Page 113 of Stormhold

I paced the room, waiting for the phone call that would change the course of this war once and for all. And just then, the shrill ring of my phone vibrated in my hand. “You have it?” I asked, holding my breath.

“Yes, sir,” Mikhail confirmed in his even-toned voice. “The piece is in our possession. I’m bringing it back home.”

I let go of my breath. “Did they find out?”

“No, sir,” he replied. “They have no idea.”

“Good,” I said, my heart stirring awake at the thrill. “Have our analysts check every inch of it,” I ordered. “There must be something.”

“I will.”

My brain worked in gears. I had done it. I had fucking done it. I brought the Sanctum Sollus back home. And it wasn’t easy, but I did it.

But this was far from over. It was just getting started.

Taking a deep breath, I made a call.

Effectively commencing the next step in my game.

Days later, in an undisclosed location.

“It isn’t like the Seawatchers to call for an impromptu gathering,” said a northerner, eyeing me with his narrowed eyes.

I fucking loathed those mountain fuckers. They were far too aggressive, with a chip on their shoulder, thinking the rest of the world was beneath them.

My eyes swept around the room. The legion members were all gathered around the massive dark wooden table, in a soundproofed room with no windows and only low-light chandeliers, laced with the scent of cigars and aged bourbon and fine wine.

This wasn’t my first rodeo with the legion. I’d accompanied my father several times in the past. They only convened once a year, never like this unless it was important. Like now.

“I believe congratulations are in order,” said an Allseer, one of our closest allies.

I nodded thanks before addressing the room. “Ladies and gentlemen, I appreciate your presence here today,” I said. “The reason I bring you here is…” I slowly drew in a breath before going on to explain the fuckery that my father caused, and they all listened, some with discernment and others with growing anger.

“You mean our confidence is at risk?” the northerner yelled. He looked like he was aching for a fistfight, with the way his jaw ticked and his eyes glared in the low-lit room.

I showed no reaction and remained composed. A fight never ended well. I was here to negotiate—nothing else, nothing more.

“Let’s not get too wild,” drawled the only member of the Brotherhood who was here tonight. “We all make mistakes.” His casually cool tone carried through the room. While it settled some, it didn’t shake the rest who feared the consequences of my family’s mishap.

“This is more than just a mistake,” said the head of the Oda clan, her savvy gaze fixed on me.

“I acknowledge the error caused on my family’s end,” I said firmly, not giving anything away. “But know that there wouldn’t be a legion without the Stormholds.”

Her red lips pursed into a thin line. “We maintain strict confidence for a reason. Your family broke the fundamental rule of the legion, one that can have drastic outcomes,” she reminded me.

“I understand all your concerns,” I said, making eye contact with everyone in the room. “But I’m here to offer a solution, not more problems.”

A cloud of whispers swept through the air. “And what would that solution be?” asked a member of the Crownlanders in his posh British accent, ever the voice of diplomacy.

I calmly explained my terms, and they listened. And in the end, after much speculation and doubt, they agreed. I knew it was a big risk, but I dared to take it.

I knew the enemy’s end goal was Alacteon. To destroy it or rejoice in its power, I didn’t know.

And I didn’t want to know.

All I knew was that I needed a trap to lure out the mouse and end it once and for all.

I knew what was waiting for me when I returned home. Mikhail was kind enough to inform me that the entire family was waiting for me in my house. I knew some of the old legion members would’ve snitched the events of the meeting to my father by now.