Page 104 of War Queen
“Well?” Phillip pressed, not even out of breath from walking up all the cursed stairs.
Fine. “Had I known there were no obstacles to your capital, I would have taken Aleon in the Great War.”
The king chuckled. “You think you could have?”
Soren tightened his fist. The heat of challenge rose in his chest as he turned to him. “I know I could have.”
Phillip raised a brow. “Gregor has tried with fervor and failed.”
“Gregor’s an idiot. He confronted your forces openly. Few armies can match your numbers.”
The king stepped closer to him with an amused smile—a disarming smile, and Soren hated it.
“And what would you have done differently?” Phillip asked him.
“I would come in the night. Slaughter everyone in their sleep.” He didn’t use past tense. It wasn’t a threat that had passed.
The king’s smile fell. “Where’s the honor in that?”
“There is no honor in war.” Soren looked out across the city. “Rolling forestland surrounding the city, no walls, no barriers. So many places for an attacking army to hide, so many opportunities to create distraction—this is the perfect city to take by surprise. If only I had known. I could have brought your empire to the ground.”
“You’re quite confident.”
Soren snorted. “I didn’t namemyselfthe Destroyer.” He could tell his words troubled the king.
“Then why didn’t you try to take Aleon?”
A great regret, now that he knew. “I expected more from an empire. A mistake on my part—Mercia was the goal, and I thought the path to victory was a direct one.” Soren shook his head. “If only I had known. You were the North’s weakness—they needed you. I could have just taken Aleon. Cut off the sword arm, cut off the ability to fight.”
“They would have still been on the isle, behind their impenetrable walls, with their archers. What would you have done then?”
Soren shrugged. “Nothing. The starvation of winter would have finished them for me.”
The king eyed him. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I’ve been tasked with a collective strategy, which means I must also look for the protection of Aleon.”
“And you share with me the weakness of Mercia?”
“If you were a smart king, you would have already known this. In any regard, it’s no longer true. The North’s weakness is no longer Aleon. The North has Kharav. Salara has me.”
A smile returned to the king’s lips. “I would very much like to know… how does onegetyou, Lord Commander?”
The question caught Soren by surprise, but the answer was simple. Especially for this man. “One doesn’t.”
The king looked at him a moment, still smiling. “Well, as I’ve arranged with Norah and your king, you’ll help determine our collective approach, so I look forward to your counsel.”
Counsel. Soren snorted again. No, he would not simply give counsel. He would tell this king what he would do. And he would do it. There was so much to be done.
“Are you hungry?” Phillip asked.
He was practically starved. Soren hadn’t eaten anything since the day before, but he had food in his chamber, where he’d rather be. Alone. “No.”
“I am. We’ll eat. Come.” The king turned and headed down the steps toward the central castle.
Come? Soren watched him descend the stairs of the temple in disbelief. Had he just told him tocome? Like a dog? So casual Phillip was, so smug in his confidence. Well, curse him. Curse the North gods. He hated this king. He hated this place. Perhaps he’d take Aleon after all. But he hadn’t brought an army. Where were Caspian and his Northmen?Curse everything. He stood as he stewed, his fists clenched. Then he sucked in a breath through his teeth and blew it out slowly.
There was nothing he could do.
