Grand Duke Shuluk had been having a very bad time. Since the war, his nobles had been clamouring for him to abdicate in favour of his son, a child of six years. He could manage that but they also wished for him to go into a self imposed exile. His failure to achieve anything against Fiveria, a severely weakened kingdom, along with a series of successive crises had put his throne on the line. He was not in the mood for more bad news, but bad news was what he was going to receive.

“Sire, a messenger from the Barakhil Empire has requested an audience.” The guardsman at the door announced. He did not want to see someone from Barakhil right now. Whilst his western neighbour in Fiveria was weak, the opposite could be said of his eastern one. The Barakhil empire emerged from a bloody civil war 50 years ago and had been recuperating under the old emperor’s reign. But now that the new emperor was on the throne of a recovered empire, he was out to reclaim the lands his forebears had lost over successive generations of incompetence.

His Grand Duchy was one such nation. It had been lost during one of the many imperial crises of the past few centuries. The once Dukes of Shuluk had seen the turmoil the rest of the empire was going through. They had decided enough was enough and with the support of regional nobles declared independence. The empire had not been politically unified for long enough to do anything about it.

Until now.

“Let him in.” The Grand Duke really wanted to send him away but he could not afford a war right now. Not against a newly resurgent empire that was after blood.

“Greetings, Duke Shuluk, I am here on behalf of Emperor Kailum I, King of the Barakhs and emperor of all eastern Ezaes.” Now that was just a string full of insults. Calling him Duke showed that they did not even recognise his nation as legitimate, still a subject of the empire. And ‘emperor of all eastern Ezaes’? Even at its greatest extent the empire had never controlled the entire east of the continent. The Republic of Serhesh to the north had never once been Barakhil territory.

“And what does your emperor want to say?” He could not help but put emphasis on your, he did not recognise the Barakhil emperors claim to his land. The messenger’s arrogant attitude and clear disregard for the dignity of anyone around him had thoroughly incensed the Grand Duke.

“Emperor Kailum has requested that you pledge your loyalty to the imperial throne once again. Your forebear’s actions will not be held against you. Of course, your current lands will be given to someone else. You will be given a duchy elsewhere.”

“And Kailum expects me to take that lying down?” ‘How dare he.’

“He expects you to take it with gratitude for even considering to spare you for the crimes of your forebears. “

“And if I refuse?” He had had enough. Even if he were to go down fighting the empire, he would rather that than such humiliation. And it was not like Shuluk did not have allies.

“Our emperor has decreed that all separatists will be brought back into the fold. By force if necessary.”

“And Kailum thinks that he can withstand an alliance of the rest of eastern Ezaes? He must be crazy to be going up against six countries at once.” Shuluk had not been the only country to break from the old Barakhil empire, there were four others. The three principalities of Monas, Veksas and Suzas had formed a loose coalition since their inception. And the client state of Shubail had gained full independence. With the backing of the Serheshi, their coalition could stand toe to toe with the current empire.

“You mean five countries.”

“What do yo…” Before he could even finish his question the messenger threw a preserved head at his feet. He recognised that face. It was the head of the King of Shubail. The Grand Duke could barely believe it. He had heard nothing of this.

“When did he die?”

“Not five days ago, his entire country was defeated in less than a week. Pathetic, really.”

“...” Grand Duke Shuluk could not think of anything to say. The empire was much stronger than he had thought, than anyone had thought. Sure if it came to a straight up comparison he could win hands down against Shubail. But in five days? It would take him months of tough fighting.

That would have been his last chance to say anything.

Before any of the Grand Duke’s guards could even see what was going on, the messenger had a throwing knife in hand and was taking aim.

“SIRE!”

It was too late. By the time the Grand Duke looked up there was a throwing knife before his eyes. The guards stood petrified. Shuluk’s body slowly fell backwards from the force of the knife that had planted itself in his forehead. He was dead.

*thud*

With the Grand Duke’s body on the ground, the assassin did not try to run. He was surrounded by Shuluk’s most elite troops. It had been a suicide mission anyway, he had not expected to leave alive. Mission accomplished.

Two pieces of news took Ezaes by storm. Shubail had fallen to the empire in under five days. But by far the biggest news was Grand Duke Shuluk had been assassinated in his own palace by an imperial messenger. Every royal court and parliament was discussing what to do.

The Barakhil empire was back and with a vengeance.

The empire had only been stopped 500 years ago by a coalition of all western Ezaes backing the Republic of Serhesh. And the western nations had been much more internally peaceful back then. They had to be to face the empire. But now they had been caught on the back foot, there was no way such a grand coalition could form right now.

Fiveria had no effective monarchy anymore, not to mention the mutual animosity with their northern neighbours, the Kingdom of Casburland. The Leighian league, north west of Fiveria, was fighting a colonial war in the northern islands with a power a continent away. Not to mention the westernmost petty Kingdoms were too internally focused to care for anything else going on. After the last coalition against Barakhil that had sent it into slow decline, the western empire of Ciai had exploded and never reunified.

Braydon cared little for most of the eventual outcome. Not because it did not affect him, but that he would have much more pressing matters to deal with in the side effects that a civil war in Shuluk would bring. He was on the wrong side of the mountains to stave off any over spill from the fighting.

Truly he would have to deal with the assassin’s wake.