"Your Grace, new news has arrived."
"... Capital?"
"Reporting to Your Grace, the letter came from the direction of Liya Tower Fortress, delivered by a messenger who insisted it be handed directly to you."
Hearing the servant, Grant, standing on the battlements and staring toward the southeast, turned, took the letter from him, ordered the troops to maintain their watch, and left the fortress perimeter.
The Kingdom of Velys had fallen into civil unrest; a man like Grant, well informed, had of course heard. At this point he no longer expected the royal family, preoccupied with quelling internal rebellions, to be able to spare troops for the border. All he hoped for was to hold onto his little patch of land through the coming turmoil, and maybe profit a bit.
The new Empress of the Valeria Empire didn't seem like someone who'd simply swallow losses. The raid last year had cost her dearly, money and men, and there was no reason she wouldn't demand compensation from the kingdom.
