Baron Olbia burst through the doors with a loud slam, making his entrance as dramatic as possible.

“What on earth are you all doing? Aren’t you ashamed to call yourselves knights?!”

None of the council members had served in the military, but they were all heirs of families sworn to the Olbia household, trained from youth in the knightly virtues. Though they hadn’t spent years as pages in another noble house, they’d learned horsemanship, how to fight in armor, and how to speak respectfully to ladies at balls. Each of them had been knighted by Baron Olbia himself.

None dared …