Maksim had been the first one Eimarille had ever seen made.
It was always interesting to see the personality still shining through after all these years.
“What news from Urova, my dear ambassador?” Eimarille asked.
“I’ve heard from my institution back in Matriskav. The Urovan court has received outreach asking for aid from Ashion that does not come from its parliament,” Maksim dutifully reported.
“How interesting,” Eimarille murmured. “The duchess’ doing, I presume?”
“They claim to represent the western provinces on behalf of the true queen of Ashion.”
Eimarille curled her hand into a fist before realizing she’d made the gesture. Such a tell was not something she wanted to reveal and was glad it was only the four of them in her office and this wasn’t court. “And what do these liars want?”
“Aid to stop Daijal’s push past the border.”
Eimarille laughed and pushed her chair back. “They’ll not have it. Isar Dávgon has agreed to treaties with Daijal. Urovan support belongs to us, not to traitors.”
She’d pulled those strings for over a decade behind Bernard’s back once Maksim became what he was now. It had taken subtle, intense effort on her part to lay the groundwork for a political relationship that had drawn tighter after the Inferno. Urova’s clarion crystal mines were too important to the war effort to give up to another country’s needs.
Maksim’s hands on the treaties drawn between Urova and Daijal in recent memory were as much the diplomat’s own as they were hers. Bernard had never seen that, too pleased with getting what he thought he’d wanted when in fact, it was whatshehad wanted.
“You’ll advise Isar Dávgon of what your country owes mine in the wake of these overtures,” Eimarille said, pinning Maksim with a hard look. “I’ll not have him playing two sides.”
“I’ll endeavor to bring my cousin to heel.”
“See it done.”
Maksim bowed deeply and left. Terilyn closed the door behind him and locked it, gliding across the office to come to Eimarille’s side. She pressed a soft kiss to Eimarille’s cheek, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Lisandro is with his governess for the rest of the afternoon.”
Eimarille wrapped both her arms around Terilyn’s waist, absently counting the hidden weapons on her lover’s body with touch. “He may join us for dinner tonight. I’ll need a respite from today’s many problems.”
Her son was a joy and always would be. She adored him, as much as she adored her Blade. Terilyn hummed agreement, fingers stroking over Eimarille’s hip, rucking up the fabric of her gown there. “What did Joelle have to say?”
Eimarille huffed out a sigh. “Apparently, the Dawn Star has shown favor to the House of Sa’Liandel.”
Terilyn pulled back to look Eimarille in the eye, frowning prettily. “That’s unusual.”
“And a problem. The Conclave was supposed to rally the Houses to Joelle. Now it won’t, and I need a distraction so the Legion will not be focused on Solaria’s northern border.”
“Am I to be that distraction, then?”
Eimarille ghosted a kiss over Terilyn’s subtly painted lips. “Yes, for I trust no one else. I’m sending you to Calhames tomorrow. See that the dead are properly handled.”
“Your will be done.”
Eimarille glanced over Terilyn’s shoulder, eyeing Innes where he still leaned against her desk, watching them. Maksim hadn’t acknowledged him once, the star god most likely influencing the man’s awareness so as to go unnoticed. “Will you join us for my call with the high general?”
“I trust you to see these initial battles through to the next stage. I find my attention is needed elsewhere,” Innes said.
He gave them both a little nod before sweeping out of the office, off to handle whatever pressing need required him. Eimarille never claimed to know how the star gods lived their lives.
“Perhaps he’s off to speak with his sister,” Terilyn mused, pulling away.
Eimarille smoothed her hands down the skirt of her gown. “I’m sure whatever he is doing will aid us. His goal is our goal.”
“Of course.”
“I’ll ask Kote to deploy the strike group and have them make their way to the Warden’s Island. Kote picked the soldiers personally, but they’ll need to move discreetly.”
“It will be a good chance to test the new long-distance war machines.”
“If they do well there, then they will certainly do well against the Legion.”
The factories in the north of Daijal had been working day and night on the production line to provide the war machines the Daijal army would need to take the continent. The nobles who owned the mines that supplied iron and other metals to the companies handling the production had been more than happy to acquiesce to the crown’s needs for the right to keep control of the mines.
The war machine designs—both short and long-range—had been something Kote had overseen before Eimarille was crowned. The military budget had been ramped up toward the end of Bernard’s reign, ostensibly at his orders, but Eimarille had been the one to coax the expansion out of him by manipulating others. These days, she no longer needed to work behind the scenes to obtain her goals.
Ashion could beg for help from outside their borders all they liked. Urova would not lend them aid, and Solaria was occupied by internal issues. The Tovan Isles kept to their ship-cities, and E’ridia would be dealt with once Ashion was under her control, and not even the Eastern Spine would keep her forces out.
The North Star might have kindled the flames of the starfire throne, but Eimarille would wear the crown that mattered. Maricol would fall in line, or it would burn.
