Page 9 of War Queen
Chapter three
Mikaeltookanotherdrinkfrom his chalice. He leaned back in the desk chair of his study, staring at the parchments in front of him. War was coming. The armies of Japheth and Rael had been ravaged by fever, but they were rebuilding and growing stronger than before and faster than expected.
News flooded in that slaves from kingdoms all over the world were escaping to join Rael’s cause, even slaves from Kharav. It was a compelling purpose—the fight for freedom. This Raelean king, Cyrus, had grown quite a name for himself. He had an impressive story, even to Mikael. He had been a blood sport fighter, his origins unknown. It was said that he started the slave rebellion by attacking the onlooking Raelean king directly during a blood sport match in the grand arena.
Rael was famed for their blood games. There would have been thousands of fighters—thousands of men to join him, and blood sport fighters were the ultimate warriors. They rivaled even the warriors of Kharav. These men were raised in blood and battled for their lives daily.
Once he’d taken Rael, Cyrus turned to those who had enslaved him—the neighboring slaver kingdom of Serra. Within four days, he had taken all the port cities, and by the sixth, he had taken the kingdom.
Six daysto take a kingdom.
It was an accomplishment unheard of. While Serra was primarily a wasteland island kingdom, it was larger than Kharav, and it would have required a large army to overtake it. Cyrus took it merely with the slaves from within.
Mikael took another drink of wine. It was rumored Cyrus had his sights on Kharav now. This puzzled him.Why?Yes, Kharav had slaves, but many other kingdoms did as well. Perhaps it was Kharav’s proximity. Mikael’s only consolation was that he wasn’t the only enemy. With Rael allied with Japheth, Japheth’s enemies were Rael’s enemies. And Phillip, king of Aleon, was Japheth’s greatest enemy. Japheth’s King Gregor had tried to overtake his brother many times. No doubt it still consumed him.
So, the question was, would a united Japheth and Rael attack Aleon, which was Japheth’s obsession? Or would they go after Kharav, which was Rael’s target?
Rael’s focus on Kharav didn’t seem like a circumstance of convenience. Yes, the kingdoms were close, with only the Aged Sea between them, and yes, Kharav was a kingdom that had slaves. But it felt more personal, somehow.
Salara had tried to change the slaving norms in Kharav, but that change wasn’t easy. Not one of his nobles would approve, and he couldn’t risk even more of their dissatisfaction. Tensions were rising, as was the risk to his crown, especially since the confrontation with Narsing and Jarik. His anger surfaced again. Did they really think they could threaten him with Soren? His lord commander wouldn’t usurp him. Soren didn’t want power, but that wasn’t enough to stop the nobles from taking dangerous action. And he was weak without Soren by his side.
Soren had left him weak.
His mind shifted back to Salara. It wouldn’t be long before Kharav was no longer safe for her, but he had nowhere to send her, no place to keep her from harm. Soren’s leaving stung. Not only had he abandoned his friend and brother in his time of need but he’d abandoned Salara, to whom he was sworn.
And Mikael would not forgive him.
Norah walked through the courtyard, a book in her hand. She’d thought she’d sit in the garden and read a bit, but she couldn’t focus her mind. It had been two weeks since she’d sent Phillip her letter, and he still hadn’t responded. With each day that passed, her worry grew. Was Phillip allied with Mercia? Had he been involved in her removal? Had he told her council of her letter? If not, why hadn’t he answered?
She’d give anything to go for a ride on Sephir—to clear her mind—but she hadn’t been able to get the mare before fleeing from Mercia. What had happened to her? Like all of those she loved and had left, the question remained. Adrian fell in step casually beside her, and she forced a smile. “Adrian,” she greeted. She had stopped asking every other moment if news had come, resigned that he would tell her when it did. It was hard to hold back the question yet again.
“Nothing has come,” he told her, as if reading her mind.
She pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth.
“Don’t think the worst,” he said.
“How can I not?” How couldhenot?
“There are many reasons you might not have heard. Maybe the message didn’t reach him.”
“Did the messenger not confirm he delivered it to Bahoul?”
“But not to Phillip’s own hand,” he countered. “We don’t know if it made it to him. Maybe Phillip’s not in Bahoul.”
She took little comfort in that. A message from the queen of Mercia, even the overthrown queen, would have been treated urgently.
“And I’m sure he has his own worries,” he added. “I hear Japheth and Rael are rebuilding their armies at a surprising rate.”
More news that wasn’t favorable for Kharav—as everything seemed to be. And what could she do? What could anyone do?
“I wish Soren were here,” she found herself saying.
“Me too,” he answered softly. Loss peppered his voice, and she glanced to see it written on his face as well. But he quickly stowed his emotion and straightened.
Her heart broke for him. She almost forgot sometimes how much this affected him too. Soren didn’t just train him, he believed in Adrian, cared for him. Soren secured Adrian’s marriage to a Kharavian nobleman’s daughter with his own name and his own seal, as the head of a family would do. That was what Soren was to Adrian—family. Like he was to her and Mikael.
“I’ll let you know if I hear of anything else,” Adrian said.
