Betrayed… (Date 1/10/19)

Euwyn stood in the thick, humid air praying for the rain to break to fit his mood. Fall seemed slow in coming, and he found himself sweating beneath the heavy cloak that covered his official garments of mourning. He could afford to be seen here showing “official” mourning as he stood over the unmarked grave of the man who had been his friend as long as he remembered. Lexington Starym, the Marshall, had buried without ceremony in a quiet corner of the cemetery before the sun had come up, only to keep the body’s rot from infecting the living, not out of any sense of venerating the traitor. Euwyn knew to keep his presence brief, there was the other funeral to attend today, with a parade preceding it. And then… other duties. How had it all changed so quickly?

The monster he had hunted had been Lexington! Shena Starym, the kingdom’s grand diplomat was a traitor, and a powerful spellcaster? Even Giada was somehow implicated? The elves were the enemy all along? It all seemed so wrong…

Whatever the cause, several realities were certain. The council was decimated. General Regar was dead, slain by the beast, Lexington. The Grand Diplomat had fled under more than suspicion of treason, even going so far as to blow up her own house in an effort to conceal evidence. And Lexington was dead… Dead by Euwyn’s own magic hand… The council would need to be rebuilt, and quickly too! Someone had to be there to enact the will of the people, to answer the call building like the heaviness in the air. War was coming!

But still the skies held their moisture, and the unbearable weight of the humidity pressed on all sides. Euwyn stifled his tears as he turned from the patch of earth. There were affairs of state to attend and to attend to. He must prepare for the coming storm.