Alexei and William stood in the center of the village of Vasler. Charred remains of homes and the slain bodies of village men filled the center of the square. There was no doubt that Yuri and the men he’d rallied to join him in his coup had done this. Alexei’s men moved from building to building, seeking any survivors. The acrid scent of smoke brought back all too vivid memories of finding his parents dead in their bed as their room was engulfed in flames.
Alexei pressed his palm to his chest, suddenly unable to breathe. William put a hand on his shoulder, holding him steady when he might have wavered.
“Is there no end to my uncle’s madness?” Alexei asked his friend. He knew that his uncle had always wanted to sit upon the throne, but had no claim, not as the son of the queen and her sec
