“I have to admit that I could get used to this,” Kajare said, stretching out on his divan with a grin.
“I think we’ll have to enjoy it while it lasts,” I answered, plopping myself down on an overstuffed armchair. “Alas, an unbroken string of victories is probably too much to hope for.”
We’d just taken the second major city in as many weeks. Of course, given that the Dominion covered the whole continent and more, it had a lot of major cities. We were far from done. But we were also clearly making progress.
In the last two weeks since our clash with the Zarian, we’d faced little opposition. Once again, we’d decimated their elites, and also struck a blow against their regular army strength. What was left of their forces had probably retreated to regroup.
“I wish we could move faster,” Yarani said, leaning against the windowsill. “But I understand why we don’t. There’s no point getting overconfident, and we do need to properly secure any territorial gains.”
I nodded. They’d had enough warning that most of the strong cultivators in these cities who weren’t already with the army had gone south. That would make it easier to hold them, but it also meant the Zarian strength wasn’t as diminished as it might have been. I didn’t see much of a way around that, though.
I looked out the window, watching the newest city to fall to the Empire. It resembled the other ones a great deal. Once again, we were quartered in the largest and shiniest building around, although this time it was actually at the edge of the central district rather than the middle. That gave me a good view of the relatively low buildings of the old town. Jideia’s temple was at the other end, and except for a faint plume of smoke, I couldn’t make out anything. The streets were pretty empty, although I noticed that a few of the fittings on the lampposts lining them were cracked. That had to be recent. Probably cultivators coming to blows, spurred by the rising tension the city must have felt.
Well, we’d left the city authorities intact enough they should be replaced quickly. And the Basement was strong here, too, which helped keep the low-tier citizens in the less affluent districts and the huts outside the walls from rioting.
Not that there will be tiers here any longer, I reminded myself. I smiled at the thought. If I hadn’t happened to be born a princess in this world, I might have made a fair revolutionary, if I did say so myself. Of course, that occupation would probably not give me much time in the lab, either. Maybe I could have been a philosopher and political thinker for the Enlightenment.
I snorted to myself, then turned my attention back to my surroundings. Yarani left her perch by the window and instead perched herself in my chair. It was just big enough that we could sit side-by-side with a bit of squashing.
“Why don’t you just sit right in my lap?” I grumbled.
“Oh, I’d be happy to.” She grinned and did so.
I sighed. At least I wasn’t crammed into the armchair now. I tickled Yarani for a few seconds in revenge, then put an arm around her waist.
“Now I’m rethinking my seating arrangements,” Kajare said.
“Don’t even think about it,” I warned him. “I’m not a cushion. And I’d like to see something.”
“Couldn’t you just create eyes on the back of your hand or something?”
I pulled a face. “Yes, in theory. But it’s not as easy as it sounds to get them actually functional, and it’s pretty disorienting even then. I’d prefer to let my eyes stay right here in my skull where they belong.”
“If I didn’t love you, you’d be really creepy sometimes,” Yarani said. “Not that I would judge anyone for their abilities. And I suppose you get used to it.”
I smiled, but didn’t say anything. I could take on some forms that would be a lot more creepy than what I’d done so far, but I didn’t really see the point.
“Speaking of, I just realized something.” Yarani shifted a little and turned to look at me. “The lands we’re taking from the Zarian, there aren’t going to be any nobles here, are there? They’re going to be under the crown directly?”
“Most likely, I guess.” I frowned slightly, mentally shifting gears. “We haven’t really made concrete plans yet, and obviously, I’ll need to work things out with Kiyanu. It’s possible we’ll work with the local power structure. Of course, Imperial authority will probably have pretty great and direct influence. We could also import the Imperial system - such as it is and what there is of it - and make local cultivators nobles, but I don’t really like that idea.”
“How did you get to this from discussing Nari’s shapeshifting, anyway?” Kajare asked.
“We were discussing ways Nari is creepy.” Yarani sniffed. “If the nobles knew what you were really like, most of them would form another cabal to dethrone you.”
“Baseless accusations and slander,” I huffed. “Besides, some of them probably wouldn’t, even if you were right, because they care more about the Empire’s future.”
“You’re really the most incongruous cynic I know,” Yarani said.
I sighed and leaned back into my chair, ignoring the way it shifted Yarani on my lap. Her weight really wasn’t much of an issue given my cultivation-enhanced strength.
We fell silent, all of us sitting quietly in thought for a few minutes. I surreptitiously shifted the chair so I could still look out of the window and watched the city. We’d probably be leaving it soon enough, but most of its inhabitants’ lives would change dramatically. I couldn’t help but feel a bit of satisfaction. We were definitely getting into the real economic heartland of the Dominion, especially if you only considered the Storm Continent, and most likely, the war would be effectively decided sometime in the next few months. A year at most. Although fighting might continue after that.
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My army was performing very well. We also kept recruiting new Lighters. That recruitment was stalling, but that was probably more because we’d already taken the most obvious and available recruits than because of a dip in popularity. And there were still a lot of them in the training camps. Our numerical advantage would only grow, and even if Lighters weren’t in a normal soldier’s weight class, large numbers of them could clearly prove decisive.
“And what will we do after all this?” Kajare asked quietly.
“I want to reach the moon within a hundred years,” I said. “That’s ambitious, but I think we can do it. I want to push the development of new technologies along, especially computers, and the social development we need right along with it. And I think we’ll get at least a bit of a breather after the war, always assuming we’ll win it.”
“As much of one as dealing with the people we conquered will allow,” Yarani pointed out.
I inclined my head. “True. We’re certainly not going to run out of work any time soon.”
“You know, it’s been over a year since your mother ascended,” Yarani said softly. “You might get to see her again at some point.”
I sighed. “It’s probably still going to take a while.” I returned my gaze to the city, staring out at its skyline. “Mior told me that she’s doing well, all things considered. She’s definitely still safe. Apparently, they’ve even begun to manage rudimentary communication. She’s still not what anyone would call in a stable situation, but at least she managed to get through it.”
Kajare nodded, and we fell silent again for a while. I wished Tenira was here, as well, but I’d talked to her last night in my dreams, and she seemed to be doing well. Her projects were definitely progressing faster than I’d dared to hope for.
Eventually, I reluctantly decided that I’d been lazing around for long enough and still had too much work to do. I slithered out from under Yarani, ignoring the playful scowl she gave me, and went into the attached office. Aston had already deposited a number of papers and folders on the desk. I cracked my neck and sat down to go over it. Without Tenira, I definitely had to allow for more time for paperwork. But I generally tried not to complain too much about it, since I knew how much Kiyanu was doing back in the capital.
I had barely gotten started when Aston knocked on the door. After waiting for me to tell him to come in, he stepped inside silently. One look at his expression was enough to let me know we had another complication.
“What is it, Aston?” I asked, leaning back in my chair.
“We have the final report from the battle, my lady.” Without waiting for me to respond, he handed me a folder.
I flipped it open and glanced through it, then raised my head again, frowning. “Something in particular I should be looking at?”
“Putting together several of the observations and pieces of data we’ve gotten, my lady, there appears to be something out of the ordinary. Our analysts are fairly confident that there was a large group of Zarian temple fighters, many of the spirit-children, in the city.”
I nodded. Apparently, they’d emerged from recent restructuring with an official name that you could translate as ‘temple knights’. I’d just keep calling them templars privately.
“We’re trying to run down more precise information,” Aston continued. “So far, we have several indications that the man we chased in the battle, the son of the Auditor, was here.”
I sat up straighter at that news. That was good to know. It probably didn’t bode well that he was around, though.
“Do you need anything else, my lady?” Aston asked.
I ran a hand through my hair. “No, thank you, Aston.” I hesitated, then asked, “Actually, do you happen to know where Elia is?”
“Last I heard, she was with Lord Akilei in the provisional lab,” he answered. “She might have moved on since, though. I would recommend checking the yellow manor, it’s where we quartered the Basement’s liaison and where I’d expect to find her brother.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
Collecting my papers, I stood and headed out. As I walked through the building, I kept my eyes and qi senses peeled. It was still a bustle of activity, people settling in and setting up everything we needed. At least all of that seemed to be going well. I didn’t notice any problems, at least.
Apparently, they were setting up the lab in an outbuilding of this estate. I walked by it, but it didn’t take me long to realize that Elia wasn’t in there. Neither was Lei. I hesitated, but resisted the temptation to head inside. If I started that now, I wouldn’t be back out for hours.
The building Aston had mentioned wasn’t very far, either. It was easy to see where it got its name, since the outer walls and half of the roof had all been dyed a muted yellow just shy of orange. In the otherwise rather gray- and brown-colored city, that stood out.
I found Elia before I even entered the building. She walked slowly towards it from the other direction, talking quietly with Lei. When the two of them noticed me, the looked up and smiled.
“Hey, Nari,” Lei greeted me. “I’m off to the lab. See you later.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and replied with a quick “See you later”, while he was already moving.
“How are things going?” Elia asked. She didn’t quite stop, either, and I quickly joined her in heading into the building.
“Fine, it looks like,” I answered. “Are you doing alright?”
“Sure.” She glanced at me and frowned. “Something the matter?”
“Not really.” I shrugged. “I just wanted to touch base with you.”
“Oh.” She smiled with an edge of embarrassment. “I suppose I haven’t been around much lately, or been talking much to you or the others.”
“That’s no problem,” I assured her. It was hardly the first time someone got into a new relationship and was a little preoccupied with it.
Elia already seemed to know her way around, and led me into a small sitting room with a window looking out over the city and a few closed wooden cabinets. I glanced around, then took a seat in one of the chairs, noting the qi woven into the walls here.
“So, do you deal much with the Basement and all of that?” I asked. “I know Elis is basically working with them full-time now.”
Elia leaned against a table and shrugged. “Not really. I help out occasionally, but mostly I let him deal with that.”
I nodded. “How do you think things are going?”
“Pretty well.” She smiled wryly. “I’m sure if there was a major problem, you’d hear about it.”
“I hope so.” I returned her smile. “By the way, you wouldn’t happen to know much about the Auditor, would you? We’re probably going to run afoul of his son again.”
“I can’t help you much there, I’m afraid. I’ve heard he’s something you could almost call an enforcer for the Storm and his power base.” Elia pulled a face. “A little like those temple knights. It’s probably no wonder the bastard would take up with them.”
I leaned back into my chair. “I got the feeling that he might not have been entirely there, mentally. Or it could have been an act.”
Elia frowned, looking as if she was considering something, for a moment. Then she sighed. “It’s possible. I’m not an expert, you understand, but you know as well as I do that spirit-children are a little like spirits, maybe a little susceptible to mental … oddness. I mean, I don’t think the Auditor would be a pleasant fellow to be connected to, you know? It’s possible, even probable, that he’s a little influenced by his father’s state of mind, or whatever you might call it. But I doubt he’s actually psychotic or anything like that. And it clearly doesn’t hinder his effectiveness.”
I pulled a face. “Alright. I think I see.” I shook my head and raised an eyebrow. “You’d tell me if you weren’t feeling well, wouldn’t you, El?”
She threw a file folder at me, which I snatched out of the air easily. “Don’t be stupid, Nari.” Then her expression turned serious, and she pushed away from the table to sit in one of the nearby chairs. “Seriously, you shouldn’t worry about it. Our spirits are the Sun and the Moon. If you needed to pick one to get maximum mental stability, they’re the obvious choices. I mean, your father is all about guidance, and Piallara, well, truth and justice.”
“I get what you mean.”
I leaned back in my chair, crossing my hands behind my head. She had a point.
That didn’t really make me feel much better about my opponent - no, opponents, - though.