Six Rulers

3

Chapter 3

Olivin

Meetings made me want to tear out my hair. Of course, I would never actually do that, but that was the infuriating nature of meetings.

Aelyn had gathered the Council and the Commanders in the War Office. This meant that there was a total of thirteen people in the room, and each individual presence was felt.

Excruciatingly.

"All right, all right. Everyone sit down and shut up," I plopped down into my chair.

The table was round, like the one from the Arthurian legends. Mother had wanted the Council to feel as though they were on equal footing during meetings and discussions, but her chair was bigger. Just so everyone remembered that she was ultimately the one in power and that the rest of them were just there to advise and offer opinions.

There were six Commanders of the Army, five Councillors, one Grand General, and one monarch. The six Commanders were Maxon, Em, Weaver, Sahr, Carver, Mazikeene, and Roslin. They each were assigned to one of the six Legions of Rythos, and one Councillor helped each Commander. Except Roslin, because she was Aelyn's Second, and could go to her if anything was needed.

"Your Majesty, Weaver and I found the assassin," Sahr stood and said.

"Great. What'd you do with him?" I folded my hands on the table.

"We strung him up in a tree."
"Hopefully you did more than that."
Sahr smiled one of her trademark demon smiles. "Oh don't fret. We did."

I nodded. "I am not entirely sure I want to know what I shouldn't be fretting about. Mazikeene? "

Before he could get a word out, the castle shook.

Aelyn let out a string of words that would have been filtered if this were the Good Place. "What was that?"

Roslin jumped up and flew to the window. "Oh geez. Did you do something to make King Dylos mad at coffee or something? Because there's a battalion of soldiers in red and gold out there, and they don't look happy."

I joined Roslin at the window. "Gah. I knew something was up with him. Alright, people, let's get a move on. Rosy, Aelyn, get half of the 1st Legion out there. They've got a catapult – Maz, Carver, go up to Ballista #3 and load it.Take the catapult out first. We're going to try to limit the number of casualties."

"Aye aye, Captain!" Roslin and Aelyn ran off to the barracks.

"Another day, another migraine," Carver grumbled.

"Now is not the time to quote Squidward, Carver. Do it when there aren't soldiers beating down your door." I secretly appreciated the quote. It applied to the situation remarkably well.

—

I raced down the corridor, down several flights of stairs. (It was the 21st century, and we still didn't have a gods-forsaken elevator.)

I reached the stableyard slightly out of breath. "Hey, Isla! Ginny! Get something ready!"

"Way ahead of ya, Liv!" Isla tugged a shiny, coal-black pegasus out from the stable. "Blackjack hasn't been taken out for a day or two, so he's antsy!"

I approached the beautiful winged horse. He snorted and chomped at the bit that had been shoved in his mouth. He flapped his great black wings. I swung myself up into the saddle and dug my heels into Blackjack's sides. He reared up, letting out a earsplitting whinny. He jumped into the sky.

"Feisty, are we?" I mumbled. "Amazing."

We soared over Faerie's Landing; I steered him toward where half of the 1st Legion was gathering.