Training For War: The Bond Once Severed Book 2 (Updating)

Headache and Heartache

Another headache threatened as the Queen examined the map her newest general lay before her. As his long blond hair escaped the band tied at his nape, the Queen decided Stephan was an excellent addition to her inner circle. His muscled arms grasped the corners of the table as he growled his questions at the Spy and Assassin. Stephan did not make his predecessor's mistake. He may have been of a noble family, but his mind was flexible enough to see the value from different perspectives.

A vein bulged on his neck when the Spy mentioned the loss of the spy and assassin. Did Stephan have a connection with one of them? The thought gave her a momentary spike of jealousy, and the Queen made a decision. The discussion they were having was important enough to distract her from her desire for now, but soon, Stephan would share her bed.

"Do we have any priests or priestesses that have the strength to protect the army as it makes this treacherous journey?" Stephan asked of the Earth Priestess, who had remained uncharacteristically quiet throughout the conversation. The Queen knew the older woman well enough to read the fear on her stoic face. The others may have missed it, but the slight downturn of the Earth Priestess lips declared the answer loudly to the Queen. If she were a more gracious sovereign, the Queen would have taken the pain of answering away from the Priestess of the Earth Goddess. Instead, the Queen waited happily for what response the woman would craft.

"Not entirely," the Priestess answered with a carefully measured tone. A small bead of sweat formed below the formal headdress she now wore in the Queen's presence. The Queen enjoyed the jackal's discomfort. It had been her fault Lukas had escaped. Only her position and usefulness had kept her alive but had not protected her entirely from the Queen's wrath. "I could send several of my strongest to protect small groups of troops, but nothing as large as you have laid out here. The Oborgor Mountains possess a magic that is not fully of the Goddess' making."

The Queen had, in truth, always enjoyed the humbling of the great Priestess. Even before her failure, the woman needed to be frequently shown her place. Though a valuable asset, the Priestess thought too highly of her position. There was much magic not controlled by priests and their gods, including that of the royal line. The Queen's mind fluttered to her brother momentarily. He had been the exception not seen in several generations, an Elemental mage born of her house. Had he been born a woman, his claim on the throne would have been substantial. Destan could have claimed his obvious gifts to be his goddess' blessing. Her magic was much more subtle, but she was beholden to no god for its use. This made her skills more strategic, though she had not dared to try any since Lukas' assault on her mind.

"Then, can they handle a brigade?" Stephan's husky voice penetrated her thoughts. Yes, he would be a fine addition to her current rotation of bedmates. Since Masou, the Queen had chosen to have a steady stream of men to pleasure her. This way, none would feel any ownership of her affection. She had thought about creating concubines, but this felt too tedious and formal. And though jealousy could be fun to watch, it would be dangerous to her goals if directed the wrong way, as Masou's had been. And once Lukas returned to her, no other bed partner would be necessary.

"More like a company, or possibly only a squadron, depending on the Priestess," the Spy answered for the Priestess when she did not respond quickly enough. The Queen enjoyed her cousin's calculation. He knew he was in a precarious position. Still, by pointing out one of her other counselor's deficiencies at the same time as highlighting his knowledge, he strengthened himself and weakened others. "If you want to hire one of the Kingdom's Earth Adepts, you could protect an entire division, but it would be costly. And loyalty would be an issue."

"No, we cannot use those reckless Kingdom Mages," The Queen interjected, offering no explanation and tiring of the entire conversation. Any thought of the Kingdom angered her further. How dare they protect her, Lukas? How dare they keep him from her? The idea of the youngest prince touching Lukas infused further rage into her veins.