13
I’d left Hadvezér Trol at the front, taking the brunt of the Angel’s advance, along with over one hundred thousand males. Hadvezér Rapp had returned to Uzhhorod with me, along with the other half of the army, to await the new recruits that should add a third to our numbers. Rapp, along with all the Parancsok beneath us, had been enjoying their reprieve in the city, which was probably why all but my only friend looked displeased as I gathered them in Xannirin’s study to discuss the arrivals streaming in day after day.
Rapp was a Binder—ruthless, clever, and a touch crazed. But he was like a block of ice under pressure, which made him perfect for my second-in-command. We’d come up in the army together, both our burgundy eyes winning us attention and enemies immediately.
He stood by my side across the large planning table from the Parancsok, while Xannirin positioned himself at one head, boots propped up and chewing on pium leaves. A plate of them rested in the middle of the table for others to take to help with the change in altitude. The miracle plant grew in abundance around Uzhhorod and even into the Paks Desert to the north, and the thick, thorny bushes flourished in every available pot in the city as the people showed their support for their Kral. The leaves, once ground and mixed with water, formed a potion that stopped bleeding instantly, a literal lifesaver to what would be near-fatal blows that our innate healing ability could not compete with. Not only that, but they provided a much needed awakening, their minty flavor as invigorating as it was refreshing, especially after the multiple late nights I’d had with my cousin.
“Parancsok Olet,”
I began, leveling my gaze at one of my officers, “how many have returned for you?”
“Only half, Halálhívó,”
he reported, dipping his head. “Százados Jaku was sent furthest south to House Olmuth’s vidék. It will take him some time to return.”
Rapp’s charcoal stick flew across the page as he took notes. I went around the room, each of the officers providing updates on numbers, returnees, and those they had sent back out again. The Demon Realm was vast, and though Uzhhorod was centrally located, the terrain was rough, especially in and around the Skala Mountains. A map, secured at its four corners by ebony weights in the shape of skulls, displayed every inch of that topography.
Running my hand along its curves, we spoke of strategy, troop movements since we’d returned to the capital, possible choke points to feed the Angels to stop their advance, and any traps we could set ahead of time should we need to retreat quickly. I wasn’t one to let any stone go unturned, preparing for every possibility, no matter how small the probability.
“Right, that should do it until the remainder of the conscripts arrive,”
I announced when every last question in my mind had been satisfied or shelved for later. The relief in the Parancsok’s faces was evident as they made for the door. A few snagged any leftover food from the meeting, no doubt to store away in the camp for later when they were faced with the typical gruel.
Rapp and Xannirin remained behind, and I waited until the last of the Parancsok had closed the door behind him before speaking again. “You need to whip up more propaganda, Xannirin. They’re bringing in great numbers, but it sounds like some of the Százados have noted the unrest in certain parts of the realm.”
My cousin rubbed a hand over his chin, nodding like he heard me but staring at the books hugging the wall opposite him with a faraway look in his eyes. “This is Kiira’s area of expertise.”
“Well, Kiira still hasn’t come to Gyor,”
I grumbled. Xannirin and I had been occupied with quelling the unrest with the nobles, and despite repeated attempts to send messengers to fetch her, she’d refused every time.
Her absence was gnawing on my nerves.
“She’s busy at Varbad,”
Rapp interjected. “I only saw her for a brief moment when I visited. She shooed me away with promises she was coming to see us all.”
Rapp shifted his weight, his burgundy leather armor moving with his powerful body. Tall, stacked with lean muscle, and tattooed nearly as much as me, he was a formidable force in the air, leading all the winged divisions of our army. I’d never seen someone fire three arrows simultaneously and land them all between the eyes of three different targets, but it was a talent Rapp possessed by the cartful.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I don’t like this.”
“Everything is fine, Rokath. Even if the civilians and nobles are restless, the Százados think the conscripts are more than ready to fight to the death against the Angels. That’s truly what matters,”
Xannirin pointed out.
I grunted, flattening my hands on the table and studying the miniature figurines spread across the map. “I can’t argue with that.”
A wicked laugh slipped from Rapp, his smoky voice filling the room. “Dissent should be punished among the civilian population as it is among the army. Swiftly and without mercy.”
“And have my people turn on me in an instant? You’re mad, Rapp. We must walk a fine line between giving them something to believe in higher than themselves while maintaining their quality of life. So long as they are happy, they won’t pay attention to the nuances in our words and deeds,”
Xannirin explained.
I slashed my gaze at him. “The conscripts will make people unhappy purely based on the loss of labor. That should be what Kiira addresses. Perhaps her priestesses can volunteer their time making up for that rather than forcing people on their knees to pray three times a day.”
Xannirin shrugged, boots smacking against the floor as he dropped his legs. “I want to enjoy a lovely summer afternoon on my balcony before the formal dinner this evening.”
Rapp and I groaned together. “I swear on the Reaper, Xannirin, if your coordinator placed me by Olrith–”
A twinkle appeared in my cousin’s eye as he stopped me. “He did not, but that does not guarantee she won’t approach you regardless.”
I snorted. He had a point. I hoped that after our encounter upon my entrance into Gyor Palace that she’d finally get the hint and stop pursuing me.
“Kiira has indicated that she will be in attendance, at least,”
Xannirin added.
A band of tension in my chest eased. If something was wrong with our alliance, she certainly wouldn’t show up to a trivial dinner designed to smooth over relations with the noble houses. She understood the importance of quelling the discontent with them.
“We’ll see you later then,”
I told him, jerking my head for Rapp to follow. His tongue flicked out to play with the bronze metal pierced through his lip as we entered the hall.
If Kiira were coming, at least then I could figure out if our alliance still held strong or if there were some underlying threat I needed to squash. I mulled over the reports as we strolled to the opposite end of the palace.
“Where are Grem and Zeec? I figured they’d be in attendance at the meeting,”
Rapp asked.
“Does everyone like my dogs better than me?”
I grumbled.
“You’re kind of an asshole, so yeah,”
Rapp laughed, running a hand over his hair. He kept the dark mess long on the top and cropped close on the sides, though the snakes tattooed on either side of his head were only barely visible, unlike mine.
“And you’re insane,”
I shot back, lifting a brow and regarding him.
A crazed grin spread across his face, matching the glint in his eye. “But that’s why we’re such a great pair, Rokath. You make people fear you from your temper. I make people fear me by being incredibly unpredictable.”
“You mean unhinged and erratic,”
I replied.
“And you’re irrational when you’re pissed, grumpy when you’re not,”
he laughed back.
“You’re starting to sound like Xannirin,”
I grumbled, taking a sharp right down a servant’s hall. I’d have to deal with enough simpering nobles tonight, there was no point in putting myself in their way prior to that.
Sometimes, being the Fates’ gift to the Demons was exhausting. Between the pressure of their mandate to conquer all of Keleti and the attention that came with being so highly favored by our deities, sometimes I simply wanted to disappear for a while.
The burden was a heavy one to bear, and not one I could share with anyone.
Even Rapp.
Rapp predicted my move and remained right at my shoulder. Equal in height, but not in brawn, we did make a formidable, frightening pair to any who saw us together.
The serving female that squeaked when she picked her head up and discovered our approach was a prime example. The sound sent a wicked thrill humming through my veins. There was nothing I enjoyed more than people’s fear.
Grem and Zeec were snoozing on their respective beds when we entered my sitting chamber. Grem, at least, cracked an eye when the door clicked shut behind Rapp and me. With a yawn, he eased himself to standing, stretching forward and back and then shaking out his long fur. Zeec merely flopped on to his side, knowing from experience that Rapp would go to him and rub his belly.
“Utterly useless,”
I mumbled as the dogs greeted my friend.
Zeec’s tail thumped against the plush bed as Rapp settled onto the floor, and Grem shoved up against him, using his snout to lift Rapp’s hand to his back. He laughed and tackled them both, eliciting a bark from Grem.
“Let’s take them outside, maybe I’ll let you throw their ropes for them,”
I sighed, succumbing to the battle I was going to lose.
Rapp shot me a devious grin.
“You can get your own dogs you know,”
I added, crossing my arms over my chest.
Pushing to his feet and shoving the wild beasts down, he said, “But annoying you by making them love me more is half the fun.”
“They don’t love you more,”
I grumbled, finding the cabinets storing their favorite treats and toys. The moment they noticed the direction of my path, both were hot on my heels, barely giving me enough room to navigate the remaining distance. “See?”
“Psh,”
Rapp laughed, “they know what comes out of there.”
Reaching for the rectangular bronze handle, I pulled open the long, narrow cabinet, a waft of stinky, dried meat blasting my nostrils. Grem and Zeec sat on their haunches immediately, licking their lips in anticipation of what was to come. By the time I turned around, strings of drool dripped to the thin rug beneath my feet. Grem shuffled himself as if to tell me that he was growing impatient waiting for his treat.
Throwing a go-fuck-yourself look at Rapp, I tossed one strip at Grem and the other at Zeec. Both launched themselves into the air and snatched the treats, munching quickly and swallowing audibly.
The two ropes my hounds adored flew in Rapp’s direction with more than enough force to ensure they reached him. When he caught them in mid-air, I said, “Good boy.”
“Did the great Halálhívó make a joke?”
Rapp shot back, grinning as we made paths for the balcony door, the dogs trotting between us.
“Never,”
I replied, tone carrying a hint of sarcasm.
He snorted. “Guess there’s no hope you’ll change after all.”
“Why would I want to? I am the most powerful Demon in existence. I command hundreds of thousands. The Kral respects what I say. I have everything I need,”
I replied coolly.
“Don’t forget you’re the most humble too,”
Rapp teased. I rolled my eyes.
How this male remained my friend after all these centuries was beyond me. At first I’d tolerated him because of our proximity and power, and somewhere along the way he’d become one of the few people I trusted.
The summer heat greeted us as we exited Gyor Palace onto my private balcony. The stone splayed into the distance, unencumbered so Grem and Zeec could bound from one end to the other, showing off their prowess. Further down, though, a set of stairs waited, spiraling to the ground where plush grass and thick hedges sprawled over the remaining space on the palace grounds. Around us, a high wall held off any would-be intruders, if the deterrent of the rocky hillside wasn’t enough.
Our ancestors were wise in choosing this location as the seat of power for the Demons.
My hounds pranced in front of Rapp, spinning and sitting and spinning again as they waited for him to toss their toys. “Grem, stay,”
he commanded, and my obedient hound sank to his haunches, eyes sad as he waited his turn.
With one powerful throw, Rapp flung the rope, sending it sailing end over end while Zeec raced forward. His black fur flattened as he picked up speed, legs bunching beneath him before he leaped into the air and snatched it. He wasted no time in spinning and bounding back in our direction. The rope dropped at Rapp’s feet, and he sat, glancing from my friend to his toy and back again.
“You have to give your brother a turn,”
Rapp chastised Zeec, and with a huff, the dog settled on the ground, head between his paws. Grem shot to his feet, ready to chase his prize. Rapp repeated the throw, and again, my hound raced and snatched the rope from the air.
When he returned, I said, “Give me one.”
Rapp tossed me Zeec’s toy, and together, we offered them a grueling challenge, pitting them against each other and ribbing one another when a throw fell short.
“You know, if Thast was still here, you’d have to have a third dog,”
Rapp commented casually.
Ice grew around my already cold, dead heart. “Stop.”
“It’s been centuries, Rokath. You need to–”
“Move on? Forgive myself?”
I seethed, fist tightening over the rope as it hung limply by my side. The memory of that fateful day smashed to the forefront of my mind. But where Thast’s cherry eyes normally seared into me, those burgundy ones appeared instead. “I’m tired of this conversation, Rapp. Let’s just never speak of it again.”
Rapp’s tongue flicked over the metal in his lip, but he raised his hands in supplication. Grem jumped for the rope dangling from one.
“Down,”
I commanded, and he obeyed, though his eyes did not leave the toy despite his open-mouth panting.
“You’re not the only one who lost him, Rokath. Sometimes I want to talk about it, you know,”
Rapp said quietly.
I closed my eyes and sucked in a deep breath before blowing it out again. “Not now. When we’re sitting on the Koron’s throne, we can.”
Opening my eyes, I saw Rapp nodding. “Deal.”
Clearing my throat, I tossed the rope, sending Zeec racing away again. “We should probably get back inside and clean up before dinner tonight.”
Rapp groaned, our previous conversation forgotten. “Remind me, why do I have to go?”
“Because I have to,”
I replied, snatching the toy from Zeec when he returned. I rubbed his head and patted his side, then turned toward the double doors that led to my sitting chamber.
“And you have to because?”
Rapp asked, joining me with Grem at his heels.
“Because Xannirin wants me there.”
Rapp snorted. “What was it you said before? ‘I am the most powerful Demon in existence?’ You don’t have to go.”
“I also said that the Kral respects what I say, so that part is important to maintain,”
I reminded him, though there wasn’t a sharpness to my tone. I was merely stating the facts, despite Rapp’s obvious attempts at humor.
The cool interior of the palace was a welcome reprieve from the heat, and both the dogs flopped to the cool stone in front of the doors, before the wood slats picked up and covered the rest of the space. Their tongues lolled against it, chests rising and lowering at a rapid pace.
“See you tonight?”
Rapp handed me the rope.
“Aye,”
I replied, accepting it. “And before you ask, no, your current attire will not do.”
Rapp glanced down at his burgundy flying leathers. “But these show off my physique so well. And if Orith is going to be there, you might need me to distract her for you. That’s what friends do after all.”
He winked as he made for the door.
I snorted. “You don’t need those, only power, to get her father’s attention.”
Grinning, he opened the heavy wood and wedged himself between my room and the hall. “Fine, I’ll ensure my clothing is crisp and clean and appropriate for all these stuck up nobles.”
And with that, he departed, leaving me to stew on the past, the present, and the future.