Chapter 8

"Taken?" Zauzau finally echoed, his voice dangerously soft yet laced with anguished fury. "By whom? Speak plainly, man!"

The messenger flinched as if struck. "We...we know not who is responsible, your grace. Only that the princess was seized while riding to Idollo through the southern forests with her entourage. There were no demands, no ransom...she has simply vanished without a trace."

A muscle worked in Zauzau's taut jaw as he processed this. His beloved daughter in-law, the gentle rose of their realm, now trapped in unknown peril. For an endless moment, his instincts as a father waged war with the calculated pragmatism enforced by his duty as ruler.

What could this mean?

"Leave us," he bit out at last, his tone booking no argument. The messenger bobbed his head hurriedly and fled the chamber, likely grateful to escape the suffocating tension within.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Zauzau rounded on Va, his eyes blazing with scarcely leashed emotion.

"This was no mere coincidental kidnapping or ransom ploy," he growled. "You and I both know there are hierarchs in this kingdom who would go to any lengths to strike at me...who better to target than my own would-be kin?"

Va remained outwardly calm, though inwardly he shared his liege's sense of outrage at this unforgivable act. "You speak of treason at the highest levels," he said carefully. "A daring move by any measure...but one that serves as a brazen message."

"One that shall be answered tenfold in blood," Zauzau snarled, his knuckles cold around the dagger's hilt. "I want every able knight, archer and tracker assembled at once. Ona will be found and rescued, no matter what fortification or hole her captors flee to. And those responsible..."

His gaze bored into Va's, turbulent with barely restrained menace.

"They will beg for the same mercy they've shown my daughter in-law before I'm through with them."

Va held Zauzau's blazing gaze, seeing the barely contained fury of the father warring with the calculated ruthlessness of the ruler. He knew his liege well enough to recognize that in this moment, with his son's betrothed's life hanging in the balance, no price would be too high to ensure her safe return.

"I will marshal our forces as you command, your grace," Va said, his tone level yet carrying an undercurrent of steely resolve. "But we must also entertain the possibility that this strike was delivered not merely as a message, but as an attempt to unhinge you...to goad you into rash overreaction that could destabilize the realm."

Zauzau's jaw clenched, the torchlight casting his hardened features in sharp relief. For a long moment, the only sound was the crackle of the flickering flames as he visibly wrestled with the viceroy's words. Finally, he spoke in a voice that was little more than a guttural rasp.

"You believe this to be a ploy, then? That responding with overt force could be playing into their trap?"

Va spread his hands. "It is something we must strongly consider, certainly. If this aggression is meant to undermine your authority and judgment, meeting it head-on may only embolden the perpetrators and provide them opportunity to strike again."

The king's brow furrowed, his expression torn between the warring impulses of merciless retribution and pragmatic governance. His next words emerged in a strained growl.

"Then what path would you suggest? I cannot allow this villainy to go unanswered, nor leave my own blood to suffer at their hands indefinitely."

The viceroy allowed a faint smile to crease his weathered features. "There is more than one way to strike at those who dwell in shadow without drawing overmuch light upon ourselves. Just as you were prepared to employ certain...unsavory elements to address our western borders, perhaps similar methods could be brought to bear on this outrage as well."

Realization flickered in Zauzau's eyes as Va's meaning became clear. His grip on the dagger finally loosened somewhat as his breathing steadied.

"The Path of Whispers..." he murmured grimly. "Yes...those who lurk in the shadows know best how to navigate their terrain. Perhaps it is time to walk that perilous road once more - but this time, not merely to eliminate a threat, but to recover what is most precious to me."

Va gave a solemn nod. "I will make the necessary arrangements to engage their services with utmost discretion. Though it carries grave risk, the whispers may be our only hope of neutralizing this threat while avoiding open conflict that could tear the kingdom asunder."

For a long moment, the two men stood in silence, the weight of the circumstances bearing down upon them like the immense stone ceiling above. Finally, Zauzau straightened, his expression hardening like chilled steel.

"Do what must be done, viceroy," he said flatly. "I care not what depravities must be committed or how much coin must be paid to the harbingers of shadow. I will have my daughter back...and those responsible will pay a price so ruinous, even the whisperers will shirk from its retelling."

His fingers closed around the ornate dagger's hilt once more, his knuckles growing cold with a tight grip.

Zauzau fixed Va with a stern gaze. "This matter is to remain absolutely confidential. Not a word of it is to reach my son, the Prince Didé. He is still young and hotheaded - if he were to learn of Ona's kidnapping, he would no doubt insist on taking matters into his own hands."

The king's expression hardened. "And that is precisely the sort of rash action that could play into our unseen adversaries' designs. Didé must remain unaware for now, for his own protection as much as for the sanctity of our covert efforts."

Va inclined his head solemnly. "As you wish, your majesty. My lips shall remain sealed to the prince on this matter, no matter how he may protest or demand answers."

A muscle worked in Zauzau's taut jaw, his eyes betraying a flicker of paternal anguish before the impassive mask of the ruler settled back into place. "See that it is so. Now...make your preparations to engage the whisperers. We must work swiftly and in utmost secrecy if we are to outmaneuver those who have taken King Tobika's daughter."

The viceroy gave a final deferential nod before turning on his heel, his cloak billowing behind him as he strode from the chamber. The torchlight played dimly across Zauzau's furrowed brow as he was left alone with his troubled thoughts.

Gripping the dagger's hilt tightly until the ornate pommel left indentations in his palm, the king silently vowed that no matter what depravities he was forced to sanction, no matter what ruinous prices must be paid to the darkest dealers - he would see his daughter in-law returned. And those responsible would reap a vengeance so utterly devastating, it would serve as a reminder throughout the ages of the colossal folly of striking at the house of Zauzau.

For now, the whispers would be his instruments. But soon enough, he vowed, the screams of his enemies would drown out all whispers in the realm.