Sasha nodded. “That was my assessment as well. He’s been our vampire spy for years. I keep close watch on him, though. Right now Myrddin treats him like an errand boy. If that changes, or if I believe he might turn, I will execute him myself.”
“And how would you know? If Myrddin sniffs out Christine, then none of your information is good,” Dev pointed out.
“Christine is not the only witch asset we have.” Sasha put his elbows on the table, his hands steepling together. “I have a network across the supernatural world. Some of them know who they are working for. Some of them do not. They do not know who the others are unless I need them to know, Your Highness.”
“I don’t know half of them,” Rhys complained. “Sasha only trusts Trent with the whole of his network.”
Sasha started to say something but Devinshea interrupted. “That’s because if you don’t know, you can’t talk. He’s protecting his network and you, son. Sasha knows what he’s doing. He’s former KGB.”
“We called it SVR at the time, but your papa is correct. About my history and my reasons,” Sasha conceded.
One of the things I’d seen in the armory made sense. “That’s why your bounty is payable only if you’re brought in alive.”
Sasha nodded. “And that is why I carry this.” He pulled a small device out of his pocket. “This is UV light spelled into a liquid form. I assure you, they will not take me alive.”
“I’ve stolen it a couple of times,” Lee admitted. “He brings out another one. I can’t figure out where he keeps them.”
“He has the troll who spells it put something on the container so I can’t sniff it out.” Fen sighed. “I keep trying to explain that I’ll find him and get him out.”
“He doesn’t want that. He wants to protect you all and his network. He’s a good spymaster.” Daniel stared Sasha’s way. “You have done well, my friend. I’m sorry for the circumstances, but damn I’m grateful for what you’ve done over the last twelve years. I would like for you to work with Devinshea, but I leave it to you how much you reveal. I want that network of yours protected as much as possible. Is the intelligence about Myrddin’s plans reliable?”
“It comes straight from Christine and Harry, so I consider it truth,” Sasha explained. “Though you should know it’s been verified by my higher-level assets. The pretender king has made a deal with the Hell plane. Power for ability to populate the Earth plane.”
“Populate? That sounds icky.” Kelsey had a way with words.
“By populate he means demons could walk among us, live here in the open.” Rhys lifted his hand slightly and one of the trolls hurried forward, refilling his drink. He glanced the female’s way. “Thank you, Gedda. Please let the kitchens know the meal was delicious. We appreciate how quickly they put it together.”
Lee gave the troll a thumbs-up. “It rocked.”
Oh, they were both sides of their biological dad. Rhys, the thoughtful, cautious prince, and Lee, the decadent, charming rake.
When Gedda walked out, Rhys continued. “According to Grandad, Myrddin made this deal years ago.”
“I believe it was in the weeks after you disappeared.” My father seemed to draw in on himself, or rather on Shy. Like they were having a silent conversation. He finally smiled and reached for the glass of whiskey in front of Shy’s place. She’d ignored it utterly but seemed to have given my dad permission to enjoy it. He took a quick sip and sighed in obvious pleasure before getting on with it. “They were chaotic, and Myrddin had to put down several factions that rose to take over. The wolves tried. The academics led a vampire rebellion. The Fae retreated. I didn’t have a body for those first years. I was a wraith clinging to the shadows and learning Myrddin’s secrets. He often disappeared into the dark temple where he met with the demons. Roughly two years after you disappeared, he had his deal.”
“The demons gave pro-Myrddin witches power, and he promised to deliver the Earth plane to them,” my vampire husband concluded. “When the witches had the full backing of dark magic behind them, they could put down the rebellions.”
“He still doesn’t have the power you had, Your Highness,” Casey said. “There is no Council. All he’s done is sent the separate supernatural groups back to their own homes. He can’t count on any of them. Still, he’s dangerous, and we’ve had a hard time finding any large group who’s willing to join us. We have some wolves, some werecreatures, earthly Fae. We don’t have an army.”
“We don’t need one.” Daniel sat back. “This isn’t the same as the first time we took over the Council. The way Sasha and Trent have been running this war is smart. I need to reconnect with our allies, let them know that we will take care of the problem, and then come together to solve any differences we have after I’ve taken back my crown. How bad is the political situation?”