I left Lothar's chambers with my mind racing.
A spy in the stables. A man selling information to Frey enemies.
And Lothar wanted me to deal with it.
I wasn't naive. This wasn't about loyalty to the Frey name. It was about testing me—seeing if I had the stomach to do what needed to be done. If I refused, I'd be dismissed as another useless bastard. If I accepted and failed, I'd be expendable.
But if I succeeded…
I'd prove I was more than just another forgotten son of Walder Frey.
The Target
The stables were quiet when I arrived. Most of the stable hands were gone, tending to the horses outside. Only a few remained, brushing down mounts or shoveling out filth.
I spotted the man immediately.
He was older than me, mid-thirties, with a scarred face and sharp eyes that darted around the stables as if expecting trouble. A rider, no doubt. Likely one of the messengers responsible for carrying letters between Frey allies and vassals.
If he was a traitor, it meant he had been feeding information to someone outside the Twins. The question was—who?
And why?
I had two options.
I could kill him, as Lothar likely intended. A knife in the dark, a quick end. It would prove I had no hesitation.
Or…
I could find out who he was selling information to—and why.
The first choice would make me a tool in Lothar's hands. The second might make me something more.
A Different Approach
I didn't rush. I grabbed a brush, pretending to tend to a nearby horse, watching the man out of the corner of my eye. He was muttering to himself, inspecting the saddlebags of a nearby horse.
After a few moments, I stepped closer, casual. "You look troubled."
The man stiffened, turning to face me. His eyes flicked over my clothing, my posture. He saw Frey—but not a lord, not a knight. Just another bastard.
He relaxed.
"Just checking the bags," he muttered. "Lord Walder has riders going out tomorrow."
I nodded, pretending to believe him.
Then, without warning, I leaned in and dropped my voice to a whisper. "Does your buyer pay well?"
His entire body tensed.
I saw the flicker of panic in his eyes, the way his fingers twitched toward his belt, toward the hidden knife I was sure he carried. But I didn't move, didn't press him.
I just let the words settle.
A long silence stretched between us.
Then, carefully, he exhaled. "…What do you want?"
I smiled. "To know who you're working for."
The Web Unfolds
His hesitation told me everything. He was scared. Not of me—but of whoever he was working for.
That meant this wasn't just some petty betrayal. It was bigger.
I had been given a task: kill a traitor.
But now, I had something far more valuable than a corpse.
I had information.
And in a place like the Twins, information was power.
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A/N: Hey guys if you like this novel. Drop a review and some power stones 😀.