The smell of smoke did not reach the Imperial Palace, but the panic certainly did.
Within an hour of the raven arriving, the War Room was a cacophony of shouting generals, weeping ministers, and one thoroughly terrified Emperor.
"Blackwood is a fishing village!" the Emperor shrieked, pacing behind the massive oak map table. "It has no strategic value! Why would the Grand Duke waste cannon fire on wooden dinghies and fishmongers?"
"Because it is unprotected," Crown Prince Aeron stated.
He stood at the head of the table, his hands planted flat on the parchment map. He was the only man in the room who wasn't shouting. His voice was a flat, dead calm that sent shivers down the spines of the seasoned generals present.
