Nitiri glowered at the servant cowering at her feet. He was one of her personal attendants she had brought with her to the castle. After her banishment, she’d sequestered herself away on the Rath Flats in a rather large and fully staffed estate near the border of Sheni. She’d immediately started to replace the castle personnel with her own people after the coronation. She didn't trust her brother's servants and wanted to get rid of them before any of her plans went into effect. Unfortunately, she didn't have enough domestic help to replace them all and had to settle for getting rid of only the important servants and advisers who didn’t support her.
The Rath Flats were very unpleasant. They sat beside the last stretch of the Jurame Mountains, which ran along the upper edge of Lur Alava. The mountains didn’t stretch as far as the Kerali range, but they were thousands of feet tall and extremely steep, blocking out the northern sky entirely. They were often referred to as the dark mountains, known for being filled with dangerous criminals and deadly animals. They also blocked the northern wind, making the Raths deathly still and shrouded in shadow.
Other people wouldn’t dare live there, but Nitiri found it perfect for her desired solitude, and she could easily deal with any bandits with a bit of magic. More often than not, she put them on her payroll. She had her own personal army of bandits, traitors, and thieves, most of whom were used to fighting against organized troops. Her men were more brutal and hostile than the common soldier, and she liked it that way.
"All I found was this, mi‘lady," the servant said, offering the dagger of Amora.
She screamed furiously and slapped it out of his hands.
“How did a child out-distance you?” she screeched, her eyes glowing like fiery embers.
“She didn't, Yer Highness, I was behind 'er tha whole way! I made sure ta follow ‘er close enough as ta not lose ‘er. When we neared Amora I let ‘er get bout a few minutes ahead of me. I heard a commotion and assumed someone had found ‘er body, so I hung back so no one would see me. Then things went all quiet-like. By the time I arrived, all I found was the dagger, and the lassie was gone.”
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He squeezed his eyes shut like he expected Nitiri to strike him, but she was deep in thought.
“Even if she is alive, she’s gone, and she isn’t a threat. No one will believe an eleven-year-old talking about conspiracy. I’ll just have to start a war with Amora another way.”
The servant stood but did not leave.
“Is there something else?”
“Yes, Yer Highness. Some of tha soldiers have been talkin' about ya behind yer back, mi'lady. There are rumors yer a witch ‘n such, my queen. A few of tha old timers think yer tha one who caused the first Demon attack. Tha men are gettin’ restless.”
Nitiri's mouth formed a grim line. She knew something like this would happen eventually. It’d been a long time since she fled from her home. Although her parents had never disclosed the events involving her disappearance, mostly because they had died soon after, there was bound to be rumors about the mystery surrounding her past.
“This is a perfect opportunity, then. It’s time I start replacing the army with my men, anyway. Summon General Admir to meet me in fifteen minutes in the throne room. Tell him we need to discuss new border arrangements, particularly along our boundaries with Reagn and Amora.”
She gestured with her hand toward the door, and the servant scurried off.
Nitiri looked after him, a slim smile pulling at her lips. She decided it was best not to mention she was planning to schedule attacks on those very outposts. She didn’t want her brother's army around either, especially his trusted officials. She planned to send them to the far outreaches of the land where they would be of little threat to her. She could kill them off at leisure and replace them with her army of rogues. She would leave a few of the soldiers along the Amorian border, though. They would be taken care of soon enough.
A small frown creased her face as she thought of what had become of her niece. The servant said there had been a commotion, but Nitiri could think of several reasons why a commotion would coincide with the disappearance.
She could have been kidnapped for the slave trade. Slavers often target less populated areas along the border. Or she could’ve committed the act, and someone came across her body and took it to the closest town.
She couldn't think of any reason for her to be concerned about her niece's disappearance, but she debated sending some of her men down to investigate the matter.
I suppose it is better to be safe and send agents to make sure, she reasoned. She had a lot to do, after all. It was time to rebuild her kingdom and make Lur Alava rival the mighty empire it had been during the Great War. Once she built up her military prowess, she could start to conquer the inferior Southern kingdoms. She didn’t need any unexpected surprises, especially her wretched niece.