The smoke rose lazily from the embers still glowing in the opulent fireplace. The warm glow remained the only light in the room, thanks to the heavy curtains hiding the sun's hot rays. The Queen turned restlessly over to face her latest lover. This one had a body so similar to Lukas's that it almost pained her. Her hand found its way to his back and lazily descended the muscles shaping his shoulders to the small of his back. Images that could have been memories or dreams overlay the scene before her. Moments of peace alone with Lukas in her bed threatened to push tears closer to the surface than they had been in years.
It had to be the headache that brought such sentimental thinking to the front of her mind. Her hand whipped away from the sleeping man's body and moved to her blankets. A servant immediately readied her slippers before her feet could touch the cold stone floor, and another had her robe wrapped around her as soon as she stood up. The servant tied the loose silk with expert hands without touching the Queen's perfect skin.
The Queen glanced at the unassuming girl and nodded to the lead steward. The older woman would ensure this servant dressed the Queen every morning from that day on. At least until she made a mistake, she would be shuffled back to whatever unknown task the servants did when they were outside her presence. As angry as mistakes made her, servants could make small ones and still survive. Well-trained ones were so hard to raise.
Her cousin stood lazily at her door, smiling at the whole scene. The Assassin's men had brought some helpful information from the Fire Priestess' cell so he could afford to be happy. This news had made her gleeful enough that her lover still lay exhausted on the bed. He had worked hard to satiate her desires.
"This one lives," she informed the steward. "He may grace my bed in the future, but leave him in the harem to rest for now."
"Of course," the small woman bowed as she answered with a whisper. With a wave of the steward's hands, two male servants collected the sleeping man and carried him through the back door toward the harem.
"He ranks the harem, eh?" Lucious commented as he angled his arm to accept her hand. She had grown more comfortable around the Assassin over the past few months. His ambitions aligned with hers more than any other of her relatives and advisors.
"Yes, you did well," the Queen confirmed. "More like him will be welcome."
"I have my trainers watching the recruits for those better suited for the harem than the Assassin Hall."
"Yes, you are more successful at giving me bedmates than the Spy." The Queen nodded at the spymaster as she spoke and sat on the small throne in the center of the study. The table before her contained a continent map with two lines overlying the land. Those of the original Empire and those of the existing countries. She relished removing each line once she conquered a new territory, putting together the puzzle of the Empire one piece at a time. Only the most trusted of her advisors could stand in the room with the puzzle map. Only they could know the entirety of her ambition.
"My spies have confirmed the priestess' ties to the Council Lands. Though very faint, they exist. She may just be an informant, but we cannot rule out she is a spy herself." The Spy spoke as if he had been asked a question. The Queen loved it when he anticipated her questions correctly. It gave her a thrill to be around competent people. So different than those who had preceded him.
"Excellent," the Queen purred as she stroked the line that separated the Queendom and the Kingdom. The Tosk mountain range prevented a land attack, but their ships could easily overwhelm the Kingdom's harbors had it not been for their mages. But, they had discovered a weakness in the Kingdom, a tie between Lukas' new lover and the Council Lands. A weakness they could exploit that would bring Lukas back to her. The thought of Lukas with her princely cousin no longer sent angry shivers down her spine. Lucious had explained that the young man looked enough like her to be a replacement. Lukas may not realize how much he missed her bed, but he made it evident in his choice of mates. "You are sure the little prince will take the bait?"
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The Gathering of Masters: The Bond Once Severed Book 1
काल्पनिकThe Bond Once Severed Book 1 Natalia never questioned their bond. But Lukas fell prey to their greatest enemy, his power used to destroy all she loved. Lukas was the strongest Mind Master in many generations; he was the hope of his people. A hope...
