That was, all did this, save Serena and Chu.

Serena and Chu couldn’t think of kings and queens, princes and princesses, royal weddings and dragons.

They had a mission.

And it had been a big shock along this journey to come to the understanding that they both were of one mind about a variety of things.

Most especially the fact that, when you had a mission, even if dragons were on offer, you focused on that mission.

So they were not with the revelers in the streets. They also had not rushed to the parade route to jostle with the crowds lining it in order to garner a glimpse of the wedding procession. Nor had they booked their table at a pub for a wedding feast followed with a slice of leaf cake and sparkles. Further, they had not made their way to the rise to see if they could view the dragons from up close (as scores of others had done).

They were at work.

And Serena wondered why she’d spent so much time fighting Trajan of Airen.

She should have found a disguise, infiltrated the Sky Citadel, and spied on the bastard.

Then toyed with his mind.

It would have been a lot more fun.

Unless, of course, to do that she’d had to do the sweeping.

Whilst debating whether or not to use her magic to hear what was happening in the chamber beyond, in that moment, mostly her thoughts were on something that had been nagging at her for days.

Those notes.

And the mention of AM.

What was AM?

She swept, she tried to listen, and she went over those missives in her head, which she now had read so many times, she had them memorized.

AM.

But they have been told to hold until after we AM.

C reports M a growing threat. Plan to commence has been ordered. LLTR.

M, was Mercy, they were sure of it. After we AM had to be an event. Or an action. Or…

Their plan, whatever it was, had commenced.

If M was Mercy…

It hit her like a bolt, and she shot upright, dropping the broom.

“Zsst, zsst,” she hissed, quickly moving down the hall.

Chu did not materialize.

“Zsst, zsst!” she called.

Goddess damn it, he was always close to her and he needed to—

“Ssst!” she heard and saw him (or part of him) hidden in a doorframe some ten feet away.

She hurried there.

“We have to go,” she whispered urgently.

“Did you hear something?”

“I decrypted it,” she said.

He knew to what she was referring, for he ordered immediately, “Talk.”

“If M is Mercy, then AM is…”

It hit him then too.

“Assassinate Mercy,” he whispered in a dire tone.

They stared in each other’s eyes.

Chu then took command.

“You, to Birchlire, warn them. I’ll work those priests.”

Without a word in protest, Serena nodded.