at dawn as he always was, driven by the stress of their lives and the need to keep moving forward in the hope they would one day be done with the seemingly endless conflict with the Elvasi.
I wish I had the confidence of my brother…or Mave.
He finished making breakfast for everyone, setting it on the table with covers to keep everything warm. He knew he would be gone before they woke up.
Bryn will come by and say goodbye. At least, he better.
He made himself a plate and ate quickly, then headed out. He wasn’t ready, per se, to start his day, but he didn’t have a choice. He could only keep going and hope every day they had the right intel to make the right decision. He could hope more good news or even no news would come.
Seanev’s defeat is crushing. Alchan is going to be rattled for weeks, even if he doesn’t show it. I need to keep an eye on him. We’ve never lost like that, not when we were in charge.
They had been there in the final moments of the war, but they hadn’t been the decision-makers all those years ago.
The first place Luykas went was to Leshaun’s home, unsurprised to find the old male awake and eating his breakfast.
“Good morning, Luykas,” Leshaun greeted with a tired smile. “I’ve heard what happened. I’ve already checked our books. There’s no new intel since the night before last. Nothing since Seanev’s return.”
“I figured but hoped,” Luykas said softly, sitting down at the table. “Do you think we missed anything?”
“I think our spies are locals, and we’ve always used them for very specific things. This might be out of their depth. They’re helping free Andinna and move them north, but it’s not their job to know everything about Shadra’s war plan.” The old male put his fork down and sighed. “There’s only one who can get ahold of that information, and she’s been slow to do so.”
“Kian pointed that out to me as well, but she’s had a lot going on. She’s fed us what she can, but she hasn’t known much in months. Shadra left her in Elliar to practice being a ruler, while Shadra goes to war.”
“She’s been ill. You’ve told me, but you never told me what made her ill,” Leshaun pointed out. “Could someone have tried to poison her? Maybe she’s wary of getting too close to potential political enemies. If she dies, Shadra must name an heir who isn’t one of her own children. She’d have to pick a favorite lord or general, and that will breed infighting and instability, which could be both good and bad for us.”
“She did it to herself,” Luykas answered with a wry snort. “We talked once before it happened. She had been looking for a spell that would kill someone in a way that looks natural.”
“Sorcery,” Leshaun mumbled, shaking his head.
“Sorcery that relied on blood,” Luykas corrected. “Almost our blood magic, but not. I gave her a few helpful tips about how blood magic works. I know you disagree. I told her the spell was bad news. It was how she ended up killing Lord Fenoth and taking his position. She inherited everything when he died. He had no other children.”
“The backlash of using blood magic of any type to kill someone must have been immense.” Leshaun shook his head, disagreeing with the very idea. “No wonder you never told me.”
“What happened to Seanev changes everything. You’ve been wondering, and now isn’t the time for me to keep my sister’s secrets.” Luykas could only shrug. “I’m going to try to talk to her tonight. She can’t project to us because of the mountains, the Andinna blood freely given to the soil here. Too much power.”
“Their sorcerers can use their magic on our lands,” Leshaun reminded him.
“I know, but they can’t use their magic to breach our lands. They have to be here, standing here, and it’s harder for them. Believe me. Most of the sorcery I know doesn’t work unless I weave in our blood magic. Anden is hostile to giving up its power unless you offer some of your own.”
“Because the power of Anden is the power…”
“The power of every Andinna who has walked upon the soil and bled for it,” Luykas finished, nodding. “It’s an amazing self-defense mechanism, Andinna of old probably knew about it, but we had forgotten.”
“I agree.” Leshaun sighed. “Do you think Mave will come by tonight for her first lesson?”