The Danger with Allies
Page 47
He ended the conversation before any more protests could be issued. He was tired of replacing his upper levels of command. Training their replacements was difficult, so he preferred to avoid their deaths unless it was through Zimliya. Turning away from the now blank wall, he paced his study. The desire to head down and grab one of his captives was almost overpowering, but he had work to do yet. Speaking a curt word and turning it into a command, Midestol waited for a response. When it came it wasn’t what he expected; a figure materialized in the room.
“I thought this would be easier,” the figure remarked. “You seemed …distressed.”
“I am often not at my best when my actions are so easily countered and I have uninvited visitors!” Midestol snapped. “I was under the impression she wouldn’t survive the magic on the Ranger.”
The visitor shrugged. “I was under the impression that she shouldn’t be able to. We were both wrong. I haven’t met this Zimliya of yours—”
“Not mine.”
“And I therefore cannot tell you what she will and will not be able to survive.”
“Introducing you to her would be a mistake. For one, Zimliya is not a people person, and your kind tends to bring out the absolute worst in her. I would like to say you would survive a meeting with her, but I can’t, she has been able to destroy ancient beings in the past.”
“And your second point?”
“Her companion is a Dragon who is also rumored to have had success in killing your kind. He also knows what happened to the so-termed ‘missing’ troops you have been plucking from the world. Between the two of them, I don’t think you have much of a chance. And even if you did, the world would end from the battle, and I am rather attached to it. I want to rule it, not watch it turn to ash.”
“I believe you underestimate me,” his ally began as he drew himself up.
“Oh please,” Midestol retorted. “I use that tone myself. And I believe you are ignoring the fact Zimliya is dangerous because she is human. Do not underestimate her power. I have spent more than a decade trying to outsmart and outbattle her, and I am certain she has more victories than I do.”
“Yet you two have never battled to the death. Both of you play games.”
“We do, but the fact both of us are still standing should concern, not comfort, you.”
The being smiled. “I still would like to meet her.”
“I am certain you will, but it is not going to be by my hand,” Midestol warned. “Feel free to show yourself out.” And he knew, as the being vanished, that he wouldn’t be able to follow Nivaradros’s advice. Not yet.
He had always had a soft spot for his daughter, his bloodline. It was a trait he had been able to brush past with regard to his parents. But his daughter? His most promising child? No. She had been a weakness, and one he did not regret. Zimliya had become his second, and even admitting it brought him no guilt. That their paths differed was something he would have changed, but he wouldn’t trade his granddaughter as she was to achieve it.
Sighing as he glanced at the painting of Zimliya he had forced a slave to draw while Zimliya slept, Midestol made his choice. His past decisions had created a path he and Zimliya would have to continue to walk until one of them perished, but that did not mean he had to remain unwavering on that path. His ally was a danger to his granddaughter he would not tolerate. To protect her until their paths crossed in their battle to the death, Midestol would have to shield her from his ally. He would not avoid her outside of battle. He couldn’t.
About the Series
This concludes the third book in the Journey of an Arbais Mage series, The Danger with Allies. If you have just stumbled onto this series, welcome, and I will politely point you in the direction of the first two books: When the Kingdom Falls and The Price of Survival. If this is your third adventure with Z, I thank you for continuing the series and I hope book three settled some of the questions and fears The Price of Survival may have caused.
For anyone who is a fan of the series, I would like to request that you take the time to leave a review, either on Amazon or Goodreads, or tell friends and family about the series. Recommendations go a long way for all authors, and reviews help our books get noticed. Reviews also help ensure the series gets to continue, so please consider even leaving the shortest of reviews for all the books you enjoy.
Also, if you’d like to stay in the loop with news about the series and any other possible projects I am working on, you can find me at www.authormeagannhurst.com
Acknowledgements
Book three took a lot longer to get into the wild than I wanted. The first draft was easy, but the revisions, finding a new editor, and looking for a new job in the middle of everything made things far more difficult than I would have preferred. If I stressed during The Price of Survival, and I did, getting The Danger with Allies into the wild brought a whole new level of stress.
So, I once again offer my condolences to the family and friends who patiently put up with my high stress levels during the job search, the editor search, and everything else that was going on.
On the topic of finding a new editor, I have found one, Kathy, and she was a huge help during the revising and editing part of this process. I am grateful for all the insight she offered while picking through this novel and helping to polish it into what it became, and The Danger with Allies would still be a work in progress without her.
I also cannot leave out my critters. My three cats continue to provide “help” in the form of adding letters, putting up with my talking to myself, and keeping me company while I work, and it has become part of my process. And then there is my quarter horse, Dakkar, who insisted on coming home with me over a year and a half ago. There is something magical about riding. At least to me, as I’ve been riding for over two decades and it still hasn’t lost its power.
This is a work of fiction. All characters and events have no existence outside of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances are entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2019 by Meagan Hurst
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email the publisher, subject line “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the email address below.
meagannhurst@gmail.com
About the Author
Meagan Hurst is an avid reader of fantasy, and the occasional series or novel outside of her favorite genre. She lives in Colorado with her cats, who undeniably rule the house, and her AQHA gelding, Dakkar. The outdoors, archery, books, and animals are topics to avoid, unless you’re free to talk for hours. After spending two decades in the equine industry in many different areas, Meagan is trying an indoor job for the first time outside of writing, but the poll is out on whether or not the change will stay.