The Hinterland Veil by Sarah M. Cradit

Author:Sarah M. Cradit [Cradit, Sarah M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sarah M. Cradit

21

Oriana

Oriana stretched her weary body over the ivory settee, exhausted with the weight of everyone’s compounding ineptitudes.

Empress, let us try another tactic.

Perhaps we need more scouts.

Yes, scouts. We’ll increase our scouts.

Have we tried to palaver with them?

If we continue murdering our own, who will be left to govern?

“Out of my sight! My presence! I’ll have your marks activated if you say one further word!”

The Senetat, who was supposed to exist to serve her, shuffled off in shame. Had they more sense, they’d have considered looking less relieved to be free of her attendance.

Oriana did not outright dismiss the last claim, though. The logic there, at least, was sound. More scouts would do naothing against the iron will of the vagrant drekar, and she had no desire to talk.

Fretting over the future of their race, though, that was logical. And had she any long-term designs on ruling this dying race, the appeals might have resonated with her.

Not that any of those robed fools would be sad to see Oriana retreat into her basement kingdom. They thought her an autocrat, with an irrational temper. They feared for the future of Farjhem with her on the throne.

She enjoyed their tension far too much to let them in on her secret. Let them dangle. Let them squirm. Let them rue the day they did not bend to her whims, without question.

In this world of sunshine and rebirth, their fear of her remained her solitary joy. Nothing had gone her way since taking the mantle. Did no one appreciate the sacrifice? She had placed her own life, her own empire, on hold to save a race that couldn’t be bothered to find their own way.

Why had the drekar not shown their craven faces yet? Oriana had gone directly to her most aggressive plan, not wishing to waste time, confident the deaths of their own would be the catalyst to stir them to immediate martyrdom.

She planned to accept their fealty and execute them on the spot, showing mercy by killing them quickly, as an expression of her relief and gratitude to end this. Then, Oriana could leave Farjhem in the hands of her most trusted pet and retreat to the world where she belonged.

But she could not return until the drekar were extinguished… and they would not be extinguished without luring them to Farjhem.

No flaw existed in her plan. So, what, then?

“Empress.” The impudent one, Maxima, appeared at the double doors of the great hall.

Without pulling her gaze away from the ornate tableaus in the ceiling, Oriana waved a hand at the eldre.

“I have a thought that may interest you,” she ventured, footfalls echoing across the marble. The sound was like thunder in Oriana’s aching skull.

“By all means, let us not wait a moment longer.”

Maxima’s footfalls grew closer, her step neither tentative nor quick. At that moment, it occurred to Oriana what grated her most about the creature: Maxima did not seem to fear her.

“Well, get on with it.”

“Your—our—efforts to lure your brother and the Runeans, while brilliant, may not have appealed to them in the way intended.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.