Roysten chuckled, soft but sharp. "Surely the prince misunderstood. Those men were scouts sent to inspect the integrity of the southern watchtower...nothing more."
"And yet they carried Bruneil coin," Lucien responded, tossing a pouch forward. It landed with a dull clink.
The murmurs grew louder now.
Alden raised a hand. "What proof do you bring of this connection?"
Lucien stepped forward, retrieving the report Liora had handed him. "This report outlines a plague that swept through southern villages two seasons ago targeted and timed. It wasn't an accident. It was a soft invasion."
Roysten stiffened but retained his smug smile. "Fever is not treason, my prince."
"No," Lucien said coldly, "but hiding it is."
Another figure entered just then, Samuel, his clothes dusty, his face lined from riding hard.
