The Admirals sunk lower and no one spoke.
"Mother," Prince Hubert said.
"You may call Us 'Your Majesty' or the 'Admiral Royal'." The Queen's words might have come out of an arctic blizzard for all the warmth they conveyed. "Commander Shillingsworth, explain yourself."
"Aye, Ma'am." Cal took a deep breath and stilled the trembling in her stomach. "After the recent incident, my personal guard requested I go nowhere without him."
"I've never seen him before," the Lord Admiral dared to point out.
"You wouldn't have." Cal crossed her arms to keep herself from shaking. "He's good at what he does. In case you are wondering about his qualifications, among his own people, Bundo would be the equivalent of an Anglian Duke. He was in command of his country's jungle legion when a situation arose w
