A game of power

After the morning meeting at Proudmoore Keep ended, Admiral Daelin asked Lord Ashvane to stay behind.

Lord Ashvane assumed Admiral Daelin had kept him behind to discuss internal family affairs. Instead, the admiral brought up official business-and a very important military matter at that.

A pirate attack had occurred in the Inland Sea of Kul Tiras, near Morris Town, a settlement less than three hundred nautical miles from Boralus.

Admiral Daelin ordered Lord Ashvane to deal with the pirates operating in the Inland Sea as soon as possible.

After receiving his orders, Lord Ashvane returned to his residence with a head full of doubts.

Lord Ashvane could not understand why Admiral Daelin had told him about the pirate attack in private. If the admiral had raised the matter at the morning meeting, allowed the great families to discuss it, and then assigned him the task of eliminating the pirates, he would have gladly accepted the order.

Yet Admiral Daelin had chosen not to do that. He had not even told Lord Aldrius about the pirate attack.

As commander of the Third Fleet, Lord Ashvane understood politics well. Since Admiral Daelin had not brought such a serious issue into the open, he clearly had something else in mind. This was a warning!

After careful consideration, Lord Ashvane concluded that there was nothing wrong with the Third Fleet.

Ever since the Second Fleet had been destroyed in the Second War, the Third Fleet, a new force in the navy of Kul Tiras, had flawlessly taken over its former duties.

During the third campaign to wipe out the pirates of Freehold, the Third Fleet had made outstanding contributions. Lord Ashvane had led it straight into the waters surrounding Freehold and destroyed more than half of the town's warships.

If the Third Fleet was not the problem, then the trouble could only lie with the Ashvane Family's businesses.

Lord Ashvane's mind was adept at making leaps. He was particularly good at connecting minor details from the past to current events.

Soon, he remembered the argument he had once had with his wife, Priscilla Ashvane, over the Iron Smelting Blast Furnace.

Lord Ashvane stopped pursuing that train of thought. Sitting in the council chamber, he rubbed his forehead with both hands, then waved a hand and said, "Go fetch my wife."

Fifteen minutes later, Priscilla entered the council chamber carrying cups and a tea bowl.

Pressing his right hand against his temple, Lord Ashvane said calmly, "Admiral Daelin spoke to me privately today about pirates appearing in the Inland Sea."

Priscilla poured Lord Ashvane a cup of tea. Sitting upright beside him, she toyed with the ring on her finger and asked, "And?"

Seeing how little reaction his wife showed, Lord Ashvane slammed his right palm onto the table and shouted, "Admiral Daelin told me about this in private! Don't you understand what that means?"

Priscilla took a sip of tea and sneered. "And what came of it? The magical aid agreement was a sham! Jaina wanted to send our blast furnace to Morris Town, into that foolish boy's hands."

"That is the Proudmoore family's business! You have no right to interfere," Lord Ashvane snapped, the corners of his mouth trembling with anger.

Faced with her husband's fury, Priscilla remained composed throughout. She refilled Lord Ashvane's cup and said evenly, "This is my business, too, and you have no right to interfere. We've worked tirelessly all these years. The Third Fleet has fought to the death, shed blood, and suffered so many casualties, yet the Ashvane Family doesn't even have a single fief. This is only a small warning to Daelin. There is no such thing as a Proudmoore royal court in the Kingdom of Kul Tiras. We have laws and a council of the five great families. Kul Tiras has never been a place where the Proudmoore family can rule unchecked."

"You fool!"

"I know exactly what I'm doing. Ashvane, you've given so much to Kul Tiras. What have you gotten in return?" Priscilla stared hard at Lord Ashvane.

Lord Ashvane let out a long breath and reclined in his wooden chair. "Send the fleet to kill them all," he said helplessly. "Leave no one alive."

"They have nothing to do with the Ashvane Family. If anything is to be done, your Third Fleet can deal with the trouble." Priscilla chuckled and continued, "Besides, the young master of the Norwington Family is about to take his fleet out to seek revenge on the pirates. Perfect. We can use this opportunity to get rid of him. Let's see which Daelin chooses-the Norwington Family or the Ashvane Family."

Even Lord Ashvane had to admire his wife's cunning for turning a simple pirate attack into such a perfectly orchestrated scheme.

In fact, even if the council of the five great families conducted a thorough investigation, those pirates could never be linked to the Ashvane Family. Priscilla had long since prepared her way out.

Viewed from another angle, Priscilla had not only seized the Iron Smelting Blast Furnace but also delivered a powerful warning to the Proudmoore family. Finally, the pirates lurking near Morris Town could serve one last purpose: disposing of the hotheaded only son of the Norwington Family.

"You're becoming more and more like a politician."

"You drove me to it, Ashvane." Priscilla looked impassively at Lord Ashvane and continued, "I'm merely taking back what rightfully belongs to the Ashvane Family."

After Priscilla left, Lord Ashvane immediately ordered the warship Stormrain and its escort ships to sail for Morris Town at once and eliminate the pirates in the Inland Sea.

Rowan was Aldrius's only son, after all. Whether out of personal feeling or simple duty, Lord Ashvane could not stand by and watch those pirates kill him.

The pirates Priscilla had sent would certainly be no rabble.

Now Lord Ashvane could only hope that fool would not act so rashly and would wait a little longer before going after the pirates. Otherwise, not even the gods could save him.

An hour later, five warships slowly sailed out of Hook Point and headed straight toward Morris Town.

At that moment, Lord Aldrius was accompanying Lady Elena on a stroll along the harbor. Watching the warships depart, he frowned slightly. "Why are the Third Fleet's ships heading north? Isn't that our family's territory?"

"Yes, what is there to patrol in the Inland Sea? Something feels suspicious about this," Elena said, nestled against Aldrius's chest.

Aldrius smacked his lips, stroked his little mustache, and chuckled. "Who cares? The Ashvane Family has always been so mysterious, doing things without rhyme or reason. Just look at Lord Ashvane's wife. She might as well have 'treacherous' written across her face. She's nothing like my virtuous, gentle wife, who knows how to manage a household."

Elena rolled her eyes at Lord Aldrius and murmured, "Oh, stop it."

"Go aboard first, my dear. I need to relieve myself." Aldrius gallantly helped his wife onto the deck, then walked to a corner beside the street and whistled.

Whoosh! A dark figure emerged from the shadows. He dropped to one knee, placed his left hand against his chest, and said, "Always at your service, my lord."