The Lost War (Hectic Series: Book One)

Chapter 9

Kim spent the next three hours of the meeting carefully discussing the Lost War.
The subject was touchy. It was an already cracked glass and one little push would shatter it.
The Councils were appropriately surprised when she shared her ideas about the Reaper with them. If Marcus actually had used it to open the hole then maybe they could use it close it.
Kim filled them in on everything she possibly could and answered their questions to the best of her ability, but in the end they left with more questions than answers.
Oliver was fast asleep in his chair when she got back to her room.  She wondered how much sleep he had gotten the past few days, or lack thereof.  He had his legs tucked up on the edge of the chair with his cane settled across his lap, his head hanging down.
She flopped back into bed. She'd been up for all of five hours and was already exhausted, and there was a migraine pulsing behind her eyes.
She reached for her teacup and downed the small amount that was left, even though it was cold.
Kim lay there for what seemed like hours, but in reality was probably only a handful of minutes.
Closing her eyes, she let herself drown in her thoughts, hoping that it would take her away for a while, but the Empress didn't take a vacation that easily.
Her mind kept drifting towards the demons and their silent threat.
She hoped they were intelligent enough to mind their own business, for both their sakes.
Kim knew that if she attacked now the Alliance be plunged into the next Lost War.
But if she waited and the demons tried her patience she had every intention of tearing them to shreds.
She could play nice, to an extent.
When the pulsing in her head became so much she thought it might liquify her brain she turned and pulled the covers over her head.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Hello?" Kim asked with a flash of irritation. She wanted to be done with her job today. Didn't these people realize that she wasn't some all-powerful goddess?
"Empress, it's Mary. I thought you might like some fresh tea and medicine to help you sleep."
Kim, at first, wasn't sure she heard her right. A reprieve? Really?
She pushed the covers down and sat up. "Come in."
The tiny head chef backed her way through the door with a tray in hand. She smiled brightly and bowed. "Welcome back, Miss. Sorry about your unfortunate illness."
Kim, completely confused at this random act of sincere generosity, did her best to smile. "Thank you." She understood being respectful, but this? People cared about her only as long as she was taking care of them, and she didn't seem to be doing a very good job at that as of late.
Mary handed her the hot cup and poured some sort of syrup in it before gathering up the dirty dishes. Kim was slightly embarrassed that someone else was cleaning up her mess.
Of course people cleaned up after her all the time, but it wasn't something she had ever really gotten used to.
Without a word Mary swept out of the room and shut the door behind her before Kim could offer a simple thank you.
Still befuddled, Kim sipped her tea. Instantly she felt calmer and the pulsing in her head subsided to a dull ache.
Whatever was in her cup was magic. She could get addicted to the stuff.
When her cup was empty she set it on the nightstand and buried herself under the covers, hoping to sleep the rest of the day away.
And, miraculously, she did. She slept right past dinner and through the night, although her rest was plagued by strange dreams and flashbacks to things she hadn't thought of in years.

Like Oliver crashing through the city with her when she was younger and he not yet elderly, chasing her all the way to his house.

Her father, who she tried to love but just couldn't connect with because he had his job and she, he had said, had hers.    

That one time when she was around twelve and had eaten bad food and had all but puked her lungs out.

Giving Oliver Dex when he was just a tiny wriggling ball of fluff, and how happy he had been. They had played tug-of-war with his cane.

Why she dreamt of such things she did not know. Then again, it could just be because she was sick and her mind was all loopy.
But she couldn't shake the feeling that this was more than just an average bout of bacterial invasion.
She felt beat up and worn down and she was honestly sick and tired of the world's problems.
And so she slept all through the day and night and in her dreams she wasn't the Empress. In her dreams she wasn't even a Hectic.
She was just Kim, and what a wonderful dream it was.
*short chapter, sorry, I was very uninspired. I promise it will take a sharp turn here very soon.*