Warrior of the Moon

32

The man trembled as he knelt before her. Very few who came before her with bad news survived the encounter. He had considered disobeying his order to come to her with his information at all, but knew that if he ignored a command, he would be killed for sure. At least this way he stood a chance, even if it was a bad one, and even if she was glaring at him as if she already knew his news and was debating whether or not it was worth waiting till after he spoke to kill him.

"Tell me," the Mistress ordered, her voice as cold as always. He had heard it before, giving commands to squads that were departing on her various missions. He himself had been one of those who had snuck onto the castle grounds of Azure and caused the Fae to flee their city. After that, he had been stationed in Lymeryth Forest for a while, but upon those of his kind being slaughtered on the shores of Lake Muiress, the Mistress had called many of them back.

The rumors claimed she did not like playing with variables that were not in her control, and indeed, she seemed quite domineering, with the way she sat on the throne before him that he knew used to belong to the Queen Triana. With the blackness of the molten rock as her backdrop, she looked like she was the reigning queen of darkness. He supposed that that was true, too.

"They struck at two places at once, Mistress," he informed her, making sure to look at the ground as he spoke. Not into her eyes, as she thought that was disrespectful of those who were inferior to herself. Not behind her, either, where two figures were wrapped in ropes and gagged, their faces turned toward the action, but clearly terrified and confused. Realizing he had been starting to glance upward, he quickly looked down again.

"Explain."

Her voice rang out in the mostly-empty cavern, and he cringed. "The rest of the northern troops continued marching south, as you ordered, but they were forced to fight the nymphs before reaching Elvestone. They kept us occupied until the Fae army from Ocette joined them there."

"So another one of my armies is destroyed," she said, and while she spoke quietly, she did not sound all that concerned. "And the other place?"

He swallowed, sure that this is where he would die, if death was coming. "Azure, Mistress. Or rather, just outside of it, in the forest to the east. General Wulf and his Wolves were amongst them."

The Mistress' nails began to tap against each arm of the throne, and when he risked a brief glance up at her, he noticed that her nails were long and pointed, like talons. He tried to stay calm, taking in a long breath.

"And I assume that the general was victorious?"

She still sounded very calm, and it was beginning to make the man more hopeful. "Yes, Mistress. We aren't sure how quite yet; he was vastly outnumbered."

"He is talented," she said, as if that was all the explanation that was needed. "I would expect nothing less from him."

Silence for a long moment. Once he began to wonder if she would ever respond at all, he dipped his head to her and said, "If I might be dismissed, Mistress--"

"No," she interjected, and he immediately fell silent again, his knees slamming back against the ground from the few inches he had managed to raise them.

"I have further orders for you," she continued and he licked his lips nervously.

"Yes, Mistress?"

"I want one hundred thousand of our remaining forces to take Estrell. The Fae armies will never be able to get across the Plain in time to stop it, and even these pesky nymphs were unable to defeat the full force I had sent toward Elvestone on their own. Take the city, but hold it; don't destroy it or kill its people without my leave, unless they try to kill you first."