The imp flashed a grin at her. “You told me to let you know when Lorens arrived with his group. He’s here.”
That was good news.
She clapped her hands together in glee. Finally! Reinforcements. She’d been waiting for the centaurs to arrive and push Dash’s advisors out of their positions so that she could take over.
For months now, she’d been in talks with the centaur rebels and their leader, Prince Lorens. She’d been assuring Lorens that Dash would back his cause to overthrow his queen sister, even though she knew he wouldn’t. For whatever reason, Dash wanted nothing to do with Thassalia.
Every time she’d brought it up, he’d furiously shouted her down.
Do not meddle in things you don’t understand!
His dismissals had infuriated her. She knew politics every bit as well as he did. Probably even better because she hadn’t been born into it. She’d had to learn it. He might be king because of a lucky birth, but she wasn’t stupid. Hence how she’d risen to be so close to the crown.
Her original plan had been for Renata to provide the soldiers they needed, and then kill Renata in battle after her brother was gone.
Everything had been going along perfectly.
Until Renata had decided to listen to her brother. Or more to the point, until Dash had put his foot down and refused to let his sister have the soldiers Renata commanded for his calvary. The soldiers Keryna needed to keep Lorens on her side.
Then, Dash had told Renata to toss her out.
That had been the final act.
If he’d just allowed Renata to have those soldiers...
Stupid bastard.
But this was better. Now they wouldn’t have to worry about King Dash, and she wouldn’t have to tolerate any more of Renata’s whining stupidity.
It was perfect.
Being crowned queen was much better than being a simple advisor to Queen Renata. She’d even let Lorens be High King so long as he allowed her to rule over the unicorns.
All those idiots who’d mocked her would rue the day. She planned to torture them just for fun.
Licordia would beherkingdom.
Rubbing her hands together, she let out a squee of pleasure, then remembered that she still had a witness in the room.
“Stay hidden,” she told the imp.
“What have I been doing?”
Annoying her, if the truth were told. He was a threat and, as soon as this was over, she’d see to it that he was a dead one.
She cast the imp a sneer before she left him and headed to the main hall where Kronnel was waiting with Anyana for the centaurs to be shown in.
“What are centaurs doing here?” Anyana asked the general who shrugged in confusion.
Keryna cast a royal, haughty stare over them as she swept into the room. “Didn’t you know?” Keryna asked as she moved to stand beside Anyana who was there as a brown unicorn with an orange horn. “His Majesty is planning on sending troops to help Lorens with his rebellion against their queen.”
In human form, Kronnel scowled at her. “No, he’s not.”
“Is to. Renata told me so. She’s going to be their commander.”
Even though he was human, Kronnel made a very horse-like snort. “You’re insane. King Dash would never involve himself in centaur politics. Nor would he allow his sister to fight with rebels against Meara. I know his policies on such matters. He would never have changed them without telling me.”
Keryna smirked at the old horse as she picked a piece of lint from her ornate bodice. “Apparently, you don’t know him as well as you think you do.”
