Odi et amo.
I hate and I love.
Chapter 1
AIMILIA
For the first time in Commander Aimilia’s life, peace was more than a foolish and idealistic dream. It was real, tangible, and finally in their grasp. For everyone except her.
Commander Aimilia kept her head held high as she headed down the palace hallway and toward the entrance hall leading out to the main courtyard by the walls.
Maybe today she’d get as close to peace as she was ever going to. After what she’d done, she’d never know it truly, so she’d have to take what she could get.
Prince Nikias had approved and finalized a new round of assignments for the commanders, lieutenants, and Runai troops. There’d been an initial flurry of assignments that had followed in the wake of the treaty between Imperia and the clan mages.
During which Aimilia hadnotbeen assigned a post.
But that had been the last one until now.
She had graduated into a command position over two years ago, and had never been assigned a post. At first it was because she was spending months waiting on a proposal that was neveractually coming from her closest friend, Prince Gavril, and then after that she was caught up trying to get in the way of his marriage to the clan mage he’d captured by accident. Then she’d been helping him and said clan mage find a way to bring peace, so it wasn’t like she hadn’t had her hands full.
But all of that was over, and it was time for Aimilia to move on with her life. Even if she didn’t really want to. Why Prince Nikias hadn’t thought to give her an assignment when he initially shuffled everything around now that they would no longer need so many Runai in the field fighting the clans, she didn’t know.
At least, she hoped she didn’t know, meaning, she hopedNikiasdidn’t know. And he didn’t. Or she wouldn’t be receiving a post. She’d be receiving a noose. If she was lucky.
Given the things he’d proven himself capable of…
Aimilia was going to spend the rest of her life holding her breath and hoping Nikias never discovered what she’d done. She’d be completely at his mercy.
“If I cannot have justice on the demon, I will have it on her lookalike.”
His words echoed in her ears, from so long ago but as clear as if it had been yesterday.
What did Nikias know of mercy?
The things he’d done to Marcella for the crime of looking like the woman who had killed his wife… What would he do to the woman who had poisoned his father and set off the events that ended in him being tortured by that very murderer?
Aimilia didn’t want to ever find out.
She pushed open the doors and strode out into the courtyard where there was a swath of red cloaks and between them chitons with a specific gold trim, marking the lieutenants. Any commander or lieutenant that wasn’t actively assigned a post, or had been summoned for a reassignment, was there. Thelieutenants were almost always Runai that had made it onto the command track in the Academy but didn’t get one of the twelve command positions. She spotted a couple of those mages from her class in the crowd.
She exchanged polite nods with them as she approached. While Aimilia had had many acquaintances, that had really only been so she could stay abreast of any rumors going around. She’d never been close to them. She’d never been close to anyone but Gavril. What did she need anyone else for when she had him?
Only, she’d never really had him. Not the way she’d thought.
Aimilia fell into line with the rest of the Runai gathered, waiting for their assignments. One of the mages from her old class took a spot beside her, a lieutenant with dirty blond hair and a height that matched Aimilia’s. Turpis, from House Feris, had recently been promoted. Aimilia gave him a nod and he returned it, giving her a smile.
It seemed he wasn’t harboring any hard feelings over how she was one of the main reasons he hadn’t become a commander when they’d been competing in their graduation tournament.
Good. She needed fewer enemies.
Once they were all assembled, Commander Livus stepped up to the front of the crowd, scroll in hand, unrolling it while he looked over them. “On the orders of Prince Nikias, listen closely for your posts, Runai.”
Aimilia straightened up, lifting her chin and focusing as he started going through the list. Every time he opened his mouth, her breath hitched, waiting for her name to come out. She watched his eyes go down the list, inching closer to the end, and still her name hadn’t been called.
But then again, at least the open post for the Mitis’ lands hadn’t been called yet either. Maybe Nikias was just messingwith her, putting it last. He had to give it to her. She was the best choice for it, not to mention the most obvious choice.
Nikias knew everything about the commanders. He knew her grandfather wasn’t doing well, and filling that post with a Mitis mage to coordinate with the House was simply the most logical solution. Aimilia was the only Mitis commander without a current post.
