Life

by Rosie Scott

  “So you have not received any letters from them since I spoke to you last,” I deduced.

  “No, dear. If I had, I would have passed them along to you.”

  “And what are we to do if we move our masses to Hammerton and they do not show?” Kirek spoke up. “We will have to contend with the dwarves and the armies of Chairel once they are made aware of our presence there.”

  “Get used to it, my dear,” Tilda replied. “Even if everything goes well in Hammerton, we will be fighting with Chairel. We will be their neighbors with no sea to separate us.”

  “If I take Chairel we won't have to fight at all,” I said.

  “Yes, well, let's worry about one thing at a time,” the queen replied. Turning to Kirek, she added, “Take Monte. Take Pisces. Take and hold Olympia. That is what you will do whether the Alderi show up or not. Send your extra ships back to Eteri, and I will send you reinforcements. We will root down on the eastern coast and grow our strength, my dear.”

  “You need people here to protect Eteri,” Kirek protested. “Chairel's warships patrol the Servis as we speak.”

  “Chairel's warships?” I questioned. “How many could they possibly have?”

  Tilda blinked rapidly in frustration as she returned my gaze. “They don't have many, but they have been busy trying to recover from Narangar's destruction. It has been four years, after all. Chairel wasn't going to simply lie dormant.”

  “No, but no matter how quickly they try to rebuild, they won't be ready to attack yet,” I argued.

  “And they're not. But your little trip to Hammerton could take years,” the queen pointed out. “So I am keeping soldiers in each city. I will continue to recruit and train in Mistral. Once we acquire territory, I will send settlers to you as well.”

  “I do not trust the Alderi to show,” Kirek said. “And if they do not, Chairel will send their armies and they will—”

  “Why are you a Sentinel if you cannot accept simple demands?” The queen snapped, to which Kirek quieted. “For gods' sake, Kirek, do as you are told! Unless you believe Eteri is so weak that we must rely on an army of people who crawl around like insects beneath our feet.”

  “I'm going to leave the room before I do something I regret,” Nyx muttered before she spun and stalked toward the door.

  “If you believe the Alderi to be equal to insects, surely you cannot make your aid in Chairel contingent upon their arrival,” I said evenly.

  “You love trying to back me into a corner,” Tilda retorted, her voice wavering with anger.

  “You do a pretty good job of doing that yourself.” The queen and I glared at one another as Nyx slammed the door on her way out. A second or two later, I heard a crash outside of the door and a string of curses.

  “My armies will be with you in Chairel,” the queen finally said, “but when that happens is up to the Alderi. You clearly believe they will show. If they do not, that is your problem for trusting a race of untrustworthy people.” Azazel stiffened beside me at the queen's open racism.

  “Untrustworthy like the trick you pulled in Tal, or are we talking about a different type of untrustworthy?” My tone was tight with hostility.

  Queen Tilda was silent a moment, before she chuckled. It turned to open laughter a few seconds after that until she finally cut it short and sighed. “Let's get through all the bullshit, my dear. Neither one of us is going to shed any tears when we are separated from each other for good. This is not a friendship; it's a partnership. Leave all of the warm fuzzies outside of the door where they belong.” She hesitated. “Honestly, I don't care if the Alderi show up. I don't care how outnumbered you all are in Hammerton or what you need to do to take the land. I want the damn land. You're going to help me get it. With or without the underground. How well you do will be directly related to how quickly you may realize your own goals in Chairel. I am sending as many griffons as I can spare with you. We will maintain contact throughout this task of yours with our messengers. I will aid as much as I can as often as I can. Just deliver me Hammerton, Kai, and do it quickly.”

  “It will be done,” I said shortly.

  The queen's perfect eyebrows rose, surprised. “Ah. Well. See? That wasn't so hard, was it?”

  “If you leave your biases at the door I'm always more than willing to talk business,” I replied.

  Queen Tilda chuckled. “It will be much easier to continue talking business with you when we aren't bickering like this face-to-face, my dear.”

  The queen and I exchanged stares. Both of us would undoubtedly be happy to separate from each other for good. The only problem was that the farther away we were from each other, the fewer chances I would have of retaliating against her for any future wrongdoings. Both Tilda and I were brilliant, but the queen had centuries of experience with her isolating and conniving ways. Surely, the two of us would be going about these next few years trying to anticipate the next moves of the other.

  I only hoped that the assassination contract would pull through sooner rather than later to cut those worries short.

  *

  Kirek stood on the patchy grass just before the beaches of Tal, her arms crossed and sharp green eyes alarmed. Before her, a small army of my own supporters gathered on the docks. It was the very picture of a melting pot. Alderi, Vhiri, and human alike were mixed in among one another, and I could have sworn I even saw a few dwarves and Celds. The only thing I could figure was that they were former mercenaries or renegades of their own lands and cultures, or perhaps they were even former gladiators from T'ahal who had not stayed to offer Nahara their support. There were many more waiting for me than there had been the last time I'd been in town over a year before. Clearly, the call had gone out in Silvi that I would be leaving for Hammerton soon. What had been a small gathering of a few hundred was now a few thousand strong.

  Their support was so touching to me that I wavered on my feet a bit before Azazel's hand came to my back, steadying me. My eyes heated with unshed tears. Not only was I flattered, but now I was also terrified. Their lives were in my hands, and it was the first time I would lead an army that was indeed my own. The closest I'd ever come to leading an army for my own cause was during my time in the underground, but those soldiers hadn't been following me for my goals of advancing on Chairel.

  “What are these people doing here?” Kirek's voice pulled my thoughts from celebration and back into reality. “Tilda was very clear about not keeping them here. If they have been waiting for you in Tal, Kai, you have gone against our alliance.”

  My nostrils flared, but before I could reply, Maggie spoke up. “I'm afraid you're gonna have to be mad at me for that one, love. I needed them here in Tal.”

  Kirek glared over at Maggie. “What do you mean you needed them here? Kai is your superior, is she not? Even if this was your idea, it was up to her to correct it.”

  “I make it very clear I am no one's superior,” I retorted. “Maggie had free rein to do as she wished in Tal. My orders were that she be given full freedom to do as she pleased.” I pointed to the fleet of battleships creaking off of the southern coast of Tal. “And this is the result of that creative freedom. You should be thanking her.”

  Kirek blinked at me a moment before looking back at Maggie. “Your reasons, Magnilda?”

  I cringed at the Sentinel's use of Maggie's full name. I'd come to learn that the engineer hated it, so only those who didn't know her well tended to use it.

  “Most of these people are beastmen,” Maggie said, her big blue eyes looking out over the recruits. “Shapeshifters. Shapeshifting is an alteration spell. If it weren't for alteration magic, these battleships wouldn't be makin' it to Hammerton at all. Tilda banned the further teaching of the lesser magics, remember? They've stayed in Tal because I needed them trained in sailing and ship weight control. Besides, if Kai wanted the support of the wildlands, it wouldn't have been possible without lettin' them into Tal. The only real port in the south is in Silvi, and that's the farthest city north on the easte
rn coast. It would have taken 'em years to gather all the ships necessary and sail all the way around the southern tip of the continent and back up to meet with us.”

  Kirek was silent a moment. She was intelligent enough to know Maggie's reasoning was sound. Even still, she finally said, “I don't like this sneakiness, Kai. If we are to continue working together, honesty is the best policy.”

  I lifted up my left hand. “Pot,” I said, before lifting up the other, “kettle.” I lowered them both and finished, “Black.”

  Kirek stared at me for a few seconds, before I heard a masculine chuckling sound out from behind me. My own smile lifted my lips as I realized Altan couldn't hold back his amusement at my quip. Kirek noticed this as well and stalked off toward the docks without another word.

  Altan slapped me on the back as he came to stand beside me. “Gods, I love you, woman. You are so snarky it gives me life.”

  “I thought you didn't like to admit you love your friends,” I commented, taking note of his wording.

  “Ah, well, you know.” Altan wrinkled up his bronze nose as Cyrus watched him smugly from his other side. “It was a slip of the tongue, nothing more.”

  “Let's talk more about that tongue of yours,” Nyx quipped.

  Altan lifted a red eyebrow. “Gladly.”

  I shook my head in amused defeat and started off toward my future army. There was a lot of preparing to be done before our departure. Many would die in Hammerton and beyond. Like with my own friends, I wanted to ensure that each death would be memorialized and respected. Each of the men and women here today would be cataloged in my own personal records. So many of them had been mistreated and forgotten by the countries and cultures which had once been their home, which was a large part of the reason the majority of them were here for me. I didn't just want them here giving me their loyalty; I wanted to give them a reason to stay.

  Within weeks, we would be departing from Eteri. Depending on future events, it may have very well have been my last time ever seeing it. There was no way to honestly tell. The one thing I did know for sure was that Chairel loomed ever closer.

  Six

  Twenty-three giant battleships fanned out in the ocean behind my own, steam rising from metal pipes. Given that the sailors trained to both sail them and keep them afloat were my own soldiers, they were under my command. In total, I had just over five thousand men and women who had volunteered to follow me into Hammerton. Nearly eight hundred giants were stowed below them on the lowest decks of each ship.

  We'd left Eteri behind some weeks ago, but the trip to Hammerton would take half a year. Much like I'd written in my letter to Calder, we didn't expect to arrive on foreign soil until just after the new year of 427. It had been nearly a decade since I'd fled Sera and seen Sirius last, but I was more motivated than ever.

  My golden eyes scanned the ocean before my own ship. The Eteri navy was massive, and now with our battleships, it was also diverse. Five Sentinels were in charge of their own navies, with Leura and Dax tagging along with Altan and Kirek respectively. In the case that we were to engage in naval warfare, the two newest members would be trained in overseeing such combat. I, on the other hand, had already seen naval battle enough times to be able to direct my own navy. It was an enthralling experience leading such a force with the knowledge that thousands were willing to follow my command.

  I stood at the bow of the giant battleship, listening to the music of Holter's flute. Nyx had told me during the younger man's absence from Mistral that he liked to play all sorts of instruments, but all he had was a lute. I'd bought Holter a flute from a hobby shop in the capital city as a gift to him, and he was extremely pleased with it. Holter clearly looked up to me for a multitude of reasons and was eager to do all he could to prove himself. I sympathized with that since I'd been in the same position at a similar age.

  “What are you thinking?” Cerin's rough voice asked from my right. The necromancer leaned onto the railing with both forearms, his silver eyes watching the calm ocean waves as they slipped beneath our ship.

  “I'm thinking that man knows how to make beautiful music,” I commented.

  Cerin chuckled. “Every time someone compliments him on that, he brags that you gave him the flute as a gift. You told Nyx that Holter adores her, but I think he also adores you.”

  “It's nice to have fans,” I mused, to which Cerin laughed.

  “I'm your biggest fan,” he replied, leaning over into my side. “And don't you forget it.”

  “How could I?” I retorted lightly, kissing his hair.

  Cerin waited a few moments before asking, “How are you feeling about Hammerton?”

  “Worried.”

  He sighed. “Yeah, I get that.”

  “Kirek is following in Tilda's footsteps, Cerin,” I commented. “Everything I do or say, she questions. The queen wants the dwarves exterminated. Unless we can convince Kirek to have mercy, she might want to follow through and do just that.”

  “Nobody else agrees with her.” Cerin clarified, “Fully.”

  “What about Dax?” I questioned.

  “Dax has his issues with Kirek as well.”

  I glanced over at Cerin. “Even though Kirek is the reason he's a Sentinel?”

  “Even so,” Cerin replied. “That night Nyx rejoined us, you missed a lot of our conversation. Dax was there, Kirek wasn't. Dax reminds me a lot of Theron, Kai. Quiet and calculating, doesn't speak much unless he feels he has something to add. The subject of Kirek came up, and Altan said something about how Dax survived so much time being under her wing. He made a comment and laughed about it. Can't remember what he said, but it sounded like it's been hard on him. We have time to figure him out in Hammerton.”

  “He might feel indebted to her,” I said.

  “Maybe. But don't forget, like you said, Kirek is following in Tilda's footsteps. And the queen's supporters aren't nearly as many as we once thought. Tilda's supporters will likely be Kirek's. With the rest of the Sentinels providing an opposite view of things, she will be outnumbered. As much as Kirek hated seeing your supporters in Tal, she ended up not reporting it to the queen. As loyal as she is, she also abides by her own decisions.”

  I was quiet for a few minutes, in thought. One of the galleons far ahead under Zephyr's navy released its griffons. The beasts cried out with the happiness of freedom and flew through the air over the ocean, skimming close to the water before snatching fish straight out of the sea with four giant paws. They returned to the quarterdeck, dropping the fish on the hardwood before eating their meals.

  “Might be a good time for fishing,” Cerin commented, noting the abundance of catches.

  “I think that's what they're trying to figure out,” I said. “Every time we've stopped for fishing it's been Zephyr who makes the call. Perhaps using griffons to hunt allows them to know which waters are well-populated.”

  “That's a good plan. Saves time having to search through these waters ourselves with the fishing nets.” Cerin nodded to the net which hung from the gantry of the battleship.

  “You wish you could fish without the nets, don't you?” I asked him. The battleships were much too tall for Cerin to use a fishing rod, and though Maggie had put him in charge of handling the nets, I could tell it wasn't the same for him.

  “I'll take what I can get,” Cerin replied. “I'm just glad to be skilled at something other than fighting. Sometimes I feel relatively useless when it comes to this war.”

  I frowned, automatically thinking of Azazel. “Does it bother you that I've given so much responsibility to Azazel?”

  Cerin pulled away from me so he could see my face. “No. Not at all. Why?”

  “You said you felt useless in this war. When it comes down to it, this is my war, so I thought maybe you felt useless to me. Given how much I've come to rely on Azazel for things, I figured you might be bothered by it.” I hesitated. “For the Battle of Highland Pass, I left the Renegades under his care in the event of my death. Then you.”
>
  “Yeah, Kai, because that was best,” Cerin replied. “Azazel is a strategist like you. I'm not. I can't lead an army. I have no desire to lead an army of anyone other than the dead. I do my best to protect you and our friends in battle, but I wouldn't know the first thing about giving them orders.” He paused, then chuckled dryly. “The only time I've ever given an order in battle, it wasn't followed.”

  “When was that?” I questioned, unable to remember myself.

  “Back in the Silvi rainforest, when I told you not to sacrifice yourself to save everyone else.”

  I laughed softly. “Yes, but I disagreed with the order.”

  Cerin sighed and flipped a pale hand through the air in defeat.

  “You gave an order that was followed in the Battle of Highland Pass,” I pointed out. “It was thanks to you that there were no further allied casualties. It was you who initially ordered Zephyr to retreat.”

  Cerin nodded slowly before he smiled softly at me. “You give me too much credit. Going back to your initial concern, Kai, I'm not bothered by Azazel at all. In fact, I'm glad things happened the way they did after Nyx left. If it weren't for her leaving, it's possible you two wouldn't have grown as close as you have. And I'm glad that happened. When you rule Chairel, you're going to need people like him. It's like you're already building a court of your own like you helped Calder to do underground. Azazel is at the top of that hierarchy now and for a good reason. He cares for you. He's loyal to you. He's skilled in a variety of ways. And he's insanely intelligent. He is one hell of an ally for us to have in this war and beyond, and a good pick to be one of your first appointed generals in Chairel.”