Nara didn’t know about the assassination. Or, if she did, she pretended not to. Reid assumed the wedding would still take place even though the king would be dead. Regardless, they both went on as if everything were going according to plan.

Reid saw little of Henrick, Dexter, and Colbert. They were all busy making their own preparations for what was coming. Henrick spent most of his days bent over endless contracts and correspondence from the dukes and prominent families throughout the county. Dexter practically lived at the military compound, training and planning with his soldiers. Colbert rarely left his office.

After tossing and turning in bed for a few hours, Reid shoved her covers off and crawled out of bed. She padded across the room to her window. Pushing the curtain aside, she gazed out into the night at the beautiful city before her. Most windows were dark at this late hour, the moon just a sliver in the sky, and the stars bright and numerous.

For some reason, her mind whirled in a hundred different directions. The wedding, the assassination, the layout of the palace, the tension radiating from Nara, and the unknown all weighed heavily on Reid. She missed her home and her family. She missed knowing what each day would bring.

“You’re awake,” a deep voice said, startling Reid. Ackley stepped into her bedchamber.

“When did you get back?” She hadn’t seen him since that morning a week ago.

“Just now.” He joined her at the window, smelling of horse and sweat.

“What is it?” Something was wrong. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come to see her in the middle of the night.

He ran his hands through his hair. “If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it.”

A deep foreboding settled into Reid’s stomach. “What is it?” she asked, not really wanting to know.

“Melenia soldiers. Hundreds of them.”

Her legs went weak. She went over to her bed, leaning on the edge of it. “Where?”

“Just south of the Modig Mountains. With that many armed soldiers, they’re about ten to twelve days away.”

By bringing another kingdom into this, she feared Eldon planned on overthrowing the dukes. If he were bold enough to do something like that, he’d have total and complete control over Marsden. And Reid’s flimsy ring and marriage to Dexter wouldn’t save her. “What are we going to do?” They needed to inform the Knights. Even if the assassination went off without a hitch, the army would still be here.