Tyranny of Steel

Linde was sitting within her favorite tea shop, which had begun to sell the remarkable substance of coffee; sitting across from her was a man from the East that she knew pretty well. A downcast expression was on the man ’s face as he shifted his eyes to his surroundings, making sure that he had not been followed.

After realizing that the place Linde had chosen to discuss critical matters was secure, he let out a heavy sigh of relief. Following this, Andronikos took a sip from his coffee mug before revealing the thoughts that had plagued his mind over the past few weeks.

”Arethas is dead… ”

Linde, who was about to take a sip from her coffee, immediately paused as she heard this; she was well aware of the tragic fate of the once-mighty Strategos of Ionia; after all, her intelligence network had sprawled across the Mediterranean and into the heart of Constantinople. She wore a compassionate expression on her stunning face as she began to speak to the man across from her.

”I am sorry for your loss, but these things happen in warfare; it is because of this that I pray for the safety of my husband every day. ”

Andronikos was aware that Linde and Berengar were not married, and as such, he rolled his eyes at Linde ’s words before leaning in close and explaining his suspicions.

”He didn ’t die on the battlefield like your agents have reported; he was murdered in cold blood by his troops! ”

Linde had already taken a sip of her drink when Andronikos said this; the moment she heard such a shocking revelation, she began to choke on the creamy brown liquid. It took a few moments for the stunning beauty to recover her composure; as she did so, she whispered to the man across from her in a hushed tone.

”Do you have proof of this? ”

Andronikos sighed and shook his head before revealing his cards.