***
A distant hum dragged Prince Kastrius from his sleep, and he attempted to wipe the stickiness from his mouth. Thin strands of light seeped through the curtains on the far side of the room, but he had no idea what time of day it was. In the midst of this sleep-addled haze, the only thing he knew for certain was that his head felt like it was going to explode.
He tossed back the covers and threw his legs over the side of the bed. Across the room, his sending stone glowed patiently as it awaited his touch. Once the fog cleared from his eyes, he made out a familiar rune dancing across its surface. General Bremen must have found something.
He hauled himself to his feet and quickly wove a healing spell. A stroke of energy coursed through his veins, and within seconds he felt as fresh as if it were the middle of the day. It was a technique he relied on more and more these days, and fortunately it was simple enough the Flensing didn’t even bite back. He hoped that would still be the case once his Siphon was gone.
The prince strode over and tapped the stone. A second later the shimmering visage of Bremen’s tattoo-covered head appeared. “You have news?”
“Yes, my prince,” the man said. If he was annoyed at having been made to wait, he didn’t show it in the slightest. “We have located the leader of the expedition team, Marek.”
Kastrius smiled. Finally, some good news. “Excellent. Have you questioned him yet?”
“Not yet. My people just picked him up trying to leave the city. Apparently he decided to spend time celebrating his sale before departing.”
“So he sold her already, then?”
“That much we know for certain. Details will be coming soon, but I thought you would like to know.”
Kastrius nodded, then frowned when he heard the ruffling of sheets behind him. A woman sat up and looked at him quizzically, and he swore under his breath. Gods, he must really have been drunk last night if he hadn’t gotten rid of the whore when he finished with her.
“A moment,” he said, tapping the stone and closing the link. He shot a cold glare at the woman on his bed. “Leave. Now.”
She leaned up, some mix of shock and fear rippling across her face. “But…my lord…”
“I said leave,” he growled, tossing on one of his robes. He then made a show of pouring himself another drink while she gathered the scraps she considered clothing and left. It was a bit of a pity to force her out so early—if his memory could be trusted, she had been reasonably skilled. But in the end he was doing her a favor. If she had heard any more, he would have had to kill her right here.
He walked back to the stone and touched it again. “Continue.”
“Once we have a name, I assume you wish us to track her down immediately.”
Kastrius sipped at his drink. It was a bit early for whiskey, but he suddenly felt like celebrating. “How clean was your capture?”
“Reasonably,” Bremen told him, “but I wouldn’t be shocked if your mother’s people know we’re up to something. If we mobilize a large enough squad, she will almost assuredly intervene.”
“Probably,” the prince spat. It was a constant irritation when doing anything in that blasted city. A thousand eyes followed his people wherever they went, and any mistake they made immediately came back to bite him later. “Use your judgment, but a small squad should suffice. You may wish to run a diversion with yourself and any other high-profile members of your unit.”
“It shall be done, my prince,” Bremen assured him. “I will keep you apprised.”
“Make certain you do,” Kastrius said, and tapped the stone. It floated back into its shell, and he was alone once again.
He couldn’t wait until he was finally freed from his mother’s tether and could leave this accursed tower. Sitting here made him feel so…impotent. He always had to rely on others to get anything done, and they almost invariably disappointed him.
Not Bremen, though. The man was a war hero, after all, and a political casualty of his mother’s new peace initiatives. The Ebarans insisted he be removed from official command after his “unprovoked” raid on Turesk five years earlier. The Empress had offered him an honorable retirement, but Bremen had refused and fought the decision. He had ultimately been forced into meager command duties in remote outposts, but Kastrius had made sure to get him reassigned to his personal guard.
Now they had a remarkable opportunity together. Even with limited forces, Bremen would get the job done. The Kirshal would soon be theirs, and the need for all this scheming and sneaking around would be over. The general could even command the army that ultimately crushed Ebara if he wanted to.
Kastrius sat down at his desk and sipped slowly at his glass. For now, there was nothing to do but wait for news. And perhaps see if he could call that whore back before she made it out of the tower.
The Last Goddess Page 9