The gerents sat down after he did.

And still not a single sound could be heard. Not even the rustle of fabric.

Giran came down the main row that divided the room. He bowed low before Darling, then moved off to the side so as not to give Darling his back-an act of supreme reverence and respect.

Clearing his throat, he went to the podium to address the others. "I want to thank all of you for coming out so quickly."

Darling would dispute two weeks as being quick, but he held his tongue. No need in being the first one to start the name-calling. See what happens when they don't fear you'll blow them up? They take their sweet time with assembly. Unlike the first time when he'd been able to get them together in only a few hours...

"As all of you know," Giran continued, "we are being occupied by foreign soldiers, and many of us have family who are now in League custody as political hostages to guarantee our cooperation. Governor Cruel-"

"He's the problem!"

"They wouldn't be here if not for him!"

"I say we give him over to the League, then they'll release our people."

Giran held his hands up to silence the angry barrage. "We are the reason the League is here!" He shouted over them until they settled down. "The governor had nothing to do with this. He knew what would happen if we asked for their intervention, and he tried to stop us. We are the ones who invited them in without his consent or knowledge."

He swept the crowd with a fierce scowl. "And I know no one in this room is stupid enough to really believe that all the League wants is Governor Cruel. In fact, it is my concrete conclusion that he is the only hope we have of getting our families back, ever-something he has graciously offered to do. For. Us. And I think we should listen to what it is he now proposes."

A few people let out noises of disapproval, but those stopped as soon as the doors opened to admit what appeared to be the entire Caronese royal guard.

For a moment, Darling expected them to attack or arrest him. He'd never seen that many guards at once, except at state functions or during arms' displays. And anytime more than two approached him, he'd been seized and thrown to the ground, then hauled to wherever his uncle was waiting for him.

But they didn't attack.

Instead, they came forward to sink to one knee before his throne, and respectfully bow their heads. Darling had an urge to turn around to see if Nykyrian or someone else was standing behind him. But his throne was pushed against the wall. There was no one there.

They really are kneeling to me.

What a mind freak that was...

High Commander Brenton rose to his feet and snapped to a military formal stance. "We are here, Your Majesty, to support whatever military action you wish to take." He swept his arm out to indicate the men and women with him. "All of us have taken a new blood oath to lay down our lives in service for you. Long reign Emperor Darling Cruel!"

The soldiers with him let out a cry of support.

Yeah, the god Kere was definitely wearing snow gear today.

For them to call him emperor was the ultimate show of respect and support. It was a title reserved for only a small percentage of his family. And no Cruel in the last thousand years had been deemed worthy of it. Unlike governor which was an inherited title, emperor could only be conferred by a unanimous vote between the guard and the five leaders of the CDS.

Stunned to the core of his being, Darling looked over to Captain Harren. He was sure the captain was behind this. He had to be.

Ever since the captain, under Darling's orders, had found that both Preskitt and Xheris had been viciously wounded by the assassins who'd attacked Darling, his attitude had changed. But for his following Darling's orders, both men would have died. And since Xheris was his younger brother...

Harren had become a major advocate for Darling.

After the soldiers stood and took up positions inside the hall in support of him, Darling rose to his feet. It wasn't until that moment that he realized he wasn't in the robes of a governor. He was actually wearing his red-tinged black Sentella battlesuit. And he'd forgotten to put his tinted glasses on. If his eyes started jerking, they'd all know.

This wasn't the smartest thing he'd ever done.

Saddest part? It wasn't the dumbest thing he'd ever done either...

He could only imagine what he must look like dressed to kick the League's ass with his governor's harone still in his hair. His ancestors had to be rolling in their graves.

Oh well...

This was his reign... short though it might prove to be.

Clearing his throat, he braced himself for what he was sure would be a less than stellar reception.

Don't get used to the title of emperor, boy. After this speech, they just might unanimously decide to yank it.

Even so, Darling stood strong before them. "Just a few minutes ago, we learned the location of where our people are being held. It's taken longer than we'd hoped to find them, but nevertheless, we can now move forward with our plans."

They started chattering around him. Some in support. Some...

Not so much.

Darling held his hand up to silence them. "I know most of you in this room truly believe I'm insane. The good new is, I am. But not for the reasons you think. A sane man would gladly sacrifice his people to the League and bargain with them so that he could stay in power no matter what. A sane man wouldn't even begin to contemplate what I'm about to undertake."

"What are you going to do?" someone shouted.

Darling glanced in the direction of that unknown voice. "Bring our people home."

They laughed.

He ignored their ridicule. He was used to it, after all.

Once again, he silenced their protests. "I'm not asking any of you to risk anything." He turned his attention to the royal guard. With Ryn and the Tavali backing the Sentella, he no longer needed them. "And that includes my soldiers. They're free to stay home and protect our citizens from the invaders."

To his shock, the majority of his guard protested the idea.

"Our job is to defend you, Emperor!"

"The emperor is the heart and soul of the Caronese people! He's not a martyr to be sacrificed!"

Warmed by those shocking statements, Darling continued. "In the event I fail, I have a video that will be given to the League, telling them that I acted without knowledge or approval of the CDS. It renounces my titles, and names my brother Drake as my successor, with Ryn continuing on as Grand Counsel until Drake's majority. I wanted all of you here so that I could personally assure you that the well-being of this empire is my greatest concern, and I would never do anything to jeopardize my people. The Caronese are my life. And by the gods, I will not tolerate anyone coming into my territory and kidnapping my people out of our government buildings for any reason, and then to hold them hostage..."

He would mention the Resistance, too, but he knew no one in this room cared that they'd been taken. Most were probably happy about it. And mentioning their capture might even alienate some of the CDS.

Darling saw the pain in Giran's eyes as the gerent watched him. He was terrified for his son and well he should be. "The League has issued a command that I surrender governorship to them. If I do so, they will step in and replace me."

A cheer of approval went up.

Yeah, now that was what he'd expected when he walked in...

Darling wanted to laugh at the morons. I should step down. That would teach them an invaluable lesson.

But unfortunately, he couldn't do that to them.

Giran scowled at his "friends" and their mockery as they called for the guard to arrest Darling and hand him over to the League.

"Gerents?" he shouted. "Do you not understand what that would mean for us?"

Utter silence filled the hall.

"We wouldn't have a faggot for a leader!"

"Enough!" Giran roared. "I will not stand by and see our emperor insulted!" He pinned several of them with a brutal glare. "If the League steps in, all of us are replaced. Do you understand me? The CDS will be disbanded. Immediately. Our titles will be confiscated and those of us here in this room will join those already imprisoned."

That finally got their attention. Yeah, the bastards didn't like that thought at all.

A deafening roar broke out until Giran let loose a fierce whistle. "Let's hear from the emperor what he intends to do for us."

He and the rest of the room looked to Darling.

Darling clasped his hands behind his back and eyed them coldly. "My plan is simple. I intend to walk right into the heart of League territory and ram their dictate for our surrender down their throats."

The royal guard cheered. But the gerents weren't quite so enthusiastic.

"They're not going to let you walk in and take our people out," a woman sneered. "They'll come for us."

Darling shrugged with a nonchalance he didn't feel. "They might. But it's not likely. As far as the League will know, the attack won't be sanctioned by the Caronese," he reiterated. "The Sentella will be leading it."

"Why would the Sentella put their lives on the line for us?"

Because I'm one of its founding members, imbecle...

But he could never say that out loud. "It's what they do. Everything is already in place. Nemesis and Kere are standing by to start the assault as soon as I give them the clear. Something I didn't want to do without consulting all of you first."

Giran gave him a fierce military salute. "I am with you, my lord. May the gods speed and keep you. Most of all, may they give you the strength to save our people and bring them home."

The royal guard let out a resounding sound of approval.

But the gerents...

They remained quiet for so long that Darling began to wonder if he hadn't bored them to sleep.

Finally, Lady Tehrshin rose to her feet to address him. "I remember my father telling me when I was a girl that the League would never act against any nation. That all they wanted was to keep us in peace and health. But over the years, I've watched as they lost sight of their mission. Now I am one of those who is directly affected by their actions. They hold my only son for no reason whatsoever. Today I am the one who suffers. But tomorrow, it could be anyone in this room. They need no reason these days to kill or suppress. I support you, Your Majesty, and I commend your courage. Would that all men possessed it. May the gods bless you always, Emperor."

"Here, here," Lord Sirisk said as he, too, came to his feet. "Long reign and health to Emperor Cruel."

Suddenly, one by one, the gerents stood up and gave a formal nod of approval.

Astonished by their unexpected reversal, Darling stood before them, trying to absorb the fact that for the first time in his life, they were with him.

Not against him.

Releasing his pent-up breath, he returned their salute with one of his own. "Thank you for your support in this. Now I'm off to finish preparations."

With those words spoken, he quit the room.

Drake and Maris ran to catch up to him in the hallway.

"Wow," Maris breathed in awe. "That was something I never thought I'd live to see."

Drake nodded in agreement. "It was incredible. Emperor Darling. I can't believe they're with us."

Darling wasn't so sure about that. At any moment, he expected one of the gerents to betray him. Dear gods, I've become as jaded as Maris...

But he was grateful that it'd gone better than he'd dared hope.

Looking forward to getting Zarya home, Darling led the way to the war room where they'd left the others. He'd only gone about halfway when they met up with Nykyrian.

"We're ready to move forward," Darling told him.

Nykyrian didn't respond.

A shiver of dread washed over Darling. While the Andarion prince was usually somber, there was something about him different. Something more rigid than normal.

"What's wrong?" Darling asked.

Nykyrian sighed heavily. "The media is going wild again."

Darling let out a sound of utter disgust. Of course they were. "What did the League do now?"

"They..." Swallowing hard, Nykyrian hesitated, which was something he'd never done before.

That, in and of itself, scared the shit out of him. This was bad.

Real bad.

His face emotionless, Nykyrian held his mobile out toward Darling. "The League has released a statement that while torturing one of their prisoners for information about the Resistance and you, the prisoner died during interrogation."

Darling's entire body seized up as he heard those words. Please, please don't let it be who I think it is. He wanted to look at the mobile, but he couldn't bring himself to do so.

Because in his heart, he already knew what he'd see and he couldn't face it.

"Who did they kill?" Drake asked.

Nykyrian's eyes turned dark. "I'm so sorry to be the one to tell you, Darling. But I didn't want you to find out from someone else."

"No," he breathed as his vision darkened. "It's not her."

Nykyrian winced. "I'm afraid it is. Zarya's dead."