web of streets in Osha were massive. It wasn't the biggest city in all of Braskey for nothing.

"What do we know about Abigail?" Maverick said, staring around the street as the sun set.

"I think her family might be wealthy." Noelle frowned. "I can't remember if she said that, or if I just felt that about her."

"Bigger houses are this way," Roman said, reappearing. He'd run the length of the city, but wasn't able to find Abigail.

Hours of searching later, Roman led them to a home on top of a hill, the grandest they'd seen yet. 

"This? What makes you think it's this one?" Noelle asked.

"It's the only one left," Roman said with a shrug. 

"What do we do, knock on the door?" Maverick asked.

"They might be sleeping," Gwen said with a frown. She'd come with them when Youlden had been detained elsewhere. 

"Time to wake up." Noelle marched to the door and rapped her tiny hand on it.

A few minutes later, an older woman pulled back the wooden blockade, a glare fixed to her face.

"Do you know what time it is?" she asked, standing in her robe.

"We're friends of Abigail's," Noelle said. "We need to see her right away."

"Lady Abigail isn't-"

"Who is it?" A familiar voice called from beyond the door.

"Abigail!" Maverick said, shoving his head through the crack in the door and startling the servant who'd opened it. "It's us."

"Maverick?" He watched as Abigail descended a grand staircase, wrapping a robe tighter around her. "What are you doing here?"

"We need to see Phoenix." Noelle said, sliding through the door as the maid gave up. 

"Oh," Abigail frowned, glancing back up the stairs. "They're up this way."

"They?" Roman and Gwen stepped in as well.

"She and Eric." Abigail was halfway back up the steps. "Are you coming?"

They followed her through the giant house, Maverick tingling with excitement at the thought of seeing his sister again.

Eric's sister. He flinched, but shook the feeling off. He was the one raised with Laina, the one who grew up at her side. She and Eric might be blood, but he couldn't take away from Maverick. If anything, they could share.

Abigail opened a door in the upper hallway and stepped inside. Maverick followed her and quickly surveyed the surroundings.

"It's empty," he said, turning to her. A breeze blew in from the open balcony doors, but everything else seemed in place.

"They were just here." Abigail crossed the room quickly, stepping out onto the balcony. "They must have gone out this way. He always goes out this way."

"Where did they go?" Maverick asked, heart sinking as he followed her.

"I don't know." Abigail squinted into the distance, cocking her head. "What's with all that fog?"

#

"Narissa is my wife," Bainon said, a steeliness to his voice. "I can't betray her."

"Is peace betrayal?" Phoenix crossed her arms. "Are you afraid she'll attack you with her lightning the way she does others?"

"Lightning?" Bainon snorted. "It's energy, not lightning, and no. She wouldn't."

"Then what are you worried about?" Phoenix asked, frustration rising. "We're talking about peace, sire. We're talking about avoiding bloodshed."

"You know she's right," Eric said, staring unblinkingly at the king. "We can't be passive anymore. It's time to take action. What Narissa has done is wrong. She sent a child to be executed."

"What?" Bainon's head popped up. "No. No she wouldn't do that."

"With Abigail Truso. She took Abigail from her home and the boy from an orphanage."

"No." Bainon shook his head. "I knew about Abigail, and I was too late to stop it, I admit. But there wasn't a child taken that night. My men were very specific about what they did."

Phoenix squinted at him. "What do you mean? I saved Trey from that execution."

"I'm saying he may have been there, and perhaps he was taken in the night, but it wasn't by my or Narissa's men. Children are not dangers."

"She kidnapped me when I was two." Eric didn't stop the dryness in his tone. 

"Yes, but that's what I mean. She'd sooner take a child for her own than she would kill one." Bainon eyed Phoenix. "I don't care what you say."

A loud scream brought them all to their feet. Phoenix rushed to the window, the scream having come from outside. There were many screams accompanying it now, and as she gazed out, she saw fog covering the ground.

"Oh hells."

"What?" Eric and Bainon stood beside her, staring out into the blankness.

"The Militia." Phoenix's blood ran cold. "They're here." 

It begins...

WORDS NOW!