Safir stepped forward. “And Hauk, since we are now officially at war with The League, our father has given Kyr an ultimatum. He is to surrender your daughter in five universal hours to either Andarion or Phrixian custody, or he will be viewed as a war criminal by our people.”

That was a nice touch. “You think he will?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. That creature isn’t the brother I once knew. If he has any honor, he will let her go. But he might see it as a challenge to his authority and there’s no telling what he’ll do then. That being said, our father has recalled every Phrixian in League uniform. If they don’t return immediately, they renounce all ties with Phrixus, and Maris can tell you firsthand what a joy that isn’t. While we expect the handful of Phrixian assassins to stay with Kyr, the vast majority of the others will return home. And there are over two thousand of those. One of them is bound to know where he’s keeping Kalea. Most likely, it’s been Phrixians who’ve been guarding her. One way or another, we will have her location any time now.”

“And we’ll mobilize immediately,” Val said. “We will do everything in our power to make sure no harm befalls the Andarion princess.”

Hauk inclined his head to them. “Thank you, commanders. As my prince and heir said, it is an honor and debt that will not go unpaid or be forgotten.”

As one, they gave Hauk a Phrixian salute, which he and Nykyrian returned before the screen went blank.

Hauk scowled at Maris. “What did you do?”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “Safir told you. He’s the golden baby child. While my parents haven’t hesitated to put him to the hazard to hone his battle skills, they’ve always been especially proud of his achievements. More so than anyone else’s. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that he was born the runt of the litter. And they basically left him to die at every turn. And at every turn, he defiantly survived. Once he started training, he excelled far beyond the rest of us. While Kyr made the decision to enter The League, Saf, as youngest, had no choice. That has been part of the Phrixian treaty with The League since they signed it, centuries ago. The youngest son of the ruling family has always been given to The League as a soldier. They fully expected Saf to take Kyr’s place as head one day. But when Saf helped us escape, Kyr took him prisoner.”

Hauk felt suddenly sick. “Are you telling me that Saf has been held and tortured for months now? Because of us?”