I only had one last, and perhaps my most important companion to speak with before my preparations would be complete.
‘Bane,’ I sent to him as I entered his room. ‘You are coming with me to war, and I will make sure that you feast well on the bodies of our enemies.’
Bane’s golden eyes widened as he heard my words in his mind, and his response was tinged with a desperate sense of hunger.
It has been too long since we last killed together, Sintári. I am eager to do so again.
If I was any judge at all of Bane’s emotions, ‘eager’ wasn’t the half of it. I sensed the same desire in him that I felt—the almost burning need to kill, to not only defeat a foe in battle, but to rip them to pieces. I recognized it as my own darkness and realized that he shared my same inner demons.
‘It is time for us to do what we were meant for, Bane,’ I let my eyes flare as I responded to him. ‘Our goal may be peace, but you and I were made for killing. We will use the power of our own darkness against those who defile Arrika, turning their own strength against them. Our shadows are even stronger because we wield them in the name of light, and with them, we will crush our foes without mercy.’
You do understand, Bane’s awe-filled response echoed my mind.
‘We are one, you and I,’ I replied, stroking the thick scales along his neck. ‘There is no need for us to hide anything from each other.’
I need one of your kills, Sintári, he confessed, giving up the one thing he’d been holding back from me. I do not know why, but I crave the flesh of someone who’s life you’ve taken yourself.
‘You shall have it, and more,’ I promised him, as I almost tasted the strength of the desire in his words.
We will be a terror on the battlefield, Sintári.
‘No, Bane. We will be magnificent.’
I stayed with him for as long as I could, basking in the sunlight that streamed in from the large opening that the double-doors of his room provided, but eventually, the torrent of messages resumed, and I had to leave him to attend to the needs of my Empire.
The reports came to me throughout the remainder of the day and into the night, until they suddenly ceased to arrive. I had no doubt that Talína had halted even the more important messages from reaching me so that I might at least have a chance for a good night’s rest; once again, I was grateful for the skill and consideration she used to conduct my affairs.
Tási had apparently received no such accommodations and didn’t return until sometime after I’d fallen asleep with Bane curled around me. Unlike when he was a little Rhastoren, Bane was the one who wrapped himself around me, and it was me who rested on him, rather than the other way around. Unfortunately, since she’d arrived after we’d fallen asleep, there was no way for her to join me without having to crawl over Bane’s body, possibly waking him, so Tási’d chosen to simply go to sleep by herself in our bed. Since she’d obviously had a late night, I left her sleeping there when I departed the following morning for my breakfast with Líann.
“No!” Líann responded with both hurt and anger as soon as I told her that I intended to leave her in charge of my Empire. “Even if everything goes well, you will be gone for months. I won’t let you leave me for that long.”
“Líann,” I tried my best to sooth her. “I need you to do this for me. This isn’t a punishment, and it’s not going to be easy for me to be without you either, but you’re the only one I can count on to ensure that things don’t fall apart while I’m gone.”
“Take me and leave Venna,” she shot back at me. “She’s more than capable of handling things.”
“That was my first thought as well,” I confessed. “But she’s a Curate, and I need her healing ability.”
“I see. So, I’m the logical choice.” Líann snapped at me.
“It doesn’t matter why you’re my choice, you’ll fucking do it because I’m telling you to,” I shot back, realizing that perhaps a firmer hand was required for her to accept my decision.
I got up out of my seat and loomed over her as I continued.
“This is not a debate, Líann,” I glared down at her. “You’re mine and I’m giving you an order, not making a request. You’ll do what I say, and if you do it well enough, I may see fit to reward you when I return.”
“Yes, Empress,” she cowered beneath me.
“That’s better,” I said as I took my seat once more. “Now tell me how your work with Talína went.”
Líann brightened up a bit as she told me what they’d done.
“You got quite a catch in her,” Líann complimented Talína. “She has an excellent way with words, and we managed to draft several different messages, all of which emphasized your Empire’s promise of equal treatment and respect for all. I imagine they will create quite a bit of dissention when the people realize the opportunity that the nobility has denied them.”
“We also made sure to note the atrocities that were committed against your Ambassadors, and a veiled threat of your response to those acts. In particular, noting that your Empire has the backing of seven Realms, against just the two of them. We mentioned no specifics, but the implications should be obvious; they cannot win.”
“You’ve done well, as usual,” I complimented her as I rose from my chair again, this time pulling Líann up with me. “To show you my appreciation, I will take you now.”
I actually took her several times that morning, and each time I let loose a little more of my darkness on her, only stopping when she could withstand no more. By then, all Líann could do was just lay still in her bed, breathing heavily as she recovered from the last of what I’d done to her. But even in her exhaustion, she still drew me in, as I watched her chest rise and fall with every deep breath, the taut muscles of her stomach flutter and tremble, and her hips shudder enticingly with the faint tremors that still coursed through her body.
“I will see you once more before I go, Líann,” I told her as I left her there, despite my deep desire to take her one more time. “I took the liberty of having Talína schedule a final meeting for us, so that I can ensure that you understand exactly what I need you to do while I’m gone.”
“Thank you, Empress,” she gasped softly.
“You’re welcome, my pet,” I replied with a gentle kiss on her cheek.
Líann didn’t really want my affection, and even though it wasn’t what she needed from me, after mistreating her, I never left without offering Líann some softer gesture. More for my sake than hers. After letting my darkness loose on Líann, the decent part of me simply couldn’t go without expressing how much she meant to me in some gentler fashion.
With the governance of my Empire in my absence decided, after leaving Líann, I headed to the Imperial Barracks to tend to one final concern. The so-called nobles who ruled the horse lands had already proven to be a vile bunch, and I needed some assurances that they would not cause harm in the Imperial District while I was away. While I was certain that the troops that would remain behind manning the defenses were more than capable of handling any overt attacks, my concern was of a more personal nature.
“Líann will be overseeing things in my absence,” I told Tási and Ella when I got them together in Tási’s office. “I need you to make sure that’s she’s protected. If they send someone here, she will be the most likely target for an assassin.”
“I can see that some of the Ministers’ guards that aren’t coming with us are assigned to watch over her,” Ella offered as Tási remained silent.
“What about the members of my own guard?” I asked. “They’re the best we have, and I want the ones that are staying here to protect her.”
“None of them are remaining behind, Dreya,” Tási replied flatly. “Every single one of them refused. We’re going to just lock everything up and let the Palace guards watch over things while we’re gone.”
That shouldn’t have surprised me as much as it did. We’d all grown close, and I was certain that after spending so much time with me, my Sint
ári nature had only caused our bonds to be even stronger than they should have been.
“Fine,” I replied, not even bothering to contest the issue. “But she is to have the same level of protection I would have—even more, if possible. The entire Empire will be in her hands while I’m gone. She’s absolutely critical now.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Ella volunteered. “The Queen will have a full escort at all times, in addition to her regular guards.”
Líann had retained a small group of her own personal guards during her stay, and while they were more than adequate during normal times, considering the threat and her elevated status, the few soldiers that protected her were simply not enough.
“Make sure they have scrolls,” I added. “Just in case.”
“Almost all of them do now,” Ella smiled. “Thanks to you.”
Once I had all the resurrection scrolls that I thought my army needed, I continued to buy them from the scribes, although at a much slower pace. The extras were distributed among the rest of my soldiers until they also had an adequate supply, and we even built up a small reserve that Stel kept in his treasury vault. Líann’s tenacious bargaining with Wenflé and the others, combined with the continued production of silver from my mines, enabled me to finance the rather exorbitant price that was required to purchase the vast quantities of scrolls I’d acquired. I hoped that I wouldn’t actually need them, but with war already upon us, and more likely to come even before I set out to conquer the Dark Lands, I knew that hope was in vain.
“Thank you, Ella,” I replied pointedly. “I knew that I could count on you to deal with this for me.”
I was more than just a little irritated at how Tási had refused to handle Líann’s protection. She was head of Palace security and had simply sat there idly, letting her second in command manage what should have been a top priority for her. Clearly, she was still harboring her jealousy for Líann, and I intended to remind her just how much that angered me when I got hold of her alone. I was pretty sure the glare I shot at her as I left communicated my displeasure, because she winced just a little when I flashed the look at her.
Still, as I left, it was with a sense of peace. While I had no doubt that other issues might come up during the days leading up to our departure, I’d taken care of the most important items on my agenda at the time. So, from the barracks, I made the short trip upstairs to my chambers and tried to unwind for a while. Bane had gone off to practice with his flames again before we left, as he’d told me he would, and I was able to simply relax with my own thoughts for a time.
I had long enough before Tási came back to really think about how I was going to handle her. The continued friction and jealousy she’d displayed was not only unnecessary and irritating, but she was letting it affect her responsibilities as well. I’d made a misstep in my approach with Líann that morning, trying to gently coax her when her nature required a different approach from me, and with that insight, I came up with a plan to hopefully put an end to Tási’s jealous antics.
When Tási finally came back, she opened the door cautiously before I heard her take a deep breath and step inside. She obviously knew that she was about to feel the fullness of my displeasure with her, and I could see the look of dread on her face as I got up to meet her just inside the doorway.
“Wait, please,” she implored me. “Before you start, let me explain.”
I nodded to her silently, and she continued.
“I know I messed up. My reaction was very unprofessional,” she confessed, clearly full of remorse. “After you left, I relieved Ella of the responsibility of seeing to Líann’s security and took care of it myself. I signed every single order and made sure that she will be as well protected as possible. I’m sorry that I only corrected my mistake after I’d already upset you.”
Her expression of contrition threw my scheme out the window, so I simply reacted as best I could.
“Look at me, Tási,” I said to her when she bowed her head and stared at the floor.
“You did well,” I coaxed her. “I know that wasn’t easy for you to do, but I need you to do even better. Like it or not, you’re stuck with me for life. You’re not going anywhere, and you need to accept that.”
“I know that already,” Tási replied softly.
“Then why aren’t you acting like it?” I asked her. “Why are you still so insecure?”
“Because it’s Líann you’re with now,” she confessed. “Not only is she a queen, but she... she’s… Líann.”
I knew what she meant. Líann was definitely something different. She had more grace and beauty in her little finger than the entire population of most Realms, and I understood how she could provoke a great deal of jealousy. But Tási and I had been over this same ground several times already, and it was becoming quite tiresome.
“It pains me to realize how little you’ve come to understand me, Tási,” I sighed in frustration. “I’m a Sintári. My need for you is not physical and has no relationship to how pretty you are. You’re beautiful Tási, but I don’t love you because of your looks. I love you because of the way you make me feel.”
Tási stared at me blankly for a moment before bowing her head once more.
“I’m an idiot, aren’t I?”
“If you think that Líann or anyone else for that matter, could ever come between us, then yes, you really and truly are.”
“I sometimes forget just how different you are, Dreya,” she whispered as she wrapped her arms around me and leaned against me. “And I keep judging you by the wrong standards.”
“Don’t feel too bad about that, Tási,” I actually laughed slightly as I replied. “I do the same thing to myself sometimes.”
I dragged her over to our bed and pulled off her robes before undressing myself as well. The sensation of her bare skin against mine was enticing, but it wasn’t our passions that we needed to express that night. So, instead of indulging our desires, we traded tendrils of love and devotion as we clung to each other. I let her feel the true depth of my dedication to her, as I’d done many times before, but somehow there was an openness to the tendrils I sent her that had never been there before.
For the first time, Tási experienced the full force of my love for her, and I felt it as the wave of understanding washed over her. She knew, finally, deep in her core, in a way that my words had failed to convey, that she was not disposable or replaceable to me. Her place by my side was secure, no matter what Líann or anyone else might do. In return, I felt the rush of relief and the emotional equivalent of a flood of tears that came back to me from Tási, as acceptance settled in on her. Once the toll of the heavy emotions finally ebbed, we slowly rocked each other to sleep, trading our tendrils back and forth, sharing our love and affection until the night finally claimed us.
24
There was little time left before I would be departing with the Army, and the few days I had until then passed in a flurry of activity, most of which was fortunately handled by others. But even with a full Cabinet of Ministers, Talína supervising my aides, and Líann stepping up to handle many of the responsibilities, there was still a great deal that required my personal attention or approval.
In spite of all that, I made sure to clear my schedule so that I could make a complete tour of the valley before I left. I hadn’t had the time to travel around my own lands for quite a while, and I wanted to see them once more before I departed to wage war on the nobles of the horse lands.
During that trek, I found that everything was exactly as the reports I’d been receiving had described—the farms had grown from tiny little homesteads to large fields, tended with care by entire villages that had sprung up inside the sheltered confines of the valley. The ranchers had grown their herds as well, and they roamed the fenced-in fields, grazing on long shoots of green grass. I couldn’t help but stop for a moment along the way to take in the fresh, earthy scent of the verdant lands, one of the many things I’d missed having been away for so long. Then when
I came to a certain spot, I left my guards behind to visit with the Dryad.
“All is good, Empress,” she replied when I inquired about her. “Your people tend to their lands well, and it takes little effort for me to nurture their crops and animals.”
“I am glad to hear that,” I replied to her warmly. “I haven’t been able to come out here as often as I’d like, and I’m very grateful for the help you’ve provided them.”
“You need not worry about me or them, Empress,” she smiled at me. “We both understand that you have much to occupy your time now.”
“Thank you, Lady Dryad,” I replied. “You are right—many things call me away from the places I’d rather be. Even though my visits are rare, know that you are always in my thoughts.”
We talked for a little while longer before I reluctantly moved on. I still had two more stops in the valley, and the day was getting late.
I passed by the mines next and spoke with the miners and some of the residents who lived in the caverns the dwarves had carved out above them. They’d continued to uncover more silver, and the vein of Khelduin seemed to follow along with it as they dug deeper down into the rock. The deposits of iron also ran strong, and they’d found no signs that any of them were running thin. Once I’d surveyed the mines, it was time for my final visit in the valley.
Ridge had started working on the city that had been laid out on the plateau above the valley some time ago. Along with his assistant, he’d already carved out several sets of stairs leading up to the future home of thousands, as well as the deep channels for an elevator-like device that Dellon and Renn were trying to decipher. Since it wasn’t yet ready, and I truly dreaded the thought of climbing up so many stairs, I cancelled my planned visit with him at the last minute–Ridge never needed my encouragement, and I was certain that whatever he was doing up there was exactly what the plans called for, so I saved myself the almost wasted effort of climbing up and down the nearly endless steps and headed for a last inspection of the Garrison instead.
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