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had more than a few glasses of
wine. Are you sure this is a good evening to begin something
stronger?” Opening the door more, he saw Ever out on the small
balcony that overlooked the back lawn. He was slumped against the
door frame, powerful shoulders hunched.
    “ The crowds made it too hard to
think.” His words were slightly slurred.
    “ Yes, they often do that,” Garin
agreed cautiously as he joined the prince on the
balcony.
    Ever’s face was twisted into an
emotion that tugged at the steward’s heart. Despite the savior
Prince Everard had become to many, defeating the dark forces of the
north, Ever, the young prince, was still there underneath, and he
was grieving.
    “ But the quiet is even worse.
Still,” Ever finally stood and walked back to his father’s desk, “I
have finally understood. I know now why Nevina led her men to
attack, why my father died. And it wasn’t my fault!” He slammed his
hand down on the desk with a bang.
    “ You are right, it wasn’t your
fault.”
    “ It was their fault!”
    “ Their fault?” An uneasy feeling
stirred in Garin’s heart.
    “ Call my advisers, Garin,” Ever
ordered, taking another swig from the flask in his left hand. “I am
going to stop these threats once and for all!”
    “ Sire, it is the night of your
coronation. Surely this can wait until tomorrow,” Garin suggested
hopefully.
    “ No, it cannot. My father always
said our enemies would be waiting, and he was right. We must cut
them off now!”
    With a sigh, the steward did as
Ever bid. It didn’t take long for all of the prince’s advisers to
gather in the king’s study.
    “ You all know my father believed
the strength of the Fortress was our great secret in defending our
land,” he began, his words still slightly blended. His advisers
exchanged wary looks, but he went on. “He taught me to look for
weaknesses in our lines, and to search for the chinks in the armor
of our great armies. After much thought, I have realized that the
lack of strength in our armies wasn’t what allowed the enemy to
inflict such vicious casualties.”
    “ Your Highness,” General Acelet
stepped forward cautiously, “the darkness in our enemy’s power was
one we hadn’t anticipated.”
    But Ever waved him off. “Just hear
what I have to say. Our chink wasn’t in the strength of our men,
but in the weaknesses of our people. We have too long coddled the
unproductive citizens, the weak that inhabit the streets of our
cities and live off the hard work of others.”
    “ Sire,” Garin gently reminded him,
“they haven’t lived off of the grain of the Fortress in years. Your
father cut off assistance to the churches years ago.”
    “ It doesn’t matter!” Ever turned
to his steward and jabbed a finger at him. “If we did not have
these beggars, these diseased and lame lying in our streets and in
our churches, Nevina never would have dared to attack us. There
wouldn’t have been a weakness to pursue! And I have decided it will
never happen again!” As Ever uttered his next words, Garin felt
sick.
    “ I command that our land be purged
of its weakness. You will all go out and make sure that those who
cannot contribute to our strength are no longer a threat to
Destin’s well-being.”
    General Acelet’s face was white
and his voice quivered. “You cannot be suggesting that we kill our
sick and crippled!”
    “ That is exactly what I’m saying,
General!” Ever bellowed. “You are to begin tonight, after the
coronation.” He strode up to his favorite general unevenly, and
leaned his face so close to the man their noses nearly touched.
“And if you don’t have the manhood to carry out my orders, then I
will have to find someone else who will.”
    “ Please, Your Highness,” Dagin,
the horse master, pleaded, “it is late, and the ceremony is about
to begin. Please allow us to wait until the morning to reconsider
and discuss this again.”
    “ If one more soul questions my
order, then he will find