The Dragons of Men (The Sons of Liberty Book 2) by Jordan Ervin Page B
Authors: Jordan Ervin
Ads: Link
out, guiding the image over to Europe. Within a few seconds, Lukas was looking at a live image of Buckingham palace.
“Well done indeed,” Lukas said with a wide grin.
“The smaller the world,” Warren began, “the easier it is to hold it in the palm of your hand.”
“And you’re seeing all of this, Father?” Maria asked.
“Seeing and hearing,” Jacob said, tilting his head to the side before smiling with recognition. “That song…ah yes. Passacaglia, unless my memory serves me wrong. Even from here, it is as clear as the night I heard it in concerto. You have a fine taste in music, my Sovereign.”
“Your daughter is the one with a fine taste,” Lukas replied. “It was her who first introduced me to this opus back when we were engaged. So much of me and my time has been devoted to remaking this world that I had spared so very little energy on dwelling on the beauty it has to offer. I guess, in a way, I’m simply trying to catch up on what I’ve missed.”
“So I take it the finer arts have survived your remaking?” Jacob said.
Lukas frowned for a moment, staring back quietly at Jacob’s apparition. Jacob was to govern all of Europe underneath Lukas’ leadership, once the Imperium controlled North America and began expanding across oceans. He had proven irreplaceable in saving not only Lukas’ life from everlasting torture, but in protecting him from a vicious and surprise assault on DC. Jacob had agreed that Lukas would and should be the Sovereign once they had destroyed America and delivered a crippling blow to the Patriarchs, though Lukas himself had not yet discovered why the older man had not tried to seize the throne for himself.
Jacob had insisted that Lukas was better fit to rule as king, while Jacob only wished to serve as a kingdom creator. Lukas wondered if there had been unseen political maneuvering hidden within the older man’s support. But Lukas thrust that thought aside for now, knowing that time and events as they unfolded would shed more light on the matter. Still, he would watch the older man carefully for the time being.
Even the mightiest of men had to be cautious with those closest to them, especially when dealing with other devils and kings.
“Oh, come now, Jacob,” Lukas finally replied. “We didn’t destroy the entire world. We merely set a fire and are burning away the parts that have decayed. I like to think that we have enhanced it.”
“I could not agree more,” Jacob said. “In any case, I promise to introduce you to my personal favorite composition one day when the timing is right. It is an unforgettable piece of art—like a finely aged cabernet—that I do not like to bring out but on a very rare occasion.”
Lukas nodded his head with a smile, though he tucked that conversation away in the back of his mind for later. He wondered what sort of occasion Jacob was waiting for.
Devils and kings indeed, Lukas thought.
“Art and wine aside, I think it’s time we begin,” Lukas said. “Mr. Rosenbaum, would you like to start?”
Rupert nodded his head and proceeded with his report. Though Lukas had officially laid claim to all the land and resources that had been governed by the United States of America, the Imperium was still in its infancy and far from a borderless empire. Thus, they were only able to partially control the lands east of the Appalachian Mountains. Their control stretched as far south as Charleston, east to Charlotte, and up north to Boston. The regions the Imperium governed had been subject to months of destructive pandemonium as America collapsed. Cities dating back hundreds of years had been built upon many pillars of support, all of which relied on the systems beneath it to function. When one of those pillars crumbled to the ground—be it the police, a network of hospitals, fire departments, or local businesses and industries—everyone else felt the repercussions. Nearly every East Coast city had taken heavy blows to its base in
“Well done indeed,” Lukas said with a wide grin.
“The smaller the world,” Warren began, “the easier it is to hold it in the palm of your hand.”
“And you’re seeing all of this, Father?” Maria asked.
“Seeing and hearing,” Jacob said, tilting his head to the side before smiling with recognition. “That song…ah yes. Passacaglia, unless my memory serves me wrong. Even from here, it is as clear as the night I heard it in concerto. You have a fine taste in music, my Sovereign.”
“Your daughter is the one with a fine taste,” Lukas replied. “It was her who first introduced me to this opus back when we were engaged. So much of me and my time has been devoted to remaking this world that I had spared so very little energy on dwelling on the beauty it has to offer. I guess, in a way, I’m simply trying to catch up on what I’ve missed.”
“So I take it the finer arts have survived your remaking?” Jacob said.
Lukas frowned for a moment, staring back quietly at Jacob’s apparition. Jacob was to govern all of Europe underneath Lukas’ leadership, once the Imperium controlled North America and began expanding across oceans. He had proven irreplaceable in saving not only Lukas’ life from everlasting torture, but in protecting him from a vicious and surprise assault on DC. Jacob had agreed that Lukas would and should be the Sovereign once they had destroyed America and delivered a crippling blow to the Patriarchs, though Lukas himself had not yet discovered why the older man had not tried to seize the throne for himself.
Jacob had insisted that Lukas was better fit to rule as king, while Jacob only wished to serve as a kingdom creator. Lukas wondered if there had been unseen political maneuvering hidden within the older man’s support. But Lukas thrust that thought aside for now, knowing that time and events as they unfolded would shed more light on the matter. Still, he would watch the older man carefully for the time being.
Even the mightiest of men had to be cautious with those closest to them, especially when dealing with other devils and kings.
“Oh, come now, Jacob,” Lukas finally replied. “We didn’t destroy the entire world. We merely set a fire and are burning away the parts that have decayed. I like to think that we have enhanced it.”
“I could not agree more,” Jacob said. “In any case, I promise to introduce you to my personal favorite composition one day when the timing is right. It is an unforgettable piece of art—like a finely aged cabernet—that I do not like to bring out but on a very rare occasion.”
Lukas nodded his head with a smile, though he tucked that conversation away in the back of his mind for later. He wondered what sort of occasion Jacob was waiting for.
Devils and kings indeed, Lukas thought.
“Art and wine aside, I think it’s time we begin,” Lukas said. “Mr. Rosenbaum, would you like to start?”
Rupert nodded his head and proceeded with his report. Though Lukas had officially laid claim to all the land and resources that had been governed by the United States of America, the Imperium was still in its infancy and far from a borderless empire. Thus, they were only able to partially control the lands east of the Appalachian Mountains. Their control stretched as far south as Charleston, east to Charlotte, and up north to Boston. The regions the Imperium governed had been subject to months of destructive pandemonium as America collapsed. Cities dating back hundreds of years had been built upon many pillars of support, all of which relied on the systems beneath it to function. When one of those pillars crumbled to the ground—be it the police, a network of hospitals, fire departments, or local businesses and industries—everyone else felt the repercussions. Nearly every East Coast city had taken heavy blows to its base in
Similar Books
