Once they were within her impressive office, the door behind them disappeared. The room was dark and filled with books and scrolls. This appeared to be the private library of the queen as well as her sanctuary from the pressures of leadership. She took her seat behind a massive black oak desk and motioned for General Marek to take a seat opposite her. He bowed slightly to acknowledge the command and sat down. She then inclined her head to indicate to him that he was now free to tell her what exactly why they had come here.
"Milady, I have just spoken with General Yukio, and he has provided me with intelligence that will prove beneficial for you to know. He did not forbid me to share the information with you, so I felt it prudent to tell you so you would be prepared for any eventuality," General Marek started confidently.
"You are wise to share with me secrets that my husband did not choose to tell me about. He is probably testing your loyalty to me by confiding in you information that I would need in order to be prepared. He knew that if you were true to me that you would tell me everything he told you. So, go ahead and reveal to me what he told you," commanded the queen kindly.
General Marek then related all of what General Yukio had told to him. She seemed to take the information well and knew that her husband had prepared for the worst. She only loved him more for his preparation and for his methods of revealing such information to her. She would be ready for an attack from any direction. The main difference now as that she knew of an escape if the worst should happen. She was extremely grateful for Marek's diligence and honesty.
"Thank you, General. I believe that my husband has chosen his confidant wisely. He knew that he could trust in your loyalty to me to pass along this vital information. Now I will be prepared for anything that may take place. It is comforting to know that I have an escape plan."
"What would you like me to do now, Your Majesty?"
"I want you to inform the home guard that they are to report any suspicious behavior to you immediately. Tell them to have a full guard every hour, day and night. We must be vigilant if we are to survive the storm that is coming. Once you have instructed the troops, return to me. I will be in the council chambers speaking with Chairman Merindiel."
"Milady," he said with a low bow. He then stood up with a smile and did an about-face. He marched resolutely toward the place where the door had been and was surprised to see it had reappeared. He walked through the exit quickly and headed for the barracks of the home guard. He knew that what he had done was right. He knew now that he would be able to keep the queen safe from any assassination attempt. Now it was up to Yukio to keep his end of the bargain.
The queen watched the general march out the secret door and had a sense of peace come over her. For the first time in many days she felt that she was safe and on the right track. She knew that no attempt on her life would be successful with the new information she had. She was now prepared for any eventuality. She knew that she would feel even more comfortable when she had shared these things with her trusted friend, Bronwen. He would be able to give her additional advice about the situation. He would reinforce what she had been told and help her think of more options that were available to her.
She continued to think over the information she had received as she walked to the meeting hall. She began to formulate different scenarios in her mind about possible assassination attempts. She then carefully thought of ways to thwart each and every attempt on her life. She was so consumed in her musing that she did not notice the clouds breaking up and the sun peaking through openings in the covering. The rain had stopped, and a fog began to form as the sun heated the drenched mountain city. Her line of sight became compromised, and she immediately had a feeling of dread come over her. She snapped back to reality and took notice of the physical changes that were taking place around her. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. There is nothing to fear. I am almost to the council chambers, and then I will be safe within its walls. She also knew that there were guards watching her as she moved along the walkway, so she really had nothing to worry about.
As she approached the main doors to the chamber, a rush of uneasiness came over her as she reached to open the main doors. Instead, she turned about and headed for the rear entry. She did not want to be caught by surprise if there was a trap set for her in the council room. She knew that she could trust Bronwen, but she did not know for certain that he was even in there. She reached the back door and pushed against it gently. The door opened just far enough to allow her to peek inside the room. She immediately saw that Bronwen was there with a few of the other council members. She then opened the door all the way, which made a creaking noise that got everyone's attention.
"Queen Kira, what can we do for you?" asked one of the council members with a bow.
"You all can leave so that I may speak with Chairman Merindiel in private," she ordered the extraneous council members to depart. They did as she had commanded. They all bowed and immediately left the hall through the double doors at the front. Light began to fill the room through the glass dome.
"Milady, what is it that I can do for you?" queried her good friend Bronwen. He whispered as though they may be overheard.
"Is it safe for us to talk here?"
"I cannot be entirely certain, Your Majesty."
She nodded that she understood and then went around the room searching out any possible spies. She did not find one, so she gave up the search. She then approached each door and magically sealed them. Then she put a sound shield on the walls, the floor, and the glass ceiling. Once she had completed all of these tasks, she turned again to her friend and smiled warmly.
"We should be safe now to speak our minds without being overheard."
"I am certain that your magic will keep us safe and what we say a secret. What is it that you have come to speak with me about?"
"I need to bring you up to speed on our situation. I have received information from very reliable sources that there will be attempts on my life. I want to share with you what I have been told from General Marek in particular."
Bronwen nodded that he understood, and they each took a seat at the round table. Kira relayed to him all that General Marek had learned from her husband about the secret passageways and the hiding place within the heart of the mountain. She also told him about what she had asked Marek to do. She did not hold anything back from her faithful friend. She even told him of her different plans she had formulated to defend herself. He listened carefully to every word she said before making any reply.
"Kira, you will need someone to watch your back. It should not be one of the home guard or even General Marek. They will protect you, but they may not be able to see the assassin before it is too late. If you have another person you trust to watch your back, then they may be able to see who it is that hunts you. They would be able to alert you of any danger," Bronwen said with a certain amount of urgency in his voice. He did not feel that her plan for protecting herself was foolproof. He felt that another fail-safe was needed in order to avoid the unthinkable.
"Who would you recommend to do such a task?"
"I believe that I am the only one who can be trusted to be faithful in shadowing you. You know that I have the ability to hide myself most effectively. I will be able to warn you when I sense danger. Please, allow me to do this for you. I do not want to lose you," he said pleadingly. If we lose Kira, then our cause is lost.
"It will be as you have asked. Follow me, and watch out for unseen dangers. I feel comforted knowing that you will be watching over me. I am sure that my husband would be most grateful for your loyalty to me. It sounds like a plan he would come up with as well. Remember, you are not to be seen by anyone," she said with warning in her voice. She did not want any harm to come to him while watching out for her. He is putting himself in great danger by offering this service. 1 hope that he is kept safe. 1 could not bear to lose him.