out. The satisfaction of ripping off the heads of those fucking hobgoblins who took my family from me. So Kade is right in that, as frustratingly slow as Tielo is, he is the best tactical man I have on my team and I need to embrace patience.
"Goblins have just attacked a town to our far east, meaning they are slowly claiming territory closer to us. They are gaining strength because some of the towns under siege have changed allegiances to those brutes," Tielo bellows, drawing the attention of the room back to him.
"The townsfolk would say anything to save themselves. It's not a true allegiance," I retort. “How are the walls being built around settlements going?” The idea is that my touch will keep them protected by the toxic plants with my magic, but construction has been dragging on for too fucking long.
"We are pushing as hard as we can," he continues. "But we don't have the manpower for workers or guards, which gives the townsfolk little reason to remain aligned to us."
The commander of the army sitting across from me huffs. The man is broad and huge at seven-feet. Short black hair with eyes to match, he joined us from the northern realm after his king made the foolish decision to make an alliance with the goblins. The entire kingdom was slaughtered, only a few were lucky enough to barely escape with their lives.
He tilts his head back. "I'm ready to ride on the back of the devil himself to destroy every last mother fucking hobgoblin."
"Your enthusiasm is admirable," I say, having read enough of the old texts on God and Satan, which I find to be an amusing tale. We are living in hell as far as I’m concerned. "But we need to increase our soldier recruitment, broaden our reach to towns farther away. That’s what we need a solution for."
He groans, meeting my stare. I had a run-in with him when he first arrived at my kingdom, threatening me if I didn't allow him to join. I kicked his ass, but the man was fierce and took the beating and gave just as good. So I offered him a position in my army, and he made his way up the ranks.
When no one provides an answer, I growl, "What’s the purpose of today? To remind me of our shortcomings or to present me with a plan to eliminate those horned bastards?" I feel the nerve in my temple pulsing. The day started shitty enough with uncovering the dead body of a young girl inside the castle grounds. I discovered her on my walk at dawn. She lay frozen with iced blood tainting her slit throat, her skirt ripped off. Kade confirmed she isn't on my staff, which means someone brought her in here and had his way before killing her. She's the third victim I’ve found this month, and I'm seething that this is happening in my home. If my own team is murdering locals, how the fuck am I meant to protect the entire kingdom and surrounding villages?
Tielo spreads out a large map of our surrounding territory.
I sit forward in my seat. "Alright, continue."
I focus on the conversation and look over the maps at various attack strategies. Each is fraught with danger and a high risk of losing more men on our side, and that’s not going to work. But I listen and nod, because there is only so much my power can achieve, so many plants I can turn poisonous. My power alone isn’t enough to win against the hobgoblins, so I have to consider all options.
When the meeting concludes, I stand and address Tielo. "For each of your plans, send me a complete list of resources needed, along with projected casualties. And your suggested direction for my review."
"Of course, Your Highness." He stands up and bows. I get up and walk to the door, Kade’s footsteps moving close behind me.
As we leave the war room, our steps echo around us from the chilled silence.
"His plans have merit," Kade advises, his throaty rasp calling my attention. He is fifty-five this year. He used to work for my father, so I know he comes from a place where the well-being of the Midnight Court is his priority, unlike many in that room behind us who focus on growing their power and are too eager to dive into battle.
"Except we lack resources. And hiring townsfolk to fight is equivalent to sending them to their deaths. You know