The manor had a library. It was a small, cold room with two tall shelves of books. Dust covered everything. Caelum dragged a heavy wooden stool across the floor. The sound scraped loudly in the silence.
He climbed onto the stool. His small hands gripped the dusty shelf to keep his balance. He reached for a large, leather-bound book on a high shelf. It had no title, just the faded mark of the kingdom.
His fingers brushed the bottom of it. He stretched, his body straining. He pulled. The heavy book tilted, then fell from the shelf.
Caelum scrambled off the stool. The book hit the floor with a loud THUD. A cloud of dust exploded into the air. Caelum coughed.
The door creaked open. "Caelum? What was that noise?"
It was his mother. Elara stood in the doorway. She saw the stool and the massive book on the floor. A soft smile appeared on her face.
"Oh, my dear. What are you doing in here?" she asked. She walked into the room and picked up the heavy book. She wiped the dust from the cover with her hand. "This is not a book for a little boy."
Caelum did not answer. He just pointed at the book.
"You want to see the maps?" Elara sat on the floor and opened the book on her lap. Caelum sat beside her. He looked at the page.
It was a map of the kingdom. There were mountains, forests, and rivers. Cities were small circles.
"This is us," Elara said. She pointed to a tiny circle near a large forest. "Thorne Manor." She then traced a line to a much larger circle. "And this is the capital city, Silverwood."
Caelum's eyes were not on the cities. They were on the dotted lines that showed the lands of the noble houses. He saw the small territory marked 'Thorne'. He saw the much larger territory next to it marked 'Gareth'. The man who betrayed his father was Lord Gareth.
His small finger reached out. He did not point to their home. He pointed to the dotted line between the Thorne and Gareth lands. The line was drawn right through a wide river.
"Why is the line here?" Caelum asked.
Elara looked surprised. "That is the border, sweetling. It shows what land is ours and what land belongs to Lord Gareth."
Caelum's gaze was fixed on the map. The emperor's mind saw a weak border. A strategic mistake.
"The river should be the border," he said. His voice was flat. "It is stronger."
Elara laughed, a soft, musical sound. "Oh, Caelum. You sound like a little general. I am sure the king had his reasons."
She closed the book and stood up. "Come. Enough of these dusty old books."
She took his hand and led him out of the library. Caelum looked back one last time at the shelves. He understood now. The weakness of his family was not just in his father's heart. It was drawn on the maps of the kingdom.