perfect world and throw it at the Lady’s feet. There, she would say, who is your favorite now?
Just the thought of it brought the smile back to Nara’s lips. With such a grand offering, the Shepherdess would have no choice. She would cast the thief aside and return to her true favorite. Benehime would take Nara in her beautiful embrace once again, and together they would laugh at the memory of the boy called Eli, when they thought of him at all.
She was still savoring that thought when a high-pitched squeal brought her back to the present. The wind was writhing in her clenched hand. The Empress eased her grip, letting the wind slide gratefully through her fingers.
“Go to my war palace at Istalirin,” she said. “See if Den has arrived yet.”
“Yes, Empress,” the wind panted, flitting gladly away.
Nara nodded and turned to deal with the mess the Lord of Storms had made. Without a word of warning to her general, she walked to the edge of the balcony and jumped off. The desert winds caught her fall, setting her down gently on the fortress’s stone yard. The soldiers dropped to their knees when they saw her, pressing their heads to the ground in reverence. She ignored them, focusing instead on the stone beneath her golden boots.
“You,” she said, stomping on the ground. “Wake up.”
The stone rumbled as it woke, and then lowered itself in obedience.
“Yes, Empress?”
“Form a wall along the coast. This storm is no concern of ours. We will protect our borders and wait it out.”
“Yes, Empress,” the stone said again.
The Empress nodded and slammed her foot on the ground a second time. The stone obeyed instantly, and a pillar of rock shot up beneath her feet, lifting her back to the edge of the watchtower balcony. Her general ran forward to help her over the railing. When her footing was solid again, she turned to watch as the bedrock spirit followed her orders.
All along her coast, a great wall of stone exploded out of the sandy beach, forming a barrier between the water and the land. The stone wall ran as far as she could see, following the snaking coastline until her continent’s entire southern tip was cut off, safe from the storm surge behind a fifty-foot barrier.
Nodding in approval, the Empress turned back to the waiting wind, who had just returned from the north.
“Den has arrived,” the wind said. “He’s demanding to see you.”
“He would,” the Empress sneered. “Well done. You are released.”
The wind bowed and fled, vanishing into the clear, desert sky.
“General,” Nara said, turning to face the old man who was stillbowing in reverence. “You will leave five hundred men here to resettle those misplaced by the storm. The rest of your army will march to my war palace at Istalirin. I want everything: support, supplies, siege troops, the full panalopy. March them hard, I want my armies gathered by dark tomorrow.”
The old man paled. Istalirin was miles away. Such a deadline, even on the Empire’s awakened roads, would be nigh impossible. But the Immortal Empress expected the impossible from all her subjects as a matter of course, and her general knew better than to complain.
“Yes, Empress,” he said, bowing lower than ever. “Is it war then?”
“War indeed,” the Empress said. “It is time at last to bring the entire world into the light of my Empire.” And to show Benehime who was truly worthy of her love.
The general eyed her nervously. “Permission to speak, Empress.”
“Granted,” the Empress said.
“Your army marches wherever you command,” he said. “But the man Den is not to be trusted. While you were gone, he did nothing but wander your Empire, terrorizing your towns and challenging every strong fighter he could find. We lost several of your best to him. He has no discipline or loyalty, and he does not follow orders. You are the chosen of the land, Empress, and I would never question your judgment, but can such a man truly be a servant of
Just the thought of it brought the smile back to Nara’s lips. With such a grand offering, the Shepherdess would have no choice. She would cast the thief aside and return to her true favorite. Benehime would take Nara in her beautiful embrace once again, and together they would laugh at the memory of the boy called Eli, when they thought of him at all.
She was still savoring that thought when a high-pitched squeal brought her back to the present. The wind was writhing in her clenched hand. The Empress eased her grip, letting the wind slide gratefully through her fingers.
“Go to my war palace at Istalirin,” she said. “See if Den has arrived yet.”
“Yes, Empress,” the wind panted, flitting gladly away.
Nara nodded and turned to deal with the mess the Lord of Storms had made. Without a word of warning to her general, she walked to the edge of the balcony and jumped off. The desert winds caught her fall, setting her down gently on the fortress’s stone yard. The soldiers dropped to their knees when they saw her, pressing their heads to the ground in reverence. She ignored them, focusing instead on the stone beneath her golden boots.
“You,” she said, stomping on the ground. “Wake up.”
The stone rumbled as it woke, and then lowered itself in obedience.
“Yes, Empress?”
“Form a wall along the coast. This storm is no concern of ours. We will protect our borders and wait it out.”
“Yes, Empress,” the stone said again.
The Empress nodded and slammed her foot on the ground a second time. The stone obeyed instantly, and a pillar of rock shot up beneath her feet, lifting her back to the edge of the watchtower balcony. Her general ran forward to help her over the railing. When her footing was solid again, she turned to watch as the bedrock spirit followed her orders.
All along her coast, a great wall of stone exploded out of the sandy beach, forming a barrier between the water and the land. The stone wall ran as far as she could see, following the snaking coastline until her continent’s entire southern tip was cut off, safe from the storm surge behind a fifty-foot barrier.
Nodding in approval, the Empress turned back to the waiting wind, who had just returned from the north.
“Den has arrived,” the wind said. “He’s demanding to see you.”
“He would,” the Empress sneered. “Well done. You are released.”
The wind bowed and fled, vanishing into the clear, desert sky.
“General,” Nara said, turning to face the old man who was stillbowing in reverence. “You will leave five hundred men here to resettle those misplaced by the storm. The rest of your army will march to my war palace at Istalirin. I want everything: support, supplies, siege troops, the full panalopy. March them hard, I want my armies gathered by dark tomorrow.”
The old man paled. Istalirin was miles away. Such a deadline, even on the Empire’s awakened roads, would be nigh impossible. But the Immortal Empress expected the impossible from all her subjects as a matter of course, and her general knew better than to complain.
“Yes, Empress,” he said, bowing lower than ever. “Is it war then?”
“War indeed,” the Empress said. “It is time at last to bring the entire world into the light of my Empire.” And to show Benehime who was truly worthy of her love.
The general eyed her nervously. “Permission to speak, Empress.”
“Granted,” the Empress said.
“Your army marches wherever you command,” he said. “But the man Den is not to be trusted. While you were gone, he did nothing but wander your Empire, terrorizing your towns and challenging every strong fighter he could find. We lost several of your best to him. He has no discipline or loyalty, and he does not follow orders. You are the chosen of the land, Empress, and I would never question your judgment, but can such a man truly be a servant of
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